‘Epic’ Rio racing marks two year Games countdown
Written by RYA | 06 August 2014
Change in conditions brings a full race day at the Rio Test Event
Rio marked its two year countdown to the Olympic Games with a full day of competition at the first sailing Test Event on Guanabara Bay today (Tuesday 5 August).
In spite of the milestone celebrations being held across the city, it was business as usual for the 324 sailors from 34 nations on the third day of this Aquece Rio International Regatta.
After a day confined to the shore on Monday due to light winds, the Brazilian Olympic host city saw a change in a conditions across Guanabara Bay and an ambitious schedule across all ten classes and five race courses.
“It is exciting that it’s two years out from the Games and we’re here in Rio racing,” enthused the British Sailing Team’s 470 Olympic and European silver medallist Hannah Mills. “That’s pretty cool – but we haven’t even started our selection trials yet. There’s a long way to go so we can’t get too swept up in that.”
“We’ve got a lot to improve and we’ve still got a trials to try and win,” continued Mills of her partnership with Saskia Clark, which has seen an injury-hit 2014 season so far.
“It’s going to be tricky but we’re looking forward to it. We feel we’re back on track now having had quite a bit of time out, and we’re getting better all the time.”
The 470 fleets experienced what Mills described as an ‘epic’ swell for the three races on their Copacabana race course on Tuesday, with the duo enjoying a great start their regatta. They picked up a race win, a third and a seventh to sit second overall after their first day of racing.
“We were expecting some ocean swell, but wow!” said Clark.
“There was underlying swell running the whole time but because of the overnight breeze there was a lot of chop and confusion on top of it. Figuring out how to keep some boat speed both up and down wind on top of that was probably the key to the day.
“We had good speed generally,” Mills added.
“We struggled a bit to get off the startlines, which made the second two races a bit trickier fighting it out in the pack.
“For our first day it was great, no disasters and we were knocking them in there so it was cool.”
In the 470 men’s fleet, Elliot Willis agreed with the assessment of the racing conditions.
“It was awesome sailing – a bit different to what we’d envisaged in terms of generic Rio conditions. We had mountainous seas and anything from about 10 to 18 knots today. It was pretty full on.”
Willis and Luke Patience also saw a solid first two races of their regatta, before a jib halyard breakage meant a premature end to the third race and a trip back to shore to effect a fix.
“It’s annoying because I replaced that on Saturday, so it was brand new,” said Patience, who ends the day third overall with Willis.
“It’s frustrating as it was completely unforeseen gear failure. I don’t know why it snapped so we’ll find out.”
In the Finn fleet, Giles Scott tops the leaderboard after five races, with Ed Wright in fifth, while Nick Thompson enjoyed a good start to his event with 6,1,15 seeing him in second place overall after the first day of the Laser competition. Alison Young marked her returned to competition in the Laser Radial event with a steady set of three sixth places.
British Sailing Team crews in the 49er and 49erFX men’s and women’s skiff fleets also enjoyed a steady opening day. Four races were completed in each event, with Dylan Fletcher-Alain Sign and John Pink-Stuart Bithell poised fifth and sixth respectively after the opening day of the men’s 49er event.
Charlotte Dobson-Sophie Ainsworth opened their account with a solid 5,8,2,5 to see them in fifth after their first day of 49erFX racing, while Frances Peters-Nicola Groves posted four top ten results to see them in ninth after their first day, raced on the Sugarloaf course.
Ben Saxton and Hannah Diamond sailed a consistent first day in the Nacra 17 class, picking up 6,4,4 to see them in fifth place overnight, while Bryony Shaw improved to sixth place in the women’s RS:X windsurfing event with the help of a race win in her second of three races.
In the men’s windsurfing event, Nick Dempsey’s day improved as it went on – having broken a mast before the first race of the day, he ended it with a third place in the third and final race to see him in 10th overall with two days of competition left for the RS:X classes.
Competition at the Aquece Rio International Regatta continues across all ten classes on Wednesday 6 August.
The medal race deciders will take place on Thursday 7 August (RS:X Men, RS:X Women), Friday 8 August (Finn, 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17) and Saturday 9 August (470 Men, 470 Women, Laser, Laser Radial).
Stay with us for all the news from inside the British camp throughout the Rio International Regatta at
www.britishsailingteam.com, on
Facebook or on Twitter @BritishSailing.
Full results can be found at
http://www.aquecerio.com/en/competitions/international-sailing-regatta-2014