ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami at Coconut Grove Yacht Club - Day 5
by Jake Fish, US Sailing 2 Feb 2013 03:52 GMT
26 January - 2 February 2013
The first ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami medallists of 2013 were determined on day five. Men's and Women's RS:X events conducted semifinal and final round races. The 2.4 mR and Sonar fleets of the Paralympic events took part in their final day of fleet racing.
Israel's Maayan Davidovich and Spain's Ivan Pastor saved their best for last in the Women's and Men's RS:X events. Davidovich had one win prior to the finals and Pastor had none. They each won their dramatic, winner take all final race to capture gold.
Pastor, a two-time Olympian in 2012 and 2008, was ecstatic about his first ISAF Sailing World Cup title. "It feels incredible to win one of these great World Cup events," he said. "The conditions were ideal for me with the strong wind. It was more stable and I maneuvered well to get in position."
The 2012 Olympic silver medalist and defending ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami Champion Nick Dempsey (GBR) finished second to gain silver medal honours. The 2012 Olympic gold medalist and three-time champion of this event Dorian van Rijssbelberghe (NED) finished with the bronze medal. He won five out of 10 races this week.
Davidovich was equally excited about her first World Cup gold medal. "I'm happy to share the podium with Tuuli (Petaja-Siren) and Blanca (Manchon)," said Maayan. "I wasn't the fastest on the water, but I had a good regatta. This is my first important race for the Rio campaign, so it's good to start off on the right foot. I love Miami and I'm looking forward to racing here again."
Finland's Tuuli Petaja-Siren, the 2012 Olympic silver medalist, won another silver medal with her second place finish. She won four of the 10 races this week. Blanca Manchon, a former World Champion, was third for the bronze medal.
After a recommendation from the Olympic Classes Sub-committee at the 2012 ISAF Annual Conference, Olympic classes have recommended formats to ISAF for testing. The RS:X Class Association's proposed format has been trialed throughout the week in Miami. The RS:X World Championships take place February 28 to March 7 in Buzios, Brazil.
Great Britain's Megan Pascoe won her first two races of the week today to seal the win in the 2.4 mR event. Pascoe did not post a finish worse than second following race four out of 10. She tallied six second place finishes. Pascoe won by three points over Canadian Allan Leibel, who was second in both races today. Leibel took the silver medal, while Bruce Millar (CAN) secured the bronze.
Pascoe was fourth last year in Miami and third in the 2.4 mR World Championships last September. The 2013 International 2.4 mR Open World Championship takes place take place September 6-14 in Britain.
Aleksander Wang-Hansen, Marie Solberg and Per Eugen Kristiansen of Norway won the gold medal in the Sonar event and finished strong today with a win in race 10. They were second in race nine. Wang-Hansen and his crew won by a nine point margin. The 2012 Olympic bronze medalists won four races this week. Two American teams secured silver and bronze medals. Andrew Fisher, Mike Hersey and Ryan Levinson took the silver, while Rick Doerr, Brad Kendell and Hugh Freund won bronze.
"We've been working hard together for years now and it's paying off," said Wang-Hansen. "We have a long way to go, but it's full speed ahead for Rio."
49ers Ryan Pesch and Trevor Burd (USA) gained ground on leaders Fred Strammer and Zach Brown (USA). Pesch and Burd tallied impressive scores today by finishing second, first and fourth to pull within two points of the leaders. Strammer and Brown were fourth, second and fifth.
Brazil's Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze kept their five point lead today in the 49er FX. They were victorious in race 13 and second in race 14. American's Anna Tunnicliffe and Molly Vandemoer are in second place.
The top six teams in the 49er and 49er FX events will advance to Saturday's respective medal races. The medal races will be conducted using a unique format and challenging course. The theater style course includes two enclosed parallel lanes approximately 400 meters long and 220 meters wide. The target time for race duration is 10 minutes, with the goal of three laps. The first boat to win two races wins the regatta. Teams entering the medal races with the lead from the fleet series will begin this stage with a win.
Charlie Buckingham surged to the top of the Laser leaderboard this afternoon. He won race 13, which counts as zero points (bonus point for race wins), was second in race 14, and 17th (discard) in the final race of the day.
Perhaps no sailor had a stronger performance today than Ireland's Annalise Murphy of the Laser Radial event. She won the final two races to take a four point lead over Paige Railey of the United States. Railey won race 13 today and is in second place.
The Lasers and Laser Radials will feature a creative medal round series on Saturday. The top ten will sail three medal races. Each medal race is double points and non-discardable. The final score is the six race series which began Thursday, plus the medal race scores. For more information on this format, read the explanation at the end of this recap.
Caleb Paine (USA) will have a 10 point lead going into Saturday's medal race. The Finn U.S. National Champion was fourth and second today. Canadian Greg Douglas moved into second place by finishing third twice. The World #1 and ISAF Sailing World Cup Melbourne Champion Brendan Casey (AUS) won both races today, but a 29 (DNE – disqualification not excludable) on Thursday set him back going into today. He ended the day in sixth place.
Sarah Newberry and John Casey (USA) have a strong hold on the number one spot in the Nacra 17 event. Newberry and Casey finished first and second today and led by 11 points over Sarah Streater and Matthew Whitehead (USA). They were also first and second today.
In the Men's 470, Matthias Schmid and Floran Reichstaedter (AUS) gained ground with a pair of wins, yet trail by seven points. Stuart McNay and David Hughes of the U.S. scored second and third place results and will be the top team heading into the medal race on Saturday. Xiaoli Wang and Xufeng Huang (CHN) won both Women's 470 races to pull within nine points of leaders Fernanda Oliveira and Ana Luiza Barbachan (BRA). Both 470 fleets raced together on Friday.
Strong winds permeated a sunshine splashed Biscayne Bay. Wind speed surpassed 20 knots and temperatures were in the 60s and low 70s.
For the most updated standings, visit the results section of the event website at mocr.ussailing.org/index.php/results/.
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, video, photos, news updates and race tracking by Kattack.
Schedule of Races for Saturday: (2 February)
Course Alpha
1000 – Nacra 17 Medal Race
1045 – Finn Medal Race
1145 – 49er Medal Stage (up to 6 races)
1245 – 49er FX Medal Stage (up to 6 races)
Course Bravo
1000 – 470 Men's Medal Race
1045 – 470 Women's Medal Race
1130 – Laser Medal Stage (3 races)
1400 – Laser Radial Medal Stage (3 races)
About ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami
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.
Sponsors of ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami 2013 include Sperry Top-Sider, Harken McLube, Kattack, Switlik and the University of Miami Hospital.
Scoring Format Explanation
The Lasers and Laser Radials are testing an experimental format this week. Sailors receive zero points for each race they win. Their first fleet series standings through six races translated into a single carryover race score applied to the new series which started Thursday. The new series included one discard which could be the carryover race. Following the next five races and six total scores, the top ten advance to the medal races on Saturday. The top ten will sail three medal races on Saturday. Each medal race is double points and non-discardable. Final score is the six race series which began today plus the medal race scores.
The Men's and Women's RS:X events completed their first round six race series on Wednesday. The top ten qualified for the quarterfinals after race six. The top four from the quarterfinals advanced directly to the finals. The bottom six from the quarterfinals advanced to the semifinals. Other sailors not in the top ten also have a chance to advance through the quarterfinal repechage into the semifinals. The semifinal on Friday was one race and two sailors will advance to the finals. The finals features six boards and consists of one race and the order in the final race determines the final places. Scoring format graphic here.
Silver and Bronze in the Sonar; USA Gears Up for Medal Races Saturday (from Dana Paxton, US Sailng Team Sperry Top-Sider)
Day five at ISAF Sailing World Cup Miami brought the conclusion of the Men's and Women's RS:X, 2.4 mR and Sonar classes. In the Sonar silver and bronze medals were won by Americans Andy Fisher (Greenwich, Conn.), Mike Hersey (Hyannis, Mass.) and Ryan Levinson, and Rick Doerr (Clifton, N.J.), Brad Kendell (St. Petersburg, Fla.) and Hugh Freund (Boston, Mass.), respectively. Racing in the remaining classes concludes on Saturday with Americans poised in podium position in seven classes: 49er, 49er FX, 470 Men's, 470 Women's, Finn, Laser and Radial. Live tracking, live blog coverage, photos, video and results can be found on the event website.
Highlights from day 5 include:
Sonar – Going into the final day of racing, two races were on the line to determine both podium finishes and selection to US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider. Fisher, Hersey and Levinson were in 5th overall and Doerr, Kendell and Freund were in third. Although it is a relatively small fleet, it is packed with talent including 2012 Paralympic bronze medalists Alexander Wang-Hansen, Marie Solberg and Per Eugen Kristiansen, who won the overall gold medal today. Both American teams will be selected for the national team.
"We took a little bit of time to get our mojo going," said Doerr of their slow start to the regatta. "We were a little rusty, but once we got our thing going the crew work was great."
"It really comes down to our communication, the sail trim together and of course Rick on the stick, all synchronized.
2.4 mR – Racing concluded in the 2.4 mR class and the top two Americans will be selected for US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider: Danny Evans (Miami, Fla.) and Charlie Rosenfield (Woodstock, Conn.).
"I've done pretty well in the standings and had some pretty good days out there," said Evans of the regatta. He went on to explain that the first time he sailed in the 2.4 mR in 2012 he knew it was the boat for him. "I just tried to learn the boat and sailed five events last summer."
49er and 49er FX - Americans Fred Strammer (Nokomis, Fla.) and Zach Brown (San Diego, Calif.) continued at the top of the 16-boat 49er class. They are in first place by two points ahead of Ryan Pesch (Vineyard Haven, Mass.) and Trevor Burd (Marblehead, Mass.).
In the 49er FX, Anna Tunnicliffe (Miami, Fla.) and Molly Vandemoer (Stanford, Calif.) maintained their second overall in the new Olympic skiff class, five points behind fleet leaders Martine Soffiati and Kahena Kunze of Brazil, and two points ahead of Italians Giulia Conti and Francesca Clapcich.
"Today we had wind gusting into the low 20s and it made for some made for some awesome sailing and good wipeouts," said Tunnicliffe. "Despite our numerous capsizes, we ended the day with a 2, 4, 3 and held second overall after the opening series. This qualified us for the US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider as the top team, but the medals will be decided tomorrow in a new format of racing."
The top six teams in the 49er and 49er FX events will advance to Saturday's respective medal races. The medal races will be conducted using a unique format and challenging course, commonly referred to as the "Big Sixy". The theater style course includes two enclosed parallel lanes approximately 400 meters long and 220 meters wide. The target time for race duration is 10 minutes, with the goal of three laps. The first boat to win two races wins the regatta. Teams entering the medal races with the lead from the fleet series will begin this stage with a win.
Laser – In the 78-boat Laser class, Charlie Buckingham (Newport Beach, Calif.) moved back up the score line to first overall. With today's race finishes of 1st and 2nd, with a discard of 17th, Buckingham now finds himself with a two-point lead over Sweden's Jesper Stalheim going into tomorrow's medal round.
The Lasers and Laser Radials are testing an experimental format this week. Sailors receive zero points for each race they win. Their first fleet series standings through six races translated into a single carryover race score applied to the new series which started today. The new series will include one discard which could be the carryover race. Following the next five races and six total scores, the top 10 will advance to the medal races on Saturday. The top 10 will sail three medal races on Saturday. Each medal race is double points and non-discardable. Final score is the six race series which began today plus the medal race scores.