Regatta Lead for Smith and Clark at ISAF Youth Worlds
The 420 girl’s crew of WAIS athletes Carrie Smith and Ella Clark were the standout performers on Wednesday with three wins from three starts giving the West Australians the regatta lead.
Smith and Clark, who are competing at their final Youth Worlds, started the day behind the leading Italian crew but their three wins saw the pair move into the lead and open up a seven point gap over second place.
“The conditions today were like being back at home and we took the opportunity to have some great racing,” said Clark. “We came out with three wins which is really good for us.”
Fellow WAIS athlete and defending Youth World Champion Mark Spearman ended day three of racing in seventh in the Laser Radial boy’s class with a sixth and eighth place finish in the day’s two races.
The debuting WAIS duo of Lachlan Gilmour and Thomas Blaauw in the 420 boy’s class are 29thoverall after a 27thand a regatta best 16th.
Paul Darmanin and Lucy Copeland moved themselves back onto the podium in the multihull SL16 class, with a second, a fourth and a race win pushing them up from their overnight fourth to be second overall.
The pair, who were silver medallists last year, trail the leading New Zealand crew by 14 points with three races remaining over the next two days.
The Australian and Kiwi crews had some great racing on Wednesday, including an incredibly tight finish to the final race of the day. The two boats were coming to the finishing line together when the New Zealanders pitch poled just before the line with the Australians having to take avoiding action.
Darmanin fell out of the back of the boat but was able to steer over the line to take the win with the New Zealanders hitting the finishing mark and having to re-round, eventually finishing seventh.
Harry Price and Angus Williams had three good races in the 29er class to move up from their overnight eighth to be fifth overall.
Price and Williams began the day with two seconds before picking up their first win of the regatta in the day’s final race. With three races remaining the pair are 14 points off the podium.
In the Laser Radial girl’s Louise Evans is also seventh overall, with the Queenslander 15thand fourth in the two races contested on Wednesday.
Annalise Gilbert had moved up to 15thin the RS:X girl’s class, after a pair of 14ths and her best result so far this week, a seventh.
Fellow windsurfer Jock Calvert is 24thin the RS:X boy’s after a 25thand a 24th.
Australian coach Brendan Todd said that the team is in good spirits after three days of racing.
“The team is very upbeat with many crews really getting their teeth into the event,” said Todd. “Some of the new crews had been a bit overwhelmed in the beginning but have settled in well now. We’re over the hump day and I expect more good results from the developing teams in coming days.”
Full results can be found here and you can follow the team on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AustralianYouthSailingTeam.
-YachtingAustralia