Ireland’s Olympic 49er skiff hopefuls made a strong start to the Spring Championship off Lanzarote yesterday. Double-Olympic veteran Ryan Seaton (Ballyholme Yacht Club) with crew Séafra Guilfoyle (Royal Cork YC) had an 11-8-8 for the day in the same 21-boat flight. Conditions off Playa Blanca in the straits between Lanzarote and Fuerteventura were very unpredictable in the fresh trade-wind conditions with added ocean swell. A single nation place remains for the Summer Olympics in Tokyo with at least four other nations in contention this week. “It was very tricky with the wind coming off the mountains so a ‘head out of the boat’ day but all-in-all, a great start to the regatta,” commented James O’Callaghan, Irish Sailing’s Performance Director.

Source: Irish Independent March 22, 2021 02:37 UTC