5 May 2010
The Hyeres regatta got under way last month, with Skandia Team GBR and the G4S 49ers looking to continue to add to their impressive starts to this sailing season. However, light winds caused problems for the team, and the 49er class in particular. The lack of wind made for some challenging racing conditions and the 49ers were unable to get out on the water for the first couple of days. When the winds eventually picked up, G4S 49ers Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes began to climb up the leader board and slowly move into contention for a podium finish. Fellow G4S 49ers, Chris Draper and Peter Greenhalgh had to withdraw from the regatta, on account of the birth of Chris’s son, Harry on back in the UK. In the end, the difficult conditions meant that Stevie and Ben didn’t manage to finish in the medals on this occasion. However, there was success elsewhere for Skandia Team GBR. 49ers Paul Brotherton and Mark Asquith won Gold. This was the duos first event victory since reuniting as a team last summer, after six years apart. Elsewhere, Bryony Shaw and Paul Goodison also secured Gold, allowing the team to come away from a difficult regatta in Hyeres with three Gold medals in total. In addition, there was a Silver medal for Charlotte Dobson in the Laser Radial class and a Bronze medal for Megan Pascoe in the 2.4mR Paralympic class