McMahon and Murphy Secure Gold Fleet Places in Dún Laoghaire
Eve McMahon and Annalise Murphy have secured their places in Gold Fleet following the second day of the ILCA 6 Women’s World Championship in Dún Laoghaire.
A fresh and gusty north-westerly breeze delivered an exhilarating day on Dublin Bay, with winds of approximately 15 to 20 knots and stronger gusts sweeping across the racecourse.
McMahon recorded two mid-fleet finishes in the strong conditions. Difficult starts left her battling to regain positions throughout both races in a fleet featuring some of the world’s strongest downwind sailors, including the USA’s Charlotte Rose and fellow Irish competitor Murphy.
McMahon ends the qualification series in 17th place overall, comfortably securing her place in Gold Fleet while leaving herself some work to do over the coming days.
Olympic Silver medallist Murphy relished the conditions and produced her best result of the championship so far, finishing fifth in the second race.
Speaking after racing, Murphy said: “There was a lot of wind from the west today, but the water was quite flat. Overall, I’m happy with how the day went. I was a little wary on the first downwind, but on the second I decided to really go for it, which felt great.
“I was delighted to secure a top-ten result with fifth place in the second race. The opening two days have been tough, tiring and physically demanding, but it has been very cool to race against the best sailors in the world.
“My aim was to qualify for Gold Fleet and I’ve done that now, so everything from here is a bonus.”
The championship is currently led by American Charlotte Rose, who recorded two race wins as Dublin Bay served up ideal conditions for the stronger-wind specialists. Belgium’s Emma Plasschaert sits second overall, followed by Denmark’s Anna Munch in third.
Gold Fleet racing begins tomorrow, when the battle for the top ten and a place in Saturday’s Medal Series will intensify.
Irish Sailing Development sailor Lucy Ives (Royal St George Yacht Club) has gained valuable experience at the sharp end of international Olympic-class racing, testing herself against the world’s leading ILCA 6 sailors. Ives missed out on Gold Fleet qualification and will compete in Silver Fleet from tomorrow.
Howth Yacht Club’s Sienna Wright also narrowly missed out on Gold Fleet. Wright sailed well in the demanding conditions, finishing the qualification series just two points short of the cut.
Considerably lighter winds are forecast for tomorrow’s opening day of Gold Fleet racing, which could see the leaderboard reshuffled. Three days of Gold Fleet racing remain before the championship concludes on Saturday, 12 September, with the Medal Series deciding the final podium positions.