Volvo 49er, 49erFX, Nacra 17 European Championship 2019 - Day 1: GBR team report
by British Sailing Team Media 13 May 21:38 BST
13-19 May 2019
John Gimson and Anna Burnet - Volvo 49er, 49erFX, Nacra 17 European Championship 2019, Day 1 © Nick Dempsey / RYA
The headlines:
- Champagne conditions for opening day: wind, waves and sun
- Three races for 49erFX and Nacra 17 fleets, four for 49ers
- Nacra 17 pair Ben Saxton and Nikki Boniface open regatta with race win
- John Gimson and Anna Burnet lead British Nacra 17 charge in seventh
- Charlotte Dobson and Saskia Tidey (49erFX) post trio of top four finishes including race win to sit fourth overall
- Dylan Fletcher and Stuart Bithell start as strongest Brits in 49er class: four top six results, including race win, put them sixth
- More than 400 sailors competing in week-long regatta, which marks crucial stage in run-up to Tokyo 2020
What they said:
Ben Saxton, 28, Cambridge (Nacra 17): "We started with a bang and got a bullet which was wicked. After that we put two okay races in, a 6th and a 6th. It was great fun out there - great wind, great waves. We had 15 knots, a metre of waves and blue skies. It's really nice competing here in Weymouth, it feels like home. We have spent a lot of time training here and we know it well."
Charlotte Dobson, 32, Rhu, Scotland (49er FX): "Day one was exciting. We ripped our kite just before the start of race one and had to re-rig, then we had to do a penalty turn on the start line, so it was definitely an eventful start to the regatta, but we managed to hustle well and ended up with three good races including a win. We're pretty happy with that for what felt like far too stressful a day one."
Stuart Bithell, 32, Rochdale, Greater Manchester (49er): "Day one of the Euros and Weymouth really delivered. We had lovely wind, beautiful waves and came away with a solid day. We're certainly in the mix going into the rest of the week. It was like a washing machine out there, waves going everywhere, but we're used to it. We're expecting a bit more wind tomorrow so let's see what happens."
Find all the results here