Wild Rides in Vilamoura Kick Starts European Season
Vilamoura, Portugal, has been growing as a winter destination for the past few seasons. Regattas in December and now February attracted 109 and then 116 boats respectively across 49er, 49erFX, and Nacra 17. The regatta this past weekend was a doozy, with big breeze and waves each of the days. Check out this video of […]
RYA wins bid to host 2019 Nacra 17, 49er and 49er FX European Championship
High-octane Olympic racing is to return to Weymouth and Portland in 2019 after the RYA won its bid to host the Nacra 17, 49er and 49er FX European Championship. The world’s best racers from the Olympic circuit will descend on the London 2012 sailing venue from May 13 to 19 to battle it out for […]
Editorial: Discard Races Should Be Dropped
Taking a further look at the 2018 Hempel Sailing World Championship results, it is clear that in most major championships for Olympic skiffs and cats, there is no longer a need for drop races. Drop races in this type of sailing decrease the chances of the best team winning the event, and add unnecessary complication […]
Chaos and Calamity For 49er, FX Leaders as New European Champs Crowned For Both Classes
With racing starting an hour early to compensate for lost races earlier in the week, sailors hitting the water for the final day of the 2018 49er and Nacra 17 European Championship saw what by now is a rare sight: A consistent 8-11 knot breeze! Race officials across all four courses on Gdansk Bay rushed […]
Dismal Day Disappoints, But Champs Push Forward
49er Champs Close Gap To Polish Leaders While Spain Wins AND Loses Day In Nacra Gdynia, Poland (12 July 2018) – Between the dark skies, sheets of fog and mist, and the charcoal-colored Baltic, the Bay of Gdansk this morning was indeed 50 shades of grey as the penultimate day of the 2018 49er & […]
Spanish Junior Sailing Sisters, Including Teenaged Crew, Take Over Outright Lead in Olympic 49erFX Finals
COURSE OF A NEXT GENERATION Italy’s Tito/Banti Continue Dominance In Nacra 17 Cat Despite a long onshore delay and shifty and unstable conditions on the water today as the Finals began in the 2018 49er and Nacra 17 European Championship. With the fleets split by their ranking into gold and silver fleets, the top twenty-seven […]
Disappointment and Joy For Championship Contenders As Qualifying Ends
Black Flags, Chaotic Waves, Unsteady Breeze Mean A Messy Day in Poland Lady luck shone on the men’s 49er skiff fleet this morning, as the final day of qualifying for the European Championship began just off the beach in Gdynia. There wasn’t much, but a relatively stable 8-9 knots of wind and confused, steep chop […]
The Baltic’s Two Faces
Light Air Morning For Women and Multihullers, Afternoon Breeze Shakes Up Men’s Fleets Gdynia, Poland (July 9, 2018) At days break, most of the fleet expected to spend the day sitting on shore awaiting wind. Pleasantly, an unexpected North Eastern wind built before start time to about 8 knots, making for great racing. As a […]
Polish Summer Smiles On 49er/FX/Nacra 17 European Championship
Familiar Faces and Upstarts Triumph On Sunny, Light-Air Opening Day With just 24 months remaining until the lighting of the Olympic Torch in Tokyo, it’s time for athletes competing for the right to represent their country in Japan to get down to business. And for many of those teams, the first step on the final […]
Previewing the 2018 49er European Championship
A massive 49er fleet is assembled in Gdynia, Poland for the 2018 European Championship. Over 90 boats are racing for the 2nd regatta in a row, and there is an expected fleet of 100 in Aarhus next month. The 49er fleet is super-competitive today. The fleet is not just competitive in depth, but for the […]