TAVIRA, PORTUGAL-(30-8-2002) The fog prevented the performance of the races for today. The competitors prepared their boats, brought them to the ramp of the Clube Náutico de Tavira, the club responsible for this world event.
They rested ashore hoping that the bad weather would go away and hoping that the Race Committee would still be able to accomplish a race, a situation not fulfilled. The fog became thick and the organization concluded that there weren’t enough conditions for the boats to go into the water.
It was a constrained day of rest for the sailors who became nervous for not being able to sail.
Tomorrow if the fog disappears it is planed the fulfilment two races with the take-off foreseen for 12h00.
Feminine Team in the middle of the Fleet
The German ladies Elisa Koenig e Julia Weissback are the only feminine crew in this World Championship of Class Flying Dutchman which is taking place in Tavira until the 3rd of September.
Elisa is sailing since she was little, incited by her parents, both of them sailors of several classes and who, in the last years, defended Class Flying.
“...In the beginning I was scared of sailing, the wind frighten me. Gave my first steps on Class Optimist, followed by the 420 and, finally, the family class: the Flying. For a long time that I have wanted to be part of a Flying crew but I couldn’t find anyone. My brother, who is also a Flying defender, wanted a male member. At last I found Julia and about two years ago we started sailing together. It was great because we made a good team.” –Elisa declares.
These two sailors who enjoy gentle winds named their boat as “Mickey Mousse”. For a simple reason, the male sailors always call them that, for Elisa and Julia became the championships mascot. “When we need help to push the boat or to put it in the trailer, the men always helps us but they don’t miss the chance to ask us if we also have the makeup set”.
Julia has been practicing Flying for several years, three of them with another team member. Some time ago she was a champion of Class 420 and was also a winner in the Optimist.
...”We enjoy sailing with gentle wind, we don’t have nor the weight nor the strength to make manoeuvres with strong winds. We don’t want to be just another crew. We are in Tavira for sailing and also to have fun. We haven’t trained a lot but we have already participated in many competitions”- declares Julia.
We remind you that in the first day of races of this World Championship, the feminine team reached the 16th position. Elisa is a young woman of 23 years old, a student of architecture and Julia, with 22 years old, studies medicine.
Concerning Elisa, she has two strong adversaries, her brother and her father who are also in Tavira attending the World Championship of Flying.
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