Update from GBR team at 420 Worlds in Japan
by Georgiana Bellenger 23 Jul 2015 11:24 BST
20-25 July 2015
The GBR 420s's team descended last week on the sleepy town of Karatsu Bay, Japan for the 2015 420 World Championships. Over 200 boats from 23 nations have been battling it out to be crowned this year's 420 world champions. GBR have entered a team of ten boats, with 3 boats in the open and 7 in the ladies.
The team arrived early in Japan, ahead of many of the other competing nations. Our early arrival proved to be to our advantage, giving the team enough time to adjust both to the change in time zone and recovery from jet lag, but also to the Japanese culture and foods. This also gave us the advantage of pre-regatta training ahead of the regatta.
Weather conditions (initially very hot with little wind) were hampered by the arrival of typhoon Nangka, which delayed training for two days as she passed through the bay.
The team took this in their stride, replacing sailing with fitness on the beach.
https://vimeo.com/133735149
With three days of qualifiers now under our belts, the team have endured through incredibly variable conditions, with wind; no wind; and copious amounts of rain. Wind speeds have varied anywhere from 2-25 knots, with each day throwing up entirely different conditions.
The team has handled the conditions well, and with 5 races completed, Max Clapp and Ross Banham currently lie in 12th place, tipped for Gold fleet for the open group. Sarah Norbury and Mari Davies currently lie in 6th and Jenny Smallwood and Danielle Williams in 9th place for the ladies.
Tomorrow holds the final qualifying race for the open and ladies and we are hope to squeeze 5 girl boats in Gold fleet, which would be a huge achievement for the team as we move into the final stages.
It's been an exciting week in Japan, and much of our success so far is down to the organisation, dedication and commitment of those responsible for getting the team to Japan. Our sincere thanks go to the coaching team from the RYA – Alistair Dickson (Team Manager), Jonny McGovern (coach) and Steve Irish (coach). Thank you also to our supporting sponsors: the RYA, Olimpic Sails, Neil Pryde, IBI Sailing, CurraDinghy, JDX Consulting Ltd, Goodman Masson, Inspired Dwellings and Koch Supply & Trading.
With the final qualifying race approaching, it is all to play for – so watch this space!
2015worlds.420sailing.org