SOF Hyeres Regatta underway
The New Zealand team have made a solid start at the ISAF Grade One French Olympic Sailing Week which started overnight in Hyeres, France. Dan Slater, Andrew Murdoch as well as Carl Evans and Peter Burling are all in the top five after day one.
Hyeres turned on strong easterly winds reaching up to 25 knots and short, choppy waves for day one of the regatta which features all of the Olympic class fleets. Each of the fleets in which New Zealand is represented sailed two races on the first day of competition.
FINN: Dan Slater is in third place in the 55 strong Finn fleet on equal points with world number one Hoegh-Christensen of Denmark in second place. Slater was 3rd in race one and 4th in race two giving him a total of seven points at this early stage. Christopher Cook of Canada leads the Finn fleet on five points.
“Today the breeze built from the south as forecasted and by midday was 22-25 knots,” says Dan Slater, “with wind against tide making the onshore waves that little bit steeper.”
“Race one I had a really nice start down towards the pin end and was able to cross all but one boat when I tacked onto port,” explains Slater. “For the remainder of the race, not too much changed and I rounded every mark in 2nd place behind the Dutchman, until my final gybe to the finish when I was a little careless and dipped my boom which turned my cockpit into a spa pool. I lost one boat in this very average little manoeuvre to cross the finish line in 3rd from 55 starters.”
“So a 3rd and 4th in really tough conditions was not too bad given that I’m not as big as a lot of the fleet here, but there has been some dieting amongst the fleet in preparation for China in August.”
LASER: Andrew Murdoch has a share of third place in the enormous 149 boat Laser fleet. A 2nd and a 3rd on day one puts the kiwi up amongst the leaders. Deniss Karpak of Estonia was the stand-out in the windy conditions with two bullets on day one.
MEN’S 470: Carl Evans and Peter Burling have had an impressive start to the regatta in the Men’s 470 class with a 7th in race one, followed by a win in race two. The young pair have eight points and sit in 5th place overall in the 73 boat fleet.
LASER RADIAL: Day one for Jo Aleh was marred by a blag flag in race two of the regatta. With a 5th in the first race of the day and carrying 40 points for the blag flag Aleh is back in 41st place in the Laser Radial fleet. Sarah Blanck of Australia leads from Evi Van Acker of Belgium.
TORNADO: Aaron McIntosh and Mark Kennedy are lying 14th in the 21 boat Tornado fleet. On day one they were 11th and then 14th in the windy, choppy conditions.
RS:X WINDSURFING: Steffanie Williams is the best placed of the three kiwis competing in the windsurfing. She is lying 21st overall in the women’s fleet.
Racing continues for each of the fleets overnight tonight in Hyeres with two races planned for each of the fleets. The regatta concludes overnight on Friday.
French Olympic Sailing Week (Semaine Olympique Francaise)
New Zealand’s standings after day one
Finn (55 boats)
Dan Slater – 3rd
Laser (149 boats)
Andrew Murdoch – 3rd=
470 Men (73 boats)
Carl Evans & Peter Burling - 5th
Laser Radial (78 boats)
Jo Aleh – 41st
Tornado (21 boats)
Aaron McIntosh & Mark Kennedy – 14th
RS:X Women (59 boards)
Steffanie Williams – 21st
Kate Ellingham – 30th
RS:X Men (92 boards)
Mike Kilduff – 79th