Four golds for Skandia Team GBR in Miami 

Skandia Team GBR bagged an impressive haul of eight medals from their first major event of the year – the 2006 Rolex Miami Olympic Classes Regatta – including four golds from the men’s and women’s windsurf events, the 470 men’s fleet and the Laser class.

Athens Olympic bronze medallist Nick Dempsey proved the dominant force in the men’s NeilPryde RS:X fleet at Biscayne Bay, clinching gold with a 27-point margin over nearest rival Nicolas Huguet of France, in one of the first ISAF Grade 1 events for the RS:X since the board was selected for the 2008 Olympic Games.

Dempsey had topped the leaderboard since day one of the regatta, scoring eight race wins from the 10-race series – including Friday’s double point-scoring final “medal race” – to seal his victory over the 39-strong men’s fleet.

This new Olympic competition format, tested for only the second time ever in Miami, calls for a single “medal race” featuring the top ten boats, to conclude the race series in each of the classes.  The medal race must be counted in the scoreline and scores double points.

Bryony Shaw completed the windsurfing double for Skandia Team GBR, topping the final table after a series of strong performances during the five-day regatta.  Nudged into second place by Spaniard Marina Alabau on the penultimate day, Shaw finished third to Alabau’s fourth in the final medal race on Friday to push her back up to first place and secure the gold medal by two points.  Lucy Horwood took bronze to join teammate Shaw on the podium.

Paul Goodison claimed his fourth Rolex Miami OCR crown in the 89-boat Laser class after a solid week on the water.  The European Champion added to his 2001, 2002 and 2004 titles with a convincing 19-point lead over Frenchman Felix Pruvot in second place.

In the 470 men’s fleet, Nic Asher and Elliot Willis added the Miami title to their win at last week’s 470 North American Championships, finishing first in the final medal race to push back into the top spot after slipping to second on the penultimate day.

“We were anxious to get this race done,” said Asher after the final race. “We weren’t sure what it was going to be like, but the conditions helped make it a great event. It was pretty gusty with quite big waves. We were in front of the whole fleet today from the start.”

Christina Bassadone and Saskia Clark, however, had to settle for silver in the women’s 470 fleet, when their fifth-placed finish in the medal race saw them overtaken in the final standings by French duo Petitjean and Douroux after the Brits had led the fleet all week.

Olympic 49er bronze medallists Chris Draper and Simon Hiscocks also had to settle for the second step of the podium, missing out on gold by two points at the hands of Italy’s Pietro and Gianfranco Sibello after topping the leaderboard for most of the week.

The new Yngling trio of Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb and Victoria Rawlinson had a rewarding regatta in Miami, securing bronze in their first competitive outing behind the American teams of Barkow, Capozzi and Howe – the reigning World Champions – and Swett, Purdy and Filter.

For full regatta results visit http://www.ussailing.org/olympics/RolexMiamiOCR/results/index.htm

2006 Rolex Miami Olympic Classes Regatta results 

(italics denote double points from the final medal race)

RS:X Men medal fleet

1. Nick Dempsey, GBR (2,1,1,1,1,(5),1,1,1,2) 11pts

2. Nicolas Huguet, FRA (1,2,5,2,6,1,3,4,(10),14) 38pts

3. Ivan Pastor, ESP (5,4,(12),3,4,2,5,8,12,6) 49pts

GBR consolation fleet

1. Leo McCallin (13,9,3,8,(17),14,12,13,7,4) 83pts

RS:X Women medal fleet

1. Bryony Shaw, GBR (1,3,1,3,2,1,(6),2,4,6) 23pts

2. Marina Alabau, ESP (3,(OCS),4,1,1,5,1,1,1,8) 25pts

3. Lucy Horwood, GBR (2,5,5,(11),3,2,2,3,2,2) 26pts

Other GBR

5. Christine Johnson (5,2,7,(12),4,3,5,7,3,10) 46pts

470 Men medal fleet

1. Nic Asher-Elliot Willis, GBR, (4,1,3,1,3,7,8,1,3,9,(10), 2) 42pts

2. Benjamin Bonnaud-Romain Bonnaud, FRA (3,3,1,2,7,5,3,8,(OCS),4,9,4) 49pts

3. Gideon Kliger-Udi Gal, GER (7,4,4,(9),2,2,1,9,5,2,3,14) 53pts

Other GBR

9. Luke Patience-Chris Grube (10,11,(DNF),11,11,8,5,4,12,8,6,8) 94pts

470 Women medal fleet

1. Ingrid Petitjean-Nadege Douroux, FRA (3,1,5,4,3,2,(9),6,2,2,1,4) 33pts

2. Christina Bassadone-Saskia Clark, GBR (2,5,2,2,1,(8),3,3,1,1,5,10) 35pts

3. Amanda Clark-Sarah Mergenthaler, USA (1,(12),1,10,7,1,11,2,6,3,3,6) 51pts

Other GBR

9. Pippa Wilson-Sheena Craig ((OCS),9,3,8,9,9,7,9,4,9,10,16) 93pts

Laser medal fleet

1. Paul Goodison, GBR (2,1,1,3,1,4,(5),3,1,3,4) 23pts

2. Felix Pruvot, FRA ((8),2,8,1,2,2,1,6,3,5,12) 42pts

3. Maciej Grabowski, POL (3,1,1,4,4,7,(13),2,7,12,8) 49pts

Laser Radial medal fleet

1. Anna Tunnicliffe, USA ((9),6,2,4,8,4,3,2,4,7,14) 54pts

2. Paige Railey, USA (1,1,1,10,(OCS),1,1,1,OCS,1,2) 67pts

3. Jennifer Spalding, CAN (12,2,(17),3,6,2,2,9,2,12,OCS) 72pts

GBR

4. Laura Baldwin (2,OCS,29,5,10,3,14,4,1,3,8) 79pts

5. Andrea Brewster ((13),3,13,6,4,10,12,7,11,9,4) 79pts

GBR consolation fleet

1. Harriette Trumble (16,7,5,(20),12,14,18,11,16,14,4) 117pts

49er medal fleet

1. Pietro Sibello-Gianfranco Sibello, ITA (3.6.4.(OCS),4,7,2,1,1,1,1,4) 34pts

2. Chris Draper-Simon Hiscocks, GBR (1,3,1,(7),1,1,4,7,5,2,5,6) 36pts

3. Rodion Luka-George Leonchuk, UKR (5,12,3,9,2,(14),6,2,7,6,7,8) 67pts

Other GBR

5. Stevie Morrison-Ben Rhodes (4,14,10,4,5,(OCS),3,4,2,12,2,16) 76pts

7. John Pink-Alex Hopson (7,(13),7,2,2,3,2,12,10,12,13,12,14) 94pts

GBR consolation fleet

1. Paul Campbell-James-Mark Asquith (16,(18),12,13,12,11,8,8,8,4,6,4) 102pts

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