The governing body of sailing worldwide, formerly known as ISAF, has officially announced its rebrand to ‘World Sailing – A Sport for Life’.
At the heart of the federation moving forward is a significant focus on change for the better. More transparency, better communication, stronger governance and greater accountability are the four main aims of the new leadership team and the rebrand to World Sailing represents their commitment to those aims.
Sailing is one of the most inclusive sports in the world, regardless of gender, age or ability of a sailor, there is a boat for anyone and everyone to train and race in. It’s not unusual to see men and women racing alongside and against each other, grandparents sharing a boat with their grandchildren, or able-bodied and disabled sailors going head-to-head – all can compete on equal terms and this is what makes the sport unique.
Not only will the federation have a refreshed look and focus, the new motto – ‘A Sport for Life’ – also reinforces the team’s dedication to the whole world of sailing, from an individual’s first step in a boat to the day they choose to hang up their salopettes.
Malcolm Page, Chief Marketing Officer of World Sailing, said, “We are really looking forward to a new era of sailing governance and myself and the team are determined to make World Sailing the best that it can be.
“It feels natural to develop our brand as the organisation evolves. The new identity satisfies all of the existing positive expectations of what our previous mark stood for, whilst moving the brand forward to acknowledge the maturity, functionality and diversity of sailing.
“We have great history and tradition and of this we are justifiably proud. However, in some areas, we were stuck in the past. Only by thinking and acting together, acting now, sharing one clear powerful message, can we move beyond this, remain relevant and grow as a sport.”
The future of the World Sailing will see a united sport from juniors venturing onto the water for the first time to champions competing at the Olympic Games or in the Vendée Globe. Greater value will be provided to Member National Authorities, Class Associations and Continental Federations, alongside initiative developed to grow and broaden participation in sailing.
The International Sailing Federation [ISAF], the world governing body of sailing, has revealed a new production initiative with Sunset+Vine|APP, the Oxford-based unit of the multi-award winning UK independent TV sports production and media company Sunset+Vine.
The two organsiations have combined to create WORLD SAILING, a monthly series designed to take the best of world sailing to a growing global audience for the sport. Matthew Sheahan, the former Racing and Technical Editor of Yachting World Magazine has been appointed as Series Editor.
ISAF WORLD SAILING
WORLD SAILING – a monthly 26-minute programme series – will run from January 2016 with an editorial focus on the build-up to the Olympics as well as coverage, personality features, background stories and news from the cutting edge of the sport.
WORLD SAILING will be available to broadcasters worldwide from January 2016. The programme will be distributed by Sunset+Vine International which has already contracted 30 broadcasters to air the programme and is on course to convert another 20 broadcasters by early 2016; The Road to Rio has brought new interest to the series from Olympic rights holding broadcasters around the world.
The announcement follows confirmation earlier this year that Sunset+Vine|APP had been awarded a significant contract by the governing body to provide live host broadcast coverage and international news at the 2015 Sailing World Cup regattas in Hyères and Weymouth & Portland; and in 2016 the live output will include Miami, Hyères and Weymouth & Portland World Cup events.
Gary Jobson, Vice President of ISAF, commented, “The launch of WORLD SAILING is a real positive step toward quenching the appetite for sailing fans,
“Sailing can be engrossing. WORLD SAILING will have the action to engross. But, it can also sometimes be intimidating for the new viewer. There is a lot happening around the globe and a lot happening within a specific race. WORLD SAILING will bring information to them from an editor with a great track record. It will take the ‘fear’ out and put the fun back in to watching our amazing sport.
“WORLD SAILING will become the go-to show for everything sailing. It will also give sailing a ‘face’ as we get to meet and feature personalities to get to know the real people behind the scenes as well as bringing the news and results. There will really be something for everyone.”
Andrew Preece, Managing Director of Sunset+Vine|APP said, “The launch of WORLD SAILING is a significant development for both ISAF and Sunset+Vine as we seek to provide an international platform for the world governing body on television and on digital channels and social media networks. As we move towards the Rio Olympics part of that commitment will be to providing a platform for Olympic classes coverage and personalities in the build up.
“I am also proud that we have managed to sign a journalist of the standing of Matthew Sheahan to join our team. With his 24 years of experience in a senior role at Yachting World magazine Matt brings an unparalleled knowledge of the sport alongside a rigorous journalistic insight that will help make WORLD SAILING an international focal point for sailing television and digital content.”
Matthew Sheahan, Series Editor and Sunset+Vine|APP Head of Performance Sailing, added, “I am excited to be joining the world’s leading sailing production company in a role that will allow me to utilise the knowledge, contacts and editorial skills that have been part of my career at Yachting World. The media landscape is changing rapidly and WORLD SAILING is a significant development in the sport, so I am particularly proud to be taking the helm of this international series.”
Thirteen nations have qualified for places at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Sailing Competition following the Para World Sailing Championships being held out of the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria in Williamstown, Melbourne, Australia.
Seven One-Person Keelboat (2.4mR) spots, five Two-Person Keelboat (SKUD18) places and six Three-Person Keelboat (Sonar) slots were allocated to the following nations at the 2015 Para World Sailing Championships:
Para World Sailing Championships 2015, Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, Williamstown (Aus). 2/12/2015. Photo: Teri Dodds.
One-Person Keelboat – 2.4mR
Austria
Argentina
Czech Republic
Italy
New Zealand
Sweden
Spain
Two-Person Keelboat – SKUD18
Netherlands
New Zealand
Poland
Singapore
Spain
Three-Person Keelboat – Sonar
Ireland
Israel
Italy
New Zealand
Spain
USA
Para World Sailing Championships 2015, Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, Williamstown (Aus). 2/12/2015. Photo: Teri Dodds.
Away from the road to Rio, the competition concluded with Damien Seguin (FRA) taking gold in the 2.4mR with Dan Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch (AUS) defending their title in the SKUD18. And there were some wild celebrations in the Sonar as John Robertson, Steve Thomas and Hannah Stodel (GBR) snapped up the title.
Several athletes will remain in Williamstown for the next ten days with several crews competing at Sailing World Cup Melbourne. From thereon in it’s into 2016, Paralympic year, and sailors will have their eye on the 2016 Para World Sailing Championships in Medemblik, the Netherlands along the way.
The highlight of today’s racing at the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria in Williamstown, Australia, was the performance of Dan Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch in the SKUD18 fleet. At the Para World Sailing Championships the pair racked up another two wins to wrap up the World title with one race still to go.
They withstood enormous pressure from the Dutch crew of Rolf Schrama and Sandra Nap, clinging to a narrow lead at the beginning of the last downwind leg to cross the line just nine seconds ahead of the plucky Netherlands team.
In the second race of the day, in winds that increased to more than 15 knots, it was the Polish crew of Monika Gibes and Piotr Cichocki who hassled the Australian all the way, but once again, Fitzgibbon held his nerve and the Polish crew trailed them by just seven seconds in one of the most exciting finishes in the series.
Their two victories today places the Australians in an impregnable position at the end of the day, with a total points score of 11 after dropping their worst score – a third. Even if they do not sail in the final race tomorrow, they cannot be beaten for the World Championship.
Trailing the Australians on the leader board are the British crew of Alexandra Rickham and Niki Birrell, who sailed consistently today to score two thirds and now have a total of 26 points. Third is the Italian combination of Marco Gualandris and Marta Zanetti with 39 points. The Dutch team, with their second and seventh places today still have a chance to displace the Italians, lying just three points behind them at this stage.
Para World Sailing Championships 2015, Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, Williamstown (Aus). 2/12/2015. Photo: Teri Dodds.
It was a different story on the Sonar course today, where the usually consistent Australian crew of Colin Harrison, Russell Boaden and Jonathan Harris really struggled to find any rhythm. They experienced problems yesterday, which were mainly due to really tough weather conditions and huge swings in wind direction. Today’s racing was in stronger breeze, with lesser swings, but particularly in the second race, big seas were challenging for all crews on the windward legs. The Australians were 13th in race 9, their worst result so far, and 10th in race 10.
If conditions were hard, it certainly did not worry the British crew of John Robertson, Hannah Stodel and Steve Thomas, who came away with second and third places from today’s races to lead on the points score table with 31 points. With their worrying day today, the Australian crew loses its place at the head of the leader board but remains in a podium position with French team of Bruno Jourdren, Eric Flageul and Nicolas Vimont-Vicary.
“We struggled for boat speed all day today,” said Australian skipper Colin Harrison, “Boats that were behind us at the start were beating us to the windward mark.” Coach Grant Alderson will be trying to return his team to the routines that brought them success in the early part of the regatta.
In the 2.4mR fleet, Frenchman Damien Seguin has improved at every outing. He sailed consistently early, but has been increasingly dominant in this fleet at every race. He was unflappable today despite the pressure being heaped on him in the early stages in each race, finding his way to the front by the first mark and then extending his lead to finish the day with two firsts. Australia’s Matt Bugg scored a second in race 9 and was right on Seguin’s tail for most of the race but could not find a passing lane. He was fifth in race 10. Germany’s Heiko Kroeger sailed consistently again for third and fourth placings to remain second on the leader board with 28 points, 10 behind the Frenchman.
Para World Sailing Championships 2015, Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, Williamstown (Aus). 2/12/2015. Photo: Teri Dodds.
Helena Lucas will rue the “U” flag disqualification she incurred on the first day. With a 10th place as her worst score, she may well have been in a podium position at this stage and has sailed consistently near the head of the fleet in every race.
Seguin can go into the final race tomorrow full of confidence with a ten point buffer over his nearest rival.
Conditions for tomorrow are forecast to be much lighter than today and racing will be followed by the presentations in the evening.
Vigilance and strict observance was required on the fourth day of racing at the Para World Sailing Championships being held out of the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria in Williamstown, Melbourne, Australia.
With severe conditions forecast for the late afternoon, the race committee brought the starting time forward to 11:00 in an effort to beat the weather. Sailors from 31 nations racing in the three classes selected for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games were expecting a tough day and that is what they received.
Racing on all three courses began in wind strengths of eight to ten knots from the west. All crews noticed wild swings in wind direction. It was a day when crews had to be more observant than usual and ensure that they stayed in sync with the wind direction. Those who failed to do so paid a terrible price.
The SKUD18’s of the USA and Israeli teams were racing against the clock to replace their broken masts in time for the morning start, while Britain’s Helena Lucas had an anxious wait while a boat builder worked frantically through the night to repair a gaping hole in her boat’s transom. In the end the resources of the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria based support personnel successfully managed to have all boats back in action in time for today’s first race.
Para World Sailing Championships 2015, Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, Williamstown (Aus). 1/12/2015. Photo: Teri Dodds.
The SKUD18 started race 7 in 8 knots of breeze from the west, with 75% of the fleet electing to hold starboard tack off the start line and favour the left of the course. The British team of Alexandra Rickham and Niki Birrell set the early pace and rounded the top mark clear of the Italian and French crews. The Australians at this stage were some distance back in fourth place.
On the downwind leg, the Italian and British crews, working the southern side of the course, struggled to gain the upper hand while the Australians gybed away inside them. The gap between boats narrowed considerably on the next upwind leg, with the British boat maintaining control of the race. At the final rounding of the windward mark, the Australians rounded behind the British but ahead of the Italians, with a long gap back to the rest of the fleet. For a moment it seemed that the Australian boat had a chance for an unlikely win as it surfed towards the finish line in a good line of pressure on the northern side of the course while the British boat continued its steady progress on the southern side, trailed by the Italians.
When they gybed back towards the finish line, it became clear that Rickham and Birrell had actually extended their lead while Gualandris and Zanetti emerged ahead of Fitzgibbon and Tesch. It was a graphic illustration of the different wind direction on various parts of the course.
In race eight the Australians reversed the result on the British with the Italians third.
Total points scores with just three races remaining have Fitzgibbon and Tesch leading on nine points, followed by Rickham and Birrell on 20 and Gualandris and Zanetti on 26.
Para World Sailing Championships 2015, Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, Williamstown (Aus). 1/12/2015. Photo: Teri Dodds.
American Dee Smith had a field day in the 2.4mR fleet today, emerging with first and third placings. Although Frenchman Damien Seguin failed to make the top six in race 7, he won race eight to remain in contention, with countryman Kevin Cantin second. The fleet was spread over the whole of the last leg in the last race, an indication of the difficulty many competitors had in reading the breeze.
Seguin leads on 16 points, Germany’s Heiko Kroeger has 21 with Australia’s Matt Bugg on 33.
The Sonar race committee set their course for race 8 in a breeze close to 15 knots, but that dropped to about half that strength at the start signal. Although the Australian boat started well in the centre of the line, they were caught in disturbed air and pinned down to prevent them from tacking away.
It was a case of “beware the wounded Frenchman”, after the crew of Eric Jourdren, Eric Flageul and Nicolas Vimont-Vicary were disqualified from race seven. Penalised by the on-course jury for pumping on the downwind leg, they responded with a one turn penalty instead of two and suffered the consequences. A determined crew started strongly on race eight and were never seriously challenged to take a decisive win.
The Australians had a miserable day. Having committed to the left hand side of the course, they watched in frustration as all the favourable wind shifts occurred on the right. They could not recover and had their worst result for the regatta with an 11th place. Things went slightly better in race eight, where they finished fifth.
“It was a really difficult day out there today,” said Australian coach Grant Alderson. “The good thing is that we still hold a comfortable lead with three races remaining and are on track.”
Para World Sailing Championships 2015, Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, Williamstown (Aus). 1/12/2015. Photo: Teri Dodds.
That may have been an understatement. As the last boat passed through the gate to complete the first of two laps, the leaders were less than 200 metres from the top mark ready to commence the last leg of the race. There was a similar spread in the 2.4mR fleet.
Final standings for the Sonars show Harrison, Boaden and Harris leading with 14 points, ahead of Britain’s Robertson Strodel and Thomas with 28 and Jourdren, Flageul and Vimont-Vicary on 31 after today’s disqualification.
The penultimate day of competition will kick off at 13:00 on Wednesday 2 December.
Sweden’s Fia Fjelddahl has a wise old brain on young shoulders as she bids to qualify her nation for Rio 2016, become a role model and make those closest to her proud at the Para World Sailing Championships in Williamstown, Australia.
Sweet 16, an age that makes her the youngest competitor at the Para Worlds being held out of the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, but her outlook on sailing is clever beyond her years thanks to a strong youth sailing background and competitive sailing around Scandinavia.
“I usually sail dinghies like the Optimist, the Europe and 29er and before each race, it’s very systematic. At first you compare your speed and then you check which side of the course is better but no one’s been doing that here,” explained Fjelddahl. “The fleet have just been checking their speed and I’m like woah, don’t you want to see which side of the race course is good?”
“I’ve been choosing the right side of the course because the best people have been choosing the left side of the course. All the boats are over there so I have free wind and more space to navigate. There isn’t much difference on each side, the leaders are just better and have more speed than me.”
Over on the right side of the Williamstown race track, the young Swede has been impressive and sits 17th in the 48-boat fleet after six races and occupies the final Rio 2016 Paralympic Games spot on offer, not bad for her first event in the 2.4mR.
“I thought I was going to be last because I’ve only sailed this boat for two and a half months. It’s a big surprise that I’m around 20th. I just wanted to have fun and have experience and if I get the chance to get a Paralympic place then I’ll grab it.”
Around 20th was a calculated guess for Fjelddahl. The youngster is yet to look at the overall results and consequentially, has been sailing without fear and pressure. Fjeddahl has some brave decision making to thank for her great results as she continued, “I look at each race as a whole competition. This is very important because I forget what I was doing two days ago or an hour ago and think in the now, wanting to be first and win each race.
“I like to feel cool and not stressed when I sail. I say to myself what I’m going to do before each race. It’s like I’m meditating whilst I’m sailing. If I don’t look at the results I won’t be stressed. It doesn’t matter if I’m placed first or last I’ve always done this. I sail better by doing this.”
Fjeddahl knows that Rio 2016 is a realistic goal having beaten the odds before and has dared to dream a little, “I would be very happy if I qualified,” she said through an optimistic smirk. “When I was sailing Optimists my goal was to qualify for the Nordic Championships and I did it. I then said to my parents, if I can do it then everybody else can do it. If I get the chance to sail at the Paralympics I will feel like a role model, because again, if I can do it, everybody can do it.
“My friends think I’m doing really awesome. But I don’t know if they see it as big competition, they just see me in Australia on the other side of the world. My friends said to me, if you’re going to Rio, then we have to go to Rio. They have set up this whole team who would cook food and clean for me in Rio which is very funny.”
The dream of reaching the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games is within touching distance with five races remaining at the Para World Sailing Championships. Fjeddahl is unaware of where she’s placed at the midway stage of the regatta but as for her coach, Sara Sandberg, “I’m of course looking at results,” chuckled Sandberg, “I’m studying them all the time. We had a discussion about this. I asked if I was allowed to tell her if she was in with a chance of qualifying so she was able to think about some tactics but I haven’t had a clear answer on that question yet.”
Attention swiftly turned to Fjeddahl as a response was sought, “Hmm,” she paused. “I would like to know why someone may be tacking over me all the time because I would want to avoid that person. I won’t change my plan though. I think I sail better calmer and when I’m doing my own thing.”
Sailing – Para World Sailing Championships 2015, Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, Williamstown (Aus). 30/11/2015. Photo: Teri Dodds.
Doing her own thing is working in Williamstown, but it’s not an uncommon trait for Fjeddahl. The 16-year-old started sailing when she was eight in summer camps before moving into club racing at the age of nine. At first Fjeddahl feared some aspects of the sport due to her disability, a low form of cerebral palsy, and avoided going out onto the water when the wind was up and the waves were high. Watching her friends progressing on the water made her realise she needed to make her own choices and not wanting to be seen as a beginner all of her life, pushed hard, got back out on the water and found her favourable conditions, “Because I had my handicap I always lacked some technique with tacks so I always had to think better. When I sailed in light wind and shifts I was on the top of my game. Because I sail on a lake I have always done that. I was always quite good at doing it.”
Whilst Fjeddahl learnt her trade sailing dinghies alongside able-bodied athletes, her disability meant that she also qualified to sail within the Paralympic disciplines.
Her coach, Sandberg and the Svenska Seglarförbundet, the Swedish Sailing Federation, always knew about Fjeddahl but at such a young age, being thrown into the pressurised arena of Paralympic sailing would always be a risk. But the International Paralympic Committee’s decision to remove sailing from the Tokyo 2020 sporting program prompted an immediate response.
Sandberg explained, “We have known about Fia for quite a long time but never got to know her. She’s fighting against all the others on the same level and doing really good. We understood she wasn’t interested in Paralympic sailing, this was several years ago, but we were talking to her coaches and when sailing went out of the Paralympics for Tokyo, we knew it was important to get new nations sailing.
“In Sweden, we felt a bit of shame in that we didn’t have Paralympic sailors because Sweden is a good sailing nation and we’ve had many sailors in many Paralympic Games. I called her coach and asked if Fia was interested in Paralympic sailing but she never really gave an answer. It took three weeks and then finally her coach said, “I think she does.” The day after that I was working in Stockholm and I was going to Gothenburg for another reason and I asked if I should bring a boat?
“It was a yes and I loaded the boat onto the car and drove to Gothenburg and she had it to start playing with and then some weeks after that I was down in Malmo, talking to Fia and her mother. She wasn’t training in the boat as no one could coach her because where they trained at school, they didn’t have a crane to launch it so she had to train somewhere else.
“I went there for two days and we started in no wind, we gave it a try and after that we went to the west coast and started training more.
“We got as many people involved as we could. Stellan Berlin [nine time Open 2.4mR World Champion], is a good friend of ours, and we asked him to give us some time and he did. We’ve had support from Swedish Sailing Federation and Sweden’s 2.4mR sailors.”
In addition to the support within her nation, Fjeddahl also benefitted from the support of the World Sailing Paralympic Development Program, a five day coaching clinic that took place before the event. Additional time on the water, expert coaching and at the world’s venue, it was the perfect preparation, “The coaches made the sailors think about things on their own. It wasn’t like, “Fia you have to do this, Fia you have to think about this” you had to figure the boat out on your own, the sails, the shape, the speed and that was really good because you have the capabilities to solve everything. No one can tell you how to problem solve in a race,” said Sandberg.
“Fia is very good at analysing the situations. That is her advantage here. Before we came to Melbourne we maybe had ten hours in the boat. She’s used to big fleets though and not all the sailors here are. She’s figured out her tactics and she knows how to make her own plan, not looking at the top athletes. She knows exactly what to do and sticks to her plan.”
Sticking to a plan is vital and there can be no regrets in Williamstown as the 2015 worlds acts as the final qualifier for Rio 2016. The sweet 16-year-old has her plan, she has her focus but can she take one of the places?
Broken masts, collisions and a tough old day for the sailors at the Para World Sailing Championships as Port Phillip showed its wild side on the third day of competition in Williamstown, Melbourne, Australia.
A warm northerly breeze lured the sailors out of the comfortable surroundings of the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria to their respective course areas with no sign of what was to follow.
The first race for all fleets was run in a breeze of 15 knots or so, with gusts to 20 knots and the wind direction swinging wildly in each gust. It was challenging but enjoyable sailing. In the second race however, the breeze built quickly. Strong gusts, reported at 30 knots, caught many crews unawares, with spectacular results.
Sailing – Para World Sailing Championships 2015, Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, Williamstown (Aus). 30/11/2015. Photo: Teri Dodds.
Israeli and American SKUD18 sailors fell victim to the second race gusts as their masts snapped whilst Puerto Rico’s Julio Reguero collided with the committee boat on the 2.4mR race track.
On the SKUD18 course, conditions were trying for all crews in the first race, which was won by Australians Dan Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch ahead of their team mates Amethyst Barnbrook and Brett Pearce, with the Netherlands crew of Rolf Schrama and Sandra Nap third.
In the race that followed, conditions were frightening, with vicious gusts sweeping down the course. Americans Ryan Porteous and Maureen McKinnon launched their spinnaker after rounding the windward mark, only to watch it fill instantly as a gust hit, and snap the mast neatly at the spreaders.
Soon afterwards, the Israeli crew of Hagar and Moshe Zahavi suffered a similar fate, both boats being towed back to the marina. The Australian crew, having established a good lead by the final lap, delayed the deployment of a spinnaker until after they had gybed, and kept a close watch on the Canadian boat closing in behind them. They went on to score another win, with Canada’s John McRoberts and Jackie Gray second and the Netherlands’ Rolf Schrama and Sandra Nap third.
Sailing – Para World Sailing Championships 2015, Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, Williamstown (Aus). 30/11/2015. Photo: Teri Dodds.
Total points after dropping the worst are now Australia on 6 points, Great Britain on 17 and Italy on 21.
At one point during the final race, Julio Reguero (PUR) in the 2.4mR fleet was unable to keep clear of an anchored committee boat during a particularly strong gust, while down the course there were four boats in the hands of support craft. For these little boats with their low freeboard, just keeping then afloat was challenging, and bilge pumps were being used by everyone to pump out water that had swept over them in the high winds. France’s Damien Seguin showed his versatility today by winning followed by Australia’s Matt Bugg, who was third in both races. Canadian Brian Miller was third in race six.
After six races, dropping the worst, Damien Seguin leads with nine points, from Germany’s Heiko Kroeger on 14 and Australian Matt Bugg on 19.
On the Sonar course, the predicted tightening of the competition was clear when the first three boats crossed the finish line almost together, each overlapped with the boat ahead. The Australian crew of Colin Harrison, Jonathan Harris and Russell Boaden started soundly in the centre of the fleet and narrowly led at the first mark from the British and French crews. During the final downwind leg, French skipper Bruno Jourdren broke away from the Australian and British boats, favouring the left as they closed on the finish line. The Australians held their nerve, and with the British boat closing fast behind them, kept the French boat out wide until they gybed back, leaving the Frenchmen to lament what might have been. The finishing order was Australia, France and Britain.
Sailing – Para World Sailing Championships 2015, Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, Williamstown (Aus). 30/11/2015. Photo: Teri Dodds.
In much stronger conditions during the second race, the British turned the tables, leading the Australians home with the New Zealand crew of Richard Dodson, Chris Sharp and Andrew May in third place. The French boat had their worst result for the series so far, finishing eighth.
Total scores, now incorporating the dropping of each boat’s worst score, shows the Australians leading on seven points, ahead of the British crew of John Robertson, Hannah Stodel and Steve Thomas on 13 points and the French crew on 22.
With severe conditions forecast for tomorrow, teams are already discussing their strategy after today’s carnage on the race course.
Poland’s Monika Gibes and Piotr Cichocki are making strides at the Para World Sailing Championships in Williamstown, Melbourne, Australia as they bid to qualify their country for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.
The 2015 Para World Sailing Championships is the final opportunity for sailors to seal a Paralympic Games berth and Gibes was direct when asked about her aims for the event, “I’m here to qualify for Rio 2016 and to make the Polish national sailing team. That’s the first goal and we need to achieve it.”
As one of seven teams aiming to qualify for Rio 2016 in the SKUD18 the stakes are high. Just five more places are available, meaning two teams will leave Williamstown and the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria bitterly disappointed.
Compared to the sailors around them in Williamstown, Gibes and Cichocki lack experience in the pressure pot of a world championship. In fact, they have only sailed at one event together in the build up to the 2015 Worlds, finishing 11th at the Delta Lloyd Regatta in May this year, but they have a vision, drive, determination and strong coaching that pushes them forward.
Sailing – Para World Sailing Championships 2015, Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, Williamstown (Aus). 29/11/2015. . Photo: Teri Dodds.
That drive was evident on the first day of competition as they laid down a marker by taking the first race win. An eighth, sixth and sixth followed and they end the second day of competition fourth overall and in the driving seat for Rio 2016.
Not bad for a crew who only recently started sailing together as their coach, Grzegorz Prokopowicz, explained, “Monika has actually only been sailing for one year so she’s very much a beginner in some aspects but she has spent about 100 days on the water this year.”
But how did she get into sailing in the first place? “In Poland we have meetings and a sports congress for people who are disabled,” continued Prokopowicz.
“Peter, her crew, went to a meeting and asked, ‘who wants to go for a sail with me?’ And Monika said, ‘I would like to try sailing’. It was about a year and a half ago and then she came to us this year and told us she was ready to go.”
Gibes is wheelchair bound having been born with meningomyelocele which is a type of spina bifida but that certainly hasn’t held her up sailing in the SKUD18, a boat that can be adapted to suit the needs and requirements of severely disabled sailors.
“The wheelchair is part of her body,” said Prokopowicz, “she is in a wheelchair and cannot walk but every day Piotr and Monika work really hard on their boat. We are a young crew and we only have one year of SKUD18 experience so we watch everyone, every day and we do a lot of things from what we see and what we learn.
“Monika gets better and better each and every day.”
Sailing – Para World Sailing Championships 2015, Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, Williamstown (Aus). 29/11/2015. . Photo: Teri Dodds.
Whilst Gibes only has one year of sailing experience the same certainly cannot be said of Cichocki who clocks up 30 years of sailing know-how that includes windsurfing, multihulls and offshore racing.
A former able-bodied athlete Cichocki is relatively new to Paralympic sailing with two Para World Sailing regattas under his belt but he has a firm understanding on the sport. Cichocki sailed non-stop around the world in The Race in 2000 on-board Warta Polpharma where he finished fourth with Roman Paszke as skipper.
Sailors such as Grant Dalton, Loick Peyron, Skip Novak and Steve Fossett, to name but a few, competed in The Race but many have linked Cichocki’s time in The Race to his avascular necrosis (AVN) of the femoral head that affects his legs.
Prokopowicz said, “Peter is a really experienced sailor. He had been sailing for 30 years with no disability but now he has problems with his legs.
“He sailed in The Race in 2000 and people think that this round the world race caused his disability as he was on the sea for three to four months. The doctors were unable to establish how it happened as well but many people do think his time in The Race affected him.”
Sailing – Para World Sailing Championships 2015, Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, Williamstown (Aus). 29/11/2015. . Photo: Teri Dodds.
It’s fair to say that Gibes and Cichocki do not let anything hinder their progression, personified by their performance over the first two days of the Para World Sailing Championships.
They have seven more races over four more days of racing remaining to see if they are to achieve their dream of simply making the Paralympic Games. If they make Rio 2016 from 100 days of sailing, how might they fare with 283 under their belt as the day by day countdown to the Paralympic Games rolls on?
In perfect conditions on Melbourne’s Port Phillip, the first two races of the Para World Sailing Championship were run today by the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria in Williamstown, Melbourne, Australia. Winds were steady at around 10 knots and as cloud cover cleared all three course areas were bathed in sunshine.
Great Britain’s Megan Pascoe opened up a first day lead in the 2.4mR whilst Australian sailors in the SKUD18 and Sonar top the billing.
In somewhat of a sensation today, one the favourites in the 2.4mR fleet, Great Britain’s Helena Lucas, received a “U” flag disqualification in the first race and has a lot of work to do to work her way back up the leader board. After two attempts to get the fleet away, the race committee used the “U” flag to try to get a clean start. Even under threat of disqualification for an early start, three sailors still took them on and paid the price. Joining Lucas on the sidelines were New Zealand’s Paul Francis and Australia’s Neil Patterson.
Sailing – Para World Sailing Championships 2015, Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, Williamstown (Aus). 28/11/2015. . Photo: Teri Dodds.
The leading group worked the left side of the course on the first leg, and having established themselves at the head of the fleet, did their best to consolidate their places on the remaining legs, but even within the lead group there were some major changes of position, particularly during mark roundings, where the action was every bit as cut-throat as it was in yesterday’s practice race.
Lucas’ team mate Megan Pascoe took responsibility for Great Britain however, starting well in both races to finish the day with a third in race one and a first in race two, to head the leader board in company with German champion Heiko Kroeger, who scored two seconds for the day, sailing with great consistency throughout.
Damien Seguin of France has seven points, along with Norway’s Bjoernar Erikstad. These four were prominent in both races today and deserve their position on the leader board. Australian Matt Bugg struggled, placing ninth in the opening race and eighth in the second. His team mate Peter Thompson excelled in the second race, picking the shifts well to finish fourth, but with a 29th place in race one, he is well back from the leaders.
Sailing – Para World Sailing Championships 2015, Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, Williamstown (Aus). 28/11/2015. . Photo: Teri Dodds.
Others featuring at various stages, and still prominent on the leader board, are Austrian Sven Reiger, German Lasse Kloetzing, who lies one point behind Matt Bugg on 18 and Czech Republic sailor Daniel Bina a further point back.
Conditions were perfect for the SKUD18’s. Australia’s Dan Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch began with a second place in the first race, but were dominant in race two with a good win. Their main competition will continue to come from the British pair of Alexandra Rickham and Niki Birrell who trail them with a second and third to their credit and Poland’s Monica Gibes and Piotr Cichocki, who posted and eighth in the second race after winning the first.
In race two, the Australians rounded the first mark with a small but decisive lead, but sailing fast and deep under spinnaker, doubled their lead when they reached the gate and went on from there to a very comfortable win.
After racing Fitzgibbon said, “The first day of World Champs for us and we are trying to settle in to a long week ahead. It’s just the first day and the first race was a bit on the light side and a bit choppy and we came away with a second, which was good to settle in.
“In the second race we got a bit more wind, 12-15 knots and we got away with a win in that one, which was good. We extended on the fleet and for the first day, we’re pretty happy with where we are.”
The Australian Sonar crew of Colin Harrison, Jonathan Harris and Russell Boaden had to fight hard for their two wins today.
Sailing – Para World Sailing Championships 2015, Royal Yacht Club of Victoria, Williamstown (Aus). 28/11/2015. . Photo: Teri Dodds.
At the top mark in race two, Canada’s crew of Paul Tingley, Logan Campbell and Scott Lutes led narrowly, ahead of the Australians and Britain’s John Robertson, Hannah Stodel and Steve Thomas. Once again however, Harrison was able to finesse his way to the lead on the downwind leg and from there was never headed.
After two races, the Australian team leads the way with two wins. They are followed by New Zealand’s Richard Dodson, Chris Sharp and Andrew May who recorded a fifth and a second and the Israeli team of Dror Cohen, Arnon Efrati and Shimon Ben Yakov a point further back.
Scores are quite close in this fleet and give the promise of some great competition during the remainder of the regatta.
Racing is scheduled to resume at 13:00 on Sunday 29 November out of the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria in Williamstown, Melbourne, Australia.
Australia’s leading Paralympic sailors are ready for the challenge that awaits them when racing starts at the Para World Sailing Championships in Williamstown, Melbourne this Saturday (28 January).
More than 140 sailors from 31 nations are in Melbourne, Australia’s sporting capital, competing across three Paralympic classes out of the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria.
Every athlete sailing in Williamstown has overcome personal challenges and battles. London 2012 Paralympic Games gold medallists Dan Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch in the SKUD18 and 2.4mR sailor Matt Bugg have all faced tough obstacles through life changing injuries. Not one of them has let that get in their way as they seek out greatness.
Fitzgibbon suffered serious spinal injuries in 1997 which left him a quadriplegic. With Olympic aspirations in advance of his injury, Fitzgibbon swiftly moved into the Paralympic pathway as he explained, “I was a sailor before my accident and I was sailing the 420 and 470s, Sabot and all the way through. I was living the Olympic dream and I wanted to go to the Olympics.
“I was competing in Sail Sydney in 1997 and I had an accident at one of the yacht clubs there during the regatta and I had to change my focus from the Olympic dream to the Paralympic dream.
“It took a bit of time but we found a way in and developed the boat with seating and steering so I could sail the Paralympic boats. I continued my dream in a little bit of a different direction.”
Fitzgibbon and Tesch (c) Bernie Kaaks
Fitzgibbon ventured into his Paralympic campaigning with a clear vision and started in the right way by winning gold in the Hansa Liberty class at the 2004 IFDS Single-Person Dinghy World Championship (Class A).
“Setting a goal is what I have always done,” explained Fitzgibbon. “I think if someone with a disability has a goal just go out and do it. Just start and get experience and enjoy it. It’s important to enjoy sailing and surround yourself with good fun people and go out and do it. It can take a long time but be patient. I’ve been sailing all my life and it’s taken me a long time to get any good.”
Fitzgibbon was certainly good four years on from the 2004 IFDS Worlds as he achieved his dream at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games where he won silver in the SKUD18 with Rachael Cox. Four years later he realised the ultimate, by taking a convincing victory at London 2012 with Tesch.
Much like Fitzgibbon, Tesch changed course to be involved with Paralympic sailing but it wasn’t the first time she had flown the Australian flag, “I first represented Australia in wheelchair basketball when I was 20-years-old in France,” commented Tesch. “Five Paralympics in basketball later I got a gold medal in sailing from London 2012.”
Tesch competed at Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 in wheelchair basketball, winning silver in 2000 and 2004 and bronze in 2008. A golden shine was missing from her cabinet but a chance spot by Fitzgibbon gave Tesch a fantastic opportunity to go for gold.
“I broke my back in a push bike accident when I was 19 and I played wheelchair basketball for five Paralympics,” said Tesch. “I was then invited to do the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race where Dan Fitzgibbon, Paralympic silver medallist in Beijing, spotted this wheelchair basketballer heading to Sydney and gave me a call.
“And now, here I am,” smiled Tesch.
Fitzgibbon and Tesch have formed a strong bond and have remained unbeaten since London 2012 and will be aiming to continue that run on their home waters in Melbourne. Tesch concluded by saying, “We’re looking forward to lining up with the best teams in the world in front of our home crowd and the event will be another great positive step in our Paralympic preparation. And no pressure on us as the defending World Champions…. well, the big target will be on our back after our Paralympic Gold medal first, then 2014 World Champion and our season so far, so watch this space.”
Australian 2.4mR sailor Matt Bugg was involved in a snowboarding accident when he was 24 which left him a paraplegic. A keen sailor before the accident, progression into Paralympic sailing was a natural step for Bugg who was exposed to the sport before he could even crawl.
“Funnily enough my first sailing experience was as a baby on my father’s 30 foot yacht,” said Bugg. “He had a boat called Humbug that he used to sail the Sydney Hobart and Melbourne Hobart races. I’ve been sailing since I was four weeks old.
“As I grew up sailing as a kid, in dinghies, I was already well and truly a sailor. I broke my back when I was 24 in a snowboarding accident and after that it was just a natural fit to go into Paralympic yachting.”
Bugg has made steady progression in the one-person keelboat event since a 16th at his first world championship in 2010. A fourth in 2013 and a fifth in 2014 has shown Bugg that he is on the right path, “My goal is to win a Paralympic medal in Rio, obviously but sailing, for me, is purely about being out on the water. I love being on the water and around it. Also yacht racing is the best kind of racing I have ever done. I love the tactical side of it and the smart side of it.”
Matt Bugg (c) Bernie Kaaks
Bugg remains a focused character, aiming to become one of the best Paralympic sailors in the world and finished with some strong tips for aspirant Paralympic sailors, “My advice to anyone with a disability that likes to look at Paralympic sailing and wants to get into it is to get on the internet, have a look on the Para World Sailing website and have a look around for local Paralympic sailing regattas that are near to where they live.
“And just come and talk to the sailors, talk to me, talk to the coaches and they will be more than happy to put you in a boat.”
Followers can head down to the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria to meet Bugg, Fitzgibbon and Tesch first hand with Williamstown racing scheduled to commence at 13:00 on Saturday 28 November.
The 2015 Para World Sailing Championships will see 142 sailors from 31 nations compete across three Paralympic events in Williamstown, Melbourne, Australia from 27 November to 3 December.
World Championship titles and Rio 2016 Paralympic Games places are at stake with racing taking place out of the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria. A number of Paralympic medallists and World Champions make up the starters in the 2.4mR, SKUD18 and Sonar fleets.
London 2012 Paralympic Games gold medallists Dan Fitzgibbon and Liesel Tesch (AUS) will spearhead the 18-boat SKUD18 fleet in Melbourne and come into the event on an unbeaten run. After a short break following London 2012 the pair were back in the SKUD18 at the 2014 World Championships in Nova Scotia, Canada where they took their first world title together. Since then, the pair have been a mainstay at the top of the podium in the last 12 months winning gold at Sailing World Cup Melbourne and Miami as well as the Delta Lloyd Regatta in Medemblik, the Netherlands.
Sailing on home waters, holding an unbeaten run, the odds look heavily stacked in the Australians favour and Tesch remained confident, “Melbourne is one of our favourite waterways in the world and the event will be another great positive step in our Paralympic preparation. And no pressure on us as the defending World Champions…. well, the big target will be on our back after our Paralympic Gold medal first, then 2014 World Champion and our season so far, so watch this space.
2.4mR Para Worlds fleet set to be most decorated in Paralympic Sailing history
“It’s absolutely fantastic to have the Worlds Championships here in Australia and it’s quite an honour to have it on beautiful Port Phillip. It will be the chance for Australians to have a look at top level, fantastic racing.
“Hopefully we’ll get some fans to come out and see some great Paralympic sailing out here for the first time. It would be nice to get some Melburnians to come out on the accessible boats, to come and have a look and hopefully also to get some Paralympians from other sports out, to come and see one of the best sports.”
Of the 18-teams in Williamstown, just four remain together following the London 2012 Paralympic Games and that experience could prove vital in Williamstown.
Alexandra Rickham and Niki Birrell (GBR) are the most decorated SKUD18 sailors in the fleet and hold five world titles, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 as well as London 2012 bronze. In recent times they have played second fiddle to the Australians but in Fitzgibbon and Tesch’s backyard, there is no better arena to beat them on the Road to Rio and they will be up for the challenge.
Italy’s Marco Gualandris and Marta Zanetti remain together following London 2012 and will be pushing for the podium. Singapore’s Jovin Tan and Desiree Lim also retain their partnership and whilst they’re capable of a podium finish, Paralympic qualification will be their main focus after they opted out of sailing at the first qualifier.
At the 2014 World Championships Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Italy and the United States of America qualified for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Sailing Competition. As host nation, Brazil are guaranteed a spot on the Rio 2016 meaning that five remaining places are up for grabs at the 2015 Para World Sailing Championships.
Seven nations head to Melbourne with expectations of taking one of those five places which will make for an interesting week across the 11 race series.
Paralympic experience from Israel’s Zahavi Hagar, New Zealand’s Tim Dempsey, and Malaysia’s Nurul Amilin Balawi could play key as they sail with new crews for the 2015 Worlds but teams from Spain, Netherlands, Poland and the experienced Singaporeans will ensure a stern test.
The SKUD18 fleet will start racing at 13:00 local time on Saturday 28 November and will conclude racing on Thursday 3 December.
Williamstown, Melbourne, Australia is set to welcome a bumper 2.4mR fleet for the Para World Sailing Championships with 51 boats from 26 nations registered to compete.
The list of sailors making their way to the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria is very much a who’s who of the Paralympic sailing world. Paralympic medals, Para World Sailing Championship honours as well as Open 2.4mR World Championship accolades are among the 51 sailors, making for one of the most decorated Paralympic fleets in history.
Away from the race for the title there will also be an intriguing battle for the remaining Rio 2016 Paralympic Games places available. Eight nations booked their spot for Rio 2016 at the 2014 Worlds with seven further places up for grabs in Melbourne. Every point will be vital with 18 nations vying for those places.
Defending champion Heiko Kroeger of Germany heads into Melbourne on a fine run of form. Since his silver medal performance at the London 2012 Paralympic Sailing Competition in Weymouth and Portland, Great Britain, the German has finished on the podium at every regatta he has sailed at.
Gold medals at the 2013 and 2014 editions of ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyeres helped him to prepare for the 2014 IFDS Combined World Championships (the former name of the Para World Sailing Championships). Kroeger was in excellent form in Nova Scotia, Canada and claimed his sixth Para title. His first came at the Worlds in 1999 and he has been a mainstay at the front of the pack ever since.
Kroeger, a Sydney 2000 Paralympic 2.4mR gold medallist, has competed at two regattas in 2015 picking up bronze at World Cup Hyeres and silver at the Delta Lloyd Regatta in Medemblik, the Netherlands. With bronze and silver up his sleeve can he make it a full sweep of colours in Williamstown? Only time will tell.
France’s Damien Seguin had the beating of Kroeger in Hyeres and Medemblik and much like the German, is a decorated Paralympic sailor with Athens 2004 Paralympic gold and three World Championship titles. Wins in Hyeres and Medemblik ensure the French racer ventures into the Worlds undefeated in 2015 and ready to recapture the title he last won in 2012.
Helena Lucas (GBR) is yet to add a world championship title to her London 2012 Paralympic gold medal with three bronze and two silver medals to her name. Alongside this, Lucas has also mixed it up in the Open 2.4mR World Championships, where able-bodied and Para World Sailing athletes compete side by side. The Briton has silver and bronze to her name at the Open Worlds but is yet to feel gold around her neck in any World Championships and will certainly be aiming to right that in Williamstown.
Further sailors who have what it takes to claim the title include Norway’s Bjornar Erikstad, Australia’s Matt Bugg, Finland’s Niko Salomaa and Great Britain’s Megan Pascoe.
Away from the fight from the title there will be an interesting battle for the remaining Rio 2016 Paralympic Games qualification places in the 2.4mR.
Sailors from Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Norway and the United States of America booked their spot at Rio 2016 last year but for the remaining 18 nations sailing in Williamstown, they’re fighting for one of seven places.
2.4mR Para Worlds fleet set to be most decorated in Paralympic Sailing history
Following the Paralympic Development Program in Weymouth and Portland, Great Britain in August, the 2015 Para Worlds features a number of nations new to the Paralympic sailing arena.
Sailors from Czech Republic, Estonia, Hong Kong and Portugal will sail in Williamstown looking to put the skills they’ve honed in from the Paralympic Development Program into practice.
There are also a number of experienced Paralympians in the fleet including Sven Reiger (AUT), Julio Reguero (PUR), Juan Fernandez Ocam (ARG) and Paul Francis (NZL) who will also be in the hunt for the Paralympic Games places.
Racing in the 2.4mR commences on Saturday 28 November in Melbourne at 13:00 local time.
newfanzone 