Classic Palma conditions as Irish sailors relish penultimate day at Princesa Sofia regatta

Clear skies and fresh winds on the Bay of Palma saw two Irish boats make steady ground towards Saturday’s medal race finals.

Finn Lynch continued his steady and consistent form that he has displayed all week in the ILCA7 (formerly Laser class) class, scoring eighth and 14th for the day, scores that move him up the rankings to sixth place with just two races remaining in the Gold fleet series.

Ireland’s second Gold fleet athlete didn’t fare as well.  Ewan McMahon slipped to 30th overall after placing 39th and 21st in the day but with a very tight points spread back to 20th where he had been.

“We had really nice conditions, one of the best days I’ve ever seen in Palma with strong wind – some sailors are starting to get quite tired,” commented Vasilij Zbogar, Irish Sailing’s Laser Coach.  “Finn has been aiming for good average results and there’s still the  possibility of moving up the rankings a bit more; he’s sailing smart without making mistakes.

“For Ewan, the points are still close so definitely he has the potential to pull up places on Friday.”

Meanwhile, Tokyo 2020 Olympians Robert Dickson and Seán Waddilove are within two points of the top ten boats in the 49er skiff event after a four race day off S’Arenal east of Palma.

“They made some unforced errors which would have seen them around eighth tonight,” said Irish Sailing’s 49er coach Matt McGovern.  “It would be great if they could show their full potential on the final day with the results they’re truly capable of.”

Overnight, the Dublin crew found themselves disqualified from a race on Wednesday when they were amongst a group of three boats that infringed an Italian entry on the starting-line.  The ruling meant they had to use their discard to drop that penalty maximum score.

Thursday’s racing saw the pair place 22nd then 15th before delivering two sixth places in the high-speed conditions.  They now lie 12th overall.

Racing in all ten events continues on Friday to complete the fleet series with the top ten crews in each class going forward to Saturday’s medal race finals.

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