In a tense Radial medal race at the the 2010 Skandia Sail for Gold in Weymouth, Sara Winther claimed bronze and got NZ on the podium. Sara was 2nd overall with 7 points seperating the top 5 going into the double points medal race. No place for the faint hearted. She was 5th at the first top mark but eased through on the tail of the series leader Marit Bouwmeester (NED) in the 6 to 8 knot breeze. However positions continued to change and Sara did well to hold off Sarah Steyaert for a 5th in the medal race and 3rd overall. Brilliant. Bouwmeester (NED) won gold and Sari Multala (FIN) silver.

3 News Video Interview with Sara Winther and Andrew Murdoch.

In Weymouth day 2 of the 2010 Skandia Sail for Gold started light with the boats held onshore but ended with races in winds gusting to 25 knots.

Josh Junior put in an awesome performance with two wins to jump from 55th to 15th overall. So did Sam Meech with a 3 and 4 to move from 47th to 21st.
Andrew Murdoch continues to stand out with a 4 and 7 just slipping to 2nd overall behind Paul Goodison of Great Britain. And Mike Bullot gained some traction with a 3 and 13 to move to 13th overall.

In the Radials Sara Winther had a 3 and 4, leaving her 13th overall but well placed to break into the top 10 if she maintains that consistently. While Rachel Basevi with 6 and 8 and Miranda Powrie with 15 and 11 obviously enjoy the stronger breeze compared with the unstable air on the previous day.

An exciting first day at the Skandia Sail for Gold regatta in Weymouth with Andrew Murdoch leading across two fleets with a first and second. A remarkable result in the 175 boat fleet given the shifty conditions that left many sailors with 1 good race but not many with two. Josh Junior had a 2nd in the first race, Sam Meech a 5th and Sara Winther a 5th.

Yachting NZ has a strong contingent of kiwi sailors at the 2010 Skandia Sail for Gold regatta in Weymouth, England.  Sail for Gold is the last of this season ISAF Sailing World Cup. Weymouth is the sailing venue for the 2012 London Olympics.

In the womens Radial we have Miranda Powrie and Sara Winther.

In the mens standard fleet we have James Sandall, George Lane, Mike Bullot, Andy Maloney, Spencer Loxton, Josh Junior, Sam Meech and Andrew Murdoch. This is a big step up to the major leagues for George and Spencer.

Racing runs from 9th to 14th August and our sailors results can be followed at
http://www.skandiasailforgoldregatta.co.uk/2010.

Thomas Saunders (Tauranga Yacht PBC) has won the Radial class in a 50 boat fleet at the 2010 ISAF Youth Worlds. Thomas's 3, 7, (29), 11, 13, 2, 5, 7 turned out to be very consistent given the variable conditions in Istanbul.

The 2010 mens and womens Radial world champs in Largs, Scotland were frustrating for many competitiors including the Kiwis. There was just 1 race sailed in the last 3 days to make 6 races total for the regatta.

Consistency has been hard to come by for most sailors in the opening 2 days of the 2010 Radial World Champs in Largs Scotland.

The first race of the first day was a blustery south east test of hiking strength. The race comittee reporting up to 25 knots on the course. This gave way to a dimishing westerly in the second race. With big changes in direction and pressure, the race committee were happy just to have completed 2 races.
 

The womens and mens Laser Radial Worlds run from the 9th - 14th of July in Largs, Scotland.
Jessica Barrell, Rachel Basevi, Catherine Chimney, Miranda Powrie and Sarah Winther will be representing New Zealand in the womens event.
In the mens event we have George Lane and Spencer Loxton.
The under 19 Laser Radial Youth Worlds follows on from 20th - 25th of July at the same venue. In that event we have Michael Cate, George Lane, Spencer Loxton, Josh Porebski and Sam Schofield.
Meanwhile across in Istanbul, Turkey Thomas Saunders and Molly Meech will be sailing in the ISAF Youth Worlds from the 11th - 16th of July.

Mike Bullot finished 9th overal with a 8th in the medal race at 2010 Kiel Week Regatta in Germany. There were 118 Lasers divided into 3 fleets. Light winds dirsupted 3 days leaving only 5 races sailed for the Lasers. Mikes scoreline was (5,11,1,4, 16). The first 3 races were on the first day in 18-20 knots. The 11th was looking like a bullet for most of the race till a committee bungle with the course lead him to the wrong mark.
This result follows on from a 5th at the recent Laser Europeans giving consistent results in the top 10.
 

Yachting New Zealand have awarded Nic Croft of Manly Sailing Club the St John’s Rotary Trust Scholarship for 2010. The scholarship will allow Nic to compete at CORK International Regatta in Kingston Canada from 16th to 19th August. The regatta is focussed on youth development.

In the past 3 years Nic has progressed through the Laser 4.7 to the Radial and is now a member of the Yachting New Zealand Youth Squad coached by Ian Neely. He's a popular sailor and will be a great ambassador for NZ sailing.