All around the globe sailors are taking to the shores where we sail to help clean up plastic and other garbage. As passionate users of the sea, racers, cruisers, sailors young and old unite behinds a love of the oceans. While the 49er and Nacra 17 classes were hoping to participate and lead 200 such […]
via Sailors Are Coming Together Worldwide To Clean Beaches — finixsportsblog
Clearwater, FL. Day four of the Nacra 17 World Championship went off without a hitch. The less than stellar wintery weather that Clearwater has produced has now subsided, and finally the sailors were able to sail in nearly perfect conditions out on the Gulf of Mexico.
Nacra17 Worlds 2016 Clearwater
The fleet was sent out just before noon in a varying 8-12knot breeze, and was back to the beach by 4:30pm. The fast and furious French team of Billy Besson and Marie Riou had a consistent performance throughout the four races that were held. Both of them felt satisfied, and pleasantly happy with the point spread they are currently sitting in. As it stands the French pair sit in first by a staggering 53 points [pending other changes in scores from other teams sitting behind them.
The long day in the Floridian sun didn’t seem to phase the three time Nacra 17 World Champion, Billy Besson who came out to win the first race of the day. Marie notes, “We are really happy with our performance thus far, especially after three long days.” Their worst performance of the day was an 11th in the second race in which they had a situation with the Swiss team costing them quite a few places after rectifying their mistake. “We lost a lot of places after the first upwind in that race, but we came back and back, ending eleventh, so to us it wasn’t really a bad race.” The pair is confident they will be able to tackle any other type of condition Clearwater will throw at them over the course of the final two days.
The closest boat currently chasing after the French team is the venerable Italian team Vittorio Bisssaro and Silvia Sicouri. The former World Cup champions haven’t had the most impressive scores on the board, but they have kept a consistency needed to take control of second place. Interestingly though, Vittorio and Silvia found they may have had a collision with an unidentified object while out on the race course. No marker or mammal was seen by either of the sailors, but they went from about 20 knots to a dead stop, costing them a 2nd, dropping back 6 places to 8th for the second race of the day. “I don’t know what happened, we just hit something under the water. We asked around and they suggested it might have been a turtle, or something like that,” a shocked Vittorio said while meticulously checking over his hulls.
Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin, who recently took second on the podium during the 2015 Worlds in Arhus, Denmark, are tentatively sitting in third, but very likely will jump ahead of Bissaro/Sicouri due to a scoring error by the Race Committee. The OCS they bare on results is being protested by Waterhouse/Darmanin with video footage of their boat going back to amend their early intentions. Really consistent top ten finishes during the first three races, with two of their scores being back to back bullets. They did, however, feel a bit of pain on the final race of the day falling way back into 22nd after a layline error pushed by Waterhouse. “We just sort of got a bit complacent, and we prioritized the left lane as it was really important for the whole day up until the last race. We had a good start, but I just made an error on the layline and it was really expensive obviously. Like yeah, not a good way to end the day but it will probably be our throw out, for sure,” said Jason with upbeat demeanor, and even laughed when he heard his finish was a 22nd. “Wasn’t as bad as I thought, I guess! We were lookin’ really bad there for awhile.”
Jason’s upbeat attitude even applies to the regatta as a whole, where some might be in opposition regarding conditions, Jason feels Clearwater is a wonderful place due to its ability to challenge sailors with all conditions. “Big waves, big chop, lots of different sea state, it’s been a really good regatta to find out who the best sailor is.”
Just six points behind the young Australian team is former Tornado veteran Thomas Zajac and Tanja Frank of Austria. Zajac noted how much of a drag race the first leg always felt like and kept this in mind when preparing to start. Getting off the line cleanly and making gains downwind in the slight swell we saw today was how Zajac and Frank managed to stay more times than not with the top pack. The former Tornado sailor is looking forward to his debut in the Nacra 17 with his female counterpart Tanja. Two years ago this team was hardly ever seen far from the top five, yet with mounting double digit finishes, they are trying to get their groove back.
This past 2016 World Cup, the pair took home a 7th, and now sitting comfortably in fourth, they may have found the secret sauce. “For us its important to find out the good material to stay competitive with the good guys, and yeah, we are happy where we are and hope to get a little bit better so we can be on/near the podium come August.” Thomas is looking forward to competing with a female counterpart in the Rio 2016 games, in which this will be the maiden voyage for the Nacra class. “It’s a more modern class, new vs. old school comparing the tornado and Nacra. And, the biggest difference would probably be – you sail with a girl!”
Rounding out the top five is Allan Norregaard and Annette Viborg Andreasen of Denmark. The long, sun filled day didn’t seem to bother either these stable minded sailors as they sailed their own races, and were able to keep top ten after their initial eleventh to begin the day’s set.
This 2016 World Championship for the Nacra class is operating on all cylinders and the sailors couldn’t be keener to take on the varying conditions that come their way. Three races scheduled for tomorrow to end the qualifying round, and before we know it, Sunday’s medal race will be upon us.
Katy Nastro
It was a big and blustery opening race that kicked off the Nacra 17 World Championships today in Clearwater, Florida. The first race started in a fairly benign 11-12 knots, although the 43 crews probably had an inkling that something big was going to happen when the breeze suddenly shifted 30 or 40 degrees to the left with less than a minute to the start gun.
Nacra17 Worlds 2016 Clearwater
This played nicely into the hands of the defending World Champions Billy Besson and Marie Riou (FRA) who had been fighting hard for position at the left-hand of the start line. The French put the hammer down out of the line and tacked on to the layline for the top mark, and they never relinquished the lead. Somehow, even with the big wind shift, a number of the usual suspects still found their way to the front of the pack, with the Swiss team of Matías Bühler and Nathalie Brugger chasing the French around the track, coming in second ahead of the Spanish pair of Iker Martinez and Julia Rita.
As the race progressed, the breeze built and built, with the shallow waters of Clearwater kicking up a vicious, steep chop. This created perfect conditions for high-speed pitchpoling and it caught out a number of teams including the top Kiwi crew of Gemma Jones and Jason Saunders who came a cropper towards the bottom gate. “It’s a shame because we like the big breeze normally,” said Jones. “But we fell in twice today. Not good.” The capsizes dropped the New Zealand duo out of the front pack and back to 25th at the finish.
The Australian team of Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin were one of a number of crews who had come down to the boatpark this morning to discover that some of their kit had either been damaged or disappeared altogether. Stormy winds and a high tide had washed the water high up the beach, with a few boats actually afloat on the shallow sands. Some teams’ sails were buried below the sand, there was damage to some hulls, but for the Aussies their sail and equipment box had floated away completely. Fortunately it showed up in a marina further down the coast and Waterhouse was able to use his waterlogged equipment to notch up a 4th place finish.
With the breeze whistling up to over 20 knots, and the waves becoming more treacherous by the minute, the race committee was forced to abandon any further racing for the day. So only one race complete, and even then the results remain in doubt after some teams have submitted protest forms claiming that most of the fleet failed to go around the spacer mark at the top of the second windward leg.
The race committee had moved the windward mark to take account of the big wind shift, but most of the sailors failed to see the small spacer mark that had been situated nearby and assumed that there was no space mark at all. One coach commented: “The only reason why some of the boats towards the back of the fleet went round the spacer mark was because they couldn’t bear away properly.” The implication being that it was only boathandling incompetence that led to some boats going around the spacer mark by happy accident.
Tomorrow’s forecast promises more moderate and manageable breezes, and the sailors will be hoping they will be able to catch up on the schedule and get some solid scores on the board.
From 26-31 January 2015, Miami, USA will welcome world class fields in ten Olympic and three Paralympic events for the second regatta of the 2015 ISAF Sailing World Cup series.
Biscayne Bay will come alive with the sails of 651 boats, featuring 848 sailors from 63 nations. The stakes are high at the 2015 edition of ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami, Presented by Sunbrella, with Abu Dhabi Final qualification spots and valuable ranking points available at the 200-point regatta.
The 2015 ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami, Presented by Sunbrella, marks the second anniversary of competition for the Nacra 17. The mixed multihull made its debut at the 2013 edition with a small seven boat fleet that was dominated by North Americans. Sarah Newberry and John Casey (USA) took the first Nacra 17 gold medal and now two years on, Miami welcomes a truly international field with 21 nations represented within the 51-boat fleet.
Seasoned campaigners and young hopefuls will be on the start line come 26 January, gunning for an Abu Dhabi ISAF Sailing World Cup Final qualification spot.
Beijing 2008 Tornado Olympic gold medallist Fernando Echavarri (ESP) will take to Nacra 17 racing for the first time in Miami. Echavarri has paired up with 2011 470 World Champion Tara Pacheco who formerly sailed with Iker Martinez. Pacheco and Martinez, who were coached by Echavarri, split up towards the end of 2014 with Martinez teaming up with Marina Lopez.
The transition from coach boat to the Nacra 17 has gone well for the experienced Echavarri, a two time Tornado World Champion, who is taking things in his stride, “We have been sailing for about two months. We are just starting and there are many things that are going on and we want to think about a one year campaign. If everything works well and we qualify [for Rio 2016], we will then think about the next step.
“Miami will be the first race so we are just thinking about learning and getting into the game again. At the moment we are taking it day by day. We have many things to organise before we even think about our goals. For today I can tell you that our goal is to balance the rudders, which will make everything easier.
“We’ve had some normal starting issues that make us lose some time but we are happy about our progression. There are many things to learn and they are special to remember. Here in Miami we came two days ago [Thursday 15 January] with a charter boat so there is plenty of work to do to prepare.
“It’s a nice competition, as always, in Miami. I am really happy to be back in the game.”
Echavarri joins a list of highly experienced competitors in the Miami Nacra 17 fleet. Two time Nacra 17 World Champions Billy Besson and Marie Riou (FRA), Sofia Bekatorou and Konstantinos Trigonis (GRE), Franck Cammas and Sophie de Turckheim (FRA) and Puerto Rico’s Enrique Figueroa, sailing with Franchesca Valdes Ortega, all have vast experience that they’ll put into practice in Miami.
At the other end of the spectrum are Aruba’s Nicole van der Velden and Thijs Visser. At 20-years-old Van der Velden is one of the youngest competitors in the fleet but with two years of campaigning behind her, she hasn’t been intimated by her older rivals, reaching World #17 and finishing in the top ten at the European Championship.
“It’s amazing how much you can learn in two years just by committing to something,” commented van der Velden. “The learning curve has been huge for me. The Nacra is so much fun to sail and I can’t wait to see what this year will bring for us.”
It would be easy for van der Velden to look in awe at the star spangled fleet that features numerous Olympic medallists, Volvo Ocean Race winners and multiple World Champions but she has used the competition to her advantage as she explained, “It’s awesome to be able to sail against such experienced sailors. It really pushes you even harder to get better and better, especially being so young there’s so much to learn.
“For us at the moment it’s quite important to keep working on our racing skills. So every race we do we try to learn as much as possible from it.”
Lisa Darmanin and Jason Waterhouse (AUS) were the first Nacra 17 pair to qualify for the Abu Dhabi ISAF Sailing World Cup Final when they took the Melbourne title. Teams will be vying to join them on the start line with six days of high intensity racing in Miami.
Great Britain’s Giles Scott will spearhead the Finn fleet, aiming to defend his title and continue his unbeaten run of six ranked regattas and the Aquece Rio – International Sailing Regatta 2014 (Olympic Test Event).
Scott has dominated at every regatta and has his eyes on another victory, “It [the unbeaten run] is absolutely something I’d like to continue. Every regatta I do is incredibly important, but that being said I do really try and focus on each event as it comes so we’ll have to see what Miami brings, I’m sure it will be great racing.
“I think the fleet will be very strong this year with only a handful of the top guys missing. Last year we were plagued by lack of wind so hopefully this year we get good Miami conditions.”
World #1 Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic (CRO), World #2 Caleb Paine (USA), ISAF Sailing World Cup Melbourne victor Ed Wright (GBR) and Abu Dhabi ISAF Sailing World Cup Final champion Vasilij Zbogar (SLO) will all be in the fleet.
Forty five teams are registered to compete in the Men’s 470 and quality is prevalent throughout the pack. Mat Belcher and Will (AUS) will be the ones to beat whilst 2013 champions Sofian Bouvet and Jeremie Mion (FRA) will want to hold on to their title. 2014 ISAF Sailing World Cup Qingdao gold medallists Jordi Xammar and Joan Herp (ESP) will be looking to impress whilst Greece’s Panagiotis Mantis and Pavlos Kagialis will certainly be in the running for top honours.
In the Women’s 470, 2014 World Champions Lara Vadlau and Jolanta Ogar (AUT), Olympic champions Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie (NZL) and Olympic silver medallists Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark (GBR) will renew their rivalry. The trio shared the podium at the Santander 2014 ISAF Worlds as well as the 2014 Olympic Test Event with minimal separation between them.
Miami will be the first opportunity for the trio to test themselves against each other in 2015 which will make for some intriguing and insightful racing.
In the 2.4mR, one of three Paralympic events taking place in Miami, Megan Pascoe (GBR) will be aiming to defend her title. In testing winds at the 2014 edition Pascoe kept her focus to take the victory ahead of Allan Leibel (CAN) and Helena Lucas (GBR). Both Leibel and Lucas will return in 2015 with Melbourne victor Matt Bugg (AUS) and the ever consistent Bjornar Erikstad (NOR) also within the fleet.
Alexandra Rickham and Niki Birrell (GBR) return to defend their crown in the SKUD18 but will face stiff competition from long term rivals Dan Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch (AUS). Ten boats will go in the competitive Sonar fleet with 2014 silver medallists John Robertson, Hannah Stodel and Stephen Thomas (GBR) set to lead the charge.
Competitors in the Paralympic events will have five days of fleet racing from Monday 26 January to Friday 30 January. Medal Races across the ten OIympic events will bring the regatta to a close on Saturday 31 January where medals will be awarded to the top three boats.
The Medal Race places in the ten Olympic and open kiteboarding events were decided at the ISAF Sailing World Cup Final in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates after a tense day of competition.
The top ten in each fleet will advance to the Medal Race in a do or die battle for ISAF Sailing World Cup Final glory and a share of the $200,000 prize fund.
It was another beautiful day in Abu Dhabi with clear blue skies, a north westerly breeze at 10-13 knots with the Emirati waters filled with the sails of 270 sailors from 38 nations.
Highlights are available below:
Abu Dhabi Medal Race Places Decided – Day 3 Highlights Part 1
Find out what went down on the water in the Laser, Laser Radial, Nacra 17, Men’s and Women’s RS:X and the Men’s and Women’s 470.
URL – http://youtu.be/O7tfDiIAFEU
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Close Calls On Penultimate Abu Dhabi Day – Day 3 Highlights Part 2
See what happened in the Finn, 49erFX, 49er and Open Kiteboarding.
URL – http://youtu.be/-v0F23vc_Mc
Embed –
The opening day of racing at the inaugural ISAF Sailing World Cup Final in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates has been described as spectacular, fantastic and perfect.
Smiles were present before racing at the Abu Dhabi Sailing & Yacht Club, on the waters off of the Corniche and around Lulu Island and back ashore upon the conclusion of racing.
A north westerly breeze that ranged between 9-14 knots greeted the sailors across the four race tracks. The outside courses saw big waves to add some spice to the sailors lives whilst the flat water on the inside Corniche course tested the sailors all round abilities.
Racing for the 270 sailors from 38 nations across the ten Olympic and open kiteboarding fleet commenced at 12:00 local time and wrapped up with a full complement of races in the Olympic events.
Finn
Slovenia’s Vasilij Zbogar was dominant in Abu Dhabi’s conditions, picking up a pair of race wins in the 19-boat Finn fleet.
After racing, ashore at the Abu Dhabi Sailing & Yacht, the Slovenian was visibly pleased yet shocked with his regatta opening, “I am a bit surprised with the two first places. It’s much better than I thought I would start. The conditions were perfect for my technique and weight and my boat speed was extremely good. The main issue was that I got a yellow flag in the first race which was a bit annoying but I still finished first.”
Zbogar’s victories came by different margins. A close encounter with Jake Lilley (AUS) in the opening race saw him take the victory by a narrow two seconds. He ramped it up in the second race, taking the gun by 30 seconds over Pieter Jan Postma (NED) and Zbogar wants to continue in the same way on the second day, “I hope we will have the same conditions. I will try to keep this first place until the end but I know it is going to be very hard. Today it was really nice sailing conditions and I’m looking forward to the next few days.”
Abu Dhabi is a new venue for the Slovenian and he has taken to it well, not only the sailing side but offshore as well, “Until now, Abu Dhabi has been a big surprise for me. Everybody was a bit sceptical at first, maybe the venue and the sailing conditions weren’t right but here we are and people are extremely helpful, everything is extremely well organised and the sailing is spectacular.
“I think all the sailors are really happy and they all see it’s a big step forward in Olympic classes.”
Lilley trails the Slovenia by five points in second place whilst Croatia’s Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic occupies third overall, a point behind Lilley.
49erFX
New Zealand’s Alex Maloney and Molly Meech started the ISAF Sailing World Cup Final with a bang by taking the opening race victory in the 17-boat 49erFX fleet.
The pair picked up a second victory in the third race of the day but a sandwiched tenth tarnishes their good start. Nonetheless the Kiwis had some great racing as Maloney explained, “It was beautiful conditions out there with a nice Abu Dhabi breeze and really nice waves. We were on Course C in front of the Emirates Palace and it was pretty nice out there. The first and last race we had 8-10 knots and it dropped down and got a bit interesting, it’s really nice racing out there.
“We were pretty disappointing with our performance at the Worlds but we had a good break and have had some good preparation for Abu Dhabi. We were in Rio for three weeks and we’re feeling a lot more confident again and a lot more focused.”
Whilst the Kiwis lead, it’s the Italian pairing of Giulia Conti and Francesca Clapcich who were the masters of consistency as they notched up a race win and a pair of seconds. They sit second overall by nature of the Kiwis discarding their tenth and Conti’s face was full of smiles after racing, “It was perfect, perfect conditions. There were 10-14 knots with good waves and we enjoyed it a lot. We had good results and that’s why we enjoyed it a lot.
“We felt very comfortable with the boat. It’s good to have a brand new boat as we used to sail with a pretty old one so there are a lot of differences in performance. It’s just perfect to escape from winter and to be here, we love it.”
Conti was also full of praise for everything she has seen thus far at the ISAF Sailing World Cup Final in Abu Dhabi, “We are staying in such a beautiful hotel and the people here are just so gentle and kind. They’re so curious about sailing as well. The venue is just perfect. There is plenty of space so we can move around without having the problem of touching other boats. The weather is warm and there is a huge mall right here, it has everything. I would stay here the whole winter.”
Sweden’s Lisa Ericson and Hanna Klinga complete the podium after the opening day but it’s still early stages in the competition with six fleet races to follow ahead of the Medal Race.
49er
Captain America and Superman’s Polish alias’ Tomasz Januszewski and Jacek Nowak have swooped in to Abu Dhabi to take the 49er lead on the opening day of the ISAF Sailing World Cup Final.
The pair picked up two races wins and a 13th, discarding the latter to top the bill in the 18-boat 49er fleet. They lead Great Britain’s Dylan Fletcher and Alain Sign by a single point, “It’s great to be here and race here with the best of the best,” commented Nowak. “We were on Course D so we were inside the bay and the wind was inshore so there was a lot of shifts and gusts. It was good to have great speed and to be able to read the shifty conditions. All the teams were very close to each other throughout the races.”
The Polish competitors are instantly recognisable on the race track with their superhero outfits and Januszewski explained the origin of their tops, “We are co-operating with under armour, so when the t-shirts went on sale our friend gave us a couple of them.
“He asked who we would like to be and I was just like, stop there, ‘I want to be Captain America’, because I love that superhero and Jack loves Superman.
“After we first wore them everybody has called us Superman and Captain America,” continued Januszewski with a beaming smile, “They’re defending someone’s honour and ambitions so we like those and they’re really friendly, they’re not bad guys.
“It’s a good way to show potential sponsors what we can do and how many opportunities we can give them.”
The racing on the 49er race course was exceptionally close with little separation of the fleet across three races. Fletcher and Sign picked up the first race victory before finishing second behind the Polish sailors in the second. The Brits did not sail the third race due to an equipment issue as the Polish sailors swooped through to take their second race win and the lead.
Januszewski and Nowak are in a good spot to progress with six fleet races and a Medal Race remaining and will be looking to draw on their super strength from within, “With any power you can achieve anything,” said Januszewski, “but if we were to have a power I think we’ll take super speed.”
Women’s RS:X
Great Britain’s Bryony Shaw stole the show in the Women’s RS:X taking three consecutive race victories to hold a steady lead over her rivals at the ISAF Sailing World Cup Final in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
The British racer, who won bronze at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Sailing Competition, was in exceptional form, mastering the conditions and ruling the waves on one of the outside course areas.
“We were out on Course C today so we had quite a bit of swell and waves,” said Shaw. “The wind was between 10 and 13 knots and I was pleased to be sailing fast.”
Shaw proved to be a class above the rest as she read the conditions perfectly to lead at the first mark in all of the races as she explained, “I got a good start in the first race but not such a good start in the second race. The wind had just started flicking to the right so I made a gain from going to the right in that race. The first two races I rounded first and was able to extend my lead.
“In the last race we had lighter winds. I had a great start by the committee boat and really good height and speed and managed to round first again. It was quite a physical race that one. I kept it quite simple and stayed between my competitors and the mark and managed to win that third race. It was a really good day.”
With 270 sailors from 38 nations competing in Abu Dhabi, the British sailor is just one of many competitors who are revelling in the Emirati capital. With a blend of old traditions in a modern metropolis there is plenty for the sailors to learn and enjoy, both on and off the water, “I’ve tried to immerse myself in the culture and we’ve been going out for dinners and the people here seem really friendly,” added Shaw. “The conditions today were fantastic. To be sailing out there in board shorts and for it to be warm, sunny and to be sailing in planing conditions is the best for windsurfing. I’ve had a great time here so far. It’s been a short regatta for them to try and set up but it’s going well.”
China’s Qiaoshan Weng is second overall following a third, second and a discarded 14th. Charline Picon (FRA), 2014 Women’s RS:X World Champion, is third overall after an up and down day that included a second, a fourth and a discarded 14th place finish.
Men’s RS:X
Youngsters Pawel Tarnowski (POL) and Louis Giard (FRA) are showing their experienced counterparts how to race in Abu Dhabi as they top the bill in the Men’s RS:X fleet.
Tarnowski, 20-years-old, stormed into the lead following an exceptional day on the water. He amassed two race wins and a third and holds a two point advantage over Giard, 21-years-old, who took a pair of seconds and a third.
The youngsters lead their more experienced rivals but only time will tell if they are able to continue it through for a podium finish on Sunday 30 November.
Laser Radial
Tuula Tenkanen (FIN) is in control in the 18-boat Laser Radial pack. She picked up a fourth and a first to hold a five point advantage over Alison Young (GBR) going into the second day of competition.
Young has had some time away from the boat throughout 2014 and is happy to be back, competing against the best Laser Radial sailors in Abu Dhabi, “It’s been great fun racing against all the great sailors that are here this week. I’m here this week to learn as much as possible. There are 18 great sailors here so every race is really tight and every point counts.
“It was such tight racing today out on the water with boats crossing the line in packs and I expect that will be a similar story for the rest of the regatta.”
London 2012 bronze medallist Evi Van Acker (BEL) completes the podium at the early stage of the event.
Laser
World #1 Tom Burton (AUS) showed his worth in Abu Dhabi by grasping the Laser lead after the opening day of racing. Burton was strong on the race track and took a fifth and a bullet and was pleased after racing, “It was pretty solid day all around,” commented Burton, “The top guys are all here and with the 20 boat fleet you can’t afford to have a bad race because the guys that will win this regatta, won’t do that so you won’t have a chance to catch up.”
Pavlos Kontides (CYP) took the first race win but an 11th in the second race relegated him down to fifth overall.
ISAF Sailing World Cup Qingdao gold medallist Tonci Stipanovic (CRO) is tied on points with Burton in second whilst Nick Thompson (GBR) occupies third.
Men’s and Women’s 470
It was business as usual for World Champions Mat Belcher and Will Ryan (AUS) in the Men’s 470. The pair strolled into pole position following a 2-4 scoreline. Greece’s Panagiotis Mantis and Pavlos Kagialis are second on eight points with Austria’s David Bargehr and Lukas Mahr in third on ten points.
The day’s race wins went the way of Stu McNay and David Hughes (USA) who are sixth overall and fifth placed Matthias Schmid and Florian Florian Reichsteaedter (AUT).
China’s Shasha Chen and Haiyan Gao and Austria’s Lara Vadlau and Jolanta Ogar shared places one and two in the Women’s 470 and are tied atop of the 11-boat fleet on three points.
Very little separated the two teams on the opening day and they will do battle once again on the second day with two more races scheduled.
America’s Anne Haeger and Briana Provancha are third overall on 10 points, seven off the leading duo but there is plenty of time for change.
Nacra 17
It’s an all French top three in the Nacra 17 with World Champions Billy Besson and Marie Riou leading the way. Besson and Riou are seemingly unstoppable in the Nacra 17 and amassed a steady scoreline that featured two seconds and a race win.
Their compatriots Audrey Ogereau and Matthieu Vandame follow in second with Moana Vaireaux and Manon Audinet in third.
Matias Buhler and Nathalie Brugger (SUI), Vittorio Bissaro and Silvia Sicouri (ITA) and Thomas Zajac and Tanja Frank (AUT) are hot on the French teams heals, tied on nine points.
Open Kiteboarding
Riccardo Leccese (ITA) came out on top on the opening day of kiteboarding after he picked up a pair of bullets. He heads into the next stage as top seed. 2014 World Champion Maxime Nocher (FRA), European and Open Asian Champion Oliver Bridge (GBR) and 2013 World Champion Florian Gruber (GER) follow in places 2-4.
The 20 competitors will be divided up for Stage 2 heats on Friday and Saturday based on their seeding from Stage 1. The top ten boats will then progress to the medal stage.
Two semi-finals will be held with five racers in each. Places 1 and 2 will carry forward ten points, 3 and 4 seven points, 5 and 6 five points, 7 and 8 four points and 9 and 10 three points. Two races in each semi-final will follow with the top two placed sailors in each heading to the final.
From there, it’s a four way single race shoot out for the podium spots.
Racing across the fleets is scheduled to commence at 12:00 local time on Friday 28 November.
The ISAF World Sailing Rankings for 22 September 2014 have been released.
Finn
2014 World Champion Giles Scott (GBR) rockets to the top of the Finn rankings and finally counts scores from the maximum six regattas. Previously ranked at World #14 he adds the maximum 200 points to his total and tallies a perfect line up of first place finishes to keep Sweden’s Bjorn Allansson at bay at World #2. Silver medallist from the 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships, Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic (CRO) moves up one place to World #3.
Finn North American Champion Caleb Paine (USA) posted a career best Finn World Championship result, coming in seventh in Santander and moves up three places to World #8, the highest ranked sailor who is counting points from just five regattas.
The youngest sailor in the Medal Race, Junior World Champion Anders Pedersen (NOR) sailed the regatta of his life, qualifying for his first Medal Race and securing a spot for Norway at the 2016 Olympic Games. Pedersen finished eighth overall and sees his ranking position improve by 12 places to World #16.
49erFX
It was a dramatic 49erFX Medal Race on the Duna course with just two teams fighting it out for the title – European champions Ida Marie Baad Nielsen and Marie Thusgaard Olsen (DEN) and World #1 duo Martine Sofiatti Grael and Kahena Kunze (BRA). The Danish pair got off to the best start but couldn’t hold off the Brazilians and it was Grael and Kunze who claimed the gold medals and consolidate their position at the top of the ranking. Nielsen and Olsen remain at Wold #2 whilst bronze medallists Giulia Conti and Francesa Clapcich (ITA) move up seven places to Wold #3.
Just outside the medals in fourth place were Dutch pair Annemiek Bekkering and Annette Duetz who climb one place up to World #4. It was an up and down regatta for defending champions Alex Maloney and Molly Meech (NZL) who just missed out on the Medal Race cut finishing eleventh but now counting six regatta results they move up six places to World #5.
At their first World Championship together in the 49erFX, Sweden’s Lisa Ericsson and Hanna Klinga finished in ninth place and see their ranking position improve by four places to World #18.
49er
Peter Burling and Blair Tuke (NZL) have a perfect ranking score in the 49er following victory at the Santander 2014 ISAF Worlds that that also extended their unbeaten run to 11 consecutive regattas (four within New Zealand and seven international events). The pair count five regattas to their ranking score and with those around them counting six, they currently sit at World #5.
Jonas Warrer and Anders Thomsen (DEN) picked up silver in Santander and therefore retain World #1 with six solid regatta scores under their belts. Warrer, Beijing 2008 Olympic gold medallist, won gold at ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami and silver at World Cup Mallorca.
Like Burling and Tuke, Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen (AUS) count five regattas to their point’s total. They sit at World #7 following a third place in Santander.
Men’s 470
After a dominant display at the ISAF Sailing World Championships, Mat Belcher and Will Ryan (AUS) retain World #1 in the Men’s 470. For the pairing it was their second world championship title together but for Belcher, it was his fifth in a row, having won three with Malcolm Page in the build-up to London 2012.
Sime Fantela and Igor Marenic (CRO) and Panagiotis Mantis and Pavlos Kagialis (GRE) took silver and bronze in Santander and as a result sit at World #2 and #3 respectively.
Spain’s Jordi Xammar and Joan Herp won the Men’s 470 Medal Race, finishing seventh overall in Santander and as a result move up to a personal best ranking of World #17.
Women’s 470
Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie (NZL) lost out on Women’s 470 gold at the Santander 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships but with a second place overall, their silver lining is moving back up to the World #1 position.
In a do or die final Women’s 470 race it was a dual between the Kiwis and Austria’s Lara Vadlau and Jolanta Ogar for gold. The Austrians took the lead at the first mark and never looked back, claiming a well-deserved first world championship title. As a result of winning gold the Austrians move up to World #5.
Bronze medallists Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark (GBR) count five regattas to their points total and as a result sit at World #13.
Laser
Brazil’s Robert Scheidt has advanced to World #1 in the Laser after a consistent 12 months of racing that features three podium finishes and a fifth at the Santander 2014 ISAF Worlds. Tom Burton (AUS) follows Scheidt by just five points at World #2 after he took silver in Santander.
Nicholas Heiner (NED) was a class above the rest in Laser Medal Race at Santander 2014 taking victory by over minute. With results behind him in his favour the Dutchman was crowned 2014 world champion, sparking wild celebrations. Heiner sits at World #11 counting the full 200 points from Santander, a fourth and tenth at ISAF Sailing World Cup Mallorca and Hyeres, a 16th at the 2013 Laser Worlds and two silver medals from 100-point EUROSAF regattas.
Laser Radial
Marit Bouwmeester (NED) retains World #1 in the Laser Radial after taking her second world championship title at the Santander 2014 ISAF Worlds. Bouwmeester’s last world title came at the 2011 edition of the ISAF Worlds as she once again proved she can mix it up on the grandest of stages.
Bouwmeester is ten points ahead of World #2 Evi Van Acker (BEL) who picked up bronze in Santander. Silver medallist Josefin Olsson (SWE) only counts five regattas in her points total and is currently ranked at World #14.
With plenty of ups and downs within the 120-boat fleet in Santander there are plenty of changes afoot across the Laser Radial rankings.
Nacra 17
Billy Besson and Marie Riou (FRA) won their second Nacra 17 world title after a dominant display at the Santander 2014 ISAF Worlds. The pair won the inaugural title in 2013 and retained it comprehensively with a day to spare in Santander.
They currently sit at World #5 counting the maximum 200-points from the Santander 2014 ISAF Worlds and ISAF Sailing World Cup Mallorca. They received 197 points from their second place at ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyeres but have only sailed at three 200-point regattas, compared to those around them who have sailed at four.
Vittorio Bissaro and Silvia Sicouri (ITA) have finished in the top four at four 200-point regattas, winning two. They retain World #1 and are followed by Darren Bundock and Nina Curtis (AUS) and Thomas Zajac and Tanja Frank (AUT).
Women’s RS:X
Charline Picon (FRA) was the class act of the women’s RS:X fleet at the ISAF Worlds, only once finishing a race outside the top four. Picon had secured the gold medal with a day to spare but finished off her regatta in true champion’s style with a Medal Race win. Counting results from just five events, the 2014 World Champion moves up six places to World #4.
Holding on to the World #1 position is Flavia Tartaglini (ITA) ahead of Bryony Shaw (GBR) and Laura Linares (ITA) at World #2 and 3 respectively.
To the delight of the home crowd, Marina Alabau (ESP) took the silver medal. She moves up six places to World #29 with just three ranked regattas from the past 12 months to add to her points. The bronze medal went to Mayan Davidovich (ISR) who improves her ranking position by seven places to move up to World #14.
Men’s RS:X
Like Picon in the Women’s, Julien Bontemps (FRA) was on fire in the Men’s RS:X at the ISAF Worlds. He finished 21 points ahead of Przemyslaw Miarczynski (POL) to become a two time Men’s RS:X World Champion. Bontemps only counts five regattas out of a possible six to his points total and with 200 points coming his way from Santander he moves up to World #11 from World #18.
Ricardo Santos (BRA) retains World #1 whilst Poland’s Piotr Myszka, who finished fourth in Santander, moves up to World #2. Men’s RS:X bronze medallist Thomas Goyard (FRA) advances from World #8 to World #3, a personal best.
Events Included
For more details on the new events included and events not included in this Ranking release please click on the link below.
The full ISAF World Sailing Ranking lists, results from all ISAF Graded events, lists of Graded events throughout the year, Ranking release dates and the method of calculation for the Rankings can be found on the ISAF website at http://www.sailing.org/rankings
ISAF World Sailing Rankings – http://www.sailing.org/rankings
Video
Re-live the 2014 ISAF Worlds.
Santander 2014 ISAF Worlds – Race Day 10 Highlights – Part 1
49er and 49erFX Medal Race highlights.
URL – http://youtu.be/idg2D07m9jE
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Santander 2014 ISAF Worlds – Race Day 10 Highlights – Part 2
Finn and Nacra 17 Medal Race highlights.
URL – http://youtu.be/4tRIRuCEi7M
Embed –
Santander 2014 ISAF Worlds – Race Day 9 Highlights – Part 1
Men’s and Women’s 470 Medal Race highlights.
URL – http://youtu.be/cNqM7QIuBkA
Embed –
Santander 2014 ISAF Worlds – Race Day 8 Highlights
Men’s and Women’s RS:X Medal Race highlights.
URL – http://youtu.be/z9aWgCUP9JI
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Santander 2014 ISAF Worlds – Race Day 7 Highlights
Laser and Laser Radial Medal Race highlights.
URL – http://youtu.be/EIIcBFGMFPM
Embed – </iframe
Four more world champions were crowned at the Santander 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships as racing wrapped up in the Spanish City on a day blessed with glorious sunshine.
After a short racing delay in Santander a variable 6-11 knot breeze blew across the Duna race course with the 49erFX, 49er, Finn and Nacra 17 Medal Races entertaining a packed grandstand.
2,500 to 3,000 fans watched the action unfold as Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze (BRA) took the 49erFX title in a dramatic Medal Race. Peter Burling and Blair Tuke (NZL) had 49er gold sealed ahead of the final day and stylishly showed what they’re all about by taking the bullet.
Giles Scott (GBR) wrapped up Finn gold with a solid race whilst Billy Besson and Marie Riou (FRA) walked away convincing winners in the Nacra 17, finishing 38 points clear of their rivals.
Re-live the 49er, 49erFX, Finn and Nacra 17 Medal Races
URL – http://youtu.be/Lv3AGgYViQY
Embed –
49erFX
In the top billing match up of the day, it was who beats who in the women’s skiff class.
Recent European Champions, Ida Nielsen & Marie Olsen (DEN) were just ahead of Martine Grael & Kahena Kunze (BRA). The day got off to a slow start as the breeze built and then the teams were called to the race area. “My heart was thumping in the pre-start,” said Martine Grael when asked about the significance of the moment.
It was an up and down race in about 6-8 knots of wind. The two leaders covered each other closely, and in the end the Brazilians emerged as world champions. They celebrated emphatically with big smiles, hugs, and some swimming for the crowd. This is their first world championship though they have been contenders at all of the major regattas this year.
It was disappointment for the Danes, who have been riding a high since July when they won both the Junior World Championship and the European Championship back to back. It is a tremendously competitive fleet, however, and it is unlikely we will see any team dominate for too long.
In third place were Giulia Conti and Francesca Clapcich (ITA) who were guaranteed their position so used the race to enjoy themselves. Conti has been sailing recently with a male team mate while Francesca was out injured, and was relieved to have her normal crew back and to make it on the podium.
49er
The Medal Race was just like the regatta, dominated by New Zealand. Peter Burling and Blair Tuke (NZL) had an insurmountable lead going into the final. They had a middling first beat, but then made their move with a gybeset on the first run. They got into the lead by the bottom marks and never looked back, taking a huge win in the Medal Race to cap their huge win in the regatta. The duo are winning regattas and races by margins never seen before in the 49er, and look unstoppable. Time will tell whether they can hold this kind of form all the way through to Rio.
The real fight in the Medal Race was for the silver medal in the battle of Olympic gold medallists. Jonas Warrer, the Beijing 2008 Gold medalist with Anders Thomsen (DEN) were only two points off the London 2012 Gold medallists, Nathan Outteridge & Iain Jensen (AUS).
Outteridge and Jensen got off to a good start and were third around the first top mark while the Danes were back in eighth. However, there were position changes on every leg of the race, and on the final upwind the Danes got past the Aussies to secure their silver medal, leaving the Aussies to settle for Bronze.
The crowds were so big that it was standing room only, and they reserved their biggest cheers for the Paz brothers from Spain, who get their highest ever worlds finish with a 10th place.
49er and 49erFX Reports courtesy of Ben Remocker, International 49er Class Association
Finn
Giles Scott (GBR) made sure of the Finn World title, for the Finn Gold Cup, after leading early on in the race and finally crossing in fourth. All he had to do was finish cleanly, but wanted to make a good race of it as well as he explained, “I just went out and sailed my own race and kind of forgot what was going on with the other guys. You can try and get out of their way but I was racing as much as they were. I wanted to go out on a high, and I managed to almost do that.
“It’s a been a great season for me and I can’t really think of a better way to round it off that with the world title. It’s been a great event and I am really pleased with the way I have sailed, and there’s always a lot to learn from it, but I’m over the moon about it.”
On his dominance throughout the event, “I never really let myself think like that. But the event has gone really well. I have sailed well from day one and managed to keep it going through the regatta.”
The Medal Race was won by Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic (CRO), who took the lead on the first downwind and held it to the finish. Already in second overall, this win gave him the silver medal by a comfortable margin.
He said, “The week has been great for me, a really excellent performance. Today I knew I had to be relaxed and keep calm and I did exactly that and it put me right into the lead. Then I had really clear lanes through the race and really good moments. I sailed pretty consistently today, as I did all week, and it it turned out to be a winning combination for me.
“It’s an important event for me because after a couple of years of some general setbacks, I really made a great performance here, with all my team behind me. This really makes me happy and all of this proves that we are working in the right way and the progress is just going forwards and I hope in Rio it is going to be even better.”
Ed Wright (GBR) went into the Medal Race in fourth, just one point behind Jonathan Lobert (FRA). Initially Lobert had the upper hand, but that all changed on the second lap when Wright found better pressure on the left and moved up to third.
He said, “On the second beat I got a gust on the left hand side and moved up to third and held that all the way. It was a nail biting race and I really enjoyed sailing in it. It means a lot to me to get a medal at the worlds and I needed this medal, so really happy with that.”
“It’s been a hard week after I had a OCS early on and I’ve been struggling a bit with that. But it was all to play for today and it was a real fun race to be part of. I now just need to wind it up a bit more and try to catch Giles.”
Josh Junior (NZL) also sailed a great race to finish second, and moved up to fifth overall.
Finn Report courtesy of Robert Deaves, International Finn Class Association
Nacra 17
French team Billy Besson & Marie Riou were already assured of the first place before the start of the Medal Race. But from second to sixth there were a lot of possible changes. And Argentine team Santiago Lange & Cecilla Carranza Saroli raised from 5th to 2nd overall position with Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin (AUS) taking silver.
After a short postponement the sea breeze came up and stayed during the afternoon, which made it possible to start at 16:10. With thousands of sailing fans on the spectator Dune and a lot of spectator boats on the water it was an amazing finale to the ISAF Worlds.
Besson and Riou had sealed the deal before the Medal Race and enjoyed themselves on the race course taking a third which ensured the celebrations commenced.
Meanwhile the fight went on around them with plenty of permeatations.
After the start, racing was very close between Argentine team Lange & Carranza Saroli and the Swiss team Matias Buhler and Nathalie Brugger. At the first upwind mark Buhler and Brugger were leading the Argentines. But at the first downwind gate Lange took over to lead directly followed by the Swiss. Lange was sailing very strong but at the end of the third lap just before the finish the Swiss team were able to pass him and take first but Lange and Saroli still advanced up the leader board to take silver.
Lange was delighted after racing, “For us it is really a very special day. It was difficult sailing in the Medal Race in the harbour area. Tricky race and you have to stay very sharp all time. Only in the last minutes we lost some distance and Matias passed us. We are very happy with this result. Our next goal will be the Olympics. Still a long way to go, but with this result we are very motivated to reach our dream.”
Meanwhile the Swiss were happy with a Medal Race victory and sixth overall, “In Rio we won the Medal Race. This week in Santander we didn’t sailed our best races. Before starting this Medal Race we decided to go for the best and take some risks. We didn’t have anything to lose and wanted to try to show it was no coincidence we won in Rio. This race we sailed very well and are super happy we have won the medal race. This will give us a very good start for our new season.”
Australian team Waterhouse & Darmanin kept their third position in the overall result with a fifth in the Medal Race.
Nacra 17 Report courtesy of Edwin Lodder, International Nacra 17 Class Association
Schedule of Racing:
15-21 September, 49er, 49erFX, Finn and Nacra 17
Live Blog – A live blog will follow the ISAF Worlds from Thursday 11 September through to Sunday 21 September. The live blog is available here http://www.sailing.org/events/isafworlds/live-blog.php
Results are available here.
Santander 2014 ISAF Worlds Event Website
http://www.santander2014.com/
Santander 2014 ISAF Microsite
http://www.sailing.org/2014-ISAF-Worlds.php
Schedule of Racing:
15-21 September, 49er, 49erFX, Finn and Nacra 17
Live Blog – A live blog will follow the ISAF Worlds from Thursday 11 September through to Sunday 21 September. The live blog is available here http://www.sailing.org/events/isafworlds/live-blog.php
Austria’s Lara Vadlau and Jolanta Ogar and Australia’s Mat Belcher and Will Ryan stormed to gold in the Men’s and Women’s 470 as a capacity crowd watched the action unfold at the Santander 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships.
The spectator Dune was packed with 2,500 to 3,000 sailing fans who watched Vadlau and Ogar claim their first world title and Belcher and Ryan claim their second together. The victory was special for Belcher as he made it five 470 world titles in a row.
Santander 2014 ISAF Worlds – Race Day 9 Highlights – Part 1
URL – http://youtu.be/cNqM7QIuBkA
Embed –
The 49er and Nacra 17 world titles were snapped up with a day to spare at the Santander 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships as the final Medal Race spots were decided in the remaining four classes competing.
Peter Burling and Blair Tuke (NZL), in the 49er, and Billy Besson and Marie Riou (FRA), in the Nacra 17, both took their second consecutive world title after dominant displays in Santander.
Giles Scott (GBR) is nearly there in the Finn whilst the game is wide open in the 49erFX with a winner takes all shoot out on the cards.
Santander 2014 ISAF Worlds – Race Day 9 Highlights – Part 2
URL – http://youtu.be/JLSKyw_AlWo
Embed –
49er, 49erFX, Finn and Nacra 17 Medal Race Broadcast Embed Code
Scheduled for 21 September from 12:00 – 16:00 local time and 10:00 – 14:00 UTC.
The 49er and Nacra 17 world titles were snapped up with a day to spare at the Santander 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships as the final Medal Race spots were decided in the remaining four classes competing.
Peter Burling and Blair Tuke (NZL), in the 49er, and Billy Besson and Marie Riou (FRA), in the Nacra 17, both took their second consecutive world title after dominant displays in Santander.
Giles Scott (GBR) is nearly there in the Finn whilst the game is wide open in the 49erFX with a winner takes all shoot out on the cards.
Nacra 17
Billy Besson & Marie Riou (FRA) sealed the Nacra 17 World Championship with a day to spare after a dominant week of racing.
It all boiled down to the penultimate day for the Nacra 17 fleet with the stakes high. After a long wait the sea breeze came up around 14:00 and the sailors left the beach around 14:30 to go to the race area. But the wind conditions at sea still were weak and the Race Committee decided to wait. Finally at 16:45 the starting signal was given for the tenth race with around 6 knots of wind. Only one race could be sailed because after the finish of this first race the wind dropped down.
The Italian team of Federica Salva & Francesco Bianchi liked the light wind conditions and took the race victory. Salva said, “We were hoping for light wind during this week like we had during our training weeks. But we it was a week with two days a lot of wind, which is not quite our speciality. With this score we are now 15th overall. We would to go to the [ISAF Sailing World Cup] Final in Abu Dhabi and hope it will be there light wind too, so we can show our strength.”
Besson & Riou finished fifth and made their score complete with a total score of 21 points, 34 points clear of the Italian team, Vittorio Bissaro & Silvia Sicouri. With those points they are sure to be the 2014 World Champions before the Medal Race.
It is their second Nacra 17 world title and they are the only crew to hold it in the class’ second year. After racing Besson said, “We are very happy now and it was a good week for us. We did a lot of training during winter with the French teams, which made us stronger. This week we worked very hard to reach this position. Sometimes we made some mistakes but fought back to keep our position in the front. We are also very proud that we will win the third gold medal for France during this event.”
Bissaro and Sicouri are now second overall with Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin moving up to third. With the points close in the bunch at the top it will be close racing on the final day for the remaining podium spots.
Nacra 17 Report Courtesy of Edwin Lodder, International Nacra 17 Class Association
49er
It was a case of ‘hats off’ to Burling and Tuke (NZL) who secured their second consecutive World Championship title and extend their undefeated streak in the 49er to eight regattas since London 2012. There was only a single race on the penultimate and late in the day they sailed to a comfortable fifth to secure the title.
For the Medal Race on Sunday 21 September there is a great fight for the silver and bronze medals on the cards. Jonas Warrer, the Beijing 2008 Olympic Gold medallist, along with team mate Anders Thomsen (DEN) had an 11th today, but managed to leap frog Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen (AUS) on the leader board as they had a shocker back in 25th.
Also leaping forward into medal contention are Portugese veteran Jorge Lima and Jose Costa who are preparing to finish their highest ever placing at a World Championship. They will be over the moon if they can secure a medal.
49erFX
In the 49erFX class it’s going to be a barn burner, as the two most consistent boats all year will go head to head making it a winner takes all for the Championship title. Ida Nielsen and Marie Olsen (DEN) are on 33 points after sailing well today with a 5, 3, 9. That could not compete with the day that Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze (BRA) had, with a 3, 2, 1. The race area was right hand favoured, so it was vital to get an early lane to the right and have the boat speed to hold. The Brazilians started excellently and were able to apply the pressure.
Giulia Conti and Fancesca Clapcich (ITA) are fresh back from some time off due to injury but it hasn’t held them back. Clapcich injured her ankle in Helsinki for the Europeans and has been out of the boat since July. They seem to have done the right thing and rested enough that they have been able to race well this week where they find themselves locked into the Bronze medal position for the final Medal Race.
One more team worth noting are Vicky Jurczok and Anika Lorenz (GER). This team were 25th after qualifying, the last team to make it into gold fleet and have been on fire since then moving all the way up to sixth place, with a chance to move up to fourth tomorrow if the cards line up.
49er and 49erFX Reports of Ben Remocker, International 49er Class Association
Finn
The 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships in Santander came full circle on Saturday with the last of the fleet racing series abandoned in almost identical conditions that led to the abandonment of Monday’s racing, six days ago.
Since then one man has dominated the fleet and has built a 20 point lead, never scoring worse than fourth in any of the eight races sailed. With no races sailed today Giles Scott (GBR) takes this comfortable margin in Sunday’s medal race off the breakwater. All he has to do is finish the race tomorrow to lift his second Finn World Championship, for the Finn Gold Cup, one of the most prestigious trophies in the sport of sailing.
His immediate reaction, “I’m nearly there. It might just seem like a formality tomorrow, but I’ve still got to finish, without having an OCS and without gear failure to make absolutely sure, but other than that, I am very happy.”
On not racing today, “It’s good for me because I keep my 20 point lead but it was odd out there today. There was a big split in pressure. To the left was really light and to the right was probably raceable. By the time we moved over to the right, it immediately shut down and we came ashore. So maybe it would have been possible but it was marginal at best.”
Finn Report courtesy of Robert Deaves, International Finn Class Association
Watch the action unfold on the final day via:
49er, 49erFX, Finn and Nacra 17 Medal Race Broadcast Embed Code
Scheduled for 21 September from 12:00 – 16:00 local time and 10:00 – 14:00 UTC.
URL – http://www.youtube.com/9Eo3ZkIV7GQ
Embed –
Schedule of Racing:
15-21 September, 49er, 49erFX, Finn and Nacra 17
Live Blog – A live blog will follow the ISAF Worlds from Thursday 11 September through to Sunday 21 September. The live blog is available here http://www.sailing.org/events/isafworlds/live-blog.php
Results are available here.
Santander 2014 ISAF Worlds Event Website
http://www.santander2014.com/
Santander 2014 ISAF Microsite
http://www.sailing.org/2014-ISAF-Worlds.php
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