The final day of racing on Lake Lurcerne in Switzerland saw improvement for the British women but it was a case of too little, too late.

The final day of racing on Lake Lurcerne in Switzerland saw improvement for the British women but it was a case of too little, too late.

The Yngling women’s fleet had already lost two days out of five to lack of wind and the final day of racing was once again sailed in light and shifty conditions.

Spain’s Monica Azon, Laia Tutzo and Sandra Azon took overall first with a relatively comfortable nine-point margin assisted by the last race disqualification of overall second team, Ulrike Schümann, Wibke Bülle and Winnie Lippert of Germany. A further two points adrift were the US trio of Betsy Alison, Lee Icyda and Suzy Leech who took overall third.

Olympic champion Shirley Robertson, sailing with Sarah Ayton and Inga Leask, finished 16th overall in the women’s fleet although a second placing in the first race of the last day did something to boost spirits. It was a similar story for the next highest-placed RYA team GBR boat, GBR 5 sailed by Lizzie Edwards, sister Caroline and Sarah Allen which took third in race one of the last day but placed 26th overall. GBR 1 sailed by Nicole Johnson, Jane Norris and Jo Line placed 30th overall.

Olympic Manager Stephen Park commented, “In this class things are still developing and we are bound to see a lot of changes between now and Athens. The results are a little disappointing from a British point of view as we hoped for better.”

In the open fleet overall first was taken by Danish sailors Claus Hoj Jensen, Maria Holm and Morten Harmsen with Austrians Christolph Skolaut, Georg Skolaut, Wolfgang Riha and Rudi Mayr, Wolfgang Daurer and Ferdinand Huber taking second and third respectively.