Order Restored at International 14 Worlds

Published on August 29th, 2016

Carnac, France (August 29, 2016) – Day four at the VRsport.tv International 14 World Championships was a world away from the carnage of day three. The sun was high in the sky, there was a fresh breeze out in the bay, and the atmosphere at Carnac Yacht Club reflected the conditions.

The morning was spent patching up the International 14 fleet, which took a bit of a battering yesterday. The boat park was filled with the sounds of files, angle grinders, saws, tape was everywhere, and ropes haemorrhaged out of boats. A room of the club had been turned into a makeshift sail repair centre, and the official notice board marquee had been taken over by spars and rigs.

Amidst the chaos of Carnac Yacht Club the fleet was born again, and the International 14 family had also acquired a new member, as Eike Ehrig’s wife gave birth to his child back in Germany.

On the water, the start went smoothly with no boats recorded as OCS. Glen Truswell and Sam Pascoe (GBR) stepped back into their usual position at the first windward mark, closely followed by Roger Blasse and Andrew Gilligan in AUS 657, Andy Shaw and Adam Lees in GBR 1552, David Hayter and Trent Neighbour in AUS 666. The fleet was tight at the first mark, which made for an exciting downwind leg, as big gains could be made resulting in valuable positions.

By the end of the race, there had been a considerably big change in the top five. Truswell and Pascoe comfortably retained their lead, and took their third bullet of the event. Neale Jones and Ed Fitzgerald (GBR) came back from 7th to take second, Hayter and Neighbour fought up from 5th to take bronze, and Katie Nurton and Nigel Ash (GBR) sailed an impressive race to turn their 10th at the first mark to a 4th at the finish. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, with André Bates even comparing the conditions to Hawaii, although admitting that the sea was “slightly colder.”

Back on shore the sailors were buzzing, tonight being the big mid-week party, with the layday (which I am reliably informed by an anonymous Canadian source is in fact known as getting laid day), booked off for hangovers. The results board hangs dejected in the marquee, and sailors sit around in the afternoon sun chatting and knocking back their cool beers. Safe to say that there will be a few sore heads about Carnac tomorrow.

Racing for the 76 teams is scheduled for August 26 to September 2.

Day Four Results (Top 10 of 76; 4 races)