NZL Sailing Team: Sam Meech set to Sail for Gold in Weymouth

Yachting New Zealand

Media Release

13 JUN 2013

NZL Sailing Team: Sam Meech set to Sail for Gold in Weymouth

Young NZL Sailing Team Laser campaigner, Sam Meech looks good for a gold medal provided he can sail a clean race in tomorrow’s Laser medal race at 2013 Sail for Gold Regatta drawing to a close in Weymouth, England.

The two-time youth representative has dominated the 33-strong Laser fleet at this EURSAF Champions Sailing Cup Regatta from day one, and with a 19 point leading margin is all but unassailable with just one final race to be sailed on the last day.

“It’s been really awesome, I’ve had a really good time and I’m really happy with the form I’ve been on,” says Meech, who started sailing at the Tauranga Yacht & Powerboat Club. “I just seem to be going quite fast and have had a good feel for the shifts.”

Describing day four Meech says; “The second race was really challenging, the wind dropped right off which was a bit strange because I was expecting it to be really windy today. Weymouth is quite similar to the North Shore of Auckland, so it’s what we usually sail in.”

Meech isn’t the only kiwi in the medal race with team-mate Andy Maloney lying 5th overall after four days of racing, earning a place in the medal race, and yet another solid result to add to his already stellar season.  

Racing at the 470 European Championships rolled into day three (of six) in Formia, Italy where Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie are racing, as well as two Men’s crews from New Zealand.

Aleh and Powrie slipped from 2nd to 3rd overall after placing 12th and 7th in racing on day three, but they report that some technical difficulties have been resolved and they’re eager to get back out on the race track for the second half of the series.

“Day three…not such a flash one,” reports Jo Aleh. “We got the first leg completely wrong both times, so we found ourselves back in the pack trying to get back through. It was hard work, we had some good moments, but always just too far back to start with!”

“On a positive note, we think we have worked out our technical problems. We had a rather large amount of creep happening in a rather crucial rope… time to switch it out for some trusty Donaghys spectra! Spend the afternoon after sailing in the boat park doing some re-rigging and re-raking, so hopefully we will be all set for tomorrow. Will try again and see how it goes.”

Paul Snow-Hansen and Daniel Willcox are now in 9th overall in the Men’s fleet as they transitioned from qualifying to finals racing in Formia. With another three days of racing there is time for further improvement and that’s exactly what the young kiwi crew will be aiming for.

Racing wraps up at 2013 Sail for Gold in Weymouth tonight NZ time, while the 470 European Championships head into day four in Italy at the same time.

New Zealand’s Standings

2013 Women 470 European Championship, Formia, Italy (41 boats

3rd Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie (0, 0, 3, 6, 12, 7)

2013 Men 470 European Championship, Formia, Italy (69 boats

9th Paul Snow-Hansen and Daniel Willcox (15, 13, 9

54th James Turner and Carl Evans

2013 Sail for Gold Regatta, Weymouth, Englan

1st Sam Meech (1, 1, 2, 5, 2, 3, 4, 6, 1, 2, 15

5th Andy Maloney (7, 14, 17, 7, 10, 6, 1, 5, 7, 4, 24)

ENDS

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