Issue date
Angus Haslett reports on the final day of the 2013 Optimist World Championships sailed last week at Lake Garda, Italy where a team of five represented New Zealand.
The final day of racing has produced a mix of highs and lows. We were hoping for three races today but by mid morning it was evident we'd struggle for two. The race committee decided not to sail early which may have been a pity as a nice peler breeze stayed in until about 11am.
The decision meant a latish start and in a building Ora which produced some big shifts - evidence in the fact a sailor sitting in 200th managed to win a race today!
However the consistent and sailors strong at starting were always there and they eventually shone through.
The best of the Kiwi team today was Nick Egnot-Johnson who sailed well to take out a 6th in the final race, a deserved result after nailing every start today.
Final placings are:
Leonard Takahashi-Fry 28th
Nick Egnot-Johnson 73rd
Henry Haslett 132nd
Tom Fyfe 139th
Alastair Gifford 149th
This was a great learning experience for our team, not quite the winds we had expected and trained for but none the less a good grounding in just how important technique is and figuring out how to consistently start well.
