WAIS Sailors Compete in Holland
Australia’s four Paralympic crews have all had positive results on a shortened day three of the 2010 ISDF World Championships in Medemblik, Holland.
The Australian Sailing Team Skud 18 crew of Daniel Fitzgibbon and WAIS scholarship holder Rachel Cox led the way, winning their one and only race of the day to surge up the leader board to be third overall.
The 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games medalists are competing together for their first time since winning their Silver medal in China and are beginning to find their rhythm on the water again.
“We had a god day today with a good win so everything is looking up,” said Fitzgibbon. “We came off the pin end in the day’s only race and had a really good start and held the lead until the finish, we got the advantage early and held on for the whole race.”
“Rachel and I are feeling good, we’re confident and are getter better and better after a bit of a slow start to the regatta,” he said.
Ame Barnbrook and Lindsay Mason continued their consistent run in the Skud 18 class, finishing seventh to end the day in eighth position, tied on points with sixth and seventh and just two points off fifth positions.
“Today we didn’t do as well as yesterday but overall we are feeling pretty good about the racing and tomorrow’s a new day,” said Barnbrook. “We were doing really well on the first few legs and came around the top mark about third or fourth and it was the last leg going downwind where we got overtaken by another three or four boats and ended up in seventh.”
“Overall I think we are doing really well,” she said. “We’re in a tight group so hopefully we’ll be able to bump it up a bit tomorrow.”
The Australian Sailing Team’s Sonar crew of WAIS athletes Colin Harrison and Russell Boaden plus Rod Angwin put two tough days of racing behind them to finish second in Sunday’s race to move up the ladder to 13th overall.
“All three of us are very pleased to finally get some runs on the board,” said Harrison. “We started off with a moderate breeze which became lighter as the race progressed. Obviously it was a bit of a battle to find clean air initially but once we got that we maintained it and had good boat speed and maintained a position at the front of the fleet. ”
“We’re feeling pretty good at the moment,” he said. “It’s a relief to finally get some runs on the board reflecting the good sailing we have been able to put together which hasn’t been demonstrated in the results.”
Matthew Bugg had his second top ten finish of the regatta in the 2.4mR class with his ninth place moving him up to 14th overall, closing in on the top ten.
“I started out very well,” said Bugg. “I was basically first off the starting line and second around the top mark and then I was hovering around the top five until the last windward work where I lost four places and ended up ninth.”
“I’m feeling good and am ready to get on with the next day of sailing tomorrow,” he said. “Tomorrow I’m planning on going out there and start the day the way I did today but finish the way I started.”
Racing at the 2010 IFDS World Championships continues in Holland until July 14.
– Yachting Australia