US Sailing at ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyeres - Day 3
by Will Ricketson, US Sailing 24 Apr 2014 08:16 BST
19-26 April 2014
With the start of Gold fleet racing in several classes today at ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyères, the pressure has begun to intensify for the world's best Olympic-class sailors.
Consistent breeze and sunshine returned to the venue for the third consecutive day, showing why Hyères has been been a preferred location for international high-performance sailing for decades.
In the women's 470 class, 3rd-place Annie Haeger (East Troy, Wisc.) and Briana Provancha (San Diego, Calif.) are locked in a tough battle for the lead primarily with teams from New Zealand and Great Britain. With only four points separating the three boats, every tactical decision is magnified. Haeger and Provancha looked to be in trouble after a slow start in the final race of the day, and rounded the first windward mark in the mid 20's, with New Zealand and Great Britain leading. Nevertheless, the pair fought their way steadily back to a 6th-place finish, completing what their coach, Dave Ullman (Newport Beach, Calif.), called "their best race of the event." When asked how they were able to mount a big comeback in such a tough fleet, Provancha noted that their results this week have been as much due to their process as to their boat speed. "We set goals with Dave before day 1, in terms of things we wanted to do well this week. We've been focused on those goals, and on listening to what our coach has to say."
The men's 470 racing is proving to be amongst the hardest-fought of the event, with the top 6 boats in gold fleet separated by only 7 points. Nevertheless, the 6th-place American team of Stuart McNay (Providence, R.I.) and David Hughes (Miami, Fla.) was determined not to focus on the standings at this stage. "It was the classic 'every boat counts' sort of racing today," said Hughes. "The only way to play is to race one decision at a time, and let the points shake out as they may."
Notable US Overall Results:
470 Men (81 boats)
6th overall, Stuart McNay (Providence, R.I.) and David Hughes (Miami, Fla.), US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider
470 Women (51 boats)
3rd overall, Annie Haeger (East Troy, Wisc.) and Briana Provancha (San Diego, Calif.), US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider
49er (79 boats)
29th overall, Brad Funk (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) and Trevor Burd (Marblehead, Mass.), US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider
49erFX (42 boats)
30th overall, Kristen Lane (San Francisco, Calif.) and Maggie Shea (Chicago, Ill.), US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider
Finn (59 boats)
2nd overall, Caleb Paine (San Diego, Calif.), US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider
Laser Radial (79 boats)
14th overall, Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.), US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider
Laser (123 boats)
18th overall, Charlie Buckingham (Newport Beach, Calif.)
, US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider
Nacra 17 (77 boats)
18th overall, Sarah Newberry (Miami, Fla.) and John Casey (Longwood, Fla.), US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider
RS:X Women (58 boards)
26th overall, Farrah Hall (Annapolis, Md.), US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider
Full results can be found here.