Aussies lead on day two

But French duo head the Tornado Europeans in Gran Canaria reports second placed Mark Bulkeley

Race one started first time and we had a conservative mid-line start. Unfortunately the boat beneath us was over and consequently ruined our start and game plan. We did however hang in there long enough to get the shoreline effect and round the top mark in seventh. Leading the fleet was the Italian Marcolini. Darren Bundock was right in there as was Roman Hagara. Down the run it again proved to be a race to the shore line. However there were big losses when the fleet gybed on top of you in a crescendo effect. We played a game of snakes and ladders all race eventually finishing 9th. Hagara won the race from Bundock and then the Italians.

Race 2 again got away with only an individual recall flag, Mitch Booth was deemed to be over, however that is subject to a redress protest hearing. Once again the shoreline was favoured and our start mid line was not punchy enought to put us in with the early leaders. The Puerto Ricans lead the fleet into the corner and led the race from start to finish ahead of Roman Hagara who had the best day of the fleet scoring a 1,2. We managed to work our way up to the mid teens by the top mark, and then made some gains down the run. However it was the second upwind were we footed off into the left corner and made some huge gains, rounding 7th or 8th. It was proving to be very tricky downwind as the more pressure inshore had to be balanced by the dirty air from all the boats gybing early.

We had a disaster of a final top mark, tacking on the layline with 50 metres to go, we sailed into a header and a hole while boats on the port layline twin wired in ahead of us. When we eventually rounded we then had boats gybing on us down the run and eventually crossed the line 15th. It was one of the most frustraing races we have sailed as we had worked so hard to get back in there only to lose it all in such a short space of time.

Overall Olivier Backes leads Darren Bundock with us 3rd, however inthe Europeans championships we lie 2nd as Bundocks results are removed.

Check out Mark and Leigh's website: www.gbrtornadogold.com

Complete results (Bundock and Forbes are not included in the European results):

			R1	R2	R3	R4	Total
1	AUS 1	DARREN BUNDOCK/JOHN FORBES	14	1	2	4	21
2	FRA 295	OLIVIER BACKES/LAURENT VOIRON	1	2	10	8	21
3	GBR 420	LEIGH McMILLAN/MARK BULKELEY	4	6	9	15	34
4	ESP 1	FERNANDO ECHAVARRI/ANTON PAZ	2	5	6	23	36
5	GER 1090	ROLAND GAEBLER/GUNNAR STRUCKMANN	6	8	13	16	43
6	AUT 380	ROMAN HAGARA/HANS PETER STEINACKER	32	9	1	2	44
7	FRA 28	YANN GUICHARD/CHRISTOPHE ESPAGNON	13	4	23	7	47
8	ARG 1	SANTIAGO LANGE/CARLOS ESPINOLA	7	7	17	24	55
9	POR 2	HUGO ROCHA/LUIS BRITO	8	14	18	17	57
10	PUR 1	ENRIQUE FIGUEROA/JORGE HERNANDEZ	28	15	16	1	60
11	ITA 257	FRANCESCO MARCOLINI/EDOARDO BIANCHI	35	20	3	3	60
12	SWE 201	HANS WALLEN/CHRISTOPHER RAPPE	9	26	21	6	62
13	ESP 2004	ENRIQUE GARCIA DE SOTO/FERNANDO SALES	24	19	7	14	64
14	POR 1	DIOGO CAYOLLA/NUNO BARRETO	19	12	22	13	66
15	NED 1	MITCH BOOTH/HERBIE DERCKSEN	10	3	4	OCS	69
16	FRA 279	XAVIER REVIL/LAURENT GUILLEMETTE	5	27	26	11	69
17	GRE 7	PASCHALIDES IORDANIS/GAREFIS CHRISTOS	26	25	14	9	74
18	GER 1087	JOHANNES POLGAR/CARSTEN HAPPEL	23	11	11	29	74
19	NZL 83	AARON MCINTOSH/MARK KENNEDY	16	35	8	21	79
20	NED 162	SVEN KARSENBARG/MISCHA HEEMSKERK	3	31	30	18	81
21	ESP 23	TONI RIVAS/FABIÁN ESCUDÉ	21	13	24	25	83
22	GRE 1	DIMITRIO THEODORAMI/ADONIS BOYGIOURIS	31	37	5	12	84
23	FRA 281	BILLY BESSON/ARNAUD JARLEGAN	18	29	20	20	87
24	DEN 1	PEDER RONHOLT/SOREN JORGENSEN	OCS	21	12	5	90
25	ITA 260	SANDRO MONTEFUSCO/STEFANO RIZZI	11	24	33	27	94
26	FRA 282	MATTHIEU SOUBEN/GURVAN BONTEMPS	12	39	27	19	96
27	ITA 255	ALBERTO SONINO/GABRIELE BRUNI	30	22	RDG	30	109
28	ESP 121	JOSÉ Mª PONCE/RAMÓN ILLÁN	OCS	23	15	28	118
29	ITA 261	ANDREA MURA/LUCA REMAGRINO	38	43	32	10	120
30	GER 1088	HELGE SACH/CHRISTIAN SACH	15	18	OCS	35	120
31	SUI 227	MARTIN RUSTERHOLZ/MICHIEL FEHR	22	30	38	32	121
32	RUS 77	EMELIANOV KONSTANTIN/YANIN ALEXANDZ	29	16	35	44	123
33	SLO 1	DUSAN PUH/ALAN BIDERMAN	36	17	36	37	124
34	GER 1084	ANDREW LANDENBERGER/SEBASTIAN MOSER	27	28	41	31	126
35	FRA 293	FRANÇOIS GABART/DAVID ROMAIN	37	33	25	34	128
36	FRA 286	FRANÇOIS MORVAN/MATHIEU VANDAME	25	32	37	36	129
37	ITA 5	SORRENTINO VINCENZO/COLOMBO GIORGIO	20	40	34	38	130
38	CAN 369	OSKAR JOHANSSON/JOHN CURTIS	17	38	39	39	131
39	ESP 7	FRANCISCO SÁNCHEZ/JUAN MANUEL BARRIONUEVO	RDG	RDG	40	26	131
40	SWE 199	MARTIN STRANDBERG/KRISTIAN MATTSSON	DSQ	10	29	OCS	142
41	CAN 1	ERIC HOLDEN/MARK COAKLEY	40	44	19	42	143
42	ESP 11	MANUEL CALAVIA/CARLOS VAREA	33	41	OCS	22	147
43	RUS 007	DZHIENBAEV SERGEY/RYAZANTSEV OLEG	OCS	42	31	33	156
44	FRA 276	BAPTISTE BALZEAU/GAËL LEDOUX	39	36	42	43	157
45	GBR 415	LEO FARROW/ROB WILSON	44	46	43	40	170
46	RUS 27	CHCKRYGIN ALEKSEY/BOGATKIN SERGEY	42	45	46	41	171
47	ESP 40	JAVIER PADRON/ONAN BARREIROS	43	49	44	45	178
48	GBR 404	JONNIE HUTCHCROFT/MARCUS LYNCH	OCS	47	45	46	188
49	ESP 5	BERNARDO BENÍTEZ/CARLOS LOUREIRO	46	DNC	47	47	190
50	GER 1052	CHRISTINA LOWEY/FLORIAN LOWEG	41	48	DNF	DNC	191
51	GBR 398	JOHN READY/SIMON WILLIS	45	50	DNF	DNC	197