NZL Sailing Team Update: Early leaders in the 49er and RS:X

The final regatta of the 2013-14 season of the ISAF Sailing World Cup is underway with great conditions for day one of racing in Hyeres, France today. The NZL Sailing Team has made a solid start leading in both the 49er and the Women’s RS:X, and lying 2^nd in the Women’s 470.

Image Maloney and Meech/49erFX © Franck Socha / Yvan Zedda / ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyeres

Three races were sailed today in the 49er skiff event; New Zealand’s Peter Burling and Blair Tuke opened with a 16^th place in race one, but followed that with two consecutive wins to lead the fleet with a point-score of just two.

Reigning Olympic champions from Australia, Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen are back on the race track after sitting out most of the major regattas since the 2012 Olympics; they are in 4^th after day one with teams from Great Britain and Spain occupying 2^nd and 3^rd.

Natalia Kosinska has made a strong start in the Women’s RS:X, and leads at the end of day one from Poland’s Maja Dziarnowska. Coach Dave Robertson reports in; “Race one was an average result [12^th] followed by a win in race two and 2^nd in race three. Natalia can be pretty confident in her speed and ability for the remaining 13 races.”

“We had a solid 14-17 knots of wind with sizable waves, and Natalia is racing in a full quota fleet of close to 60 girls.”

In the Women’s 470 Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie also recorded a race win today and are lying 2^nd overall after two races. USA’s Anne Haeger and Briana Provancha have the early lead in the Women’s double-handed class.

Polly Powrie says; “We had a solid first day with a couple of 'keepers'. We won the first race by a comfortable margin, almost leading from start to finish. The second race we came back through the fleet after missing a shift up the first beat to come away with a top ten result.”

“We kept it pretty simple. We just got out of the blocks well and then chipped away from there.”

“The conditions were pretty good today, it was a bit more than forecast but it was lovely.”

New Zealand’s 49erFX pair of Alexandra Maloney and Molly Meech are in 4^th place overall (on equal points with 3^rd) with three races on the board from day one.  The reigning world champs filed two excellent race results on the opening day kicking off with a 2^nd place and wrapping up with a 3^rd.

Other kiwis in the top ten of their fleet are Andy Maloney (who took a race win today) and Sam Meech in the Laser class lying 8^th and 10^th respectively, while Josh Porebski and Marcus Hansen are lying 11^th in the 49er class. Both New Zealand’s Finn representatives, Josh Junior and Andrew Murdoch, were hit with a BFD in race one and are suffering in the standings as a result.

Racing resumes in Hyeres tomorrow with another five days remaining. Medals will be decided on April 26^th.

The schedule: ISAF Sailing World Cup – Hyères
21 - 22 April: Qualifying Rounds
23 - 25 April: Finals
26 April: Medal Race and Award Ceremony at 5 pm

ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyeres; New Zealand’s provisional standings after day one
Full results here

Women’s 470 (51 boats)
2^ndJo Aleh and Polly Powrie - NZL Sailing Team (1, 8)

Men’s 470 (81 boats)
23^rdPaul Snow-Hansen and Daniel Willcox – NZL Sailing Team (4, 21, 16)

49er (79 boats)
1^stPeter Burling and Blair Tuke – NZL Sailing Team (16, 1, 1)
11^thMarcus Hansen and Josh Porebski – NZL Sailing Team  (5, 4, 16)
36^th Ben Goodwin and Sam Bullock (14, 16, 30)

49erFX (42 boats)
4^thAlexandra Maloney and Molly Meech – NZL Sailing Team (2, 19, 3)

Finn (59 boats)
29^thJosh Junior – NZL Sailing Team (BFD, 4)
45^thAndrew Murdoch – NZL Sailing Team (BFD, 27)

Laser (123 boats)
8^thAndy Maloney – NZL Sailing Team (8, 7, 1)
10^thSam Meech – NZL Sailing Team (6, 2, 15)
25^thThomas Saunders – NZL Sailing Team (14, 9, 32)
110^th Andrew McKenzie (57, 51, 48)

Women’s RS:X (58 windsurfers)
1^stNatalia Kosinska – NZL Sailing Team (12, 1, 2)

Men’s RS:X (91 windsurfers)
14^th Jon-Paul Tobin (8, 9, 6)

Nacra 17 (77 boats)
15^thGemma Jones and Jason Saunders – NZL Sailing Team (14, 8, 5)
59^th Rachel Basevi and Tomer Simhony (28, 30, 26)
60^th Vicky Francis and Geoff Woolley (32, 28, 33)

Laser Radial (79 boats)
19^th Sara Winther (6, 15, 13)
61^st Ali Nightingale – NZL Yachting Trust Youth Team (28, 22, 36)
 

Coaches and support: Nathan Handley, Mark Howard, Ian Neely, Dave Robertson, John Cutler, Hamish Willcox, Steve Erickson, Peter Evans and Will Howden

How to follow the NZL Sailing Team at ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyeres

Yachting New Zealand will issue a written media release daily updating you on the progress and standings of the New Zealand sailors; our daily updates will be published on yachtingnz.org.nz. And you can follow the NZL Sailing Team on Facebook.

For full results and extra information, head to the regatta website.

Event media will be providing high resolution images and tv quality footage and Yachting New Zealand can help media with access on request. Please contact Jodie Bakewell-White (details below).

Links

Regatta website
ISAF Sailing World Cup website
NZL Sailing Team sailor profiles
NZL Sailing Team on Facebook

About the NZL Sailing Team

The NZL Sailing Team includes New Zealand’s top Olympic campaigners who have made the top 20% in their most recent (respective) class World Championships or pinnacle event and have shown consistency of performance over the year including other significant Championships.

Yachting New Zealand’s High Performance Programme is focussed on winning medals at the Olympics in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.

NZL Sailing Team sailors all started out at grass roots yacht clubs around the country and with commitment, dedication and drive have risen to be world class athletes; they work hard in the gym, train long hours on the water and are supported by great coaches.

For more information

Jodie Bakewell-White
Yachting New Zealand Communications Manager
Tel. 021 709 065
Email. jodie@yachtingnz.org.nz