No Barker
Can anyone stop Dean Barker in Malcesine? The Kiwi sailor is unbeaten after three matches sailed against Sébastien Col, Karol Jablonski and Larry Ellison. Four flights got completed today and eight more remain to be sailed tomorrow. Here’s what some helms had to say:
Dean Barker, helmsman, Artemis: “This was a good day for us and we had three good matches. We knew that the first match against Ceeref would be a tough one but we were ready for it. I am pleased with our day but I am also happy to see that Ray Davies (helmsman onboard No Way Back) is doing very well. We work hard together and it is a great opportunity for us to sail against each other in this Class. It definitely helps us a lot and will be an asset for our America’s Cup sailing.”
Frank Pong, owner and helmsman of RC44 first timer Jelik: “This was my first regatta on an RC 44 and only the third match race in my life, so it is clear that I have a lot to learn. I am still in the “doing” stage of my sailing page, so I want to steer the boat. I would recommend to any owner to do the same. It is very intimidating at first but it is great.”
Markus Wieser, helmsman, Team Sea Dubai: “I did a big mistake in our first match against No Way Back and I regret it: we should have one more point tonight! I am not strong enough in the pre-starts, and this is definitely an area that I need to improve. Then once we are ahead we should definitely manage to stay ahead, but it wasn’t the case against the Dutch. Other than this our crew work was excellent and we have a good margin to improve.” Pic from Loris van Siebenthal and more here.
