| LA ROCHELLE, FRANCE-(18-6-2005) The Tornados weree back on the water after the lay-day to race the 4 last races of the event: races 7 and 8 were sailed yesterday and races 9 and 10 are scheduled for 10h00 this morning.
Race 7 - 7 to 8 knots of wind were waiting for the sailors on the course and a very strong sun was certainly not making it any easier. GBR Leigh McMillan and Will Howden were leading the pack for most of the race but on the final leg PUR Enrique Figueroa and Jorge Hernandez took the first position and crossed the line just in front of the British team. FRA Xavier Revill and Christophe Espagnon finished in third. Windsurfer Olympic medalists NZL Aaron McIntoch and ARG Carlos Espinola, who teamed up for this event, finished 4th. Both granted the Worlds for their home-countries after a very nice presentation for the fleet yesterday: 2006 Buenos Aires and 2008 Auckland.
“We shared the podium in Sydney, we are best friends, we are enjoying sailing together and we are getting better as a team everyday. That’s the best basis for a good partnership!” says Aaron McIntosch.
Provisional leaders of the event ESP Echavarri and Paz had a 6th, which put them under a little bit of pressure for the next race especially with McMillan and Howden having won the race.
Race 8 started with stronger wind, 12 knots, but it did not hold its strength and dropped to the range of 7-8 knots again and very shifty. Newcomers to the class ESP Javier Padron and Miguel Perez and AUS Glenn Ashby, 3 times A-Class World Champion, and Andrew Williams hold the first positions throughout the race.
“This is our first year in the class and we are still learning. We were training in conditions like today and it is good to see that it is paying off. But we have still a long way to go”, explains ESP Javier Padron.
“Today the most important thing for us was not boat speed but looking around and being flexible with the decisions we had to make. And it was worth it”, says AUS Glenn Ashby
ESP Echavarri and Paz raced very consistently once more and finished 3rd, remaining the leaders of the event and increasing the difference to the second, McMillan and Howden, in 11 points.
FRA Baptiste Balzeau and Gael Ledoux are leading the Youth World Championship.
Let’s see what the last day of the Worlds has to show us.
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