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Others
were not so lucky; John Jagger (AUS), Tam Edmund (NZL), Alison
Casey (AUS) and Richard Bott (AUS) started the day in second to
fourth places overall respectively, but scored their worst
series results in today’s Race 7. Although all recovered
to finish top 10 in Race 8, the only two to survive in the top
three are Jagger who bounced back with a second place for second
overall on 28 points and Bott who won the race to sit in third
place overall on 40 points.
Scott
Leith (NZL) is fifth placed on 42 points, whilst Alison Casey
remains the top placed Women’s on 50 points and holding down
eighth place overall. Local sailor Justine Ella (AUS) is
second best Women’s in 10th place overall, but 21
points behind Casey.
World
champion sailor Sean Kirkjian was first ashore. “I
finished 10th in the last race. Unfortunately fat and
unfit doesn’t make for good speed,” he laughed, “but it
was good fun. The trick was to go left. The nor-easter
took hold and it was a very pleasant day.”
Next
was Bott. “My win in the second race was comfortable
towards the end. I had a conservative start, but then had
a good run and picked up a few places. They were the best
conditions today – what we all came for,” he said.
“I
had my worst result in Race 7,” told Tam Edmunds. “I
was a bit behind the lead bunch in the next race, but I caught
up. I was inside the top eight in pretty close racing.
The wind was just starting to build in the second race; we
finally got the conditions advertised in the brochure.”
According
to John Jagger though, “it was still a bucket of slops out
there – it was no more than 13-14 knots and a big swell.
It was very tough. Trying to keep the boat moving was
difficult and you felt underpowered all the time!”
It’s
tight at the top as the battle for supremacy continues in the
Radial Masters. As the current leader Mark Orams (NZL)
said this afternoon: “The three of us tussled like we
always do.” He was referring to himself, Stephen Cockerill (GBR)
and Greg Adams (AUS).
Orams
is holding a slim five point lead over Cockerill and extended
his lead to 10 points on Adams today. The Kiwi sailor
finished the day on 3-2, Cockerill 4-1 and Adams 10-3.
None of the trio has had a score worst than 10. The battle
finishes tomorrow.
“I
had a good first race. Lots of boats got a big shift on
the left. I went right! Me and Mark (Orams) worked
our way through the fleet; him to third and me to fourth,”
Cockerill said.
“In
the second race I got blown away by Chris Raab (USA) and had to
work my way back. I was fifth downwind, went too far
right, but on the next beat I got a nice shift on the left, I
rounded second and past the leader on the run. Then Orams
got me and I got him back on the last three waves. It was
tight and exciting sailing.
“It
all happened on the reach, with the jury watching, you had to be
aware of what you were doing. This is more like Australia
– lovely sailing,” said the Brit.
It
was a good day for the New Zealanders, with Glen Sowry taking
out Race 7. “The first one was between me, Orams and Al
Clark (CAN) who was on my tail the whole way round the
course,” he said.
“It
was all about pressure, which was all on the left. I lead
at every mark, it was stunning conditions, but still quite
tricky in the swell. The apparent breeze was shifting
around the waves – it was a good day,” commented Sowry.
Peter
Heywood hangs onto his lead in the Radial Grand Master division
by a handy seven points after a fourth place and a win today.
“I knew I had to hang it at the top to continue my lead.
It was a light 10 knot easterly when we first raced. It
was difficult and places kept changing all the time.
“This
was the first time the Great Grand Masters weren’t dominating
our fleet. I scored fourth and a win – I have to keep
scoring those sorts of results to win here,” Heywood said.
Another
Aussie, Brian Watson has maintained second overall, even though
he scored his worst result with a 14th place in Race
7, Watson bounced back with a second in Race 8. He is on
22 points, a solid 14 points in front of third overall, Lew
Verdon, also from Australia.
Peter
Whipp (GBR) won Race 7 and is fourth overall, but out of reach
of Heywood on 38 points. “It was great sailing, but very
tiring,” he said on coming ashore.
Greg
Phillips (AUS) showed more enthusiasm: “We had a great day; it
was fantastic breeze - just beautiful. The waves were
fantastic too and the wind steady; you could go for pure boat
speed,” said Phillips who is 12th overall after
scoring eighth and seventh places this afternoon.
After
third and 10th places today, for 11th
overall, Josef Maurer (GER) said: “The day was a pleasure for
me. We don’t get these conditions on the Bodensee River.
It was great waves and hard competition. The sailors are
very good and you have to work hard from start to finish.
Just wonderful,” he said.
The
only female in the Grand Masters, New Zealander Gill Waiting, is
22nd placed out of 33 competitors.
In
the Radial Great Grand Master, the USA’s Peter Seidenberg has
taken the batten and hasn’t stopped running, bringing home two
further wins today to consolidate his lead over 2006 World
Champion Kerry Waraker (AUS).
Seidenberg
is sailing an outstanding regatta, winning six out of the eight
races so far, showing why he is the defending world champion.
“I had a good day; two wins. Conditions were just
perfect – a typical nor-easter, the prevailing winds,” he
said.
“I
got a beautiful start in the first race (Race 7), making life
easy, but in the second race I was more conservative and had to
fight to get ahead. This is what I came here for –
beautiful sailing, and that is what I got,” the super-fit 70
year-old said.
The
American is 10 points clear of Waraker who had a mixed day with
12th and second places, enjoying the building breezes
of the second race, which did not increase to his liking until
the race had finished.
Tom
Speed (NZL) remains third placed following 5th and
seventh places, while Bill Tyler (AUS) notched up his best
result of the regatta with a second place in Race 7, lifting him
up the scoreboard in 16th place.
Julian
Van Aaist (AUS) got it right when he commented: “It was just
fantastic, the best sailing ever, magic.”
The
Standard fleet got the best of the north-east winds off Terrigal
today. Starting after the Radial groups, they reveled in
winds of up to 18 knots on choppy seas. After the light
airs that have prevailed all week, the big breezes caught many
out and there was lots of capsizing on the course and lots of
tired bodies came ashore.
Brett
Beyer, leading and defending his Apprentice world crown
described his interesting day: “I won the first one and
Rohan (Lord from NZL) was second.
“In
the second race, I went around the top mark and couldn’t see
the wing mark because of the waves and swell. I found
myself low on the mark and had to tack upwind to make it and in
the process lost around 15 boats. Rohan and I had a bit of
an altercation and I did a penalty turn.
“By
the bottom mark we were both in the low teens, but on the second
beat, I banged left and got more pressure and made it to the top
mark in fourth. I took two more out downwind and finished
second.”
Beyer
is on seven points following racing today, six points clear of
rival Lord. Jyrki Taiminen (FIN) maintains third place on
17 points from British sailor Orlando Gledhill on 24 points.
After
a 17th place in Race 7, Andrew Dellabarca (NZL) said:
“Not too good a day – but I had a lot of great rides.
It was great surfing and really good conditions up to 15
knots.”
The
Master fleet was divided into Gold and Silver today, the top 45
going into the Gold group. Brad Taylor (AUS) continued his
top form adding a further win and a second to his scorecard.
“I
was coming first in the second race but I capsized. It was
good close racing and good breeze. Big waves; it was hard
to steer but enjoyable,” said Taylor on nine points with a
five point lead over a very competitive second placed Jan
‘Clogs’ Scholten (AUS).
Clogs
is keeping Taylor honest at the top of the board. “I
came a good second in the first race. It was the best
conditions – nice sailing and well worth the wait. Nice
waves and sunshine. The hardest bit is sailing into the
fleet ahead of you, so you have no idea who you are competing
against anymore,” he said.
Despite
third and second places today for third overall on 20 points,
Peter Conde appeared a little disappointed in himself.
“I finally broke my standard range,” he said referring to
his inability to score a top two place until today. “We
got to hike properly for the first time in this regatta today.
It was absolutely perfect conditions – nice rides, just like
the brochure said,” he commented.
“I
pushed to make Gold and got in at 45th. It’s
great sailing against these guys; you learn so much and pretty
quick,” said Steve Brajkovich (AUS) who scored a credible 40th
in Race 7.
As
Tim Landt (USA) so succinctly said: “It was finally like they
said it would be here –fantastic.”
Don
Salthouse (NZL) is at the top of the Silver group after
finishing 1-2. “Pretty breezy, it came up quite well.
You could win by surfing fast, but it was really close racing
– much better,” he said. |
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