The International Sailing Federation (ISAF) and Rolex are pleased to announce five male and five female nominees for the 2015 ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards.
Set to be held on Tuesday, 10 November 2015 in Sanya, China, the Awards ceremony celebrates the world’s finest sailors’ achievements during the qualifying period from the end of September 2014 through to 31 August 2015.
Only one nominee wins in both the male and female categories. The names vying for the coveted and prestigious 2015 ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards are:
Male
Peter Burling & Blair Tuke (NZL)
Loick Peyron (FRA)
Giles Scott (GBR)
Ian Walker (GBR)
Ian Williams (GBR)
ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards, credit sailing.org
Female
Sarah Ayton (GBR)
Sam Davies (GBR)
Elena Kalinina (RUS)
Lotte Meldgaard Pedersen (DEN)
Charline Picon (FRA)
The Voting
The winners will be selected by the ISAF Member National Authorities (MNAs), the national governing bodies for sailing around the world, by a process of voting prior to the event and on the night of the Awards. The MNAs are now invited to vote for the male and female nominee they believe most deserves the Award. This vote will contribute to 50% of the overall result, while the remaining 50% of the vote will be decided by those in attendance on the night in Sanya.
Each winner will be presented with the prestigious ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award Trophy and a distinctive Rolex timepiece at the Award ceremony on 10 November 2015 in Sanya.
The penultimate day of the Aquece Rio – International Sailing Regatta 2015 served up four more podiums with Italian, Lithuanian, Kiwi and Brazilian sailors claiming the golden honours.
Francesco Marrai (ITA) kick started the day taking the first gold in the Laser whilst Lithuania’s Gintare Scheidt (LTU) followed shortly after in the Laser Radial.
Peter Burling and Blair Tuke (NZL) confirmed their status as the leading 49er sailors with another complete performance whilst the best was saved until the last. Home nation favourites and the popular crew of Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze (BRA) stole the show in the 49erFX, coming from behind to clinch gold.
The Men’s and Women’s 470 and Finn confirmed the Medal Race participants whilst the Nacra 17 will have to wait another day to sail their Medal Race after time run out to hold it on the day.
49erFX
Brazil’s Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze came from behind to take a memorable gold medal in the 49erFX.
Home nation favourites and Olympic champions in waiting, as perceived by the Brazilian media, Grael and Kunze were able to overturn a nine point deficit between Giulia Conti and Francesca Clapcich (ITA) as they took their chance when it came.
Conti and Clapcich ended the race at the back of the fleet and a fourth for the Brazilians gave them gold by three points.
The Italians were in the driving seat heading into the race but small mistakes in the Medal Race gave the Brazilians an initiative as Conti explained, “We made a mistake at the first rounding. The spinnaker halyard was stuck in the spreaders. It was my mistake as I did not bear away after the gybeset. We were still in control of the two boats we needed to be in control of until the last upwind and they, the Swedish and Brazilians split and we made a tactical mistake. We decided to stay with the Swedish and the rest of the fleet. It meant that the only way we could lose was from the Brazilians as she could gain boats.”
And gain boats is exactly what the Brazilians did as Grael described things from her point of view, “I knew there was a chance we could turn it around but I was more concerned about keeping silver than taking first but we got a chance on the last downwind so we took it.
“It was quite a tricky race. We pulled out a very nice last downwind and we managed to get enough points to win from the Italians. I don’t think it could have ended better.”
By the vast amounts of Brazilian media in attendance throughout the day, it was almost as if Grael and Kunze had won Olympic gold itself. But as a test event, dealing and handling with an expectant crowd is just what is needed, “The Brazilian media either worship you or kill you,” explained Grael through a smile, “We get pressured into talking about the bay but it’s all under control.
“I’m feeling really happy. You can kind of tell what the Olympics is going to be like, really hard to sail in and anything can happen.”
Sweden’s Lisa Ericson and Hanna Klinga completed the podium after an eighth in the Medal Race.
Aquece Rio International Sailing Regatta 2015 is the second sailing test event in preparation for the Rio 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition. Held out of Marina da Gloria from 15-22 August, the Olympic test event welcomes more than 330 sailors from 52 nations in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Credit Pedro Martinez/Sailing Energy
Laser
Francesco Marrai (ITA) will be able to book his plane ticket to Rio de Janeiro for the Olympic Games after he took gold in the Laser. For the Italian team, any sailor that finished on the podium at the test event would be guaranteed a place at Rio 2016 and Marrai secured his spot on the startline in the most stylish of ways, with a golden shine.
Coming into the event Marrai was a rank outsider for gold with several leading sailors aiming to lay down a marker and when asked if he thought he’d win the Italian exclaimed, “No, no, no, not at all. Last year I finished sixth and that was a very good regatta for me.
“I didn’t expect to win or get a medal but I found myself up there and I just kept on fighting. The first day I was down in seventh and second, third and then first for three days and I was able to just keep my position.
“I’m very happy right now, it’s quite a new situation for me and I cannot show much emotion but this is very big for me.”
A ninth in the Medal Race handed the Italian gold in a high scoring week of Laser racing. Consistency was almost non-existent as Rio’s challenging breeze and current tested the sailors not only physically, but mentally.
“It’s a very complicated place,” explained Marrai. “You can find both strong and light wind. Big waves outside the Bay and little ones inside the bay. It’s a very complete place. You need to be a complete sailor. I really love this place.”
As for Marrai’s planning for the next 12 months, “It’s going to be a big challenge. We’re going to make a program with the federation and do our best for next year. We want to be well prepared to get that gold medal again, of course.”
Fourth in the Medal Race handed Jean Baptiste Bernaz (FRA) silver whilst Tom Burton’s (AUS) fifth gave him bronze. It was heartbreak for Tonci Stipanovic (CRO) who got stuck in challenging conditions on the race track that meant he finished at the back of the pack to fall from second to sixth.
Lee Parkhill (CAN) took the Medal Race bullet.
Laser Radial
Gintare Scheidt held on to take gold in the Laser Radial despite receiving a discretionary penalty in advance of the Medal Race.
Scheidt was awarded four extra points for breaching the class rules which in fact relegated her to third overall going into the Medal Race so she had it all to do.
In the end Scheidt took the bullet which handed her a well-deserved gold medal, “Today was a bit tense because I was protested due to measurement and I got an extra four points in the Medal Race. It was not a nice way to start the Medal Race day but it was my mistake, nobody else’s and I accepted it. I went into the race not thinking about it and that’s what I did.
“I’m feeling great now, it’s a big relief. Today I was tied with two other boats and I could have lost the medal but now it’s time to celebrate. It’s a good present for my son who is six years old today. He’s in Lithuania with my mother but he’s always cheering for me and saying to me, ‘mummy you’re sailing so good, keep it going’.”
Scheidt’s son will wake up with good news from his mother but the report from his father will be mellow after he missed out on a medal by two points in the Laser. “There was only one medal in the family this year,” smiled Gintare. “Two would be perfect but we sailed at our maximum. Sailing is something you have to do at the best you can.”
The Robert, Gintare Scheidt husband and wife combination is a well decorated one and Gintare is comfortable with her surroundings in Rio, “The Brazilian team helps me a lot. I feel like a part of their team and they help me with everything. Also Robert, he has a lot of experience here but I don’t have the possibility to train here much. I have only sailed two regattas here. Most people think I’m a local here but I’m not. The top sailors training here sail in Rio a lot more than me.”
For now, the Scheidt’s walk away with one medal but with one year of preparation remaining, who’s to say it won’t be two?
Evi Van Acker (BEL) and Marit Bouwmeester (NED) completed the podium whilst Paige Railey (USA), having occupied a podium position for the large part of the week missed out after a DNF in the Medal Race.
49er
Peter Burling and Blair Tuke (NZL) extended their unbeaten run in the 49er by taking a convincing victory.
With just a single result out of the top eight in 11 races, the Kiwis set another marker on the road to Rio. Heading into the day they had a comfortable lead over their rivals and knew a solid result would seal the deal. They did exactly that, coming through in fourth and Tuke was pleased with a job well done, “It feels great. You know, it’s a really big objective for us one year out from the Games and we’ve put a lot of emphasis on this, this year. We’re really happy and it puts us in a good place going into next year.”
Burling echoed his compatriots thoughts, “Obviously this is great practice for us trying to test everything for next year. We’re really happy with how we started off. We started off pretty solid, not fantastic, but we just got better during the week.”
The test event allowed the 49er sailors the perfect opportunity to imitate the Olympic arena. Twenty boats on the start line is the exact same number as the Olympic Games and for the Kiwis it was the perfect opportunity to show their rivals, many of whom who will sail at Rio 2016, who is boss in the 49er, “This week’s been really great practice for us,” commented Tuke, “There are 20 boats like we’ll be racing in next year with one boat from each country which isn’t what we normally have at other regattas.
“That’s been really good for us. We have a lot of little things and tricks you learn from sailing in the bay and just how we prepare as well with our coach and support staff. We’ve learnt a lot this week, not just from the results but a lot of other things and we’re happy with how it’s played out over the last three weeks in Rio.”
Nico Delle-Karth and Nikolaus Resch (AUT) sailed their way to a Medal Race second that confirmed them as silver medallists.
Bronze was in the hands of Manu Dyen and Stephane Christidis (FRA) as Germany’s Erik Heil and Thomas Ploessel finished at the back of the pack. However, three crews sailed the wrong course and were subsequently disqualified which promoted the Germans up to sixth overall handing them bronze.
Finn
It’s tight at the top in the Finn class with one point separating Pieter Jan Postma (NED) and Giles Scott (GBR) after the pair took a race win apiece as fleet racing concluded.
Scott has chipped away at Postma’s early week lead by notching up some consistent scores and a fifth alongside his bullet pulls him within reach of Postma. Whilst Postma took the opening race victory a tenth followed and it will all boil down to the Medal Race.
Tapio Nirkko (FIN) is within reach of the leading pair, eight points off of Postma. Meanwhile the fourth placed Jonathan Lobert (FRA) is ten points off.
Men’s and Women’s 470
The Medal Race places were decided in the Men’s and Women’s 470 after a race apiece on the Escola Naval racing area.
Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark (GBR) will go in with a five point lead over Anne Haeger and Briana Provancha (USA) in the Women’s 470. Both teams have daylight between themselves and the third placed Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie (NZL) who have four other teams able to overthrow them from the final podium spot.
In the Men’s 470, Sime Fantela and Igor Marenic (CRO) have a handy seven point lead over Mat Belcher and Will Ryan (AUS). The Croatians managed an eighth compared to the Australians 14th and as a result hold an advantage.
Onan Barreiros and Juan Curbelo Cabrera (ESP), Luke Patience and Elliot Willis (GBR) and Sofian Bouvet and Jeremie Mion (FRA) are all tied on 45 points in third.
Racing is scheduled to commence at 13:00 local time on Saturday 22 August as racing draws to a close at the Aquece Rio – International Sailing Regatta 2015.
ISAF Sailing World Cup Weymouth and Portland wrapped up on Sunday with ten Medal Races deciding the podium finishers, Abu Dhabi World Cup Final qualifiers and prize money recipients.
The day started off light from a northern direction with the Nacra 17 fleet getting the first racing in. Following a short postponement whilst the wind shifted the race action got going again and culminated in some tense Medal Race action.
Giles Scott (GBR) kept Josh Junior (NZL) at bay in the Finn to extend his unbeaten run. There was just six points of separation in advance of the Medal Race and the Briton forced the Kiwi down the back of the pack in an intriguing race.
The pair were close throughout and both were penalised with penalty turns. With the pair at the rear of the fleet, Scott stayed on top of Junior to keep him at bay. Even though Junior came through in ninth compared to Scott’s tenth, it was enough for another Finn gold for Scott. Junior settled for silver with Andrew Murdoch (NZL) taking bronze.
“It feels good, I’m very relieved,” said a relaxed Scott, “It was a bit of a stressful race out there. Both Kiwis were right on my tail and I didn’t make it easy getting a yellow flag and a penalty turn.
“I thought I was in a good position up the first beat but then the jury came in and gave me a penalty, which really livened it up.
“It’s always a nice way to win to come out in a match race situation and come out on top but they can be a little bit stressful.”
Stu McNay and Dave Hughes (USA) sealed gold in style in the Men’s 470. They took a comfortable Medal Race victory to finish 21 points ahead of Mat Belcher and Will Ryan (AUS).
“It feels awesome and it is a good return for both of us and a great way to close it out,” commented Hughes.
McNay added, “We have been knocking on the door for a while and it is great when hard work pays off. We have been sailing a lot and working with each other a lot in this and other classes and it feels good to close out this regatta.”
The Americans have been consistently at the top of the pack throughout the week with only a 17th looking out of place from eight top five results.
Mat Belcher and Will Ryan (AUS) finished eighth in the Medal Race to take silver whilst Panagiotis Mantis and Pavlos Kagialis (GRE) advanced to third overall after Sime Fantela and Igor Marenic (CRO) finished tenth in the Medal Race.
The last time Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark (GBR) and Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie (NZL) did battle in a Women’s 470 Medal Race in Weymouth and Portland it was for the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Aleh and Powrie came out victorious then but the roles were reversed at the ISAF Sailing World Cup regatta. Mills and Clark stayed ahead of the Kiwis throughout the duration of the race and with their fourth, compared to the Kiwis fifth, they sealed the deal.
“I think we still feel gutted after the [Olympic] Games that we basically lost control of that race and it was a bit passive and there was no race,” commented Clark.
“We were definitely up for a fight today and having a good race and a good battle. We were strict on ourselves about what we wanted to do and we managed to pull it off.”
Aleh and Powrie were forced to make do with silver whilst bronze went the way of Tina Mrak and Veronika Macarol (SLO) following a second in the Medal Race.
Nacra 17
First up on the day, the Nacra 17 had to contend with some light breeze on a changing race course. It was a game of patience where calm heads were required.
Keeping their cool were overnight leaders Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin (AUS). The Aussies kept things tight and a third was enough for gold, “It’s been a pretty tricky week. We had pretty nice breeze for the first couple of days so that was fun but there were lots of shifts and big pressure lines out there.
“Today was a little bit of a change of pace, nice and slow but still just as stressful.”
Matias Buhler and Nathalie Brugger (SUI) were ready to pounce on the Aussies if they slipped up. Waiting in the wings they came through directly behind Waterhouse and Darmanin which handed them silver.
Darren Bundock and Nina Curtis (AUS) were in top form and came through in second. This was enough to promote them up into bronze medal position after Thomas Zajac and Tanja Frank (AUT), who occupied the final podium spot overnight, were on the course side at the start and penalised with 22 points added to their tally.
Italy’s Flavia Tartaglini won gold in the Women’s RS:X after overnight leader Isobel Hamilton (GBR) sailed the wrong course.
Instead of heading to the leeward gate in advance of the finish she missed it and went straight to the finish line. Upon noticing her error she was forced to retire which dropped her out of the medals.
For the Italian, it was pure joy and a second behind race winner Bryony Shaw (GBR) gave her gold, “It was a really tough race and we were really close with points,” commented Tartaglini.
“We were all really close so it was all about the Medal Race. It was really exciting. The four people who could win were all together around the first mark so it was a straight race between the four of us.”
With Hamilton out of the equation, Shaw’s bullet handed her a silver medal. Tuuli Petaja (FIN) came through in bronze.
Men’s RS:X
Great Britain’s Nick Dempsey rounded off a solid week of action with a third in the Medal Race to seal gold. The Briton rarely finished out of the top two throughout the week and was rightly rewarded.
“For me the event has really gone to plan. It’s been six or seven weeks since the last World Cup in Hyeres and I didn’t do so well there so I wanted to get out on the water and perform again,” commented Dempsey, silver medallist at London 2012.
Dempsey’s compatriot Tom Squires (GBR) had a medal sewn up in advance of the Medal Race with the colour to be decided. A ninth kept him in silver medal position, 18 points off Dempsey.
The battle for bronze was far from straight forward. A number of competitors had the opportunity to seize it but Cho Wonwoo (KOR) managed to get the job done with a bullet. For Mattia Camboni (ITA) it was heartbreak as he finished on the same points as the Korean, missing out via count back.
Laser Radial
The odds were heavily stacked in Marit Bouwmeester’s (NED) favour in the Laser Radial after a commanding week of racing.
She held a 15 point advantage over Evi Van Acker (BEL) and only a near disaster could have seen her knocked off her perch. She sailed well, finishing fourth which was more than enough for gold.
“It has been a really good week for me,” commented Bouwmeester. “I had some steady results and I was happy to take it in today during the Medal Race.
“I had five first places and two seconds and that was my best scorecard ever, so I am very pleased with that, that’s results wise but todays sailing was a little less brilliant and still a lot to work on.”
Van Acker took the Medal Race victory to confirm silver.
The race for bronze was little bit more tense with plenty of equations possible. Alison Young (GBR) held the spot overnight however a great performance from Anne-Marie Rindom catapulted her into bronze. Rindom’s second enabled her to remove Young who managed a seventh.
It was a tense finale in the Laser with toos and fros aplenty.
Anything was possible with a number of competitors mathematically in with a chance of taking the medals.
Germany’s Phillipp Buhl clinched gold in the nerve racking race. He finished in third but had Tom Burton (AUS) to thank for him taking gold after he finished in between Buhl and Matt Wearn (AUS). Wearn needed to make up one more spot to pick up gold but Burton held him off on the run to the finish ensuring he missed out by a single point, resulting in silver.
After racing Buhl said, “For myself, the discard in the second race [a 28] made it hard for me to get a medal but I managed to stay consistent through the week and in with a chance for the Medal Race. It turned out to be a gold one which is incredibly surprising.
“The World Cup in Weymouth has been better than ever of course for me. It’s been nice weather with sun and wind, and not too cold like other years. It’s been a good advert for the event and the venue.”
Tonci Stipanovic (CRO) had led overnight but struggled in the Medal Race, taking a seventh to complete the podium.
Pavlos Kontides (CYP) had work to do to push into the podium spots and could only sail his own game and rely on the results. He took the Medal Race victory but ended up three points shy of Stipanovic.
49erFX
Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze (BRA) took a stylish gold in the 49erFX by taking the Medal Race victory.
The Brazilians, World #1 and 2014 ISAF Rolex World Sailors of the Year, trailed overnight leaders Alex Maloney and Molly Meech (NZL) heading into the Medal Race. They concentrated all their efforts on themselves, sailing their own race from the front.
Not worrying about the pack behind them they took the bullet by 39 seconds and had an anxious wait after they took the bullet. Victory was confirmed when Maloney and Meech crossed the line in ninth.
On the day Kunze said, “We could have finished anywhere from first to fourth today depending on the positions of the Medal Race. We thought we had to put about four or five boats between us and the Kiwis and we weren’t sure at the end if we had done it and we were just waiting for them to finish before we realised.
“Both us and the Kiwis had a good and pretty consistent week. We are really happy.”
Maloney and Meech picked up silver and Maloney was left frustrated after racing, “We just didn’t get the shift right today and we couldn’t stay with our competitors which was a bit of a mistake and we just let the Brazilians get away from us.
“It was a pretty nice week sailing in Weymouth, we got some pretty good races in but we had a disappointing Medal Race and we can learn lot from it.”
Spain’s Tamara Echegoyen and Berta Betanzos (ESP) completed the podium.
Starting the day with an 18 point cushion, New Zealand’s Peter Burling and Blair Tuke had a number of options of how they could tactically approach the Medal Race.
The Kiwi’s decided that staying close to their nearest rivals was the best way to go as Burling explained, “We had a little bit to do, but we had a little bit of a points gap on second so the game plan was to try and stay close to them, and we managed to put together a relatively solid result.”
Their chosen tactics worked, and their closest rivals were fellow countrymen and training partners Marcus Hansen and Josh Porebski who finished a place behind in seventh.
Burling was ‘stoked’ with the result and the gold medal, but was even happier that they had their mates standing next to them on the podium.
Taking the bullet and sealing bronze were Great Britain’s John Pink and Stuart Bithell.
Next up for the competitors is ISAF Sailing World Cup Qingdao which takes place from 14-20 September 2015.
Editors Notes
Video
Medal Races will be live from ISAF Sailing World Cup Weymouth and Portland on Sunday 14 June from 11:00 local time.
URL – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQ8hlJyeqxk
Embed –
The ISAF Sailing World Cup is continuously striving to evolve and adapt to make the Olympic class races better for its competitors and spectators.
In Weymouth and Portland, ISAF have introduced some changes and are trialling others to ensure that the races are the best they can be through greater communication out on the water with the athletes.
Something that is being trialled is the use of radios between competitors and race officials. This has been in use already in big boat events such as the Farr 40 and Melges Class Worlds, but the trial introduction into the 470 class at the ISAF Sailing World Cup could be the first step to introducing the concept to all the Olympic classes.
The use of radios has been introduced on the request of coaches and came to fruition through ISAF’s cooperation with the Event organisers. Put into action on day two in Weymouth and Portland it has allowed the race committee to communicate better with all boats and help with the starting procedures.
Head of ISAF Sailing World Cup John Craig said, “This is an idea is to increase communications prior to racing between the race committee and athletes.
“Once the race has started it will enable all competitors in that race to know who started early which has significant impact on the tactics used in that race.
“This type of communication to competitors has been utilised significantly in other areas of the sport, particularly in big boat sailing, but it is a first time introduction to the Sailing World Cup.”
The hope for Craig and everyone involved in the Event is that this extra communication will prevent any possible confusion.
In advance of their first use, Germany’s Philipp Autenrieth thought that the introduction of radios would be a good thing saying, “It’s quite nice to have the radios, especially for general recalls, and it has worked for big boats so why not the Olympic classes.”
Philipp’s thoughts were confirmed by Australian Mat Belcher who said, “The radios were really great actually, especially pre-race. It was really good to have the information like nothing on the course, time delays and things like that.
“They said a couple of times it was all clear which was good to know I thought.
“The weight of the radios didn’t matter either and it was really clear. It was on my crew’s life jacket and he didn’t notice it really, and anything I couldn’t hear he would just relay to me.”
Belcher thought it was such a good idea that he even suggested using them for more sailor information other than just for the starting procedures, “Maybe they could even take it further, like dropping pumping flag would have been quite interesting or we are moving the mark to the right ten degrees, that kind of verbal information would have been helpful.”
The other change that has been introduced to all the classes at Weymouth and Portland are the numerical flag system for race starts.
It is quite simply a numbered flag system which gives competitors a countdown to the start of the races. An orange flag gives a three minute warning that the race officials are going to be beginning the countdown. A white flag with the number five indicates five minutes to the start, a blue with three indicates three minutes, a red two, a yellow one and finally a green to go.
Autenrieth believes the flag system has worked and is a good change from traditional flag system, “The flags are good, it definitely makes it easier for us, the public and the media.”
The public and the media were also factors in the changes being made to the Sailing World Cup. The changes aim to make the start easier to follow for everyone and will help stop confusion and will give the sailors a greater chance to focus on their tactics and race strategy which should make for stronger races.
Video
Medal Races will be live from ISAF Sailing World Cup Weymouth and Portland on Sunday 14 June from 11:00 local time.
URL – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQ8hlJyeqxk
Embed –
There were a few morning nerves amongst some of the competitors at ISAF Sailing World Cup Weymouth and Portland with the forecasted 30 knots never materialising ensuring a beautiful day of racing.
A north easterly breeze, not shy of a shift or two, came in at 14-17 knots ensuring another day of strong competition with a full complement of racing completed.
At the midway stage of the fleet racing, the leaderboards are starting to shake up and give an early indication as to who will come away with the ISAF Sailing World Cup medals, a share of the prize fund as well as an Abu Dhabi Final qualification spot.
Live Medal Races on Sunday – that will be available to view from 11:00 local time here – will bring the competition to a close.
Alex Maloney and Molly Meech (NZL) were the stand out performers in the 49erFX, taking a pair of bullets and a second.
The Kiwis move up from second to first overall and have a slender advantage over World #1 pair Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze (BRA).
“We had a really good day today. Everything kind of felt easy and we were going quite fast and that always helps,” smiled Meech. “It was quite good racing and everyone was going really fast. If you made a mistake you were going to get passed but if you didn’t, then you were always going to pass people.”
In advance of the docking out a few of the 49erFX sailors had helmets at the ready in anticipation of big breeze but things turned out a little differently as Meech explained, “Most of the weather forecasts today said we were expecting 30 knots. I know for our fleet most of the girls don’t handle that stuff so well so we were all nervous heading out. In the end it turned out to be a glamour day with 12 knots and really nice waves. It was perfect.”
Maloney and Meech are amongst the leading competitors in the 49erFX and have the potential and know how to medal at each event. Most recently they finished seventh at World Cup Hyeres and have been working hard to get back on the podium, “We’ve got a few things to work on for the rest of this regatta. Our starts have been a focus for us and things are starting to come together. We’ll look to push on from that and try to get a great result from this regatta.”
Grael and Kunze, 2014 ISAF Rolex World Sailors of the Year, are snapping at the heels of the Kiwis and trail by three points. They took the day’s other race victory and coupled with a second and a third remain firmly in the hunt.
Overnight leaders Maiken Foght Schütt and Anne-Julie Schütt (DEN) slip to third overall following a 6-(8)-4 scoreline.
Six fleet races remain in advance of Sunday’s Live Medal Races so anything can and will happen.
Victor Bergstrom and Victor Vasternas (SWE) have amassed three bullets from six races in the 49er and subsequently lead. They took the first two race victories on the second day and discard their 12th to sit on 23 points.
Marcus Hansen and Josh Porebski (NZL) claimed the days other race victory and are second overall on 26 points. Their compatriots Peter Burling and Blair Tuke (NZL) are third overall on 30 points.
The Women’s 470 also feature a couple of Kiwi girls topping the billing after a steady day of racing. Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie (NZL) lead the way by a single point over Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark (GBR) following a second and a fourth, which they discard.
“It was an okay day,” explained Aleh. “We weren’t really that happy with it as there were a few missed opportunities. The results are okay still but we’re still not that happy.”
After their opening day double bullets the Kiwis posted a second and fourth. “An okay day” for them, an outstanding day for others. But when you’re Olympic gold medallists racing on the same waters as your glory, standards remain high.
Aleh continued, “It’s great to be back here. It’s been three years since we’ve been here and it’s not changed that much. It’s nice to be back and everything’s really familiar. We spent so much time here last time that it’s like another home.
“I guess Weymouth is a lot like New Zealand. There’s the cold breeze and the cold water. It’s a lot like Takapuna where we sail at home. We’re all quite comfortable here. It’s been offshore for the last couple of days and we’ve always found that Weymouth is like home and we fit into it pretty easily.”
London 2012 Olympic silver medallists Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark (GBR) sit in second overall following a sixth, which they discard, and a bullet. Tina Mrak and Veronika Macarol (SLO) remain in third overall.
In the Men’s 470 Stu McNay and Dave Hughes (USA) and Mat Belcher and Will Ryan (AUS) shared first and second in both of the day’s races. The Americans took the first bullet followed by the Aussies whilst the roles were reversed for the day’s other race.
The Americans lead on five points followed by the Australians on 10 points. Paul Snow-Hansen and Daniel Willcox (NZL) are third on 14 points.
Finn
Giles Scott (GBR) was back on the money in the Finn, doing what he does best, winning sailboat races.
He opened the day with a second and hit back with a bullet to move into first overall. “We’ve had two very similar days now with 10-15 knots and it’s very very physical racing,” commented Scott on the competition.
“I think everyone is feeling pretty tired today. But today for me was a bit better than yesterday. I managed to come away with a 1 and a 2, so I can’t really grumble.”
The Finn fleet features 24-boats in Weymouth and Portland and with the Rio 2016 Olympic fleet comprising of one less it’s the perfect opportunity to race in an Olympic sized pack with an exceptional calibre of competitors, “We have 24 boats, so it surprising how everything seems to be close up and everyone is super punchy on the start line. So you have to watch that a little bit.
“Of course everyone here is quick so it is very easy to find yourself on the back foot and not so many people behind you. But with that said it makes the racing super good. I think in one of the races today the whole fleet was round in 30 seconds. It’s tight street fighting really.”
Jonathan Lobert (FRA) took the days other race victory and coupled with a third he sits second overall, two points off Scott. Josh Junior (NZL) is pushed from first to third by the British and French racers.
Men’s and Women’s RS:X
In the Women’s RS:X, Great Britain’s Isobel Hamilton stays ahead of the field following another consistent day on the water. From the day’s three races she notched up three second place finishes.
Maintaining the British 1-2 is Bryony Shaw who is two points behind her compatriot.
But while Shaw had another good day with a 3-3-1, Italy’s Flavia Tartaglini moved up to joint second on 12 points with two bullets and a fourth place finish.
London 2012 Olympic silver medallist Tuuli Petaja-Siren drops down to fourth on 16 points.
In the Men’s RS:X Tom Squires (GBR) moved a point ahead in the battle of the Brits with a 1-2-4 scoreline. Squires is above fellow Briton Nick Dempsey who was on a 6-5 on the day until a win in the last race improved his fortunes.
Italy’s Mattia Camboni stays in third position whilst Brazil’s Ricardo Santos had a much better day, taking first place in the second race to go with his 2-3 finishes. The Brazilian sits in fourth.
Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin (AUS) had a strong day in the Nacra 17 posting a 7-1-5 scoreline. They lead on 19 points.
Switzerland’s Matias Buhler and Nathalie Brugger are second on 21 points followed by Thomas Zajac and Tanja Frank (AUT), who claimed the final race victory of the day.
Darren Bundock and Nina Curtis (AUS) claimed the days other race honours and are fourth overall.
Laser and Laser Radial
It would seem that Marit Bouwmeester (NED) is taking the experience she has gained from the London 2012 Olympics in Weymouth and Portland and applying it to the fullest effect taking both bullets.
Those two wins have kept Bouwmeester’s score down to three points with an unbeaten run of four from four races so far this World Cup.
Her nearest challenger is Belgium’s Evi Van Acker who finishes the day in second overall on nine points after a 9-4 finish.
Ireland’s Annalise Murphy dropped to sixth with an eighth and a discarded 16th. Murphy’s third place is now held by Great Britain’s Alison Young on ten points following a strong 4-2 day to help move her up the leader board.
In the Laser, New Zealand’s Andy Maloney is still in top spot despite a sixth and an 18th. He drops his 18th and remains at the top of the pile with nine points.
Jesper Stalheim of Sweden had a good day moving up from fourth to second with a 2-10, dropping his 14th from the opening day. His 13 points sits him alongside Germany’s Philipp Buhl on the same points tally. The German finished with a 7-3 scoreline for the day.
Sitting just behind on 14 points is Charlie Buckingham (USA). The bullets went to New Zealand’s Michael Bullot and Australia’s Matthew Wearn.
In the Sonar, double bullets for Australia’s Colin Harrison, Jonathan Harris and Russell Boaden move them to the top of the leaderboard with four points ahead of Norway’s Aleksander Wang-Hansen, Marie Solberg and Per Eugen Kristiansen on six.
The Norwegians are just one point in front of Great Britain’s John Robertson, Hannah Stodel and Steve Thomas who lay in third on seven points following a fourth and second place finish.
In the SKUD18 nothing separates Marco Gualandris and Marta Zanetti (ITA) and Alexandra Rickham and Niki Birrell (GBR) who each take a bullet and second, yet again mirroring the opening day results. They both sit on four points with Will Street and Megan Pascoe (GBR) third overall on nine.
London 2012 Paralympic gold medallist Helena Lucas (GBR) controlled the 2.4mR again with four wins from four races following her two bullets today.
Sitting behind and taking four consecutive second places is Antonio Squizzato of Italy on six points.
Malaysia’s Al Mustakim Matrin remains third overall with a third place finish and a discarded fifth.
Racing resumes at 11:00 local time on Friday 12 June.
Video
Medal Races will be live from ISAF Sailing World Cup Weymouth and Portland on Sunday 14 June from 11:00 local time.
URL – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQ8hlJyeqxk
Embed –
2015 ISAF Sailing World Cup
Melbourne – 7-14 December 2014
Miami – 25-31 January 2015
Hyères – 20-26 April 2015
Weymouth and Portland – 8-14 June 2015
Qingdao – 14-20 September 2015
2015 Final Abu Dhabi – 27 October to 1 November 2015
The fans was turned up for the final day at ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyères as an exciting finale played out across two racing areas.
18-20 knots of breeze ensured the regatta concluded with thrills and spills aplenty. Seven races unravelled on the live broadcast area – click here for a full replay – whilst a further three concluded nearby.
Live Medal Race Replay Embed Code
Across the ten Olympic disciplines, ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyères medals were awarded, a share of the €72,000 was distributed and ISAF Sailing World Cup Final spots were picked up.
49erFX
Last on the race track on the final day, the 49erFX provided a blockbuster conclusion.
Big breeze and big waves tested the 49erFX sailors and there were some thrills, spills and close shaves in a testing race.
One point split overnight leaders Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze (BRA) and Denmark’s Ida Marie Baad Nielsen and Marie Thusgaard Olsen coming into the day.
Following a clear start and intriguing upwind leg, the first mark saw the Danes hold the advantage, getting clear air in their sails. However a close rounding saw the Brazilians touch the mark resulting in a penalty turn and from there they were always playing catch up.
The Danes were able to edge away ensuring an uphill battle for the Brazilians. Pushing their 49erFX to its limits Grael and Kunze lost a bit of control on the second downwind but expertly held it together, with Grael hanging out of the boat yet keeping it upright.
Meanwhile the Danes were never under great pressure, working through the motions and despite being pipped to the Medal Race win by compatriots Jena Hansen and Katja Salskov-Iversen (DEN) they claimed gold by seven points over silver recipients Grael and Kunze.
“We had a really good race,” commented the pair almost in tandem. “We kept calm throughout the course and that was important in these conditions.
“We kept it simple, without pressure and sailed fast.”
Giulia Conti and Francesca Clapcich (ITA) held on to bronze after a fifth. After racing Conti said, “We made a few mistakes so we’re a little disappointed but we’re happy because we had good boat speed and handling. We are happy with bronze. It means a lot to us. After silver in Miami it’s important for us.”
Top Three
1 – Ida Marie Baad Nielsen and Marie Thusgaard Olsen (DEN) – 87
2 – Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze (BRA) – 94
3 – Giulia Conti and Francesca Clapcich (ITA) – 99
49er-Fleet
Women’s 470
It was a winner takes all scenario in the Women’s 470 with any of the top four capable of taking gold.
Fernanda Oliveira and Ana Luiza Barbachan (BRA), Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark (GBR), Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie (NZL) and Camille Lecointre and Helene Defrance (FRA) were all in the running with the capabilities to command and conquer.
In a close, exciting race Medal Race Brazil’s Oliveira and Barbachan came out of the blocks with intent and led at the first mark. They made some gains on the downwind but had Japan’s Ai Kondo Yoshida and Miho Yoshioka for company on the second lap. The Japanese pair passed the Brazilians to take the bullet but it was irrelevant as the Brazilians were well clear of their rivals and finished in second to take gold.
“The points were so close,” explained Oliveira. “We thought that we must do our job and sail our own race. We thought about the points and the other boats but we just focused on us. It was perfect. We finished second in the race and we’re so happy.
“It was our goal to win here and we worked very hard for this and we got it. It’s amazing, we’re so happy.”
Aleh and Powrie came through in third in the Medal Race to move up into silver medal position. “It’s a great way to finish,” commented Aleh. “It’s been a tough week. The Brazilians have been great all week and it was an exciting Medal Race with us all fighting it out.”
Camille Lecointre and Helene Defrance (FRA) followed behind the Kiwis and clinched bronze. Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark (GBR) missed out on the podium by a single point.
Top Three Women’s 470
Fernanda Oliveira & Ana Luiza Barbachan (BRA) – 45
Jo Aleh & Polly Powrie (NZL) – 53
Camille Lecointre & Helene Defrance (FRA) – 54
Men’s 470
It was clear for all to see that Sime Fantela and Igor Marenic’s (CRO) winter training paid off. The pair ended came into the Medal Race 25 points clear of Luke Patience and Elliot Willis (GBR) to claim the gold medal a day early.
Fantela and Igor got off to a great start in the windiest and roughest sea state that the competition had seen all week to finish seventh in the fleet, ending the ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyères on an impressive 40 points.
The fight for second and third place however was much less certain.
Mat Belcher and Will Ryan (AUS) rounded the first mark in pole position. They held their lead throughout the race and went on the claim the Medal Race victory which handed them silver. Luke Patience and Elliot Willis (GBR) finished just four points behind the Australians in third place.
Top Three
1 – Sime Fantela & Igor Marenic (CRO) – 40
2 – Mat Belcher & Will Ryan (AUS) – 55
3 – Luke Patience & Elliot Willis (GBR) – 59
Women’s RS:X
Lilian De Geus (NED) booked her ticket to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and the Abu Dhabi World Cup Final by taking gold in the Women’s RS:X.
The Dutch sailor had a solid advantage heading into the Medal Race and knew a good performance would seal the deal. She put on an outstanding show in the Medal Race and established a commanding lead on the final downwind.
She pulled away to take her first race win of the week, ending 11 points clear of Charline Picon (FRA).
It was a high scoring affair in the Women’s RS:X with ups and downs aplenty.
Picon came through in second in the Medal Race to take silver, a result she was pleasantly surprised with, “If you had said to me three days ago ‘you’ll win silver this week’ I would have said that it was impossible but I’d never give up.
“I never gave up, I tried to fight and I’m happy because I have silver but I’m not happy about my week as I had a lot of bad races.”
Patricia Freitas (BRA) pushed Picon hard in the Medal Race in an attempt to overthrow her but at the penultimate rounding she misjudged the layline which allowed the French sailor to pass. Nonetheless Freitas came through in third, taking bronze.
De-Geus-Leads At ISAF WORLD CUP
Top Three
1 – Lilian de Geus (NED) – 90
2 – Charline Picon (FRA) – 101
3 – Patricia Freitas (BRA) – 104
Men’s RS:X
A competition made up of the world’s most skilled male windsurfers was always going to be a tough challenge for all competitors. Throughout the week there have been many ups and downs with multiple race winners.
France’s Pierre Le Coq started the day knowing that he would take home a medal. The Frenchman entered the Medal Race at the top of the leaderboard with a 15 point lead. An eighth or better would seal the deal and Le Coq finished in seventh to wrap up gold.
Piotr Myszka (POL) was on top form in the big breeze, coming second to take silver whilst a fourth for Byron Kokkalanis (GRE) saw him drop into bronze medal position.
Louis Giard (FRA) revelled in the big breeze and took the Medal Race win. With three race victories, Giard recorded the most out of any racer but was not consistent and ended up eighth overall.
Top Three
1 – Pierre le Coq (FRA) – 74
2 – Piotr Myszka (POL – 81 –
3 – Byron Kokkalanis (GRE) – 83
Finn
Great Britain’s Giles Scott had gold all but wrapped up in the Finn and a Medal Race bullet confirmed his place at the top of the pack.
Scott has controlled the week with a discarded 24th his only result outside of the top ten and he was pleased with his performance, “Taking the event and the Medal Race win is a great way to round up the regatta, especially when it is my first win in Hyères.
“This was not an easy regatta. The conditions were super difficult with light and shifty winds for most of the week so the result is very rewarding.”
Vasilij Zbogar (SLO) gave himself a huge chance of taking a medal following double bullets on the penultimate day. He followed this up with a third in the Medal Race to hold on to silver.
Great Britain’s Ed Wright finished the Medal Race in eighth which was enough to hang on to bronze on 75 points. A fifth from Zsombor Berecz (HUN) left him three points off bronze medal position.
Top Three
1 – Giles Scott (GBR) – 38
2 – Vasilij Zbogar (SLO) – 62
3 – Ed Wright (GBR) – 75
Laser
An overnight protest significantly altered the Laser leaderboard.
The results before the protest saw Tonci Stipanovic (CRO) but a solid lead over Tom Burton. However, during the final fleet race Stipanovic pushed Burton off of the proper course and gained a significant advantage as a result. Following the protest, Stipanovic was scored a non discardable 41st having infringed Tom Burton (AUS). The Australian received 21 points following a redress.
Burton came into the day leading on 45 points, followed by Nick Thompson (GBR) on 47 points. Rutger van Schaardenburg (NED) and Nicholas Heiner (NED) followed on 57 points with Robert Scheidt (BRA) on 58. Stipanovic, meanwhile, was down the pack on 75 points.
The race commenced in a good breeze and Heiner was over the line early and disqualified ensuring he dropped out of the running.
Charlie Buckingham (USA) came out strongly and grabbed the lead. He was closely followed by Burton and the pair jostled at the front of the pack.
Buckingham had the best of the back and forth exchange, taking the bullet. Burton followed 11 seconds behind to claim gold much to his delight as he hit is Laser with a mixture of relief and frustration after a tough week.
With Heiner out of the running it was between Thompson, van Schaardenburg and Scheidt for the remaining medals.
Thompson remained in control and picked up a fifth to take silver. Scheidt kept van Schaardenburg at bay to finish fourth, claiming bronze.
Top Three
1 – Tom Burton (AUS) – 49
2 – Nick Thompson (GBR) – 57
3 – Robert Scheidt (BRA) – 66
Laser Radial
Evi Van Acker (BEL) made it look easy in the Laser Radial taking out the Medal Race bullet to win by 21 points.
It was all on for the remaining podium spots between Gintare Scheidt (LTU), Josefin Olsson (SWE) and Anne-Marie Rindom (DEN).
Scheidt ventured into the Medal Race on 38 points with Rindom on 44 and Olsson on 46.
Whilst Van Acker ran away with the victory Olsson gritted her teeth and got down to business. Pushing hard throughout the race she finished second, doing all she could have possibly done, having started the day in fourth overall.
Olsson had an anxious wait to see where she would finish overall and she witnessed Rindom coming through in fourth followed by Scheidt in fifth. As a result Olsson leapfrogged Rindom but it was not enough to overhaul Scheidt who claimed silver.
Top Three
1 – Evi Van Acker (BEL) – 25
2 – Gintare Scheidt (LTU) – 48
3 – Josefin Olsson (SWE) – 50
49er
Peter Burling and Blair Tuke (NZL) and Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen (AUS) had gold and silver wrapped up in advance of the Medal Race but there was a fight on for bronze.
The advantage ahead of the day was with David Gilmour and Rhys Mara (AUS). They had an eight point advantage over Germany’s Erik Heil and Thomas Ploessel and were in control for the first 50% of the race. However, on the second downwind disaster struck for Gilmour and Mara as they capsized and lost their third position.
The Australians dropped down the pack and came through in ninth. The Germans capitalised on the Australians misfortune, coming through in fourth to steal bronze.
Maja-Dziarnowska
Top Three
Peter Burling & Blair Tuke (NZL) – 49
Nathan Outteridge & Iain Jensen (AUS) – 98
Erik Heil & Thomas Ploessel (GER) – 144
Nacra 17
Billy Besson and Marie Riou (FRA) stylishly sealed gold and an Abu Dhabi Final spot in the Nacra 17 by winning the Medal Race in convincing fashion.
The French team have been dominant in the Nacra 17 and had gold wrapped up in advance of the Medal Race. Besson and Riou got off to a blistering start and were able to grab an early advantage over the pack and never looked back, taking the bullet by 14 seconds over Mandy Mulder and Coen de Koning (NED).
“We’re feeling good,” smiled Besson, “It’s a great day and it’s great to win the Medal Race and finish the week off like that.
“It was really important for France to win here and everybody, including me, is really proud.”
A real battle was on behind the French team between the two boats from the Netherlands with Rio 2016 Olympic selection on the line.
Mandy Mulder and Coen de Koning (NED) brought in an advantage from Trofeo Princesca Sofia and confirmed their spot by finishing second in the Medal Race and second overall. “We’ve qualified for the Olympics for sure,” smiled de Koning.
Mulder added, “This whole week has been a good learning curve for us. We had some difficult conditions with moderate to light winds. The first day was really hard. We had some results in 20s and we learnt a lot and how to come back. We performed well in the next days and we’ll take that with us.”
Renee Groeneveld and Steven Krol (NED) pushed their compatriots throughout the week but couldn’t quite overhaul them picking up bronze.
Besson-and-Riou (c) Christophe Launay, ISAF Sailing World Cup,
Top Three
1 – Billy Besson & Marie Riou (FRA) – 57
2 – Mandy Mulder & Coen de Koning (NED) – 84
3 – Renee Groeneveld & Steven Krol (NED) – 98
Sailors will now regroup and review ahead of the Delta Lloyd Regatta which takes in Medemblik, the Netherlands from 26-30 May 2015. The Delta Lloyd Regatta acts as the qualification regatta for ISAF Sailing World Cup Weymouth and Portland which takes place at the London 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition venue from 8-14 June.
The world’s best 40 Olympic and Paralympic sailors will put their skills to the test once again in Weymouth and Portland, Great Britain with World Cup honours and Abu Dhabi Final places on the line.
Gold medals in the Men’s 470, 49er and the Nacra 17 have been confirmed at ISAF Sailing World Hyères following commanding displays by the leading teams.
Dominant performances from Sime Fantela and Igor Marenic (CRO), Peter Burling and Blair Tuke (NZL) and Billy Besson and Marie Riou (FRA) have ensured they walk away with ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyères gold, a spot on the Abu Dhabi Final start line and a share of the €72,000 prize fund.
Giles Scott (GBR) has all but wrapped up gold in the Finn but for the remaining fleets, the competition is wide open ahead of Sunday’s live Medal Races.
A medium breeze in the region of 9-11 knots ensured all fleets got on the water for their start times with a full complement of racing completed.
Medal Racing on Sunday 26 April is scheduled to commence at 11:15 local time on the live course area with the schedule as follows (times CEST):
Nacra 17 – 11:15
RS:X Men – 12:05
RS:X Women – 12:55
470 Women – 13:45
Laser – 14:35
Laser Radial – 15:25
49erFX – 16:15
Medal Race highlights from the 49er (11:40), Finn (12:30) and 470 Men (13:20) will be shown throughout the broadcast.
Get involved with the Live Medal Races by sending in your questions for the sailors and the commentators by using the #LiveSailing hashtag and mentioning @ISAFupdates.
Peter Burling and Blair Tuke (NZL) were dominant once again in the 49er, sealing the deal with even a race to spare in the fleet racing.
The Kiwis have been unstoppable since London 2012, winning every regatta they’ve attended. Their gains and margins have increased but Burling remained modest after racing, “It’s pretty tough in the 49er in that big fleet. It’s the first time we raced in light air in a big fleet. If you start badly you’ll be in a tough place but if you get a good start and a good shift then you’ll be in really good shape.
“We were stoked to get a couple of good solid ones to begin with and then have it done before the last race today. It’s pleasing to see how our hard work has gone over the New Zealand summer. Everybody else has definitely improved as well. It’s probably a lot tighter out there than the scoreboard shows.”
The scoreboard shows the Kiwis 45 points clear of Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen (AUS) who also sealed silver with only the Medal Race to go.
Outteridge and Jensen won ISAF Sailing World Cup Melbourne to qualify for the World Cup Final. For Burling and Tuke, their victory in Hyères guarantees them a spot on the startline, “The Abu Dhabi final looks really good fun,” added Burling, “It didn’t fit in with our calendar last year as we had a lot on but we’ll probably go this year.”
Alongside World Cup glory and an Abu Dhabi spot the Kiwis also walk away with a share of the €72,000 prize pot. Burling concluded, “Hamish told us on the first day of the event that there’s a little bit of prize money and the live coverage of the Medal Race.
“It’s cool to see a bit of that in the sport now and the live coverage is awesome so people back home can see a bit of what we do. It’s great to see the sport going that way.”
The battle for bronze will be between Erik Heil and Thomas Ploessel (GER) and John Pink and Stuart Bithell (GBR). The Germans have the advantage on 132 points with the British team eight behind.
It’ll go down to the wire in the 49erFX after ISAF Rolex World Sailors of the Year Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze (BRA) knocked Denmark’s Ida Marie Nielsen and Marie Olsen off top spot for the first time.
The Danes had led from day one but the chasing pack chipped away as the week played out. Grael and Kunze recorded a 4-3-10-5 whilst the Danish team picked up a 8-1-19-12. As a result, the Brazilians lead by a single point.
Giulia Conti and Francesca Clapcich (ITA) were the stars of the day taking double bullets to move into third, seven points off the Brazilian leaders.
Fantela-Marenic
Laser and Laser Radial
Laser leader Tonci Stipanovic (CRO) had a clear plan for Saturday’s racing, “I will try to sail the first race the best I can and finish in the top three and if possible, try and win it.
“After that, if everything is between me and him [Tom Burton] I will maybe try and to go on him because he’s discarding 31 and I’m discarding just eight. I think I’m in a good position but we’ll have to wait for the first race tomorrow.”
Stipanovic knuckled down in the opening race picking up a sixth and duly punished Tom Burton (AUS) in the second, pushing him down the pack. Burton ended up 31st, which he now counts whilst Stipanovic discards his 33rd.
Stipanovic leads on 42 points with Nick Thompson (GBR) second on 47 points and Burton third on 55 points. It’ll be full on in the Medal Race with Rutger van Schaardenburg (NED) and Nicholas Heiner (NED) on 57 points and Robert Scheidt (BRA) on 58 points.
Defending Hyères Laser Radial champion Evi Van Acker (BEL) controlled the day, putting in a professional performance. A fifth and a bullet has given her a 13 point lead over Gintare Scheidt (LTU).
“I could have done better today,” commented Van Acker, “The first upwind wasn’t so good, the first downwind also. But I caught up and finished fifth. The second race was much better and I stuck to the plan and had great speed and won with big distances.
“I’m happy about this week and looking forward to the Medal Race tomorrow. I think we will have great wind, a nice easterly breeze and I just want to win and that will be my main focus.”
Van Acker has been a mainstay at the front of the Laser Radial pack and has enjoyed racing with the best of the best from day one, “It’s not so crowded. It’s tight racing and you’re immediately into the finals so the pressure is a much higher. But for me, I see it as nothing different. It’s just racing but I’m liking it.”
Anne-Marie Rindom (DEN) had a mixed day with a fourth and a 15th. As a result she slips from second to third on 44 points. Josefin Olsson (SWE) is two points off the Dane in fourth.
Nacra 17
Besson-Riou
France’s Billy Besson and Marie Riou clinched an early gold in the Nacra 17 with another dominating display. The French team have been a class above the rest across the 11 race series, notching up three race victories and as a result, they have an unassailable 25 point lead.
From the day’s four races Besson and Riou recorded a 1-(14)-9-5 scoreline which was enough for gold with only the Medal Race remaining.
The story on the Medal Race day will be on the silver and bronze medals. Mandy Mulder and Coen de Koning (NED) are six points clear of compatriots Renee Groeneveld and Steven Krol with Ben Saxton and Nicola Groves (GBR) three further points off in fourth.
Up first at 11:15, the Nacra 17 Medal Race will prove to be an interesting opener on the final day of competition.
Further race victories on the day went to Darren Bundock and Nina Curtis (AUS) who are seventh, Groeneveld and Krol, and Saxton and Groves.
Men’s and Women’s RS:X
The Men’s RS:X has stirred up some interesting competition across the 11 race series. With the world’s best male windsurfers in the fleet it’s been an up and down week with multiple leaders and race winners.
Heading into the Medal Race atop of the pile is France’s Pierre Le Coq. The Frenchman was in terrific form posting a 2-3-7 and has guaranteed himself a medal. With a 15 point lead over second place, a solid performance will ensure he walks away with gold.
Byron Kokkalanis (GRE) is second on 75 points followed by Piotr Myszka (POL) on 77 points. Julien Bontemps (FRA) is firmly in the running for a medal with 80 points in fourth.
Stealing the day in the Men’s RS:X was Louis Giard with a 1-1-2 scoreline. The youngster’s performance was a stark contrast to some larger numbers posted earlier on in the week but he pulled himself into the Medal Race to compete for another day.
Lilian De Geus (NED) will go into the Women’s RS:X Medal Race with a nine point lead. The Dutch sailor is reaping the rewards of a good opening five races where she notched up a 15-3-2-4-4 to give her a solid cushion. A 13-11-8-(25)-19-9 has followed but she retains her overnight lead.
Charline Picon jumped into second overall following a final race bullet. With 97 points she is a point ahead of Patricia Freitas (BRA).
Men’s and Women’s 470
There have been some intense battles for the top spot in the Women’s 470. Race wins have been spread across the fleet resulting in some big movements on the leader board. Six points separate first to fourth so it’ll go down to the wire on Medal Race day.
A 4-7 score line ensures Fernanda Oliveira and Ana Barbachan (BRA) hang on to the leading position for two days running.
Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark (GBR) had an impressive day on the water, gaining a second and bullet in the light conditions. The pair will enter the Medal Race in second place, just two points behind the leaders.
Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie (NZL) piled on some pressure with a bullet and a third. As a result they sit in fourth, one point off Camille Lecointre and Hélène Defrance (FRA).
In contrast, the Men’s 470 leader board is a little more set ahead of Sunday’s Medal Race.
Sime Fantela and Igor Marenic (CRO) built on their lead posting a sixth and a bullet. They ended the day an 25 points clear of Luke Patience and Elliot Willis (GBR) to claim the gold medal and a share of the €72,000 prize money with only the Medal Race remaining.
After arriving ashore Marenic chirped, “We are thrilled with how our week went. We sailed really consistently so we are super happy we won before the Medal Race.”
Even though the Croatians have gold sealed they won’t be taking it easy on the final day, “We sail every Medal Race with a sharp mind and we will always try to do our best so that is what we plan to do tomorrow.”
However, the story is still not over for the rest of the fleet. Patience and Willis, sit on 51 points in second, with Mat Belcher and Will Ryan (GBR) and Ferdinand Gerz and Oliver Szymanski (GER) hot on their heels.
Things were looking hopeful at the start of day for Matthias Schmid and Florian Reichstädter (AUT) who were straight out of the traps, claiming the first race win of the day moving them higher up the leader board. After claiming 21st place in the second race they were left 19th overall, missing out on a place in Sunday’s Medal Race.
With only a few points between the top five teams at the top of the leader board, sailors will need to bring everything they have for the Medal Race if they want to join the Croatian sailors on the podium.
Finn
49er-Fleet
Great Britain’s Giles Scott has all but won gold in the Finn following an eighth and a tenth. The Briton has a 19 point lead over Vasilij Zbogar (SLO) and simply needs to complete the Medal Race to take another World Cup gold.
The two race wins of the day went to ISAF Sailing World Cup Final winner Zbogar proving that the conditions on the water suited his racing style. With a strong performance Zbogar has climbed up into second place for the first time in the regatta, relegating Ed Wright (GBR) into third.
Slightly further down the fleet, Saturday’s races provided many ups and downs for the sailors. The only other sailors to achieve a two top ten results were the fifth placed Milan Vujasinovic (CRO) and Andrew Murdoch (NZL), who narrowly missed a place in the Medal Race ending the regatta in 11th place.
Racing is scheduled to commence at 11:15 local time on Sunday 26 April where the medals will be decided.
From 11:00 CEST to 16:50 CEST (09:00 UTC to 14:50 UTC) on Sunday 26 April, live Medal Races from ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyères will be broadcast worldwide on YouTube as well as on ESPN3 in the USA.
The world’s top sailors will be fighting hard for glory, a share of the €72,000 prize money and a place at the World Cup Final in Abu Dhabi.
The new ISAF Sailing World Cup format of 40 boats per fleet is stirring up exceptional competition in Hyères following another day of ups, downs and unpredictability.
Close, tactical racing with minimal separations across the ten Olympic and two Paralympic has excited the world’s top sailing athletes with Saturday’s fleet racing to decide the positions for Sunday’s live Medal Races.
Light, shifty breeze was present across the five race courses and racing got underway in a variable breeze between 3-8 knots.
De-Geus At ISAF WORLD CUP
Finn
It was another day of up and downs in the Finn fleet with only the leader Giles Scott (GBR) demonstrating consistency.
Scott posted an eighth and a fourth which extends his lead over British rival Ed Wright. Scott is 14 points clear of Wright and another day of dominance could seal the deal for Scott and extend his winning run. No other sailor was able to string together two top ten results on the day.
The opening bout went the way of c (USA) as he explained, “I had a great start and worked my way over to the right side. I had some great pressure over there and connected with it, I had the legs from there and it was pretty easy after that.”
Easy, for a world class athlete and Olympic hopeful. Getting an edge has proved difficult in such a highly competitive fleet and Paine explained what’s required to achieve such results, “You have to look for the small opportunity that’s there and sort of look around at the race course and judge what may happen later on in the race.
“It’s like predicting the future and only when you get it right you get a result like that.
“There are a lot of great guys especially when it’s really compact and with only 40 boats it’s really tight competition. I like it and I like the format and I’m looking forward to seeing how it continues.”
Paine’s start in the second bout didn’t quite match his opening race but he battled back to finish 21st, “You win some, you lose and that’s sail boat racing,” concluded the American.
At the end of the day Paine sits eighth overall.
Greece’s Ioannis Mitakis took the second race victory and currently occupies the final Medal Race position with fleet two races remaining.
Women’s 470
From six Women’s 470 races, five teams have taken race victories. Fernanda Oliveira and Ana Barbachan (BRA) picked up their second of the week on the third day and lead by one point. For Switzerland’s Linda Fahrni and Maja Siegenthaler, Friday’s racing saw them pick up their first to move up to seventh overall.
The Swiss pair enjoyed the day and followed up with a ninth to bolster their chances. After racing Fahrni said, “Yesterday was not a good day for us, it just wasn’t working. The day before was okay but today was okay. We’ve had some ups and downs.
“In the first race we had a great start and we were going to the left and got first at the upwind mark and we kept it until the end. It was our wind today. In Switzerland we only have these winds. We are specialists and we are superfast, we really liked it.”
At the front of the pack are Brazil’s Oliveira and Barbachan, winners of the 2013 edition in Hyères, who are just one point ahead of Anne Haeger and Briana Provancha (USA).
They opened with a 13th and concluded the day with a bullet to hold the lead and Oliveira was pleased with her day of work, “We were fast in the light winds so it was a very good day for us. We are happy and we still have two races to go before the Medal Race tomorrow but we are happy to be here again and we are trying to do our best.”
The Women’s 470 is packed full of some of the world’s most technically gifted female sailors. Anything can change in an instant with mistakes duly punished as Oliveira added, “The level of the fleet is very high and it’s difficult for everybody. If you look at the results in the 470 women you will see that it is very up and down, up and down.
“You have to try and do your best all the time, never give up. Each point that you gain is vital. At some point in time, you will need that extra point.”
Camille Lecointre and Helene Defrance (FRA) were the winners on the day posting a 2-4 scoreline. They are four points off the leaders in third.
Men’s 470
There was some fighting between 470 leaders Sime Fantela and Igor Marenic (CRO) and Gabrio Zandona and Andrea Trani (ITA) which resulted in some mixed results for both teams.
The Croatians opened their day with a fifth with the Italians posting a third but the second race of the day worked in the Italians favour as Fantela explained, “We had a fight with Gabrio on the pin end of the start and we touched the pin end boat.
“We had to do a 360 and at that moment we were at least 30 metres behind the whole fleet,” emphasised Fantela. “We started in the last position, fighting, fighting, fighting back.”
The Italians worked their way through the fleet, moving up and down, eventually finishing in 14th but things did not quite go the Croatians way as Fantela continued, “We managed to climb up to 20-25 in the first downwind and then in the second upwind we were so slow and we had to check the centreboard and we had a bag on it. We went down again and managed a good final downwind to climb up to 25th.
“It is a bad result but at least it’s not 40. Until now it was good. We didn’t use up our discard until that race.”
The Croatians lead on 19 points. The Italians follow on 30 points with Jordi Xammar and Joan Herp (ESP) third on 34 points.
Even though Fantela and Marenic lead by 11 points they are under no illusion that the job is done and will go back to basics for the penultimate day on Saturday, “We will enter tomorrow like it’s the first day. We’ll forget about the last three days. We’ll try to do our best and see what happens.
“Then we will calculate for the Medal Race. You can win and lose a lot from tomorrow’s two races so we won’t think about the boats around us. We’ll stay relaxed, motivated and calm. Then we’ll see how it works.”
Laser and Laser Radial
Tonci Stipanovic (CRO) reduced Tom Burton’s (AUS) lead in the Laser and has his sights firmly set on him with two fleet races remaining.
The Croatian’s 3-8 pulls him to within five points of the Australian after he notched up an 11-5 and he has a plan for the penultimate day of racing, “I will try to sail the first race the best I can and finish in the top three and if possible, try and win it.
“After that, if everything is between me and him [Burton] I will maybe try and to go on him because he’s discarding 31 and I’m discarding just eight. I think I’m in a good position but we’ll have to wait for the first race tomorrow.”
Burton leads on 23 points followed by Stipanovic on 28. Nicholas Heiner (NED) is firmly in contention in third on 32 points.
Racing in the Laser has been about making gains when and where possible. Making big gains on Friday was Italy’s Giovanni Coccoluto.
The young Italian had posted a 32-23-37-(40) in advance of Friday’s but hit top form, fighting up the pack taking a 13-4. “I sailed very badly over the last two days so I knew I needed to change something,” commented Coccoluto. “I took some more risks and they paid off. I know I could have sailed better but compared to the last two days it’s a good one for me.
“I took more risks at the start, starting at one end and it was a good choice.
“I just thought about sailing fast and taking good shifts but I made mistakes today. It was better than the other days so it’s okay.”
In the Laser Radial, Evi Van Acker (BEL) edged ahead of Anne-Marie Rindom (DEN) following a 7-2 compared to the Danes 12-3.
Van Acker tops the leader board on 19 points with Rindom second on 25 points. Gintare Scheidt (LTU) is third.
The eighth placed Marit Bouwmeester (NED) and fourth placed Josefin Olsson (SWE) secured the day’s victories.
Nacra 17
Nacra-17
Towards the end of the day in Hyères the wind began to die which resulted in only a single race for the Nacra 17 fleet.
Puerto Rico’s experienced multihull specialist Enrique Figueroa and Franchesca Valdes Ortega took the race win in the challenging light breeze by just three seconds over Darren Bundock and Nina Curtis (AUS).
The result lifts the Puerto Ricans up to 22nd.
Billy Besson and Marie Riou (FRA) continue to lead the fleet following a 12th. They sit on 28 points followed by Lin Ea Cenholt Christiansen and Christian Peter Lübeck (DEN) on 40 points and Mandy Mulder and Coen de Koning (NED) on 42 points.
49er and 49erFX
It was another successful day on the water for Ida Marie Nielsen and Marie Olsen (DEN) who remain in the top spot of the 49erFX leader board. However, inching ever closer to the Danes are Lisa Ericson and Hanna Klinga (SWE) in second place after gaining an impressive two bullets and a 30th which they will discard. The Swedish duo claimed second place at last year’s ISAF Sailing World Cup Final in Abu Dhabi and are firmly on track to claim another podium place in Hyères.
ISAF Rolex World Sailors of the Year Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze (BRA) round off the top three places.
Peter Burling and Blair Tuke (NZL) used up their drop score in the 49er by scoring a 20th in the ninth race of the series. Two thirds preceded the 20th and as a result they are 37 points clear of Jonas Warrer and Anders Thomsen (DEN).
The day’s race wins were secured by Erik Heil and Thomas Ploessel (GER), who are fifth, Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen (AUS), who are eighth, and the ninth placed Marcus Hansen and Josh Porebski (NZL).
Men’s and Women’s RS:X
After Thursday’s fantastic sailing conditions both the RS:X fleets were met with decidedly less wind on Friday. The change in weather conditions made some sailors perform less well while others thrived in the lighter conditions.
At the end of the day Lilian De Geus (NED) still holds on to the top spot after gaining a 13-11-8 scorecard, leaving her 17 points clear of Jiahui Wu (CHN) who is in second place on 62 points.
Race wins in the Women’s RS:X fleet were snapped up by Manjia Zheng (CHN), Laura Linares (ITA) and Charline Picon (FRA) who, after an impressive performance on the water ends the day in fifth place.
In the Men’s RS:X the race for a place in the live Medal Races is firmly on. After a morning postponement the fleet went on to complete three races in winds averaging 7-8 knots.
First place at the end of day three is occupied by Pierre Le Coq (FRA). Le Coq, who has claimed a succession of top ten places at previous ISAF Sailing World Cup regattas, put on a stunning performance to claim two race wins and a third. Still close behind him in second is Nimrod Mashiah (ISR) while fellow Israeli sailor Shahar Zubari took the other race win of the day.
With conditions set to be slightly better on Saturday and just 11 points separating first and tenth place it’s still all to play for. All the Men’s RS:X racers will have to fight hard on the penultimate day to secure their spot in Sunday’s Medal Races.
Maja-Dziarnowska
Paralympic Events
Despite the lighter conditions on the course, the battle for the top spot still continues in the 2.4mR class who managed to complete two races to keep the fleet on schedule.
After dropping one place on day two Bjørnar Erikstad was back on top form and ends the day in first place at the top of the leader board leaving him ever closer to his second consecutive ISAF Sailing World Cup gold medal following his victory in Miami.
Damien Seguin (FRA) is in second place having scored the first bullet of the day. Seguin will discard his 13th place result and ends the penultimate day of racing a mere two points behind Erikstad.
Making her debut in the top three this week is Helena Lucas (GBR) who posted a 2-6 score line.
Matthew Bugg (AUS) also had a successful day on the water and went on to claim first place in the final race on Friday meaning he will go on to the final day of racing in seventh place overall.
In the Sonar, France’s Bruno Jourdern, Eric Flageul and Nicolas Vimont-Vicary were on incredible form claiming both of the day’s wins, firmly proving that the lighter conditions suited their sailing style.
After a third and a discard of sixth place Colin Harrison, Jonathan Harris and Russell Boaden (AUS) slipped down into third overall.
With the final day of fleet racing scheduled for Saturday it will be down to the wire to see which sailors claim a spot in the Medal Race for their chance to win a share of the €72,000 prize pot and a place at the ISAF Sailing World Cup Final in Abu Dhabi in November.
The biggest smile of the day at ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyères belonged to Poland’s Maja Dziarnowska after she picked up three straight race wins in the Women’s RS:X.
When asked about how she dominated the day, Dziarnowska commented, “there is no mercy”. With the new ISAF Sailing World Cup format exciting the sailors competing in the French Riviera, no mercy can be shown if they want to end up on top and the Polish racer demonstrated that perfectly well.
A strong breeze, which built to around 16 knots, filled all five courses consistently throughout the day allowing sailors to truly put all their skills to the test.
The leader boards are starting to take shape across the ten Olympic and two Paralympic disciplines in Hyères ahead of the Medal Races on Sunday 26 April where a share of the €72,000 prize fund, ISAF Sailing World Cup Final spots and World Cup glory are on offer.
Men’s and Women’s RS:X
Maja Dziarnowska (POL) was beaming with smiles after Women’s RS:X racing having dominated the day taking a trio of victories.
After racing the Polish racer said, “Compared to yesterday when I finished 29th overall, today was good. I had a lot of fun, good speed, I didn’t make many mistakes and that explains my success.
“There is no mercy,” she smiled.
Dziarnowska’s performance has pushed her up from the middle of the pack to third overall. Lilian De Geus (NED) holds the lead on 13 points after a 2-4-4 day followed by Isobel Hamilton (GBR) on 22 points and Dziarnowska on 31.
Despite De Geus holding a steady lead the day belonged to Dziarnowska who revels in Hyères when the breeze is in, “I really enjoy staying in Hyères because we spend a lot of time training here every year. We spend all of April here so I know this place quite well. The wind shifts, the waves and so on. It’s helping.
“This place this year only has 40 women starting and they’re the top 40 in the world so it makes the competition really hard. The smallest mistake costs you hugely and you can lose a lot of places.”
The world’s best Women’s windsurfers are racing in Hyères and anticipation was high in the build-up as Dziarnowska concluded, “The format is super exciting. I was waiting for the start of this event for a long time, I couldn’t wait. Just to see the progression of myself and the other girls, it’s been really exciting.
“I’m enjoying what I do, I enjoy the training, I enjoy staying with my team. We’re called Energa Sailing Team. We’re cool people and then being with all the women here, I love this lifestyle.”
De-Geus-Leads At ISAF WORLD CUP
There were ups and downs across the Men’s RS:X fleet as the competition ramped up a notch.
Byron Kokkalanis (GRE) started the day exceedingly well by taking the opening race victory as he explained, “I made some good choices sailing upwind and jumped up three places. I was ahead rounding the top mark on the second lap and then I just had to chase the Israeli guy [Nimrod Mashiah] and I slid past him at the start of the slalom.”
Kokkalanis struggled in the remaining races posting a 12th and a 23rd, he continued, “I got hit bad at the start in the middle race and I was nearly last so I had to come back but in the last race, something felt really bad. I just couldn’t keep up.
“The conditions changed and the wind picked up more so maybe it was my technique or something with my equipment that I didn’t tune properly so all these things need to be fixed.”
The Greek racer ends the day eighth overall.
Israel’s Nimrod Mashiah was the star of the day. Double seconds and a race win catapult the Israeli up into second, one point off leader Piotr Myszka (POL).
Just eight points separate first to seventh place in the Men’s RS:X after six races. Six more fleet races follow with the potential for further ups and downs ahead of Sunday’s Medal Races.
Maja-Dziarnowska
Nacra 17
It was a busy day for the Nacra 17 fleet. Four races in a good breeze ensured some tired faces back ashore after racing.
Tired, yet full of enthusiasm after racing was Billy Besson and Marie Riou (FRA). The dynamic French duo started the day with back to back victories. A 12th and a third followed which hands them a handy 14 point lead.
“We’re happy because that is a good day for us,” commented a Riou after racing.
The Nacra 17 fleet is of the highest calibre. Olympic medallists and World Champions make up the highly competitive fleet. Maintaining a clear head is key as Riou explained, “You have to always keep the focus on your job. You can lose distance and places quickly in this fleet.
“It’s really tough to sail at this event but really good to sail in a fleet of 40 good teams. The format is good for sailing because for spectators they can follow and understand our sport, it’s better than ever before.”
Lin Ea Cenholt Christiansen and Christian Peter Lübeck (DEN) occupy second overall on 30 points with overnight leaders Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin (AUS) third on 36 points.
Finn
It was a day for the Great Britain’s Giles Scott and Ed Wright. The pair sailed consistently well throughout the two races to land them in first and second place respectively at the end of day two.
Scott is well on track to add another podium finish to his already impressive succession of first places he has collected over the last 12 months.
The stronger winds provided the ideal conditions on the water for all of the fleet making the competition for first place even harder. A race win was also claimed by Tapio Nirkko (FIN) who is tenth overall.
49er-Fleet
49er and 49erFX
Ida Marie Nielsen and Marie Olsen (DEN) solidified their spot at the top of the 49erFX leaderboard. The Danes 6-1-6 scorelines sees them atop of the pack on 17 points.
Tamara Echegoyen and Berta Betanzos (ESP) follow on 32 points with Jena Hansen and Katja Salskov-Iversen (DEN) third on 35 points.
Nielsen and Olsen have proven themselves in the light flukey Hyères breeze that was present on the opening day as well as the consistent breeze on day two. Time will tell if they can continue their good form to take home gold, a share of the €72,000 prize pot and a spot on the startline at the ISAF Sailing World Cup Final in Abu Dhabi.
Peter Burling and Blair Tuke (NZL) asserted their dominance once again in Hyères with a 1-1-2 giving the duo a clear lead ahead of Jonas Warrer and Anders Thomsen (DEN) in second place.
This is the first ISAF Sailing World Cup regatta for Burling and Tuke in 2015 and half way through the regatta they are well on the way to continuing their unbroken record of regatta victories.
Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen (AUS) also enjoyed a strong day on the water, recording three top fifteen results. They sit in third and still have the opportunity to build on their current success over the next three days.
There was some top quality racing throughout the entire fleet and Erik Heil and Thomas Ploessel (GER) claimed a first in the last race of the day.
Laser and Laser Radial
It is tight at the top in the Laser Radial with Anne-Marie Rindom (DEN) and Evi Van Acker (BEL) locked on ten points apiece.
Both competitors put their hard opening day behind them to bounce back nicely. Rindom discarded her 24th from day one and added a sixth and a bullet to count ten points. Van Acker scored a 4-2 on the second day, losing her 17th, to share the lead with Rindom.
The day’s opening race win went the way of 2013 Laser Radial World Champion Tina Mihelic (CRO). The Croatian is 27th at the moment but has the skills and drive to work her way up the leaderboard with four more fleet races remaining ahead of the Medal Race.
It was a similar scenario in the Laser. Tom Burton (AUS) and Nicholas Heiner (NED) discarded their opening day 33rd and 24th respectively to sit in first and second overall.
Burton was in fine form, taking a third and second to take the lead on seven points. For Heiner, his 4-5 on the day is enough for second. Tonci Stipanovic (CRO) is three points off the Dutchman.
Race victories were picked up by Julio Alsogaray (ARG) who is 19th and Kristian Ruth (NOR). Ruth enjoyed a terrific day taking a fifth alongside his bullet and he moves up to eighth.
Men’s and Women’s 470
Following on from Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark’s (GBR) second place success at ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami and, with only four races left until the Medal Race, they top the Women’s 470 leaderboard by the narrowest of margins.
The day provided the perfect conditions for Mills and Clark who started the brilliantly by gaining a first place and an 18th which the pair have discarded. Mills and Clark have no time to relax however, as the fight for the top three places are extremely close.
Rounding off the top three behind the Brits is Anne Haeger and Briana Provancha (USA) in second and Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie (NZL) in third.
The Men’s 470 took to the water this morning and, after two more races Croatian pair Sime Fantela and Igor Marenic end the day in first place five points clear of Gabrio Zandonã and Andrea Trani (ITA) in second.
Race wins on the day went to Luke Patience and Elliot Willis (GBR) and Stuart Mcnay and David Hughes (USA) who are sixth overall.
Paralympic Events
In the Sonar, Colin Harrison, Jonathan Harris and Russell Boaden (AUS) remain at the top of the scoreboard after achieving a second and a third place which the team have discarded. However, the Australian team cannot afford to relax just yet as, hot on their heels and only one point behind are Bruno Jourdern, Eric Flageul and Nicolas Vimont-Vicary (FRA) who achieved a bullet in the second race of the day to land them in second place overall.
Thursday is set to be another interesting day on the water for the class as only one point separates second and third place from the top spot.
In the 2.4mR class, Damien Seguin (FRA) had a fantastic day on the water and showed that the stronger conditions suited his style. Seguin gained a second and first place in the two races knocking Bjørnar Erikstad off the top spot and relegating him into second place.
Seguin is no stranger to this event after claiming second place at last year’s ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyeres and with only four races left to go before the medal race, is well on his way to gaining another place on the podium.
Megan Pascoe (GBR) rounds off the top three sailors in third place. While a race win also went to Lasse Klötzing (GER) who finished the day in seventh place.
Racing resumes on Friday 24 April at 11:00 local time when sailors will continue to compete for a place on the podium and a chance to claim their share of the €72,000 prize money on Sunday 26 April.
The Paralympic competition concluded at ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami, Presented by Sunbrella. It was a frustrating finish with little to no breeze forcing several cancellations. Nonetheless the podium places have been decided.
ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami – Day 5 Highlights
Spotlight on the Paralympic events at ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami, Presented by Sunbrella.
URL – http://youtu.be/JpnwHP4GdkI
Embed –
What could be sweeter than to wrap an Olympic-style event with a medal guaranteed before the Medal Race even starts?
At ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami, there’s an answer for that. Having the gold medal itself wrapped up, and extending an 18-month winning streak.
Do the math. In the Finn class, Giles Scott has 23 points. Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic has 46. Scott could finish 10th out of ten qualifiers in Saturday’s Medal Race, with his closest competitor in first, and still win with points in his pocket.
There have been 599 boats racing on Biscayne these last five days. Scott’s Finn, GBR 11, is not the only one guaranteed to finish in a gold medal position tomorrow. Nacra 17 team Vittorio Bissaro and Silvia Sicouri (ITA), Women’s RS:X dominator Bryony Shaw (GBR) and the breakaway 49erFX Kiwis, Alex Maloney and Molly Meech (NZL) join him with gold in the bag.
Seven of ten Olympic classes completed at least one race on Friday in winds varying from killing light to dead calm. Days like that are a trial for race officials too—and then there was Yuseila Gonzalez Luis, who fought red tape and time and frustration to be the first Cuban sailor racing under the Cuban flag on Biscayne Bay since long before she was born. The morning began with a cascade of troubles and stumbling blocks, but Gonzalez was suited up and on the water in time to start the only RS:X windsurfing race of the day. She didn’t finish, but she was there. Some victories have to be measured on a personal scale.
The good news for Friday. The wind is coming back.
Women’s RS:X
RSX Women Fleet (c) Vincenzo Baglione.Santander 2014 photo credit ISAF
Across 13 fleet races Bryony Shaw (GBR) finished out of the top five just once, resulting in an early defence of her ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami title.
Shaw has been dominant across the week, mustering such consistency that has been lacking from many sailors score lines in the ten Olympic and three Paralympic events on show in Miami. Shaw is 33 points clear of Lilian de Geus (NED) and a further 14 ahead of Flavia Tartaglini (ITA).
“It’s a great start to the year,” commented Shaw. “Miami has had a really high quality fleet here. It’s been very popular, with the new World Cup format and it was a target event for me. I wanted to start the year on a high.
“We’ve had 30 knot gusts down to some marginal and then today was 5 or 6 knots. It was a range of conditions this week and that really played to my strengths. My downwinds have been exceptional this week. I’ve made some big gains and some big comebacks so I am really pleased.”
Shaw’s victory qualifies her to the 2015 ISAF Sailing World Cup Final set to be held in Abu Dhabi, UAE from 27 October to 1 November. After winning the inaugural edition at the back end of 2014, Shaw likes where the World Cup is heading, “It’s a change for the scene, but it’s a change for the better so we’ll always get some world class racing.
“The World Cup series, I really want to do well in it, it’s a focus for me. The fact that winning here in Miami qualifies me for the World Cup Final in Abu Dhabi is great, it’s the focus for sailing now.
“It’s going to be great to have the elite of the sport racing, being the key focus.”
Silver and bronze is yet to be decided. Hayley Chan (HKG) and Olga Maslivets (RUS) are two points off Tartaglini so it’s all on the Medal Race.
Men’s RS:X
ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami, RSX – Shaw (c) Ocean Images
Dorian van Rijsselberge (NED) is ten points better off than Thomas Goyard (FRA) heading into the Men’s RS:X Medal Race.
The Dutchman has been his relaxed yet internally focused self in Miami and is primed for victory if he finishes in the top five.
For Goyard, his performance has come as a bit of a surprise for him. Not for vigilant observers, however, who have seen fervent improvements in Goyard across the last 12 months that resulted in a bronze at the Santander 2014 ISAF Worlds.
He holds a good points margin over the fourth placed sailor and bronze is guaranteed, but he is poised to improve on that, “It’s been a really good week for me. I did not expect to be in second but it is a really good result for me,” commented Goyard. “The wind was crazy today. Tricky and shifty. It was tough racing and still, really interesting.
“Everybody has a lot of points currently, even the leader. It’s not usual but it’s been a good regatta.”
The next ISAF Sailing World Cup regatta is a significant one for the French RS:X team, not only because it’s a World Cup regatta as Goyard explained, “The World Cup in Hyères will be really important because it’s part of the selection process for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. It’s important to do good results all throughout the year.”
For now Goyard is concentrating fully on solidifying silver and potentially overthrowing the Dutchman but he’ll have to keep a close eye on Byron Kokkalanis (GRE) who trails him by three.
Laser
ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami, Laser—Herman-Tomasgaard
Nick Thompson of Great Britain is in a lay-up for gold or silver, and so is Philipp Buhl of Germany, only one point behind. Either of them could place 10th in Saturday’s double-points contest and still lead third-place Matthew Wearn of Australia, if only by a squeaker.
Wearn has more to play for. Brazil’s formidable five-time Olympic medalist, Robert Scheidt, is 13 points back. Add one more point, and there is New Zealander Andy Maloney. The odds favor Wearn for bronze. But.
Wearn was smarting from his results in the Friday races. A 16th and a 30th meant that he has to keep the 20th place finish in race six that used to be his throwout. That was the context as he said, speaking for a lot of people, probably “It was extremely tricky racing. You think you’re doing well and then the next minute you’re not.
“Usually you go to a regatta and it’s all about boat speed,” he said. “This week was definitely about being smart as well as getting to the right place quickly. Mentally, it’s one of the hardest regattas I’ve ever done.”
Laser Radial
ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami, Laser-Radial—Constance-Stolz
This Medal Race will be one to watch. Marit Bouwmeester, NED, Anne-Marie Rindom, DEN, and Evi Van Acker, BEL, in that order are separated by only three points.
With such a tight threesome, Van Acker said, “It’s going to be an interesting day.”
The only other Radial sailor with a mathematical chance at a medal is Paige Railey, USA. If she can win the race, she can beat any or all of the top three—if their day turns into a bottom of the pack nightmare.
Railey, a Florida native, called this week of sailing in extremely shifty and unstable winds “probably the most difficult conditions I’ve seen in ten years of sailing here.” With the breeze dropping out of the teens to single digits on Friday, it was close to gruesome, and only a fraction of the scheduled races were completed—and only one Radial race.
“We set up expecting to start in one set of conditions,” Railey said, “and then the race started and we found ourselves in something completely different. All through that race, if you weren’t on the right end of the shift, you couldn’t get to the next one.”
Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie of New Zealand were the Olympic gold medal winners at the 2012 Games, They’ve been solid since, and they have a handy lead now. Today, that lead did not grow, or shrink.
“We went out and waited for breeze,” Aleh said. “It looked promising a couple of times, and then it didn’t. But the race committee has done a good job through the week, and I think they were right today to not send us off in a race that would have turned into a lottery.”
Only the 2012 silver medalists, Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark, could take the gold medal spot away from Aleh and Powrie, and then, given a 19-point difference, only if the Kiwis stumble badly in a way that they just have not done yet.
The battle for bronze? There are six boats within a 10-point range.
Men’s 470
Luke Patience and Elliott Willis of Great Britain are in a position very much like that of the Women’s 470 leaders. Like them, they drifted around for a long day with no result but time lost. They too have a nice lead. They’re ahead by 15 points, and second place is the only team with a shot at them. It could happen, but it would buck the trend. Again, it’s all about the color of the medal.
That second-place team would be Australians Mat Belcher and Will Ryan, who have a 13-point lead over third and a 15-point lead over fourth. In a dream scenario for those two boats, a nightmare scenario for Belcher and Ryan, they could knock the Kiwis out of silver, or even out of the medals.
So let’s give them names.
Onan Barreiros and Juan Curbelo Cabrera of Spain are in third, two points ahead of a pair of New Zealanders, Paul Snow-Hansen and Daniel Wilcox, with another points gap behind them.
A striking fact about the ten boats in the Men’s 470 fleet: Ten countries are represented. In order: Great Britain, New Zealand, Spain, New Zealand Sweden, Greece, South Africa, Russia, France, Japan.
Finn
ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami, Finn fleet in front of the City of Miami
The story of a gold medal for Britain’s Giles Scott is already written, even if the story of the Medals Race is not.
And the battle for silver and bronze will be hot.
Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic of Croatia lifted himself from fourth to second on Friday. “It was not so nice a day for sailing, but it was nice for me,” he said. Gaspic now has 46 points to 47 points for Ioannic Mitakis of Greece. The podium spots are their battle, with only Jake Lilley to watch out for. This rising star is another 11 points back after having his worst day of the week, but still potentially a threat.
It’s remarkable that the Finn class, identified in Olympic-speak as Men’s Heavy, completed two races. A morning start helped. From a booming 7-8 knots at the start of the first race, the breeze dropped to 3-4 knots by the end of the second.
From the Department of Useless Facts: Each race took 1:06 to go to completion.
A professional penultimate day performance from Vittorio Bissaro and Silvia Sicouri (ITA) ensure they go into the Medal Race with gold in the bag.
The defending champions ventured into Miami with one aim, to defend their title. Hard graft had been done over the first four days of the regatta, leaving them in a handy position going into the penultimate day.
Bissaro and Sicouri notched up a 2-1 whilst their nearest rivals, Ben Saxton and Nicola Groves (GBR) missed their opportunity to hold on, only managing a ninth and a discarded 21. The Italians ended the day with an unassailable 26 point lead to take the title once again.
Saxton and Groves have a 17 point advantage over Gemma Jones and Jason Saunders (NZL). Not untouchable by any means but Jones and Saunders will more likely have their eyes on Mandy Mulder and Coen de Koning (NED) and Billy Besson and Marie Riou (FRA) who are within striking distance of the final podium spot.
49erFX
ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami, 49erFX—Maloney-Meech
Consistent days have been few and far between for the 49erFX fleet. No one has truly grasped the Miami race track and after 15 fleet races, every team counts a triple digit net score.
A 110 point net score isn’t usually one which wins regattas, but for Alex Maloney and Molly Meech (NZL) it has proven to be, surprisingly.
They hold an unassailable 50 point lead heading into the Medal Race but will no doubt want to finish strong after a 10-10-20 score line on the penultimate day.
There have been 14 race winners across the five day, 15 race series. Only the Kiwis have picked up a duo of wins. A sign showing that when you read the Miami racing area well, it pays dividends and when you do not, you flounder.
Nonetheless, lessons will be taken away from Miami on the journey to the 2015 ISAF Sailing World Cup Final, which the Kiwis qualify for as event winners.
Although gold is settled, the battle for silver is an intriguing one with one point separating Giulia Conti and Francesca Clapcich (ITA) and Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze (BRA). Jena Hansen and Katja Salskov-Iversen (DEN) are 12 points off the podium and in with a shout.
49er
No racing was possible in the 49er with the light breeze playing havoc. The overnight results stand and Nico Delle Karth and Nikolaus Resch (AUT) will take a one point lead over Joel Turner and Iain Jensen (AUS) into the Medal Race.
Spanish brothers Carlos and Anton Paz are 14 points off the leaderboard with John Pink and Stuart Bithell (GBR) two points off of them and Jonas Warrer and Anders Thomsen (DEN) three off.
In all likelihood, it’ll be a duel between the top two with the Spaniards fending off the medal chasers.
Paralympic Events
The Paralympic events came to a light wind conclusion in Miami with no racing possible.
Results from overnight stand with the medals confirmed.
Norway’s Bjornar Erikstad claimed only his second ISAF Sailing World Cup gold medal in Miami, remaining in control across the seven 2.4mR races. Erikstad’s rivals were either inconsistent or picked up penalties that affected their scores.
Megan Pascoe (GBR) and Allan Leibel (CAN) were on the course side in what turned out to be the final race of the regatta the day prior. Discarding that score ensured they counted their next big score, thus promoting Erikstad and leaving them in silver and bronze medal position respectively.
Dan Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch (AUS) made it two ISAF Sailing World Cup SKUD18 victories in a row in Miami. The pair won the Melbourne edition in December and facing new foes, they claimed another scalp.
Alexandra Rickham and Niki Birrell (GBR) take silver whilst bronze goes to Marco Gualandris and Marta Zanetti (ITA).
A double bullet penultimate day advanced Aleksander Wang-Hansen, Per Eugen Kristiansen and Marie Solberg (NOR) to the top of the leader board. With no racing on the final day, those victories proved crucial as they took Miami gold for the fourth time.
Alphonsus Doerr, Brad Kendell and Hugh Freund (USA) pick up silver whilst Paul Tingley, Logan Campbell and Scott Lutes (CAN) take bronze.
Racing is scheduled to commence at 11:00 local time on Saturday 31 January as the Medal Races bring the regatta to a close.
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