The Australian Women's 470 Team: Leaders in Qingdao. Image copyright Juerg Kaufmann, Go4Image
SailRaceWin is grateful to Juerg Kaufmann and Go4Image for exclusive provision of images of the 2008 Olympic Sailing Regatta.
Report from Laura Baldwin
15th August AUS Team Results:
49er – 1st
470 Men – 1st
470 women – 1st
RS:X Women – 2nd
Radial – 8th
Yngling – 8th
Finn – 16th
Laser – 22nd
Star - 11th
Tornado - 5th
Weather info
Wind: 0-15 knots. Very shifty with the land breeze fighting the sea breeze. There was a period of no breeze when all racing was postponed ashore. Later in the day as the temperature cooled the land breeze kicked back in.
Humidity: High, 85%
Temp: 28C
The long wait for wind in Qingdao today was worth it for the Australian Sailing Team who are within the top ten in six classes, with two teams only beginning their competition today.
Winds were initially forecast at 7-9 knots NE today but once they swung to SE, the breeze dropped to 2 knots and heavy clouds moved overhead. Competitors bobbed around waiting for improvement but all were sent back to shore, except for the 470s who had an eight hour day on the water It was late afternoon before the race flags were hoisted again and everyone rushed to get out of the harbour and onto their offshore courses, keen to get in a race while conditions allowed.
The 470 Men, Laser, Laser Radial, RS:X, Yngling, Finn and Tornado classes all completed one race, while the 470 Women managed to get two races in. The 49ers were the only class not to race today.
Australian Team Director Michael Jones said it was a hard day at the office.
“There are no easy days at the Olympics , but this was one of the toughest you can get,” said Jones. “The quality and strength of our team showed in the positions we have at the end of today.
“We’re still on track for our goal.”
49er Class After 8 Races – AUS 1st
Nathan Outteridge & Ben Austin had to wait ashore all day today without a race. Racing should continue tomorrow with races 10, 11 & 12.
49er Top 3
1 - AUS - 29 points
2 - DEN - 30 points
3 - ITA - 40 points
Laser Radial Class After 4 Races – AUS 8th
Melbourne’s Sarah Blanck crossed the line in 19th position in the only Laser Radial race of the day and is now equal seventh with China on 43 points. The USA are in first place with 20 points, Lithuania has moved up to second (25 points) and Croatia is third (26 points).
Laser Radial Top 3
1 - USA - 20 points
2 - LTU - 25 points
3 - CRO - 26 points
AUS - 8th - 45 points
Laser Class After 4 Races – AUS 22nd
In the light and very shifty race Tom Slingsby scored a 22nd and sits in 22nd overall.
Laser Top 3
1 - GBR - 33 points
2 - SWE - 33 points
3 - RUS - 37 points
AUS - 22nd - 86 points
Yngling Class After 9 Races – AUS 8th
Krystal Weir, Karyn Gojnich and Angela Farrell scored an 8th today and sit in 8th overall, just 7 points off 3rd place going into the final Medal Race tomorrow.
Yngling Top 3
1 – GBR – 22 points
2 – NED – 23 points
3 – GRE – 42 points
AUS - 8th - 49 points
RS:X Class After 5 Races – AUS 2nd
Windsurfer Jessica Crisp won her first ever Olympic race and is closing the gap on China’s Jian Yin. Crisp is now second overall on 10pts, chasing Yin who is leading with six points. “It feels great to have a win,” said 38 year old Crisp.
RS:X Women Top 3
1 - CHN - 6
2 - AUS - 10
3 - ESP - 15
Star Class After 1 Race – AUS 11th
Iain Murray and Andrew Palfrey made their Olympic debut in the Star class, who are ranked 10th in the world. They were significantly disadvantaged today by a massive wind shift which would cause racing to be abandoned in any competition outside the Olympic Games and finished 11th. Sweden lead (1 point), followed by Germany (2 points) and Portugal (3 points).
Star Class Top 3
1 - SWE - 1
2 - GER - 2
3 - POR - 3
AUS – 11th - 11 points
Tornado Class After 1 Races – AUS 5th
The Tornados had their first taste of competition today . Australia’s Darren Bundock and Glenn Ashby recovered from a mid fleet start to get their boat moving quickly and finished fifth. The pair are happy with their result and equipment set up and are now looking forward to the regatta ahead. Spain is first (1 point), Greece second (2 points) and The Netherlands third (3 points).
Tornado Class Top 3
1 - ESP - 1
2 - GRE - 2
3 - NED - 3
AUS - 5th - 5 points
470 Women’s Class After 8 Races – AUS 1st
The Women’s 470 class completed two races today, returning to the harbour in darkness. The youngest crew in the Australian team, Elise Rechichi and Tessa Parkinson fought back through the field again today, continuing to show their dominance in boat speed and tactics. Trainee commercial pilot Elise Rechichi’s technical mind and compulsive study of the wind and tide each night is proving a force to be reckoned with. The girls have a nine point lead over The Netherlands (29 points) and Israel are third (40 points).
470 Women Top 3
1 - AUS - 20
2 - NED - 29
3 - ISR - 36
470 Men’s Class After 7 Races – AUS 1st
In the Men’s 470, Nathan Wilmot and Malcolm Page got to the first mark in 16th and began chasing the leading three boats, who never changed position. The Aussies moved up through the fleet at every marker turn to cross the line fifth. The result keeps them in first place on 22 points, followed by France (27 points) and Portugal (43 points).
470 Men Top 3
1 - AUS - 22
2 - FRA - 27
3 - POR - 43
Finn Class After 9 Races – AUS 16th
Anthony Nossiter finishes the 2008 Olympic Games in 16th place.
Finn Top 3
1 – GBR – 21 points
2 – USA – 33 points
3 – SWE – 44 points
AUS -16th - 101 points
AUSTRALIAN TEAM INSIGHTS
In the early to mid 1990s, Jessica Crisp was one of the most famous women in the world of windsurfing. In both 1993 and 1994, she won the Professional Windsurfing Association's world title. On one occasion she achieved this feat despite the pain of a broken ankle. At the time, she was acknowledged as the best all round female windsurfer in the world. But after breaking fibula and tibia, doing a forward loop at the indoor event in Paris, her professional career was cut short. Unable to jump and therefore compete in wave sailing competitions, Jessica decided to try the less impactful side of the sport - Olympic sailing.
Before competition I always:
"I always eat gummy bears just before the start of each race. I can't live without lollies!" - Jessica Crisp, RS:X
Australian Sailing Team Newsletter
ISAF Olympic website results Clicking on a race gives more information on weather, course and mark rounding positions.
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