Two wins and a second place kicked off a cracking start for 49er pair Peter Burling and Blair Tuke at 49er and 49erFX European Championships in Barcelona, Spain today.
Alex Maloney and Molly Meech hold 5th in the 49erFX. After three races they have 4 points while Nico delle Karth and Nikolaus Resch of Austria have 10 points in 2nd place. Australia's Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen are in 3rd with 12 points.
Peter Burling and Blair Tuke are in the lead at Barcelona. Image: Thomas Moya.
More than 70 boats are competing for the 49er European title to be contested over six days. The regatta provides another marker point for those on the road to Rio with the 2016 Olympic Games now four months away.
It is Tauranga sailor Peter Burling and Kerikeri's Blair Tuke's first European event for 2016, and their first event since being officially selected to represent New Zealand at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. They are currently four times world champions.
Alex Maloney and Tauranga sailor Molly Meech are also part of the New Zealand Olympic Team for Rio 2016 and made a solid start in the 49erFX fleet to hold 5th overall.
Sailing four races on the opening day of competition Alex and Molly took a race win to start and followed that with two 4th placings and a 5th.
Annemiek Bekkering and Annette Duetz of the Netherlands were the standout pair today in the women's skiff securing a clean-sweep of race wins to hold the top spot.
Two other New Zealand crews competing in Barcelona are both promising young Aon Fast Track Squad members. Logan Dunning-Beck and Jack Simpson are lying 18th in the 49er fleet after day one, and Erica Dawson and Ellie Copeland are also lying 18th, in the 49erFX.
Regatta organisers promise that the forecast for the week in Barcelona is excellent.
2016 49er and 49erFX European Championships, Barcelona, Spain
New Zealand's current standings
49er
1st Peter Burling and Blair Tuke (1, 1, 2)
18th Logan Dunning-Beck and Jack Simpson (9, 11, 17)
49erFX
5th Alex Maloney and Molly Meech (1, 4, 4, 5)
18th Erica Dawson and Ellie Copeland (10, 9, 9, 7)
Regatta website.
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