NZL Sailing Team at ISAF Worlds

NZL Sailing Team at ISAF Worlds: Racing Kicks Off for Lasers And Radials

Racing started today in the single handed Laser and Radial classes at the 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships in Santander on the northern coast of Spain.

Image: Thomas Saunders by Jesus Renedo/Sailing Energy

New Zealand is represented by seven sailors across the Laser and Radial events, which respectively feature massive fleets of 147 and 120. Two races were sailed in each event today after a thick fog cleared and a light breeze came in.

Laser

22 year old Thomas Saunders, from the Tauranga Yacht & Powerboat Club, has made the best start of the NZL Sailing Team men with an 11th in the opening race following that up with a 5th place to lie 15thoverall in the highly competitive fleet.

Sam Meech, also from Tauranga has opened the series in similar fashion with a 12th and a 6th and lies just two places behind Saunders in 17th overall.

Andy Maloney (Murrays Bay Sailing Club) today recorded an 18th and a 10th to hold 35th overall. And Mike Bullot, rounding out the kiwi men’s contingent, placed 23rd and 11th to lie 43rd at the end of day one.

Laser Radial

Sara Winther, New Zealand’s 2012 Olympic representative in the class, made a solid start with a 7th in race one. She went on to place 19th in race two and lies 20th overall.

Susannah Pyatt is close behind in 23rd, an 11th in race two her best result. And 2014 NZL Yachting Trust Youth Team sailor Ali Nightingale is in 76th.

Tomorrow the Laser and Radial sailors will be back on the water for more racing. They are joined by both the Men’s and Women’s RS:X windsurfers who will kick off their regatta.

National qualification for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games is also on offer at the 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships – read ISAF’s Qualification System for Rio 2016 for the details.

2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships, Santander, Spain
New Zealand’s Current Standings
Full results here

Laser (Men’s single-handed dinghy / 147 boats)
15th Thomas Saunders (11, 5)
17th Sam Meech (12, 6)
35th Andy Maloney (18, 10)
43rd Mike Bullot (23, 11)

Laser (Women’s single-handed dinghy / 120 boats)
20th Sara Winther (7, 19)
23rd Susannah Pyatt (18, 11)
76th Ali Nightingale (19, 57)

Men’s RS:X Windsurfing – Racing starts Saturday 13th
Jon-Paul Tobin

Women’s RS:X Windsurfing – Racing starts Saturday 13th
Natalia Kosinska

Women’s 470 (double-handed dinghy) – Racing starts Sunday 14th
Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie

Men’s 470 (double-handed dinghy) – Racing starts Sunday 14th
Paul Snow-Hansen and Daniel Willcox

49er Skiff – Racing starts Monday 15th
Peter Burling and Blair Tuke
Marcus Hansen and Josh Porebski
Logan Dunning-Beck and Jack Simpson

49erFX Skiff - Racing starts Monday 15th
Alexandra Maloney and Molly Meech
Erica Dawson and Ellie Copeland

Nacra 17 (mixed multihull) - Racing starts Monday 15th
Gemma Jones and Jason Saunders

Finn (men’s heavy-weight dinghy) - Racing starts Monday 15th
Andrew Murdoch
Josh Junior
Karl Purdie

Support and Coaching:
Jez Fanstone , Nathan Handley, Mark Howard, Dave Robertson, Ian Neely , John Cutler, Hamish Willcox, Will Howden, Peter Evans, Grant Beck, Louise Johnson, Rebecca van Weerd

Links

Regatta website
ISAF website
Yachting New Zealand website
NZL Sailing Team sailor profiles
NZL Sailing Team Facebook page

ENDS

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