OLYMPIC SAILING THREAD...!

[maestegmafia]

First topic message reminder :

Sailing over the last decade and a half has reaped e rewards of the fantastic coaching and encouragement that the Royal Yachting Association and their many member clubs and People have worked hard to perfect.

Team GBR has dominated the medal table in sailing for the last three Olympics.

Today two of our best sailors start their campaigns to add to their collection of gold medals.

Ben Ainlslie is racing singlehanded in the Men's Finn Class, a tough and technical boat designed for the larger sailor. Iain Percy and his crew Andrew "Bart" Simpson start in the Star Class, a tecnical two sail, two-man keel boat, that they won gold in in Beijing.

Later today the women's match racing starts with the McGregor sisters and Annie Lush in a three person keel boat. These girls are full of talent though are at their first olympics.

Match racing is a boat vs boat disciplin as opposed to the Fleet racing that the Finn and Star class competitors take part in.

We stand a great chance of a medal haul and likely a number of golds. It all starts today at 12.

[maestegmafia]

Yep the Cloggy almost had it but similar to what happened to Ian Percy earlier in the Star Class, he took a risk to try and command the fleet with his position, but the wind shifted and took the tactical decision away from him...

Sailing is a sport where the variables are the governing force and how you adapt and use them to your advantage is what makes a winner.

[Guest]

I must admit all your discussion as well as the contributions of others, has given me a small urge to try out sailing if and when I get the time

[Guest]

Could Ben Ainslie have done any more within his sport to lay claim to the Sports Personality of the Year Award?

[maestegmafia]

Not much more available in dinghy racing...

He is a multiple gold medalist, world champions in numerous boats, has a pretty serious yacht racing CV of wins, as well as a match racing world championship...

Great guy

[whocares]

hats off to the bbc - great camera work and pictures of weymouth events.
I love sailing but hate watching it on tv, this has changed my mind.

[maestegmafia]

hats off to the bbc - great camera work and pictures of weymouth events.
I love sailing but hate watching it on tv, this has changed my mind.

Its coming together well isn't it.

[maestegmafia]

Difficult day for the girls in the 470, racing postponed then started re started all sorts going on with the lack of wind...

Anyhow a tricky race where the GBR team were penalised for pumping too much by an on water official. They sailed well and are still topping the table..

[maestegmafia]

I recommend that anyone with burgeoning interest in sailing take time to watch the ladies Laser Radial singlehanded medal race tomorrow. Potentially very exciting.

[eirebilly]

What time does Annalise kick off today Maest?

[John Cregan]

1pm.............

[eirebilly]

Good man John. Hope she gets a medal

[alfie]

Good man John. Hope she gets a medal

Well she started well here but is now back in seventh ...things can change quickly ...keep fingers crossed

[eirebilly]

Keep going Annalise, dead proud of you even if you dont get that elusive medal

[Thomond]

I think she is silver as it stands in 2nd. Come on!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[alfie]

Up to second behind China ...this will be tight all the way...

[eirebilly]

Squeaky bottom time.

How long left?

[Thomond]

About 5 minutesI think Bill, 5th now, no idea where that leaves her for medals, think she might be out of . A great race so it seems, very tight. Come on girl keep flying that flag.

[alfie]

Looks like China v Netherlands for first and second.

Nothing between Ireland and Belgium for the bronze...going to be close at this mark...

[eirebilly]

Oh well, it was a good run from her

[alfie]

Annalise round the last mark in third ...hold this for Bronze...

[eirebilly]

Oh Jaysus really? Come on Girl

[alfie]

She still leads Belgium ...nearly there ...

China gold ...Dutch girl still second

Third is close ...Belgium ahead

[eirebilly]

Please please please

[alfie]

China gold

Ireland just miss in fourth ...sorry boys

[eirebilly]

What a shame for her, she must be gutted but what an effort to get 4th.

Dead proud of her for that.

[Thomond]

Feic!!!!! Feel for Annalise she outdid any expectations people had of her for this Olympics and 4th is really the worst place you can get. She did the country proud and in her first Olympics at only 22 she is young and there are a few more tournaments there for her. Well done Annalise and the other competitors

[eirebilly]

Cheers for the updates alfie

[alfie]

That was so close ...they were wide apart and Belgium just outpaced her down the last leg to the line...

Great effort from the young lass , bad luck just missing at the end.

[Thomond]

She is young Alfie and the experience will help her in the future. Absolute gutted though she fought hard and to come so close and fall is devastating

[eirebilly]

Cheers also for your updates Thom.

Massively proud of her for that effort. Great stuff, no medal but still a whomping effort.

[alfie]

Now for an Australian Gold medal at last...Slingsby sailing ahead of his Cypriot opponent and he has it in the bag unless he hits an iceberg or something

He will get more attention here than a winning sailor generally would , in the absence of lots of swimming champions...

[TopHat24/7]

Difficult day for the girls in the 470, racing postponed then started re started all sorts going on with the lack of wind...

Anyhow a tricky race where the GBR team were penalised for pumping too much by an on water official. They sailed well and are still topping the table..

When's GB's next shot of a medal maesteg?

[maestegmafia]

Hi guys busy day today sorry wasn't online. Great races sad to see young Annalise miss out but great to see lijia Xu get gold, lovely girl.

This was a tough fleet with some excellent sailors, Annalise had a fantastic Olympics and should be back for more next time in Rio.

Next british medals are most likely in the boys and girls 470 fleets.

[TopHat24/7]

Great. That tomorrow?

[maestegmafia]

No I think it's Thursday and Friday...!

Not sure will check.

The match racing girls Team MacLush have a tough quarter final vs Russia tomorrow. Really tough racing.

[Pal Joey]

Australia’s pairing of Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen have secured an unassailable lead in the 49er skiff class.

[TopHat24/7]

Australia’s pairing of Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen have secured an unassailable lead in the 49er skiff class.

Oz could do with some golds, must be getting tiresome having to see NZ well ahead of you all the time.....

[alfie]

Australia’s pairing of Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen have secured an unassailable lead in the 49er skiff class.

Oddly enough , the TV presenters here seem not to have grasped the above fact : they were still talking about " a good position" this morning...

Or perhaps they want to keep it as a nice surprise

[maestegmafia]

Nick Dempsey gets silver in the windsurfing.

470 boys go into medal race three points off gold with little chance of not getting a medal of some colour.

[maestegmafia]

Next up 470 girls and boys have one more race each

[Peter Seabiscuit Wheeler]

So kite surfing next time...hmmm

[Pal Joey]

Australia’s pairing of Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen have secured an unassailable lead in the 49er skiff class.

Oz could do with some golds, must be getting tiresome having to see NZ well ahead of you all the time.....

We let them get a few sitting down first.

[maestegmafia]

So kite surfing next time...hmmm

Shame its at the expense of windsurfing...! but it is a great sport and so incredibly popular it should not be ignored.

Hopefully skateboarding will be included too. Its about time.

[maestegmafia]

tomorrow sees GBR girls team in the 470 tow man trapeze dinghy in their last two races.

1 NZ 2 6 2 5 10 4 1 1 - - - 31 21

2 GBR 6 1 4 6 1 6 5 2 - - - 31 25

3 NED 1 8 6 4 2 18 4 3 - - - 46 28

4 FRA 10 17 1 8 12 3 7 6 - - - 64 47

5 BRA 11 5 14 1 6 10 10 10 - - - 67 53

Hang in there next to the kiwis and there could be a gold for GBR

The boys 470 have a day off but have already earned silver, just need a final medal race thursday to assure themselves of gold.

[maestegmafia]

Sadly no bronze in the 49er class. Denmark sailed very well in the last lap of the medal race, shock off cover and went off alone, picked up what might be generously described as a fortunate shift in the wind and took the bronze.

[maestegmafia]

But it is confirmed silver at least by the 470 girls and boys.

Lads will go head to head vs Aussies tomorrow, girls head to head vs kiwis on Friday

[TopHat24/7]

so two guaranteed silvers with decent shots at Gold?

how close is it at the top? A straight 'sail-off' or more complicated than that?

[maestegmafia]

The men's is a couple of points and there will be a bit of a fight like with Ben Ainslie and Percy/Simpson, but the girls go into the medal race on even points with the kiwis.

Team MacLush just one the third race of five in the match racing quarter finals. They now lead Russia two to one with two more races to go. Win the next race and they are through to the semi finals..!

Team MacLush are looking really good now, they were not in form in the round robin qualifiers losing half their races but scraped into the quarters. They are looking in much better shape now.

[TopHat24/7]

Sailing completely boggles me. Thanks for the informative updates that make things a little clearer Maesteg!

[maestegmafia]

Your welcome mate.

It's basically if you pull the sails in, they fill with wind and it's first round the course wins.

But we can over complicate it a lot more than that

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