from Marc Hill, coach to Cushla Hume-Merry (pictured above)
Racing took place in 12-14 knots of wind, which reduced to 5-8 knots during the day on Wednesday, 19th March.
It was not a good day for Wellington youth sailor Cushla Hume-Merry. She finished at the back of gold fleet in all three races. However, a lot of good sailors were down today, including NZ Olympic rep. Jo Aleh. The consistent sailors at the front of the fleet may have placed substantial resources and effort into preparation for Olympic Games conditions, and this is showing.
Cushla Hume-Merry
A more general report of the day's racing... from Jodie Bakewell-White
Lijia Xu of China continues to lead the Women's Laser Radial World Championships, being sailed off Takapuna, New Zealand, going into the final day of the regatta tomorrow. Xu is four points clear of Evi Van Acker of Belgium in second with Sarah Steyaert holding on to third place a further nine points behind Van Acker.
After regular postponements over the initial four days, conditions on the Hauraki Gulf today were conducive to an on time 10am start to racing on what was the penultimate day of the 2008 Women's Laser Radial World Champs. Three races were sailed today with a total of eight races now on the board, and just one day of competition remains.
Racing now in gold and silver fleets, sailors today encountered a predominantly overcast sky and a north easterly breeze which ranged between 6 and 10 knots. Sailors had challenging chop to contend with which made things interesting.
"Race one we had 8-10 knots, less in the second race, like 6-8 knots, and then a little more again, but it was really hard with the waves," said Evi Van Acker after racing. "It was kind of like China, so that was good practice."
"You couldn't really see where the wind was coming from because the waves were so big. It was really difficult and everyone had mixed results, and I think that's why I'm still in second place."
Chinese sensation Lijia Xu, who had the overnight lead, won the first race of the day in the gold fleet. Eighth around the first mark Xu had to battle back to cross the line 12 seconds ahead of Charlotte Dobson GBR.
Race seven was Xu's worst in the regatta to date apart from her DSQ in race two; she finished 30th which effectively wiped her large leading margin putting Evi Van Acker of Belgium back within striking distance of the lead.
Van Acker managed to further diminish Xu's lead by finishing ahead of her in race eight, the last race of the day. Xu was 6th while Van Acker was 4th narrowing the gap to four points at the conclusion of the penultimate day.
"The first race went well for me, until I got a second yellow flag, so I had to pull out of the race" explains Van Acker. "I don't like unfair sailing, and I don't think that I was doing anything wrong."
"In the last race I had a good start, I went to the right," she continued. "We had more current against us on the right, but I managed to get 4th to the top mark, and I finished 4th so that was good."
"So it's all down to tomorrow. I feel good. I can't afford anything, I have my discard, so I need to do two good races - and I will do."
Sarah Steyaert of France retains third place overall despite a mixed day on the water. She recorded a 24th, a 20th and a 3rd today and now has a points total of 58, nine points back from Van Acker. Behind her, Penny Clark GBR is her closed rival who would need to close an eleven point gap to Steyaert to make it onto the podium.
It was a disappointing day for local favourite Jo Aleh who slipped from 5th overall at the start of today out of the top ten and back to 14th overall.
Olympic Qualification
With just six Olympic berths still available and 23 nations here in Auckland who have not yet qualified the battle for national Olympic qualification is on.
The pecking order after today of those in the hunt for Olympic qualification is as follows... Greece, Spain, Russia, Ireland, Croatia and Czechoslovakia with Paraguay further down the list.
Takapuna Worlds
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