With a very comfortable 23 point cushion, Tom could afford a mistake or two In the first race today, in an 18 knot breeze, Tom Ashley finished 4th. In fact he had mis-read the course flags at the start so finished after only one outside loop. Byron Kokkalanais (GRE8), lying 2nd at the time continued up the next beat. Tom realsining his mistake launched into catch up mode from about 200 metres downwind. By the end of the lap. he was only a couple of seconds off the leading group! He went on to take a second in the last race of the series.
"This was a great regatta" he said " it was just what I needed to get back into racer mode after a four month lay-off due to a broken ankle" He was generous in his praise for the local organisers and their race committees. Most of all he was impressed by the great breezes in which the regatta was held.
Tom, the 2003 Mistral Youth European Champion, now returns to Cadiz, Spain to continue training for the Mistral Worlds in September.
