O'Leary and Goodbody in second place

21st May 2009

Ireland's Peter O'Leary and Tim Goodbody, who are sailing their first season together in the Star are one point behind the leaders in the Star Eastern European Championships. Jean Baptiste Bernaz and Vincent Berenguier of COYCH Heyrois shot right to the top of the leaderboard at the Championship during their second regatta together. Sailing one of the FFV Stars used by Xavier Rohart and Pascal Rambeau during their 2008 Olympic medal bid, the young pair placed third in the Star Christmas Race in Nice, France, practiced one other time before this championship and posted a 2, 4 in the first two races of this Silver Star championship event.

Bernaz is no stranger to stress. He made it through to the Medal Round in the Laser in Qingdao in 2008. The Laser sailor needed a hefty and experienced crew so he asked Berenguier to crew for him. Berenguier campaigned a Star as a crew for the 2004 Olympics and races with his father in local Star regattas. When Berenguier abandoned his father, Regis Berenguier, Jean Baptiste's father, Laurent, hopped in the bow, so there are two Berenguier/Bernaz teams sailing together at this regatta. The sons are not only beating up on their fathers, they are teaching some tricks to the rest of the fleet.

The Star Eastern European Championship is an eight-race regatta that runs through Saturday. - Lynn Fitzpatrick

Preliminary Results following 2 Races

1. Bernaz/ Berenguier - 2,5 - 7

2. O'Leary/ Goodbody - 5, 3 - 8

3. Scheidt/Prada - 1, 8 - 9

4. Szabo/Peters - 10, 1 - 11

5. Stegmeier/Stegmeier - 9, 4 - 13

Published in News From the Afloat.ie Archive

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