Finn Gold Cup at Takapuna Boating Club, New Zealand - Day 1
by Robert Deaves, International Finn Association 24 Nov 2015 08:29 GMT
21-29 November 2015
Andrew Murdoch pleases home crowd on opening day
Andrew Murdoch kept the home crowd happy on the opening day of the 2015 Finn Gold Cup in Takapuna, New Zealand after winning the opening race to lead overnight. After two races, he is on equal points with defending champion Giles Scott (GBR) with Ed Wright (GBR) nine points back. The second race was won by Björn Allansson (SWE).
With a forecast of very light winds all day, the early postponement ashore was not exactly unexpected but the solid breeze that came later in the day was a pleasant surprise. Starting in 8-9 knots north-westerly, it increased to 10 knots at the first mark and peaked at around 11-12 knots in the second race to create a fantastic first day to the 2015 World Championship.
Murdoch led almost all the way in Race 1, sailing conservatively, while those who took a more risky course on the edges came unstuck. He rounded the top mark from Michele Paoletti (ITA), Wright, Caleb Paine (USA) and Ioannis Mitakis (GRE). Alejandro Foglia (URU) had moved up to second from the gate and briefly took the lead on the second upwind. However, Murdoch got the final approach right to round first and lead down to the finish. New IFA Vice President, Foglia, kept his nerve down the lighter final run to cross second with Mitakis third.
The second race followed a similar pattern in slightly more breeze with Allansson breaking away from the pack after rounding the top mark in first to build a substantial lead downwind and on the next upwind to take a comfortable win. Jake Lilley (AUS) occupied second place throughout the race as did Anders Pedersen (NOR) in third.
Defending champion Scott said of his day. "It was a good day. We had 12 knots by the second race which was pretty unexpected. It was quite nice to get out after an hour's delay and get some good races in."
On his tactics for the day. "I think looking back on the season it's quite a big shock to be racing in such a large fleet again. There is a huge amount of leverage out there from left to right especially when you throw in conditions like we had early today with huge shifts, so it just opens up scope for big gains and huge losses. So I think you have to try and be as consistent with that as you can and a lot of people struggled with that. I think the winner will be the person who deals with that best."
He has already qualified for Rio, so does that lesson the pressure in him? "I wouldn't say I feel less pressure. It's been an odd season because we've had a double peak with the test event and here. But I am motivated to come here to defend my title and that's what I am focussing on."
On the changing conditions, "I think we are all going to have to be really open to anything. I think at the moment the forecast looks reasonably light but I know a lot of the models don't agree with each other."
Race two winner Allansson said, "The second race went really well. I had a good start and had good speed so could go the way I wanted. I was actually able to lead from the first mark onwards and take the bullet. The first race was not especially good. I was struggling the whole race and made some mistakes, so that was a hard race."
On Takapuna, "You know, it's been giving us a little bit of everything. When we got here it was shorts and tank tops and we thought this is great, it's just like Australia. Then we had a week of hailing rain and really, knarly weather and now we are back to glamorous sailing weather."
On his Olympic selection trials against Max Salminen. "I am focusing on beating as many as I possibly can this week, not just Max. Hopefully it's going to be a whole bunch of people."
Murdoch was pretty happy with his day, now leading the Finn world championship in home waters against the best in the world. "I had a pretty solid day and it's pretty nice to be sailing on home waters. I like the pressure of sailing in big fleets and we've had a few foreigners here for a while now. It's cool to be training here in New Zealand with the level of the Finn Class. So I'm loving it."
"Winning the first race was pretty special. I worked my way up the middle and getting near the top of the first beat I was working out I might be leading, which was pretty cool and to win the first race here is good to do for the home crowd and all the supporters, and good starter on a good day."
On tactical issues, "There's a bit of current and the channel is on the right hand side of the course, and if you went too far left the pressure was dropping out as well. So it was hard one to get right. I sort of probably just did it a little bit better than anyone else, but it certainly didn't feel like I was all over it. The sea state that came with it also made it hard work upwind. You wanted to get fully hiking but then you had to sit in now and then, so it was quite uncomfortable. You couldn't really stretch your legs too much. But we had a few of the downwind legs which were free pumping when the breeze dropped out a bit so I'll sleep well tonight."
Racing continues Wednesday at 12.00.
Results after Day 1: (top ten, 2 races, full results here)
1 NZL 16 Andrew MURDOCH 8pts
2 GBR 41 Giles SCOTT 8pts
3 GBR 11 Ed WRIGHT 17pts
4 CRO 524 Ivan KLAKOVIC GASPIC 20pts
5 CRO 69 Milan VUJASINOVIC 21pts
6 FIN 218 Tapio NIRKKO 22pts
7 NOR 1 Anders PEDERSEN 25pts
8 SLO 73 Vasilij ZBOGAR 25pts
9 USA 6 Caleb PAINE 29pts
10 AUS 261 Oliver TWEDDELL 29pts
The Finn Gold Cup runs from Saturday 21 to Sunday 29 November. Ten races are scheduled from Tuesday 24 to Saturday 28 November, with the medal race and final race on Sunday 29 November.
More information on the event website at 2015.finngoldcup.org
Scott sees strong start to Finn world title defence (from Lindsey Bell, RYA)
Britain's sailors saw a strong start to the 2015 Finn world title chase in Takapuna, New Zealand, on Tuesday (24 November), with defending champion Giles Scott tied on points at the top of the leaderboard after day one.
The 28-year-old Scott, hoping to round off a stellar season with a third Finn Gold Cup victory, enjoyed a solid first day posting a fifth and a third to sit just behind the host's Andrew Murdoch after the opening two races of regatta.
The British Sailing Team's 2010 World Champion Ed Wright also signalled his intent on a second world title, and is third overall after his opening day.
After an hour's postponement waiting for the wind to settle, followed by two general recalls, World Championship racing finally got underway amid 8-10 knot conditions on the Hauraki Gulf.
Scott admitted he was happy to get the regatta started and was satisfied with how his opening day panned out.
"I certainly can't complain. I've had quite a good start with a five and a three today. The wind out there was pretty tricky with big shifts left to right in the first one and then it settled down a little for the second. I'm happy to come away with a nice consistent day.
"You can't win the Gold Cup on the first day but you can certainly lose it and I managed not to do that, which is good!"
"I tried to keep it as simple as I could," said the 2011 and 2014 World Champion of his opening day's strategy.
"In honesty the first race didn't actually go too well – for the first beat I ended up being bounced around quite a lot, but at least managed to get clear for the second half. I think I might have rounded about 30th or so, so I had to pull through, but I think the ability to do that come the end of the week will be very valuable."
Picking up a fourth in the first of the day's two races, Ed Wright played the conservative card in a windier 12-13 knot second race, opting to take penalty turns at the second upwind mark for a perceived infringement, ending the race in 13th to sit third overall at the close of the day.
"Whether I was in the wrong, I don't think so," Wright explained, "but I just wanted to prevent myself being in the jury room all night so it was good to do the 720 and be safe."
"In the first race I was actually going pretty fast and I got a nice couple of shifts on both the beats and downwind I held my own."
While Scott's own Olympic berth is secured for Rio, both he and Wright acknowledge that this regatta is a vital one for nations and sailors with designs on Olympic qualification as well as the world title, and some nerves were palpable on the racecourse.
"This racing is a bit different to the racing that we do for the rest of the year," explained Scott. "It's a really big fleet – we've got almost 90 boats so huge amounts of leverage and separation on the race course. There's a lot to be gained and there's also a lot to lose, so it certainly makes for interesting racing."
"There's a lot resting on this event for a number of guys and you can see it out there," Wright added. "People even in the boat park are a little bit nervous.
"It was good to get out there and finally get the racing underway and I think from now one everyone will be a bit more relaxed."
"For me, I really want to win to be honest, but Giles is sailing pretty well and he's proven that again today, so I'm going to have to step it up a little bit and hopefully I'll be able to challenge him at the end."
Exmouth's Ben Cornish is poised 12th after a seventh and 23rd for his opening two races, while Podium Potential sailor James Hadden is 41st overall.
For news and British Sailing Team updates visit us at www.britishsailingteam.com, on Facebook or on Twitter.
Murdoch opens 2015 Finn Gold Cup with a win and a share of the lead (from Yachting New Zealand)
The 2015 Finn Gold Cup, featuring the world's best Olympic Finn sailors, got underway off Takapuna on Auckland's North Shore today and NZL Sailing Team's Andrew Murdoch has an early share of the lead.
New Zealand team-mate Josh Junior is the next best placed of the kiwis lying 13th after two races on the opening day of the world title deciding regatta.
After a one hour postponement racing kicked off and 33 year old Murdoch, (Kerikeri Cruising Club/Tauranga Yacht & Powerboat Club) got off to a blinder with a win in the very first race.
Adding a seventh in race two he has eight points in total, equal with Great Britain's Giles Scott, who is the defending Finn World Champion and the man to beat this week.
"I had a good day, and a solid start to the regatta, a first and a seventh. It was good to win the first race in front of the home crowd – that was cool," says Murdoch.
"And I sailed a reasonably solid second race, a few points went begging here and there, but overall really happy with how it's going. I think I started well, and sailed head out of the boat."
The Hauraki Gulf provided sunny skies and 8-12 knot winds.
"It was quite a tough day. We weren't quite fully hiking a lot of the time, and a reasonable sort of a sea way coming through so it never felt super comfortable going up wind in it but I was going fast enough. It was fun sailing downwind with the free pumping."
Asked how he will approach day two Murdoch says, "Same as I did today, nothing changes, I've just got to keep doing what I'm doing and start worrying about points closer to the end of the regatta."
With Murdoch and Scott sharing the lead at the end of day one, Ed Wright (GBR) is lying 3rd and nine points behind.
It was a different story for Josh Junior (Worser Bay Boating Club) who started his world champs campaign with a 29th place in race one. A ninth in race two sees him placed 13th overall currently and he'll be looking to bounce back tomorrow.
Finn Gold Cup kicks off in New Zealand (from Australian Sailing)
Racing at the 2015 Finn Gold Cup, the Finn Class World Championship,
got under way today, Tuesday 24 November 2015 in Takapuna, New Zealand in 8-10 knots and clear sky with Australian Sailing Squad's sailors posting two solid results.
Oliver Tweddell (VIC) had a consistent day posting a 17th and 12th, which put him in overall tenth in the 76 boat fleet. Jake Lilley (QLD) struggled in the first race, resulting in a 56th but made up for it in race two by coming second. This puts him into overall 34th after the first two races.
"I started off today trying to get two consistent races in as it will be a tricky week," Oliver Tweddell said. "It was really key that I get two solid scores and I managed to do that. I'm happy with today and pleased to get away with two good solid scores on the board and looking forward to another two races tomorrow."
Racing at the Finn Gold Cup runs from Tuesday 24 to Sunday 29 November with ten races scheduled until Saturday 28 November, with the medal race and final race on Sunday 29 November.
Australia secured country qualification for the Finn class for Rio 2016 at last year's ISAF Sailing World Championships in Santander, Spain. But who will be representing Australia in the class is yet to be decided.
With selection still ongoing the Finn World Cup will be an important event for the current World #2 Jake Lilley and World #6 Oliver Tweddell.
Jake Lilley has only been in the class just under two years but, although still a junior, he has been making his mark at the top with a steady series of good results. He represented Australia at the 2015 Rio Test event in August, where he finished sixth, after qualifying Australia in Santander. But Oliver Tweddell is ready to chase his teammate, which will make for a good battle this week.
Lilley and Tweddell are coached by Australian Sailing's Finn Coach and American Olympic bronze medallist John Bertrand.