Two New Zealand men’s skiff crews remain firmly in the medal hunt after surviving a curtailed third day at the 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 World Championships in Quiberon, France, where wild winds, massive seas and treacherous currents turned racing into a test of survival.
Auckland duo Seb Menzies and George Lee Rush continue to lead the Kiwi charge, climbing back to fourth overall in the 49er standings after a superb second placing in the day’s only completed qualifying race. The young pair had slipped from fourth to seventh after day two but responded strongly in the extreme conditions to remain in contention heading into finals racing.
Austria’s Keanu Prettner and Jakob Flachberger hold the overall lead, but only three points separate them from Menzies and Lee Rush as the top 25 crews advance to the gold fleet.
Menzies, who next week joins Emirates Team New Zealand’s AC40 programme at the America’s Cup preliminary regatta in Sardinia, and Lee Rush again showed composure beyond their years in conditions that left many of the world’s best simply struggling to stay upright.
Seb Menzies and George Lee Rush qualified for finals racing in fourth. Photos / Sailing Energy
Also advancing to the gold fleet are fellow Kiwis Mattias Coutts and Oscar Gunn. After a slow start to the regatta, the pair have steadily climbed the rankings and produced one of the day’s best performances to secure their place in the top 25.
Starting the race ranked 28th overall, Coutts and Gunn finished third in the lone qualifying race to move into 25th and claim the final gold fleet berth.
With only 19 points separating them from 10th overall, Coutts and Gunn remain well within striking distance as the regatta moves into its decisive phase.
Further back, Francesco Kayrouz and Hamish McLaren sit 41st overall. The pair backed up their best result of the regatta — a fifth on day two — with a 16th-place finish overnight and will compete in the silver fleet alongside Sam Bacon and Blake McGlashan, who have endured a series of setbacks.
Mattias Coutts and Oscar Gunn secured the final gold-fleet berth. Photos / Sailing Energy
McGlashan described the conditions as some of the toughest they have faced.
“We had a pretty crazy day today, with top-end conditions and some heavy squalls coming through,” McGlashan said. “It was a day of survival, for sure. It’s a very high-level fleet with a lot of the top guys here, and it’s great to be able to challenge ourselves.”
Bacon said the championship had been a frustrating one for the pair.
“It’s been tricky,” he said. “Yesterday, we had to retire from a race after getting crashed into on the start line, and then today we broke our rudder, so it’s been a bit frustrating.
“Sailing clean [without incident] will be a big takeaway for us.”
In the 49erFX, Nicola and Rebecca Hume are 40th overall after a consistent series and will also compete in the silver fleet.
Nicola and Rebecca Hume are 40th in the 49erFX. Photos / Sailing Energy
The day itself produced extraordinary scenes across all three fleets. Gusts and heavy seas made even basic manoeuvres perilous, with several crews unable to bear away at the top mark in the 49er class because of the sheer strength of the wind and waves. Others resorted to unconventional tactics — even reversing across the finish line — to complete races safely.
At one point in the 49erFX fleet, a cruising yacht sailed directly through the racecourse, causing chaos among approaching boats and damaging equipment for multiple teams.
In the Nacra 17 fleet, Micah Wilkinson and Kate Stewart endured a long and physically demanding day to sit 18th overall in the 35-boat fleet. The pair secured their first top-10 result of the regatta in the second of four races to stay in touch with the leading group.
Latest results and standings here.
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Originally published by Yachting New Zealand.
