International 14 Team Racing Worlds at the Royal Canadian YC - Day 1
by Andrew Handasyde Dick 10 Sep 2013 10:03 BST
7-22 September 2013
Day 1 of the International 14 Team Racing Worlds in Toronto © Caroline Gosford
Day one of the World Championship fortnight for the International 14s was sailed today from the Island Clubhouse of the Royal Canadian Yacht Club in Toronto. As always the first 2 days of the event is sailed for the Team Racing Championships, and this year we have 7 four boat teams entered, 2 British, 2 Canadian, a German, an Australian and a Japanese team.
Much to the relief of several sailors who had just arrived, and the Japanese who were still waiting for their container to be delivered to the Island, the day dawned windless and after a reminder of the rules from our friendly umpires racing was postponed while we waited for the breeze.
At about 13:00 5-8 knots filled in from the east across the race course, between Torontos central business district and CN tower, and the Yacht Club island. A starboard S course was set with GBR 2 and Germany drawing the first race of the event. After more team racing manoeuvres than the 14 fleet has seen in the last 5 years GBR2 kept close cover up the final beat to win the first race of the regatta in 3, 4, 5, 6.
The very next race saw GBR 1 into action against the Australians, the pairing thought most likely to contest the finals. Up the first beat Douglas Pattison and Katie Nurton sailed into a clear 1-2 which they kept for the rest of the race, and looked to have a safe 1-2-4 up the final beat when Archie Massey sailing for Australia bore down to create a Port-Starboard with Sam Pascoe. Archie was deemed not to have give sufficient time for Sam to avoid, and was disqualified, ensuring a first win for GBR 1.
GBR 1 then sailed to a very comfortable 1-2-3-4 against the Germans, while GBR 2 had 2 races, one against each of the Canadian teams. After another race filled with team racing against CAN 2, GBR 2 looked to have a safe 1-3-5-7 coming up the final beat, when the boat in 3 mistook an umpire boat for the finish line, but thankfully finishing in a winning 1-4-6-7. Against CAN 1 a position of 1-5-7-8 round the windward mark proved to be unrecoverable through the rest of the race despite many boats spinning and attempted mark traps.
After a very successful first day, completed by free beer and BBQ, the teams are looking forward to a bit more breeze tomorrow, although hopefully not the 30 knot gusts forecast, to allow completion of the round robin followed by semi finals and finals.
i14.ca/worlds