[Source: Finn Class] Awesome is an overused word, but today it doesn’t really come close to adequately describe the performance of Ben Ainslie (GBR) on day five of the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Finn Gold Cup in Falmouth. In the toughest, roughest conditions that much of the fleet have sailed in for many years he took three race wins and is now within a whisker of his sixth Finn World title. Ed Wright (GBR) remains in second while Jonas Høgh-Christensen (DEN) moves up to third.

The morning forecast was somewhat daunting as the fleet set out under the threat of 30 knots winds and big seas by the afternoon. Three races were scheduled to make up for those lost on Wednesday, and though 85 boats made the first start, by the third race there were only 53 boats left on the water. The wind rose from 15-16 knots for the first race of the day to 20-25 knots in the third, and the wave also built to reach 2-3 metres in height, providing for some stunning downwind sailing so even those who were having a bad day were also having a fantastic day.

Pieter-Jan Postma (NED) obviously liked the conditions and had his best day yet, rounding the first mark in race seven in the lead from Greg Douglas (CAN) and Mark Andrews (GBR). Tapio Nirkko (FIN) rounded in fifth and moved up on the downwind to round level with Postma, but at the opposite gate. Postma still led at the second upwind mark, while Ben Ainslie (GBR) had moved up to second. Then on the final run to the finish, there were lots of position changes. Ainslie stormed through to the lead to win the race from Ed Wright (GBR) and Daniel Birgmark (SWE).

Ben Ainslie proves he's in form. Falmouth, 17 May 2012. Photo copyright Mark Lloyd

The conditions worsened (or improved depending on your viewpoint) for the next race with big rolling waves coming down the course. Matts Coutts (NZL) was the clear leader at the top mark from Douglas and Andrews. Wright had moved to third at the gate and then took the lead up the beat to lead down the first reach. Ainslie had recovered from a poor first beat to third place, but was handed his second victory of the day on a plate when Wright capsized on the gybe and Douglas went wide. Ainslie slipped through the gap and screamed off to the finish. Douglas crossed in second with Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic (CRO) in third. Wright righted his boat and crossed in 14th.

The final race of the day was an epic of big winds, big waves and downhill sleigh rides that needed nerves of steel. Ainslie now had the measure of the day and rounded the first mark with a nice lead which he extended on every leg to win by 200 metres at the finish. Wright was again in second for much of the race but slipped on the final reaches to fourth. Kljakovic Gaspic crossed in second with Zach Railey (USA) sailing his best race of the regatta into third to grab the final place in Friday’s medal race.

Ainslie described the day, “It was a pretty big day, amazing conditions. There were massive waves. It was an amazing day’s sailing for everyone I think. It is not often we race in conditions like that so it was great, I think there will be a lot of tired sailors but I think most people had a smile on their face most of the time.”

“It has been a good week and this event is important but really the main focus this year is the Olympics coming up. It is good with that in mind but of course it is a great achievement to win a Finn Gold Cup. This fleet is very tight, there are a lot of good sailors so I’ve still got to keep pushing and making improvements. Obviously I am very happy with the way this week has gone.”

Wright summed up his day, “Today was probably the craziest days sailing I’ve had for a long time. It was enormous waves, really windy and it built all day. It was really exciting probably my favourite day. I wasn’t really sailing just trying to keep control, it was quite a nice feeling.”

“Today was even more about survival than Tuesday. Downwind was just survival, there were quite a few capsizes and in my second race on the last couple of reaches I was winning by quite a way relaxing in survival mode. I went in for the gybe and capsized. It was hard because I went in the water and after that pretty difficult to get yourself back up and into the boat so I probably lost about 10 places there. The good thing is I can discard that race. Going into medal race tomorrow it’s going to be close racing but we will just have to wait and see what happens.”

Ed Wright holds on to second place overall. Falmouth, 17 May 2012. Photo copyright Mark Lloyd

Kljakovic Gaspic said, “It was a lot of fun out there. To be honest it was great rounding the mark and watching the other guys capsize behind and get in trouble on the downwind, watching as you pass them by it was a good feeling to be fast but cautious. Today was quite a good day for me I had two really unlucky moments today, the first and third start a really big wave broke on my deck and flooded my boat with water, so about 30 seconds after the start my boat was totally sinking and I was trying to get it out as quick as possible.”

“Tomorrow will be good experience for the future and for the Olympics. I hope it will be windy to take advantage of the guys that are tired from today’s racing, maybe I am a bit fresher than the rest.

It has been quite a tough week but I’m fit and strong and I have confidence in myself. I don’t doubt my fitness.”2

For Douglas, this event forms his Olympic trials and had a great day to move up to 14th overall, while his main rival Chris Cook (CAN) unfortunately fell ill and didn’t complete the last two races, to drop to 27th and now too far back to catch up.

Douglas said, “I saw the forecast this morning and put a little post on Facebook that I was going to teach the old boys how its done today and the wind picked up, the waves got big, it was a really good one out there today. In the second race coming around the reach Ed capsized at the gybe and then Ben got inside me at the gybe, but getting passed by Ben Ainslie was not the worst.”

Oleksiy Borysov (UKR) is the only dinghy sailor from Ukraine to qualify for the Olympics and his week hasn’t gone quite to plan. He sits in 21st place. “To my mind it’s the most difficult start to this season. I was ready to take the challenge physically, yet in conditions I didn’t reach my target. Having said that I’m quite happy with the outcome and my results. My aim and the most important thing was to finish in the top 20 regardless, so I had pretty consistent results in today’s races.

“It’s quite important for me to get down to Weymouth as soon as possible. Because of lack of financial support I didn’t have a chance to compete in last years Skandia’s Sail for Gold, nor in the Pre-Olympic test event”

In Friday’s medal race Ainslie just has to finish cleanly to win a sixth Finn world title. Wright also has to just finish to win the silver. The real interest is the bronze, where technically any of the next six boats can take it out of the hand of Jonas Høgh-Christensen (DEN).

Following the medal race, the 11th and final race will be sailed for the rest. For some this is an important race as will determine the final places at the Olympics. Poland has already qualified. Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, China and Norway currently occupy the next six places, though some are dependent on National Authority requirements.

The medal race will feature GoPro stern cameras on each of the 10 boats, so hopefully by the end of the day we will have a idea what it take to be a world class Finn sailor.

Results after nine races (1 discard)
1 GBR 3 Ben Ainslie 10
2 GBR 11 Edward Wright 30
3 DEN 2 Jonas Høgh-Christensen 64
4 CRO 524 Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic 72
5 FIN 218 Tapio Nirkko 72
6 POL 17 Piotr Kula 80
7 GBR 88 Mark Andrews 81
8 GBR 85 Andrew Mills 82
9 NED 842 Pieter-Jan Postma 85
10 USA 4 Zach Railey 93

[Source: Finn Class] If any proof is needed that Ben Ainslie (GBR) is at the top of his game, then today was proof indeed. After dominating and winning both races in the brutal environment of the cold and windy Falmouth Bay, he now takes a 10 point lead over Ed Wright (GBR) and Andrew Mills (GBR) at the half way stage of the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Finn Gold Cup.

Tuesday was always going to be the big wind day in Falmouth and it didn’t disappoint though it wasn’t the epic day many were forecasting. However, with temperatures plummeting in the northerly winds, the 16-20 knot wind felt like a lot more. The sea remained relatively flat for the wind speed, with the wind coming off the land and making the racing tricky and very tactical with large shifts as the fleet approached the windward mark.

Most of the fleet favoured the left side on the first beat of race five, with the leaders crossing tacks several times before they rounded. Rafael Trujillo (ESP) rounded first from Jonas Høgh-Christensen (DEN) and Ed Wright (GBR). Ben Ainslie (GBR) rounded in fifth but had moved up to second behind Høgh-Christensen at the downwind gate. The two traded tacks on the second beat, before Ainslie sailed further to the right and found a way through. Ainslie rounded the top mark clear ahead ahead while Piotr Kula (POL) had sailed a great second beat to move up to third.

Day 3 of the Finn Gold Cup. Falmouth, 15 May 2012. Photo copyright Mark Lloyd

The race ended with two fast and thrilling reaches down to the finish. Ainslie and Høgh-Christensen extended on the fleet by several hundred metres, while Kula capsized and lost ground. Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic (CRO) took advantage of that and crossed in third.

The race committee was keen to get things moving fast as by now everyone was extremely cold. Høgh-Christensen was again in good form, rounding the top mark ahead of Mark Andrews (GBR) and Ainslie. Ainslie was impressively fast down the run sailing past his rivals to round the gate with a 50 metre advantage. From there he played the shifts on the left on the second upwind to lead down the reaches for a substantial win.

Høgh-Christensen had dropped back on the second upwind as it became a battle of perseverance in the tough conditions. Finally Tapio Nirkko (FIN) emerged into second with Andrew Mills (GBR) in third. Nothing much changed down the reaches and they finished in that order.

At the half way stage Ainslie has yet to put a foot wrong with nothing below third place in winds from 8 to 22 knots. He is already looking hard to beat. Ed Wright continues to be consistent enough to maintain second while Andrew Mills is able to discard his 21st from race five today to remain in third overall. However with the discard kicking in the points are getting closer. Høgh-Christensen is just one point behind Mills while the next four boats are all within six points of each other.

The race for Olympic selection is increasing its pace now for the six nations that will qualify here. Top performer so far is Piotr Kula who picked up a 12th and a fifth today to end up in seventh overall, ten places ahead of his main rival Rafal Szukiel (POL) who didn’t have such a good day.

Other nations currently in qualifying positions are Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, China and Turkey. While Germany and Austria have lone sailors here, China, Czech Republic and Turkey have several here and those trials also need to be decided.

Despite his capsize in race five Kula still sailed a counting race. “I was in third place at the time, actually it was my mistake because I didn’t see the gust coming and my boom just touched the water and I capsized. I lost quite a few positions but I gained them back in the next race because I finished fifth in the last one, I’m really really tired, but happy.”

“It’s been going really well so far, there’s been three days of sailing and I’ve had four races in the top ten so this is really good. We’ve already had two trial regattas for the Olympics, in Majorca and Hyeres, and after Hyeres I was leading with one point over my colleague, Rafal, so far I’m keeping this so hopefully it will stay like this.”

Second overall Ed Wright summed up his week so far, “I got a first on the first day, then slipped to second over the last couple of days. Ben’s been sailing pretty well, and I’ve been struggling with the tactics on the last couple of days. I’ve been rounding the top mark always pretty good but then the second beat is not so great. But I’m pretty happy with the way I’m sailing. They are great conditions out there and I’m really enjoying being in Falmouth and racing against these guys; it’s tough competition.”

“Today it was pretty windy and upwind I was going pretty fast but I’ve only done a small amount of sailing this year and I just pretty much went into survival mode on the run. I slipped a little bit on the run actually but I did come out today with a fourth and a fifth and I’m really happy.”

Day 3 of the Finn Gold Cup. Falmouth, 15 May 2012. Photo copyright Mark Lloyd

Hoegh-Christensen said, “The first race was quite tricky. I didn’t get a good start but I managed to fight my way back and sail a very good first beat and got back up to second, rounded in second and passed Rafa down the run and I was first at the bottom, and then I was duking it out with Ben all the way up the beat and I did a small mistake and he passed me.”

“In the second race I led around the windward mark by quite a bit and it was looking pretty good all the way round, then I got into a bit of a hole down the first run and Ben and Mark Andrews passed me and then on the second beat I couldn’t hit a shift to save my life and I ended up rounding in tenth so it was a total catastrophe. I got back up to eighth. I think there’s a good chance I could climb back up the leader board. I got a little closer to Ed and Mills so there’s a good chance I can hopefully pass them tomorrow.”

Another sailor having a great regatta is Tapio Nirkko, currently in seventh overall. “Today was a really brutal day, conditions were extremely tough, the temperature is quite low and it’s quite gusty and windy today so it was challenging for everyone. In the first race I had some troubles in the first upwind, my tactics were quite bad and I was completely in the wrong corner but it was a good recovery and decent result. In the second race I started better and I got perfect lines right from the beginning. I was pretty much picking up places the whole race until the end so I’m quite happy with that. It’s challenging and it’s the same for everybody, but that’s why we are here.”

Mark Andrews has improved his position every race, ending up with a seventh and sixth today to sit in 11th overnight. “The regatta started off pretty bad for me but it seems to be getting better and better as each race goes on so that’s good and hopefully I’ll be somewhere near the top of the pile at the end of the week. Obviously Ben’s got a good lead at the moment but I hope to be somewhere near the top five, and a chance of a medal would be good.”

The final word today comes from regatta leader Ben Ainslie, “It was a great day and really awesome sailing but hard work. Tactically it was hard and physically it was harder but I had a good day. It was mainly about getting the shifts right but the left played well at the top of the beat. There were quite a lot of shifts out there so I was just trying to be on the right side of the big ones.”

There will hopefully be some respite for the sailors tomorrow with very light winds forecast. There are just four more races before the split for the medal race on Friday. Wednesday’s two races are sheduled to start at 11.00am.

Top 10 after six races (one discard)
1 GBR 3 Ben Ainslie 7
2 GBR 11 Edward Wright 17
3 GBR 85 Andrew Mills 28
4 DEN 2 Jonas Høgh-Christensen 29
5 EST 2 Deniss Karpak 41
6 FIN 218 Tapio Nirkko 42
7 POL 17 Piotr Kula 44
8 CAN 41 Christopher Cook 47
9 FRA 112 Jonathan Lobert 51
10 CRO 524 Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic 54

Day two at the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Finn Gold Cup in Falmouth, UK

We have three main reasons that drive us to dig a little bit more on the issue of the Spanish vote in favor of ditching the windsurf from the 2016 Olympics and substituting it with kiteboarding.

First of all, it is by no means a purely Spanish issue. It’s not about whether a national championship will be held in Valencia or Barcelona and its repercussions go well beyond the country’s borders and deeply affect one of the world’s most popular watersports.

Secondly, it was a decisive vote that tipped the balance in favor of the kites and against the windsurf. Had the Spanish delegate voted what he was supposed to vote, always according to the official line of the country’s federation, the two disciplines would have tied at 18 votes each and windsurf would have retained its status of Olympic discipline.

Last, but certainly not least, Spain is the only national authority to have publicly stated that its representative was “confused” and didn’t understand what he was voting for. Gerardo Seeliger, according to the press release, was meant to give his vote to the windsurf but due to some error he did the contrary and the rest is history.

On Sunday we were contacted by the press officer of the Spanish Federation, Neus Jordi. Regarding Seeliger’s vote, she repeated the press release, stating again that it was the result of a “confusion”. According to her, Seeliger was absolutely convinced he had voted in favor of the windsurf but realized his “error” only when the official voting list was published by ISAF.

According to reports we had received, Seeliger had given a speech in favor of kiteboarding prior to the vote and had Gerardo Pombo, President of the Spanish federation, sitting behind him during the meeting. The information regarding the speech was also confirmed by the federation spokeswoman. However, according to her, Seeliger’s speech was in favor of adding it, together with windsurf and not in substitution of it. If the two disciplines can coexist, the Spanish federation would be in favor of it but opposed to windusrf getting dropped. It appears, according to the Spanish federation, that Seeliger thought that what was voted was the addition of kiteboard.

Again, it is extremely difficult to believe that a person with Seeliger’s credentials and qualifications would make such a childish mistake. The federation spokeswoman couldn’t clarify what the voting procedure was and where Seeliger erred. However, she wouldn’t put us in contact with Seeliger stating that he wasn’t allowed to talk to the media. The only one allowed to publicly talk on the issue is her and nobody else, as she stated. We can’t understand why he shouldn’t be allowed to clarify the situation, after all, he was the only one out of all the delegates to get “confused”.

There are two additional issues that make us doubt about the sincerity of the Spanish federation. First of all, reliable sources informed us that Spain’s kiteboarders were convened in Santander in order to be informed about the federation’s decision to support kiteboarding, a week before the vote. Secondly, it is a known fact that both Gerardo Pombo and Gerardo Seeliger wanted to include kiteboarding in the Santander ISAF World Cup in 2014. The logic behind the vote was that they wanted to show their support to kiteboarding, in order to try it, but didn’t think it would win the vote last week.

This website has no vetted interests in any of the two disciplines. We don’t carry any advertizer directly or indirectly related to either windsurf or kiteboarding and we have to admit we have barely covered either of these disciplines. As a result, we don’t have any reason to be in favor of one or the other. Nevertheless, it is difficult to understand why the Spanish Sailing Federation would lie about their vote…

[Source: Finn Class] It was a great day for the British sailors on the second day for the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Finn Gold Cup in Falmouth. Ben Ainslie (GBR) won the opening race to take the overall lead while Ed Wright (GBR) dropped to second and Andrew Mills (GBR) had another good day to move up to third. The second race of the day was won by Chris Cook (CAN).

The big question for the sailors today was whether to favour the left or the right. With dark clouds, moderate to strong winds and intermittent rain all day, there were some big gains to be made by choosing the correct side. Race officer Peter Reggio was delighted that the 94 boat fleet got away cleanly on both starts at the first attempt, perhaps an indication that they didn’t want to hang around any longer than necessary in the inclement conditions.

The left side was favoured on the first beat with overnight leader Ed Wright (GBR) leading round the top mark from Andrew Mills (GBR) and Anders Pedersen (NOR). Jonathan Lobert (FRA) then found more pressure on the right on the first downwind to take the lead at the gate from Ainslie and Wright.

Ben Aisnlie takes overall leadership. Falmouth, 14 May 2012. Photo copyright Mark Lloyd

On the second upwind, Ainslie and Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic (CRO) favoured the right side and rounded the top mark in the lead. Mills moved from third into second on the final downwind with Ainslie extending for a second race win to the the overall lead of the championship.

Race four started very quickly with the left side again proving popular. This time Mark Andrews (GBR) led Ainslie round the top mark, but they went the wrong way on the first downwind, while Pieter-Jan Postma (NED) found more pressure in the right to round the gate ahead of Lobert and Chris Cook (CAN).

The second upwind sealed the fate of many with a big right hand shift as the clouds cleared. Cook was just under the leading bunch and lifted up to the mark to lead down the final run. Lobert went high and Postma went low, but Ainslie found a way through in third. At the finish, they were separated by no more than 20 boat lengths, with Cook taking a well deserved win from Lobert and Ainslie.

Ainslie said, “It was really tough out there today, it was quite windy, a lot of rain and low visibility so it was a difficult day for everyone and physically a real challenge. In the first race a front came through with quite a big wind shift to the right hand side, and made it a little bit difficult, but that’s part of the challenge of sailing in these conditions. In the second race I went the wrong way, there was a big clump down the right hand side and also the wind shifted a little bit to the right. It was a difficult run but I managed to contain the loss and then catch up with the rest of the race so I overall I’m happy with my day. It was great racing out there despite difficult conditions.”

After a good day, Jonas Hogh-Christensen (DEN) moved up to fourth overall. “It was pretty shifty out there, but actually pretty good racing. In the last race we got a big shift in the end and that kind of ended the race for most but I think pretty much the both races were fair. I got a terrible start in the first race but I managed to claw my way back and finished in fourth. The second race was pretty much the same story, but I lost a couple because of that big shift and had a sixth so it was a pretty good day, could have been a little better, but I’m pretty satisfied.”

Someone who also had a better day was Postma. “Today we had two good races; it was interesting. I haven’t found my rhythm yet, but today was better. On the last run I let Ben through, sometimes you have to be gentleman! When the wind changed they put a change of mark but it was not clear where we should go so it was not really clear where the finishing line was, so I had a little bit of difficulty to find it.”

Race four winner, Cook said, “On the first beat I thought that the right side was going to have something in it, I think it’s the typical thing that’s been happening in all the races is a little bit of left and a little bit of right, it’s just how you play your side. So I got to the top in decent shape, and I got to the right side of the run as fast as I could and the pressure filled in from there and it sort of set up the opportunity to round with the top guys. Then the second beat again I was worried about the right side and I was forced to the left gate, I was up quite a bit on the right so I just had to wait. I got in front just in time for that big right shift and then it was a nice easy reach on the way in.”

Lobert is up to fifth overall, “In the first race I was leading at the downwind mark and on the second beat I didn’t manage very well. I lost a lot of places so I finished sixth. In the second race I was leading again, so I said this time I need to take care and not miss the shift, so I was playing more on the right hand side. I saw this rain coming on and then this light, stopping the rain so it means that usually it’s going to the right hand side so I was playing more on the right. But I was a little bit too much on the right so two guys managed to pass me at the top mark, then on the last downwind it was freaky because we didn’t see the finishing line so we were all looking around wondering where the finishing line was. I managed to end up second though so I am very happy with that.”

So after day two in Falmouth, The British team fill the top three places, while behind them the form is beginning to establish itself. Several top sailors had better results today so there could be a significant change after Tuesday’s two races, again scheduled for 11.00. The forecast is for some sunshine, and strong winds. At least some in the already tired fleet will be thankful for the sunshine,

Top 10 after four races
1 GBR 3 Ben Ainslie 8
2 GBR 11 Edward Wright 15
3 GBR 85 Andrew Mills 25
4 DEN 2 Jonas High-Christensen 33
5 FRA 112 Jonathan Lobert 35
6 CAN 41 Christopher Cook 37
7 POL 17 Piotr Kula 42
8 FIN 218 Tapio Nirkko 45
9 NED 842 Pieter-Jan Postma 51
10 AUS 1 Brendan Casey 54

[Source: Finn Class] The opening day of the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Finn Gold Cup in Falmouth, UK produced a mixed bag of results for many sailors with a shifty offshore breeze. After two races Ed Wright (GBR) leads Ben Ainslie (GBR) and Deniss Karpak (EST), while many sailors picked up high scores in the tricky conditions.

The fleet was initially held ashore but there was a further delay on the water as the wind clocked round to the west before a line was set. The first race finally got going under black flag at around 14.00 with one boat disqualified; Egor Terpigorev (RUS) led at each and every mark but unfortunately for him he crossed the finish line in silence as the winner’s gun went to Ben Ainslie (GBR).

Terpigorev led Dimitar Vanelov (BUL), Ainslie and Ed Wright (GBR) round the top mark and though Ainslie moved through to second on the first downwind he couldn’t pass the Russian. Wright moved up to third across the line to place second in the race behind Ainslie, while Rafal Szukiel (POL) climbed from fifth at the first mark to end up third.

He might be behind Ben Ainslie in the photo, but Ed Wright is leading on the first day. Falemouth, 12 May 2012. Photo copyright Mark Lloyd

The second race was started very promptly with another black flag start following a general recall. Wright, along with Jorge Zarif (BRA) and Timo Haggort (NED) started on port tack from the pin end while Jonathan Lobert (FRA) started at the committee boat.

At the top mark Wright just held the lead from Lobert with Oleksiy Borysov (UKR) and Jonas Høgh-Christensen (DEN) close behind. On the first downwind Wright and Lobert had a great battle, made more exciting with the Oscar flag up for free pumping. Wright rounded the gate ahead of Lobert and these two extended on the second beat to build a nice lead.

On the final downwind Wright extended even further for a comfortable win with Ainslie moving into third and putting some pressure on Lobert in the closing stages. Zarif had a great race crossing in sixth.

Ainslie commented, “It’s great to be racing in Falmouth on home waters in an event as important as the Finn Gold Cup. We had a great day on the water with good breeze. However, it was coming off the land so it was quite difficult and hard work tactically to take the right side of the course. Overall, I’m pleased with my day, the first race I managed to get near the front of the fleet and had a great race with the Russian sailor. Unfortunately, he was over the line at the start so he was disqualified from the race, but it was a good race and he sailed very well.”

“As you’d expect with the World Championships it’s a very tough level of competition. There’s quite a big range throughout the fleet; it’s great to see some of the older sailors from the UK racing, and also the younger sailors coming through for the future. Then we have a lot of the Olympic sailors who are training or competing here with half an eye on the Olympics in a couple of months’ time.”

“We’ll see what the conditions are like tomorrow; but potentially we might have some more wind, which will be quite physical. There’s a long way to go so we just keep looking forward and try to get some good races in.”

Second over the line in race two, Lobert summed up his day, “Today was a pretty good day, the first race was so so, I had a crash in the first start but I managed to come back pretty well after the first beat and the first lap. I then lost out again in the second beat so it was really up to the second race for me to do well to make up for it.”

“In the second race I started from the committee boat, I went to the right and tried to be as fast as possible to get to the top mark just next to Ed. From there we had a big fight on downwind which was good fun before the second upwind where I tried to pass him, but the timing wasn’t perfect so he gained some distance and got away. For the rest of that race I was just managing to keep my second place, but I’m pretty happy with that.”

“It was great sailing out there; it was windy and really sunny so perfect conditions for sailing, the course was really well organised so we had a lot of fun. I hope to have good races this week, that’s the plan, but I will take it day by day and and try to do my best every time.”

“I started at committee boat Ed at the pin end. Ed was really surprised after racing when he found out I started at the committee boat and tacked across immediately; it just shows that the wind is pretty shifty and you have to make the most of where you are to do well.”

This champion is the Olympic selection trials for many sailors, including the Canadians. After two races, Chris Cook (CAN) sits in 6th place, while main rival Greg Douglas (CAN) is in 19th, though he did pick up a useful seventh in the second race. He said, “Today I had a good second race – the first race was not so good. I got a little stuck in the fleet. It was a big fleet so it was tough to get out of it, but the second race went really well, I finished seventh so I’m really happy with that.”

“In the second race the pumping flag went up, which plays to my strengths, so I was really happy with that. I got a good start and tacked on the first shift, which made it easy. The tide I think was pretty slack today at the time we were sailing, so it wasn’t too much of an issue. The shifts were pretty even, I think it was more from the pressure, you could see the big pressure lines coming down out there.”

“I’m happy with today overall, one good race, one bad race, so I can’t complain. This is the trials so every point counts really, we’re working hard, the top boat goes so we’ll see how it turns out in the end.”

World number 2 Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic (CRO) didn’t have the best day. However despite placed 26 and 16 today he was upbeat about the rest of the week. “It’s still just the beginning. Two races are just the beginning of the week. The rest of the week I think is going to be interesting and anything is possible. Same way like I did today, anybody else can do a bad day so we can see also some other good sailors have bad days. I think it just the beginning so I’ll clear my head, tomorrow is a new day so I’ll wake up in the morning and go for it.”

“It was difficult, extremely difficult. From the beginning it was just going bad, the decisions that I took were questionable, it turned out quite bad so I hope it’s going to be my worst day.”

So after two races, the 2010 world champion Ed Wright leads the five time champion Ben Ainslie by one point, with the new world number five Deniss Karpak, who scored two fifth places, ending the day in third.

Racing continues Monday with two more races scheduled from 11.00, and with stronger winds forecast, it should prove to be another great day of racing in Falmouth.

Top 10 after two races
1 GBR 11 Edward Wright 3
2 GBR 3 Ben Ainslie 4
3 EST 2 Deniss Karpak 10
4 GBR 85 Andrew Mills 12
5 POL 17 Piotr Kula 19
6 CAN 41 Christopher Cook 20
7 POL 7 Rafal Szukiel 23
8 DEN 2 Jonas Høgh-Christensen 23
9 FRA 112 Jonathan Lobert 27
10 FIN 218 Tapio Nirkko 28

[Source: 49er Worlds] Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen secured history by winning the 49er World Championship, although under not as joyful times as they would have liked. News arrived as sailors awoke in Croatia that Frank Bethwaite (91), father of Julian and an instrumental partner in the design and continued development of the 49er, had passed away overnight. While many of the current sailors may not have known Frank, they certainly were enjoying his product and more than likely many had read one of his books on high performance sailing.

Two races were held in the morning for the silver and gold fleets and the bronze fleet results stood on the previous days score. Six to eight knot winds mixed the fleet up a bit as last attempts were made to make the medal race. As a tribute, the medal race winners carried a black card in their sails in memory of Frank Bethwaite. Young guns Marcus Hansen and Josh Prebski (NZL) sailed a brilliant medal race to move them up in the standings with the medal race held directly in front of the S.C. Uskok to the delight of the crowds that had gathered on the beach and pier to cheer on the sailors.

Second overall was the team of Peter Burling and Blair Tuke (NZL) who had incredible speed and amazing ability to pick the right shifts on the water all week. Danish Olympic team members Allan Norregaard and Peter Lang moved into the bronze medal position by having two great races earlier in the day and finishing 4th in the medal race.

Silver fleet was won by Matthieu Frei and Yann Rocherieux (FRA) who maintained a consistent series. The Bronze fleet was won by Jan Hauke Erichsen and Max Lutz (GER).

The medal ceremony was held directly afterwards and began with a moment of silence by all competitors.

Although champions were crowned the Class was saddened by such a great loss. As the sun set in Zadar, friends bid farewell to see each other at another championship and Olympic teams prepared for the Games this summer.

[Source: Star World Championship] Robert Scheidt and Bruno Prada (BRA) made it two Star World Championships in a row after a light wind final day in Hyeres, France.

Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson led by five points going into the Medal Race but despite after some strategic racing by the Brazilians the Brits finished one place ahead of them in 38th and 39th. And with both teams discarding these scores it handed the title to the Brazilians.

Bronze went to Denmark’s Michael Hestbaek and Claus Olesen who also qualified in one of the four spots for London 2012. The three remaining places went to New Zealand, Greece and Croatia.