Miami World Cup regatta kicks off 2012 season
By Lindsey Bell, RYA on 23 Jan22-28 January 2012Sophie Weguelin prepares for the Rolex Miami OCR © Daniel Forster / Rolex
Nine of Britain’s London-bound sailors are set to compete in their first regatta of this Olympic year when World Cup series racing gets underway in Miami today.
Paul Goodison (Laser), Nick Dempsey (RS:X Men), the women’s match racing trio of Lucy Macgregor, Annie Lush and Kate Macgregor, Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark (470 Women) and the newly-selected 470 men’s pair of Luke Patience and Stuart Bithell are among the 24 Skandia Team GBR sailors who’ll be on the startline at this Rolex Miami OCR, competing across nine of the 13 Olympic and Paralympic classes over the six days of competition (23-28 January).
In the Paralympic classes, Skandia Team GBR’s SKUD duo of Alexandra Rickham and Niki Birrell, and the Sonar team of John Robertson, Hannah Stodel and Steve Thomas have already seen a medal-winning start to their Paralympic year at the IFDS World Championships in Port Charlotte, Florida, which concluded last weekend.
Rickham and Birrell captured their fourth straight World Championship title last Sunday, with the Sonar trio claiming bronze, but both teams will be eager to keep the momentum going at this second stage of the 2011-12 ISAF Sailing World Cup series.
In the 2.4mR Paralympic class, where selection trials for the one ParalympicsGB spot are still ongoing, both Helena Lucas and Megan Pascoe will be eager to impress. Lucas came close to the podium spots at the World Championships last week, finishing fourth, while Pascoe is back in action at this regatta, given the all-clear by the team’s medical support after a health scare saw her frustratingly sidelined from the IFDS Worlds.
With a late 2011 World Championship in Australia just last month, sailor numbers are down across the board for this World Cup regatta but it still has a key place in the ‘big picture’ of the British team’s 2012 preparations, according to RYA Olympic Manager Stephen Park.
“We have a small but talented team competing at this Miami World Cup event, which in many sailors’ eyes falls at an opportune time just ahead of their intensive winter training programmes,” Park explained.
“Miami provides a great opportunity for some quality racing off the back of the Perth World Championships and before the European regatta season starts, which means the sailors have the chance to race hard and at the same time identify any areas for development to take away and work on during over the next few weeks and months, before they can next put them to the test in the next World Cup or World and European Championship competitions.”
Skandia Team GBR line-up for Rolex Miami OCR
Laser
Paul Goodison
Laser Radial
Charlotte Dobson
Alison Young
Chloe Martin
RS:X Men
Nick Dempsey
Elliot Carney
470 Men
Luke Patience & Stuart Bithell
Ben Saxton & Richard Mason
470 Women
Hannah Mills & Saskia Clark
Sophie Weguelin & Sophie Ainsworth
Women’s Match Racing
Lucy Macgregor, Annie Lush & Kate Macgregor
2.4mR
Helena Lucas
Megan Pascoe
Sonar
John Robertson, Hannah Stodel & Steve Thomas
SKUD
Alexandra Rickham & Niki Birrell
The Rolex Miami OCR – the second leg of the 2011-12 ISAF Sailing World Cup series – runs until Saturday 28 January.
For the latest news and information from the Skandia Team GBR British Sailing Team visit www.skandiateamgbr.com or follow us on Twitter (@SkandiaTeamGBR).
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