Six Kiwis lying top ten at 2015 Rio Test Event

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Issue date

20 Aug 2015

It was another long day on day five of 2015 Rio Test Event with Guanabara Bay beset with similar light conditions to yesterday.

It was a mixed bag for the NZL Sailing Team crews that did sail in the challenging conditions. Going into day six of the eight day regatta, six of the seven kiwi crews are within the top ten of their fleet.

The planned racing schedule was interrupted, with reduced racing across most fleets and none at all for the 49er meaning Peter Burling and Blair Tuke remain in the lead.

Nacra 17

Gemma Jones and Jason Saunders in the Nacra were the first fleet to race today and they opened well with a 2^nd place.

“We got sent out in the northerly breeze and we raced in that which was a bit of a surprise, but it was steady and fair,” says 21 year old helm Gemma Jones.

Then the wind shut down and the multihull fleet drifted on the bay, in anticipation of the south easterly which didn’t eventuate until around 4o’clock.

“We raced another race in that breeze which was very flaky with tide lines. It was a crazy race in which we recovered well to get 6^th so we were happy.”

Asked about how the day went overall Jones was relieved with the outcome; “It could have gone really bad, lots of good boats were not doing well. It was tricky and we managed to get two keepers so we’re really happy.”

“We’ll have four races tomorrow, which will be fun. I think there is a bit more breeze scheduled which will be nice – to get a good range of conditions. And it’s all very close on points so tomorrow will be a big day.”

Women’s 470 and Men’s 470

Just one race was possible for both the Men’s and Women’s 470 classes. Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie placed 12^th in their race and end the day in 9^th overall, while Paul Snow-Hansen and Daniel Willcox placed 16^th today to hold 16^th overall in the men’s division.

Finn

Josh Junior opened with his best race of the regatta, finishing 2^nd, but wasn’t able to replicate that in the subsequent race recording a 17^th which becomes his drop score. Junior is in 7^th on 23 points just one adrift of Norway in 6^th.

Laser

A 3^rd on the water today for Andy Maloney in the Laser class is his best race of the regatta so far and it lifts him from 10^th up to 8^th overall going into tomorrow. Maloney reported a decent breeze of around 12-15 knots on the Copacabana course for their single race.

49er

Peter Burling and Blair Tuke did not sail today and remain in the lead in the 49er class. They will be back on the water tomorrow.

Looking ahead

The lack of wind over days four and five of 2015 Rio Test Event sees the schedule of competition compressed tighter into the remaining three available days with race officials doing their utmost to get races underway where possible.

Tomorrow racing will start one hour earlier than usual at midday.

Team Manager Jez Fanstone says, “It’s been tricky for the race officers the last couple of days. We haven’t had good steady winds and so it’s been really hard to set a course. And it’s also been really tricky to sail in.”

“For the rest of the week it means they may well try and squeeze more races in tomorrow. For example on the Nacra course there could be four races in one day which can make a big change to the whole outlook of the regatta.”

“At the moment we’re looking at a southerly front to come in with a bit more wind, so we’re all hoping for a more stable set of conditions, and I know that’s what the Principal Race Officer will be hoping for as well.”

2015 Rio Test Event, Rio de Janeiro
The NZL Sailing Team current standings

1^st Peter Burling and Blair Tuke - 49er (2, 6, 1, 12, 1, 1)
4^th Gemma Jones and Jason Saunders - Nacra 17 (2, 2, 14, 1, 3, 13, 2, 6)
6^th Alexandra Maloney and Molly Meech - 49erFX (3, 1, 15, 5, 12, 8, 15)
7^th Josh Junior - Finn (7, 10, 4, 2, 17)
8^th Andy Maloney – Laser (11, 6, 9, 22, 23, 6, 3)
9^th Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie - Women’s 470 (4, 12, 5, 9, 12)
16^th Paul Snow-Hansen and Daniel Willcox - Men’s 470 (17, 10, 17, 12, 16)