Things are hotting up in Miami as the quarter final stage of competition is reached.

The top ten from each fleet now go forward into the next stage of competition, battling it out for a place in the final six to be in with a chance of the overall win.

In the men’s fleet Dorian put away another couple of bullets, securing his place at the top whilst Dempsey stays in third with another two decent results. El Carney also makes it into the top ten and currently lies in fifth position.

Bryony Shaw has moved up to second in the women’s fleet with a first and second in racing yesterday, whilst Izzy Hamilton also scored a bullet keeping her in sixth position. Great work girls!

After more racing the final six will be decided, then it’s all to play for in the final race where winner takes all!

Men’s results

Women’s results.

Winds of 40 knots howled through Cadiz on Friday, forcing the race committee to postpone the competition for a day. After waiting for the conditions to drop all day, the scheduled rest day on Saturday saw one race completed in both the male and female fleets.

Nick Dempsey flat out in Spain

In the Ladies’ fleet, Bryony Shaw is in 7th place. Not dropping out of the top 10 in any of the races so far and regulary in the top 5, Bryony can hopefully climb into the top 5 overall. Lee Korzits from Israel is dominating the women’s fleet, posting a bullet or second place in every race so far! Also representing the UK is young Izzy Hamilton. With a fantastic 4th place in Race 1, Izzy has fallen back slightly in the super windy conditions. She will be sure to climb back up the rankings as the racing continues. Currently in a great 22nd, Izzy is also 3rd in the U21 category.

Izzy Hamilton

Nick Dempsey is leading the way for the Brits and currently sits in fourth place overall. With two bullets and two seconds, Nick is performing well in the stronger winds and is sure to give the remaining races everything he’s got. Tied on points is Greek sailor Byron Kokkalanis – he and Dempesy have had some battles on the water and it’s not over yet!

In 25th place is fellow Brit Elliot Carney. Opening the proceedings with an awesome 3rd place, followed by an 8th and a 7th, Carney has also slipped slightly in the recent stronger winds but will be hungry to power back through the rankings.

Full tilt at Cadiz

Check out a video of the action from Day 4 below and be sue to follow the action on the official RS:X website HERE. Today’s racing is scheduled to kick off just before midday and the wind is already blowing, good luck to all the competitors.

Nick Dempsey

Last weekend (15-16 October) witnessed an exciting finish to a season of domestic Olympic Classes racing as the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy staged the final round of the RYA Olympic Classes National Ranking Series 2011.

The event plays an integral part for those wanting to progress up the Olympic class national ranking ladder and win grants to go on and compete at international regattas. For those more experienced sailors, including Skandia Team GBR members, the event serves the purpose of providing top class competitive racing on home waters of the 2012 Olympic Games.

For the first time in the event’s history, this weekend welcomed competitors in the Sonar, the Paralympic three-person keelboat class. In addition to the events first timers, seasoned campaigners along with some fresh faces were also in attendance.

The RSX 9.5 Series was won again by Skandia Team GBR sailor and 2012 Olympian Nick Dempsey who posted two bullets to finish one point ahead of Elliot Carney. Third place from the weekend went to Ali Masters who did enough to secure second place on the Series podium ahead of Carney.

The 16 year-old Kieran Martin, RYA Volvo National Youth Squad member and 2011 U17 Techno World Champion, made no mistake in wrapping up the RSX 8.5 Series title after finishing two points ahead of 2012 Olympian Bryony Shaw. Behind Martin and Shaw in both the weekend regatta and overall Series was Izzy Hamilton in third.

In the 49er class it was last year’s Series champions who led the charge as Skandia Team GBR’s John Pink/Rick Peacock seized three race wins to clinch weekend honours and more importantly the Series crown.

Dylan Fletcher/Alain Sign followed five points behind in second to clinch silver in both the weekend regatta and the overall series. Dave Evans/Ed Powys’ efforts of posting a fifth this weekend was enough to secure third place on the Series podium.

2011 RYA Volvo Youth National Champions Henry Lloyd Williams/Sam Batten, who have only recently stepped up into the Olympic classes, put in a strong performance to stake their claim In the 49er class by posting a credible 7^th from the weekend.

The Finn class shared the biggest turnout with the 49er class and it was 2011 European Champion Giles Scott who racked up three out of five race wins to scoop the heavyweight title as well as the RYA Olympic Classes National Ranking Series crown.

Fellow Skandia Team GBR Finn sailors Andrew Mills and Development Squad sailor Mark Andrews finished second and third respectively sealing the same fate upon the Series podium. Mark Andrews third was at the expense of seasoned sailor Jon Greenwood who had until the last race, in which he was involved in an aggressive boat on boat attack from Andrews, handed out a bit of a lesson to the younger guns on how to sail the shifty conditions.

Nic Asher/Elliot Willis, who took bronze in the 2010 event, were emphatic this time around in the men’s 470 class as they sealed the weekend honours ahead of Nick Rogers/Chris Grube as well as the overall event crown. Ben Saxton/ Richard Mason, Skandia Team GBR Development Squad sailors, finished the weekend in third. Seventh placed Luke Patience/Stuart Bithell did enough at the previous event to seal their place on the podium in third.

In the women’s 470 fleet, Penny Clark/Katrina Hughes clinched second place overall this weekend however it was not enough to land them a place on the overall Series podium having missed the previous event. The promising duo of Sophie Weguelin/Sophie Ainsworth claimed the Series crown with the help of a bullet in the opening race to finish fourth.  Hannah Mills/Saskia Clark ended the Series in second with recent Marlow Ropes Award winners Anna Burnett/Flora Stewart sealing third.

Meanwhile in the Paralympic classes, Dror Cohen/Arnon Efrati/Benni Vexler from Israel were clinical in the Sonar class counting all race wins and scooping the inaugural Sonar National Ranking Series title. The Skandia Team GBR trio of John Robertson/Hannah Stodel/Stephen Thomas kept themselves in touch with the high level fleet posting third.

Megan Pascoe took the overall title by winning four out of the six races at WPNSA in the 2.4mR fleet, in the two-person SKUD class, Alexandra Rickham/Nikki Birrell continued to dominate as they sealed the Series crown with an impressive five out of six race wins.

Barrie Edgington, RYA Olympic Development Squad Manager, commented: “We have had some great sailing conditions over the two weekends allowing the sailors to really enjoy what has been an exciting Series.

“It is always great to see a real mixture of talent from established Olympic sailors who are at the top of their sport down to some new faces who are continually looking to improve and develop their racing skills. In that sense the Olympic classes Ranking Events are unique and in classes such as the Finn having a number of the experienced old guard really adds benefit also.”

“To have a full house of classes competing this year for the first time, with the addition of the Sonar class, is fantastic and I hope that this will continue with the numbers growing each year,” concluded Edgington.

Overall Results:

RS:X 9.5

1st Nick Dempsey

2nd Ali Masters

3rd Elliot Carney

RS:X 8.5

1st Kieran Martin

2nd Bryony Shaw

3rd Izzy Hamilton

For full results from the RYA Olympic Classes National Ranking Series 2011 please visit www.ryaracingevents.org.uk

For the latest news and information from the British Sailing Team, visit www.skandiateamgbr.com or follow us on Twitter (@SkandiaTeamGBR).

Nick Dempsey

Nick Dempsey’s consistent form continues in the RS:X men’s windsurfing event at the Princess Sofia Regatta in Palma. He’s taken the overall lead by seven points over Israel’s Shahar Zubari with scores of 2,3 on the water today, while development squad sailor Elliot Carney picked up two top ten results to place him in tenth overall.
“I’m pretty pleased with how it’s all going,” the 30-year-old Dempsey admitted. “I’ve spent the whole winter away so this is pretty much the first big event of the season – certainly the first big event of the European season.

“You often turn up here and you don’t really know just how well that winter’s gone. You’re probably at your most nervous at the beginning of the year and it’s quite a relief to see that I am on the pace and I’m sailing well.”

“It’s not such a big outcome regatta,” Dempsey continued. “it’s not all about the result. It’s more about testing myself in the different conditions here and so far that’s all going really well.”

Beijing Bronze medallist, Shahar Zubari (ISR) got to second while Dorian van Rijsselberge (NED) drops to third after suffering in today’s conditions. Today’s races went to Mashia Nimrod (ISR) and 2008 Olympic champion, Tom Ashley (NZL).

The RS:X women fleet has a new leader with Marina Alabau (ESP) racing consistently to a fourth and a second placing: “I am happy with my day, the wind was difficult, light and shifty. I stayed fourth during the whole first race and started the second in the same position but was able to catch up two places and pass Blanca before the finish.”

Alessandra Sensini (ITA) didn’t perform in the lighter conditions adding twenty points to her score today. She is now in second position overall. Charline Picon (FRA) who had suffered from equipment failure in Monday’s windy races, was undefeated today with two bullets. She seats in 12th position overall but could come up in the front when the discard comes in.

Izzy Hamilton is the leading British female windsurfer in 14^th overall. Olympic bronze medallist Bryony Shaw hit back from a disappointing first day beset with kit breakages with a third in her opening race of the day but is in 18^th overall

Racing at the Princess Sofia Trophy will start on Monday 4 April and continue through until Saturday 9 April.

For the latest news and information, visit www.skandiateamgbr.com or follow the British sailing team on Twitter (@skandiateamgbr) for race updates during the regatta.

Nick Dempsey all alone at the front of the fleet!