Displaying items by tag: Etchells World Championship

28th August 2010

Abandonment helps Bertrand hold Etchells lead

Australia's John Bertrand retained his grip on the World Etchells Championship title at Howth but he needed the abandonment of the eighth race in the series due to lack of wind to maintain that position with a day to go.

A fourth in the first race of the day with his main rival Ante Razmilovic two places ahead reduced his overall lead to five points but it could have been much worse. He had a disastrous start to the race, languishing in the bottom half of the 41-boat fleet for the first time in the series, and any failure to get into the top half-dozen by the end of the race would have had a major impact on the leadership.

The day started well for Eamonn O'Nolan of the RORC. Having recorded a second and a fourth the previous day, he went even better by winning the seventh race with something to spare. Although he trailed Marvin Beckmann of Houston around the first windward mark after a 2.5 mile beat in a moderate northerly breeze, he gained the upper hand on the downwind leg and never looked back, increasing his lead on each leg to the finish. Ante Razmilovic, who has been highly consistent throughout the series, with only one result outside the top five, also edged past Beckmann downwind and kept in touch with the leader to the finish.

The Texas crew held on to third despite the challenge of championship leader Bertrand, followed closely by Laurence Mead of Royal Corinthian YC for a good fifth while sixth for Jake Gunther moved the Melbourne man up to third overall after seven races. The result also narrowed Bertrand's leading margin to five points while Nils Razmilovic had another poor finish to drop three places down the leader-board.

As forecast, the wind veered and dropped for the second race of the day with only 8 knots on the first beat. The light conditions clearly suited the Razmilovic brothers, with Ante and Nils rounding the windward mark in that order, followed by American Argyle Campbell and Damien King of Australia, the latter keen to make up for a calamitous morning race. For series leader Bertrand, it was a first leg to forget as he rounded the wing mark in the bottom half of the 41-boat fleet.

However, with winds dropping to 2 knots and a tide taking the fleet away from the next mark, PRO David Lovegrove was left with no alternative but to abandon the race at 1500hrs. A subsequent protest seeking redress by a number of competitors against the race officer was denied. Two races will now be sailed on Saturday (28th), with the first starting at 1100hrs.

Etchells World Championship – overall standings after 7 races:

John Bertrand (Australia) – 13 points Ante Razmilovic (Britain) – 18 points Jake Gunther (Australia) – 31 points Damien King (Australia) – 34 points Eamonn O'Nolan (Britain) – 40 points Nils Razmilovic (Singapore) 41 points

Follow the event on Twitter on the championship website – www.etchellsworlds2010.org

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Forty Foot Swimming Spot on Dublin Bay

The 'Forty Foot' is a rocky outcrop located at the southern tip of Dublin Bay at Sandycove, County Dublin from which people have been swimming in the Irish Sea all year round for 300 years or more. It is popular because it is one of few spots between Dublin city and Greystones in County Wicklow that allows for swimming at all stages of the tide, subject to the sea state.

Forty Foot History

Traditionally, the bathing spot was exclusively a men's bathing spot and the gentlemen's swimming club was established to help conserve the area.

Owing to its relative isolation and gender-specific nature it became a popular spot for nudists, but in the 1970s, during the women's liberation movement, a group of female equal-rights activists plunged into the waters and now it is also open to everyone and it is in the control of Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council.

Many people believe that swimming in extremely cold water is healthy and good for the immune system.

Is it safe to swim at the Forty Foot?

The Forty-Foot is a great place to swim because there is always enough water to get a dip but like all sea swimming, there are always hazards you need to be aware of. For example, a lot of people like to dive into to the pool at the Forty-foot but there are submerged rocks that can be hazardous especially at low water. The Council have erected signs to warn people of the underwater dangers. Other hazards include slippy granite cut stone steps that can often be covered with seaweed and of course marine wildlife including jellyfish that make their presence felt in the summer months as do an inquisitive nearby Sandycove seal colony.