One of the two Irish boats at the 49er World Championship in Lanzarote has qualified for the Gold fleet final series at the end of the nine-race qualification round on Thursday evening (7 March).
Robert Dickson (Howth Yacht Club) and Sean Waddilove (Skerries Sailing Club) placed 25th out of 71 crews after a tough day on the water at Playa Blanca that saw them narrowly qualify for the next three days of finals racing.
“Today had the hallmark of a great day for us with perfect conditions,” said Matt McGovern, Irish Sailing’s 49er coach. “But the day just got away from us and it isn’t very obvious why — it wasn’t what we wanted performance-wise.”
However, the regatta is still only at the halfway stage and Dickson reckons that its still all to play for.
“We’re last in Gold fleet so we have nothing to lose; we can probably take a little more risk and try and get up the leaderboard,” Dickson said after racing ended. “I definitely think that medal race is possible as the conditions have been very variable and the points are very tight.”
Earlier, Crosshaven's Séafra Guilfoyle with Johnny Durcan (Royal Cork Yacht Club) came agonisingly close to making the cut for Gold fleet but were disappointed to finish the qualification series in 27th overall.
The Cork crew placed second in the opening race of the day though Guilfoyle later conceded that it was due to a lucky windshift in their favour that saw them jump over 20 places in the space of one leg.
The pair will continue the world championships competing in the 46-strong Silver fleet while 25 boats will race in the Gold fleet to determine the top ten boats to sail in Sunday's medal race final.
“Obviously, it’s very disappointing that we’re not in Gold fleet and that’ll take a bit of time to process,” Guilfoyle said. “We definitely have to keep fighting for top 30 because our funding depends on it. With another nine races to go, we can do it.”
Guilfoyle and Durcan are in a trials series with the Dickson and Waddilove to decide which of the two boats will take the single Irish place for the Paris 2024 Olympic regatta in the men’s skiff event. Two more events will follow over the next eight weeks.
“We have to pick ourselves up now and attack the rest of the regatta — we can debrief fully later.”
It was a day of mixed and extreme emotions in the boat park after the fleet came ashore at the end of a vital third day of Qualifying at the 49er and 49erFX World Championships in Lanzarote.
For some this was perhaps the hardest day they will ever experience in their Olympic sailing career. For some who didn't make it through to Gold Fleet, who find themselves relegated to Silver, it could well spell the end of their dreams of making it to Paris 2024.
Racing continues with the fleets split into gold and silver for each fleet.