OLYMPIC NEWS

SUMMARY EUROPE CHAMPIONSHIP RS:X

Marseille provided an adequate end to a week of some fantastic races. More than 250 sailors at the European and Youth Championships in Europe RS: X. It is safe to say that the drama in the water was high and that each sailor had to fight for each place at every opportunity. The places changed during the championship.

In the category of women the champion was the winner Poland Maja Dziarnowska, her regularity in the results allowed her to strip for the victory until the last day, which gives her the title of champion of women Europe. HERE WOMEN RESULTS

The difference of the women was in the category of man there was a clear dominant from beginning to end and this was the French Louis Giard, who takes the title of European champion in the men's category. HERE MEN RESULTS

The Italian Luca di Tomassi has held this event since day one. Yes, he's been chased by some French guys, but he's taken off and stays at his lead getting gold.YOUTH MEN RESULTS

In the youthful women category gave the surprise in the semifinal Israeli sailor Isaak just won the race was raised to the podium top.YOUTH WOMEN RESULTS

LAST DAY OF THE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP 2017

Perfect finale to a challenging week, Jonathan Lobert of France won his first ever great title in the Finn class. Ed Wright and Ben Cornish of Great Britain, both fight for the Semi-Final to meet Lobert in the Final and secured silver and bronze.

Great European finish with very variable conditions of wind and different leader change during the week, British dominion from beginning to end without reward, and a great Lobert who gives the surprise in the championship with a sad note of a great promise of the end The Norwegian Pedersen.

A discreet performance of the Spanish boats with a muscat that is still being found to be able to get rid of the longed for Olympic place to represent Spain in our country.

Let's hope that in the future luck will change for our sailor and get to go to the Olympic Games of Tokyo 2020.

Results after Final
1  FRA  112 Jonathan LOBERT
2  GBR   11 Edward WRIGHT
3  GBR   91 Ben CORNISH
4  NOR   1 Anders PEDERSEN
5  HUN   40 Zsombor BERECZ
6  GBR   71 Henry WETHERELL
7  CRO   69 Milan VUJASINOVIC
8  GRE   77 Ioannis MITAKIS
9  TUR   21 Alican KAYNAR
10  NED   89 Nicholas HEINER
HERE RESULT

2017 WOLD CUP SERIES HYERES, FINAL DAY

It was a case of déjà vu on the final day of racing at Sailing’s World Cup Series in Hyères, France as Cypriot Laser sailor Pavlos Kontides once again stole gold from underneath the nose of his rival.

On the second day of live Medal Racing from the south coast of France, it was the turn of the One and Two Person Dinghies to have their day. And the action didn’t disappoint.

A colder, overcast day with a steady 8-12 knot breeze did nothing to dampen the spirits of the final few lucky World Cup Series medallists.

Click to watch all the Medal Races from France on the World Sailing YouTube playlist.

Pavlos Kontides (CYP) must have been sitting on the start line of the Laser Medal Race thinking, ‘I’ve been here before’.

At the 2016 World Cup Final in Melbourne, Kontides went in to the final race in second overall fighting for a gold against Australia’s Matt Wearn. He won that battle and the gold. This time around, the job at hand was the same, the only difference was Italy’s Francesco Marrai was now in his way. The result? Well that was the same, gold for Kontides.

The Cypriot may walk away from Hyères, France with the Laser title, but it couldn’t have been closer. Kontides and Marrai finish the regatta level on 63 points. In the end it came down to the Medal Race result, and Kontides knew this, “It was a battle out there and I was in second or third. Francesco managed to pull himself back up to fifth but I knew my current position would give me the win. I got overtaken but then got my position back in the downwind and that got me the gold. It was close racing.”

The battle commenced at the start, as Kontides explained, “I wanted to start under Francesco, even though I wasn’t sure if the right side was paying. About a minute in I managed to get my bow in front, he started to pick up some bad wind and had to tack. From that point, it was game on.”

Game on it certainly was. Rio 2016 Olympic gold medallist Tom Burton (AUS) would go on to claim victory in the Medal Race, but Kontides claims Hyères gold.

The man that Kontides battled in Melbourne, Matt Wearn, had to settle for bronze medal and secured it with a sixth place final race finish.

In the Laser Radial Belgium’s Evi van Acker was safe in the knowledge she could not finish any worse than in silver medal position. But silver isn’t good enough for the determined Belgian and she was focused on gold.

The only sailor that could catch van Acker was Tuula Tenkanen (FIN). Van Acker always had rival Tenkanen in her sights and set out for a fight as she explains, “Today was an interesting race as I knew I had a silver and just had to defend a gold. That was the focus of the day, trying to defend against Tuula which meant we had a bit of a Match Race at the start.

“There were a lot of penalties given but for both of us I think it was quite exciting. I managed to get a good start compared to her and because of that I always felt in control.”

With a fourth placed finish compared to Tenkanen’s last place, van Acker won her mini match race and in turn won gold.

Finishing just ahead of van Acker in third place was France’s very own Mathilde de Kerangat. That finish meant she had secured herself a bronze medal in front of her home crowd.

When does finishing in last place feel good? At World Cup Hyères, when you win your first gold medal. That was the case for Turkey’s Alican Kaynar in the Finn class.

“This is my first World Cup win so I feel great,” said the Turkish sailor, “I started the season very well and now I have won here. We head to the Europeans next week so I feel great off the back of this.”

Hidden under a smile, you could see a sense of relief in Kaynar’s eyes. That relief came from a lot of time, effort and perseverance, “It is my first major regatta win and it’s just so good to know hard work pays off.”

Nicolas Heiner (NED) has been there or thereabouts all week in the Finn. A ninth place finish in the Medal Race meant that the Dutch sailor had to settle for silver, and in turn took the pressure of Kaynar allowing him to claim that maiden win.

Winning the Medal Race, Jonathan Lobert (FRA) secured another medal for the home nation as it took him in to bronze position. Recovering from knee surgery, the Frenchman will be happy to come out of Hyères with his body unscathed and with a medal around his neck.

When the going gets tough, some teams have the ability to just get the job done. Rio 2016 Men’s 470 silver medallists, Mat Belcher and Will Ryan (AUS) rose to the top when others around them were struggling. With a string of four race wins in a row handing them the gold with a day to spare, the Aussies could have sat back and basked in the glory. Instead they went for the jugular and claimed a fifth straight race win in the Medal Race.

On paper the gold look liked a walk in the park, but for Belcher it was anything but, “The one thing I love about this class is the strength and depth throughout which always gives us good racing. We had a great scorecard this week but we have had to fight for every metre.

“It’s one of our first events back after Rio so it was great for me and Will and we look forward to building on this through the year now.”

The two teams that pushed Belcher and Ryan the most were Carl-Fredrik Fock and Marcus Dackhammar (SWE) and Panagiotis Mantis and Pavlos Kagialis (GRE). The Swedish team claimed silver and the Greeks recovered from a disastrous fourth day to keep hold of bronze.

World #1 Women’s 470 team, Afrodite Zegers and Annaloes van Veen (NED) made it three straight regatta wins in Hyères, backing up their World Cup Series Miami win and Trofeo Princesa Sofia victories.

Despite the victory, Zegers first thoughts were on improvement when she reached ashore at the end of the day, “We didn’t have a good race because we had a good start. But I am happy that we stayed cool and just did our best. If I look back at the whole week I am happy with the things that we have improved and happy with the things we know we still need to work on.”

Zegers and van Veen crossed the line in fifth position in the Medal Race, but with a gold medal all but confirmed beforehand, the result wouldn’t hurt as much. The same cannot be said for Great Britain’s Amy Seabright and Anna Carpenter. The Britons came in last place, and with it the chance of a medal slipped away.

The medals instead went to Silvia Mas Depares and Patricia Cantero Reina (ESP) who claimed silver and Linda Fahrni and Maja Siegenthaler (SUI) who took bronze. Finishing on equal points, the Spanish team stand one step higher than their rivals on the podium thanks to a third-place Medal Race finish compared to the Swiss teams eighth.

As all the winners spray the champagne, wave to the crowd and collect their medals, focus will now shift to the 2017 World Cup Series Final in Santander, Spain this coming June.

info:Richard Aspland – World Sailing

2017 WOLD CUP SERIES HYERES, DAY4

Chaos reigns in the Laser Radial

Sailors are always thrilled when they have a return of straight race victories. Then there are times when they are happy to come out in one piece, still within touching distance of the medals.

That was the case today at Sailing’s World Cup Series in Hyères, France as chaos reigned in the Laser Radial fleet.

The competition in Hyères reached a critical stage on Friday with Medal Races imminent.

Saturday’s racing will see the see the skiffs, windsurfers, multihulls and foiling kiteboarders fight for the medals after a day that saw all the competitors make a final dash to reach the top ten.

Medal Races on Saturday 29 April will be streamed live on World Sailing’s Facebook and YouTube Channel. URLs and embed codes are below:

WCS Hyères – Medal Races – RS:X, 49er, 49erFX, Nacra 17, Kiteboarding

URL – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tm-yn7rPKrA

Embed – <iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/Tm-yn7rPKrA?rel=0″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>

Meanwhile, the one person and two person dinghies leaderboards have taken shape with two fleet races and Sunday’s Medal Races to follow.

WCS Hyères – Medal Races – 470, Finn, Laser, Laser Radial

URL – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiLMa8QoXWI

Embed – <iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/ qiLMa8QoXWI” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>

Overnight, the forecast for racing on Friday was not looking good and Hyères was expected to be on the receiving end of 30knots of breeze, gusting 35. The breeze was strong in the morning and sailing postponed as the conditions were not deemed safe enough to sail. As the day progressed the breeze decreased enabling all but one fleet, the 2.4 Norlin OD, to hit the water.

The Laser Radial saw a day of chaos but Evi van Acker (BEL) has been there and done it. Van Acker was beaming with a smile ashore after racing following a sixth and 13th place to take the lead.

Explaining the day van Acker said, “We waited a couple of hours because it was too windy, then we got out there and it wasn’t windy at all. Then it was shifty. We were far out today between fighting winds coming from the left, then the right, so today you didn’t know where you were.”

It was probably making sense of the chaos that brought the smile to van Acker’s face, “When we were racing there were very big variations in wind and strength so you were winning, then in the middle.

“It was crazy, but I did ok.

“I had some pretty good results in some very tough conditions.”

Van Acker is 12 points clear of Tuula Tenkanen (FIN).

Overnight leader, Hungary’s Maria Erdi, crept over the start line for her second black flag of the regatta and has fallen to ninth.

If van Acker was confused, then so was the young Hungarian, “I didn’t push the line. I mean I didn’t know what was happening at the start. Wind was shifting. People at the pin end. Wind turned. I just didn’t know what was happening.”

Carrying two maximum scores in a one discard regatta effectively puts you out of the running, so what now for Erdi, “If I make the top ten I am happy. That was my goal before the regatta started and it’s still my goal.”

Italy’s Francesco Marrai took the shifty conditions in his stride with a bullet and fourth place to move him top above Cypriot Pavlos Kontides.

Great Britain’s Nick Thompson is now tied with Kontides with an impressive second and third place. Those scores were impressive as second placed Kontides and fourth placed Matt Wearn (AUS) both had high scores on the day which they had to discard.

With another day of qualification racing before Sunday’s live Medal Race, the top order in the fleet could yet again switch around as a competitive Laser fleet continue to battle.

It was a day of contrasts in the Men’s and Women’s 470. Blows were exchanged between the leaders in the women’s and the men’s saw some knock outs.

Still on the same points total, Afrodite Zegers and Annaloes van Veen (NED) and Linda Fahrni and Maja Siegenthaler (SUI) both notched up a bullet and second place to ensure that the Hyères title goes right down to the wire. With one more day of racing before the Medal Race, you wouldn’t bet against these two going in to a double points decider neck and neck.

With a perfect two bullet day, Rio 2016 silver medallist’s Mat Belcher and Will Ryan now have a 19-point buffer over second placed Carl -Fredrik Fock and Marcus Dackhammar (SWE).

Overnight leaders, Panagiotis Mantis and Pavlos Kagialis have dropped after a 21-22 day which they have to carry. They now sit on 54 compared to the Australians 14 and the reason was simple, “We had really bad starts today,” said a despondent Mantis, “We also missed the first shift and when you do both of those you are in trouble. It was such a bad day.”

The Greeks will have to recover their composure quickly and return to winning ways just to stay in contention for medals after an impressive opening three days of racing.

What a day Spain’s Diego Botin and Iago Marra had in the 49er. Coming in the day the Spaniards were in medal contention. At the end of the day they had guaranteed themselves a gold medal. With a bullet, sixth and 11th, Botin and Marra have an unassailable 27 point lead ahead of the Medal Race.

Great Britain’s Dylan Fletcher-Scott and Stu Bithell and Sweden’s Carl Sylvan and Marcus Anjemark are tied on 76 points and will fight it out with Yago and Klaus Lange, on 83 points, for silver and bronze.

Fast becoming a regular sentence in a 49erFX day review, Brazil’s Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze are in first place. Looking to add yet another gold to their ever growing collection, the Rio 2016 Olympic champions hold pole position for a Hyères win with an eight point lead over nearest rivals Victoria Jurczok and Anika Lorenz (GER).

There were some big climbers in the RS:X fleets shaking things up before Saturday’s live Medal Race.

France’s Louis Giard now sits top of the men’s fleet after a 1-4-5 scoreline which gives him a one point advantage over the man who has occupied pole position all week, Switzerland’s Mateo Sanz Lanz. The Swiss windsurfer could only card a 9-14-8 which are all scores he carries.

Winner of the first World Cup Series event in Miami, USA, Yunxiu Lu (CHN) was head and shoulders above the Women’s RS:X fleet, claiming a bullet and two seconds. She leapfrogs several rivals into second. With a 19-point lead, Poland’s Zofia Noceti-Klepacka remains top going into the double points Medal Race.

info:Daniel Smith and Richard Aspland – World Sailing

2017 WOLD CUP SERIES HYERES, DAY3

Heiner’s consistency pays dividends in Hyères

Nicholas Heiner’s (NED) consistency in the Finn is equalling success at Sailing’s World Cup Series in Hyères, France.

Out of the 534 racers from 52 nations, racing across the ten Olympic events, Foiling Formula Kiteboarding and 2.4 Norlin OD, Heiner has been one of the most reliable performers with a string of top five finishes to lead in the Finn.

Racing in a 7-13 knot breeze that took some time to fill in, the second regatta of the 2017 World Cup Series reached its mid-point and the battle to make Saturday and Sunday’s live Medal Races is on.

In only his third Finn regatta, Heiner had another consistent day of racing to take the lead in a fleet packed full of experienced racers.

Although he’s a fresh face in the Finn, the Dutchman is no stranger to competitive racing. He is a former Laser World Champion and used to racing in competitive fleets. Moving into a new boat can always be challenging for a sailor but Heiner has thrived in the Finn after making the crossover.

From Thursday’s racing, he picked up a second and a fifth and made all the right calls on a challenging day. “The wind was coming in and falling out all the time, but when we finally started it really kicked in to around 12 knots. Close to the start though I made a quick call to change the sail from the light wind to the medium heavy and I think that paid off well for me.”

Heiner is staying conservative in his racing, ensuring he has good boat handling and technique amongst the experienced pack. The natural, talented fearless sailor that sailed his way to an emphatic Laser world title in 2014 is yet to come out in Heiner. But for now, he is happy with his progress, “At moments, I think I saw some pressure coming and maybe tacked a bit early when I could have taken more risks. The idea is to keep it really conservative and stay with the pack right now.”

Fabian Pic (FRA) and Ben Cornish (GBR) trail Heiner by nine points with Alican Kaynar (TUR) a further point back. There is plenty still to play for with four fleet races and Sunday’s Medal Race to follow. Kaynar is targeting Heiner and will be aiming to climb up the leaderboard, “I think Nicholas extended his points lead today but we are still close. I just have to keep in contention and then attack in the last races.

“Today Nicholas sailed very conservatively I think and always caught the good shifts. He had good down winds today as well so he was always there at the front.”

Damien Seguin (FRA) continues on the path to glory in the 2.4 Norlin OD. The Rio 2016 and Athens 2004 Paralympic gold medallist has won all but one race this week and is firmly in control to win another title in Hyères. “I don’t know how many times I have won here,” laughed Seguin, “but I have been sailing in Hyères for a long time. I think I was 21 when I first sailed a Tornado here.”

Seguin has won six titles in Hyères and is in line to make that seven. But with new sailors in the fleet, Seguin is preparing for the upcoming Para World Sailing Championships in Kiel, Germany.

“It’s a smaller fleet but we have some new people which is great. One from Guatemala and two younger people, so it’s great to have some new guys to race against.

“It’s great practice for me for the Worlds. There aren’t so many events in 2.4 so if I need to practice I prefer to do it against good competitors. And there are good competitors here.”

French sailors Xavier Dagault and Bruno Jourdren follow Seguin with four races remaining.

The sail of the day goes to Germany’s Victoria Jurczok and Anika Lorenz who took all three wins in the 49erFX. That perfect performance moves the German team up in to silver medal position. They will need to continue that winning form though if they are to overhaul Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze (BRA) who are 10 points ahead.

Great Britain’s Dylan Fletcher-Scott and Stu Bithell edged ahead in the 49er with a 1-8-4. Those results give the Britons a slender two-point advantage over Spain’s Diego Botin and Iago Lopez.

Rio 2016 silver medallists Mat Belcher and Will Ryan (AUS) have cut the gap at the top of the leaderboard to one point behind the Rio 2016 bronze medal winning Greeks, Panagiotis Mantis and Pavlos Kagialis who currently occupy top spot in the Men’s 470. Mantis and Kagialis had to discard a 27th place before picking up a bullet in race two as they came under pressure from the Aussies who took a second and third for the day.

The Women’s 470 leaders mimicked the men’s with a discard in the first race and a bullet in the second. Dutch racers Afrodite Zegers and Annaloes van Veen discard their 16th and as a result are now tied on 15 points with Switzerland’s Linda Fahrni and Maja Siegenthaler. Silvia Mas Depares and Patricia Cantero Reina (ESP) are three points back in third.

Swiss windsurfer Mateo Sanz Lanz remains top of the Men’s RS:X despite slipping outside of the top five in a race for the first time. Thanks to his consistency so far in Hyères, Sanz Lanz could discard his 23rd place to hold a six-point lead over Israel’s Shahar Zubari and a 20-point lead over France’s Louis Giard.

Zofia Noceti-Klepacka (POL) leapfrogged overnight Women’s RS:X leader Noga Geller (ISR), opening up a 10-point cushion to lead the fleet. Brazil’s Patricia Freitas continues to climb the leaderboard and now sits in third with a day three score card which included a bullet, second and discarded 23rd.

In a day of catch up for the Laser fleet it was Australia’s Matt Wearn who came out on top with a bullet, second and fourth place from three races. With the schedule back on track it will be Wearn’s job to keep second placed Pavlos Kontides (CYP), third placed Francesco Marrai (ITA) and the rest of a strong dinghy fleet at bay.

Despite a black flag in the final race of the day, Hungary’s Maria Erdi heads the Laser Radial fleet, but only just. The young Olympian will need to be careful there are no more slip ups if she wants to end the regatta with a medal. Waiting for any possible slip is Evi Van Acker (BEL) just one point behind in second.

Home support will be aimed toward the Nacra 17 fleet as Moana Vaireaux and Manon Audinet (FRA) are tied at the top with Spain’s Fernando Echavarri and Tara Pacheco on 23 points. Lin Ea Cenholt and Christian Peter Lubeck are in third on 28.

As the breeze died later on in the evening, the Kitesurfers were unable to hit the water but they will resume tomorrow for their finals.

Racing resumes at 11:00 local time on Friday 28 April. The forecast shows big breeze and the RS:X, 49er, Nacra 17 and Kitesurfers will be aiming to grab a spot in the Medal Race.

Live Medal Races will be shown on the World Sailing YouTube Channel on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 April, bringing the penultimate event before the Santander Final to a close.

info:Daniel Smith and Richard Aspland – World Sailing

2017 WORLD CUP SERIES HYÈRES,DAY2

Zegers and van Veen show how it’s done

Afrodite Zegers and Anneloes van Veen (NED) were unstoppable on day two of Sailing’s World Cup Series in Hyères, France, winning both Women’s 470 races in convincing style.

Out of the 534 competitors from 52 nations racing across ten Olympic events, Open Kiteboarding and 2.4 Norlin OD, the Dutch team were the standout performers.

Following a brief morning postponement due to a wait for the wind, the 470 fleets got out for a 12:30 start, sailing in a westerly 10-15 knot breeze.

Zegers and van Veen were unrelenting, sailing their way to two convincingly victories to leapfrog Switzerland’s Linda Fahrni and Maja Siegenthaler into first place.

The Dutch duo are on a hot streak in the Women’s 470, winning gold at the opening 2017 World Cup Series event in Miami, USA before securing the Trofeo Princesa Sofia title in March.

They were agonisingly close to claiming a medal at Rio 2016, missing out by a single point and as their rivals have gone onto new ventures or taken time out of the boat, Zegers and van Veen were quick to get straight back into action.

“We already knew we wanted to continue as a team,” explained van Veen. “It was an easy choice to carry on.

“Since the beginning of the year at the World Cup in Miami we have made a lot of improvements, we still know there is a lot of work to be done but we feel like great improvements have been made.”

Zegers and van Veen got off to a strong start in both of their races and when compared to their rivals they were simply faster as van Veen explained, “We had good boat speed in the first race and from there we just tried to defend the lead and stay in front of the fleet which we did well.

“In the second race, we had a really good start from the pin and got the lead straight from that. We just played the shifts then.”

Watch, analyse and assess Zegers and van Veen’s races using the SAP Sailing Analytics. 
A familiar battle is developing in the Men’s 470 with Rio 2016 silver and bronze medallists separated by small margins. Greece’s Panagiotis Mantis and Pavlos Kagialis were made to settle for bronze at Rio 2016, beaten to silver by Mat Belcher and Will Ryan (AUS).

The tables have turned, for now, in Hyères as the Greek team hold the lead on five points to the Australia’s seven. Both crews posted identical results on day two, recording a first and a third but the Greek team had a better opening day with a race win and a fifth to take the lead.

On the rivalry with the Australians, Kagialis said, “It is always nice to race against people like Mat and Will as they are top athletes. When the level is higher you try more and you push more so it’s nice.

“It makes the sport better.

“Our goal is always to get a medal. You do your best in the regatta and if you are up there near the end you then get to choose which medal you can push for. It’s still early though, we have three days of racing before we get to that point.”

An interesting battle is developing in the Nacra 17 as the top three continue to fight for supremacy.

Five points separate Moana Vaireaux and Manon Audinet (FRA), Fernando Echavarri and Tara Pacheco (ESP) and Lin Ea Cenholt and Christian Peter Lubeck (DEN). The trio shared the day’s race wins and have put some points between themselves and fourth place.

“We had good starts and took the right side so it was a good day for us,” said Lubeck who had a steady day with a 1-(8)-2 scoreline. Ea Cenholt added, “We had an offshore tricky wind but we succeeded in what was important for us, to be at near the top of the fleet at the top mark.”

From a three-way fight to a three-way tie, Great Britain’s Dylan Fletcher-Scott and Stu Bithell, Argentina’s Yago and Klaus Lange and Spain’s Diego Botin and Iago Lopez are all locked on 16-points apiece in the 49er.

The trio scored a good set of ‘keepers’ on the second day, discarding their worst race which for all three was race one.

Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze (BRA) had another consistent day to consolidate their lead. Charlotte Dobson and Saskia Tidey (GBR) shone the brightest, however, winning a pair of races and claiming a fifth. As a result, they move into second place ahead of Victoria Jurczok and Anika Lorenz (GER).

Six further races were conducted in the Foiling Formula Kiteboarding and the perfect records held by Axel Mazella (FRA) and Nicolas Parlier (FRA) were crushed in the opening race of the day. Mazella finished second in the blue fleet and Parlier third in yellow.

That was, however, just one blip on the record as they got back to winning ways immediately after, taking the remaining five victories in their respective fleets. They are tied on 10 points at the top with Maxime Nocher (MON) following nine points behind.

From two Finn races, a 5-4 from Ben Cornish (GBR) and a 4-2 from Nicholas Heiner (NED) sees the pair tied at the top on ten points. The day’s race victories went the way of Jorge Zarif (BRA) who is 11th overall and the sixth placed Ed Wright (GBR).

Finland’s Tuula Tenkanen is making her first competitive appearance back in the Laser Radial after finishing fifth at Rio 2016. Any cobwebs were blown off on the opening day as she won the opening race. A mid-fleet finish followed but Tenkanen was back on form on Wednesday, winning another race. She leads on ten points, two ahead of Belgium’s Evi Van Acker. Maria Erdi (HUN) and Viktorija Andrulyte (LTU) are tied for third on 13 points.

Damien Seguin (FRA) and Xavier Dagault (FRA) shared the 2.4 Norlin OD race wins. Seguin, the Rio 2016 and Athens 2004 Paralympic gold medallist leads the 12-boat fleet on three points and is trailed by Dagault and Bruno Jourdren (FRA).

As the day progressed in Hyères, the breeze began to decrease meaning the Laser and RS:X fleets could only complete one race in a challenging, fickle afternoon session.

Shahar Zubari (ISR) took the men’s race win and moves to second overall, one point behind Mateo Sanz Lanz (SUI) who consolidated first place with a third. Overnight Women’s RS:X leader Noga Geller (ISR) remains in control following a third. Zofia Noceti-Klepacka (POL) pulled within one point of the Israeli with a second. The single race win went the way of Patricia Freitas (BRA).

Sam Meech (NZL) moved from 11th to fourth overall as he took the single Laser race win. Pavlos Kontides (CYP) retains his lead by discarding his 14th. Nick Thompson (GBR) follows and Francesco Marrai (ITA) is in third.

Racing continues Thursday 26 April at 11:00 local time. Live Medal Races will be shown on the World Sailing YouTube Channel on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 April, bringing the penultimate event before the Santander Final to a close.

info:Daniel Smith – World Sailing

2017 WORLD CUP SERIES HYÈRES,DAY1

Laying down a marker

Over 500 sailors from 52 nations opened their quest for World Cup honours, personal best performances and bragging rights as the second event of the 2017 series got underway in Hyères, France.

Events cannot be won on the first day in sailing but they can certainly be lost. So, in a stable 8-11 knot south easterly breeze, it was vital that those aiming for the top honours laid down a marker with consistent race results.

In the 38 strong Women’s Windsurfer fleet, Israel’s Noga Geller came out flying with superb starts and speed. Feeling comfortable in the conditions, she snapped up the first two race wins. “It was between 10-12 knots and good for planing downwind. The conditions were just like home for me so these are my favourite conditions,” Geller explained on her secret to success.

“I was a bit nervous before but winning the first race is always nice and then winning the second was great.”

Having won the first two races in the RS:X fleet, Geller was aiming for a perfect day but a bad start in the third bout of the day meant she was unable to assert herself as she had been doing.

Geller finished in 22nd place, quite the comedown from her flying start. So what happened? “I didn’t start well,” said the Israeli, simply. “I was on the wrong side and then I couldn’t catch up so it was a really average race for me.

“In these conditions it’s that simple. If you don’t start well and you don’t have a free line then you can’t get your speed. It’s so important to get a good start.”

She concluded with a smile, “You can’t have everything.”

Geller discards her 22nd and leads the way on two points. Zofia Noceti-Klepacka (POL) and Veronica Fanciulli (ITA) follow. The day’s other race win went the way of China’s Yunxiu Lu, winner at the World Cup Series in Miami, USA.

In the Men’s RS:X, Switzerland’s Mateo Sanz Lanz had a wonderfully consistent day, winning two races that were sandwiched with a fourth. Like Geller, he put the key to success on the day down to a good start, “As soon as you get clean wind you can get free and choose whichever side you want,” he explained. “It’s the one thing that makes a huge difference to where you finish.

“I’m happy as it was a tough day of pumping all the time in gusty conditions. But I managed to start with clean wind and sailed fast.”

South American sailors occupy the top two places in the 49erFX.

Rio 2016 Olympic champions Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze (BRA) lead on three points and Victoria Travascio and Maria Branz (ARG) follow on four.

The Brazilians are the ones to beat in the 49erFX having added Miami gold to their collection after Rio 2016. They got off to the best start in the 20-boat 49erFX fleet, collecting a 1-2-(4) scoreline.

Travascio and Branz were hot on the heels of the Brazilians on day one, finishing third in the opening bout and backing it up with a race win immediately after. They finished the day with a discarded 12th but are pleased to be on the tails of the Olympic champions, “It was really windy and wavy today but it was good,” expressed Travascio.

“I’m happy we got off to a good start. We had two good races but then a bad third race. We went to the right when we really should have gone to the left. Overall we are happy though.”

There were some mixed scorelines in the 49er pack but it’s another South American contingent who lead the way. Brothers Yago and Klaus Lange from Argentina top the leaderboard on three points and World Cup Miami winners Dylan Fletcher-Scott and Stu Bithell (GBR) follow one point behind.

Pavlos Kontides (CYP) came out firing in the 60-boat Laser fleet, winning both of the days races. Good boat speed and positioning at the startline enabled Kontides to be within the leading positions at the top mark in both races. From there he was able to use his speed to take a lead at the first gate, in both races, and subsequently he dominated from there.

Watch the races back on the SAP Sailing Analytics to see how Kontides asserted himself.

Nick Thompson (GBR) and Rio 2016 Olympic Champion Tom Burton (AUS) kept Kontides in sight in both races. Thompson picked up a 3-2 and Burton a 4-5.

In the Laser Radial, Evi Van Acker (BEL) posted two strong results as she bids to defend her Hyères crown. A third and a first gives her an eight point advantage over Viktorija Andrulyte (LTU). World Cup Miami winner Vasileia Karachaliou (GRE) had a mixed day with a 35th and fourth. Sailors’ worst races will be discarded after the third race so a good performance on Wednesday will propel the Greek racer up the leaderboard.

2.4 Norlin OD Paralympic Champion Damien Seguin (FRA) got off to a flyer in the 12-boat fleet. Seguin posted double bullets and has an early four-point advantage over compatriot Xavier Dagault and Italy’s Antonio Squizzato.

Seguin has thrived in Hyères throughout his sailing career, winning gold six times. Winning a record seventh title will set the French racer up nicely for the upcoming Para World Sailing Championships in Kiel, Germany where he will be aiming for a fifth world title.

Moana Vaireaux and Manon Audinet (FRA) controlled the Nacra 17, picking up a (4)-1-2 scorecard to lead on three points. Lin Ea Cenholt and Christian Peter Lubeck (DEN) and defending champions Fernando Echavarri and Tara Pacheco (ESP) follow on six points.

In their first regatta together, Billy Besson, the four time Nacra 17 World Champion, and new crew Amelie Riou got off to a slow start with an 18th and 11th. By the third race, the pair were flying and took the race win.

Great Britain’s Ben Cornish and France’s Fabian Pic shared the race wins in the 34-boat Finn fleet. Cornish holds an early lead after he backed his race win up with a sixth and Pic sits in fourth after an 11th.

French racers Nicolas Parlier and Axel Mazella dominated their respective blue and yellow fleets in the Foiling Formula Kiteboarding. The pair won every single race, beating World Champion racers Maxime Nocher (MON) and Florian Gruber (GER) respectively.

In the 470 fleets, Rio 2016 bronze medallists Panagiotis Mantis and Pavlos Kagialis (GRE) lead the men’s division and Switzerland’s Linda Fahrni and Maja Siegenthaler are in control in the women’s after two races each.

Racing continues on Wednesday 26 April at 11:00 local time. Live Medal Races will be shown on the World Sailing YouTube Channel on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 April, bringing the penultimate event before the Santander Final to a close. 

info:By Daniel Smith – World Sailing

WORLD CUP SERIES IN HYÈRES

Racing needs to be fast, not the food.

Sailors come in all shapes and sizes. Some are suited to lighter winds. Some stronger. For the 541 sailors from 52 nations racing at the 2017 World Cup Series in Hyères, France from 23 – 30 April, it looks like the latter will get the advantage with strong winds forecast for the week.

Sailing is a sport with variables in wind and nature, equipment, athlete shape and even age and experience meaning results are never a certainty. But that's why we love it.

Many sailors will be brimming with confidence after browsing the weather forecast and will be striving for gold in Hyères. But it is a team small in stature that know exactly where they stand in terms of performance that intrigues.

Spanish sisters, Carla and Marta Munté Carrasco, sail together in the 49erFX and know they have a problem. They are small and light. Not a great combination in strong winds. So, what can they do to change that? 'We have to eat a lot,” Carla says, almost with a smile.

Although those words may be music to anyone's ears, it's not as simple as it first sounds. A sailor cannot simply head to a fast food chain and eat until their heart's content, weight gain has to be done strategically to ensure the health of the athlete. 'We have to spend a lot of time at the gym as well,” explains Carla, 'We train at a high-performance centre and we have a nutritionist and physical trainer. With the team behind us we are trying to change our weight.”

The future may see some heavier Carrasco sisters racing, but what about right now, 'We aren't worried about being too light,” states Carla, 'we know it's a negative point and we can't do much about it now so we have to do our best based on what we have. We know it's something we need to address.”

The young team are certainly looking ahead and addressing a problem they recognise, which actually takes the pressure off the pair in Hyères and in their first season on the senior circuit, 'We don't really have an objective based on results as it's our first World Cup. Our main objective is to learn from the best and we will aim to finish in the middle of the fleets, especially in this wind.”

If the young sisters know that having a light crew in the boat isn't going to help them in Hyères, then no one told New Zealand's Micah Wilkinson. Looking forward to proving the theory wrong with helm Olivia Mackay, Wilkinson's enthusiasm for a strong wind regatta is evident, 'Love it! We are from New Zealand so we love the wind.”

The Kiwi pair, just like the Carrasco sisters, may be among the shortest and lightest in their respective fleets, but Wilkinson believes that different equipment equals different rules, 'We are on the smaller side height wise but it doesn't make too much of a difference on these boats. We sail in big winds a lot so we are used to it.”

From one extreme to the other. If all four young sailors were standing side by side, France's Finn sailor, Jonathan Lobert, would be towering over them all. Yet another shape and size to suit different equipment and who better to ask if home advantage could play a part, 'Although I am French it's not really 'home' for me. I live and train on the west coast so I don't really get an advantage here, it's like any other venue. Saying that I have raced here quite a few times so I feel I know it quite well.”

Although the heavyweights relish a strong wind challenge, somewhere inside Lobert would have been hoping for light winds as he explains, 'I actually had surgery on my knee only around two months ago so I'm still in the recovery phase. I will have to take it easy and see how it goes.”

Returning to action for a different reason is Brazil's RS:X sailor, Patricia Freitas. Taking some time out after the first South American Olympic Games in her homeland, Freitas is enjoying being back among the hustle and bustle again, 'I'm happy to be back to the circuit. I started training earlier in the month back in the [Guanabara] Bay and it was weird. It was so empty after the Games when it was so busy.”

With a gusty forecast, Freitas knows that it's not always about being the strongest out on the water. There are other factors that can equal success as the Brazilian explained, 'It's not so much training differently, it's more choosing the right equipment to handle the strong winds. That's the biggest difference.”

There will be some venues where you just know what wind you will get. As a sailor you can prepare for that in advance. But then there are some like Hyères which can be a bit of pot luck. Although the forecast will give you an idea beforehand, sometimes it's too little too late and you need to be prepared for everything, as Wilkinson explains, 'By the time you realise what the forecast is going to be it's too late. You've just got to maintain a high level of fitness constantly so you can cope with weeks like this.”

That thought is echoed by Freitas, 'We only know the forecast a few days before so you can't really focus too much, and, as we all know, forecasts can change during an event also. It could be strong now but tomorrow totally different.”

Whatever the forecast brings one thing is for certain, there will be at least one person from somewhere across all the fleets who will like those conditions. If it's not strong wind, it's light wind, and surely there will be a smile from the Carrasco sisters who will be thankful they haven't eaten so much quite yet.

Racing is scheduled to commence on Tuesday 25 April at 11:00 local time
info:sail-wold

SECOND DAY OF 48 TROFEO PRINCESA SOFIA

Now the Finn fleet on the Bay of Palma sees the Heiner family name back near the front of the fleet, courtesy of son Nicholas.

From a funky first day of racing when the promising solid morning breeze evaporated to become difficult, shifty and unsettled and then disappeared, it was a return to business as usual for the second day of competition at the 48th edition of the Trofeo Princesa Sofía IBEROSTAR regatta.

The Bay of Palma was blessed by the reliable light Embat sea breeze which filled in on cue to keep the 10 classes racing on, or close to schedule. 

It is 21 years since Holland’s Roy Heiner clinched a bronze medal in the Finn class in Savannah at the 1996 Olympic regatta. Now the Finn fleet on the Bay of Palma sees the Heiner family name back near the front of the fleet, courtesy of son Nicholas.

After more than five years in the Laser class, peaking with a triumphant Laser World title in 2014 in Santander, Nicholas Heiner has beefed up, having already gained more than 10 kilos of muscle, and is making waves near the front of a competitive Finn fleet. Coached by Spain’s Olympic silver medallist Rafa Trujillo, Heiner is lying a provisional third place in the 57 boat Finn fleet after four races. It is very, very early days but the young Dutch sailor is enjoying the transition. 

“It is great to now race in the big fleet in the Finn. I did Melbourne last year and there was only five or six boats so there are way more good guys here and it is now good to race against them.” 

A rigorous winter training programme in the gym has seen the required dividends in muscle and fitness.

“ I am 10 or 11kgs heavier than I was in the Laser, and going heavier. How far? I can’t say, that is top secret. It will depend on what we feel I can handle performance wise. We build it up slowly but the muscle comes on quick enough. I am happy with that. That has been a lot of gym work and a lot of food. You are just eating as much food as you can get in! Initially the weight was coming on with the gym work alone and now with the regatta when you are racing the Finn downwind, compared with the Laser, it is so brutal that a day like today I am quite tired. So I am ready for some pasta. In the Laser it was salad all the time and some pasta now and again.” 

His father, a veteran of four Olympics between 1988 and 2000 in the Finn and Soling, was on hand during Nicholas’ last training camp. 

“ My dad came to the last training camp and it was great. Some old school stuff came up but he did make me think about stuff, some of the little things that matters, for example. It was great to have him around.” 

The Finn fleet completed two races in the moderate sea breeze which dropped away during the afternoon. Estonia’s Deniss Kapak leads the regatta by a clear six points from Sweden’s Max Salminen. Miami Sailing World Cup winner Jorge Zarif of Brazil lies seventh. 

The 470 classes stayed on schedule with two races for both groups sailed. The Women, racing first, enjoyed the best of the day’s conditions before the breeze started to die during the late afternoon, making it especially challenging during the second race for the Men. Afrodite Zegers and Anneloes Van Veen, the winners in January in Miami and who just missed the Rio podium with fourth place, have retained their consistency – finishing no worse than fourth – to lead by one point. 

“First race we had a good start and went OK but missed some pressure near the top, from then on we kept fighting and took some opportunities to catch up to the one and two who were in front of us. In the second race we were struggling a bit more. We were not so fast in our downwinds but we managed OK.” Recalled crew Van Veen. 

“ In Miami we sailed well to win and then got some good training afterwards but here the fleet is bigger, it is more challenging here. This season we are targeting everything towards the Europeans and Worlds in Greece which is still home territory in a way for Afro. I think we are on the right track.”

While the top female duo did not falter, the Russian Men's duo Pavel Sozkyin and Denis Gribanov struggled in the second race – sailing a discard 19th in the very light breeze. They still lead but only by a single point from the American pair Stu McNay and Dave Hughes who won the second race of their day. Brazil’s Geison Mendes and Gustavo Thiesen are third. 

Helm Mendes explained:

“In the end we did not get such good starts but we did OK. We have done some training in Brazil with the younger guys and it is good to be pushed by them. We were very happy yesterday when there was more wind, we were very fast. Here we are looking for a good result from here so we can go to Hyeres and we want to go to Japan. The fleet here is good with many young crews and today in the light winds they were very fast.” 

Spain’s 49er duo who finished ninth in Rio 2016, Diego Botin and Iago Lopez Marra continue to lead the Men’s Skiff class winning two of their qualifying fleet races, and so lie five points ahead of the GBR duo James Peters and Fynn Sterritt.

Botin commented: 

“It’s been a really solid day for us even it is was a bit complicated. Our goal is to be on top at the end of the championship. We’ve only sailed two days and we haven’t yet used the discard which is so important. We have to try to keep on sailing like today. And this being one of my favourite events helps. I love the conditions, the place and all the facilities we have! I love being here!” 

The German pair Victoria Jurczok and Anika Lorenz have a ten points cushion at the top of the 49er FX fleet.  Fourth on these waters one year ago they move into the Tokyo quadrennial after their ninth in Rio. Norway’s Helene Naess and Marie Ronningen are second. They could not quite match the German because they missed the key move in the first race before the breeze built. Ronningen recalls: 

“The first race we did not have the proper sea breeze built and so that race was just all about getting into the shore. The sea breeze came in for the second race and I think we were the only ones who saw that coming and we went left and went from fifth to first. In the last race it was then all about getting to the left, to the shore and getting the shore effect, standard Palma sea breeze. 

It is always good to be in Palma. With six races done we have had four good races and two not so good races. And so we are happy. The fleet here is interesting. There are a lot of new teams, it is interesting to see people switching in and out from the Nacra and so many young girls coming into the class and the people who have been to the Olympics.”  

Jeemin Ha, Korea’s representative in Rio, leads the Laser class, GBR’s past world champion Nick Thompson returning a solid 3,2 to lie second behind Canarian Joel Rodrieguez, while in the Radial fleet Holland’s Maxime Jonker is three points up on GBR’s world champion Alison Young. 

The Nacra 17 fleet has Denmark’s Lin Cenholt and Christian Peter Lubeck leading ahead of new pairing John Gimson and Anna Burnett with British compatriots Tom Phipps and Nikki Boniface in third. The newly formed dup of double Olympic medallist Iker Martinez and Olga Maslivets lie 11th. After five Olympic windsurfing campaigns, Maslivets is on a steep learning curve adapting to the Nacra:

“There are good things and many unexpected things for me. Definitely the high speed skills from windsurfing helps a lot in the catamaran, that’s’ a good thing. There are lots of weak points, of course, one is that I am not that much into pure sailing and I do not know a lot about boats, how they work, how the systems works and definitely team work. That’s my weak point, I’m used to sailing alone so now I’m learning new things. I was sailing in RS:X, top level RS:X, 5 Olympic campaigns, now jumping into Nacra 17, a very new beginning. The Trofeo Princesa Sofía IBEROSTAR is giving a real challenge to see where we are and what we need to work on. It is really exciting.” 

The London 2012 gold medallist Marina Alabau is on form leading the RS:X Women’s class while Pawel Tarnowski, the 2008 Youth World Champion and runner up here last year, heads the Men’s regatta.

info:trofeoprincesasofia.org

ONE WEEK BEFORE THE START OF 48 TROFEO PRINCESA SOFIA

The Spanish regatta continues to grow and just over a week away, the number of entries exceed those of previous post-Olympic years

One week before the start of the 48 Trofeo Princesa Sofia IBEROSTAR, Club Nàutic S’Arenal, Club Marítimo San Antonio de la Playa and Real Club Náutico de Palma –the three organising clubs together with the Federación Balear de Vela- make final preparations for one of the biggest sports events in Spain and one of the most important and attended Olympic sailing events in the world.

Around 700 boats will participate in this edition of the Majorcan regatta, which kicks off on Friday 24 for ORC, J80 and Dragon (with three racing days until Sunday) and on Monday 27 for Olympic Classes. The Princesa Sofia IBEROSTAR will end on 1st April with the celebration of the finals for Olympic classes and the prize giving ceremony in which the absolute winner of the 48th edition will be crowned.

634 boats and 842 sailors from 53 nations will participate in the different Olympic classes, in accordance with the number of confirmed entries (not final until Sunday 26th). This means a 10% entry increase compared to the last post-Olympic year (2013) and 22% compared to the previous one (2009).

“The Trofeo Princesa Sofia IBEROSTAR continues to better itself- says Ferran Muniesa, the Race Manager -. This will be a very exciting edition with a Sofia filled with changes such as the testing of the new racing formats and the numerous changes in the participating teams: changes of crew, sailors moving to other classes, new faces … This is something usual when a new Olympic quad begins but it is specially highlighted this year”.  

One of the most striking moves has been made by Brazilian sailor Robert Scheidt. At 43 and 5 Olympic medals, this legend of the sport has moved from the Laser Standard to the 49er, a particularly physical boat. Scheidt had his debut on the skiff at the Miami World Cup Series (check World Sailing’s video) and has just confirmed his entry at the 48 Trofeo Princesa Sofia IBEROSTAR.

Another noticeable change is brought by Russian-Ukrainian sailor Olga Maslivets (she has sailed representing both countries). She was the winner of the previous edition of the Sofia IBEROSTAR in RS:X W, but this year she will sail onboard a Nacra 17, as crew member of double Olympic medallist Iker Martínez and with the Spanish flag on the mainsail. The new tandem claimed victory at the Arenal Training Camps Trophy held last weekend although among a small fleet. Fernando Echávarri and Tara Pacheco -the Spanish team in Rio 2016- did not participate in this regatta but will be at the starting line of the Trofeo Princesa Sofia IBEROSTAR.

info:trofeoprincesasofia.org