Burling, Tuke claim Rio test regatta win

After two days off the water due to a lay day and then having racing cancelled, Tuke said it was good to get back out there.

Competing at an Olympic warm up event at Rio de Janeiro’s Guanabara Bay, the pair put on a show for a growing crowd at the beach that will be used at next year’s Games.

That’s his best result and lifts him from 10th to eight overall.

Just one race was possible for both the Men’s and Women’s 470 classes.

They picked up a seventh in their only race of the day, and are just seven points from the top spot with a potential five more fleet races and a medal race to go.

Olympic silver medallists Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark posted in third in their race to see them into second overall, two points from the American leaders, while Luke Patience and Elliot Willis are up to fourth in the men’s double-handed class.

Josh Junior placed second in the opening Finn class race, but wasn’t able to replicate that in the subsequent race, recording a 17th which becomes his drop score.

Half-a-dozen Kiwi crews are within the top ten of their fleet as they reach the business end of the 2015 Rio Test Event. But he blotted that with a 17th in the second race to slip to seventh overall.

They face the prospect of four races on Friday.

After lying ninth overall going into today Aleh and Powrie had their best day of the regatta so far posting an eighth and two race wins, clearly finding their groove in the increased breeze on the outer course area today, and climbing into third overall. Maloney reported a decent breeze of around 12-15 knots on the Copacabana course for their single race.

One year out from the Olympic Games, Peter Burling and Blair Tuke have won the Gold medal at 2015 Rio Test Event easily securing victory with a 4th in today’s 49er medal race.

Tomorrow racing will start one hour earlier than usual at midday.

“It’s been tricky for the race officers the last couple of days”, says Team Manager Jez Fanstone. “It was the first time that we’d really had planing conditions this week and I’m really glad that I smashed it today and climbed up the rankings”.

Kiwi sailors Gemma Jones and Jason Saunders have been getting a good feel for the tricky conditions in Rio.

“For the rest of the week it means they may well try and squeeze more races in tomorrow”. For example, on the Nacra course there could be four races in one day, which can make a big change to the whole outlook of the regatta.