Yesterday saw the most frustrating day so far of the Olympic sailing competition with the wind refusing to play fair on Guanabara Bay in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
After sitting around for most of the day in next to no wind, the 10 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 10 minutes later the breeze had risen to 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 today.
Britain’s Alison Young said: “It was certainly eventful. It was a shame we didn’t get racing in but I’m looking forward to a good medal race tomorrow. It was interesting. I managed to keep calm so we just get ready to go again tomorrow.’
Survival conditions yesterday at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games as 30+ knot gusts blew through Rio de Janeiro. Credit: Sailing Energy / World Sailing
The men’s Laser medal race was also pushed back until today, which will make for a very busy afternoon’s entertainment as the Finns and Nacra 17s are 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.
Britain’s Hannah Mills, who won silver at London 2012 with crew Saskia Clark, said: ‘We went out and it was nice winds and then 20-30 knots came in from behind. We managed to drop our main just in time in the waves and it was a pretty wacky ride in under jib!
‘We waited all day with no wind inside the bay where we were meant to be racing, so we waited until the 49ers were finished to go on to their course and we were just about to crack on and the wind changed.’
Saskia Clark and Hannah Mills in action in the women’s 470 class at the Rio Olympic sailing regatta. ©Sailing Energy / World Sailing
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.
Tamara Echegoyen and Berta Betanzos (ESP) fired two bullets from today’s three races on the Niterói 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.
Action in the 49erFX class at the Rio Olympic sailing regatta. ©Sailing Energy / World Sailing
Britain’s Charlotte Dobson and Sophie Ainsworth achieved a second place in the day’s opening race followed by fifth and ninth places finishes from their three races, which has seen them move up a place to fifth overall, 13 points off bronze medal position.
There are still three more qualifying races scheduled today before Thursday’s medal race.
Dobson said: ‘It was really good to get outside on the ocean today, we did three races really quick back-to-back so it was all a bit of a blur but it was a good solid day so I think we’ve got to be pretty happy. I’m happy with the series that we’re building at the moment, we’ve had no big disasters so we’re looking forward to tomorrow.’
The men’s 49er fleet at the Rio Olympic sailing regatta. ©Sailing Energy / World Sailing
Dylan Fletcher and Alain Sign moved into the top 10 for the first time in their regatta, moving from 13th overall overnight to seventh, thanks to scores of fifth, sixth and ninth from their three races.
Sign said: ‘We found a bit more speed today and we are a little bit happier in how we are sailing in the boat so it’s something to take forward to tomorrow, that we are not miles off the pace. We have three more races tomorrow and our aim is to again try to move up and have a consistent day.’
With Giles Scott scheduled to sail for gold in the Finn Medal Race and Ben Saxton and Nicola Groves also contesting their Nacra 17 Medal Race, the revised schedule for tomorrow is to be confirmed with racing due to resume from 5pm (BST).
Results will be available on World Sailing’s Olympic website when racing starts.
The racing will also be available to watch in 2D and 3D via live tracking.
Find out more about the day-by-day BBC Sport coverage here.
Follow the action online at http://www.sailing.org/olympics/rio2016/home.php, on Twitter @worldsailing and on Facebook.
Support the British Sailing Team at Rio 2016 by visiting www.rya.org.uk/Rio2016, liking the team on Facebook and following @BritishSailing on Twitter.
Ben Meakins finds out why – and how – PBO readers from around the UK go racing in their cruising
With less than one month to go until the 2016 Rio Games, we look at the British Olympic and Paralympic…
There was double medal delight on Guanabara Bay as Giles Scott wrapped up Finn gold and Nick Dempsey claimed his…
The Olympic gold and silver medallist has died at the age of 36
Following medical tests, it has been confirmed that the British Sailing Team’s 470 Olympic campaigner Elliot Willis has unfortunately been…
The Yachting Journalists' Association has expressed 'extreme concern' over the water pollution at the 2016 Olympic sailing venue.
Court of Arbitration rules it does not have power to overturn 2012 Paralympic Sailing Competition decisions
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.
Of the abandoned Radial Medal Race, second placed Anne Marie Rindom (DEN) commented, “It was okay, no problems. Sailors are used to this. Sometimes we have days and days where we wait. It was no different today. Of course it was an important race that we had to sail today but it’s okay. I think it was not a good decision to be sent out because we knew that the storm was coming and it was a good decision we didn’t start.
“The wind was not only a little bit too much but it was also a bit shifty and we wouldn’t have found the right winner today. They have all day tomorrow to do a race in 20 minutes so it’s the right decision.”
Women’s Skiff – 49erFX
Tamara Echegoyen and Berta Betanzos (ESP) fired two bullets from today’s three races on the Niterói 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.
Echegoyen, the London 2012 Olympic Champion in match racing, commented, “We are very happy, we have sailed very well today. It was very important to be very open minded, to be able to adapt ourselves to what was happening. We were well prepared for today’s three races, both in terms of understanding the conditions with our meteorologist and also regarding the tactics.
“In the two first races it was clear where to go, but the third one was really crazy and we just sailed with the wind shifts. It has been a good day, but also quite difficult, we have had to work a lot. These results give us the confidence to keep on going in this way. Now we are leading but we are all very close on points. Still three races and the Medal Race ahead, so we have to go step by step and keep on going.”
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.
Burling said, “We’re pleased with three low scores, the boat was going really fast. We had some beautiful conditions for racing but got hit by a massive squall on the way in. It was maybe 45 or 50 knots.” Tuke added, “A south-west front came in and it went from 11 knots to more than 40 knots in the space of ten minutes.” Even the four-time World Champions capsized in the storm-force conditions. “We struggled to stay upright just with the mast up. Some massive waves out there, just happy to be back on shore,” said Burling, shivering and itching to get back to checking over the boat for any damage.
The Germans seemed to enjoy the mad ride in through the storm a little more than the Kiwis. “We ragged it quite fast on the way in,” said Heil. “But what lucky timing. Just after the last guy came across the finish line, the breeze came in 130 degrees from the other side, and with massive force. Even with just the mast up and no sails, we still needed to get on the trapeze to stop the boat tipping over. We have some boat work to do, we have damaged the sails, we have to check the mast.”
Noe Delpech was barely thinking about what a good day he’d had after getting ashore – just happy to be in one piece. “We had three good starts and are very happy with our speed and strategy today. But then there was the wind that arrived straight afterwards. We capsized many times. The mainsail went flying through the air and it fell in the water but our coach managed to save it before we lost it. We had a bad last hour on the water. The sails are not in great condition but I think we are OK mostly.”
Delpech was pleased to have closed in on the podium, but like all Olympic sailors never likes to get ahead of himself. “We are two points behind the bronze medal position, so yes, for sure we can start thinking about the options to get a medal, but we have still three important races to do tomorrow. We just go race by race.”
The Skiffs will have to work quickly with another three races scheduled for tomorrow which looks to be a busy day. The Laser, Laser Radial, Finn and Nacra 17 will all have their Medal Race due to the postponements from today.
Find information below on how to follow the Rio 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition.
RESULTS / ENTRIES
A full list of sailors racing at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games is available to view here – http://www.sailing.org/olympics/rio2016/qualification/sailors.php#.V6ZHvo6BLqM. Results will be available on World Sailing’s Olympic Website when racing starts on Monday 8 August here – http://www.sailing.org/olympics/rio2016/results/index.php#.V6ZH_Y6BLqM
LIVE TRACKING
The racing will be available to watch in 2D and 3D via the live tracking. Live tracking will be available when racing commences via – http://www.sailing.org/olympics/rio2016/multimedia/live_tracking.php
Live Tracking via the Sailviewer-3D Tablet App will be available for devices with 7″ or greater screens.
Click here to download the iOS Application – https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sailviewer-3d/id912801278
Click here to download the Android Application – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.stsportservice.sailviewer
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.
Of the abandoned Radial Medal Race, second placed Anne Marie Rindom (DEN) commented, “It was okay, no problems. Sailors are used to this. Sometimes we have days and days where we wait. It was no different today. Of course it was an important race that we had to sail today but it’s okay. I think it was not a good decision to be sent out because we knew that the storm was coming and it was a good decision we didn’t start.
“The wind was not only a little bit too much but it was also a bit shifty and we wouldn’t have found the right winner today. They have all day tomorrow to do a race in 20 minutes so it’s the right decision.”
Women’s Skiff – 49erFX
Tamara Echegoyen and Berta Betanzos (ESP) fired two bullets from today’s three races on the Niterói 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.
Echegoyen, the London 2012 Olympic Champion in match racing, commented, “We are very happy, we have sailed very well today. It was very important to be very open minded, to be able to adapt ourselves to what was happening. We were well prepared for today’s three races, both in terms of understanding the conditions with our meteorologist and also regarding the tactics.
“In the two first races it was clear where to go, but the third one was really crazy and we just sailed with the wind shifts. It has been a good day, but also quite difficult, we have had to work a lot. These results give us the confidence to keep on going in this way. Now we are leading but we are all very close on points. Still three races and the Medal Race ahead, so we have to go step by step and keep on going.”
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.
Burling said, “We’re pleased with three low scores, the boat was going really fast. We had some beautiful conditions for racing but got hit by a massive squall on the way in. It was maybe 45 or 50 knots.” Tuke added, “A south-west front came in and it went from 11 knots to more than 40 knots in the space of ten minutes.” Even the four-time World Champions capsized in the storm-force conditions. “We struggled to stay upright just with the mast up. Some massive waves out there, just happy to be back on shore,” said Burling, shivering and itching to get back to checking over the boat for any damage.
The Germans seemed to enjoy the mad ride in through the storm a little more than the Kiwis. “We ragged it quite fast on the way in,” said Heil. “But what lucky timing. Just after the last guy came across the finish line, the breeze came in 130 degrees from the other side, and with massive force. Even with just the mast up and no sails, we still needed to get on the trapeze to stop the boat tipping over. We have some boat work to do, we have damaged the sails, we have to check the mast.”
Noe Delpech was barely thinking about what a good day he’d had after getting ashore – just happy to be in one piece. “We had three good starts and are very happy with our speed and strategy today. But then there was the wind that arrived straight afterwards. We capsized many times. The mainsail went flying through the air and it fell in the water but our coach managed to save it before we lost it. We had a bad last hour on the water. The sails are not in great condition but I think we are OK mostly.”
Delpech was pleased to have closed in on the podium, but like all Olympic sailors never likes to get ahead of himself. “We are two points behind the bronze medal position, so yes, for sure we can start thinking about the options to get a medal, but we have still three important races to do tomorrow. We just go race by race.”
The Skiffs will have to work quickly with another three races scheduled for tomorrow which looks to be a busy day. The Laser, Laser Radial, Finn and Nacra 17 will all have their Medal Race due to the postponements from today.
Find information below on how to follow the Rio 2016 Olympic Sailing Competition.
RESULTS / ENTRIES
A full list of sailors racing at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games is available to view here – http://www.sailing.org/olympics/rio2016/qualification/sailors.php#.V6ZHvo6BLqM. Results will be available on World Sailing’s Olympic Website when racing starts on Monday 8 August here – http://www.sailing.org/olympics/rio2016/results/index.php#.V6ZH_Y6BLqM
LIVE TRACKING
The racing will be available to watch in 2D and 3D via the live tracking. Live tracking will be available when racing commences via – http://www.sailing.org/olympics/rio2016/multimedia/live_tracking.php
Live Tracking via the Sailviewer-3D Tablet App will be available for devices with 7″ or greater screens.
Click here to download the iOS Application – https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sailviewer-3d/id912801278
Click here to download the Android Application – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.stsportservice.sailviewer
