Olympic classes start today

Morrison and Rhodes will be hoping to put disappointing finishes at the Europeans and Hyeres behind them at Kiel Week

Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes will get some final pre-Olympics fine race tuning under their belts as Great Britain’s 49er pair for Beijing head the list of British sailors taking part in Kiel Week this week.

With the Olympic Classes regatta getting underway at the German venue today (Weds 25 June), the Exmouth duo, who endured a difficult Spring as equipment problems left them trailing the pack at the European Championships and Hyeres, returned to the top of the podium last month with Delta Lloyd Regatta victory in Holland.

Now the 2007 49er World and Pre-Olympic Test Event champions will be keen to state their intentions to their main Olympic rivals by replicating their Holland success at Kiel before their Beijing preparations enter the final phase.

2.4mR sailor Helena Lucas will also use Kiel Week as part of her ongoing build-up to the Paralympic Games in September while she is joined in the class at Kiel by compatriot Megan Pascoe.

Many of Skandia Team GBR’s up-and-coming Development and Transition Squad sailors are also in action this week with Andrew Mills competing in the Finn and John Pink and Simon Wheeler racing alongside Morrison-Rhodes in the 49er event.

Meanwhile, RYA Team GBR’s top young 29er and 420 Youth Squad sailors have also been in Kiel taking part in the International Classes regatta; the prelude to the Olympic Classes event.

James Peters and Ed Fitzgerald picked up an impressive 29er bronze as they now prepare to represent Great Britain at next month’s Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championships in Denmark. Britain boasted three crews inside the top six as Becky Diamond and Fiona Hampshire finished fifth and Frances Peters and Claire Lasko, sixth.

There were also three Brit crews inside the 420 top ten with 2008 RYA Youth National champions Ben Saxton and David de Boltz taking sixth, Matt Rainback-Simon Foskett ninth and Phil Sparks-Ben Gratton tenth.