1.00pm
The battle for Olympics qualification by New Zealand yachting crews is heating up at three European venues.
New Zealand crews got a good start at the women's yngling world championships in Santander, Spain, today.
Sharon Ferris and her team of Joanna White and Kylie Jameson won the first and only race of
the day, and Alesha Thorpe and teammates Karen Lambert and Michelle Vinsen finished eighth.
The world championship is the all important regatta for New Zealand, as it is the last chance to qualify for the Athens Olympics with only four spots left open.
It is also doubling as New Zealand's selection trial with the Ferris and Thorpe teams pitted against each other.
Ferris and crew were third at the Open World Championships last year and won a regatta in Miami this year.
Thorpe and her team have been the dominant New Zealand team over the last two international regattas, placing second at the Princess Sofia Regatta before winning the last race at the ISAF world ranking regatta at Hyeres.
Today's race was sailed in light shifty winds. The second race was not run because of lack of wind.
The second and final selection trial regatta for New Zealand's Finn class entries in the Olympics began at the European championships in La Rochelle, France, yesterday.
After two races on the first day, Clifton Webb heads the New Zealanders in third position overall, with Peter Fox seventh and Dean Barker 13th.
Barker is leading the selection trial after a solid performance at the first trial, the Princess Sofia Trophy.
The Finn selection is based on who has the best overall result after both the Princess Sofia Regatta and the Finn European regatta.
The race results from both regattas are combined as one series and the total number of drops across that series is applied to any of the races.
The competitor with the lowest points wins the right to be considered.
In Zadar, Croatia, New Zealand crews at the 470 world championships had a mixed bag of results after the first day's racing.
Olympic hopefuls Melinda Henshaw and Jan Shearer, notched up a fifth in one race but had disappointing finishes in the other two to lie in 35th position.
Shelley Hesson and Linda Dickson had a better day on the water and lie in 20th position at the end of the first day.
While Henshaw and Shearer won the selection trials, the duo still need to get the nod from the selectors.
The pair only formed at the end of last year and need to satisfy the selectors they are capable of a top 10 finish in Athens.
In the men's class, Andrew Brown and Jamie Hunt finished sixth in one race but dropped deep in the fleet in the other two races to lie 43rd overall.
Brothers Stephen and Phillip Keen are the leading New Zealand team in 27th position. Simon Cooke and Alistair Gair are 56th.
- NZPA
1.00pm
The battle for Olympics qualification by New Zealand yachting crews is heating up at three European venues.
New Zealand crews got a good start at the women's yngling world championships in Santander, Spain, today.
Sharon Ferris and her team of Joanna White and Kylie Jameson won the first and only race of
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