Fireball World Championships at at Portoroz, Slovenia - Day 4
by Jakica Jesih 19 Sep 2013 21:40 BST
13-20 September 2013
Excitement ahead of tomorrow's final races!
It was another beautiful, sunny and warm day here in Portorož today, just the wind kept us waiting again. Our race officer Tonko postponed the start for an hour at first, and at 1pm the fleet was called on to the water.
Although a light breeze could be felt inside the bay, he decided to go for a safer option and invited the sailors to follow him in front of the old medieval town Piran. A really backdrop for taking photos, but unfortunately not that good for sailing – at least not until around 2.30 pm, when a South Westerly picked up suddenly with more than 12 knots.
The fleet was already eager to race... too eager. The general recall and a black flag set the standards for the second successful attempt. It was the left side of the racing field that helped the sailors reach the top mark first, and most of the leading pack of British sailors picked the right side.
The second race followed soon after, with a clear start and the wind, dropping through the race. They were six different British crews that secured the first three positions in today's races; Christian Birrell and Sam Brearey finished first in the first race, Tom Gillard and Simon Potts were second and Matt Burge and Richard Wagstaff third. Nathan Batchelor and James Clark were the winners of the second today's race in front of Tim Rush and Dan Ellis, Chips Howarth and Vyv Townend were third.
Before tomorrow's last day of this Worlds with, hopefully, at least one more race to go, Tom Gillard and Simon Potts still hold the top position with 25 points, Christian Birrell and Sam Brearey move to second with 27 and Matt Burge and Richard Wagstaff are in third with 34. If at least one race will be sailed tomorrow, the two discards will apply, and a lot can still change.
Results will be posted on www.gosailig.si later tonight, but you can already find them on facebook.