Grael and Kunze Show Their Mettle on Day Four

For Brazil’s 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 […]

New partnerships prove productive on opening day

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 […]

Plan your Trip to Porto For Summer 2017

All eyes will look to Porto, Portugal come summer’s end as the 2017 49er and FX World Championship will run from August 28th to September 2nd. The 49er class return to Porto only 2 years following a very successful 2015 European Championship to get more of the amazing conditions and hospitality! The racing was pretty […]

Plenty of Opportunties for Male and Mixed Teams to Race the FX in 2017

After four years of back and forth about when and where transitioning male and mixed teams should be allowed to compete against the best women in the world it seems like the regatta calendar is settling into a rhythm where everyone’s requirements can be met. In 2017, there will be plenty of regattas where male […]

Skiff Summer Season Set for 2017

Rio played out just as it should have, with the most dominant 49er team ever winning by a landslide, and the most even of the Olympic fleets, the 49erFX, coming down to a 4-way shootout.  The lasting image of Brazil’s Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze being carried by their countrymen out of the water and […]

2017 Junior Worlds To Be Contested in Canada

Junior 49er Sailors, Want to race against the best in the World among your age group? Want to prove that you’re the best Under 23 49er/9erFX team out there? Then come race the 2017 49er & 49erFX Junior World Championships in Kingston, Canada! The International 49er Class will be hosting two back to back championships […]

Weighing on the Updated Sailing World Cup

World Sailing announced another shift in the Sailing World Cup schedule of events for 2017 through 2020.  The schedule delivers on a number of promises made while showcasing that World Sailing has not fully dropped their ISAF ways. The positives The 49er (and Nacra) class is thrilled to see that World Sailing will no longer […]

Reviewing Squad Strategies at the 49erFX Junior World Championship

Just after the Olympic games, the next generation of skiff stars lined up to see who was the best U23 team in the World.  Like all events with the skiffs, both 49er and 49erFX were competing at the same time and in the same venue.  Unlike other skiff events, the 2016 version became the first […]

2016 49er & 49erFX North American Championships in Memory of Trevor Moore

Even in the shadow of the Olympics, the 49er sailboat class is alive and kicking in North America.  Only one week after the Rio Games wrapped up, Newport, Rhode Island played host to the 49er and 49erFX North American Championships.  Class vets and newbies congregated at Sail Newport at Fort Adams for a good old […]

Intense Racing Decides Junior World Championship

Thirty teams awoke with unease in their bellies on this final day of the 2016 Junior World Championship.  The format put each set of teams ranked 8th through 15th into a semi final, with one advancing to join teams 1 through 7 already guaranteed a spot in the finals. First up were the 49erFX semi’s, […]