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7:24 PM Tue 6 Jan 2009 GMT
 | | 'FFI worlds and Pre worlds 2009 Day 3 - FFI Pre Worlds and Worlds 2009'
RYCV
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Day three of the Pre-World Championships, the competitors are getting used to the conditions, the RYCV shore crews are getting used to launching 116 Flying Fifteens in the morning, and getting them out in the afternoon! Todays report covers heat 4 and 5.
Heat 4
Barry Parkin on **** made up for his start-line error yesterday, winning Heat 4 of the Flying Fifteen Australian National Championship today.
The heat got underway in 10 knots of southwesterly breeze, after two false starts and a black flag on the third. All but three of the fleet obeyed the dark sign: the three offenders receiving the customary penalty - bye bye for now! We will be kind and not name them, but next week in the Worlds, it will be different!
The Kiwis dominated the Silver division, with Skinffull and First Offering in first and third respectively. Australia's Stress Free Zone slipped inbetween for second.
Andy McKee on Feel Flows continued his domination of the Classics.
Heat 5
The afternoon's Heat 5 got off the mark on the third attempt. A clean start followed one general recall, and one postponement caused by a wind shift during the sequence.
In a similar pattern to yeserday afternoon, boats that went left benefitted from a continued wind shift on the first beat, the course being changed for the next upwind leg.
Flying Fifteen's Australian president Michael Clark suffered some spinnaker problems on Gannin Tappy Lappy (not captured on image!). He dropped a good twenty places from yesterday's performance despite an admirable recovery attempt (he says!).
New Zealand's Ffortune led for most of the way, with winning boat Australia's No Bull only sneaking past at the final top mark. The Aussies and the Kiwis battled down the final run, with the race ending on a seven-second win. Now that's racing!
And how about a mention for a couple of Royals' very own Classics, Black Pearl and Affrodite. Lisa Deppeler is the first female skipper to get a place in the division so far, on her aptly-named Black Pearl. And Reagan Bear sailed two second places on the fleet's oldest boat Affrodite.
by David Seaman
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Sailing
