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Too Little Wind, Then A Demolition Derby
It was the most frustrating day so far of the Olympic sailing competition with the wind refusing to play fair on Guanabara Bay. After sitting around for most of the day in next to no wind, the ten finalists for the Women's Laser Radial Medal Race were released from the shore just before 16:00 local time. At the time, the idea of wind arriving seemed optimistic, but just ten minutes later the breeze had risen to a very pleasant 15 knots. Just five minutes after that, the wind was gusting in at over 30 knots and the waves were building up quickly. The race committee made the reluctant call to postpone the Medal Race until Tuesday (16 August).
The Men's Laser Medal Race will also be pushed back to the same day, which will make for a very busy afternoon's entertainment as the Finns and Nacra 17s are also set to decide their medals.
The 470 Men's and Women's fleets didn't manage any racing in the Bay as they waited for wind, but when the big 16:00 buster arrived, boats were capsizing everywhere. There were sails shredded in the gusts and it will be a long evening for some crews making sure their boats are repaired and ready for the next day.
Out on the ocean courses the 49er Men and 49erFX Women enjoyed some stunning conditions but for the Men's fleet it was a race to get back to the Marina da Gloria as the worst of the late afternoon gusts struck just as the last boats were crossing the finish line.
Women's Skiff - 49erFX
Tamara Echegoyen and Berta Betanzos (ESP) fired two bullets from today's three races on the Niteroi course moving the reigning World Champions to the top of the scoreboard. Behind them are two former World Champion crews, Alex Maloney and Molly Meech (NZL) who are four points behind the Spanish in second, and Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze (BRA) just one point behind the Kiwis in third overall.
Although previous overnight leaders Jena Hansen and Katja Salskov-Iversen (DEN) scored a second in the last race of the day their earlier scores of 9,16 have hurt the Danish team who are now fourth overall. However, the Danes are only nine points off the lead and there are still three more qualifying races scheduled for Tuesday before Thursday's Medal Race.
Men's Skiff - 49er
Perhaps inspired by French gold and bronze in the Windsurfing the previous day, Julien d'Ortoli and Noe Delpech fired their way up the rankings into fourth place after mastering the Copacabana course with two firsts and a third place. This puts the French just two points behind the third-placed Australians, reigning Olympic Champions Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen.
Meanwhile it's business as usual for the ever dominant Peter Burling and Blair Tuke (NZL) whose scores of 2,3,1 have opened up an 18-point lead over Erik Heil and Thomas Ploessel (GER). Even if the gold is beginning to get away from the Germans, they do at least have a healthy 15-point lead over the Aussies, with just three qualifying races remaining before the Medal Race. -- Andy Rice - World Sailing
Podium positions after Monday's racing:
Laser Men
1. Tonci Stipanovic, CRO, 57
2. Tom Burton, AUS, 67
3. Sam Meech, NZL, 77
Full results
Laser Radial Women
1. Marit Bouwmeester, NED, 47
2. Anne-Marie Rindom, DEN, 55
3. Annalise Murphy, IRL, 57
Full results
Finn
1. Giles Scott, GBR, 32
2. Vasilij Zbogar, SLO, 56
3. Ivan Gaspic Kljakovic, CRO, 69
Full results
470 Men
1. Sime Fantela / Igor Marenic, CRO, 14
2. Mathew Belcher / Will Ryan, AUS, 25
3. Panagiotis Mantis / Pavlos Kagialis, GRE, 32
Full results
470 Women
1. Hannah Mills / Saskia Clark, GBR, 20
2. Annie Haeger / Biana Provancha, USA, 24
3. Lara Vadlau / Jolanta Ogar, AUT, 32
Full results
NACRA 17
1. Santiago Lange / Cecilia Carranza Saroli, ARG, 65
2. Vittorio Bissaro / Silvia Sicouri, ITA, 70
3. Thomas Zajac / Tanja Frank, AUT, 72
Full results
49er Men
1. Peter Burling / Blair Tuke, NZL, 21
2. Erik Heil / Thomas Ploessel, GER, 39
3. Nathan Outteridge / Iain Jensen, AUS, 54
Full results
49er FX Women
1. Tamara Echegoyen Dominguez / Berta Betanzos Moro, ESP, 30
2. Alex Maloney / Molly Meech, NZL, 34
3. Martine Grael / Kahena Kunze, BRA, 35
Full results
Scuttlebutt's Craig Leweck will be following the racing LIVE on World Sailing's Olympic Blog throughout Rio 2016. Follow LIVE here
World Sailing Olympic Website - www.sailing.org/olympics/rio2016/home.php
Finn Focus At Rio 2016: More Tales Of The Unexpected
Two outcomes were expected out of this Olympics: that Giles Scott would win the Finn gold medal and that the unexpected would happen. Well both have already happened and we still have the final day to go.
While Tuesday's medal race, if the wind decides to cooperate, will decide where the silver and bronze medals will go, Giles Scott (GBR) has the privilege to enjoy the occasion, and savour the moment. "If you'd have asked me, would I have won the Olympic Games before the Medal Race? I'd have said absolutely not because of the venue that it is. It's such a privileged situation to be in because for everybody else is going to be fighting it out for those medals; it's going to be incredibly stressful and to be able to say I'm not going to have to go through that is pretty nice."
"The venue that it is," has proved tricky and unpredictable in the extremes and even caught out Scott on a number of occasions, most notably in the opening race when he had a fight on just to finish in 17th place. Since then it has been sublime sailing for the four-time world champion, with just one more race outside the top 10, and seven times in the top three. Even if all the predictions were for him to win, it is still a surprise, even to him, to have managed to achieve it in quite that manner. Even his predecessor, Ben Ainslie, always managed to spin it out to the final moments before claiming victory. Perhaps this is an accurate reflection of Scott's usually calm and casual style: no stress, no drama, just get the job done in the most efficient way. -- Robert Deaves
Seahorse Sailor Of The Month
Last month's winner:
Phil Sharp (GBR)
'All he ever does is work, he deserves it' - Rebecca Linder; 'Phil and the 2020 Vendee Globe, he's had to wait too long' - Anne Fauconnier; 'I vote for Phil, he demonstrates great seamanship and determination in finishing third in the Transat with so much damage' - Hugues Jacquemin; 'Well done, that man, buy him a sail' - Mark Thomas; 'Marvellous' - Armando Farhate; 'Tenacity' - Jean-Luc Cialdini; 'Who else could podium with half a main?' - Katie Lawson; 'This boy has party stamina too' - John Burnie.
This month's nominees:
Peter Becker (USA)
Peter Becker lobbied us hard to nominate his Spanish friend Guillermo Altadill for this prize. Altadill did a wonderful job encouraging and coaching Becker's young crew of Bermuda Race prize winners to a very significant success, but Becker founded the programme and has been working away with the youngsters for over three years now; and it was he who encouraged Altadill and other top professionals to get involved. So step forward, sir.
Fahad Al Hasni (OMA)
A regular member of Sidney Gavignet's crew on Musandam-Oman Sail, Al Hasni was one of three Omani sailors onboard when the blue MOD 70 set a new round Ireland record and took line honours in this year's race of the same name. But Oman Sail had trailed her American rival Phaedo3 almost to the end, before pouncing in the fast-fading breeze with less than a mile left to go and scraping home just a few metres ahead.
Seahorse Sailor of the Month is sponsored by Henri Lloyd, Harken McLube & Dubarry. Who needs silverware, our prizes are usable!
Cast your vote, submit comments, even suggest a candidate for next month at seahorsemagazine.com/sailor-of-the-month/vote-for-sailor-of-the-month
To subscribe to Seahorse Digital £30 for one year with discount promo code SB2 click www.seahorse.co.uk/shop/digital
Henri Lloyd Half Ton Classics Cup
Falmouth, UK - 15 August 2016 - The Henri Lloyd Half Ton Classics Cup 2016 got off to a spectacular start at Falmouth with big waves, a steady breeze, hot sun and two terrific races. The day was sponsored by Euro Car Parks and RAM Gaskets.
Race Officer Jack Penty and his team were able to complete both a practice race and the first two championship races of the series in an easterly wind of around 15 knots. The wind strength was rather less than might have been expected for the sea state of big rolling and occasionally breaking waves, so keeping the boats powered up through the swell but under control was the order of the day.
As always with the Half Ton Class, the racing was extremely close and first blood went to Paul Pullen's 1986 Andrieu designed Miss Whiplash with Greg Peck's newly acquired 1977 Farr designed Swuzzlebubble, winner of the 2014 Half Ton Classics Cup with previous owner Peter Morton, second and Philippe Pilate's General Tapioca, launched in 1978 to a Berrett design, third.
The tables were turned in race two as Swuzzlebubble took victory from Miss Whiplash with the French team of Jean-Philippe Lau and Claude Charbonnier sailing the 1980 Jubert designed Sibelius third.
The second day of racing will feature a single Coastal Race starting at 10.30am, which will have a points weighting of 1.5. The forecast indicates more easterly winds of 10 to 15 knots and the course, which will take the boats up and down the Cornish coast within a 20 mile radius of the entrance to Falmouth Harbour, will be announced at the daily competitors' briefing at 08.30. The regatta continues until FridaOverall Top ten:
Top ten
1. Swuzzlebubble, Greg Peck, NZL, 3.0
2. Miss Whiplash, Paul Pullen, GBR, 3.0
3. General Tapioca, Philippe Plitae, BEL, 8.0
4. Harmony, Jonny Swan, IRL, 9.0
5. Sibelius, Jean-Philippe Lau & Claude Charbonnier, FRA, 11.0
6. Checkmat, David Cullen, IRL, 12.0
7. Per Elisa, Robbie Tregear, GBR, 12.0
8. Emiliano Zapata, Jonathan Cunliffe, FRA, 14.0
9. The Big Picture, M & R Evans, IRL, 18.0
10. Quokka 9, Peter Rutter, GBR, 23.0
Fulll results: www.halftonclass.co.uk/#!results/jrozz
Extreme Sailing Series Appoints New Race Director
Extreme Sailing Series organisers OC Sport have appointed Canadian John Craig as the new Race Director for the global Stadium Racing circuit.
A world-renowned International Race Official, Craig was the Principal Race Officer for the 34th America's Cup that took place in San Francisco, USA as well for the America's Cup World Series. He also oversaw the development of World Sailing's (formerly ISAF) Sailing World Cup and most recently was Race Director for the Red Bull Foiling Generation.
Craig will work closely with current Race Director Phil Lawrence for the remainder of the 2016 Series before taking the reigns in 2017. Lawrence has held the position of Race Director for six years, during which time he has delivered 56 events and has been pivotal through several key evolutions in the Series, including most recently, the transition to the GC32.
The 2017 calendar is set to include a mix of existing and new venues, where some of the stadiums will be opened up to really embrace the foiling boats.
The Notice of Race for the 2017 Extreme Sailing Series will be available in September, with at least eight venues across three continents on the schedule for the eleventh year of competition.
Dubarry Ultima - Quality Always Lasts
It's amazing to think how sailing has changed since Dubarry started making boots in 1937. The first marina arrived in the 1930s but there were no plastic boats to park in it before the 1940s. There was no yacht radar before the 1950s, nor auxiliary diesel engines before the 1960s, also when polyester sailcloth ousted linen and cotton. The 1970s brought instrumentation and the 1980s saw Decca come and go as GPS stole the show. Oiled canvas gave way to PVC, which yielded to GORE-TEX. Much indeed has changed, yet one thing has stayed the same: nothing signifies a confident, experienced, discerning yachtie like a pair of Dubarry boots.
Developed as a more luxurious, classical and traditional interpretation of the legendary Shamrock, on which the company's reputation was built, the Ultima is Dubarry's flagship boot. Its sole delivers award-winning, sure-footed grip. Its GORE-TEX liner is waterproof and breathable to keep you warm, dry and comfortable. Its Dry-Fast-Dry-Soft water-resistant leather weathers with grace and distinction, recording every nautical mile of your experience in the gentle, tanned folds of its sumptuous hide. It's clearer than ever that, though times may change, quality always lasts.
Dubarry Ultima - Where will you go in yours?
Heidi Benjamin's Spookie Wins The 2016 Queen's Cup
Newport, RI, USA: In becoming the first female skipper to win the Queen's Cup, one of the New York Yacht Club's most prestigious yachting trophies, Heidi Benjamin relied on her yacht, her crew and two distinct sources of inspiration.
The first was no surprise to anyone who knows Benjamin and her family's long association with sailing. "My dad, Bill Ziegler, used to tell me how much he wanted to win the Queen's Cup," said Benjamin, noting that despite much success with a number of boats named Gem, her late father was never able to put his name on the Queen's Cup. "This one is for him."
The second was a ladybug that landed on her shirt before the race started Sunday afternoon off the coast of Newport, R.I. Benjamin (far right with husband Steve, left, and Queen's Cup event chair Art Santry, center) said that whenever she started to feel anxious about filling the shoes of the boat's usual skipper, husband Steve Benjamin, the 1984 Olympic silver medalist in the 470 class and the 2015 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year, she thought about this tiny beetle calmly resting on her shirt, and it helped restore her peace of mind.
The Queen's Cup is a unique event in modern sailing for a variety of reasons. The starting gun opens a two-minute window for all boats to cross the starting line. The race committee takes each yacht's starting time as it crosses the line and uses that to calculate its elapsed time for the race. Second, the regatta is just one race, not the usual multi-race events that allow time to compensate for the occasional mistake. And finally, to do justice to the variety of yachts that compete in the Queen's Cup, the race committee traditionally uses a mix of triangle and windward/leeward laps to build the course.
Taken separately, and in the absence of competitive pressure, none of these components are technically complex. But, in real time, while racing in 15-knot southwesterly breeze with 8-foot seas, they can present significant challenges.
The Queen's Cup was given by Queen Elizabeth II of England. It was formally presented by the British Ambassador at the Annual Cruise dinner in November 1953. The former King's Cup (raced for annually from 1906 through 1952) was retired and is retained by the Club.
The Queen's Cup is a perpetual trophy to be raced for annually under the same conditions at the preceding King's Cup races. Currently any yacht, whose owner is a member of a club recognized by US Sailing, shall be eligible to compete providing her valid rating shall be within the limits set for the event by the board of trustees upon the recommendation of the Technical and Race Committees. All races for this Cup shall be sailed without time limit and the helmsperson shall be a Group 1 competitor as defined by World Sailing Regulation 22. -- Stuart Streuli
3D Modeling And Printing A Winner
Oracle posted an interesting video with designer Aaron Perry explaining that they can use a 3D printer to make parts straight from digital files in their CAD system. They can "print" parts in titanium, aluminum or plastic. The drawings on Aaron's screen in the video are the AC Class yacht. You can see the joint where the bow section unbolts and the extension or "horn" on the stern for the umpire light stack, the GPS antenna and the agile TV camera. In addition, you can see that the rudder position is very different from the AC45X "sport" boat the team is testing in Bermuda.
From Jack Griffin's Cup Insider: cupexperience.com
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