Men’s 470 Day 5: Power sailing and misjudgments
Patience and Bithell (GBR) won the three scheduled Blue fleet races while world number one Belcher and Page (AUS) repeated the trend in the Yellow fleet in almost perfect sea breeze conditions.
Belcher (AUS) said they couldn’t complain about the result. “We are really looking forward to the finals,” he said.
With racing cancelled on Tuesday because of electrical storms, Wednesday’s competition became crunch time for Gold and Silver fleet allocations.
Race 3 for the Yellow fleet had Belcher and Page leading, with Nicholas Charbonnier and Jeremie Mion (FRA) battling it out with Pierre Leboucher and Vincent Garos (FRA) before Charbonnier and Mion (FRA) seized their chance after the first mark to get ahead and claim second place.
New Zealand duo Paul Snow-Hansen and Jason Saunders came from a 1st and 9th place in Monday’s racing to take 3rd in Race 4.
Race 4 involved an incident at a mark between Sven and Kalle Coster (NED) and Snow-Hansen and Saunders (NZL). There were penalty turns after the windward mark for Ryunosuke Harada and Yugo Yoshida (JPN), which cost them several boat lengths.
A great start by a number of boats could not stop Belcher and Page taking a massive lead in Race 5 for the Yellow fleet.
Nic Asher and Elliot Willis (GBR) took a gamble which did not pay off when they tried to cross in front of Belcher and Page and fouled them.
“It was our mistake, we took a gamble,” Willis (GBR) said.
Asher and Willis finished the race in second place with Gideon Kliger and Eran Sela (ISR) in third.
A showdown between the 2011 and 2010 European champions was scheduled for Blue fleet racing and it didn’t disappoint. It was a constant battle between 2011 champions Sime Fantela and Igor Marenic (CRO) and 2010 champs Panagiotis Mantis and Pavlos Kagialis (GRE).
While Patience and Bithell (GBR) made a clean sweep of first place in Races 3, 4 and 5 in the Blue fleet, Fantela and Marenic (CRO) took out a second place while Mantis and Kagialis (GRE) took a 16th before turning the tables in Race 4 to take fourth. Fantela and Marenic (CRO) took fifth.
The last race of the day saw another role change with Fantela and Marenic (CRO) taking second with Mantis and Kagialis (GRE) third.
Marenic (CRO) said the race conditions were excellent while Pavlos Kagialis (GRE) said they had a good day but made some mistakes. “We aren’t so ready,” he said.
Men's 470 action at the Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships is scheduled to continue tomorrow at 1400 Perth time.