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UK Mirror Sailing
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Craig & Mitchell Bond
Steve & Juliet Long
Gerry & Luke McGill
Guy & Joe Wilkins
Stuart Bithell & Holly Scott
Jonny McGovern & Nicola Brook
Katie & Anna MacKenzie
Daniel & James Ellis
Ben Crompton & James Budd
Rosie Chapman & Josh Pritchard
Ned McNulty & Tom Hodkinson
Anna Perkins & Megan Baker
Craig Bond and Steve Long were joint team captains. Matt McGovern was UK Team Coach.
Congratulations to Chris and Chris who are the new world champions after finishing
the 10 race series with 23 points. 1 point behind was Irish Bobby Collins and
Fernam Hughes. Top Brits were Jonny McGovern and Nicola Brook in 6th place followed
by Stu Bithell and Holly Scott in 7th, and Craig and Mitchell Bond in 8th. Team
Wilkins - 10th, Team Long - 11th, Team Ellis - 12th, Team McKenzie - 18th, Team
Crompton/Budd - 21st, Team McNulty/Hodgkinson - 25th, Team McGill - 33rd, Team
Perkins/Baker - 35th, Team Chapman/Prichard - 39th. Well done everyone. More
on the message boards.
Dramatic racing today as race 7 was cut short, and the boats were sent ashore, after a 35 knot squall came over the fleet. Despite fierce conditions the McGovern/Brook team finished 2nd, and the Bithell/Scott team 3rd making it a good day for the British. The Bond's finished 5th in this race, and the Ellis' (with probably only 14 stone in the boat) finished an amazing 7th. GBRs Ben Crompton and James Budd had their best result yet with 8th place pulling them up to 23rd overall. For Race 8, the wind had gone through leaving lighter conditions, but Guy and Joe Wilkins took the only British top 5 place with a 4th. With one day to go, British hopes of winning look excedingly unlikely. The Irish Clayton/Martin boat is currently in first place with 27pnts, followed by Irish Collins/Hughes on 29pnts. Aussies Moore and Wilson are on 34pnts.
With 2 bullets David Moore and Matthew Wilson now lead the championships. Today was not such a great day for the British, perhaps not accustomed to the strong winds and steep chop, although many of the top boats scored their worst result yet today. Despite that Steve and Julliet Long had a great day with a 4th and a 3rd. With 6 races gone and 1 discard in place, the McGovern/Brook boat is in 4th place and the Bithell/Scott team are not far behind in 6th. The Bond's, Long's, Wilkins' and Ellis' are in positions 8,9,10,11 respectively. 'Colder' (20-25) tomorrow so less wind predicted. Full results on www.mirrortas.org.au.
Irish boats Gee-czar (Chris Clayton and Chris Martin) and Tantilizer (Bobby Collins and Firtan Hughes) both had a good second day and now lead the championship in positions 1 and 2, with 1 point separating them. Team GBR were lead around the course by Craig and Mitchell Bond who had a fantastic day with 2 thirds. Youngsters Dan and James Ellis pulled themselves up the rankings with a 9th and a 6th. Team Wilkins got a 5th in Race 3, and the McGovern/Brook team had a consistent day with two 8ths. Unfortunately the Bithell/Scott boat scored DNF in Race 4 after a 10th in Race 3. Full results on www.mirrortas.org.au. Great pictures on the Irish site, www.imcai.com
It was an encouraging start to the championships for the British Team while they sailed in "balmy temperatures in the mid twenties, clear skies and a steady sea breeze (Av. 12 knots)". Jonny McGovern and Nicola Brook took a 2nd and a 6th, while fellow youth Stu Bithell and Holly Scott finished with a 6th and a 7th. Other top ten results were from the Bond, Long and Wilkins teams. Irishmen Bobby Collins and Firtan Hughes currently lead the championships with 6 points. With 10 races in all, it will be consistency that will win this championship. Full results on www.mirrortas.org.au
The Pre-Worlds were counted from the last 4 races of the Australian Nationals and Stu and Holly took first place with 3 firsts and a sixth. The rest of the Brits end positions were down as there were no discards and many of the team had to carry 104 points. In 15th place, Ned McNulty and Tom Hodkinson were the next British boat, followed in 16th place by Jonny McGovern and Nicola Brook (whose individual scores include 2 thirds and a sixth.) More details on the message boards.