GBR gets windsurfing world title chase off to a flying start 

Strong start for RS:X windsurfers on day 2 in Santander

Britain’s leading windsurfers saw a positive start on their first day of World Championship racing in Santander on Saturday (13 September).  

Wind conditions proved testing for both sailors and race committees on the second day of this Olympic qualifying regatta, with the Laser, Laser Radial and RS:X classes all enduring disruptions.

But the women’s RS:X windsurfing fleet managed to complete their schedule of three races, with Bryony Shaw ending her opening day on a high with a race win from the third race.  

Shaw will start Sunday’s second day of racing for the windsurfers with the red bib for overall third place, and said she was happy with her opening day’s efforts amid the shifty conditions.

“It was really tricky out there – the wind was up and then it was down and it was shifting 30 degrees so it was about trying to minimise that damage,” explained the 31-year-old, who claimed silver – he first World Championship medal at last year’s edition in Buzios, Brazil.



“To get that race win at the end [of the day] just kind of showed that I had a bit more of a handle on things.  It was so important to have fine positioning and I was always slightly off in the first two races and then I managed to really nail it in the last one, so I was really pleased.”

Fellow British Sailing Team talent Izzy Hamilton also saw a consistent start to her event, with 5,2,7 seeing her in overall seventh place.

The Holsworthy sailor – a former double Youth World Champion – is hoping that her opening day’s form continues.

“This is as strong as the fleet gets – everyone’s at the World Championships so we’ll have to see how it goes but I’m happy with my first day,” she explained.

“I’ve done a lot of training running into this regatta and I feel really prepared.  Hopefully I can reach the goals that we’ve set and I can come away feeling like I’ve done my best.”  

Elsewhere, Nick Dempsey got his world title defence off to a steady start, posting 5,6 from the only two races the RS:X men’s fleet could complete to sit in overall tenth place at the end of the first day, while Dempsey’s training partner, Tom Squires, also enjoyed Dempsey’s training partner, Tom Squires, also enjoyed a promising first day, picking up a fifth and a ninth in the men’s RS:X yellow fleet to sit in 13th place.

The Laser and Laser Radial classes faced a long wait on the water in a bid to try and complete the planned two races on their second day of competition, to allow for the fleets to split into their gold, silver and bronze finals series in line with the schedule on Sunday.

Eventually, after general recalls, race abandonments and testing conditions, the races were completed and four British sailors made the cut for the top 49 boats through to the Laser gold fleet, and in doing so have all but secured the British country qualification berth in the class for the Rio 2016 Games.  Alex Mills Barton so nearly made it all five British competitors through to gold fleet with a strong 4,7 from today, but couldn’t quite make up for a tough opening day on Friday.

Nick Thompson pulled up to 11th  overall with 11,7 for his second day’s efforts, while Podium Potential sailor Lorenzo Chiavarini hit back after a 29th in his first race to place sixth in the second and secure his gold fleet berth in 17th place overall.

Elliot Hanson is 24th, and Martin Evans 35th in the 147-boat men’s single-handed fleet – the biggest to be contested in Santander.

In the Laser Radial event, four British boats have qualified for the 60-boat gold fleet.  Chloe Martin is poised in ninth place overall with 4,16 from her two races today, with Hannah Snellgrove 17th, Alison Young 21st and Georgina Povall in 38th.  

Racing will continue in the RS:X Men’s and Women’s windsurfing classes, and the Laser and Laser Radial on Sunday (14 September) when the 470 Men’s and Women’s events will also get underway.

Racing in Santander sees a staggered schedule across the ten classes:
12-18 September: Laser and Laser Radial
13-19 September: RS:X Men and RS:X Women
14-20 September: 470 Men and 470 Women
15-21 September: 49er, 49erFX, Finn and Nacra 17

For a full list of British competitors and all the latest from the ISAF Sailing World Championships, stay with us at www.britishsailingteam.com, on Facebook or on Twitter @BritishSailing!  

Click here for the British Sailing Team’s video channel from the Santander Worlds.