49erFX: Brazil rules Qualifying
Lighter winds in Portland Harbour led to closer racing in the 49erFX fleet for day 3 of the Europeans. The top three boats all had a below-average race out of the three they contested today. The problem for the rest of the fleet is that for the Brazilians, Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze, their ‘below-average’ […]
49er Men: Softer is Harder
The breeze softened a little today, but that just meant the standard of the racing got harder on day 3 of the Europeans in Weymouth. Unlike the previous two days of high-wave action, there was little risk of pitchpoling in the 10 to 12 knot breezes out in Weymouth Bay. But that just put a […]
Nacra 17: Gimson and Burnet in an Italian sandwich
Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti (ITA) continued their relentless march at the top of the leaderboard, notching up two more first places in their qualifying group, only falling foul in the last race of the afternoon. “We were fast upwind and going well downwind in the waves,” said Banti. “We just didn’t start quite so […]
49erFX: Britain and Brazil tied after flat-water harbour blast
The two halves of the 49erFX qualification series took place today in a 15-18 knots easterly in Portland Harbour, delivering spectacularly fast conditions for the women’s skiff fleet. While Charlotte Dobson and Saskia Tidey have upped their game significantly in lighter conditions, the British duo were back in their favourite breeze – strong and gusty. […]
A Bag of Bullets for Burling
They’re not long back in the boat after their two-and-a-half year holiday in the America’s Cup and the Volvo Ocean Race, but Peter Burling and Blair Tuke are back at the top in the 49er after firing three bullets in a row today. “Nice day out,” smiled a typically straightforward Burling, checking carefully over every […]
Burling and Tuke bounce back from disqualification to win the Europeans
Pete Burling and Blair Tuke have won the 49er European Championships, after dominating the final day of competition on the huge Atlantic swell off the coast of Portugal. The Kiwis went into the day in 3rd overall, after coming off worse from a protest by Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen the previous evening. The Aussies […]
Conti and Clapcich survive whacky Medal Race to win FX Europeans
Giulia Conti and Francesca Clapcich high-fived and hugged as they crossed the finish line of a wild and whacky Medal Race to win the 49er FX European Championships in Porto. After three Gold Fleet races for the top 25 boats out on the open ocean, the top 10 qualified for the Medal Race a few […]
Conti and Burling jump to the top
Giulia Conti and Francesca Clapcich have moved into pole position in the FX women’s fleet with one day day to go in Porto at the 49er European Championships. Meanwhile, with two days to go, Pete Burling and Blair Tuke have made their customary big move with three very solid race results that puts them at […]
Soft breeze and big shifts upset some of the big beasts
Very light airs made for a tricky fourth day at the 49er and 49er FX European Championships in Porto. After a long wait ashore for the breeze to fill in, the 49erFX sailors were sent home without any gold fleet finals racing today. By late afternoon a light breeze was blowing out to sea, and […]
Lightweight Germans ride the wave to the top of FX leaderboard
Bigger breeze and two-metre Atlantic swell delivered some challenging conditions for day 3 of the 49er and 49er FX European Championships in Porto. Boats were leaping off waves with clear daylight showing between hull and water. Avoiding the dreaded pitchpole was one of the big goals on the downwind legs. These were not the conditions […]