Day five of the World Cup Series Miami brings the first of two LIVE Medal Race days from Regatta Park, Coconut Grove. First up are the 49ers, Nacra17 and RS:X who will race of Biscayne Bay for the first gold medals of the 2017 World Cup Series and you can watch online on World Sailing’s YouTube channel – www.youtube.com/worldsailingtv
Elsewhere the 470s, Lasers and Finn sailors continue with their opening series as they aim for the top ten and the chance to race in Sunday’s LIVE Medal Race finales.
All sailors will be greeted with a 10-12 knot breeze from the north which turns towards the east later in the afternoon. Onshore, spectators and families watching the action on the big screen at Regatta Park will again be sitting in warm Miami sunshine making the most of the free entry to the Park and food available.
PRESS RELEASES
World Sailing will be releasing international press releases after racing throughout the duration of World Cup Miami. All the latest news and reports will be available to read here – http://www.sailing.org/worldcup/news/index.php
WORLD CUP SERIES
World Sailing’s World Cup Series is an annual series of Olympic sailing for elite and professional sailors. Over 2,000 of the world’s leading sailors, representing over 75 nations have competed in the World Cup Series which offers a definitive guide to the best-of-the-best in the Olympic sailing world.
For Martine Soffiati Grael and Kahena Kunze, the fourth day of the 2017 World Cup Series Miami presented by Sunbrella started on a sour note, with a 14th in a 16-boat 49erFX fleet.
“It was crazy,” said Kunze when asked about the wind in the first race. “It was going to the left and to the right, changing all the time.”
But even that result wasn’t enough to dampen either the spirits of the resilient Brazilian duo or their chances of winning the 49erFX division in this regatta for the first time since 2013, when the class was so new that just nine teams competed.
A slight change of venue and the filling of a southeasterly sea breeze before the second race were welcome changes for Grael and Kunze. They finished fourth and second in the day’s final two races. Tomorrow they will start the Medal Race with a nearly insurmountable 17-point lead over second place.
@Jesus Renedo / Sailing Energy / World Sailing
A live broadcast of the Medal Races starts at noon on World Sailing’s YouTube Channel (youtube.com/worldsailingtv) and on the Jumbotron screen at Regatta Park in Coconut Grove, Fla.
The only way that the second place team in the 49erFX, Ragna and Maia Agerup of Norway, could take over the lead in tomorrow’s double-points Medal Race would be if Grael and Kunze finished last and the Norwegian pair finished first.
The most interesting battle during the Medal Race is likely to be for the lesser podium places. Victoria Travascio and Maria Branz (ARG) are in third, just five points behind second with another Norwegian pair, Helen Naess and Marie Ronningen, three points further back in fourth.
Travascio and Branz had their best day of the regatta to move into contention. They finished seventh in the first race and won the next two.
“The racecourse was really [strong] on the left, so it was crucial to have a good start and have a good lane to go to the left,” said Branz of the second and third races.
@Jesus Renedo / Sailing Energy / World Sailing
Like his countrywomen, Brazilian Finn sailor Jorge Zarif struggled in the first race of the day. “It was really hard because we had a very light breeze,” said Zarif, who won this regatta last year and then experienced the heartbreak of a fourth in his home-country Rio 2016 Olympics. “The wind was shifting a lot, a lot of differences in pressure. I had a good start and I didn’t find a good gap. I tried the left of the racecourse and it didn’t work and it was really hard to pass someone in the downwind. I have a yellow flag [for a kinetics violation] and if I get a second I have to retire from the race, so I was really calm trying to not get a second yellow flag.”
But he, too, was able to rebound, recording his fifth win in eight races in the day’s second contest and building a 12-point lead over Ben Cornish (GBR), who sits second. The Finns, along with the 470s, Lasers and Radials, will continue full-fleet racing tomorrow and have their Medal Races on Sunday.
The Nacra 17 fleet made the most of an early breeze and cranked through four races to complete its opening series. Ben Saxton and Nicola Groves (GBR) left no doubt who is the class of this fleet recording three firsts and a second. They start tomorrow’s Medal Race with a nine-point lead over Tom Phipps and Nicola Boniface (GBR). Nico Delle-Karth and Laura Schöfegger (AUT) are third, eight points further back. The Italian team of Lorenzo Bressani and Caterina Marianna Banti are fourth and in contention for bronze, though it will take a lot of help. Riley Gibbs and Louise Chafee (USA) and John Gimson and Anna Burnet (GBR) are tied on points for fifth, but out of medal contention, provided the Austrian team finishes the race.
Consistency was a struggle across the 51-boat Laser Radial fleet. Just one sailor, Mathilde de Karangat (FRA) strung together two top-10 finishes. She is now just four points out of second, currently held by Evi Van Acker, of Belgium. Vasileia Karachaliou (GRE) had a fifth and a 14th today and, with 23 points through 8 races, holds a 16-point lead over Van Acker.
Dylan Fletcher-Scott and Stuart Bithell’s lead in the 49er took a significant hit in the last two races today, a 16th and 20th. But nonetheless, their 21-point margin over second means the British pair will start tomorrow’s Medal Race guaranteed a regatta win. The battle for silver and bronze comes down to Carl Sylvan and Marcus Anjemark (SWE), with 71 points, Benjamin Bildstein and David Hussl (AUT), with 72 points and Diego Botin le Chever and Iago Lòpez Marra (ESP), with 77 points. Yago and Klaus Lange (ARG) and Lucas Rual and Emile Amoros (FRA) have outside chances at a medal.
Jean Baptiste Bernaz’s streak of race wins in the Laser came to an end earlier today. He finished sixth and 17th in the two races. But with everyone else in the top 10 struggling mightily, the French sailor’s lead is now 32 points over Pavlos Kontides (CYP) in second.
Louis Giard of France, closed the full-fleet portion of the Men’s RS:X regatta with a remarkable run of five straight top-two finishes. His reward is an unassailable 33-point lead over Kiran Badloe (NED) in second heading into tomorrow’s Medal Race. Badloe, with 66 points, will go into the Medal Race looking to defend his silver position against Pierre Le Coq (FRA) and Mateo Sanz Lanz (SUI), who are one and eight points back respectively.
With a fifth, first and second today Marina Alabau Neira (ESP) did everything she could to put herself into position to challenge for first place in tomorrow’s Women’s RS:X Medal Race. She’ll need to make up 14 points to take the gold from Yunxiu Lu (CHN). Isobel Hamilton (GBR), Manjia Zheng (CHN) and Jiao Ma (CHN) are separated by just four points in what is likely to be the battle for bronze.
The 470s fell victim to the dying breeze, getting just one race in very light conditions. In the Women’s 470, a win by Afrodite Zegers and Anneloes van Veen (NED) pushed them into the overall lead with Sophie Weguelin and Eilidh McIntyre (GBR) in second, three points back.
@Pedro Martinez / Sailing Energy / World Sailing
Stu McNay and David Hughes’ steady march to the top of the Men’s 470 standings peaked today as a fifth place in a very light-air race lifted the American team into first place. With 25 points, they are four points ahead of Panagiotis Mantis and Pavlos Kagialis (GRE) and nine points clear of Tetsuya Isozaki and Akira Takayanagi (JPN).
Racing continues tomorrow starting at 10:30 am on Biscayne Bay. The Medal Races for the 2017 World Cup Series, which start at noon, will be broadcast live via World Sailing’s YouTube channel starting at noon (EST) on Saturday and Sunday, and will be shown on a Jumbotron screen at Regatta Park in Coconut Grove. Admission to the park is free and food trucks will be on hand to ensure sailing fans don’t go hungry.
PRESS RELEASES
World Sailing will be releasing international press releases after racing throughout the duration of World Cup Miami. All the latest news and reports will be available to read here – http://www.sailing.org/worldcup/news/index.php
WORLD SERIES CUP
The World Series Cup is a World-class, annual series of Olympic sailing for elite and professional sailors. Over 2,000 of the World’s leading sailors, representing over 75 nations have competed in the Sailing World Cup which offers a definitive guide to the best-of-the-best in the Olympic sailing world.
Day four of the World Cup Series Miami will see the Medal Race places decided in the skiff, multihull and windsurfing classes as their opening series draws to a close. There are places at stake in Saturday’s live Medal Races out of Regatta Park, Coconut Grove for the 49ers, Nacra 17 and RS:X sailors while the Finns, 470 and Lasers continue to fight it out for their chance of Medal Race action on Sunday.
There is a west, south-westerly wind forecast which looks to be holding steady at around 8 knots for the sailors to contend with. The winds will be gusting up to around the 10 knot mark as Miami, Florida continues to provide plenty of sunshine for the visiting sailors and spectators to Regatta Park.
PRESS RELEASES
World Sailing will be releasing international press releases after racing throughout the duration of World Cup Miami. All the latest news and reports will be available to read here – http://www.sailing.org/worldcup/news/index.php
WORLD CUP SERIES
World Sailing’s World Cup Series is an annual series of Olympic sailing for elite and professional sailors. Over 2,000 of the world’s leading sailors, representing over 75 nations have competed in the World Cup Series which offers a definitive guide to the best-of-the-best in the Olympic sailing world.
For Swiss RS:X sailor Mateo Sanz Lanz, success on the third day of racing at the 2017 World Series Cup Miami presented by Sunbrella was as much about what he didn’t do as what he did do. In a gusty and shifty northeasterly breeze that moved about like an over-caffeinated flyweight boxer, Lanz finished first, third and fourth in three races.
@Pedro Martinez / Sailing Energy / World Sailing
“Today was really shifty and gusty and during the races there were many changes of positions; it was crazy,” said Lanz, who finished 14th at the Rio 2016 Olympics. “I didn’t know really well what to do, [I tried to] just manage my position with the fleet, be conservative, and not take many risks. You could pass the upwind mark really good then round the downwind mark with 10 people coming from behind with strong gusts and planing.”
Lanz had a forgettable second day of the regatta, with a 15th, 17th and a U-flag disqualification for being over the starting line early. His complete turnaround, from a results perspective, was all the more impressive when considering that only one other sailor in the top 10 was able to string together three top-10 finishes.
How tough was it on the water? The regatta leader going into racing, Kiran Badloe (NED), finished 11, 15, 26 in today’s races after not finishing worse than third in the first six races.
Taking maximum advantage of Badloe’s struggles was Louis Giard of France, who finished sixth, first and second. Giard now has a 12-point lead over Badloe in second place with three races, and the Medal Race, remaining.
Giard’s keys to success in this atypically unstable wind sounds fairly similar to that of Lanz.
“I didn’t try for some crazy perfect start, but then I followed the wind pretty well and did not try any crazy stuff, just doing what I do the best,” said Giard, who has his eyes on the French berth in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, though getting that will mean fending off Rio 2016 bronze medalist Pierre Le Coq, who sits fourth in this regatta. “The wind was really shifty and sometimes you can have around 12 knots and the other guy can have only 4 knots, so you have to manage your race all the time to be in the right gust and the right shift. It’s not an easy game, but I play it well today.”
For sailors who found themselves occasionally out of sync with the breeze, it was all about damage control.
@Jesus Renedo / Sailing Energy / World Sailing
British RS:X sailor Isobel Hamilton fought hard all day just to stay in the top 10 in each race. A 4, 10, 9 was well off the 3, 2, 1 she produced on the second day of racing. But considering how much worse it could’ve been, she wasn’t complaining.
“We kind of decided that getting an average in the top five or top six would be a good day because it was pretty unpredictable,” said Hamilton. “I almost did that, so I’m pretty happy.
“The secret to success [on days like this] is keeping a level head. Just because you’ve lost a bit of distance on the upwind doesn’t mean you can’t instantly gain it on a downwind with a gust. Just keep your head and always try to take places.”
With nine of 12 races done before the top 10 are moved into the Medal Race, Hamilton has put herself in a good position to claim a podium spot in the first major competition on the road to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Yunxiu Lu, of China, leads the Women’s RS:X with 24 points, with countrywoman Manjia Chen in second with 38. Hamilton has 44 and Marina Alabau Neira (ESP) is just off the podium with 46.
The 49ers got back on schedule with four races, three of which were won by the British duo of Dylan Fletcher-Scott and Stuart Bithell. With a third in the fourth race, they now have a very cozy 27-point lead over second, Carl Sylvan and Marcus Angemark of Sweden. Benjamin Bildstein and David Hussl (AUT) are third, 13 points further back.
@Jesus Renedo / Sailing Energy / World Sailing
Martine Soffiatti Grael and Kahena Kunze (BRA) are showing no signs of slowing down after winning gold in 49erFX at the Rio 2016 Olympics. They totaled 11 points in four races today and lead a pair of Norwegian teams—Helen Naess and Marie Ronningen and Ragna and Maia Agerup—by 18 points.
With a pair of wins, Jean Baptiste Bernaz (FRA) pushed his winning streak to three races and his lead in the Laser to seven points over Pavlos Kontides of Cyprus. Great Britain’s Nick Thompson is third. Charlie Buckingham of the United States is fourth, but just 10 points separate his current position from 10th.
The race for gold in the Laser Radial appears to be a two-women competition. Vasileia Karachaliou (GRE) leads the class with 13 points while Evi Van Acker (BEL) is second with 14. Mathilde de Karangat (FRA) is third with 37.
Stu McNay and David Hughes (USA) vaulted onto the podium in the Men’s 470 with a third and a first. With 20 points, the defending regatta champions are just two points behind Panagiotis Mantis and Pavlos Kagialis of Greece. Tetsuya Isozaki and Akira Takayanagi (JPN) are third with 23 points.
Consistency has been the name of the game for Women’s 470 sailors Sophie Weguelin and Eilidh McIntyre (GBR). They have finished second in five of six races and, with 10 points, are in first, one point ahead of Afrodite Zegers and Anneloes van Veen of the Netherlands. Silva Mas Depares and Paula Barcelo Martin (ESP) are third.
The British are dominating the Nacra 17 class, with Tom Phipps and Nicola Boniface (GBR) in first with 28 points and Ben Saxton and Nicola Groves (GBR) in second with 30 points. Nico Delle-Karth and Laura Schöfegger (AUT) are third with 34 points.
Jorge Zarif continued his winning ways in the Finn, claiming both of today’s races to open up a six-point lead over Ben Cornish (GBR), who stands on 12 points. Anders Pedersen (NOR) is third with 15 points.
Racing continues tomorrow from Coconut Grove at 11 a.m. The Medal Races will be held on Saturday and Sunday starting at noon.
PRESS RELEASES
World Sailing will be releasing international press releases after racing throughout the duration of World Cup Miami. All the latest news and reports will be available to read here – http://www.sailing.org/worldcup/news/index.php
WORLD SERIES CUP
The World Series Cup is a World-class, annual series of Olympic sailing for elite and professional sailors. Over 2,000 of the World’s leading sailors, representing over 75 nations have competed in the Sailing World Cup which offers a definitive guide to the best-of-the-best in the Olympic sailing world.
Day three looks to offer a steady breeze throughout the day on the waters of Biscayne Bay for the 400 competitors from 44 nations at the World Cup Series Miami.
Regatta Park, Coconut Grove is again bathed in sunshine on Thursday 26 January for the visiting sailors and a south, south-westerly breeze hovering around 10-12 knots is forecast which will gust up to 14 as the hunt continues for the first World Cup medals of 2017.
PRESS RELEASES
World Sailing will be releasing international press releases after racing throughout the duration of World Cup Miami. All the latest news and reports will be available to read here – http://www.sailing.org/worldcup/news/index.php
WORLD CUP SERIES
World Sailing’s World Cup Series is an annual series of Olympic sailing for elite and professional sailors. Over 2,000 of the world’s leading sailors, representing over 75 nations have competed in the World Cup Series which offers a definitive guide to the best-of-the-best in the Olympic sailing world.
Even sailors who have committed in advance to another campaign traditionally take some time away from the sport after the Olympics. The question is usually how much time is needed to refresh the batteries without getting too stale. Decades ago these hiatuses were measured in years. Now it’s more likely to be weeks or months.
The British duo of Ben Saxton and Nicola Groves finished ninth at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in the doublehanded Nacra 17 catamaran and then took the rest of the year off. They got back into the boat for the first time a few weeks ago and officially started their campaign for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the 2017 World Series Cup Miami presented by Sunbrella.
The first day of racing had more than its share of bumps in the road, including two double-digit finishes and a race they were forced to retire from after sailing the wrong course.
Day 2 was a different story.
“We sailed well, we’ve got to be happy with a third and a first when we haven’t been in the boat for about five months since the Games,” said Saxton. “We feel a bit rusty compared to the guys that have been training though the autumn. Some of these guys are a little bit slicker than us. I think it’ll set us up well to be here. I can understand why other people aren’t here. But I’m happy to be here. I love racing and I love sailing so why wouldn’t you be in Miami racing.”
The four-point day was the best among the 17-boat fleet and moved them right into contention for the overall lead. They are currently fourth, six points behind Lorenzo Bressani and Caterina Marianna Banti (ITA) and Tom Phipps and Nicola Boniface (GBR) who are tied on points for first.
@Jesus Renedo / Sailing Energy / World Sailing
Nico Delle-Karth and Laura Schöfegger (AUT) are in third. Both are experienced skiff sailors—Delle-Karth finished fourth in the 2012 London Olympic Games in the 49er class and has competed in three other Games—but are new to each other and the speedy catamaran. They finished today with a second and a fourth.
“I am really surprised by our performance today,” said Delle-Karth. “Laura did an excellent job and considering it was our 12th [day] together and on the Nacra, we are more than happy.”
The top American team of Riley Gibbs and 2016 Rio Olympian Louisa Chafee also had a solid day. A fourth and a sixth was good enough to move them into seventh place, with 25 points.
“Today was definitely a pretty good day,” said Gibbs. “We’ve only been in the boat for nine days together, though we have some other things going for us. It’s awesome to sail with Louisa, who went to Rio 2016, and does a great job with the boat handling. And even though it’s my first Nacra 17 event, the tactics are pretty similar to the foiling kite racing that I’ve done. I’m just here trying this out, but the current plans to turn the Nacra into a foiling class are pretty appealing to me.”
Jorge Zarif (BRA), the defending champion in the Finn, is determined to hold on to his title. He scored a second and a first in today’s two race and, counting four points, leads the regatta by three points over Alican Kanyar, of Turkey, and Ben Cornish, of Great Britain. Luke Muller is the top American sailor, in sixth, with 20 points.
It wasn’t a great day for Martina Soffiati Grael and Kahena Kunze, of Brazil. But a second and a ninth, which is now their discard, was more than good enough to keep the pair in the lead of the 49erFX class. Standing on seven points, they have a six-point advantage over Victoria Travascio and Marina Branz of Argentina. Ragna and Maia Agerup (NOR) are third.
After opening the regatta with a 17th, Great Britain’s Dylan Fletcher-Scott and Stuart Bithell have rattled off four top-four finishes and now have a four-point lead over Yago and Klaus Lange of Argentina in the 49er. In third are Carl Sylvan and Marcus Anjemark (SWE).
It’s very tight at the top of the Laser with Jean Baptiste Bernaz (FRA) and Karl Martin Rammo (EST) tied for first with 12 points apiece. Nick Thompson, of Great Britain, is third with 15 points.
@Jesus Renedo / Sailing Energy / World Sailing
Evi Van Acker (BEL) put on a clinic for the Laser Radial fleet, winning both of today’s races. She’s the overall leader, after four races, with four points. Vasileia Karachaliou (GRE) is second with seven points. Erika Reineke, of the United States, had a strong day to surge into third, with 19 points. Behind her are five boats within six points of the podium.
Kiran Badloe (NED) continued his consistently excellent performance in the Men’s RS:X with a pair of second-place finishes and a first. He has eight points. Daniele Beneditti (ITA) is second with 15 points while Louis Giard (FRA) is third with 16.
Yunxiu Lu (CHN) was nearly untouchable today with a 2-1-2. She has 12 points, but has opened up an 11-point lead over second place Isobel Hamliton (GBR). Hei Man H V Chan (HKG) is in third, two points further back.
Pangiotis Mantis and Pavlos Kagialis (GRE) finished second and then first in today’s races in the Men’s 470 fleet, and have moved into the lead. Mathias Schmid and Lukas Mähr (AUT) are in second, just a point behind.
In the Women’s 470 fleet, three teams are bunched at the top of the leaderboard within one point of one another. The Dutch team of Afrodite Zegers and Annaloes Van Veen are first with Bàrbara Cornudella Ravetllat and Sara López Ravetllat (ESP) tied on points with Sophie Weguelin and Eilidh McIntyre (GBR).
Racing continues tomorrow from Coconut Grove at 11 a.m. The Medal Races will be held on Saturday and Sunday starting at noon.
PRESS RELEASES
World Sailing will be releasing international press releases after racing throughout the duration of World Cup Miami. All the latest news and reports will be available to read here – http://www.sailing.org/worldcup/news/index.php
WORLD SERIES CUP
The World Series Cup is a World-class, annual series of Olympic sailing for elite and professional sailors. Over 2,000 of the World’s leading sailors, representing over 75 nations have competed in the Sailing World Cup which offers a definitive guide to the best-of-the-best in the Olympic sailing world.
It’s tempting to think that because the 49er accelerates so quickly that the key to success on a puffy day is all about sailing in the best wind. Find the dark patches of water and send it.
However, a deep dive inside Race 3, using SAP’s Sailing Analytics, shows that one traditional tenet of the sport remains a constant even in the faster boats: The best path around the course is almost always the shortest.
The top five finishers in the race sailed an average distance of 8,787 meters while the bottom five sailed an average of 9,504, an increase of 7.5 percent.
The solution to the first leg of the race was to bang the right corner. The Belgian team of Levi Slap and Joachim D’Hondt (orange track) rounded the first mark in the lead, trailed closely by Fred Strammer and Trevor Burd (red track), of the United States. Both boats started near the pin, got quickly on to port tack and one-tacked the beat. The British team of Dylan Fletcher-Scott and Stuart Bithell (lime green track), fresh off a win in Race 2, hit the left corner, found themselves on the outside of a right shift, and ended up sailing nearly 200 meters more than the lead boats, 2636 meters verses 2445 meters, on Leg 1. They rounded 14th.
From that point on, for Strammer and Burd, it was a case of the rich getting richer. They executed a jibe set at the first mark and moved quickly into the lead, where they remained for the duration of the race.
The big comebacks of Race 3 came on the third leg from American crew of David Liebenberg and Ian MacDiarmid and Fletcher-Scott/Bithell, which rounded the first windward mark in 18th and 14th and the leeward gate in ninth and 10th, respectively.
This beat was a little more nuanced; teams that sailed relatively similar paths to the windward mark saw very different results. But the teams that did the best again sailed the least amount of distance.
Liebenberg and MacDiarmid (light orange) sailed 2,184 meters, Fletcher-Scott/Bithell, 2202. Strammer/Burd, 2257. Slap and D’Hondt, who went from second at the leeward mark—a position that should’ve enabled them to sail their own race—to 11th, sailed 2,530 meters, nearly a third of a kilometer more than the shortest solution to the leg.
Of course, it’s easy to dissect a race in hindsight and given the intense analysis possible with SAP’s analytics. In real time, while skimming across the water at 10 to 15 knots and hanging from a trapeze wire, it’s infinitely more difficult. And in a future race, it’s just as likely that the roles may be reversed, with Slap and D’Hondt executing the comeback, or leading at the first mark and never looking back. If predicting the breeze was easy, everyone would be doing it correctly. But the Deep Dive does further reinforce a lesson that is taught in Racing 101 and repeated often no matter what class or style of boat being sailed: when in doubt, keep the bow pointed as close to the mark as possible.
There could be a wait onshore for the 400 competitors from 44 nations at Regatta Park, Coconut Grove as light winds are forecast for day two of the 2017 World Cup in Biscayne Bay, Miami on Wednesday 25 January.
Just two knots welcome the sailors to a warm Regatta Park which is forecasted to build very slowly to around 6-8 knots in the afternoon. When the wind does kick in it will be from the south, south-east.
PRESS RELEASES
World Sailing will be releasing international press releases after racing throughout the duration of World Cup Miami. All the latest news and reports will be available to read here – http://www.sailing.org/worldcup/news/index.php
WORLD CUP SERIES
World Sailing’s World Cup Series is an annual series of Olympic sailing for elite and professional sailors. Over 2,000 of the world’s leading sailors, representing over 75 nations have competed in the World Cup Series which offers a definitive guide to the best-of-the-best in the Olympic sailing world.
The 49er class has never been a bastion of consistency. The overpowered skiff is challenging to sail, and because it accelerates so quickly in the smallest increase in wind speed, lead changes are frequent. When you toss in a shifty and puffy westerly breeze that was forced to weave through the Coconut Grove skyline before reaching the racecourse, it’s no surprise that the opening day of the 2017 World Cup Series Miami presented by Sunbrella was one of ups and downs throughout the 26-boat fleet.
The French duo of Lucas Rual and Emile Amoros started the day with a pair of seconds before slipping to 16th in the third race. With every team discarding its worst finish, Rual and Amoros have a one-point advantage in the overall standings over Dylan Fletcher-Scott and Stuart Bithell (GBR) and two points over Fred Strammer and Trevor Burd (USA) and the Lange brothers, Yago and Klaus (ARG).
With limited experience in the class, the French pair were a little surprised by their first day success.
“We sailed the 29er before for one year in 2013, and we started sailing 49er together in September [2016],” said Amoros. “That’s why we are surprised. We work really hard and we’re happy to be here. But it wasn’t our goal [to be in the lead at the end of day one]. If we stay here it will be nice.”
Rual added that the primary goal for the regatta was to build confidence and determine, roughly, where they stand in the international fleet.
@Pedro Martinez / Sailing Energy / World Sailing
Another team looking to get a feel for each other was the American duo of Fred Strammer and Trevor Burd. Strammer and Burd have plenty of experience in the 49er, but with other crewmates. They have only sailed as a pair for 10 days.
“Fred and I got together this fall,” says Burd. “We both had different partnerships going into the U.S. Olympic trials last year. We just found we were the best available and the US Sailing Team gave us some support and said they wanted to see it happen, so we just went for it.”
Strammer and Burd started the day with a 14th, but then added a fifth and a first to the scoreline. It’s very early in what may be a gruelling four-year effort to reach the podium at the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020, but those early returns are promising.
That is not the case for sailing legend and five-time Olympic medallist Robert Scheidt (BRA) who has switched over to the skiff after a 20-year career of sailing—and winning—Olympic-class regattas in the Laser and Star. His first day of competition in the 49er class, with crew Gabriel Borges, produced a forgettable scoreline of 19-23-18, which leaves the pair in 22nd place. However, no one is expecting the Brazilian team to stay there for long. Last year around this time, people were wondering if the 40-something Scheidt could hang with sailors half his age in the physical Laser class. Then he won the regatta and went on to finish fourth in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Thomas Goyard (FRA) and Kiran Badloe (NED) are tied for first in the Men’s RS:X class with three points. Goyard will wear the leaders jersey tomorrow by virtue of his win in the third race.
There’s also a tie at the top of the Women’s RS:X with Hei Man H V Chan (HKG) and Emma Wilson (GBR) both on four points. China’s Yunxui Lu is third, with seven points.
Karl-Martin Rammo (EST) had a strong start to his Laser regatta. A first and a fourth leaves him five points clear of Nick Thompson (GBR) with Tomas Pellejero (ARG) in third with 16 points.
Evi Van Acker (BEL) is a familiar name to anyone who’s followed the Radial class. The 2012 bronze medallist is currently second, three points back of Vasileia Karachaliou (GRE) who has six points. France’s Mathilde de Kerangat is third with 10 points.
Alican Kaynar (TUR) put together a first and a second to open his regatta in the Finn class and leads by two points over the regatta’s defending champion, Brazil’s Jorge Zarif. Great Britain’s Ben Cornish is third, also with five points.
The gold medallists from Rio 2016, Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze (BRA) picked up right where they left off and are winning the 49erFX class courtesy of a tie break with two other teams. Fellow South Americans Victoria Travascio and Maria Branz (ARG) are second while the Canadian duo of Erin Rafuse and Dannie Boyd are third.
Kazuto Doi and Naoya Kimura (JPN) had a first and a fourth and have opened up a three point lead in the Men’s 470 class over Giacomo Ferrari and Guilio Calabrò (ITA). Panagiotis Mantis and Pavlos Kagialis (GRE) are third.
Afrodite Zegers and Anneloes Van Veen (NED) have the early lead in the Women’s 470 class with four points in two races. Sophie Weguelin and Eilidh McIntyre (GBR) are second with six points while Silvia Mas Depares and Paula Barcelo Martin (ESP) are third with seven points.
The Nacra 17 class got in three races today. Lorenzo Bressani and Caterina Marianna Banti (ITA) have the lead after winning two races and discarding a second. Tom Phipps and Nicola Boniface (GBR) are second with four points and John Gimson and Anna Burnet (GBR) are third courtesy of a tie-break with Lin Ea Cenholt and Christian Peter Lübeck (DEN). Both teams have seven points.
Racing will continue from Regatta Park, Coconut Grove on Wednesday 25 January at 11:00 am local time beginning with the Nacra 17 and 49erFX.
PRESS RELEASES
World Sailing will be releasing international press releases after racing throughout the duration of World Cup Miami. All the latest news and reports will be available to read here – http://www.sailing.org/worldcup/news/index.php
WORLD SERIES CUP
The World Series Cup is a World-class, annual series of Olympic sailing for elite and professional sailors. Over 2,000 of the World’s leading sailors, representing over 75 nations have competed in the Sailing World Cup which offers a definitive guide to the best-of-the-best in the Olympic sailing world.
The 2017 World Cup Series kicks off on the morning of Tuesday 24 January with more than 400 competitors from 44 nations preparing to race across the ten Olympic fleets in Biscayne Bay, Miami.
Sailors have been preparing their boats in Regatta Park, Coconut Grove ahead of the first step on the World Cup Series and the start of the Tokyo 2020 quadrennial. They will be greeted with a north westerly breeze on the opening day of racing coming in around 10-12 knots and gusting up to 16.
PRESS RELEASES
World Sailing will be releasing international press releases after racing throughout the duration of World Cup Miami. All the latest news and reports will be available to read here – http://www.sailing.org/worldcup/news/index.php
WORLD SERIES CUP
The World Series Cup is a World-class, annual series of Olympic sailing for elite and professional sailors. Over 2,000 of the World’s leading sailors, representing over 75 nations have competed in the Sailing World Cup which offers a definitive guide to the best-of-the-best in the Olympic sailing world.
