Madison Kennedy and Mark Spearman opened their sailing competition with some mixed results today as they battled the conditions and race traffic at Singapore’s National Sailing Centre.
Madison Kennedy and Mark Spearman opened their sailing competition with some mixed results today as they battled the conditions and race traffic at Singapore’s National Sailing Centre.
Both sailing in their first two of 16 races, Spearman claimed 4th and 16th while Kennedy finished 20th and 14th as both sailors did their best to set themselves up for a long campaign.
In the women’s competition Germany’s Constanze Stolz was the stand out with a first and second, while Just Van Aanholt from Netherlands Antillies also took a first and second to lead the men’s proceedings.
Spearman’s fourth was the highlight of the day and he can take confidence knowing he has what it takes to mix it with the world’s best youngsters in a class of boat he has rarely sailed.
“I was quite happy with my first result,” Spearman said.
“The conditions were pretty good out there. There were quite a few shifts (with the wind) but it was all pretty fair.”
With Van Aanholt getting off to a flying start, Spearman knows each of the potential sixteen races will be challenging.
“He (Van Aanholt) got a first and second so he will be currently winning by quite a lot.
“He will be pretty hard to catch up.”
Kennedy and Spearman will be back out tomorrow for three races, weather permitting, as they look to build on their first day performances.
Coach Ben Callard watched on and knows Kennedy and Spearman will be better for the experience.
“They’ve both come out of today with some confidence, so it is leading well into tomorrow,” Callard said.
The competition is taking place in the waters off Singapore’s East coast with Thursday scheduled as a rest day if Wednesday’s racing goes to plan.
Matt Bartolo
AOC
