It was another challenging day for the aspirants at the Raymond-India International Regatta 2012 here on Thursday. Swells of over two metres, chops, and wind speeds that rose up to 18 knots forced the young sailors to push themselves in their bid to overcome the conditions.
Ireland’s Patrick Cosbie continued to dominate the Laser 4.7, nailing all three races on day two. He has four wins in four outings so far; only one contest could be completed on day one. His ploy of getting off the start line on the starboard near the pin and sailing briskly worked.
In the 29er class, Ganapathy and Varun Thakkar of India came up trumps in Thursday’s three races, taking their tally to an impressive four out of four in the championship so far. The local boys comprehended the course well and sailed right and fast.
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In Laser 4.7 and 29er, four races have been held and one more remains.
The first two races in the Optimist Class were also held. Vishnu Saravanan, who managed to finish ahead of the fleet in both, was given an OCS (On Course Side) since he started before the gun. This made him slip in the standings and Vishnu Sujeesh, who came second in both races (he moved to the top spot in the first), headed the standings.
Due to difficult conditions, several boats had problems — rigging broke and mast steps came off — and a few capsized too. This kept the rescue boats busy right through the day.
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Provisional results (second day):
Optimist fleet: Race No. 1: 1. Vishnu Sujeesh, 2. Janaki Balachander, 3. Shikar Garg; Race No. 2: 1. Vishnu Saravanan, 2. Vishnu Sujeesh, 3. Janaki Balachander
29er fleet: Race No. 2: 1. Ganapathy & Varun Thakkar, 2. Aman Vyas & Shubam Pillai, 3. Shiv Rekhi & Ankit George; Race No. 3: 1. Ganapathy & Varun Thakkar, 2. Hussain Bhavnagarvala & Patrick Rufus, 3. Aman Vyas & Shubam Pillai; Race No. 4: 1. Ganapathy & Varun Thakkar, 2. Hussain Bhavnagarvala & Patrick Rufus, 3. Varsha Gautham & Aishwarya Chezhian.
Laser 4.7: Race No. 2: 1. Patrick Cosbie (Iri), 2. Prince Noble, 3. Upamanyu Dutta; Race No. 3: 1. Patrick Cosbie (Iri), 2. Vir Menon, 3. Prince Noble; Race No. 4: 1. Patrick Cosbie (Iri), 2. Vir Menon, 3. Upamanyu Dutta.
Overall standings: 29er fleet: 1. Ganapathy & Varun Thakkar (4 points); 2. Hussain Bhavnagarvala & Rufus (12); 3. Varsha Gautham & Aishwarya Chezhian (14).
Optimist fleet: 1. Vishu Sujeesh (3); 2. Janaki Balachander (5); 3. Shikar Garg (8).
Laser 4.7 fleet: 1. Patrick Cosbie (4); 2. Prince Noble (12) and Upamanyu Dutta (12).