With just Friday’s fleet racing remaining at French Olympic Week at Hyères on the Côte D’Azur, Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove lead Irish hopes for the medal race final in the men’s skiff event.
However, despite strong form in Thursday’s (25 April) breezy conditions, the pair still faced an evening in the protest room due to an incident in the opening race of the day where another entrant forced them into a collision with a third boat.
The Dublin crew are provisionally listed as 10th overall, a result that could improve further or worsen depending on the outcome of the international jury’s decisions.
Dickson (Howth Yacht Club) and Waddilove (Skerries Sailing Club) scored a 19th for that race as they sought to recover ground following the collision. However, they regained form and placed 11th and fifth in the two following races.
Rivals for the single Irish berth for their event at Paris 2024, Crosshaven’s Séafra Guilfoyle and Johnny Durcan (Royal Cork Yacht Club) steadily improved their form during the day and picked up to 20th place overall.
“We’re not thrilled but not too down either — we had a pretty solid day,” Durcan said after racing. “We figured a few things out with speed towards the end so we’ll build on that.”
The two Irish skiffs are in a three-regatta contest to select the better crew to compete at Paris 2024 this summer.
Thursday’s conditions again saw the famous Mediterranean wind known as the Mistral blowing for most of the day leading to short, steep waves on most course areas off Hyères.
Rio 2016 Olympian Finn Lynch (National Yacht Club) enjoyed the conditions and while he had a tenth as his best result of the week so far, he also had weightier 16th place.
The day’s results brought him to 23rd overall, one place behind Ewan McMahon (Howth Yacht Club) who was unable to break into the top 20 in either of the two races.
“I just want to finish on a positive note and sail at the best level I can sail at,” Lynch said. “The last two days were an improvement on the first two days but I haven’t really hit my stride yet — I haven’t really been on top of the conditions.”
Eve McMahon (HYC) also had a tough day, mainly due to a starting infringement disqualification in the first race which she then followed with a 33rd place.
“All I can tomorrow is give it my all — I think that today I was just over-thinking things too much,” McMahon said of her performance on Thursday. “I was just a bit too eager but it just didn’t work.”
Full results from the Last Chance Regatta are available via the Semaine Olympique Française website.