Ashby throws caution to the wind
TEAM NEW Zealand trimmer Glenn Ashby is promising an aggressive approach in the final race today despite having a massive lead in the A-Class catamaran world championships in Auckland.
Only disaster will deny the chirpy Australian an eighth title off Takapuna Beach after another masterful display in yesterday’s two races where he finished first and third.
That left him 15 points clear of Team New Zealand’s new recruit Blair Tuke on the table.
Aussie veteran Andrew Landenberger lies third followed by Team New Zealand sailors Ray Davies and Peter Burling.
A breakage or an absolute shocker today is all that could rein in Ashby but that won’t see him adopt a conservative approach. He plans to carry on with the tactics that have seen him win four of the eight races so far and finish in the top three of three others. Only a broken rudder on Wednesday and subsequent
I struggle to sail real conservatively so I’ll go out and try and sail my best race
Team New Zealand trimmer
Glenn Ashby
withdrawal from that race has blotted his regatta.
‘‘I struggle to sail real conservatively so I’ll go out and try and sail my best race,’’ Ashby said.
‘‘If you try to stick to guys, you just get in trouble. I’ll certainly keep an eye on where everybody is but I just have to make sure I don’t make a big mistake, get run into or break something really.’’
Ashby’s aggression yesterday paid off in tricky conditions. The wind jumped on the fleet just has they left the beach, forcing some late adjustments. They then encountered a bird strike in the opening race and some big shifts.
‘‘It was one of those days when you had to keep attacking the whole time. You couldn’t consolidate because there were shifts both upwind and downwind. If you tried to cover or be conservative, you just went backwards. It was a matter of keeping your foot down,’’ Ashby said.
Tuke, the 2013 New Zealand champion in these radical 18-foot cats, has had an impressive regatta to sneak ahead of Burling, his partner in the 49ers where they are Olympics silver medallists and world champions.
After finishing 15th in the opening race, Tuke hasn’t been out of the top 10 and yesterday’s late win gives him a real chance of being on the podium today.
Nathan Outteridge, the Australian who helmed Artemis Racing in last year’s America’s Cup, continued his patchy regatta with an eighth and second yesterday.
Defending champion Mischa Heemskerk has found the pace too hot and lies 12th going into the final race.
Chris Nicholson is 14th in his first foray in this class. Team New Zealand designers Luc de Bois (Switzerland) and Peter Melvin (US) are 18th and 22nd respectively.