Issue date
Gemma Jones and Jason Saunders want to stand on the top step of the podium at the end of the Medemblik Regatta and are well placed to achieve that with two days remaining.
Gemma Jones and Jason Saunders won the last race of the day. Photo: Medemblik Regatta.
The Nacra 17 pair remained in second overnight (NZ time), four points behind the Spanish combination of Fernando Echavarri Erasun and Tara Pacheco van Rijnsoever. As expected, the top four teams have opened a handy buffer on the rest of the fleet and Jones and Saunders are four points clear of the British pair of John Gimson and Anna Burnet in third.
Max van der Zalm continued his good form in the boy's under-19 RS:X and reclaimed third overnight after a fourth, third and ninth in his three races. The top two are significantly ahead and van der Zalm has a battle on his hands to hold onto third with Dutchman Jim van Someren only four points behind in fourth.
Antonio Cozzolino had a much better day in the men's RS:X with three top-10 results to remain in 38th and Veerle Ten Have is 35th in the women's RS:X.
There was a little more breeze for the third day of racing in Medemblik but it was still relatively light and Jones and Saunders were fifth (their discard) fourth and first in their three races.
"We sailed pretty well, not all the time, but we managed to make some nice comebacks and finished the day off well with a first so that was good," said Saunders in a croaky voice as he battles illness. "Tomorrow will probably be another light-wind day with a bit of rain and a few clouds moving the breeze around so I think it's going to be quite shifty and tricky.
"We are in pretty good shape to push for the win. It's all pretty close with the top four boats so it's really going to come down to the last two days. We are looking forward to going out there and executing with some nice starts and hopefully our good boat speed will carry us into a good spot."
Results and standings after day three of the Medemblik Regatta in the Netherlands overnight (NZ time):
Nacra 17 (21 boats)
1st: Fernando Echavarri Erasun / Tara Pacheco van Rijnsoever (ESP) 2 1 1 (9) 2 1 2 2 4 - 15 points
2nd: Gemma Jones / Jason Saunders (NZL) 1 3 3 2 3 2 (5) 4 1 - 19 pts
3rd: John Gimson / Anna Burnet (GBR) 5 2 2 (7) 4 3 1 3 3 - 23 pts
Boy's under-19 RS:X (21 boards)
1st: Fabien Pianazza (FRA) 1 1 (2) 1 1 2 2 1 2 - 11 pts
2nd: Tom Garandeau (FRA) 2 2 1 5 2 1 1 2 (13) - 16 pts
3rd: Max van der Zalm (NZL) 5 6 6 (22 UFD) 7 3 4 3 9 - 44 pts
Women's RS:X (47 boards)
1st: Stefania Elfutina (RUS) 2 2 8 1 (17) 10 12 1 1 - 37 pts
2nd: Zofia Noceti Klepacka (POL) 3 4 4 6 1 (22) 11 2 6 - 37 pts
3rd: Lilian de Geus (NED) 1 (48 RET) 2 23 6 2 4 4 5 - 47 pts
35th: Veerle Ten Have (NZL) 23 32 29 (44) 42 37 38 38 27 - 266 pts
Men's RS:X (58 boards)
1st: Maciej Kluszczynski (POL) 2 2 1 1 1 1 (5) 3 4 - 15 pts
2nd: Kieran Holmes-Martin (GBR) 1 5 4 1 2 2 1 1 (9) - 17 pts
3rd: Yoav Cohen (ISR) 1 3 1 2 7 1 (24) 4 2 - 21 pts
38th: Antonio Cozzolino (NZL) 17 16 (23) 8 22 23 9 10 8 - 113 pts
