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VRsport.tv International 14 Worlds at Yacht Club de Carnac - Day 4

by Ellie Meopham 29 Aug 2016 23:21 BST 25 August - 2 September 2016

Day four at the VRsport.tv International 14 Championships was a world away from the carnage of day three. The sun was high in the sky, there was a fresh breeze out in the bay, and the atmosphere at Carnac Yacht Club reflected the conditions.

The morning was spent patching up the International 14 fleet, which took a bit of a battering yesterday. The boat park was filled with the sounds of files, angle grinders, saws, tape was everywhere, and ropes haemorrhaged out of boats. A room of the club had been turned into a makeshift sail repair centre, and the official notice board marquee had been taken over by spars and rigs.

Amidst the chaos of Carnac Yacht Club the fleet was born again, and the International 14 family had also acquired a new member, as Eike Ehrig's wife gave birth to his child back in Germany.

On the water, the start went smoothly with no boats recorded as OCS. Glen Truswell and Sam Pascoe stepped back into their usual position at the first windward mark, closely followed by Roger Blasse and Andrew Gilligan in AUS 657, Andy Shaw and Adam Lees in GBR 1552, Hayter and Neighbour in AUS 666. The fleet was tight at the first mark, which made for an exciting downwind leg, as big gains could be made resulting in valuable positions.

By the end of the race, there had been a considerably big change in the top five. Truswell and Pascoe comfortably retained their lead, and took their third bullet of the event. Neale Jones and Ed Fitzgerald came back from 7th to take second, Hayter and Neighbour fought up from 5th to take bronze, and Katie Nurton and Nigel Ash sailed an impressive race to turn their 10th at the first mark to a 4th at the finish.

Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, with André Bates even comparing the conditions to Hawaii, although admitting that the sea was "slightly colder".

Back on shore the sailors were buzzing, tonight being the big mid-week party, with the layday (which I am reliably informed by an anonymous Canadian source is in fact known as getting laid day) booked off for hangovers. The results board hangs dejected in the marquee, and sailors sit around in the afternoon sun chatting and knocking back their cool beers. Safe to say that there will be a few sore heads about Carnac tomorrow.

Results after Day 4: (top 10)

PosCountrySail NoHelm CrewClubR1R2R3R4Pts
1GBR1553 Glen TrusswellSam PascoeCastle Cove117110
2GBR1530Neale JonesEd FitzgeraldItchenor Sailing Club1031216
3GBR1541Roger GilbertBen McGraneHayling Island 245819
4GBR1519Archie MasseyHarvey HillaryISC382720
5AUS656Mark KrsticJames LanatiBRYC1223522
6GBR1557Katie NurtonNigel AshRYS599427
7AUS661Brad DevineIan Furlong~7561028
8AUS659David HayterTrent NeighbourDPSS4204331
9GER78Lindsay IrwinAndrew PerryBlackRock YC161210644
10AUS659Stuart SlossCameron ElliottPDSC141481147

See full results [PDF]