NOS COMENTA LA TEAM LEADER SILVIA MOLINA, DESDE SU FB: "De 16 mangas, los regatistas españoles han ganado 10!!!!, 4 para Fran, 4 para Roselló y 2 para Kevin.......el equipo,....la envidia del resto!!!!"
FRAN GONZALEZ, DEJANDO EL ALMA EN UNA VIRADA. MARCHA SEGUNDO EN EL MUNDIAL A SOLO DOS PUNTOS DEL PRIMERO, SU AMIGO CARLOS ROSELLO. PENSAR QUE SU OBJETIVO ERA ESTAR ENTRE LOS 20 PRIMEROS
July 31, 2011: “Some of these kids here just have speed,” said coach and Olympic medalist Jim Barton this morning as he reviewed the low scoring leaders for both the boys and girls racing in the Laser 4.7 Worlds. They find their groove and just go. Watching these kids, who represent the future of sailing, one cannot help but be impressed with their determination to fly, in some cases, half way around the world to race on San Francisco Bay. (NdR: IMPRESIONANTE LO QUE DICE ESTE ENTRENADOR OLIMPICO ACERCA DE LOS LIDERES DEL CAMPEONATO)
Some can be a bit too determined. Barton said he is a convert to umpired races for juniors as some kids will not protest their friends, or will just keep going after an infraction. Now, while they are still in their teens, he thinks, is the time for the umpires to blow the whistles on it and bring them into the fold, as it were, of proper and sportsmanlike racing. Composed of national and international jurors, the jury motors out in pairs with yellow flags and whistles at the ready to call rule violations on the water and demand turns in order to remedy the infractions. Jury Chair Doug Elder said a lot of times positioning the Jury Boats in places where rule violations occur, for example, in the competitors’ sight lines at mark roundings, is enough to deter them from breaking the rules.
Out on the water, the two fleets of boys started in light air on a very foggy, gray day at 1200. In both races competitors clustered at the boat end of the starting line, and so many were over early, the fleets were recalled and re-started under black flag. In race seven, Brazilian Andre Serveas led the fleet for the entire race and got the gun. Second place went to Spanish sailor Carlos Rosello and third to another Brazilian, Martin Lowey. Race eight, again under black flag, saw eight boats called OCS (On Course Side). Juan Kevin Cabrera Gonzalez won the race. At today’s close, Carlos Rosello, of Spain has taken the lead in the Laser 4.7 Worlds with 15 points, Francisco Gonzalez is close behind with 17 points and Keiju Okada, JPN is in third with 33 points.
The girls fleet started at 1500 today in slightly more wind, approximately 13-15 knots, and the beginning of an ebb tide, making the starting line a bit more challenging. GRE sailor Athanasia Fakidi started at the pin end of the line and managed a spectacular port tack start across the fleet. Parents and old salts, watching from shoreside, oohed and ahhed as they watched her successfully tack on to starboard ahead of all of her competition. Commodore Patrick Nolan was among them and also said he’s “just been thrilled with the work that Kevin [Reeds, Race Chair] and Robbie [Dean, Race Manager] have done. The parents seem happy and the kids are...well...tired.”