A waiting game on day three in Weymouth and Portland 

Light winds upset schedule on day three of World Cup racing

After two days of superb racing conditions, it turned into a waiting game at the ISAF Sailing World Cup Weymouth and Portland on Friday (12 June) as light and unstable winds upset the day’s schedule.

The RS:X Men’s windsurfers managed one race of their planned three, with Nick Dempsey mastering the light wind conditions to take the race win and with it the overall lead over teammate and training partner Tom Squires.



The 49er class managed one lap of their opening race of the day before the light and shifty winds forced it to be abandoned.   Dylan Fletcher and Alain Sign, currently the leading British crew in fourth overall, were in a strong position in the race at the time, but Fletcher admitted it was the right decision to call a halt.

“We were doing alright at the time but I doubt we would have made it to the end of the race,” Fletcher explained.

“It was pretty light and variable. We knew the wind was going to go right at some point, we were a bit back at the first windward mark but looked like it was a no brainer to gybe set and that put us into the lead.  But then the wind died out and they abandoned it, which was a bit annoying for us but that is the way it goes.”

In spite of their lack of racing today, the duo are happy with their progress this week.

“I think it’s starting to come together. We have put a lot of effort into equipment this year and we’ve just got a new boat we are trialling here which seems to be going quite well,” Fletcher continued.

“We’re having a good time on the water and racing quite well, so we are happy.”

The 470 Men’s class completed one testing, shifty race which concluded in a decaying breeze just before the 75 minute time limit set for the fleet.  It proved a frustrating outing for Luke Patience and Elliot Willis, who were 25th, with a number of other big names struggling in the pack today.

Patience admitted he and Willis, currently 12th overall after five races, have had a tough week so far amid an otherwise impressive season, but vowed to coming out fighting for the medal race spots when racing resumes tomorrow.

“Elliot and I have had a fantastic season so far, we’ve had a great year together in the boat and we’ve been fortunate enough and worked hard enough that we’ve stood on the podium a lot,” Patience explained.

“This week we are more challenged so it’s an interesting dynamic for us – it’s good for us.  It’s a nice bit of adversity for us to deal with.  We go into tomorrow’s last fleet race day with no pressure and absolutely nothing to lose. 

“We’ll go and regroup tonight and come out tomorrow, try and find our form which we know has been great in the past, and make sure we’re a boat which is hard to beat on the track.”

Racing proved impossible across all other fleets on Friday, but with 15-20kts forecast for Saturday, the sailors and race teams should expect a full day of action for the conclusion of Paralympic classes racing and the final fleet racing day for the Olympic classes ahead of their medal race deciders on Sunday.

The ISAF Sailing World Cup Weymouth and Portland is part of UK Sport’s #EveryRoadtoRio events series, which will feature over 30 world class sports events the length and breadth of the UK, with over 900,000 tickets available to the British public to support their athletes.

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