World cup success on the water for local sailors

LYMINGTON sailors Hannah Snellgrove and Nick Thompson and Christchurch windsurfer Emma Wilson have all taken top-10 finishes in their respective World Cup events in Enoshima, Japan.

After claiming fourth in the world championships, Wilson finished fifth in the RS:X windsurfing world cup.

After starting the event poorly, Wilson battled back which included a strong finish in the final race. She finished with 59 net points, 22 points behind overall winner Yunxiu Lu of China.

Royal Lymington Yacht Club's Snellgrove claimed seventh in the laser radials after the final was cancelled due to high winds. Despite several mistakes early in the competition, Snellgrove put in three good performances in the final three races to earn seventh.

Rio 2016 Olympian Nick Thompson had to settle for a ninth-place regatta finish after racing was called off due to high winds. Thompson finished with 111 points behind Croatia’s Tonci Stipanovic in eighth.

Thompson was disappointed that the final race was cancelled: “I’m a little disappointed we didn’t get the chance to race today. It was a bit light and tricky for racing, but it would have been nice to do some light wind racing this regatta.”

He added: “I’m semi-pleased (with the performance). The thing I’m pleased about is that I had good pace. Once we got to the windward mark from then on, I was solid, but I’m a little bit annoyed with some of my starting and first upwinds.

"I was sailing too conservatively instead of really putting myself out there. But all in all a solid result and good to make the medal race.”