Aleh and Powrie in 7th at 470 Worlds

Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie have climbed to 7th place after day two at the Olympic class Women’s 470 World Championships on now in Denmark.

Five races have been sailed with one more day of qualifying before four days of finals racing. Both the Men’s and Women’s 470 World titles are up for grabs in Denmark; the 2009 world champions will be decided on August 29th.

Campaigning in this Olympic class for the first time this year, Aleh and Powrie have two races wins amongst the five races sailed so far, demonstrating they have the talent. As the regatta unfolds the pair will be looking to continue with the top finishes and remain consistent.

Last night they recorded a 9th, a win and a 5th which saw their overall standing improve from 12th place overall after day one up to lie in 7th place. Points are extremely close around them at this early stage and the kiwis have 16 points total, while the three crews in 4th, 5th and 6th are all equal on 15 points, just one clear of Aleh and Powrie. The total fleet in the women’s division is 57 boats.

Currently Lisa Westerhof and Lobke Berkhout have the lead with an impressive early record of not finishing outside the top three in their races.
“Blazing sunshine plus a stable southeasterly breeze that started at 8 knots and ended up closer to 20, allowed the race organisers at the Royal Danish Yacht Club to cash in on the conditions, holding three races for the five fleets, rather the scheduled two,” says the official report.

Over in the Men’s fleet New Zealand is represented by two pairs. Paul Snow-Hansen and Jason Saunders are currently lying in 17th place with team mates Geoff Woolley and Mark Overington not far behind in 20th place. 95 boats are competing in the Men’s division.

470 World Championships 2009
New Zealand’s Current Standings

Women’s Championship (57 boats)
7th Jo Aleh & Olivia Powrie

Men’s Championship (95 boats)
17th Paul Snow-Hansen & Jason Saunders
20th Geoff Woolley & Mark Overington

Links:
Regatta website
International 470 Class Association
New Zealand 470 Class Association