Rhys Bancroft leads B14 Worlds in Hobart

1:51 PM Thu 8 Jan 2009 GMT
Rhys Bancroft, the 21-year-old sailor from McRae Yacht Club in Victoria, has provisionally taken the overall pointscore lead in the B14 World Championships from his father Guy after a most frustrating day of racing - and non-racing - on Hobart's Derwent River estuary.

In fact, the river was probably at its worst for the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania race officials and competitors, with conditions ranging for flat calms to a rain squall with vicious galeforce westerlies.

Despite many attempts, only one of three scheduled heats was completed, leaving six scheduled races to be sailed over the next two days. Racing was abandoned on the opening day, Tuesday, three heats were sailed on Wednesday, and today just the one.

Rhys Bancroft and his crew Joey Randall, sailing Sly Bone, placed seventh on 23 points and following his 9-3-4 score on Wednesday is overall leader from Tasmanian crew Nick Richardson and Alan Nicholas, sailing Pigs Arse from the Wynyard Sailing Club, who won today's only heat.

Pigs Arse's placings have been 6-2-16-1 for 25 points, while in third place overall are the British sailors Mark Barnes and Pete Nicholson sailing Seavolution on 26.5 points from placings of 5-1-12.5-8.

Rhys Bancroft's father, Guy and his crew Nick Darlow, sailing Sly Bone, also from McRae Yacht Club, finished 25th in today's only race and have dropped from first to seventh overall.

The first attempt at a race today saw the heat abandoned because of a major windshift as the boats rounded the windward mark for the last time; the second attempt was abandoned just 30 seconds from the start as rain storm brought winds of 30 seconds.

The British teams immediately capsized their boats, turned them upside down and sat on the hulls to protect their sails.

Finally, after four more attempts, racing got underway at mid afternoon with the fleet enjoying a good race in a sou'westerly breeze of 15 to 18 knots..
Richardson and Nicholas sailing Pigs Arse from the Wynyard Sailing Club won from another Tasmanian crew, Simon Morgan and Drew Latham from the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, sailing Aviva.

Third place when to the Victoria boat Last Gasp, sailed by Chris Bibby and Scott Cunningham from McRae Yacht Club.followed by the first British boat Simmons & Simmons (Mark Watts & George Morris). Then came another UK entry, Antill Mob (Tim Harrison & Jonathan Ratcliff).

Today's results are provisional, with several claims for redress being heard tonight.

Race officials hope to complete three races tomorrow, starting at 11am.

by Peter Campbell

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Rhys Bancroft leads B14 Worlds in Hobart

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