Racing at the ILCA 6 Women's World Championship ground to a near-halt today, as sailors sat idle for hours waiting for wind that simply refused to show up.
For much of the morning there was barely a breath on the water, just 1-2 knots, hardly enough to fill a sail, and the Race Committee had little choice but to wait it out.
The breeze finally arrived around 13:00. The first Gold Fleet race got underway at 13:15, followed by the Silver Fleet, sailed in around 8 knots that ranged between 7 and 9 before fading to 4-5 knots by the finish.
Then it died again, down to 1-2 knots, with the forecast offering no promise of anything useful before 18:00. The committee held out for an hour hoping for a fill, but eventually raised AP over Alpha and sent the fleet ashore, with no further racing possible for the day.
The single Gold Fleet race that did get away produced a breakthrough winner. Roos Wind of the Netherlands took her first win at a Senior Championship, having only recently stepped up from the U21 ranks. The result lifted her from 30th to 14th overall.
"It was quite messy after the start, but I got into an okay-ish lane and somehow connected with the pressure," Wind said. "It was a really strange first upwind, the wind was all over the place, and I rounded in about eighth, but from there I just kept picking off boats one by one and was happy to win the race. We were all pretty close together at the gate, and then I saw there was a bit more pressure on the right than the left, so I kept going and sailed the boat fast. Once I got into that right-hand pressure, it was just hiking and sailing to the next mark from there."
"It's cool to be in the Senior fleet now, improving year by year, and to win a Gold Fleet race is really nice."
Emma Plasschaert of Belgium finished second, a result that fits a week in which she has looked equally sharp in strong wind and light. She now leads overall on 9 points, ahead of overnight leader Charlotte Rose of the USA, who was eighth today and sits second on 13. Mara Stransky of Australia, 22nd today, holds third on 34, with Britain's Matilda Nicholls, third in the race, fourth on 35.
Plasschaert described the mental shift required after days of stronger wind. "It's always hard to go from a couple of days of really windy sailing, where you're used to grunting through it, to suddenly getting a light day, it's about keeping your eyes out of the boat, dealing with your luck, and taking the opportunity when you can. It's tricky, so I usually try to reset before a day like today and approach it as a new regatta, basically."
"It was a tricky race, to be fair, at the start already, I think half the fleet was over, so they had to return, and I found myself with quite some space. I was in around 15th at the top mark, so still good and still able to catch up. Then we went around the gate, I got on a good shift and picked up a bit more breeze than the others, and from there me and Roos just went from wherever we were to 1 and 2. So yeah, pretty happy, and a little bit lucky too."
"It's one of those days where, if we'd done two or three races in these conditions, you'd really want to keep your points down. But with just the one, anything in the top 15 you're happy with."
Three races are scheduled for tomorrow, the second day of the Elimination Series, with the first warning signal possible at 11:00.
