Strong shifty winds wrap up the Regatta
Competitors were greeted with close to gale force winds early on that tapered off to just some plain solid wind, at 16-20 knots with big shifts and large velocity changes. Canada’s overall outcomes on the day were not what dreams are made of but our sailors on all fronts showed character and were true ambassadors to the sport and to Canada. All should be commended for their perseverance over the course of the event and their dedication to their personal best performances. With only one race scheduled, the entire team went out to give it their all for one last time.
On the Single Handed course Robert Davis fought with the heavy winds and placed 22nd in his fleet. At the end of the regatta, he finished in 14th place over all - a fantastic achievement given the amount of time he has been able to train in these conditions.
Isabella Berthold also worked very hard in today's race but her 10th place finish with dropped her to 7th overall in the fleet. Still, the experience was a fantastic add to her sailing resume, and we hope to see a lot more of Isabella in the years to come.
On the Double Handed course, the tough conditions provided an opportunity for everyone to test themselves in tough conditions. 29er Boys representatives Nicholas Kroeger and Peter Soosalu placed 16th in today’s race, which put them in 21st place overall in the fleet at the end of the event.
The 29er Girls Alanna Foscarini and Alison Ledzki managed to finish 10th in today’s race which moved them up to 13th position overall.
In the Hobie class, Mark Pataky and Jon Scott applied the lessons learned earlier in the week and pulled an 11th place finish today, and in the end finished the regatta in 14th place overall.
On the Windsurfer course, David Hayes attacked the start line because he wanted to get a bullet - which was needed in order to move up and challenge for a medal. Unfortunately, David was over the start line early and scored an OCS today, which left him at a very respectable 6th overall, and the top Canadian at the event.
When asked about the event, Canadian Head Coach Ken Dool stated “Another event down, more experience gained and now the opportunity to reflect and address both strengths and shortcomings in the weeks and months ahead. This event in reality is just the tip of the iceberg for some of these young athletes, their sailing careers in earnest just in the infancy stages, growth will come from here, it is those that can take what they learned and but it into constructive practice that will be successful in the future.”
Congratulations to the entire team. They said at the outset that they are "not here to not win" and regardless of their final positions they won through the experience that they gained at this event as they continue on their international sailing competitive career. For most, this was their first VOLVO Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship but not their last.
http://www.sailing.ca/feature/2007/07/youthworldsreport.html
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