James Briggs competing at the Engadin Marathon at Lake Silvaplana. He is closest to the camera grabbing clear air and powering over those to leeward of him with some good upwind pace. (0620026)
JAMES BRIGGS looks set to take part in the Formula Windsurfing World Championships in Portugal next month.
The 33-year-old multiple Island Games gold medallist is currently spending a few weeks in Europe taking on the best formula windsurfers around in high-ranking events.
After the recent Formula Euro Challenger in Pobierowo on the Polish Baltic coast where he came a respectable 36th out of 60 competitors, windsurfing officials gave him the all-clear to take part in the worlds at Portimao from 8 to 14 September.
‘I will have to check my calendar, although this looks like one opportunity not to be missed,’ said Briggs.
Following Pobierowo, the Sarnian notched up an 83rd-place finish out of 130 racers in the Formula European Championships held just down the coast at Leba.
A lack of wind caused the first day of the competition to be called off, but there was enough for the action to get under way on the following two days in glorious sunshine.
After six races, the fleet was split into two classes – gold and silver.
With Briggs sitting in 95th place, he was put into silver.
The fourth day of racing saw the wind shift from east to west and the good weather had gone to be replaced by clouds and a few downpours.
The first race within the silver fleet saw Briggs post his best performance.
There was about 12 to 16 knots of wind out on the water.
‘These were the conditions I was most used to sailing in while in Guernsey so I was interested to see how my performance was against the other competitors,’ said Briggs.
The Sarnian certainly found the conditions more favourable as he came third.
For the rest of the silver races, Briggs’ starts held him back as he could not get to the front during the early stages.
He finished the event in 17th place within the silver fleet, which put him in 83rd overall.
Briggs then drove to Switzerland for the weekend’s Engadin Marathon race on Lake Silvaplana, which he took part in instead of the cancelled Windsurfing Euro-Cup at Silvaplana.
The Engadin Marathon is one of the few races in the world that allows windsurfers and kitesurfers to compete alongside each other.
The first windsurfer finished the course in 45 minutes while the quickest kitesurfer crossed the line in just under two hours.
Out of the 70 competitors, Briggs turned in the best performance of his tour when he came eighth.
Briggs is in Italy this week where is he training at Lake Como with top Dutch windsurfer Marc de Jong before returning to the island to start preparing for the World Championships.
Article posted on 13th August, 2008 - 3.30pm
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