Kieler Woche - Day 6
by Andy Rice 23 Jun 2017 00:51 BST
17-25 June 2017
Alexandra Maloney and Molly Meech on day 6 of Kieler Woche © Kieler Woche / segel-bilder.de
On a day when Kiel Week's weather threw almost everything at the competitors except the kitchen sink, Victoria Jurczok and Anika Lorenz kept cool heads to move into the overall lead of the 49er FX fleet.
The Germans won two of their three qualifying races today and sit two points in front of the Olympic silver medallists from New Zealand, Alex Maloney and Molly Meech. "It was pouring with rain this morning, it was crazy," said Meech. "But then we got on the water and the first race was perfect skiff racing conditions. Then the breeze went a bit funky, a bit lighter and it was super tricky. But we're happy with how we've come out of the day."
New Zealanders are also faring well in the Men's 49er, with Josh Porebski and Trent Rippey holding the lead after six races in the 49er fleet. Australia's David Gilmour and Joel Turner are on the same points as the leaders, while the Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medallists, Erik Heil and Thomas Ploessel, move up to third overall.
It's tight at the top in the Finn fleet too, with Deniss Karpak of Estonia and Nenad Bugarin of Croatia sharing top spot and USA's Luke Muller dropping to third overall. Another Estonian leads the Laser Men's fleet, Karl-Martin Rammo sharing the lead with Italy's Francesco Marrai. However, with the wind shutting down during the afternoon, there were no races for the Laser Radial fleet or the Men's and Women's 470 fleets.
Rio 2016 bronze medallist Thomas Zajac continues to hold the lead in the Nacra 17 catamaran with new crew, Barbara Matz, although they're being pushed hard by Germany's Jan Hauche Erichsen and Ann Kristin Wedemeyer.
The weather for the final three days points towards stronger wind from the west, which could see the more experienced sailors come to the fore.
More information and full results at Kiel Week 2017 can be found at www.Kieler-Woche.de