US Sailing at ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyeres

US Sailing at ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyeres - Overall

by Will Ricketson, US Sailing 27 Apr 2014 08:37 BST 19-26 April 2014

470 Women's bronze for Annie Haeger and Briana Provancha at ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyeres © Will Ricketson / US Sailing

Racing come to a close at ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyères, and smiles were prevalent around the boat parks after a week in which the venue delivered fantastic conditions for six days straight. Over 800 boats and 1000 athletes competed, making the regatta one of the toughest Olympic-level events of the year. The US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider enjoyed a strong week, with athletes recording top-10 results in 4 Olympic classes, and top-20 results in 6 classes.

Leading the way once again was the top-ranked US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider women's 470 team of Annie Haeger (East Troy, Wisc.) and Briana Provancha (San Diego, Calif.), who won bronze. After starting the year with a 470 North American Championship title, Haeger and Provancha have raced their way to top-5 results at ISAF Sailing World Cup events in Miami (USA), Palma de Mallorca (Spain) and Hyères (France). Consistency is breeding confidence as they head towards the year's biggest events, according to Provancha. "We want to win a World Championship, and we want to win an Olympic medal. That's what this is about," said the San Diego native. "Right now we're just trying to learn every day. If I didn't think we couldn't win a Worlds, we wouldn't be here."

Haeger noted that the presence of 3-time 470 World Champion Dave Ullman (Newport Beach, Calif.) was a major factor in their success this week. "We have learned so much in such a short amount of time. Having amazing resources in the US like Dave Ullman and all these 470 legends is absolutely amazing. We had such a great time, and we had good chemistry on the water as well."

US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider Finn athlete Caleb Paine (San Diego, Calif.) achieved a 5th-place performance at this event, but noted that he is still focused on refining his approach. "There are still some things that can be improved here and there, small mistakes that drop you out of the top-5." Another valuable part of the regatta, said Paine, was the ability to gain more experience sailing at the front of an elite international fleet. "I think that being able to manage the boats up there, and manage yourself up there as well, is an extremely important part of the game. If you're always fighting for the scraps, you don't always have the opportunity to make the decisions that are best."

In the men's 470, Stuart McNay (Providence, R.I.) and David Hughes (Miami, Fla.) were very fast out of the gate, enjoying a strong and consistent first three days of racing. After seven races, the pair was only a handful of points from the podium, but events on Day 4 were a turning point, said McNay. "Our main halyard broke on the 2nd tack of the third race of the gold fleet series. Unfortunately that made us out of sync for the second race as well, so we had one day that seriously held us back." Nevertheless, their strong start and finish left the top-ranked US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider 470 duo with a positive outlook on the week. "All told I'm happy with how we raced, and how we approached the event. The depth of the fleet means that anyone is capable of a good race. In order to win, you need to be consistently be at the top. We are on track. We are continually making strides, and I know that with more time spent in the right way, we'll continue to make the progress we need to make." McNay and Hughes finished 8th overall.

Hyères saw the return of Laser Radial athlete Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.), who had not raced at this level since winning ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami. "It's always fun to come and compete. I love representing my country, the team and all my sponsors." Railey sailed in the medal race, and finished 10th overall. Describing the breezy, choppy conditions as "A complete 180 [degree shift]" from those found in Miami, Railey noted that she will focus on training in stronger conditions in advance of the ISAF Combined World Championships in Santander, Spain, later this year.