2008 Paralympic Sailing Competition - Day One

Steady start for British sailors at Paralympics

Great Britain’s sailors got off to a steady start as the 2008 Beijing Paralympic regatta got underway in Qingdao today (Monday 8 September).

A record 80 sailors, competing across three Paralympic classes, from 25 nations have converged on the Olympic Sailing Centre for the six-day regatta, with all three British boats harbouring hopes of a podium finish.

With almost a two-hour delay for the SKUD-18 and 2.4mR fleets due to a lack of wind, it was the 14 boats of the Sonar three-person keelboat class, featuring ParalympicsGB’s John Robertson, Stephen Thomas and Hannah Stodel, that got away first.

The British Sonar crew, gold medallists at the Paralympic Test Event in May, opened their 2008 Paralympics campaign with a disappointing ninth place in race one.

However, they showed great resilience in race two when having had to go back over the startline after breaking the line early and subsequently reaching the first mark some 30 seconds behind the rest of the fleet, the trio battled their way back through the fleet to score a nail-biting third place.

The Brits, who finished sixth at Athens 2004, ended the opening day in sixth place overall with 12 points as France’s Bruno Jourdren, Herve Larhant and Nicolas Vimont-Vicary head the pack on five points.

Skipper Robertson said: “It was a tough day but our boat speed was very good and if we can just put the boat on the startline at the start time tomorrow we should be well placed for the rest of the week. A ninth and a third is a perfectly reasonable, conservative start in this fleet.”

After eventually getting underway with an Easterly breeze building from six to nine knots, Niki Birrell and Alex Rickham were involved in a five-way battle for line honours in both opening day races in the 11-strong SKUD-18 two-person keelboat class.

Paralympics debutants Birrell and Rickham, who also won Test Event gold, posted two race fifths to sit fifth on the overall leaderboard with 10 points. American duo Nick Scandone and Maureen McKinnon Tucker lead the fleet with three points in what is the SKUD’s first appearance at a Paralympic Games.

Crew Rickham said: “It was certainly a difficult first day of the Paralympics. It seems it is quite normal for us to have a tough first day at every regatta and we usually get better as the event develops. We’ve worked extremely hard to prepare for this event and therefore I don’t expect it to be any different this time. We remain optimistic about the rest of the week.”

Having been reserve for the Sonar crew in Athens four years ago, Helena Lucas also took her Paralympics bow in earnest in Qingdao today competing in the 2.4mR one-person keelboat.

The 2006 IFDS Worlds silver medallist scored a 10th in her opening race, but like the Sonar crew, enjoyed better fortunes in race two, holding on to fifth position from start to finish to end the day on 15 points in seventh place overall. Canadian Paul Tingley, winner of Sonar bronze at Sydney 2000, is the early 2.4mR leader courtesy of his two opening race bullets.

RYA Olympic Manager, Stephen Park said: “It’s certainly going to be a very close regatta in all the fleets and if conditions continue as they were today we are going to see some very high scores and some very low scores posted by all boats across the fleets. As we saw at the Olympic Games consistency could end up being the key at the end of the regatta.”

The Paralympic Regatta is scheduled to consist of an 11 races series for each of the three classes. Three races are scheduled for all classes tomorrow with racing due to start at 1pm local time (6am British time).

Unlike the Olympic Regatta, there is no double points’ medal race sailed on the last day of the regatta rather the sailor(s) finishing on the lowest number of points at the end of the series wins the gold medal.

For the lowdown on the ParalympicsGB team sailors and the most-up-to-date information straight out of the British camp in Qingdao, visit www.rya.org.uk/beijing2008

Irish Update (from Bernadette Fox)

Irish Sailors complete full schedule of races for day one at the Paralympic Games, China.

In the Skud 18 (2 person keelboat) class, Amy Kelehan and John Twomey are 10th overall after day one of racing. They placed 9th in race one and 10th in race two. Meanwhile Nick Scandone & Maureen McKinnon Tucker lead the fleet following a 2nd and 1st place.

In the Sonar (3 person keelboat) class, Ireland’s Paul McCarthy, Paul Ryan and Richard Whealey took 7th and 11th in race one and two respectively to lie 9th overall. France lies in 1st place after scoring a 4th and 1st place on the first race day of the 2008 Paralympic Sailing Regatta.

Racing resumed tomorrow (Tuesday 9th October) in this eleven race series.

USA Update (from Marni Lane)

Despite challenging conditions, USA wins races

Team USA proved their prowess on the water with two bullets and a second place today, despite challenging conditions on the first day of racing at the 2008 Paralympic Sailing Regatta. Nick Scandone (Newport Beach, Calif.) and Maureen McKinnon-Tucker (Marblehead, Mass.) battled out the conditions, which worsened as the day progressed, to grab a bullet and a second place in their first two races to claim the lead in the new SKUD-18 class. The Sonar team of Rick Doerr (Clifton, N.J.), Tim Angle (Marblehead, Mass.) and Bill Donohue (Brick, N.J.) also won their first race today, beating Greece by almost eight boat lengths. John Ruf (Pewaukee, Wis.) also excelled in the 2.4 mR class with impressive second and sixth place finishes.

“It was a fantastic first day for all three fleets,” said Head Coach Betsy Alison (Newport, R.I.). “The U.S. is sailing well, sailing fast and sailing very clean.”

It was a long and challenging day on the water for all three classes, as they first endured delays due to a lack of wind, and then later battled quickly-changing wind and current conditions. As a result, the fleet leader frequently changed throughout the races: Sailors experienced opportunities to gain or lose at least five places in less than five minutes. The 2.4 mR and SKUD-18 course became increasingly difficult as the day wore on, because the current and wind started going against each other, resulting in almost three-foot seas kicking up.

Today proved to be an especially long day for the SKUD-18 fleet, because their first race was postponed and the entire fleet was brought back to shore. When they returned to the water to start racing two hours later, Scandone and McKinnon-Tucker were ready for battle. Alison says delays can be detrimental to some sailors, but Scandone and McKinnon-Tucker conserved their energy and bounced back well with a second place finish behind China in their first race, and then a first place win in their second race. Sailing in 6 to 8 knots, the team sailed conservatively and smartly, according to their coach, Mike Pinckney (Costa Mesa, Calif.) “We got a great start in the second race and ended up winning,” he said. “We sailed well and kept it simple.”

“Nick and Maureen stepped up to plate and put together a great performance,” said Alison. “They‘re very happy.”

USA’s Rick Doerr and his crew, Tim Angle and Bill Donohue, won their first Sonar race by approximately eight boat lengths, leaving behind second place Greece. In their second race, the triple-handed team struggled with the set-up of their second beat and finished in tenth place, securing fifth position overall. The team exhibited terrific boat speed and learned quickly from their minor missteps today. “They’re going in to tomorrow’s races with a ‘Game On!’ attitude,” said Alison.

In a fleet filled with Paralympic veterans, 2.4 mR sailor John Ruf performed at a highly competitive level today, with second place and sixth place finishes under his belt. He ended his first day of racing in third place, behind Canada and Germany. After only sailing at this single-handed class and at the top Paralympic level for only a year, Alison called his accomplishments “exceptional.” Alison added: “He has shown he is on par, speed-wise and smart-wise, with the best in the world.”

Three races are scheduled tomorrow in all three classes, starting at 1 pm local time, weather-permitting. Alison said the team is ready and excited to continue racing at the same high level as today. “We have learned that consistent performances are what will bring us to the podium,” said Alison. As for racing tomorrow, she said, “All we can do is take on the day and give it as much an effort as we did today.”

Sailors will race a total of eleven races over five days throughout the week. Medals will be awarded on the final day of racing, Saturday, September 13. After 5 to 8 races completed, sailors can drop their worst score; after 9 to 11 races, they can drop two scores. There will not be a medal race in the Paralympic Regatta, unlike the Olympic Regatta last month.

For full results please visit ISAF’s web site.