49erFX: Kiwis make a move on the podium
The Brazilians have shown remarkable consistency throughout the week, although even Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze put a slight blot on their pristine copybook with a 12th in the middle of three races on Friday. The other scores were a 5th and a 7th, however, which means the reigning Olympic Champions continue to hold a […]
49er Men: Heil and Ploessel master a random day in the Bay
The conditions for the 49er gold fleet were full power all day, 10 to 14 knots of easterly breeze out in Weymouth Bay. However, there were significant lines of gust and lull across the lumpy course, with a few wind shifts thrown in for good measure. Peter Burling and Blair Tuke managed to negotiate the […]
Shaking up the Leaderboard
While racing earlier in the day may have seemed relatively straightforward for the 49erFX, the same race course proved a very different diamond for the men to crack. Combining the three qualifying fleets into one gold fleet, meant a very close point battle going into the day, and very tight racing on the course itself, […]
49erFX: Race wins for Denmark, Britain & Sweden, but Brazil still leads
The usual suspects were hard to find in the first race of the 49erFX gold fleet. With the wind lighter than expected and the teams struggling to power their skiffs through the choppy swell of Weymouth Bay, some different names came to the fore. Anne-Julie Schütt and Iben Nielsby seized the initiative and read the […]
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 […]
Which Rio Medalists Most Likely to Miss Tokyo Olympics
[total-poll id=21497] Of the nine teams in 49er, 49erFX, and Nacra 17 that won medals in Rio, at least 1 team will not do so in Tokyo 2020. The five teams or sailors locked in selection battles won’t all make it to the next Olympic start line. Since sweeping the 2016 Quad, Peter Burling and […]
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 […]