21/9/2003
Clear leaders begin to emerge

Today, the defending champion had his best day of the championship so far.
Making hard work of the first six races in the series, today Ben AINSLIE (GBR) was back to the form that has won him two European Championships, one Finn Gold Cup and the Athens test event.
Leading the first race from the start he won by more than a minute, and he then placed second in race eight, behind local hero Rafael TRUJILLO (ESP) after a drama played just yards from the finish line.
However the first problem was the wind _ or rather the lack of it. A change in the weather saw the day dawn with flat calm, cloud filled skies and a misty haze over the Bay of Cadiz. All racing was postponed and it was not until 13:00 that the AP came down and the fleet was sent out to sea.

Race seven

The racing finally started at 14.40 in a patchy 5-6 knot north-westerly.
Offshore initially looked like the favoured side, but half way up the first beat more pressure appeared to the right and those who poked that way, lifted up to the mark.
Ben AINSLIE (GBR) takes up the story. "I started just down from the committee boat where there was a bit space, got lifted out of the start and then tacked over to the right where the majority of the fleet were going."
Ben’s excellent start put him in clear air and he crossed the whole fleet when going right to lead into the windward mark by about 10 boatlengths from Kristian ADERMAN (SWE) Peter FOX (NZL), Emilios PAPATHANASSIOU (GRE) and Karlo KURET (CRO).
The gap that Ben had made allowed him to escape downwind, while the following pack slowed each other down.
Many of the other favourites were buried in the 20s and 30s. On the second beat, most of the fleet went hard right again, playing the shifts on the inshore side of the course. Ben extended his lead here while Gasper VINCEC (SLO) and Andrew Simpson (GBR) moved up to third and fourth respectively behind Ben and Emilios.
The third beat followed a similar pattern, with Karlo KURET sneaking into fourth ahead of Simpson at the windward mark. However on the three offwind legs to the finish, Simpson’s superior downwind speed pulled him through to third place, with Karlo in fourth, Vincec in fifth and race one winner, Joao SIGNORINI (BRA) climbing well to finish sixth.
It was a bad race for championship leader Jonas HOEGH-CHRISTENSEN. After crossing the finish line eighth, he found out he was OCS at the start, as was Johan TILLANDER (SWE) after scoring one his best results of the week.

Race eight

The breeze had increased slightly for the eighth race to around 10 to 12 knots, and the race officer started it very promptly after the previous race. Again the committee boat end was biased with most sailors looking for a clear route through to the previously favoured right hand side. Everyone was too keen though, but after one general recall, the fleet got cleanly away.
Mateusz KUSZNIEREWICZ (POL) started right by the committee boat and tacked off to the right. Sebastien GODEFROID (BEL) followed him slightly to windward, while Ainslie and Simpson started slightly down from the committee boat end and headed off slightly left before tacking and trying to get back to the right.
Half way up the beat those on the right were looking good, but the boats on the far left were starting to look better. Ainslie tacked back to the left just in time and rounded the first mark just behind local boat Rafael Trujillo (ESP) who had worked left of middle up the course. These two were followed by Mo HART (USA), Massimo GHERADUCCI (ITA), Anthony NOSSITER (AUS) and Guillaume FLORENT (FRA).
As Ainslie had done in the previous race, Rafael extended his lead on each leg to win by about a minute, welcomed across the finish line with cheering and applause from the delighted local crowd. The chasing pack of Kusznierewicz, Simpson, Hoegh-Christensen and Florent traded places and tacks until the final windward mark. Mateusz rounded just ahead of Andrew and Jonas and the race to the finish was one.
On the downwind leg, Mateusz caught some nice waves to the right of the course and surfed up to Ainslie, reducing his 100 metre lead to nothing. On the next wave he was past and led into the final mark, before the short reach to the finish. However it was not over yet. These two battled hard for second place and just yards from the line it looked as it the Pole would get it. But then the yellow flag went up from the nearby jury boat. Ainslie slumped thinking it was him and as his second yellow falg of the regatta he would have to retire from the race. But the flag was pointed at Mateusz, who then had to do his turns and finish third behind Ainslie. An exciting finish to an exciting race. Simpson held onto fourth place ahead of Florent and Hoegh-Christensen.
Finally finding his form and definitely the man of the day, Ben Ainslie's first and second moves him into the overall lead. Andrew Simpson's consistency moved him up to second overall, while his win, combined with a 19th, moves Rafael Trujillo up to 3rd.
One of the pre-regatta favourites and twice world champion Mateusz Kusznierewicz has moved up to ninth overall after a seventh and third today. Speaking before today's races about his below average performance so far he said, "I have had good starts, clear air out of the starts and good speed, but just haven't been able to get the shifts right. I don't know why, maybe it's just one of those regattas. However we are only half way through and there is still a long way to go." With only 20 points between him and fourth overall, if he continues to find some form - and the right shift - he could yet pose a threat to the leaders
Analysing the racing, Ainslie commented, "It was still tough out there today, although once you were in front, clear air and water were definitely an advantage, as both myself, this morning, and Rafael this afternoon proved, although he had pace on me in the breeze this afternoon. Tomorrow the plan is just to plug away and try and do the same."
Team-mate, Andrew Simpson concurred, "Some sailors are getting results all over the place, up and down. It's really tricky to be consistent, so tomorrow is all about going out and trying to stay near the front again and avoid any shockers. But I'm really pleased with my form. It's nice getting back to the front of the fleet again, so I'm going try my best to stay there."
Another sailor who had a good race this afternoon was Paul McKenzie, who finished 13th, after struggling to get a reasonable result all week despite training hard for this event. He declined to comment to your reporter, as he was saving his energy for tomorrow!
Tomorrow could be the deciding day in the championship, with two more races to sail.

Robert Deaves