French Olympic Sailing Week – More lights airs and mixed results

Sailors waited for wind on day three of 2010 French Olympic Sailing Week on now in Hyeres, France. Racing got underway around 2pm local time and all the kiwis competing completed at least one race, while the women’s match racers completed their round robin.

Results from the day were mixed with some shuffling in the overall standings.

A sixth in race three of the series for Sara Winther in the 80 strong Laser Radial fleet sees the North Shore local move from 15th position up into seventh overall. Currently Winther is the best placed of the twelve New Zealand entries.

Josh Junior was fourth in the one race of the day for the Laser class, and he now sits in twelfth place on the leader-board. Andrew Murdoch takes a slide to 29th place after a 34th in last night’s light airs race.

Over in the Women’s 470 event Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie are in sixth overall in the fleet of 44 boats. They were 17th in last night’s race. Three days into the six day regatta the women’s 470 class have only managed to complete two races.

Samantha Osborne, Raynor Smeal and Jenna Hansen miss out on a quarter finals berth in the women’s match racing after three losses on the water overnight. The trio will now sail off in the silver round robin for their final placing.

Racing continues tomorrow in France, with the regatta concluding on Friday 30th April.

The New Zealand team is supported by coaches Laurie Jury and Mark Howard.

Further updates on the New Zealand team will be issued as racing continues, and full results and news are available on the regatta website.

2010 French Olympic Sailing Week
New Zealand’s Current Standings

Women’s Match Racing (22 entries)
Group C Round Robin 5th Samantha Osborne, Raynor Smeal and Jenna Hansen (3 wins/4 losses)

Laser (141 entries)
12th Josh Junior (1, 27, 4)
29th Andrew Murdoch (8, 4, 34)
34th Andy Maloney (18, 19, 14)
48th Max Andrews (36, 4, 21)
60th Sam Meech (24, 26, 15)
98th Mike Bullot (7, 36, BFD)

Laser Radial (80 entries)
7th Sara Winther – (4, 13, 6)

470 Men (90 entries)
60th Paul Snow-Hansen and Jason Saunders – (38, 32, 8)

470 Women (44 entries)
6th Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie – (2, 17)

RS:X Women (39 entries)
21st Jazmine Lynch – (10, 23, 33)

Finn (52 entries)
44th Matt Coutts – (BFD, 25)

New Zealand’s Coaching Team
Laurie Jury
Mark Howard