Three titles for Yngling trio

Ayton, Webb and Wilson have won the Yngling European Championships, completing a clean sweep of major events

British sailors Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb and Pippa Wilson have continued their confident march towards Olympic glory by clinching the Yngling European Championship title in Blanes, Spain, this weekend.

With this latest victory, the Skandia Team GBR trio are now the proud holders of all three major titles – back-to-back World Championship golds, the 2007 Pre-Olympic title and the European crown – heading into the Olympic regatta at Qingdao in four months’ time.

The 23-boat fleet at the Europeans experienced a mixture of both light wind and steady sea breeze conditions during the course of the five-day regatta, which led to some tight racing with six boats all within seven points of each other heading into the ten boat medal race on Saturday (5 April). 

‘Team MIrabaud’ were leading on countback going into the final day, tied on points with the top Dutch boat helmed by Renee Groeneveld, were just two points ahead of Anna Basalkina’s Russian team and three points ahead of long-time American rivals Sally Barkow, Carrie Howe and Debbie Capozzi.

In a thrilling finale, the British crew, the USA team and the two leading Dutch teams, contesting their Olympic trials in Blanes, all jostled for position on the final downwind leg.  Barkow’s team crossed the finish line first but Ayton, Webb and Wilson were in hot pursuit, with their second place in the medal race enough to keep them ahead in the points table and earn them the European title to continue their podium-placing form in this Olympic year.

The Yngling trio will next compete at the French Olympic Sailing Week at Hyeres, from 19-25 April.

Results:

Pos	Helm/Crew	Sail Number	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	R6	R7	R8	R9	R10	R11	Tot
1	Sarah Ayton/Sarah Webb/Pippa Wilson	GBR 12	1	8	RAF	1	7	3	1	13	1	14	4	53
2	Sally Barkow/Carrie Howe/Debbie Capozzi	USA 337	4	1	4	22	5	12	2	9	4	11	2	54
3	Renee Groeneveld/Annenieke Bes/Merel Witteveen	NED 11	13	4	2	4	1	9	17	5	6	5	8	57
4	Mandy Mulder/Brechtje Van der Werf/Floortje Hendriksen	NED 1	5	7	1	9	18	5	13	3	3	9	6	61
5	Basalkina Anna/Ukraintseva Vladislava/Maximova Ekaterina	RUS 4	16	2	12	12	9	2	5	1	2	6	16	67
6	Ekaterina Skudina/Diana Krutskikh/Natalia Ivanova	RUS 8	15	5	5	2	8	15	4	2	14	1	12	68
7	Schuemann, Ulrike/Bleck, Julia/Hoepfner, Ute	GER 261	9	6	8	8	4	8	10	6	22	OCS	14	95
8	Le Helley Anne/Lepesant Catherine/Gerecht Julie	FRA 7	3	10	18	15	16	13	3	7	15	10	10	102
9	Monica Azon/Graciela Pisonero/Sandra Azon	ESP 3	14	3	14	3	6	10	14	8	19	15	18	105
10	Sofia Bekatorou/Sofia Papadopoulou/Virginia Kravarioti	GRE 7	11	14	20	10	11	11	7	10	10	8	20	112
11	Krystal Weir/Karyn Gojnich/Angela Farrell	AUS 59	22	DSQ	9	5	2	14	6	RAF	11	2	18	113
12	Trine Palludan/Susanne Boidin/Ida Hartvig	DEN 195	8	20	OCS	7	17	1	16	18	13	3	12	115
13	Siren Sundby/Lise Birgitte Fredriksen/Alexandra Koefoed	NOR 406	10	DNF	OCS	19	10	7	20	4	5	12	4	115
14	Le Berre Anne-Claire/Ponsar Alice/Deplanque Marion	FRA 9	19	13	3	17	21	19	9	19	8	4	6	117
15	Song Xia Qun/Li Xiao Ni/Yu Yan Li	CHN 1	21	11	6	11	15	16	21	15	9	13	2	119
16	Marjon Kooistra/Marye Faber/Marye Kampen	NED 111	17	17	11	6	3	6	15	20	16	18	14	123
17	Annelies Thies/Lieske Wierenga/Caroline Heerema	NED 350	2	12	10	13	14	18	11	12	20	20	16	128
18	Li Jie/Wang Ru/Gao Yang	CHN 3	6	9	16	23	22	21	19	14	7	7	8	129
19	Dominique Provoyeur/Penny Alison/Kim Rew	RSA 1	7	19	15	18	23	4	8	21	17	16	24	149
20	Silvia Roca/Eva Gonzalez Moujir/Lara Cacabelos Afonso	ESP 8	23	15	19	14	13	22	12	16	18	22	10	161
21	Chiara Calligaris/Francesca Scognamillo/Giulia Pignolo	ITA 16	20	16	7	21	19	17	22	11	12	17	22	162
22	Jildau fer Horst/Amy Righolt/Hilke Harns	NED 335	12	18	17	20	20	23	18	17	21	19	20	182
23	Lianne Kedde/Margot Eelkman - Rooda/Chantel Hakkel	NED 336	18	21	13	16	12	20	23	DSQ	23	21	26	193