GBR Match Race Girls

A long day for 5 races today due to horrendously shifty and gusty conditions this morning which meant our semi finals didn’t start until about 1 this afternoon. As highest ranked skipper going into the semis, Leroy chose Hazard to race against and so we were matched with Spithill’s (AUS) team in which ended up quite an eventful and close contest.

At 1-0 behind after the first race, the second looked like it could be over for us at the start when we tried to squeeze in between Spithill and the race committee boat at start time thinking there was enough room. Evidently not however as a collision with both the committee boat on one side and Spithill’s boat on the other side earned us a double penalty! Although that would often be a race loser, the team worked really well and by the top mark we were ahead and nearly but not quite able to take our second penalty. The downwind was close but a gust which wiped both boats out gave us an opportunity to gain and that we did earning enough space to do our other penalty on the second upwind and take the series to 1-1.

The third start was almost a carbon copy of the first where we did all the hard work keeping control early on but then slipping up at the last minute giving them a winning start which they were able to close out the race. At 2-1 to them, the fourth race was quite tense and the conditions getting harder and harder to manage due to the size of shifts and difference between the lulls and gusts. It was close all the way round but in the end a poor leeward mark rounding by Spithill’s team gave us enough of a lead to take a little breather on the second lap and take it to an all deciding final race.

The all important final race had it’s excitment too as an even start but left shift enabled Spithill to lead round the first windward mark but with us breathing down their necks. By the final gybe into the leeward mark we were positioned to windward and we though with room to pass round the mark ahead however the umpires did not agree and a luff from Spithill led to us broaching out…unfortunately game over for us!

So not really our day today, but with fairly crazy conditions the team put a great effort in and we are confident going into tomorrow’s petite final against Hazard’s team (NZL). We are still learning as a team and learning about the boats so need to make sure we use all of that in tomorrow’s racing, despite further wild conditions expected!

We will start with a fleet race tomorrow and then will be into the petite finals in the afternoon.
Lucy

Into the semi finals after day 3 along with Leroy (FRA), Spithill (AUS) and Hazard (NZL) having won our quarter final 2-0 against the Russian team.
It was certainly a busy day, with reefed mains the whole day it was either periods of being too windy to use spinnakers or was super shifty and breeze anywhere from 5-15 knots in one race! Hoping for some more stable wind tomorrow however I think the sponsors and cameras are about so we are likely to be closer to the shore and the forecast looks windy to start with.
As top ranked through from the round robin, Leroy’s team gets to choose their opponent for the semi finals, we’ll keep you posted, wish us luck!
Lucy x

Another shifty day for us today in Busan to continue on with the round robin. We were on first against the Japanese, Italians and Russians this morning and got three great starts, two of which led to solid wins but one led to a split from which a large right shift let the Russian team cross by a couple of lengths which we couldn’t pull back. After a long wait the Race Committee finally called our last three races off for the day as sunset was drawing in. Tomorrow we will therefore have three important races against the other Italian team, the French and American team to decide the seeding into the quarter finals.
The team is coming together the more and more we do so bring on tomorrow!

Day 1 of Women’s Busan Match Race has certainly been an exciting one with some pretty crazy shifts and puffs the whole day, certainly in our last two races today!

For Annie and I it is our third time back to Korea and once again they have put of a great show with a load ois sponsors and loads of supporters and a really good mix of competition from all over the World. As Kate is at the University World Championships this week (and currently winning) Annie and I are sailing with Jody Slater, Josie Gibson and Ally Martin. Jody has joined us a couple of the events in the bigger boats and is trimming the jib, Josie who we have pulled out of Match Racing retirement (as she used to helm very successfully on the circuit herself), is being kept very busy in the pit area and Ally who it is great to be sailing with again is in charge of the bow which is all a bit new but slightly easier now they have changed from asymmetric to symmetrical spinnakers.

Today was the first day of the round robin stage and we ended on 4 wins and 1 loss which after the size of shifts we had today is certainly a result to be pleased with! The final two races against the Danish and Australians were our closest with the lead changing dramatically a few times, once massively in our favour and once not so much! I believe the conditions are likely to stay quite similar so I’m sure there is still some tricky racing to come. Tomorrow we will be continuing on with the round robin from which we will go into quarter finals.