Australian team extend

Paul Brotherton reports from the first day of Gold and Siler fleet racing at the 470 Worlds in San Francisco

Sunshine and an ebb tide and finals racing failed to change the scene on day four of the 470 Worlds in San Francisco. The prospect of "normal racing" was soon eliminated as pre start split tacks, all showed gains on the left. As in all the other races during this championships the boats that started well and got to the shore clean got the sweeties.

Nick Rogers and Joe Glanfield delivered a masterclass in the morning race. Their winning margin huge, so huge that the second placed boat was still pushing out their pole at the start of the final reach as Rogers and Glanfield were finishing. "We got a big, PG." ( personal gust, I think? ) chirped Glanfield "I only wish it would have divided in two and we could have had the same in the afternoon". Sadly, there are no bonus points given for handing out a good shoeing. More frustrating than the lack of a "PG" in the second race when the Volvo sponsored Team GBR sailors finished eigth was the Australians scoring second and fourth today.

Stealing ground on the chasing pack when they are winning races not only demonstrates the level of consistency, it deflates ambition. The belief that the Australians are probably going to win enters, briefly at first, into the minds of the top few. Another good day tomorrow and that seed will have grown and will doubtlessly remove any chance of the title going anywhere but Australia.

In the Womens fleet there is just a chance of an upset. The world ranked number one sailors Ingrid Pettiejohn and Nadage Douroux are hitting something of a sweet spot. Having successfully chased down De Koning and Berkhout at the Europeans and eventually taking the title easily, will doubtlessly be in their minds. Tomorrow the second discard comes in, and if the French can keep their recent form the points will be very tight tomorrow evening. With six races remaining, the heebie geebies still have time to do their work on the Dutch.

Results:

Pos-Nationality Helm/Crew, Points

Men

1-AUS Nathan Wilmot and Malcom Page, 12
2-FRA Gildas Philippe and Nicolas Leberre, 25
3-GBR Nick Rogers and Joe Glanfield, 28
4-POR Alvaro Marinho and Miguel Nunes, 39
5-AUS Matthew Belcher Nick Behrens, 41

Women

1-NED Marcelien de Koning and Lobke Berkhout, 14
2-CZE Lenka Smidova and Elizabeth Kratzig, 25
3-FRA Ingrid Petitjean and Nadege Douroux, 30
4-GBR Christina Bassadone and Saskia Clark, 33
5-SWE Therese Torgersson and Vendela Zahrisson, 42.6