ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami at Coconut Grove Yacht Club - Day 2
by Jake Fish, US Sailing 30 Jan 2013 05:57 GMT
26 January - 2 February 2013
World's top board sailors clash
A strong contingency of the top sailors in the world are in Miami testing themselves against familiar rivals and incoming talent from a new generation of racers. The RS:X Men's and Women's events are back in Miami for 2013 ISAF Sailing World Cup and these two fleets feature the best of the best in an early season clash of Olympic medalists and new challengers.
Most elite board sailors enjoyed some much needed time off following their intense Olympic campaigns for London 2012. However, a quick turn around and immediate focus is in order with the RS:X World Championships in Brazil this February. Up and comers are looking to assert themselves in the class this week in Miami, while other more seasoned veterans are trying to re-capture the magic they sustained in their successful performances in Weymouth.
The 2012 Olympic gold medalist Dorian Van Rijssbelberghe of The Netherlands surged ahead of the fleet with two wins today to take a two point lead over Brazil's Ricardo Santos. Great Britain's Nick Dempsey dropped two spots from Monday, and is in third. The 2012 Olympic silver medalist and 2004 bronze medalist commented on the upcoming schedule and training for Rio 2016. "Following the World Championships in February and March, it will be about focusing on the Olympic campaign for Rio 2016," said Dempsey. "I'm just trying to get back out on the water now and get as fit as possible for the World Championships."
Dempsey is intrigued about the venue in Rio. "If you look at Rio as a light wind venue, as windsurfers we're going to have to be light, strong, fit, and technically good. It's going to be a difficult venue. There is a lot of current and with it being light winds it's going to be very physical. I like to mix up my training, because it can be a bit monotonous. Anything you can do to keep it interesting and different to keep you inspired."
Van Rijssbelberghe, the three-time ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami Champion, was reserved, yet focused on the new challenge. "There is some great build up for these events, but I want to keep it fun," said Van Rijssbelberghe. "Miami is such a great place to sail. It has always been one of my favorite destinations. We've got some breeze going on and it's quite tricky out there. "I do a lot of cross training and it's great to get on that mountain bike and start ripping some trails."
Defending RS:X Women's Champion Demita Vega of Mexico is out to defend her crown against the world's best this year. She won race four and finished second in race three to take a one point lead. 2012 Olympic silver medalist Tuuli Petaja-Siren of Finland has won two of four races, including race three. She trails Vega by a point.
Petaja-Siren has had a surreal offseason following her outstanding performance in Weymouth. She was honored as the Finnish Athlete of the Year. "My name and face is now in a lot of newspapers and TV channels," said Petaja-Siren. "Not many people thought a windsurfer could get that much publicity in Finland, which is more about the winter sports."
"I didn't surprise myself that much. I knew from the training I did earlier in the summer in Weymouth I was capable of racing with the very best girls. The first goal this year is to compete in the World Championships, so that's going to be my first visit there and I don't know much about Rio yet."
Spain's gold medalist and World #5 Marina Alabau, who has won the ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami event in 2011, 2010, 2009 and 2007, is currently in sixth place. "My goal is to qualify for the Olympics, but it's not easy in my country to qualify," said Alabau. "So this is really good motivation to keep going. I'll be spending a lot of time training in Rio." Spain also features board sailing standout Blanca Manchon.
Alabau prefers participating in other sports and activities as a source of training. "I like to play other sports like kite sailing, cycling, and swimming. I'm not going to the gym much, because it is boring to me. I'm just trying to do fun activities, because when you have fun you don't realize how much you are pushing yourself and that's how I enjoy training."
World #13 and 2012 Olympians from Austria, Matthias Schmid and Floran Reichstaedter had a big day in the Men's 470 event. They evened up with Monday's leaders Stuart McNay and David Hughes of the U.S. by winning race four and finishing third in race three.
Despite sustaining a Black Flag in race four, Brazil's Fernanda Oliveira and Ana Luiza Barbachan of the Women's 470 event hold a two point lead over China's Xiaomei Xu and Chunyan Yu, who finished sixth and third today. Oliveira and Barbachuan won race three.
Giulia Conti and Francesca Clapcich of Italy won two of three races in the 49er FX event are clinging to a one point advantage over Brazil's Kahena Kunze and Martine Grael. Four teams are within three points of each other atop the leaderboard.
Caleb Paine (USA) has caught fire in the Finn event. He won both races today and has come out on top in three of four races. He leads World #1 Brendan Casey (AUS) by five points and Star legend Bruno Prada (BRA) by six. Paine has been ranked as high as #4 in the world. He won the U.S. Finn National Championship in October and the Delta Lloyd Regatta World Cup event in May. He's looking to improve on his fifth place finish last year in Miami.
Fred Strammer and Zach Brown (USA) leaped into first place by finishing strong on Tuesday in the 49er event. They won races five and six to take a one point lead over Sebastian Oestling and Kalle Torlen (SWE).
Ireland's Annalise Murphy returned to her usual form today in the Laser Radials. She won race four and finished second in race three to take a tie-breaker edge over World #5 Tuula Tenkanen (FIN). Canada's Isabella Bertold trails by just a point.
World #3 Bruno Fontes (BRA) won both races today in Laser action to take the lead. He has a slight edge over France's Jean-Baptiste Bernaz who had a lead after three races. American Charlie Buckingham and Sweden's Jesper Stalheim are one point behind the leader.
The Lasers and Laser Radials are using experimental scoring this week. Sailors will receive a bonus point for each race they win. For all events, discards are in effect after two races.
Sarah Newberry and John Casey (USA) continued their success from Monday with two more wins in the Nacra 17 event. They have won the last three races, including three of four. Americans Sarah Streater and Matthew Whitehead remain close and just two points back. They were second in both races.
The 2012 Paralympic bronze medalists Aleksander Wang-Hansen, Marie Solberg and Per Eugen Kristiansen of Norway kept their status as the leaders through Tuesday. After winning both races on Monday, they were fourth and third on Tuesday to hold on to a two point lead.
Canadian Bruce Millar moved into the lead by posting a pair of bullets in the 2.4 mR racing today. Millar was seventh at the 2.4 mR World Championship in September. He leads World #4 Byornar Erikstad of Norway by two points and Alan Leibel (CAN) by four.
For the most updated standings, visit the results section of the event website at mocr.ussailing.org/index.php/results/.
Similar to Monday, breezes were relatively consistent and strong at 13 to 15 knots throughout the day. Sunny skies were accompanied with temperatures in the high 70s.
ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami, established in 1990 by US Sailing, is open to boats competing in events chosen for the Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Competitions. Most Olympic classes will count a five-day opening series (Monday-Friday) and a double-point medal race (Saturday). The RS:X Men and Women will have a three day opening series (Monday-Wednesday) followed by semifinal medal round on Thursday and final medal round on Friday. The top 10 finishers in the opening series of each class will advance to the medal race. Competitors in the Paralympic classes will have five days of fleet racing (Monday-Friday) and no medal race. Medals will be awarded to the top three boats in each Olympic and Paralympic class on Saturday, February 2.
Regatta Headquarters is located at the US Sailing Center Miami, an official Olympic training center, in the Coconut Grove section of Miami, Fla. Event organizers have partnered with the city of Miami to provide world-class venues for competition. Additional hosts for the event include Coral Reef Yacht Club, Coconut Grove Sailing Club, Miami Rowing Club and Shake-a-Leg Miami. These sailing organizations host classes onshore, as well as help run the on-the-water racing. The Coral Reef Yacht Club also hosts the Opening and Closing Ceremonies.
To follow all the action this week in Miami, visit event website at mocr.ussailing.org for real-time racecourse blogging, commentary and fan interaction with Cover it Live, regatta results, photos and news updates.
The event photo gallery at www.flickr.com/photos/ussailingmedia will be updated daily.
Sponsors of ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami 2013 include Sperry Top-Sider, Harken McLube, Kattack, Switlik and the University of Miami Hospital.
Results after Day 2: (top three in each class)
Men RS:X
1. Dorian Van Rijssbelberghe (NED), [3]-2-1-1: 4pts
2. Ricardo Santos (BRA), 1-[3]-3-2: 6pts
3. Nick Dempsey (GBR), 2-1-4-[8]: 7pts
Nacra 17
1. Sarah Newberry/John Casey (USA), [3]-1-1-1: 3pts
2. Sarah Streater/Matthew Whitehead (USA), 1-[3]-2-2: 5pts
3. Enrique Figueroa/Carla Malatrasi (PUR), 4-2-[6]-3: 9pts
Women RS:X
1. Demita Vega (MEX), 3-[7]-2-1: 6pts
2. Tuuli Petaja-Sirén (FIN), [7]-1-1-5: 7pts
3. Bryony Shaw (GBR), 2-[5]-5-3: 10pts
49er FX
1. Giulia Conti/Francesca Clapcich (ITA), 1-[5]-2-1-5-1: 10pts
2. Martine Soffiatti/Kahena Kunze (BRA), 2-1-3-3-2-[4]: 11pts
3. Erin Berry/Danielle Boyd (CAN), [6]-3-1-2-3-3: 12pts
470 Men's
1. Matthias Schmid/Florian Reichstaedter (AUT), 2-[4]-3-1: 6pts
2. Stuart McNay/David Hughes (USA), 3-1-[4]-2: 6pts
3. David Bargehr/Lukas Mähr (AUT), 4-5-2-[20/BFD]: 11pts
470 Women's
1. Fernanda Oliveira/Ana Luiza Barbachan (BRA), 5-2-1-[20/BFD]: 8pts
2. Xiaomei Xu/Chunyah Yu (CHN), 1-[11]-6-3: 10pts
3. Renata Decnop/Isabel Swan (BRA), [12]-3-7-8: 18pts
Laser
1. Bruno Fontes (BRA), 3-[4]-1-1: 3pts
2. Jean-Baptiste Bernaz (FRA), 2-2-1-[4]: 4pts
3. Charlie Buckingham (USA), 4-1-2-3: 5pts
Sonar
1. Aleksander Wang-Hansen.Marie Solberg/Per Eugen Kristiansen (NOR), 1-1-[4]-3: 5pts
2. John Twomey/Ian Costelloe/Bradley Johnson (IRL), 3-[5]-2-2: 7pts
3. Rick Doerr/Brad Kendell/Hugh Feierd (USA), 4-3-[5]-1: 8pts
Laser Radial
1. Annalise Murphy (IRL), 5-[6]-2-0: 7pts
2. Tuula Tenkanen (FIN), 2-2-3-[6]: 7pts
3. Isabella Bertold (CAN), 1-[8]-6-2: 8pts
Finn
1. Caleb Paine (USA), [7]-1-1-1: 3pts
2. Brendan Casey (AUS), 2-[14]-4-2: 8pts
3. Bruno Prada (BRA), 1-3-[6]-5: 9pts
2.4
1. Bruce Millar (CAN), 2-[3]-1-1: 4pts
2. Bjornar Erikstad (NOR), [3]-1-3-2: 6pts
3. Allan Leibel (CAN), 1-4-[5]-3: 8pts
49er
1. Fredrick Strammer/Zach Brown (USA), 2-[5]-4-2-1-1: 10pts
2. Sebastian Oestling/Kalle Torlen (SWE), 1-[3]-2-3-3-2: 11pts
3. Ryan Pesch/Trevor Burd (USA), 3-4-5-1-2-[6]: 15pts
Update from US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider: (from Dana Paxton)
Day two of racing brought score line improvements for many of the American sailors competing at ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami. Americans hold seven top-three positions across the 12 Olympic and Paralympic classes competing, including class leaders Caleb Paine (Finn) and Fred Strammer and Zach Brown (49er). All told, there are 126 American sailors out of the total 317 sailing this week. The regatta serves as the selection event for 2013 US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider, in all classes except for SKUD-18 and Nacra 17, as well as for the 2013 US Sailing Development Team. Racing continues through Feb. 2 with full results posted on the event's website.
Highlights from day 2 include:
Finn - Caleb Paine (San Diego, Calif.) had a standout day in the 29-boat Finn class, with two race wins. He adds those results to his win in race 2 to find himself atop of the fleet with a small gap ahead of Brendan Casey (AUS) and Bruno Prada (BRA), in 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
49er – Americans Fred Strammer (Nokomis, Fla.) and Zach Brown (San Diego, Calif.) also had a stellar day and won two of the day's three races. They have a one-point lead on Sweden's Sebastian Oestling and Kalle Torlen, in 2nd, and five points on USA's Ryan Pesch (Vineyard Haven, Mass.) and Trevor Burd (Marblehead, Mass.), in 3rd. Both American teams are members of 2012 US Sailing Development Team and are looking to sail their way onto the US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider.
Nacra 17 - American teams went one-two in today's two races. After discarding their worst result from the four-race series, to date, Sarah Newberry (Miami, Fla.) and John Casey (Longwood, Fla.) are in first overall, with Sarah Streater (Flagler Beach, Fla.) and Matthew Whitehead (Panama City, Fla.) in second. Close behind in third place is Enrique Figueroa and Carla Malatrasi from Puerto Rico.
Newberry and Whitehead qualified for the 2012 US Sailing Development Team with different partners and are looking to sail onto the 2013 US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider with this regatta. The mixed multihull event in the Nacra 17 will make its debut at the Rio 2016 Games, and the U.S. has been working hard this past month preparing for this regatta with Olympic Coach Leandro Spina spearheading the effort in Miami.
Radial – Two American women are in the top six of the 29-boat class. 2012 Olympian Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) turned in a strong two races today with 5th and 3rd. She discards the 5th out of her four-race score line and stands in 4th place overall. In 6th overall is Erika Reineke (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.).
Since competing at the 2012 Games, Railey has taken time off from sailing to train for an Ironman distance triathlon. "Things that used to be simple are a little bit more difficult for me," she said. "It's going pretty good; nothing spectacular so far, but really consistent. I'm tring to get the rust out and dust off the cobwebs. I'm starting to see the old me come back and I'm looking forward to more racing."
Exclusive video interview with Railey where she gives advice to younger sailors starting out with an Olympic campaign:
As Railey has already qualified for the 2013 US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider, the remaining American competitors will look to sail onto the Team. Behind Reineke, a member of the 2012 US Sailing Development Team and a standout freshman sailor at Boston College, are Claire Dennis (Saratoga, Calif.) and Christine Neville (Oakland, Calif.), in 10th and 11th, respectively.
Quotes from American sailors:
Sydney Bolger, Women's 470 with Carly Shevitz: "We're trying to take a step-by-step approach and make an improvement in our sailing each day we go sailing. We've had a lot of free flow of information, especially in our debriefs. It's nice to hear from a lot of different perspectives, from people who are new to the class and have different experience, different techniques and comparing notes from days on the water. Working with Romain ha been phenomenal, and having the opportunity to work with top-level sailors and have more 470s out there is huge. This is the first time we've had seven boats together speed tuning and working together. It's been awesome."
Listen to Sydney Bolger talk about improving in the 470:
Greg Martinez, Laser: "Yesterday was pretty consistent for me. The wind was high the first race, and I just needed to get two solid races. I played it pretty conservative off the line and kept hiking hard, and ended up with a 9 and 15, which is pretty good for me."
Listen to Greg Martinez talk about Laser sailing and how college sailing at Georgetown helps a Laser sailor:
Dillon Paiva, Men's 470 with Sam Stokes: "The joint debrief on the water was fantastic. We went over the course tactics and what Romain saw about how the whole fleet could improve. He's been helping out as much as he can and it's been fantastic. The American team mates have been helping us out. The men's and women's sailors; it's almost like a family here. Everyone's been really kind to us and helping us get to their level while they're pushing themselves."