ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami: NZL Sailing Team hold the lead in three classes after day two

Three NZL Sailing Team crews have retained their overnight lead after day two of racing at ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami on now on Biscayne Bay in the USA.

Image: Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie in action today © Walter Cooper

The major Olympic class regatta has attracted quality fleets from around the globe and in the Women’s 470, Women’s 49erFX and the Mixed Nacra 17 multihull New Zealand is leading the way as the regatta moves into day three of six.

Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie are three points clear in the Women’s double-hander, Alexandra Maloney and Molly Meech are 17 points out in front in the women’s skiff, while Gemma Jones and Jason Saunders are seven points in front of their closest rivals in the Nacra division. A further three New Zealand crews are within the top six in the Laser, Radial and Men’s 470 fleets.

Aleh and Powrie started today with a race win; “We had another decent day, rather tricky racing out there, very gusty and shifty. In race one we had a good start but missed out on a rather large right hand shift with pressure, so we had to fight back through the fleet, picking off a few boats each leg to take the lead near the finish and take the race win.”

“The next race was much shiftier. We missed the first big shift and were rather back in the pack, with the leading bunch having a rather large jump on us... We once again picked off as many as we could, apart from one mildly annoying downwind leg, where there were a few missed opportunities, the 7th we ended up with was good enough!”

“So overall a consistent enough day in rather trying conditions. Another day tomorrow, with some lighter wind forecast.”

It was a big day on the water for the 49erFX fleet sailing four races after just one was possible yesterday. New Zealand’s Alexandra Maloney and Molly Meech had a solid day with consistent single-digit results including two 2^nd placings which sees them stretch a points lead on the fleet at this early stage.

Current world champions in the class, Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze of Brazil are lying second.

Another three excellent results on day two in Miami in the Nacra racing sees the kiwi duo of Gemma Jones and Jason Saunders retain their overall lead from GBR’s Ben Saxton and Nicola Groves.

With a win, a 2^nd and a 7^th on the water today Jones and Saunders are enjoying good pace in the breezy conditions and will be hoping to maintain their edge over the coming days.

In the Men’s 470 Paul Snow-Hansen and Daniel Willcox have improved to 4^th overall with an 11^th and  a 2^nd in today’s two races.

Meanwhile both Andy Maloney and Sara Winther have slipped from 2^nd to 5^th in their respective Laser and Laser radial fleets, although points are very close.

ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami runs from 26-31 January and 856 sailors from 63 nations are competing across the ten Olympic and three Paralympic events. It is the second regatta in the 2015 ISAF Sailing World Cup Series which includes events in Melbourne (AUS), Miami (USA), Hyeres (FRA), Weymouth (GBR), Qingdao (CHN) and Abu Dhabi (UAE).

ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami
New Zealand’s standings after day one
Full results here

1^st Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie - Women’s 470 (2, 2, 1, 7)
1^st Gemma Jones and Jason Saunders – Nacra 17 (3, 1, 2, 1, 2, 7)
1^st Alexandra Maloney and Molly Meech – 49erFX (1, 2, 2, 5, 9)
4^th Paul Snow-Hansen and Daniel Willcox – Men’s 470 (12, 3, 11, 2)
6^th Andy Maloney – Laser (4, 1, 10, 4, 18)
6^th Sara Winther – Laser Radial (2, 2, 16, 9)

27^th Erica Dawson and Ellie Copeland – 49erFX (DNC, 21, 15, 32, 24)

29^th Mike Bullot – Laser (DNC, 7, 12, 26, 14)
48^th Sam Meech – Laser (DNC, DNC, 21, 2, 4)

Regatta website