Issue date
After six days sailing, the High Liner Foods IFDS World Championships 2014, has drawn to a close in Halifax.
Most of the kiwi teams got off to a good start on day one, in spite of the shifty conditions, and this continued on day two after a delay until a nice sea breeze kicked in. Unfortunately, with the wind in the last few days averaging 2 – 4 knots, the teams slipped down the results table, and consequently, none were able to gain national qualification to the Paralympics in Rio 2016.
Tim Dempsey and Gemma Fletcher, New Zealand's entry in the SKUD 18 two-handed Paralympic class finished 11th overall. They reflect on the regatta; "Had a few days for the result to sink in. Really gutted to have been in the top bunch after the first two days then to slip back. The wind for the final few days averaged 2-4 knots and we have been working hard on our light wind sailing. Any time we got over 6 knots we were challenging for the lead. So back to Auckland for some early morning training to get as much light wind training as we can."
There will be a second opportunity for all three Paralympic classes to qualify at Sail Melbourne in 2015.
New Zealand's Final Results
2.4mR (49 entries)
Brett Willcock - 13th
Paul Francis - 22nd
SKUD 18 (14 entries)
Tim Dempsey/Gemma Fletcher - 11th
Sonar ( 18 Entries)
Richard Dodson/David Barnes/Andrew May - 14th
Visit the regatta website for images, full results and more.
