Light Winds For Day One

37 teams sailed out of the Severn Sailing Association on Wednesday for the first two races of the 2006 Soling World Championship, held in Annapolis, USA. Light winds and summer temperatures with a shine day just allowed one race with a second one that had to be abandoned.

Hans FOGH, Roger CHEERS and Goron DEVRIES (CAN) had a great start to the championship, being in the right places for the shifts and finishing first in the six leg windward-leeward course. A small reach after the downwind mark that included a gate caused problems for a few teams leading the race including George WOSSALA, Peter NEMETH and Karoly VEZER (HUN) and Bill ABBOTT, Paul DAVIS and Joanne ABBOTT (CAN), who did not round properly and had to come back.

Alex HOLL, Norbert HELLIGEGEL and Thomas OLBRICH (GER) finished second after sailing a nice race and showing all the experience acquired in the former DDR Soling training camps. Johan OFFERMANS, Peter MOSCH and Bas DUSEE (NED) came in behind the Germans in third.

The best of the home teams was Connecticut’s Peter GALLOWEY, Paul STEINBORN and Greg ANTHONY (USA) in fourth, who managed to finish in front of local legends Stuart WALKER, Doug LOUP and Bruce EMPEY (USA).

Three races are scheduled for Thursday, but the weather looks like it will be the same, with light winds, maybe increasing in the afternoon.

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