Dobson and Rook lead the charge at ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyères
by Lindsey Bell, RYA 24 Apr 2013 20:24 BST
22-27 April 2013
Breezy third day in Hyeres
Charlotte Dobson and Mary Rook made the best of a change in conditions at the ISAF Sailing World Cup in Hyeres on Wednesday, mastering the increase in breeze to take two race wins and the overall lead in the 49erFX class.
The 470 duo of Luke Patience and Joe Glanfield, and 49er pairing of Dylan Fletcher and Alain Sign also top their respective leaderboards after this first day of finals series racing, where both the wind speeds and the stakes were raised.
After a light wind start to this fourth and final World Cup series event of the 2012-13 season, Wednesday made for an easier day for race officials, with 17-20 knot conditions allowing the schedule to run to time.
Dobson and Rook, racing together for the first time under the British Sailing Team's squad rotation system in the new women's skiff event, admitted they were looking forward to the change of pace at the close of racing on Tuesday, and they got what they wished for.
They recorded a fifth in their opening race of the day before bringing home two consecutive race wins to take a four point lead at the top of the 49erFX standings.
"We're not really too focussed on the results, although you're a competitive person so they are pretty much always on your mind – even though you say to your coach they're not! " laughed the 26-year-old Dobson, who's made the step into the two-person 49erFX from the single-handed Laser Radial for the Rio cycle.
"It's a lot of fun," she said of the challenge in the new class. "The learning curve is literally vertical, every day is a learning day and that's what's making it really rewarding at the moment. You can really see the steps you're making forward every single day."
Dobson and Rook are joined inside the top eight by British teammates Penny Clark-Sophie Ainsworth in seventh, and Frances Peters-Nicole Groves in eighth.
Meanwhile, Dylan Fletcher and Alain Sign reclaimed the top spot of the 49er standings on Wednesday, in spite of a premature start disqualification in the second of their three races, while Exmouth Olympians Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes sailed a solid day to improve to fourth overall in the class – even if Morrison feels there's still room for improvement.
"Whether it's a lack of practice or what but we're really making a hash of the starts," he explained.
"We've been pretty much last off the startline in all three races today, so that's been a bit disappointing, but it's really encouraging clearly how fast we're going. We've got a lot of boat speed and we're sailing relatively well after the start."
Luke Patience and Joe Glanfield saw a tough start to their first day of the finals series, having to re-tie their jib when it fell down in the opening race of the day – they finished 24th but atoned for their first race blip with a second in the second race and maintain the leader's yellow bibs for a second day. Teammates Nick Rogers and Elliot Willis are in 12th.
Bryony Shaw is in equal first after another solid day in the RS:X women's windsurfing fleet. She posted a first and a fourth from her two races and although there are three days of racing still to go, she has an eye on continuing the run of podium form which saw her claim World Championship silver in March, and World Cup silver earlier this month in Palma.
"I'm really hopeful to be on the podium again. It's nice to have been leading a few races here and banking those wins," Shaw explained.
"We're trying to keep that momentum going, try and keep medalling and hopefully come out with a gold this time!"
In the Finn class, Andrew Mills had the most consistent day of the British team sailors, with two thirds seeing him into sixth overall. Giles Scott is in second overall, poised one point behind Dutchman Pieter Jan Postma, while Ed Wright is in fifth overall with a race win rounding off his day.
Sophie Weguelin and Eilidh McIntyre revelled in the increased breeze on Wednesday, posting two third places to improve their standing to third overall in the 470 women's event, while Palma World Cup winner Alison Young started her finals series with a bang. She picked up a race win and a second in the Laser Radial class today, and moves up to fourth overall, with teammate Chloe Martin in ninth.
Ben Saxton and Hannah Diamond are top-placed British Nacra 17 crew, currently in sixth after this third day of racing in Hyeres, with Lucy Macgregor and Tom Phipps in tenth, while in the Paralympic 2.4mR event, Megan Pascoe has improved to second overall, just one point ahead of Paralympic Champion Helena Lucas in third.
The Sonar trio of John Robertson, Hannah Stodel and Steve Thomas are fifth overall in the three-person Paralympic class, while in the Laser Alex Mills Barton is 24th, with Kieran Martin occupying the same position in the RS:X men's windsurfing event.
Racing at the ISAF Sailing World Cup, Hyeres, continues on Thursday 25 April, with the final medal deciders on Saturday 27 April.
For the latest news and information, visit www.britishsailingteam.com follow us on Twitter (@BritishSailing) for race updates during the regatta.