Light and variable winds dogged racing on Port Philip Bay, Melbourne yesterday as most of the 1,800 sailors competing at the combined World Sailing Championships started their week-long series that will be crucial for Sydney 2000 hopefuls. Eleven Irish boats are competing in six classes.
Of the courses that were sailed, possibly the most significant result was the off-form showing by David Burrows in the Finn single-hander. Placings of 29th and 46th left him 38th overall after the first day. The Malahide sailor has recently been achieving consistent top-20 or better results. Team manager Bill O'Hara described the conditions as "very tricky and difficult to be conservative".
Burrows' Irish rivals for the national squad fared better, with Olympic veteran John Driscoll 24th overall and Colin Chapman showing better form than of late with 26th in the 71-boat fleet.
Meanwhile, the increasingly impressive Skiff crew of Mel Collins and Fraser Brown, currently taking the 49er class by storm, added to their recent record by recording a fourth place in the second race yesterday - having been last in the fleet at the first mark. The Royal Cork YC pair are 35th out of 89 boats when their earlier 16th place is counted. Irish coach Dan O'Grady described their performance as using their "Get out of Jail Free card".
The second lesser-known Irish boat in the fleet comprises Australian 18-foot skiff and Whitbread Race veteran Adrienne Cahalan with Adrian Dunphy crewing. Two results in the mid-20s still leave this pair in 89th overall.
In the 470 fleets, there are signs that Tom Fitzpatrick and David McHugh are improving towards the top third of the men's division. They are currently 18th overall, while coming under pressure from rivals Gerbil Owens with Philip Lawton, who are 21st in their fleet. Laura Dillon and Ciara Peelo are 19th overall in the women's fleet, still outside the top third but greatly encouraged by a fifth in the final race of the day.
The Laser Worlds started on Saturday with just one race possible yesterday. Ireland's Jon Lasenby is off-form in 33rd overall but well inside the top third of the massive 140boat fleet. Ireland's Maria Coleman is keen to prove her own consistent form when the Europe class finally starts.
