6 September 2009
Nick Dempsey collected two second-place finishes on the third day of racing at the RS:X World Windsurfing Championships at Weymouth today, but he nevertheless had to be content with an overnight position of second in the men’s competition. The 29-year-old Briton is three points behind Holland’s Dorian van Rijsselberge after the Dutchman held off the challenge of Brazil’s Ricardo Santos, the 2007 world champion, in both of today’s races to make it four wins in six races.

Dempsey, the 2004 Olympic bronze medallist, narrowly missed out on taking the gun to Israel’s Nimrod Mashiah in race one, before Portugal’s five-time Olympian Joao Rodrigues claimed the win in the second race of the day.

In the women’s competition, Bryony Shaw recovered most creditably in her first race of the day, finishing fifth after trailing in 12th place at the first turning mark. The Be Number 1 sailor attempted to edge past Marine Rambaud on the slalom run in to the finish line, but lost ground after making contact with the French sailor’s board and having to take a penalty turn.

The reigning Olympic bronze medallist managed a better start in race two, with the Briton and Rambaud locked in a titanic tussle for second and third after Marina Alabau, who has now been victorious in all of her six races, had already gained over a minute’s lead by the first mark. Shaw eventually had to settle for third spot, four seconds behind her French rival, and sits in ninth place overall heading into tomorrow’s rest day.

Alabau maintained her overall lead in the women’s standings, with Blanca Manchon, her Spanish compatriot, in second place and Rambaud lying in the bronze medal position.