Dressed in dry suits and fleece hats, over 566 Olympic class sailboats took to the water on Wednesday for the first day of the Delta Lloyd Regatta 2008 in Medemblick, Holland. Medemblick’ harbor is crowded with all sorts of boats that get used. Big and small, glass and wooden, you can tell that the Dutch have spent lots of time during the low light days of the winter sanding, varnishing, waxing and polishing so that they can maximize their time on the water during the summer when the sun rises early and doesn’t set until well after 10:00 pm. Some of these boats are so well maintained that they’ve been plying the Ijsselmeer and the Suydersee since the 19^th century. They are a sharp and pleasant contrast to the eleven Olympic class dinghies, skiffs, sailboards and multihulls that are here.

 

For getting off to an early start this morning, the Laser Radials, 49ers, 470 Men, Ynglings and Stars got the best breeze of the day during their first set of races. The chilly breeze kicked up some waves and everybody warmed up under sunny skies and lots of physical activity. 

 

Nicolas Charbonnier and Olivier Bausset (FRA) were among the leaders at a very tight first mark rounding during the first race. By the time some of the boats that had unwittingly begun the regatta with an OCS cleared out and the racers finished the reach, the French had an eight boatlength lead. The fleet favored the left side for the rest of the race and Charbonnier/Bausset were unchallenged throughout the rest of the race. Brothers Sven and Kalle Coster (NED) were second and Gabrio Zandona and Andreas Trani (ITA) were third. 

 

The most harrowing situation of the day came on the final beat of the last race when Zandona/Trani had to make a live or die call. They were in the lead heading for the weather mark, but had to decide weather to risk crossing ahead of a car ferry and letting it be the blocker for the rest of the fleet or stay alive by letting it pass ahead of them. They stayed with their brethren, but the Costers not only caught up to them while the leaders waited for the ferry to pass, but they jumped a little ahead and inside. Shortly after the weather mark rounding the Italians regained the lead.

 

Charbonnier/Bausset set the pace for the remainder of the 470 set and finished the day with 8 points, 7 ahead of Zandona/ Trani. The Coster brothers are in third narrowly ahead of Nathan Wilmot and Malcolm Page (AUS) who came into the regatta ranked number 1 in the world by ISAF. Stuart McNay and Graham Biehl (USA) are the top North Americans and ended the first day of racing with a respectable 28 points to find themselves in 6^th place.

 

 

How would you feel if you sailed three races in a 71-boat fleet and finished the day with 4 points?  Way to go Anna! Anna Tunnicliffe (USA) is staying on a high having recently tied the knot with accomplished Laser sailor Brad Funk and returned from a honeymoon of sorts. She’s determined to work hard and keep a great attitude through the Olympics and her performance today is indicative of what she can do. 

 

Giantare Volungeviciute (LTU) Sarah Blanck (AUS) and Katarzayna Szotynska (POL) also managed to keep all of their finishes among the top ten and have 9, 10 and 13 points, respectively. Lisa Ross (CAN) sits in 14^th place with 33 points.

 

 

Ulrke Schuemann, Julia Bleck and Ute Hoepfner (GER) dominated the Yngling races and collected two bullets in the first two races. After some delays due to abandoned starts and holding up for other classes on the same course, the Germans had to settle for third while Ekaterina Skudina, Diana Kruskikh and Natalia Ivanova (RUS) copped the bullet in the final race.

 

As the Dutch come closer to determining who among the nine women on the Yngling team will go to the Olympics, Mandy Mulder is certainly pulling her weight. Mulder, Marije Faber and Merel Witteveen started well and got better as the day went on. Their 6,4,2 has them in second place 4 points ahead of the Russian team.

 

The top ISAF ranked team and reigning world champions Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb and Pippa Wilson (GBR) sailed an 8,10,5 for the day and are in fifth place after the first day of racing. The only North American team competing in the event is Jennifer Provan, Martha Henderson and Katie Abott (CAN). The highlight of their day was posting a 2 in today’s second race.

 

 

Balance and ballet – that’s what 49er starts are all about whether they are in 14 knots or winds half as strong. Consistency seems to be difficult to achieve among the 49er competitors. Today’s top performers were Jonas Warrer and Martin Kirketerp (DEN) who finished with a consistent 9,9,4. Also “consistent” today were Lauri Lehtinen and Heikki Soininen (FIN) with their 24,1,24. While Warrer/Kirketerp are in first Lehtinen/Soininen are in 17^th. Lehtinen/Soininen showed great boat handling skills on the final run to the finish of the second race by fending off brothers Emil Toft Nielsen and Simon Toft Nielsen (DEN) with a couple of well executed simultaneous gybes. 

 

Billy Gooderham and Ian Hogan (CAN) are the top North Americans and are in 30^th overall after three races.

 

It looked as if Hamish Pepper and Carl Williams (NZL) were going to be yet another team to earn two bullets today.   They won the first race in moderate air that dropped to 7-8 knots by the time their long windward-leeward twice around race came to a close. They also held the lead midway through the second race that was in 6-8 knot winds. From the time that the fleet set off on their second lap of the course through the finish, they were passed by three other past world champion teams and Flavio Marazzi and Enrico DeMaria (SUI) and Tom Lofstedt and Krister Carlsson (SWE). Marazzi/DeMaria recently qualified for the Olympics with their fourth place finish at the 2008 Star Worlds and have not let up on their training. Lofstedt/Krister have been training with Sweden’s Olympic representatives Loof/Ekstrom and it shows. The 23-boat fleet is top heavy with talent. 

 

There is a tradition at this regatta in which the winners of the day race an elimination series in mini 12 meters. They singlehand these small keelboats that are complete with a jib and a wheel rather than a tiller. Racing takes place in the basin where boathandling is at a premium because in addition to adjusting to puffs and shifts, competitors have to avoid docks, docked boats, other fleets returning from racing and cruising boats that are oblivious to the racing. Robert Scheidt proved that he can handle every boat that he gets into with aplomb.

 

While the Tornados charged toward the beach blasting over waves on the outside of the seawall, Scheidt was able to beat his final match race opponent, France’s 470 skipper Nicolas Charbonnier by a leg. Scheidt walked away from his keelboat experience with wet shorts and a bottle of champagne.

 

Many of the 37 Finn sailors competing in the Delta Lloyd Regatta 2008 finished up the 2008 European Championships in Scarlino, Maremma, Italy just over a week ago. While the European champion, Ben Ainslie (GBR) is not racing in Medemblik, his compatriot, Edward Wright (GBR) is putting on a good show. Currently ranked second in the world behind Ainslie, Wright is in second place in the regatta with two second place finishes for the day. Gasper Vincec (SLO) won both of today’s races. The Finns’ first start was at 2:00 pm in moderate conditions and the breeze picked up considerably during the late afternoon. 

 

Rafael Trujillo (ESP) sits in third after two races after posting a 5, 4 for the day. The leaders are followed by many of the same sailors with whom they will meet for the remaining regattas and training sessions leading up to the Olympics in August.

 

 

The Dutch are winning in the RS: X Men’s Class. Dorian van Rijsselberg (NED) has had a fantastic spring in Europe recently placing 5^th in Hyeres and 4^th at the European championship. He started on his home turf with an impressive 1,1. Tom Ashley (NZL) and Julien Bontemps (FRA) traded 2’s and 3’s and closed out the day with 5 points. Argentina’s Mariano Reutmann sits in fourth place with 10 points.

 

Ben Barger (USA) did not finish the first race but counts a 4^th place finish in the day’s second race. As the top North American, he sits in 22^nd.

 

Mariana Alabau (ESP), who just won the European Championships and sits atop the ISAF rankings, screeched around the RS:X Women’s course faster than her 20 other competitors today. She sits 4 points ahead of veterans Barbara Kendall (NZL) and Faustine Merret (FRA). Five RS:X women wrapped up the day with less than 10 points. Canada’s Nikola Girke is the top North American with 35 points.

 

 

Mitch Booth and Pim Nieuwenhuis (NED) won the first Tornado race and were in first place for the regatta when they hit the beach early this evening. Top ranked Darren Bundock and Glenn Ashby (AUS) are tied with the Dutch with 11 points apiece. Great Britain’s Leigh McMillan and Will Howden and France’s Billy Bessom and Arnaud Jarlegand are tied with 14 points. John Lovell and Charlie Ogletree (USA) are right on their heels with 16 points in sole possession of fifth place.

Photo:  Anna Tunnicliffe - Laser Radial leader with a 1,1,2 series opener.