Dickson and Waddilove Stay in Contention at 49er Europeans
Olympians Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove ended the second day of the 49er European Championships in Eckernförde, Germany, in 10th place overall after overcoming an early setback to remain firmly in contention.
Some of Ireland's fine weather finally reached north-east Germany as sunshine replaced yesterday's torrential rain on the Baltic coast. While conditions were considerably more manageable than on the opening day, the breeze remained shifty, providing plenty of challenges for the world's best 49er crews.
Dickson and Waddilove began the day in pole position but were forced to take a penalty turn after crossing the start line early in their opening race. This cost them and left them finishing in 21st, a result they later used as their discard.
They responded well in the next two races, finding their rhythm to post a fourth and fifth place. An 11th-place finish in the final race of the day saw them slip slightly down the standings, but they remain very much in the hunt and just five points off the top three.
49er Coach Benjamin Bildstein said after racing, “The guys had a solid day overall. Obviously we were disappointed with the first race, but the important thing now is to settle into the regatta and keep the points close, which is exactly what they're doing. The top 10 is incredibly tight, so there's still everything to play for.
"Tomorrow's forecast is for a completely different set of conditions, with the breeze expected to ease. It will present a new challenge but hopefully we can maintain our consistency and put ourselves firmly in the fight for a medal.”
In the 49erFX fleet, Erin McIlwaine (Royal St George YC / Newcastle YC) and Ellen Barbour (County Antrim Boat Club) climbed several places up the leaderboard to sit 35th overall. A capsize in their final race highlighted that, while conditions were considerably improved from the opening day, they still remained close to the limit for racing.
Irish Sailing 49erFX Coach Matt McGovern, who has been working with the pair throughout the season, said: "It was a mixed day. Erin and Ellen's boat speed and handling are really encouraging, but we're still giving away too much distance off the start line. That means we're not racing consistently with the leading boats. If we can solve that, I think they'll really start to show what they're capable of."
Irish Sailing development pairing Ben O'Shaughnessy (Royal Cork Yacht Club) and Ethan Spain (National Yacht Club) recorded 16th and 13th place finishes before their day was cut short by a broken boom. The damage forced the young duo to retire from the final two races, bringing an early end to their day's racing.
Racing continues tomorrow with the final day of the Elimination Series before the fleet is split into Gold and Silver Fleets. The championship concludes on Sunday with the Final Series, where the medals will be decided.