Issue date
Harsh conditions prevailed on day two of the 2016 49er, 49erFX and Nacra World Championships on now in Clearwater, Florida where strong breeze and choppy seas caused further disruption to the schedule.
The Nacra fleet managed four races, but the 49erFX completed just one to open their Championship, while the 49er fleet featuring Peter Burling and Blair Tuke did not complete any racing today.
Sailing in two fleets the 49erFX got underway today. After no racing on day one, and just one race possible today they find themselves two days into the six day regatta with just one race on the board. Race organisers will do their best to catch up lost ground over coming days.
Both the New Zealand women’s skiff crews in Florida started solidly despite the treacherous conditions, each recording a single-digit result from today’s race. Erica Dawson and Ellie Copeland will be pleased to record a 4th place, while NZL Sailing Team’s Alex Maloney and were 6th in their race.
The rough and rugged sea state, which is compounded at the Clearwater venue by the shallow nature of the sailing waters, once again took its toll and NZL Sailing Team’s Gemma Jones and Jason Saunders didn’t come away unscathed on day two recording a DNF in the second race of the day.
Aside from that Jones and Saunders placed 23rd and 24th in races two and four, but bounced back with a 10th to round out the day. They hold 26th overall with five races complete.
22 year old Jones (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) and 25 year old Saunders (Tauranga Yacht & Powerboat Club) paired up to campaign the new Olympic multihull class in 2013 and represented New Zealand at the 2015 Rio Test Event sailed last August at the Olympic venue where they finished 5th. At last year’s Nacra World Championships, sailed last July in Arhus, Denmark, they placed 4th.
Olivia Mackay and Micah Wilkinson, New Zealand’s younger combination in the Nacra class fared slightly better on day two of the 2016 Nacra 17 World Championship; with a 28, 27, 13 score-card from today they are lying 22nd overall in the 43 strong fleet.
Mackay (19 years old and from the Napier Sailing Club) and Wilkinson (20 years old and from the Ngaroto Sailing Club) combined forces in the Nacra 17 Olympic multihull class last year sailing 2015 Oceanbridge Sail Auckland in February and then attending their first major international in May last year when they sailed at Delta Lloyd Regatta in the Netherlands. They are part of Yachting New Zealand’s Aon Fast Track Squad which aims to accelerate the standard of the most talented sailors from being top international youth sailors, to top international Olympic campaigners.
Racing resumes tomorrow in Clearwater. Qualifying racing runs until Thursday 11th in Florida, before the regatta moves to finals racing. Medal races are planned for Sunday 14th February.
New Zealand’s current standings…
49er World Championship
1st Peter Burling & Blair Tuke (1)
21st Isaac McHardie & Trent Rippey (11)
43rd Logan Dunning Beck & Jack Simpson (22)
54th Markus Somerville & Josh Porebski (35)
49erFX World Championship
7th Erica Dawson & Ellie Copeland (4)
11th Alexandra Maloney & Molly Meech (6)
Nacra 17 Championship
22nd Olivia Mackay & Micah Wilkinson (12, 28, 27, 13, 24)
26th Gemma Jones & Jason Saunders (27, 23, DNF, 24, 10)
Links
There are two main websites where you can follow all the action. http://www.saillife.com/ for the Nacra17 and http://49er.org/event/2016-world-championship/ for all 49er and 49erFX updates.
For image requests and more information contact:
Jodie Bakewell-White
Email: Jodie@yachtingnz.org.nz
Tel. 021 709 065
