This Is Guernsey

It was a frustrating first day for Sophie Platts.

GUERNSEY sailing star Sophie Platts was undone by light winds as the  Laser Radial World Championships got under way in Takapuna Bay, New Zealand.

The constant 8-10 knots of breeze from a north-easterly direction meant that the race committee had no difficulty in providing the two planned races, but these lighter than expected winds left Platts unhappy in 19th position and hoping for stronger breezes on day two.

Spring tides challenged many of the sailors, particularly at the starts, where many competitors picked up starting penalties for being over the line. The youth men’s fleet were the worst hit with 17 black flag penalties in the second race of the day. New Zealand top the leaderboard in both the youth men’s and youth women’s fleets.