NZL Sailing Team poised for the podium in Palma

NZL Sailing Team poised for the podium in Palma at 2015 Princess Sofia Regatta

The NZL Sailing Team crews of Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie, and Peter Burling and Blair Tuke are poised for victory at 2015 Princess Sofia Regatta.

Having both built solid points leads in the Women’s 470 and 49er events over the first five days of the regatta, a good medal race tomorrow in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, will secure gold at this well attended European opener.

Another three NZL Sailing Team crews have also made the top ten securing a medal race spot. Marcus Hansen and Josh Porebski are 5th in the 49er, Josh Junior goes into the Finn medal race lying 8th and Alexandra Maloney and Molly Meech are also 8th in the 49erFX.

Womens 470

Leading for most of the week Aleh and Powrie have battled with familiar rivals including Camille Lecointre and Helene Defrance (FRA) and Hannah Mills and Saskia Clarke (GBR), and it is these three crews that make up the top three positions going into the final determining race of the regatta.

Today though the kiwis performed the best, with a 2nd and a win in the two races sailed which sees them open up a handy seven point lead over the French pair with the Brits just two points further back.

49er

Peter Burling and Blair Tuke have an even bigger lead in the 49er skiff, 16 points clear of their closest rivals going into the medal race.

Sailing 13 races throughout the five day series leading up to the final medal race, the kiwis have once again been dominant with five wins on their score-card. They’ve finished inside the top three in eight of those 13 races.

Team-mates Marcus Hansen and Josh Porebski are lying 5th and could easily grab another place back with a good race tomorrow.

In the other classes…

Josh Junior has been on fire in the Finn class through the early stages of this regatta, but today’s performance on the water sees him drop out of medal contention and back into 8th overall.

Junior didn’t recover from a deep first mark rounding to place 45th, a result he had to count. He then picked up a 50th in the second race to drop to eighth overall and outside any medal contention.

He was philosophical about the situation. “I just sailed really badly. You win some you lose some, but I was really happy to be right up the top for as long as I was.”

In the Women’s skiff Alexandra Maloney and Molly Meech were lying 12th going into today with a challenge on to make the medal race cut. They were up to the task though, and start tomorrow’s race in 8th overall.

New Zealand narrowly missed out on top ten finishes in the Nacra 17, the Men’s 470 and the Laser classes with Gemma Jones and Jason Saunders (Nacra), Paul Snow-Hansen and Dan Willcox (Men’s 470) and Michael Bullot (Laser) all coming close.

Together with the remainder of the New Zealand contingent in Mallorca, Spain, they will be cheering on our front runners in tomorrow’s quick-fire double point medal races.

2015 Princess Sofia Regatta
New Zealand’s standings going into the medal races…

1st Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie – Women’s 470
1st Peter Burling and Blair Tuke - 49er
5th Josh Porebski and Marcus Hansen – 49er
8thJosh Junior – Finn
8th Alexandra Maloney and Molly Meech – 49erFX

Final results for New Zealand’s sailors outside the top ten…

12thGemma Jones and Jason Saunders – Nacra 17
14th Paul Snow-Hansen and Daniel Willcox – Men’s 470
12thMichael Bullot – Laser
18th Thomas Saunders – Laser
25thSara Winther – Laser Radial
43rd Susannah Pyatt – Laser Radial
55th Andrew McKenzie (Aon Fast Track) – Laser
57th Antonio Cozzolino – Men’s RS:X

ENDS

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