Solid Start for Olympic Sailors in France

Solid Start for Olympic Sailors in France
Date Released: 23 April 2007
From: Jodie Bakewell-White

Semaine Olympique Francaise 2007 regatta is underway in Hyeres, France where a team of 30 New Zealanders are competing. Four YNZ Olympic Squad sailors are in action and they all started strongly.

Dan Slater and Jo Aleh have the lead after day one in the Finn and Laser Radial classes, while Tom Ashley is in second equal in the men's windsurfing. Andrew Murdoch has a share of fifth place in the 188 strong Laser class.

Dan Slater leads in the Finn class after placing second in the first race of the regatta and winning the second. With a points total of three, he has a two point margin over Florian Raudaschl of Austria. The current world champion, Jonas Hoegh Christiansen of Denmark lies in third.

Jo Aleh kicked off the regatta with a win in the Laser Radial yellow fleet, with fellow kiwi Miranda Powrie crossing just behind her to take second place.

"I had a pretty good start in the first race, and sailed a good beat to round the top mark in 4th, behind Miranda (NZL) who led," explains Aleh. "I then had a great reach, and the top 3 of us got away from the rest of the fleet."

"I also had a great downwind, and moved into 2nd, not too far behind Miranda. Then on the last beat, I got some good breeze on the right and took the lead, then held it to the finish, to start off my regatta in style."

Aleh followed that up with a fourth place in the second race of the day giving her the top spot in the fleet of 105. In Powrie's second race of the day she placed 20th putting her in 15th overall at the end of day one.

While all other classes sailed two races, the enormous 180 plus Laser class, which is split into four fleets for the qualifying rounds, only sailed one race. YNZ Olympic Squad sailor Andrew Murdoch placed second giving him a share of fifth place at this early stage in the series.

The on-form Tom Ashley has a share of second place in the Men's RS:X windsurfing at the end of the first day.

"We had really tough conditions today, with breeze never getting above
7 knots," says Ashley. "Despite the light, shifty wind we managed to get in two races."

"I had a pretty good day, finishing 4th and 2nd. Physically I felt great and was able to pump comfortably for two races."

"Overall I'm pretty happy with my day. All but one of my main rivals had at least one bad race today which puts me in a great position for the rest of the regatta."

Shelley Hesson and Bianca Barbarich-Bacher lie just outside the top ten in the women's 470 class in 11th place overall. Recording a 33rd place in the first race they improved in race two, with a third place.

In all 39 races were completed after a two hour postponement waiting for the sea breeze. The weather forecast is suggesting the same conditions for day two and sailing should be tricky again.

The final medal race is scheduled for Friday.

39th Semaine Olympique Francaise
New Zealand's placings after Day One

Laser Radial

1st - Jo Aleh (Takapuna Boating Club)
15th - Miranda Powrie (Kohimarama Yacht Club)
35th - Cushla Hume-Merry (Evans Bay Y&MB Club)
78th - Sara Winther (Takapuna Boating Club)

Laser

5th equal - Andrew Murdoch (Kerikeri Cruising Club)
25th equal - David Weaver (Titahi Bay Boating Club)
37th equal - Blair McLay (Torbay Sailing Club)
45th equal - Michael Bullot (Murrays Bay Sailing Club)
49th equal - Blair Lindsay (Murrays Bay Sailing Club)
81st equal - Aaron Hume-Merry (Murrays Bay Sailing Club)

Finn

1st - Dan Slater (Murrays Bay Sailing Club)

Men's RS:X

2nd equal - Tom Ashley (Takapuna Boating Club)
78th - Michael Lichtwark (Takapuna Boating Club)
99th - Antonio Cozzolino - (NZ RS:X Association)

Women's RS:X

17th - Kate Ellingham (Wakatere Boating Club/Takapuna Boating Club)
46th - Hayley Thom (Takapuna Boating Club)
59th - Steffanie Williams (Takapuna Boating Club)

Women's 470

11th - Shelley Hesson & Bianca Barbarich-Bacher (Murrays Bay Sailing Club)

Mens' 470

44th - Geoff Woolley & Mark Overington (Kohimarama Yacht Club)
53rd - Andrew Brown & Nick Taylor (Royal Akarana Yacht Club)
74th - Stephen Keen & Philip Keen (Naval Point Club Lyttelton)

Yngling

25th - Sharon Ferris, Raynor Smeal & Shandy Buckley (Bay of Islands)

Tornado

30th - Bruce Kendall & Brett Sellers

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ENDS

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