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SPA Regatta - Olympic sailing in Medemblik, the Netherlands

Second day SPA Regatta: changing classifications under perfect conditions

Medemblik, 22 May 2003 – Today’s sailing conditions were close to perfect with 12 to 17 knots wind. The top three of the Tornado and Finn classifications have changed today. The British team Mcmillan/Bulkeley and the Frenchmen Backes/Voiron entered the top three in the Tornado and World Champion in the Finn, Ben Ainslie, climbed up to first position overall. Yngling team Hin/Samama/Buis from the Netherlands also entered the top three in second place.

Finn
The Finn sailors completed two races today and World Champion Ben Ainslie won both of them in his group, which brought him in first position overall. Mateusz Kusznierewicz from Poland, second in the ISAF World Ranking and winner of the SPA Regatta in 1999 and 2001, crossed the finish line in second and first position today and climbed from a fourth to a second ranking overall. Kusznierewicz: “Normally we sail in one fleet, but at the SPA Regatta the competitors are split up in groups. That requires a different strategy, but I like it. It is funny to me that I will meet Ben Ainsly at the finals and not earlier.” After tomorrow’s races the fleet will be split up into a gold and silver fleet.

Tornado
Sven Karsenbarg and Mischa Heemskerk from the Netherlands had a bad start today. In the first race at the windward mark, the Swedish team Wallen/Westerdahl did not give them the right of way and hit their rudder. It broke and the Dutch team had to retire. They borrowed a new one and completed the second and third race with an unbalanced rudder. The jury decided that today’s results of team Karsenbarg/Heemskerk will be replaced by an average of the results of Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. According to Karsenbarg it was hard sailing on the Tornado course, due to shifty winds. The British team McMillan/Bulkeley had a good day with two second and one first position, which resulted in a second place overall, followed by the European Champions Backes/Voiron from France.

From the racing areas
According to the 470 race officer Michiel Poulie, today’s wind shifts had a great influence on the results. That is why the leading teams showed defensive sailing, said Poulie. He noticed close competition and a high level of sailing. At the first upwind mark, the fleet is still together and up-wind speed of the teams is almost similar. The Dutch brothers Sven and Kalle Coster are still in first position overall and in the women fleet the leading position has been taken over by the Swedish team Torgersson/Vendela.

Champions Cup
Every evening the Champions Cup is to be sailed in front of the harbour of Regatta Center Medemblik. It is a daily knock-out competition with the best competitors in every class of that day. They strive in little so-called “battleboats” for the honour of the day and off course the Champions Cup itself, completed with a cheque of 440 Euros. Today after a tough competition, 470 sailor Paul Foerster from the USA won from Tornado sailor Leigh McMillan from Great Britain.

Results

Mistral Men:
1. Jon-Paul Tobin, NZL, 3 pts
2. Ricardo Dos Santos, BRA, 7 pts
3. Zhou Yuanguo, CHN, 7 pts
4. Marcos Galvan, ARG, 7 pts

Mistral Women:
1. Lise Vidal, FRA, 4 pts
2. Lee Lai Shan, HKG, 10 pts
3. Yin Jian, CHN, 11 pts

470 Women:
1. Therese Torgersson/Zachrisson Vendela, SWE, 18 pts
2. Nike Kornecki, ISR, 24 pts
3. Marcelien de Koning/Lobke Berkhout, NED, 24 pts

470 Men:
1. Sven Coster/Kalle Coster, NED, 8 pts
2. Paul Foerster, USA, 12 pts
3. Alvaro Marinho/Miguel Nunes, POR, 13 pts

Tornado:
1. Sven Karsenbarg/Mischa Heemskerk, NED, 9 pts
2. Leigh Mcmillan/Mark Bulkely, GBR, 12 pts
3. Olivier Backes/Laurent Voiron, FRA, 21 pts

49-er:
1. Paul Brotherton, GBR, 12 pts
2. Chris Draper, GBR, 14 pts
3. Peter Hansen/Soren Hansen, 15 pts

Star:
1. Ian Percy/Steve Mitchel, GBR, 9 pts
2. Peter Bromby/Lee White, BER, 13 pts
3. Mark Reynolds/Magnus Liljedahl, USA, 15 pts

Yngling :
1. Shirly Robertson/Sarah Webb/Sarah Ayton, GBR, 4 pts
2. Janneke Hin/Margriet Samama/Hanne Buis, NED, 12 pts
3. Carol Cronin/Liz Filter/Bridget Hallawell, USA, 13 pts

Laser:
1. Robert Scheidt, BRA, 7 pts
2. Paul Goodison, GBR, 8 pts
3. Irec Suneson, SWE, 12 pts

Finn:
1. Ben Ainslie, GBR, 3 pts
2. Mateusz Kusznierewicz, POL, 5 pts
3. Emilios Papathanasiou, GRE, 6 pts

Europe:
1. Sari Multala, FIN, 15 pts
2. Wiebke Schoder, GER, 16 pts
3. Siren Sundy, NOR, 18 pts