One Week Until ISAF Sailing World Cup Delta Lloyd Regatta

Medemblik, the Netherlands will play host to the Delta Lloyd Regatta, the fifth of seven ISAF Sailing World Cup Regattas, from 24-29 May.
The 2010-2011 ISAF Sailing World Cup has already seen regattas in Melbourne, Miami, Palma and Hyères with fans, officials and sailors being treated to some expert sailing from the worlds finest.
The Delta Lloyd Regatta will welcome a Laser fleet consisting of 145 boats. One of the most noticeable attendees is ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year and World #1 Laser sailor Tom Slingsby (AUS), currently competing at the Zhik SB3 World Championships with 49er helm Nathan Outteridge . Slingsby is yet to pick up a gold medal in the three regattas he has sailed in so far, but he has always finished in the medals and finds himself tied at the top of the Laser Standings on 55 points with Nick Thompson (GBR).
Thompson, Javier Hernandez (ESP), Paul Goodison (GBR) and Simon Grotelueschen (GER), who occupy the top five spots with Slingsby, won’t be making the trip to Medemblik. Nonetheless with World #5 Tonci Stipanovic (CRO), 2008 Olympic bronze medallist Diego Romero (ITA) and US SAILING’s Rolex Miami OCR Laser gold medallist Rasmus Myrgren (SWE) set to attend, the Laser competition will be hotly contested.
The Netherland’s Marit Bouwmeester will sail in her home regatta in the 71 boat strong Laser Radial fleet. Bouwmeester, who is #1 in the ISAF Laser Radial Rankings, is third in the ISAF Sailing World Cup Standings and will be looking to rekindle her form of last year which saw her pick up the gold medal in Medemblik and the overall Laser Radial World Cup crown.
Sara Winther (NZL) who won the last two ISAF Sailing World Cup Regattas to top the Laser Radial Standings will not sail in Medemblik which opens the door for either Bouwmeester or Evi Van Acker (BEL) to take the top spot ahead of Skandia Sail for Gold and Kieler Woche.
Of the top ten in the Laser Radial Standings Veronika Fenclova (CZE) in sixth, Gintare Scheidt (LTU) in seventh, Dongshuang Zhang (CHN) in eighth and Annalise Murphy (IRL) in tenth are all set to sail in Medemblik.
World #1 Men’s 470 duo Mathew Belcher and Malcolm Page (AUS) will be looking to clinch their first medal in Europe in this year’s ISAF Sailing World Cup. The pair won Sail Melbourne and picked up silver at the Rolex Miami OCR. But they finished seventh in Palma and came sixth in Hyères to sit second in the Men’s 470 Standings on 54 points
Also sailing in the 74 boat Men’s 470 fleet is World #2 Croatian pair of Sime Fantela and Igor Marenic and Panagiotis Mantis and Paul Kagialis (GRE) who currently sit in sixth place in the Men’s 470 Standings.
In the Women’s 470 just 31 boats are set to sail and of the top ten in the Women’s 470 ISAF Sailing World Cup Standings only Tara Pacheco and Berta Betanzos (ESP) who are joint sixth place Henriette Koch and Lene Sommer (DEN) on 35 points and Ai Kondo and Wakako Tabata (JPN), eighth on 32 points, will sail in Medemblik. 2010 470 World Champions and silver medallists at Delta Lloyd, Lisa Westerhof and Lobke Berkhout (NED) will be looking for their first regatta medal of the season on home waters.
The Women’s Match Racing competition has seen three different winners for the three regattas it has featured so far. Claire Leroy (FRA) won gold at the Rolex Miami OCR, Sally Barkow (USA) finished top in Palma and Lucy Macgregor (GBR) was victorious in Hyères. None of the previous winners will feature in Medemblik meaning there will be a fourth separate winner in Medemblik.
The Women’s Match Racing field will include Anna Tunnicliffe (USA), Silja Lehtinen (FIN), Ekaterina Skudina (RUS), Stephanie Hazard (NZL) and Nicky Souter (AUS).
Thierry Schmitter (NED), Megan Pascoe (GBR) and Helena Lucas (GBR) occupy the top three places in the 2.4mR. They will sail in Medemblik.

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