If you've followed Rolex Miami Olympic Class Regatta at all, you must have noticed that a very special team is competing - one of our Dutch hopes for medals at the 2008 Olympic Sailing event - in the Yngling Class. With no less than nine ladies, who sail three boats in different compositions. First, let me congratulate Mandy Mulder, Marije Faber and Merel Witteveen sailing NED 1, with their splendid victory in that class and Renee Groeneveld, Annemieke Bes and Marije Kampen in NED 111, with Bronze!
Before the medal race the difference in points between NED 1 on 62 and #2 RUS 8 on 66, was only four points, with the third place NED 111 on 96. Even if either NED 1 or RUS 8 would come in last in the Medal Race, they both were certain of a medal. Mandy, Marije and Merel only had to make sure they never let RUS 8 out of their sight and stick to them as glue. Coming in one place after RUS 8, any place, would bring them the gold. According to the result on the website they came in seventh in the medal race with RUS 8 on tenth. I'm dying to know how that race went. Unfortunately our own Watersportverbond hasn't published any information about this Regatta. You would expect a little more.
To get the bronze, NED 111 had a much harder job to do. Going into the Medal Race in fourth position with 96 points, with GBR 12 on third place with 95 and three boats (GER 261, ESP 3 and CHN 1) behind them with each 101 points. Sticking to GBR and finish in front of them would not be enough, Three other boats would need to be not more than two places in front! Specially the German boat who came very close finishing on second place. But they pulled it off, finishing fourth in the medal race put them on the podium! Well done!
I don't envy the job of the project leader, Maurice Paardenkooper, who has to pick the final three ladies who will compete in the Olympics. Even the third boat Dutch boat, NED 11 with Janneke Hin, Brechtje van der Werf and Floortje Hendriksma, came in twelfth in a very strong field. Full results in the Yngling Class here
On the website of the event you can also follow a little about the work of the International Jury, chaired by another Dutch lady Josje Hofland. The Protest Hearing Schedule is published and the Rule 42 Notice Board. Follow this link to find them both.
In the latter the boat receiving a penalty under the new Appendix P is published, but in the first the name of the representative of the boat involved in a protest is mentioned. According to the rulebook a boat is protested, not a person. What if the boat is represented by the crew, not the helm. Is that name then published?
I'm grateful for any information which lets someone follow the regatta and the protests involved, but this means I have to go back and forth between the competitor list and the protest schedule to find out which boat is involved. I find that strange.....
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