Marit Bouwmeester (NED) and Peter Burling (NZL) were the big winners at the inaugural World Sailing Awards in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico as they were announced male and female 2017 Rolex World Sailor of the Year. Held at Patio Los Arcos in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, the sport of sailing was celebrated in a star-studded evening that […]
via Bouwmeester And Burling The Big Winners At Inaugural World Sailing Awards — newfanzoneblog
A night under the stars in Sanya, China set the scene for the 2015 ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards. Determination, persistence and the pursuit of excellence were clearly shared among the impressive list of nominees for this year’s awards.
Beginning with Sir Peter Blake and Sir Robin Knox Johnston, the winners back in 1994 when the World Sailor Awards were initiated, the trophy reads like the definitive who’s who in yachting.
The accolades have continued over the years and it was with great anticipation that Carlo Croce, President of the International Sailing Federation announced the winners this evening crowning Sarah Ayton, Peter Burling and Blair Tuke as the 2015 ISAF Rolex World Sailors of the Year.
Addressing the 500 guests in attendance, the President of the world governing body of sailing said, “This award is truly a special recognition for an individual or pair of sailors that has stood out during the year. It is a culmination of hard work and endeavor, combined perhaps with a bit of good fortune. Most nominees are here tonight, and if they are not, they are doing what they do best – sailing.”
This year’s winners of the male ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award are the talented duo from New Zealand campaigning in the 49er for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. Burling and Tuke have dominated the sailing scene over the last year, winning ISAF Sailing World Cup regattas, Aquece Rio – International Sailing Regatta and the Trofeo Princesa Sofia, while also competing in the America’s Cup World Series with Emirates Team New Zealand.
Currently preparing for the 49er Worlds, the pair could not attend the ceremony but commenting on their win from Buenos Aires, Tuke said, “It is a really big honour for us to win this award. We don’t sail and race to win these awards, but it is really nice to get these accolades for all the hard work we put in. We are really proud to have won.
“All the nominees have achieved some awesome things this year in our sport, especially Ian Walker for winning the Volvo Ocean Race. We’ve been working hard all year and the results have come our way, not only in the 49er, but also in the other boats we sail. So we are looking ahead and keeping the hammer down towards the Olympics and then towards bringing the Cup back to New Zealand.”
Double Olympic gold medalist and the only female competing on the Extreme Sailing Series, Ayton was awarded the female ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award.
After commending her fellow nominees, the golden girl of British sailing, Sarah Ayton commented, “It means such a lot to me to have won the Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award. I’m truly touched and proud. I hope to continue being an inspiration to women, young children and individuals who enjoy the sport that we love so much.”
ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards
The ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards took place during the ISAF Annual Conference, the most important gathering of the year for the top athletes, leaders and decision makers in the sport of sailing.
These prestigious Awards, sponsored by Rolex since 2001, are the highest recognition a sailor can achieve and are based on a sailor’s results over a twelve-month period (eg. from September 2014 to the end of September 2015).
Competition for the 2015 Awards was remarkable, with five outstanding female and five equally exceptional male candidates short-listed from a list of nominations made by the public at large.
The Member National Authorities (MNAs) votes were tallied earlier in the day and then each guest at the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards ceremony had the opportunity to cast one vote. It was an evening of intense suspense and anticipation, for both the nominees and guests in attendance.
The winners were presented with a Rolex timepiece and the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year trophy.
The nominees for the 2015 ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards were as follows:
Male
Peter Burling & Blair Tuke (NZL)
Loick Peyron (FRA)
Giles Scott (GBR)
Ian Walker (GBR)
Ian Williams (GBR)
Female
Sarah Ayton (GBR)
Sam Davies (GBR)
Elena Kalinina (RUS)
Lotte Meldgaard Pedersen (DEN)
Charline Picon (FRA)
The penultimate day of the Aquece Rio – International Sailing Regatta 2015 served up four more podiums with Italian, Lithuanian, Kiwi and Brazilian sailors claiming the golden honours.
Francesco Marrai (ITA) kick started the day taking the first gold in the Laser whilst Lithuania’s Gintare Scheidt (LTU) followed shortly after in the Laser Radial.
Peter Burling and Blair Tuke (NZL) confirmed their status as the leading 49er sailors with another complete performance whilst the best was saved until the last. Home nation favourites and the popular crew of Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze (BRA) stole the show in the 49erFX, coming from behind to clinch gold.
The Men’s and Women’s 470 and Finn confirmed the Medal Race participants whilst the Nacra 17 will have to wait another day to sail their Medal Race after time run out to hold it on the day.
49erFX
Brazil’s Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze came from behind to take a memorable gold medal in the 49erFX.
Home nation favourites and Olympic champions in waiting, as perceived by the Brazilian media, Grael and Kunze were able to overturn a nine point deficit between Giulia Conti and Francesca Clapcich (ITA) as they took their chance when it came.
Conti and Clapcich ended the race at the back of the fleet and a fourth for the Brazilians gave them gold by three points.
The Italians were in the driving seat heading into the race but small mistakes in the Medal Race gave the Brazilians an initiative as Conti explained, “We made a mistake at the first rounding. The spinnaker halyard was stuck in the spreaders. It was my mistake as I did not bear away after the gybeset. We were still in control of the two boats we needed to be in control of until the last upwind and they, the Swedish and Brazilians split and we made a tactical mistake. We decided to stay with the Swedish and the rest of the fleet. It meant that the only way we could lose was from the Brazilians as she could gain boats.”
And gain boats is exactly what the Brazilians did as Grael described things from her point of view, “I knew there was a chance we could turn it around but I was more concerned about keeping silver than taking first but we got a chance on the last downwind so we took it.
“It was quite a tricky race. We pulled out a very nice last downwind and we managed to get enough points to win from the Italians. I don’t think it could have ended better.”
By the vast amounts of Brazilian media in attendance throughout the day, it was almost as if Grael and Kunze had won Olympic gold itself. But as a test event, dealing and handling with an expectant crowd is just what is needed, “The Brazilian media either worship you or kill you,” explained Grael through a smile, “We get pressured into talking about the bay but it’s all under control.
“I’m feeling really happy. You can kind of tell what the Olympics is going to be like, really hard to sail in and anything can happen.”
Sweden’s Lisa Ericson and Hanna Klinga completed the podium after an eighth in the Medal Race.
Laser
Francesco Marrai (ITA) will be able to book his plane ticket to Rio de Janeiro for the Olympic Games after he took gold in the Laser. For the Italian team, any sailor that finished on the podium at the test event would be guaranteed a place at Rio 2016 and Marrai secured his spot on the startline in the most stylish of ways, with a golden shine.
Coming into the event Marrai was a rank outsider for gold with several leading sailors aiming to lay down a marker and when asked if he thought he’d win the Italian exclaimed, “No, no, no, not at all. Last year I finished sixth and that was a very good regatta for me.
“I didn’t expect to win or get a medal but I found myself up there and I just kept on fighting. The first day I was down in seventh and second, third and then first for three days and I was able to just keep my position.
“I’m very happy right now, it’s quite a new situation for me and I cannot show much emotion but this is very big for me.”
A ninth in the Medal Race handed the Italian gold in a high scoring week of Laser racing. Consistency was almost non-existent as Rio’s challenging breeze and current tested the sailors not only physically, but mentally.
“It’s a very complicated place,” explained Marrai. “You can find both strong and light wind. Big waves outside the Bay and little ones inside the bay. It’s a very complete place. You need to be a complete sailor. I really love this place.”
As for Marrai’s planning for the next 12 months, “It’s going to be a big challenge. We’re going to make a program with the federation and do our best for next year. We want to be well prepared to get that gold medal again, of course.”
Fourth in the Medal Race handed Jean Baptiste Bernaz (FRA) silver whilst Tom Burton’s (AUS) fifth gave him bronze. It was heartbreak for Tonci Stipanovic (CRO) who got stuck in challenging conditions on the race track that meant he finished at the back of the pack to fall from second to sixth.
Lee Parkhill (CAN) took the Medal Race bullet.
Laser Radial
Gintare Scheidt held on to take gold in the Laser Radial despite receiving a discretionary penalty in advance of the Medal Race.
Scheidt was awarded four extra points for breaching the class rules which in fact relegated her to third overall going into the Medal Race so she had it all to do.
In the end Scheidt took the bullet which handed her a well-deserved gold medal, “Today was a bit tense because I was protested due to measurement and I got an extra four points in the Medal Race. It was not a nice way to start the Medal Race day but it was my mistake, nobody else’s and I accepted it. I went into the race not thinking about it and that’s what I did.
“I’m feeling great now, it’s a big relief. Today I was tied with two other boats and I could have lost the medal but now it’s time to celebrate. It’s a good present for my son who is six years old today. He’s in Lithuania with my mother but he’s always cheering for me and saying to me, ‘mummy you’re sailing so good, keep it going’.”
Scheidt’s son will wake up with good news from his mother but the report from his father will be mellow after he missed out on a medal by two points in the Laser. “There was only one medal in the family this year,” smiled Gintare. “Two would be perfect but we sailed at our maximum. Sailing is something you have to do at the best you can.”
The Robert, Gintare Scheidt husband and wife combination is a well decorated one and Gintare is comfortable with her surroundings in Rio, “The Brazilian team helps me a lot. I feel like a part of their team and they help me with everything. Also Robert, he has a lot of experience here but I don’t have the possibility to train here much. I have only sailed two regattas here. Most people think I’m a local here but I’m not. The top sailors training here sail in Rio a lot more than me.”
For now, the Scheidt’s walk away with one medal but with one year of preparation remaining, who’s to say it won’t be two?
Evi Van Acker (BEL) and Marit Bouwmeester (NED) completed the podium whilst Paige Railey (USA), having occupied a podium position for the large part of the week missed out after a DNF in the Medal Race.
49er
Peter Burling and Blair Tuke (NZL) extended their unbeaten run in the 49er by taking a convincing victory.
With just a single result out of the top eight in 11 races, the Kiwis set another marker on the road to Rio. Heading into the day they had a comfortable lead over their rivals and knew a solid result would seal the deal. They did exactly that, coming through in fourth and Tuke was pleased with a job well done, “It feels great. You know, it’s a really big objective for us one year out from the Games and we’ve put a lot of emphasis on this, this year. We’re really happy and it puts us in a good place going into next year.”
Burling echoed his compatriots thoughts, “Obviously this is great practice for us trying to test everything for next year. We’re really happy with how we started off. We started off pretty solid, not fantastic, but we just got better during the week.”
The test event allowed the 49er sailors the perfect opportunity to imitate the Olympic arena. Twenty boats on the start line is the exact same number as the Olympic Games and for the Kiwis it was the perfect opportunity to show their rivals, many of whom who will sail at Rio 2016, who is boss in the 49er, “This week’s been really great practice for us,” commented Tuke, “There are 20 boats like we’ll be racing in next year with one boat from each country which isn’t what we normally have at other regattas.
“That’s been really good for us. We have a lot of little things and tricks you learn from sailing in the bay and just how we prepare as well with our coach and support staff. We’ve learnt a lot this week, not just from the results but a lot of other things and we’re happy with how it’s played out over the last three weeks in Rio.”
Nico Delle-Karth and Nikolaus Resch (AUT) sailed their way to a Medal Race second that confirmed them as silver medallists.
Bronze was in the hands of Manu Dyen and Stephane Christidis (FRA) as Germany’s Erik Heil and Thomas Ploessel finished at the back of the pack. However, three crews sailed the wrong course and were subsequently disqualified which promoted the Germans up to sixth overall handing them bronze.
Finn
It’s tight at the top in the Finn class with one point separating Pieter Jan Postma (NED) and Giles Scott (GBR) after the pair took a race win apiece as fleet racing concluded.
Scott has chipped away at Postma’s early week lead by notching up some consistent scores and a fifth alongside his bullet pulls him within reach of Postma. Whilst Postma took the opening race victory a tenth followed and it will all boil down to the Medal Race.
Tapio Nirkko (FIN) is within reach of the leading pair, eight points off of Postma. Meanwhile the fourth placed Jonathan Lobert (FRA) is ten points off.
Men’s and Women’s 470
The Medal Race places were decided in the Men’s and Women’s 470 after a race apiece on the Escola Naval racing area.
Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark (GBR) will go in with a five point lead over Anne Haeger and Briana Provancha (USA) in the Women’s 470. Both teams have daylight between themselves and the third placed Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie (NZL) who have four other teams able to overthrow them from the final podium spot.
In the Men’s 470, Sime Fantela and Igor Marenic (CRO) have a handy seven point lead over Mat Belcher and Will Ryan (AUS). The Croatians managed an eighth compared to the Australians 14th and as a result hold an advantage.
Onan Barreiros and Juan Curbelo Cabrera (ESP), Luke Patience and Elliot Willis (GBR) and Sofian Bouvet and Jeremie Mion (FRA) are all tied on 45 points in third.
Racing is scheduled to commence at 13:00 local time on Saturday 22 August as racing draws to a close at the Aquece Rio – International Sailing Regatta 2015.
The finest sailing talent on the planet will assemble in Hyères, France from 20-26 April for the next instalment of the ISAF Sailing World Cup.
Elite level fleets in all ten of the Olympic events will put their skills to the ultimate test with 40 of the world’s best in each class. ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyères marks the first occasion where fleets are decided based on the ISAF World Sailing Rankings and a qualification regatta.
The world’s top 30 sailors from the 2 February 2015 ISAF World Sailing Rankings release were invited to Hyères with the remaining ten receiving their spot at ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyères qualification regatta, Trofeo Princesa Sofia.
From now, until 21 April, 600 Olympic sailors in 400 boats and 39 Paralympic sailors in 25 boats will train, prepare and tune up ahead of the first racing day on 22 April. A four day racing series will build up to the Medal Races on Sunday 26 April where titles will be won and ISAF Sailing World Cup Final spots snapped up.
49er and 49erFX
Peter Burling and Blair Tuke (NZL) come into ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyères as the pair to beat in the 49er. Seventeen consecutive wins since their silver medal exploits at London 2012 have solidified their position as the ones to beat. The manner in which their victories have come has been outstanding, in many cases winning with a day to spare and even missing out a day of competition to attend the 2014 ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards Ceremony.
With the countdown to the Rio 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition truly on it would be hard to bet against the Kiwis but their rivals are pushing hard.
Erik Heil and Thomas Ploessel (GER) remained in contention with the Kiwis at the recent Trofeo Princesa Sofia whilst Nico Delle-Karth and Nikolaus Resch (AUT) come into the event full of confidence following their victory at ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami. Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen (AUS) will renew their winning partnership after Jensen sailed with Joel Turner in Miami and they will certainly be in the fray in the French Riviera.
With a packed start line of the world’s best 49er talent from day one, the level of competition all the 49er sailors will face will be of the highest quality.
ISAF Rolex World Sailors of the Year Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze (BRA) will spearhead the 49erFX fleet, aiming to defend the title they won 12 months prior.
The Brazilians won by eight points over Kiwis Alex Maloney and Molly Meech in 2014 and Grael described Hyères as, ‘the best week ever’. With the likes of Maloney and Meech, who recently won ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami, Trofeo Princesa Sofia regatta winners Maiken and Anne-Juline Foght Schütt (DEN) and the dangerous Marie Olsen and Ida Marie Nielsen (DEN) and Charlotte Dobson and Sophie Ainsworth (GBR) on the startline it’s set to be another great week of competition.
Laser and Laser Radial
It will be a who’s who of Laser and Laser Radial sailing in Hyères with 40 of the finest one-person dinghy sailors within each fleet.
Such is the nature of both fleets that clear favourites would be hard to determine with a mixture of recent regatta winners in the Laser and the Laser Radial.
On a fine run of form, however, is Belgium’s Evi Van Acker who has finished on the podium at the last five regattas she’s competed in, winning the 2014 ISAF Sailing World Cup Final in Abu Dhabi, UAE last November. A veteran of nine previous Olympic class regattas in Hyères the Belgian took her first title on French waters in 2014 and will be back to defend her title.
World #1 and 2014 World Champion Marit Bouwmeester (NED) will join the Belgian, renewing their long running rivalry once again. Anne Marie Rindom (DEN) will be firmly in the hunt alongside the London 2012 silver and bronze medallists having beaten them both to gold at ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami in January.
In the Laser, World #1 Tom Burton (AUS) has had an up and down time in 2015 with an 18th at ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami and a fifth at Trofeo Princesa Sofia. Burton will make a welcomed return to Hyères having won the last two ISAF Sailing World Cup editions on the French waters.
Germany’s Philipp Buhl heads into Hyères in fine form with two wins from his last two regattas. Victory at ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami and Trofeo Princesa Sofia will give him confidence in a fleet that’s packed full of some of the finest athletes in the world.
Names such as Matt Wearn (AUS), Robert Scheidt (BRA), Tonci Stipanovic (CRO), Pavlos Kontides (CYP), Jean Baptiste Bernaz (FRA), Nick Thompson (GBR), Nicholas Heiner (NED), Andy Maloney (NZL), Sam Meech (NZL) and Charlie Buckingham (USA) ensure the fleet is of the highest calibre.
Finn
Giles Scott (GBR) is on a run of nine consecutive Finn regatta victories. His form is impeccable and he will come into Hyères as the man to beat.
Much like Burling and Tuke in the 49er, Scott has won the majority of his regattas by an emphatic margin. Consistently at the top and barely putting a foot wrong Scott has blown his opponents away but Hyères is a regatta gold that does not feature on his mantelpiece.
From four previous appearances, Scott’s best result is a second behind compatriot Andrew Mills at the 2013 edition with a seventh coming in 2011, a fourth in 2009 and a 39th in the Laser in 2005. Nonetheless, with an unrivalled run of victories in the Finn, Scott will fancy his chances to add a further gold to his impressive repertoire.
Pieter Jan Postma (NED) won his first ISAF Sailing World Cup gold medal in Hyères in 2014 and will be back to defend his title. Further strong competition will come from World #1 Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic (CRO), Thomas Le Breton (FRA), Ed Wright (GBR) and Vasilij Zbogar (SLO).
Nacra 17
Throughout the 2014 ISAF Sailing World Cup series Billy Besson and Marie Riou (FRA), Darren Bundock and Nina Curtis (AUS) and Vittorio Bissaro and Silvia Sicouri (ITA) were the dominant trio, sharing the podium on a number of occasions.
Whilst the form guide shows that at least one of the breakaway trio will be on the Hyères podium, their stranglehold has been infiltrated recently with a number of teams making impressions on the fleet.
Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin (AUS) took a well-deserved bronze at the 2014 ISAF Worlds and followed this up with gold at ISAF Sailing World Cup Melbourne, which also confirmed their place on the 2015 Abu Dhabi Final start line. The pair will be aiming to make an impression in Hyères.
A strong British team will also be on the startline and they will be buoyed by recent successes. Ben Saxton and Nicola Groves (GBR) finished second at ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami whilst John Gimson and Hannah Diamond (GBR) picked up silver at Trofeo Princesa Sofia. Gimson and Diamond are a relatively new Nacra 17 pairing and with their silver, qualified for ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyères.
Men’s and Women’s RS:X
French sailors will be at the forefront of the Men’s and Women’s RS:X fleets In Hyères. Julien Bontemps and Charline Picon made it a double French gold at the 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships in Santander, Spain and they have continued that form in 2015.
At the recent Trofeo Princesa Sofia, Picon claimed the women’s gold whilst Bontemps narrowly missed out on gold in the men’s via countback.
On their home waters in Hyères they will want to continue their good form but face strong opposition.
Kiran Badloe (NED) had the beating of Bontemps at Trofeo Princesa Sofia and will head over to Hyères full of confidence. Fellow Dutchman and London 2012 Olympic Champion Dorian van Rijsselberge will be on the startline as will the strong Polish trio of Przemyslaw Miarczynski, Piotr Myszka and Pawel Tarnowski.
With a strong winter training period behind each competitor, the level of competition in the Men’s RS:X will be one of the highest ever seen.
Joining Picon in the Women’s RS:X fleet will be World #1 Flavia Tartaglini, ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami gold medallist Bryony Shaw (GBR) and London 2012 Olympic gold medallist Marina Alabau (ESP).
Men’s and Women’s 470
Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie (NZL) and Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark (GBR) will renew their longstanding rivalry in the Women’s 470 in Hyères. Ever since their final day winner takes all battle at the London 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition, which saw the Kiwis take gold, the pair have battled it out at the front of the pack.
2014 World and European Champions Lara Vadlau and Jolanta Ogar (AUT) will miss out on Hyères. Nonetheless the fleet will feature an abundance of big game contenders such as 2013 Hyères gold medallists Fernanda Oliveira and Ana Barbachan (BRA), Hélène Defrance and Camille Lecointre (FRA), Sophie Weguelin and Eilidh McIntyre (GBR) and Anne Haeger and Briana Provancha (USA).
In the Men’s 470, as with any regatta they attend, Mat Belcher and Will Ryan (AUS) will be amongst the favourites. Since their partnership formed, they have featured on every ISAF Sailing World Cup regatta podium they have competed at, winning five gold medals, two silvers and a bronze.
Most recently Luke Patience and Elliot Willis (GBR) pushed the Aussies back at ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami taking the spoils and they’ll be back in the mix in Hyères. Further teams that will be in the hunt in Hyères are Lucas Calabrese and Juan de la Fuente (ARG), Sime Fantela and Igor Marenic (CRO), Panagiotis Mantis and Pavlos Kagialis (GRE) and Stu McNay and Dave Hughes (USA).
Paralympic Events
Hyères will feature 18 sailors in the 2.4mR and seven teams in the Sonar.
At the 2014 edition of ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyères, Heiko Kroger (GER) and Damien Seguin (FRA) had an epic final race winner takes all battle in the 2.4mR. The German came from behind to defeat Seguin and take gold. The rivalry will be renewed in 2015. The 18-boat fleet features a number of leading contenders who will want to come between Kroger and Seguin. London 2012 Paralympic gold medallist Helena Lucas (GBR) will be in the mix as will her compatriot Megan Pascoe.
Bjorner Erikstad (NOR) won ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami in January and will also fancy his chances in Hyères.
In the Sonar, John Robertson, Steve Thomas and Hannah Stodel (GBR) will return to defend their title. Joining them will be World Cup Miami gold medallists Aleksander Wang-Hansen, Marie Solberg and Per Eugen Kristiansen as well as 2014 Hyères silver medallists Bruno Jourdren, Eric Flageul and Nicolas Vimont-Vicary (FRA).
Racing at ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyères commences on Wednesday 22 April. Medal Races on Sunday 26 April will bring the regatta to a close.
New Zealand’s 49er and 49erFX teams will head to the Santander 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships aiming to defend their title and continue their run of podium finishes.
Peter Burling and Blair Tuke (NZL) are on an unbeaten run of six consecutive 49er regatta victories, stemming from June 2013 whilst Alex Maloney and Molly Meech (NZL) have finished on the podium at ten of 11 49erFX events they’ve competed at. Both crews struck gold at the 2013 worlds in Marseille, France and will be looking to hold onto their title at Santander 2014.
The 49er fleet at Santander 2014 will see 88 teams compete from 33 nations whilst the 49erFX pack features 62 teams from 29 nations. As well as world championship titles on the line, ten Rio 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition places in both fleets will be won based on results in Santander.
After taking silver at London 2012 Burling and Tuke have been the pair to beat in the 49er. In world class fields the Kiwis have dominated and will be aiming to continue that run in Santander, “It’s the big one of the year for us so all of our focus has been on that,” said Tuke. “We don’t go to events to come second or further back so we’re going to give it our best shot.”
The Kiwis have had an exceptional 2014, winning ISAF Sailing World Cup Mallorca and Hyeres, the 49er Open Europeans and the Aquece Rio International Sailing Regatta 2014. Confidence is high within the camp and Burling also has his eyes on the prize, “We’re quite enjoying having that New Zealand 1 on the sail at the moment and the goal is definitely to go and try and defend that title. As a bonus to qualify the country for the games, that’s obviously the second goal but hopefully between us and our training partners being first and second at the last worlds we’ll be able to get that done.”
Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen (AUS) were the last team to beat the Kiwis and it came on the grandest of stages, the London 2012 Olympic Games. Post-Olympics the Australians focused on other projects but with a good season behind them they’re aiming to put a stop to the Kiwis dominance, “They’ve been on a bit of streak since the Olympics by winning all of the events,” said Outteridge. “We really haven’t been putting a lot of time into our 49er sailing but this year Santander will be our third or fourth major event. We did Hyeres, Europeans and Rio so we should have our racing skills back and we’re looking forward to taking them on.”
As a pair Outteridge and Jensen have gold medals from the 2009, 2011 and 2012 world championships, with Outteridge also a 2008 victor with Ben Austin. Having finished fifth at the 2013 worlds the Australians head to Santander well prepared with a solid plan, “With those events a lot of it is about qualifying well so when you get the final series at the end of the week you’re in a good position so we’re hoping we can get through qualifying unscathed and have some really good racing in the finals.
“Everything this year has been building up to the worlds to ensure we qualify our spot for Australia. It’s been a while since we’ve had an ISAF Worlds so it will be nice to try and win another one,” concluded Outteridge.
The 49er fleet has some seasoned campaigners with further competition for top places coming from Nico Delle Karth and Nikolaus Resch (AUT), Jonas Warrer and Anders Thomsen (DEN), Manu Dyen and Stephane Christidis (FRA), Dylan Fletcher and Alain Sign (GBR), Ryan Seaton and Matthew McGovern (IRL), Marcus Hansen and Josh Porebski (NZL), Erik Heil and Thomas Ploessel (GER) and Carl Sylvan and Otto Hamel (SWE).
New Zealand’s Maloney and Meech claimed the inaugural 49erFX world title in 2013 and will be aiming to defend their title in Santander. A fleet of 62-boats will take to the water in Santander and Meech is focused on the task ahead, “Coming off from a win at the world’s last year we’re hoping to try and win. We’ll do our best there but I’ve heard it’s a tricky venue as well so we’ll see how it goes. We would love to qualify New Zealand and obviously that is the aim of the event but our personal aim is to medal.”
Maloney and Meech have been at the front of the pack in all but one event they’ve competed at since they won the 2012 ISAF Sailing World Cup Melbourne. Only an 11th at the 2014 ISAF Sailing World Cup Mallorca tarnishes their record but with the fleet gaining experience Meech knows the task of defending their world title won’t be an easy one, “This year both Ida [Marie Nielsen] and Marie [Thusgaard Olsen (DEN)] and Martine [Grael] and Kahena [Kunze (BRA)] have really kept up their performances at the top. I think that quite a few of the other teams have become quite competitive as well. There will probably be a mixture of the British, the Danish, the Dutch and a few German teams and hopefully you’ll see the Kiwis up there as well.”
Brazil’s Grael and Kunze have been the form team of 2014 with ISAF Sailing World Cup Mallorca and Hyeres, Garda and Trentino Olympic Week and Aquece Rio International Sailing Regatta 2014 gold to their name. The Brazilians have found an edge over their rivals and with the Brazilian Rio 2016 49erFX spot guaranteed they can focus solely on victory, “The Worlds are our biggest goal of the year,” said Grael. “We don’t have the pressure to do so well like the other teams but we will do what we always do, do our best and have fun there. Every championship is a pleasure to sail, race, win and be with the other girls.
“I think the New Zealand girls are doing pretty well but there are so many doing well but it depends on the conditions. I think the Danish girls are good so we’ll see what it’ll be like there.”
Denmark’s Nielsen and Olsen defeated the Kiwis and the Brazilians at the 2014 European Championship in Helsinki, Finland and will head to Santander full of confidence.
Several other 49erFX teams continue to find their feet in the boat and will be looking to peak in Santander. Strong competition for podium places will also come from World #3 Sarah Steyaert and Julie Bossard (FRA), World #5 Annemiek Bekkering and Annette Duetz (NED), World #6 Tamara Echegoyen and Berta Betanzos (ESP) and the Australian, British, German and Swedish squads.
The 49er and 49erFX fleets will kick start their competition on 15 September with the start of the qualification series. That will conclude on 16 September with five races for both fleets scheduled over the opening two days.
The final series will commence on 17 September with 18 September the scheduled reserve day. Two further days of final series on 18 and 19 September will conclude fleet racing with the podium places to be decided in the Medal Races on 21 September.
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