Sailing: Risky strategy pays off for Scottish girls

Anna Burnet from Helensburgh and Edinburgh’s Flora Stewart, the only all-Scottish crew competing in the 470 European Championships at Largs this week, enjoyed their second consecutive race win against a vastly more experienced fleet yesterday.

It was a fifth day of qualifying races and, in race one, Burnet and Stewart, both juniors, took the slightly risky approach of not following the rest of the fleet at the first windward mark, but the decision paid off.

“When the whole fleet jibed off at the windward mark I made the call to keep going straight before we jibed, then we went low and sailed around everyone in front of us,” said Burnet. “We were first then so we knew we had to just keep in front of the other boats. It was very satisfying to win our second race. (having won their first race on Sunday)”

In race two the Scots finished eighth, good enough to keep them in sixth place overall. In the men’s event, Scotland’s David Kohler and Philip Sparks from England bounced back from seventh to fourth overall after two fourth places yesterday. Today marks the final two races of qualifying.

Only the top two boats in the men’s and women’s fleets go through to the final Medal race tomorrow.