SAN PEDRO, CA – Day 2 of racing for the 49er, 49erFX, and Nacra 17 fleets at San Pedro OCR challenged the Olympic hopefuls with a very different version of the future L.A. 2028 racecourse. The day kicked off with lighter, less predictable winds forcing sailors to quickly adjust both their tactics and mindset as the battle for the top of the leaderboard intensified.
After 6 races, France’s Tim Mourniac and Aloïse Retornaz continue to lead the Nacra 17 fleet, while Germany’s Richard Schultheis and Fabian Rieger remain atop the 49er standings. In the 49erFX, Canada’s Georgia and Antonia Lewin-LaFrance held onto the overall lead.
Nacra 17 racing produced another tightly contested day, with 3 different race winners across the afternoon. Mourniac and Retornaz retained the overall lead, while Australia’s Brin Liddell and Rhiannan Brown climbed into second overall after finishing second, third and second. Sweden’s Emil Järudd and Hanna Jonsson stayed in third.
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Competitors said the day’s weather conditions produced an appreciably different racecourse than they had experienced just 24 hours earlier.
“It was really interesting today,” said British Nacra 17 crew Anna Burnet, racing with helm John Gimson. “It was a bit of a different day to what we’ve had since we’ve been here. It was nice to race in some different conditions – a bit lighter and more unpredictable.”
“The breeze has been going right every other day and we had a big left shift today,” added Gimson. “We’re learning a bit more every day.”
Changing conditions throughout the day and week have surfaced racers’ aptitude for recovery and quick adaptation, a defining characteristic of Olympic sailing.
After an OCS over-early start in the opening race of the day that threatened to derail their afternoon, the Olympic silver medalist pair regrouped and finished with a win in the final race.
“I think that’s what sailing’s all about,” Gimson said. “It’s those highs and lows throughout the week. It’s just about getting on to the next race and having the mental toughness to turn it around.”
In the 49erFX fleet, Day 2 of racing also yielded that style of response for Americans Helena Scutt and Paris Porter. After struggling with starts on opening day, the pair rebounded with a bullet in Race 1 and a second-place finish in Race 2, climbing 6 places in the overall standings.
“Yesterday was definitely really challenging,” said Scutt. “We had 3 bad starts, and so we felt like we were fighting from the back the whole way through. But we kept picking off boats instead of falling further back. today we put all our energy into the starts, and it paid off.”
Porter added that despite multiple postponements, lighter conditions, and a later-than-typical build in breeze, the team remained committed to their strategy of keeping it simple.
“We just stuck to our guns. It wasn’t full on rip mode. It was more about anticipating the lulls. We had really great technique on the boat today, and ultimately, the VMG high felt really nice.”
The FX fleet concluded the day with Canada’s Lewin-Lafrance sisters still holding the lead. Now in second, Sweden’s Vilma Bobek and Ebba Berntsson unseated Britain’s Freya Black and Saskia Tidey who dropped to third.
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The 49er fleet remained equally competitive. Germany’s Richard Schultheis and Fabian Rieger kept their overall lead, but Australia’s Harry Price and Max Paul moved into second overall after another consistent day. France’s Erwan Fischer and Clément Péquin sit just behind them in third.
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Price and Paul said the start line dynamics in San Pedro continue to shape the week’s racing.
“The whole fleet’s learning the starting strategy with everyone on port,” said Price. “Trying to get out of the blocks pretty safe and with a nice lane to the right is generally the trend.”
“It’s probably the first I’ve been sailing in the 49er where it’s not just a portion of the fleet on port. It’s 90% of the fleet on port at every start,” added Paul. “So it’s about managing the traffic and the chaos. If you execute that part of the race well, you set yourself up for success.”
For the Australian team, the venue carries an added layer of significance. Price’s sister, also a sailor, has been to 2 Olympic Games, and Paul’s mother represented Australia at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, the last time the city hosted the Summer Olympics.
With 2 days complete, sailors have now experienced 2 very different versions of the future Olympic racecourse—one defined by the L.A. Harbor’s trademark afternoon sea breeze and another demanding patience and adaptability.
Racing continues through Saturday, August 8. Event details, entry lists, results, and schedules can be found at sanpedroocr.org and you can follow the regatta on instagram at @SanPedroOCR.
Generous support for the regatta is provided by Capstan, BP Home, American Marine, and the Pacific Environmental Corporation (PENCO). Race Committee and volunteer support is made possible with the help of World Sailing, Los Angeles Yacht Club, Cabrillo Beach Yacht Club, Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club, Balboa Yacht Club, California Yacht Club, Long Beach Yacht Club, and Newport Harbor Yacht Club.
San Pedro OCR is 1 of only 2 major Olympic Class events that take place in the United States.
Media Contact: Meredith Glacken
Phone: 415-515-2084
