Brazilian, British and Kiwi crews claim titles in Weymouth and Portland

The Volvo 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 Open European Championships have concluded in Weymouth and Portland, Great Britain with Brazilian, British and Kiwi sailors claiming the titles.

49erFX – Brazil win, but Dutch survive pressure to win ticket to Tokyo

Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze (BRA) took a convincing win in the 49erFX, The greatest interest for the Medal Race was which of the chasing pack would succeed in taking the silver and bronze. There were six teams in contention for the minor medals, but the team that needed to climb on to the podium more than any other were the reigning World Champions from the Netherlands, Annemieke Bekkering and Annette Duetz (NED). On the back foot, after their Dutch rivals won the previous qualification regatta in Italy, the Hempel World Cup Series event in Genoa, Bekkering and Duetz needed to pull out all their experience and ability to withstand pressure as they lined up on the Medal Race start line.

The Dutch won the pin end of the line and cruised off towards the left-hand side in the soft, 6-knot breeze. They reached the windward mark in first place and looked set for a straightforward win until they were beaten to the final windward mark by the Norwegian crew, Helene Næss and Marie Rønningen. The Norwegians held the lead on the last downwind leg and crossed the finish line ahead, sufficient to give the 2018 European Champions the bronze medal. The Dutch held their nerve to cross the line in second place, making them the European Champions (excluding the Brazilians) and earning them a place at next year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo. Grinning from ear to ear, Bekkering and Duetzhugged each other in relief at their double victory.

Alex Maloney and Molly Meech of New Zealand finished fourth, one place ahead of the big discovery of the regatta, the 2018 Junior World Champions from Sweden who have flourished at senior level in all conditions this week. Vilma Bobeck and Malin Tengstromwere really fast in the strong wind but getting better by the race in the light winds.

Nacra 17: Saxton and Bonniface ride light air role to pole position

With six boats all within 12 points of the gold medal, this Nacra 17 Medal Race was always going to be a difficult one to predict and a big battle on the water for all teams involved.

One postponed start meant the nerves and anticipation from all the sailors was rising as the wind swung from a steady South Westerly 5-6kts to a very shifty and patchy Northerly 4-6kt breeze. After an hour waiting around on the water, the 10 boat Medal Race fleet finally got underway in some very light and difficult conditions.

Staying true to form in the light winds over the last few days it was Ben Saxton and Nikki Boniface who dominated the race from start to finish, coming off the middle of the line and managing to use their boat speed to control most of the fleet around them – everyone seemed keen on the left-hand side of the track. A commanding lead at the top mark and keeping their cool throughout the race.

The leaders going into the day, Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti (ITA) seemed to falter in their start, struggling to get off the line and being very heavily punished for a slow tack out in the light air. Never managing to recover and coming in ninth meant it was up to the rest of the medal contenders to pounce – and pounce they did. John Gimson and Anna Burnet (GBR) headed into the day in third spot and with a third place in the medal race pulled up into silver medal position overall. A fantastic result for the pair who have made significant strides this winter following a training camp in South America with the current Olympic Champions Santi Lange and Cecilia Carranza (ARG).

The battle for bronze was a hard fought fight. Denmark’s Lin Cenholt and CP Lubeck. battled past a couple of boats around the race course to take fourth in the race and sneak just in front of Tita and Banti for third place overall.

49ers: The Kiwis do their work while Brits battle

The final day of the 2019 Volvo European Championships began with one final Gold fleet race for the 49er Men, their 20th race of the week! After a short postponement, the fleet was off in a light Southwesterly in the inner harbour. Great Britain’s Dylan Fletcher and Stuart Bithell, who’d moved up into second on the penultimate day of racing, clearly wanted the pin and the left-hand side and were rewarded for their local knowledge with a top spot at the top mark. The other two podium teams, New Zealand’s Peter Burling and Blair Tuke and Spain’s Deigo Botin / Iago Marra were well deep at the top mark, with plenty of work to do to catch up during the race to stay in medal contention.

Back in the pack, the Kiwis were able to do their work, climbing steadily throughout the race from a deep 22nd (which would have put Fletcher / Bithell into the overall lead), all the way back to ninth by the finish line, staying on top of the overall podium. Fletcher / Bithell won the race to maintain second overall, while last year’s World Championship bronze medallists, Germany’s Fisher / Graf, snagged a second second place in a row for the gold fleet racing, but it wasn’t enough to move them into the medal race, showing just how tight and close the racing this week has been.

A fifth place in this race for the other Brits Peters / Sterritt moved them into bronze position overall, as the Spaniards weren’t able to recover past 17th, and had to eat their previous throwout. The battle was then set for a final Medal Race showdown between these four teams: the Kiwis in the lead, followed by the two Brits and the Spanish.

As the last in the lineup for the Medal Race for the day though, it was not to be. They were sent out at 16:00 after the FX and Nacra Medal Races, but the breeze died to nothing and ultimately, the scores from the morning remained. Rio 2016 Gold Medallists, Burling and Tuke, shortly upon return to the class had thus won the 49er European Championship and the Open European title, with Fletcher and Bithell chomping at their heels in second place and the first Europeans, and Peters and Sterritt coming away with bronze. The home country should be happy with their teams’ performance, and the battle is set for a good fight to see who wins British 49er Olympic selection. 

Nacra 17 Top 5 – Full Results
1            GBR        Ben Saxton, Nicola Boniface                   61
2            GBR        John Gimson, Anna Burnett                     67 
3            DEN        Lin Cenholt, CP Lubeck                           71
4            ITA          Ruggero Tita, Caterina Banti                   73
5           ARG         Mateo Majdalani, Eugenia Bosco            76

49erFX Top 5 – Full Results
1            BRA       Martine Grael, Kahena Kunze                   76
2            NED       Annemiek Bekkering, Annette Duetz        79
3            NOR       Helene Næss, Marie Rønningen              83
4            NZL        Alex Maloney, Molly Meech                      90
5            SWE       Vilma Bobeck, Malin Tengstrom                93

49er Top 5 – Full Results
1            NZL        Peter Burling, Blair Tuke                             72
2            GBR        Dylan Fletcher, Stu Bithell                         81
3            GBR        James Peters, Fynn Sterritt                       94
4            ESP        Diego Botin, Iago Marra                             97
5            GER        Eric Heil, Thomas Ploessel                        123