VARIABLE CONDITIONS ON THIRD DAY DELTA LLOYD REGATTA 2008

Yngling - Germany back in the lead
“We had a tough first race”, said Ulrike Schuemann while tying up her Yngling. “Our start was bad and we made the wrong decisions. But we caught up in the second beat and had a really good last run, by staying lower than the rest of the fleet.” The German trio Schuemann/Bleck/Hoepfner came back from almost last to an eighth position. Sundby/Fredriksen/Koefoed from Norway took the bullet. The Norwegians and the NED I (Groeneveld/Van der Werf/Kampen) were fighting for the second win, as the Germans took advantage of them. Schuemann: “We passed them on the last run.” The third Yngling start messed up the overall ranking, due to seven OCS’s. The Norwegian team and yesterday’s leaders Mulder/Faber/Witteveen (NED) were among the early starters. Schueman and her crew won again and grabbed the overall lead by two points, followed by Sundby/Fredriksen/Koefoed and Groeneveld/Van der Werf/Kampen.

RS:X – From China to Dutch conditions
According to the RS:X windsurfers, the Delta Lloyd Regatta has been a good training for China so far. But during today’s second race, the wind picked up and the competitors had to adjust their trim. Julien Bontemps (FRA), leader in the RS:X Men: “It has been very light since the beginning and I have a good feeling with these conditions.” Bontemps continued his strong performance on the IJsselmeer with another bullet in 6-8 knots. “The breeze increased during the second lap of the last race, which was interesting in terms of changing the trim”, said Bontemps. He finished second after Dorian van Rijsselberge, who remained in second position overall.

The current European Champion Marina Alabau (ESP) scored exactly the same results as yesterday, a first and sixth. She still leads the twenty participants in the RS:X Women. “I was ninth at the first top mark”, recalled Alabau. “I passed four competitors on the downwind and I went to the right in the second beat. The wind shifted to the right and I could take the lead.” She had a good second start, but was too quick with changing her trim: “I tacked and was the first one who moved the mast track backwards. That was wrong, because I sailed lower than the rest of the fleet. And there was more pressure on the left side of the course.” Faustine Merret (FRA) is second overall, with just one point difference. Alabau: “There are good people here, so it is perfect training for China.”

Tornado: “A bit of everything” According to six times and current World Champion Darren Bundock (AUS), the multihulls had a bit of everything this afternoon. They started with a breeze of only five knots and ended with about sixteen knots. Bundock and Ashby stayed in the overall lead with a first, second and fifth. Ashby: “I am very happy with today. We had light, medium and stronger wind. Our performance was consistent, which is good.” They had their best result in the light breeze. Ashby: “Of course we are focussing on China, but you also need to hang in windy conditions. And everybody is on top of the game, so the level is very high. It is hardcore racing, which makes it fun.” The British McMillan and Howden are second overall, followed by the French Revil/Espagnon.

Laser: Australia and USA back in the lead
In both Laser classes, the Australian sailors had the best day score. Sarah Blanc took two bullets and a second. So did Tom Slingsby in the Laser Standard, which resulted in the overall lead again. Sarah moved up to a fourth position, whereas Anna Tunnicliffe is back on a winning course. She started this morning with an eighth position, followed by two wins.

Star - Swiss domination
Today’s first Star race was interesting to watch. Pepper and Williams from New Zealand missed the start, because of issues with their jib halyard. And the Italians Negri/Viale had to leave the course, due to an OCS. The British Percy/Simpson were first at the upwind mark, followed by the Polish Kusznierewicz/Zycki and the Irish duo O’leary/Milne. The Swiss leaders rounded in fifth position. The fleet split up in the second beat and it was again the British team that was leading at the top mark. The Polish World Champions 2008 were second, followed by yesterday’s leaders Marazzi and Da Maria from Italy and the Brazilians Scheidt/Prada. The top three boats battled it out on the last run. The final meters turned out to be a real photo finish, with the Swiss boat positioned windward from the others. They won the fight. Robert Scheidt and Bruno Prada took the second bullet and are second overall after six results. Marazzi and De Maria remained in the lead.

470 – Australia and Great-Britain most consistent
The British 470-duo Christina Bassadone and Saskia Clark was flying today. They started with two bullets, followed by a second place. They had the Swedish girls Torgersson and Santén on their stern at the last bottom mark, which made it an exciting final leg to the finish. Conti and Micol (ITA) performed steady in the top ten and are still leading by ten points. The Australians Wilmot and Page, World Champions 2004-05 and 2007, showed their class by scoring the best day score in the men’s fleet. They are second overall, after the Frenchmen Charbonnier and Bausset.

Finn & 49er
After three bullets and two seconds, Gasper Vincec (SLO) proved he is beatable by finishing 13th. However, he is still leading the Finn fleet by eleven points. The Spanish 49er duo Federico and Arturo Allonso Tellechea took over the golden position in the 49er. They performed strongly with a series of 3-1-1. Yesterday’s leaders Sibello/Sibello dropped to a fourth position overall.