Australian Sailing Team (AST) member Jessica Crisp sailed to second place in the RS:X Women’s Medal Race at the ISAF World Sailing Championship in Cascais, Portugal.

In doing so she improved one place on her overnight standing to secure a Bronze Medal.

This is her first podium finish at a World Championship or Olympic Games for the three times Olympian.

The Medal Race was sailed in a shifty, difficult 8-18 knot offshore breeze close the shore. After a good start at favoured end, Crisp rounded the first mark in 5th place. With overnight leader, Zofia Klepacka (POL) languishing in 10th and last place, an upset seemed on the cards.

Crisp sailed well downwind and kept in the wind lanes to be second by the bottom and led by the next top mark.

However, Klepacka sailed brilliantly to recover from last to take the lead by the start of the slalom to the finish and win the race.

The standard windward leeward course has been altered for the boards, with a 3 buoys slalom sailed before the finish line.

Barbara Kendall's seventh place was just enough to keep Crisp out of the Silver Medal spot, with just one point separating the two.

Elsewhere, there was drama aplenty for Australia.

In the Women's 470 Gold fleet, Elise Rechichi and Tessa Parkinson, lying 5th overnight and in comfortable Medal Race contention, broke their mast in the first of the 2 raced sailed and were unable to complete the second.

Sailing downwind in about 25 knots, they buried the bow of their boat and the mast collasted over the bow. The breakage puts them out of contention for the Medal Race.

Tomorrow's last Gold Fleet race will determine whether Australia secures an Olympic berth at this event. There will be another opportunity at the 2008 World Championship in Melbourne in January.

In the Men's 470, Nathan Wilmot and Malcolm Page consolidated their position as leaders of the Gold Fleet. They go into tomorrow's Medal Race with an 18 point lead over Swen and Calle Coster (NED) in second place, having sailed the Dutch crew down the fleet in the last Gold Fleet race.

The Australian’s are assured of a Silver Medal and can only loose Gold if the Dutch win the race and they are last.

Mat Belcher and Nick Behrens (470) spent the day recovering from a serious head-on collision with another boat yesterday. Both were taken to hospital and underwent treatment. Behrens has a slight leg fracture whilst Belcher has badly bruised ribs from contact with bow of the other boat.

The jury will consider a request for redress this evening which, depending on the redress granted, could still see the pair sail the Medal Race tomorrow.

In the 49ers, Nathan Outteridge and Ben Austin had a good day. They go into the Medal Race tomorrow just 5 points off Bronze and 11 off Silver. There is all to play for the young 49er crew.

At this stage Australia is assured of Olympic berths in all but Men's RS:X and Women's 470.

Phil Jones
Yachting Australia