Successful first day

SPA off and running: Sundby three bullets, Ainslie OCS

The 20th SPA Regatta got off to a good start in Medemblik for RYA Team GBR in 6-14 knots of breeze.

Olympic gold medallist Iain Percy and crew member Steve Mitchell started well in the 33 boat Star class. A fourth and a second for the British pairing means they take an early lead in the class after day one. Just one point behind them are the 2003 world champions Xavier Rohart and Pascal Rambeau of France with the newly crowned world champions Fredrik Loof and Anders Ekstrom of Sweden third.

Percy commented, “We are pleased to be leading after the first day. The conditions were quite shifty but we got a few breaks and managed to capitalise on them.”

Fellow Olympic gold medallist Shirley Robertson and team mates Sarah Ayton and Sarah Webb also got off to a good start. The British Yngling representatives for the Games this summer won the first race of the day from Kristin Wagner, Anna Hoell and Veronika Lochbrunner of Germany. A fifth place in race two, leaves them lying in second place overall, three points behind the German team.

Three races were sailed in the 49er class and in each of the groups, racing was tight. Athens 2004 representatives Chris Draper and Simon Hiscocks scored consistently, finishing with a four-five-two at the end of the first day. Team mates Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes went one better and with a three-four-three score line are placed second overall, one place in front of their team mates. Michael Hestbek and Dennis Dengsoe of Denmark have taken an early lead over the fleet and are currently leading by two points.



It was a good first day for the British windsurfers. Natasha Sturges scored a tenth and a first place and is third overall and team mate Nick Dempsey (above) scored a ninth and a third and is currently placed fourth. The 2004 world champion Julien Bontemps of France currently leads the men’s fleet whilst Romy Kinzl of Germany heads up the women’s.

Other notable performances for the day came from Laura Baldwin in the Europe class, who scored a sixth, ninth and a fourth and is placed eleventh overall in the 63 boat fleet; Young Laser sailor Kier Clarke also sailed a good day, after winning the final race he is lying fourth overall; Tornado sailors Leigh McMillan and Mark Bulkeley scored a third and a twelfth and are lying in seventh place overall.

The event continues through until Sunday 30 May.


Germany's Wagner leading the Ynglings

Results

Yngling
1, Kristin Wagner/Anna Hoell/Veronika Lochbrunner, GER (2,1) 3 pts
2, Shirley Robertson/Sarah Ayton/Sarah Webb, GBR (1,5) 6 pts
3, Ekaterina Skudina/Tatiana Lartseva/Diana Krutskikh, RUS (4,4) 8 pts
Other GBR
23, Dominica Lindsey/Annie Lush/Penny Mountford (21,22) 43 pts

Star
1, Iain Percy/Steve Mitchell, GBR (4,2) 6 pts
2, Xavier Rohart/Pascal Rambeau, FRA (6,1) 7 pts
3, Fredrik Loof/Anders Ekstrom, SWE (2,5) 7 pts

Europe
1, Siren Sundby, NOR (1,1,1) 3 pts
2, Petra Niemann, GER (2,2,5) 9 pts
3, Sarah Macky, NZL (3,3,3) 9 pts
GBR
11, Laura Baldwin (6,9,4) 19 pts
37, Andrea Brewster (29,7,19) 55 pts
46, Lizzie Vickers (16,22,30) 68 pts
61, Katie Mapplebeck (28,32,31) 91 pts

Mistral Men
1, Julien Bontemps, FRA (4,1) 5 pts
2, Marcos Galvan, ARG (5,2) 7 pts
3, Nicolas Huguet, FRA (3,7) 10 pts
GBR
4, Nick Dempsey (9,3) 12 pts
25, Leo McCallin (24,24) 48 pts

Mistral Women
1, Romy Kinzl, GER (6,2) 8 pts
2, Sigrid Rondelez, BEL (4,5) 9 pts
3, Natasha Sturges, GBR (10,1) 11 pts

49er
1, Michael Hestbek/Dennis Dengsoe, DEN (2,2,4) 8 pts
2, Stevie Morrison/Ben Rhodes, GBR (3,4,3) 10 pts
3, Chris Draper/Simon Hiscocks, GBR (4,5,2) 11 pts

Other GBR
26, John Wilson/James Barker (18,7,17) 42 pts
35, Jonny Coates/Charlie Muir (14,DNF,10) 50 pts

Finn
1, Mateusz Kusznierewicz, POL (1,7) 8 pts
2, Sebastien Godefroid, BEL (3,5) 8 pts
3, Jaap Zielhuis, NED (7,2) 9 pts
GBR
11, Andrew Simpson (9,17) 26 pts
15, Matt Howard (22,13) 35 pts
34, Ben Ainslie (14,OCS) 69 pts

Laser
1, Zbogar Vasilij, SLO (2,1,3) 6 pts
2, Ardts Nyholm, DEN (4,4,1) 9 pts
3, Allan Julie, SEY (2,7,3) 12 pts
GBR
4, Keir Clarke (10,4,1) 15 pts

Tornado
1, Roman Hagara/Hans Peter Steinacher, AUT (2,2) 4 pts
2, Santiago Lange/Carlos Espinola, ARG (1,6) 7 pts
3, Mitch Booth/Herbert Dercksen, NED (4,3) 7 pts
GBR
7, Leigh McMillan/Mark Bulkeley (3,12) 15 pts
20, Andrew Walsh/Edward Barney (17,24) 42 pts
25, Jonnie Hutchcroft/Marcus Lynch (DNF,18) 47 pts
26, John Ready/Dan Taylor (25,26) 51 pts
28, Chris Field/Mark Field (DNF,DNF) 58 pts

470 Men
1, Sven Coster/Kalle Coster, NED (7,3,1) 11 pts
2, Gabrio Zandona/Andrea Trani, ITA (4,2,5) 11 pts
3, Tomasz Stanczyk/Tomasz Jakubiak, POL (1,4,7) 12 pts
GBR
24, Guy Tipton/Chris Tattersall (25,16,OCS) 58 pts

470 Women
1, Melinda Henshaw/Jann Schearer, NZL (4,3,2) 9 pts
2, Vlada Ilienko/Natalya Gaponovich, RUS (2,7,1) 10 pts
3, Lisa Westerhof/Margriet Matthijsse, NED (1,2,OCS) 14 pts