Ireland's Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove’s run at the 49er World Championships came to an end in Quiberon, France with the Irish pair falling just short of qualification for Sunday's medal-deciding final series.
Heading into the final day of gold fleet racing with an outside chance of breaking into the top ten, the North Dublin sailors needed a strong set of results to stay in contention. A run of mid-fleet finishes over the past two days ultimately left them 14th overall, eight points adrift of a place in the final series.
Lighter winds continued in Quiberon today with several fleets facing delays ashore while waiting for the breeze to fill in. After a week of racing across a wide range of conditions, Dickson and Waddilove continued to adapt well as the day unfolded, posting results of 10th, 12th and then finishing strongly with a fifth-place result to secure 14th overall in gold fleet.
Despite narrowly missing out, Dickson was positive when reflecting on the regatta: "Overall we’re quite happy with our performance. Unfortunately the opening day left us on the back foot, but we improved steadily throughout the week, gaining places each day and finishing within touching distance of the medal series."
