Womens Radial Worlds - Second Day of Racing

by Marc Hill and Cushla Hume-Merry

Light winds made a procession towards the end of the only race of the day at Takapuna. Many good sailors were down the results list, but also many good sailors pulled up, as those who had trained in light airs came to the forefront.

Cushla Hume-Merry, aged 17 from Wellington, who has her sights set on the 2012 Olympics in Weymouth, England, was in the third NZ spot after day one, with an eighth place in the first race, but slipped to fourth after a 38th place today.

The sailors face the prospect of three races tomorrow, to get back on schedule.

Cushla Hume-Merry

A more general report on the day's racing... by Jodie Bakewell-White

Sarah Steyaert of France has taken the overall lead at the 2008 Women’s Laser Radial World Championship being sailed off Takapuna Beach, North Shore City, Auckland. Just one race was sailed today with three races in total now on the board.

A postponement due to lack of wind delayed the scheduled start of racing off Takapuna Beach for the 116 boat Women’s Laser Radial fleet competing for the world title. However a light north easterly sea breeze gradually filled in and the fleet left the beach at around 1o’clock for a 2 o’clock start to racing.

The day belonged, however, to Anna Tunnicliffe (USA) and Lijia Xu (CHN) who both brought home a race win with a solid leading margin in their respective fleets in today’s race. Despite this neither Tunnicliffe or Xu are featured in the top ten as the American is carrying an OCS and lies 36th overall while Xu has a DSQ on her scorecard and lies 30th at this stage in the regatta. Both will likely rocket up the leader board once the first discard comes into play.

Steyaert leapt into the lead today, placing 2nd in today’s race after starting the day lying 5th overall. She has a total of nine points which means her leading margin is slight with Evi Van Acker (BEL) hot on her heals just one point adrift on ten points. Van Acker, who had a share of the lead overnight, was 7th on the water today.

Australian Sarah Blanck retains third overall after race three with an 8th placing in today’s race and is three points back from Van Acker.

Local girl and current ISAF # 1, Jo Aleh was a big mover in the standings today shooting from 11th overall up to 4th place on the leader board. Fighting her way back from 10th at the first mark Aleh managed to cross the line in 5th which gives her a points total of 18 putting her eight points clear of Nathalie Brugger (SUI) who has 5th place in the current standings.

Sari Multala of Finland will be disappointed after a poor race today saw her drop out of the lead and back to 12th place overall. A 37th in race three was the cause of her slide down the standings, and this race will likely become her discard once in play.

The intention for tomorrow, Tuesday 19th March is for an early start to racing in order to try and catch up for lost races on Saturday and today. Organisers hope to start racing at 10am in order to squeeze in three races.


Provisional Results after 3 races - top 12 places

1st Sarah Steyaert (FRA) 9.0 (6, 1, 2)
2nd Evi Van Acker (BEL) 10.0 (1, 2, 7)
3rd Sarah Blanck (AUS) 13.0 (1, 4, 8)
4th Jo Aleh (NZL) 18.0 (7, 6, 5)
5th Nathalie Brugger (SUI) 26.0 (7, 5, 14)
6th Marit Bouwmeester (NED) 27.0 (4, 7, 16)
7th Katrzyna Szotynska (POL) 28.0 (10, 5, 13)
8th Lizzie Vickers (GBR) 29.0 (8, 6, 15)
9th Penny Clark (GBR) 35.0 (10, 7, 18)
10th Karin Soderstrom Karin (SWE) 36.0 (24, 10, 2)
11th Eftychia Mantzaraki (GRE) 36.0 (11, 8, 17)
12th Sari Multala (FIN) 40.0 (2, 1, 37)

Other NZ placings
31st Miranda Powrie (NZL) 63.0 (12, 27, 24)
35th Sara Winther (NZL) 65.0 (26, 19, 20)
48th Cushla Hume-Merry (NZL) 78.0 (8, 32, 38)
65th Sarah Toothill (NZL) 95.0 (45, 40, 10)
85th Jane Monk (NZL) 117.0 (45, 36, 36)
95th Briar Dye-Hutchinson (NZL) 130.0 (35, OCS, 36)
96th Amanda Hargreaves (NZL) 131.0 (32, 45, 54)
104th Aevril Hibbard (NZL) 138.0 (48, 46, 44)
105th Jessica Barrell (NZL) 138.0 (46, 47, 45)

Takapuna Worlds