49’er INLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS
The 49’er fleet gathered at Grafham Water last weekend for the Inland Championship and some 24 boats assembled for a seven-race one-discard regatta.
On Saturday 4 races were completed in cold blustery conditions with the wind gradually increasing throughout the programme to reach 30 knots in some gusts.
Truro’s Andy Walsh having been forced to abandon an Olympic Tornado campaign after the Class was dropped from the 2012 Olympics has started to find his form in the 49’er. As a skiff it is notoriously difficult to sail as any mistake means a capsize and as wind strength increases its ability to stay upright diminishes. Anything over 25 knots and the fleet normally retire ashore as breakages start to mount.
Walsh with crewman Simon Marks posted 2 x 4th an 8th and a 9th to be well placed overnight despite the testing conditions. The wind lightened on Sunday and Andy and Simon posted a 2nd and win to steadily move up the overall standings to finish 4th overall.
Restronguet’s Ed Powys crewed for UK Olympic sailor Simon Hiscocks and the pair finished 12th overall.
The UK is blessed with strength in depth in nearly every Olympic class and the 49’er is no exception so it will be interesting to see how Andy Walsh progresses in the fleet next year assuming he remains committed to Olympic sailing and the Tornado fails to be reinstated for 2012.
The ISAF are meeting in Madrid as I write this article and despite the efforts of Mylor’s Brian Phipps who is in Spain seeking to get the Tornado back in the Olympics it would appear a done deal that there will be no catamarans in the Games for the foreseeable future.
No Comments for this post
No comments yet.
Leave a comment