After closing the chapter on an ill-fated America s Cup campaign with +39 Challenge, Sydney gold medal-winning sailor Iain Percy starts his quest for Olympic glory in Beijing in earnest this week at the Breitling Regatta, Medemblik, Holland (23-27 May).
The 31-year-old will race in the Star keelboat class this week for just the second time with new crew Andrew Bart Simpson a two-time world and European Finn medallist, and America s Cup strategist alongside Percy at +39. Percy and Simpson joined forces at the beginning of this year, with their first competitive foray at the Rolex Miami Olympic Classes Regatta resulting in a 17th place.
After a stint back in the Star training at Hayling Island prior to the regatta, the duo are looking forward to concentrating fully on their bid for Olympic gold in Qingdao next year.
Our America s Cup frustrations have been well documented, but with all that now behind us, Bart and I are fully focussed on getting ourselves in the best possible shape in the Star ready for the Worlds in Cascais and ultimately the Olympic Games in Qingdao next year, Percy explained.
This week in Holland will give us a great opportunity to get some quality racing in ahead of the Worlds and give a us a good benchmark of where we sit relative to rest of the fleet bearing in mind this is just our second event together!
Percy and Simpson are amongst some 43 Skandia Team GBR sailors competing across 10 classes on the waters of the Ijsselmeer this week at what, for most of them, will be the last major test before the ISAF World Sailing Championships in Cascais, Portugal, in July an all-important regatta in the qualification process for the Beijing Games.
In the Yngling class, Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb and Pippa Wilson will be looking to maintain their enviable run of podium finishes since forming as a trio last October, they haven t been out of the medals at major regattas and continue to present a challenge to double Olympic gold medallist Shirley Robertson, also competing here in Holland with Annie Lush and Lucy Macgregor, in the bid for Olympic qualification.
Competing in the 49er class this week are World Champions Chris Draper-Simon Hiscocks gold medallists at the recent French Olympic Sailing Week in Hyeres and European Champions Stevie Morrison-Ben Rhodes, who ve medalled at regattas in Miami and Palma so far this year.
In the single-handed classes, Ed Wright and Paul Goodison both achieved podium finishes at last year s edition of the Holland event in their respective Finn and Laser classes, while Laser Radial sailor Penny Clark will have fond memories of Medemblik as the site of her first ever podium finish at a major event last year, which spurred her on to bronze at the Radial Europeans and the Olympic Test Event last year.
Athens silver medallists Nick Rogers and Joe Glanfield will be hoping for a return to form after a couple of disappointing recent results at the Princess Sofia Trophy in Palma and in Hyeres last month they re Skandia Team GBR s sole representatives in the 470 men s class, with Christina Bassadone and Saskia Clark the only British boat in the 470 women s event.
Olympic bronze medallist Nick Dempsey will be the best chance of British success at in the RS:X windsurfing event, while Leigh McMillan-Will Howden and Rob Wilson-Mark Bulkeley will be looking for a confidence-boosting performance ahead of the Worlds in Cascais.
The Breitling Regatta runs from Wednesday 23 May to Sunday 27 May.