British and Canadian Sailors Seal Paralympic Medals

Great Britain’s 2.4mR sailor Helena Lucas and the Canadian Sonar team led by Paul Tingley snapped up gold in their respective fleets as Paralympic racing concluded at Sailing World Cup Miami presented by Sunbrella.

Tingley and his team of Logan Campbell and Scott Lutes wrapped up gold with a race to spare after a strong series of races. Meanwhile, Lucas asserted herself in the 2.4mR with a trio of victories that ensured she took her first gold at World Cup Miami after five previous attempts.

Lucas had a shaky start, retiring from the first race of the series, but came back dominant, winning seven of ten races over the week.

Sailing World Cup Miami is the second of six regattas in the 2016 series. From 25-30 January 2016, Coconut Grove, Miami, United States of America, is hosting more than 780 sailors who are competing across the ten Olympic and two Paralympic classes on the beautiful waters of Biscayne Bay. ©Sailing Energy

A perfect final day of three race victories sealed her fate as she ended well clear of Bruce Millar from Canada in silver and USA’s Charles Rosenfield in bronze.

“It’s been a really good regatta,” said Lucas. “We have had some great winds and some good conditions in different directions. It’s made it a good regatta and we had 20 knots yesterday so it’s been great. Miami is always a really nice one to win so it’s great to start 2016 off with a win.”

Lucas won gold at the London 2012 Paralympic Games and was the first British athlete in any sport to be selected for Rio 2016. No one has been able to defend the 2.4mR gold medal at the Paralympic Games but Lucas has a full schedule this year as she attempts to do exactly that.

“This is a good stepping stone for my preparations in September. It’s busy from now on until the Paralympic Games. I have some stuff planned in the UK in February and then from March onwards I will be at the World Cup and EUROSAF events. It’s a busy calendar from now on.”

In a Paralympic year, sailors are looking to peak and lay down a marker in the build up regattas. Those winning medals now, will be winning medals in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The Canadian Sonar team came off the water buoyed by their performance over a strong pack of racers. Their week featured three consecutive race wins midway through that put them in a good spot leading into the final day that featured three races.

Sailing World Cup Miami is the second of six regattas in the 2016 series. From 25-30 January 2016, Coconut Grove, Miami, United States of America, is hosting more than 780 sailors who are competing across the ten Olympic and two Paralympic classes on the beautiful waters of Biscayne Bay. ©Sailing Energy

A third and a fourth in the opening two was enough to seal gold and with the pressure off they completed the regatta with a seventh.

“It feels like the work is starting to pay off,” explained Tingley, a Beijing 2008 2.4mR gold medallist. “We are committed to the process and it takes time as a team. We have worked hard on our communication and as a result, we executed really well this week.

“The very best in the world are here and we beat the best. Gold is the reassurance we needed going into Rio.”

Australia’s Colin Harrison, Jonathan Harris and Russell Boaden took second followed by Bruno Jourdren, Eric Flageul and Nicolas Vimont-Vicary (FRA).

Paralympic racers have a relatively quiet period before a full on period in April and May that includes Sailing World Cup Hyeres and Weymouth & Portland as well as the Para World Sailing Championships in Medemblik, the Netherlands.

From 11:00 (EST), 16:00 (UTC) on Saturday 30 January, the Medal Races from Sailing World Cup Miami presented by Sunbrella will be broadcast live on the World Sailing TV YouTube channel as well as ESPN3 in the USA.

The Embed code and links to follow the racing are available below:
ESPN3 – http://espn.go.com/watchespn/index/_/id/2754788/2016-world-sailing-cup
World Sailing TV YouTube URL – https://youtu.be/_V2YQYar0IU
World Sailing TV YouTube Embed –

Seven races will be broadcast live from the northern racing area on Biscayne Bay in Miami, Florida, USA. The schedule in EST is available below:

NORTH COURSE – LIVE
11:10 – Nacra 17
11:45 – Laser Radial
12:30 – Finn
13:10 – 470 Men
13:50 – Laser
14:30 – 49er
15:05 – 49erFX

SOUTH COURSE
11:40 – 470 Women
12:20 – RS:X Women
12:55 – RS:X Men

Daniel Smith

French Sonars Out To Make It Three In A Row At Para World Sailing Championships

More than 140 sailors from 31 nations will sail across the three Paralympic sailing events at the 2015 Para World Sailing Championships set to be held in Williamstown, Melbourne, Australia from 27 November through to 3 December.

As the final qualification regatta for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Sailing Competition the stakes could not be higher across the 2.4mR, SKUD18 and Sonar fleets sailing in Melbourne. If that was not enough to increase the intensity, the quest for World Championship glory and bragging rights heading into the Paralympic year ensures the pressure cooker is turned up another notch.

Sonar teams from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece and Norway will enter the 2015 Para World Sailing Championships without the stress of having to qualify for Rio 2016. However, within the 18-boat fleet, their tension lies in the battle for the Sonar Para World Sailing title.

Each team, minus Greece, will be on the Melbourne startline and each team has the capabilities and experience to put together a good series of races to claim the title.

France’s Bruno Jourdren, Eric Flageul and Nicolas Vimont-Vicary come into the event with the favourites tag well and truly pinned on them after they won the 2013 and 2014 world championship titles.

Within French culture there is a saying, “Jamais Deux, Sans Trois”, which directly translates to ‘never two without three’. If that is the case then expect the French trio to be victorious in Melbourne but they won’t be resting on their laurels as Vimont-Vicary explained, “We are the world champions so of course we want to keep our title, but even though we are world champions and respected by the others, of course they want to fight us.

Helm: Daniel Fitzgibbon / Crew: Liesl Tesch (AUS)
Racing -Day 4 / SKUD 18
ISAF Sailing World Cup – Melbourne
Sandringham Yacht Club
Thursday 11 December 2014
© Sport the library / Jeff Crow

“For the moment we are focused on the World Championships but we know in the months ahead that Rio is the most important competition, although we have to be in the moment.”

Canada’s Paul Tingley, Logan Campbell and Scott Lutes finished second to the French team at the 2014 Worlds and will be strong contenders in 2015. Helm Tingley is one of the most successful Paralympic sailors competing in any Melbourne fleet. He won bronze at the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games in the Sonar before taking the Sonar IFDS Disabled Sailing World Championship title a year later. He finished seventh in the Sonar at Athens 2004 before progressing into the 2.4mR.

Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games gold followed and two years later, racing against able-bodied sailors, won the Open 2.4mR World Championship. He continued in the 2.4mR through to London 2012 where he finished fifth before moving back into the Sonar.

With Campbell and Lutes, Tingley’s progression has been gradual. Bronze at the 2013 and 2015 Sailing World Cup Miami regattas and a second at the world’s last year show their steadiness but in a field of Paralympic hopefuls, they have an opportunity to lay down an indicator with less than one year until Rio 2016.

Australia’s Colin Harrison, Jonathan Harris and Russell Boaden finished third at the 2014 Worlds. Racing on their home waters, they have the ideal opportunity to make their mark and confidence could not be higher for the Australians. They took gold at the 2015 Delta Lloyd Regatta in Medemblik, The Netherlands in a fleet that included the French world champions before following it up with further victory at Sailing World Cup Weymouth and Portland.

French Sonar Team

Further contention for the top spots will come from London 2012 silver medallists Jens Kroker, Siegmund Mainka and Robert Prem (GER), bronze medallists Aleksander Wang-Hansen, Marie Solberg and Per Kristiansen (NOR) as well as the experienced British team of John Robertson, Hannah Stodel and Steve Thomas (GBR).

Six Rio 2016 Paralympic Games places are available at the 2015 Para World Sailing Championships with nine teams vying for one of those spots.

Teams from Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Spain, USA and the US Virgin Islands will be on the start line aiming to reach Rio.

Racing in the Sonar is scheduled to commence at 13:00 on Saturday 28 November.