| CADIZ, SPAIN-(15-9-2003) Olympic gold medallist Shirley Robertson sailing with Sarah
Webb and Sarah Ayton, sailed a better day on day two of the ISAF World
Sailing Championships and despite an incident at the windward mark which
resulted in them doing penalty turns, they managed a sixth and a tenth which
saw them move up the scoreboard in the Yngling class.
After a postponement ashore as the competitors waited for the wind to die
down they were eventually sent out in the afternoon and racing commenced in
15 knots of breeze and choppy seas.
Robertson and crew managed a sixth place in the first race but unfortunately
in the second had a collision round the windward mark and were forced to do
penalty turns which dropped them back into 27th place. They managed to
recover and crossed the line in tenth place, placing them twentieth after
the second day of racing.
Fellow GBR sailors Cathy Foster, Jane Norris and Annie Lush had one of their
best days of the year, scoring an eleventh and a fifth place which moved
them up into fifteenth place overall.
Foster commented, `e are really pleased with our results today although at
times it felt like we were sailing in a washing machine as the seas were
really choppy. This is the first time we have had the boat in this much
breeze and therefore we are happy that we seem to perform well in these
conditions.`
Yngling of the day went to German sailors Ulrike Schuemann, Wibke Buelle and
Winnie Lippert who posted two first places. Dorte O Jensen, Helle Jespersen
and Rachel Kiel of Denmark jumped into the lead after two days of racing
overtaking Jody Swanson, Cory Sert and Elizabeth Krat of America who are
second overall.
The Mistral men's and women's classes enjoyed the windy conditions and
sailed two races, which started out in 18-23 knots and gusted 25 knots at
times.
Team GBR sailor Nick Dempsey had the best day of the British sailors scoring
a fourteenth and a seventh to place him just outside the top ten in
thirteenth place overall.
Przemek Miarczynski of Poland dominated in the windy conditions scoring two
first places, which gave him the early lead from Frenchman Julien Bontemps.
In the women's fleet double Olympic gold medallist Barbara Kendall of New
Zealand had the best day scoring a second and first place to head up the
class from Lee Korsitz of Israel.
Team GBR sailor Natasha Sturges finished the day in nineteenth place after
scoring an eighteenth and a 21st.
The day was deemed too windy for the Star class and they were left firmly
tied to the dock with the hope of starting their world championships
tomorrow.
The Finn class will make their first outing to the race course for the
practice race tomorrow prior to the start of their championships on
Wednesday and the Europe class will start their final series after a lay day
today.
The Tornado, 470 men and women, Laser and 49er all commence racing on
Thursday which is also the day that sees the 2003 Europe class world
champion crowned.
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