Issue date
Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie started racing today on what was another light air day in Santander where the 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships are on.
Image: Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie © Pedro Martinez/Sailing Energy
More photos from today here
Highlights for the NZL Sailing Team today include Natalia Kosinska breaking into the top ten going 3, 4 in her races and Andy Maloney storming up the Laser leader board winning today’s only gold fleet race.
While the women’s 470 fleet featuring Aleh and Powrie sailed their two scheduled races, some other classes including the 470 men, RS:X men, Lasers and Radials only managed one race due to a lack of breeze on the race courses.
Women’s and Men’s 470
Sailing two races today Aleh and Powrie opened their regatta with two single digit race results – a 7th and a 5th – to lie 8th on 12 points.
New Zealand’s pair of Paul Snow-Hansen and Daniel Willcox also opened their 2014 World Championship campaign. Crossing in 14th place in today’s only race they’re in 27th on the leader board at this early stage.
Laser
With the top third of the fleet determined at the end of day two the best of the Laser men are now racing in gold fleet and jostling for a spot in the medal race. All four of New Zealand’s Laser sailors made the gold fleet and in today’s only race the NZL Sailing Team fern got the gun.
Just one race can make a big difference in the overall standings with Andy Maloney, in familiar fashion, climbing his way through the ranks as the regatta progresses. Maloney, from the Murrays Bay Sailing Club took the gun in the first gold fleet race (today’s only race for the Laser men) lifting his overall standing to 12th and the best placed kiwi.
“After a fair bit of time spent waiting around for the wind to come in, we managed to complete one Gold fleet race and taking the win was a good way to begin the finals series,” says Andy Maloney. “We have a reserve day tomorrow, so a bit of time to refresh mentally for the second half of the event.”
Sam Meech is just behind Maloney in 13th after a 16th on the water today, while Mike Bullot is just a little further back in 18th after an excellent race today where he placed 4th. Thomas Saunders is also within the top 20 sailors; he was 23rd in today’s race.
With only 24 nations represented within the 49-boat Laser gold fleet, and 23 Olympic spots available New Zealand is among the nations that have now secured national qualification for Rio 2016 in the men’s single-handed class. Find out which nations made the cut here.
Laser Radial
Sara Winther and Susannah Pyatt raced one race today in the Laser Radial gold fleet, Winther coming away with a 27th to lie 17th, and Pyatt in 35th overall after an 11th today.
National qualification for the women’s single-handed class is still to be decided with 33 nations making it into the Laser Radial gold fleet in Santander, but only 19 national places for Rio 2016 available at this regatta.
Men’s and Women’s RS:X
Natalia Kosinska upped her game today breaking into the top ten in the women’s RS:X with a 4th and a 3rd on the water. The Takapuna Boating Club windsurfer moves into 8th place after lying 17th at the start of the day.
Kosinska holds 22 points sharing the same points score as the three sailors ahead of her effectively lying 5th equal with five races on the board.
Jon-Paul Tobin added two more keepers today with a 9th and a 4th he is now in 16th overall in the Men’s RS:X.
National qualification for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games is also on offer at the 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships – read ISAF’s Qualification System for Rio 2016 for the details. Tomorrow in Santander the Nacra multihull, 49er, 49erFX and Finn fleets will all get underway.
2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships, Santander, Spain
New Zealand’s Current Standings
Full results here
Laser (Men’s single-handed dinghy / 150 boats)
12th Andy Maloney (18, 10, 19, 4, 1)
13th Sam Meech (12, 6, 2, 43, 16)
18th Mike Bullot (23, 11, 4, 24, 4)
20th Thomas Saunders (11, 5, 22, 5, 23)
Laser Radial (Women’s single-handed dinghy / 120 boats)
17th Sara Winther (7, 19, 10, 13, 27)
35th Susannah Pyatt (18, 11, 36, 61, 11)
108th Ali Nightingale (19, 58, 58, 58)
Men’s RS:X Windsurfing / 100 sailors
16th Jon-Paul Tobin (9, 10, 9, 4)
Women’s RS:X Windsurfing / 62 sailors
8th Natalia Kosinska (10, 5, 18, 4, 3)
Women’s 470 (double-handed dinghy)
8th Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie (7, 5)
Men’s 470 (double-handed dinghy)
27th Paul Snow-Hansen and Daniel Willcox (14)
49er Skiff – Racing starts Monday 15th
Peter Burling and Blair Tuke
Marcus Hansen and Josh Porebski
Logan Dunning-Beck and Jack Simpson
49erFX Skiff - Racing starts Monday 15th
Alexandra Maloney and Molly Meech
Erica Dawson and Ellie Copeland
Nacra 17 (mixed multihull) - Racing starts Monday 15th
Gemma Jones and Jason Saunders
Finn (men’s heavy-weight dinghy) - Racing starts Monday 15th
Andrew Murdoch
Josh Junior
Karl Purdie
Support and Coaching:
Jez Fanstone , Nathan Handley, Mark Howard, Dave Robertson, Ian Neely , John Cutler, Hamish Willcox, Will Howden, Peter Evans, Grant Beck, Louise Johnson, Rebecca van Weerd
Links
Regatta website
ISAF website
Yachting New Zealand website
NZL Sailing Team sailor profiles
NZL Sailing Team Facebook page
Media information
- NZL Media Releases: Yachting New Zealand will issue daily written media releases focussing on New Zealand’s performance as soon as possible after the day’s results are published. These reports will be published at yachtingnz.org.nz at the same time as release.
- Footage for TV: Sunset+Vine/APP are the host broadcaster in Santander to capture the action. Contact Sabina Mollart Rogerson on SMollartRogerson@sunsetvineapp.com
- Photography: Professional high resolution images of the NZL Sailing Team in action in Spain will be available and free for editorial use. Please contact Jodie Bakewell-White with your image requests.
For more information contact:
Jodie Bakewell-White, YNZ Communications Manager
Tel. 021 709 065
Email. jodie@yachtingnz.org.nz
About the NZL Sailing Team
The NZL Sailing Team includes New Zealand’s top Olympic campaigners who have made the top 20% in their most recent (respective) class World Championships or pinnacle event and have shown consistency of performance over the year including other significant Championships.
Yachting New Zealand’s High Performance Programme is focussed on winning medals at the Olympics in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
NZL Sailing Team sailors all started out at grass roots yacht clubs around the country and with commitment, dedication and drive have risen to be world class athletes; they work hard in the gym, train long hours on the water and are supported by great coaches.
