Issue date
28 August- Racing got underway today in Kinsale for the Cork County Council IFDS World Sailing Championships in glorious sunshine after yesterday’s sailing was postponed due to light winds. Conditions were initially looking poor this morning and the competitors were held ashore. However after an hour of waiting the Race Committee lowered the postponement flag and the sailors headed out to the race course.
On the Sonar course, the 18 boat fleet got a good start shortly after 12 noon in a northerly breeze coming off the land. However the race had to be abandoned half way up the first leg as the breeze died. The competitors went back to the starting area and waited until the wind filled in from the south/south west although the forecast was to be from the north. There was only one general recall and the class finished the day with three good races.
The Kiwi Gold Sailing team of David Barnes, Rick Dodson and Andrew May had a good start to the regatta and are sitting in seventh place overall after three races. Amber Cameron reports:
Our first official race on Great Wall Cars was a tricky one. There was a general recall at the first start attempt. The tide was really pushing the fleet of 18 Sonars over the line; the black flag went up meaning if you were over the line in the last minute leading up the the start you would be disqualified. There were a few nerves rattled out on the water this morning!
We had a good start with this in mind and scored a 7th on the first race. We started our second race with the best start we have ever done in Great Wall Cars and picked up some awesome wind shifts putting us in the leading position of the fleet up until the 3rd mark when we dropped back to a not so shabby 2nd place at the finish.
After more than two hours of hard sailing in shifty wind conditions, the Race Committee decided to squeeze one more race in, making up for yesterdays postponement. With the sea breeze dropping in and out, it was a pretty bad start for Kiwi Gold, but we managed to make up some places in the first two legs. We decided to go for the land breeze that was filling in which was all well and good, until the unpredictable wind started filling in from the sea again, leaving us to finish 11th.
Commenting on today’s racing Peter Crowley Principal Race Officer for the Sonar stated “It was great to get three races sailed today as we are now only one race down after yesterday’s postponement. It was very competitive out there today but it is early days and it is all to play for”.
David Barnes says "It was tough, a tough day. We can only do better and I wasn't happy with my performance today"
Why?
"Because he is a bloody perfectionist!" jokes Coach Rob.
"When you know you can and should do better - it's just not good enough" says David. "Time on the boat and time out on the water racing is what we need more of."
For more information and full results see www.ifdsworlds2013.com.
Follow team Kiwi Gold online www.kiwigoldsailing.co.nz
