France and Brazil Bring It Home in the Big Breeze
10 July 2014 Helsinki, Finland – Day 3 – 2014 Seiko 49er & 49erFX European Championship Twenty knot winds – gusting to 25 – made for a tough but exhilarating end to the qualifying phase of the Seiko 49er & 49erFX European Championship in Helsinki today. France’s Manu Dyen and Stephane Christidis hammered home scores […]
Huge and Talented Field Poised to Challenge for the Junior World Championship
The 2014 Junior World Championship is double the size of 2013 for the 49erFX and 50% bigger than 2013 for the 49er. As such, 46 and 27 teams will be competing to see who is the best U24 team in the Olympic skiff classes. The racing will take place in Aarhus, Denmark, which is quickly […]
European Medals designed by Jewelry Artist
Today I picked up the brand new medals for the 49er Europeans. They are worth winning! The medals are designed by famous Finnish jewelry artist and sculptor, Professor Björn Weckström. Björn started his career in 1958 after graduating from the Finnish Goldsmiths’ school. Now in his 70s, he is still an active designer and sculptor […]
Three Opportunities to Watch 49er Racing At Kieler Woche
Once again the eyes of the sailing world will turn to Kiel, Germany, home of the largest regatta and sailing festival in the world, Kieler Woche. SAP is sponsoring the event once again, and will be live broadcasting some of the racing. 49er fans are in luck, as there will be coverage of the skiffs […]
Finnish GP series starts 7th-8th June
For the last few days we have had wonderful summer weather in Helsinki – as a matter of fact warmer than in most places in Europe. The Europeans Race Management team is busy preparing the two first Finnish 49er & FX GP series events, the second of which will be sailed on the Hernesaari courses […]
The Gold Fleet Goal
Tuesday, April 21, 2014 Battle to Qualify There are teams for which qualifying is a period to ‘sail safe’ through and then aim to peak during the gold fleet racing. For the vast majority of the 49er fleet, however, qualifying is the main event. The intensity of qualifying has been even more drastic this year […]
2014 Palma World Cup Preview – 49er & 49erFX
49er Preview The 49er fleet is massive this year in Palma, reaching the 80 boat capacity set by the organizers. Qualifying will be shear madness as the two 40 boat qualifying fleets will only have two days to sort themselves into the 25 boat gold fleet. If the forecast holds, and the qualifying is held […]
Office Space
Olympic sailing becoming ever more professional, the tweets of ‘another day at the office’ are heard increasingly. 2008 Gold medallist, Jonas Warrer, and 2012 Olympic Bronze medallist, Peter Lang, are really pushing the boundaries now. Not only are they working at sailing like it’s their job, they’re even dressing the part! This is not a […]
Free Public Transport
Helsinki Region Transport, the organization responsible for public transport in Helsinki has granted all participants in the 49er Europeans free use of public transport in the Finnish capital. At registration sailors and coaches get a card that allows them to use buses, trams and metro (underground) within Helsinki without having to pay any fees. That card […]
Eight Best Theatre Style Races Ever Filmed (Including One You Didn’t Think Would Make the Cut)
It’s a new feeling for sailing fans get used to being able to watch Olympic racing live or nearly live. As such, we’re able to see the moments that make a difference. For years regattas have been won and lost for reasons only known to the sailors themselves. The 49er class hopes the world of […]