Skandia Team GBR and G4S 4teen's Juan Maegli take to the Olympic Waters this week
7 June 2011
It was a testing first day at the Skandia Sail for Gold Regatta (6 June), with light wind conditions giving rise to race postponements and a long opening day at this ISAF Sailing World Cup event.In what is a crucial regatta for many international crews with aspirations of making a return to the Weymouth and Portland waters for next year’s Olympic and Paralympic regattas –Skandia Team GBR’s sailors included – there was a tense wait on shore until early afternoon when the wind built sufficiently to allow racing to get underway.When it did, G4S 4teen’s Guatemalan sailor Juan Maegli had a great day of sailing, coming in ninth in the Laser class. Skandia sailor Nick Thompson is also third overall in the Laser fleet with a second in their only race of the day, while Olympic Champion Paul Goodison scored eighth to sit in 15th place after the first race.
G4S sponsored 49ers Peter Greenhalgh-Chris Draper came in 12th while Stevie Morrison-Ben Rhodes suffered a black flag disqualification for being over the start line too soon. The pair overcame the disappointing first race result to finish 8th and 5th in the next two races, which saw them sit in 25th place after the first day of sailing.
Stevie said: “If we can keep solid like that I’m sure we can start working up the leader board. There’s plenty of water to go down the course yet, so we’re going to hold onto our hats and try to get some good races in.”
They came in behind other Skandia teams John Pink-Rick Peacock and Paul Brotherton-Mark Asquith, who made the best of the conditions in the 49er fleet to sit in fourth and fifth places respectively after three races.
Triple Olympic gold medallist Ben Ainslie took to the home waters against a tough fleet, including strong domestic competition in the form of last year’s Skandia Sail for Gold winner Giles Scott, and World Champion Ed Wright.The heavyweight dinghy class was among the last of the 13 Olympic and Paralympic fleets to get racing on Monday, with Ainslie overcoming a fraught start to the race to secure a second place in what became their only race of the day. New Zealander Dan Slater took the race win, with Skandia Team GBR’s Giles Scott sixth, Mark Andrews seventh and Ed Wright ninth.Nick Dempsey saw a solid start to his regatta in the RS:X men’s windsurfing event, picking up a fourth and a race win from his scheduled two races to see him in third overall.For up-to-date results please check www.g4ssports.com, follow G4S Sport on facebook or on Twitter (@G4S_Sport).