Olympics preview - the Yngling

Two time Olympic medallist and Yngling coach Ian Walker looks at the women's keelboat and the form of the competitors

‘Yngling’ means ‘youngster’ in Norwegian but this boat is anything but a youngster. First designed in 1967 before many of this year’s Olympians had been born, the Yngling is making its Olympic debut in Athens as the new women’s keelboat.

At 6.3m long with 14sqm of sail and a crew of three, the Yngling is a relatively underpowered and awkward boat to sail by modern standards. Total crew weight is limited to 205kg with each team being check weighed daily. With most teams weighing between 200 and 205kg there is no obvious physical advantage to be gained by any team other than the benefits of power, strength and endurance to those that have best prepared physically.

Typically the biggest of the three sailors is the ‘middleman’ and they spend their time upwind hanging upside down over the side in the ‘hobbles’ to generate the most righting moment. Downwind they trim the spinnaker which is heavily loaded in strong winds.

The bowman is the busiest team member with the jib to control upwind and the spinnaker pole to set and gybe downwind. In addition they will drop the spinnaker and in most some cases hoist it too. Sometimes this is left to the helmsman who hikes conventionally in order to steer and control the mainsail upwind and down.



The standard of boathandling has improved dramatically over the last three years with mistakes now rare at the front of the fleet. It is still worth watching in a breeze however as the tiny rudder makes the boats very prone to broaching out - especially after a gybe. Even the best crews could end up ‘standing on the keel’ if it is over 25 knots.

The competitors for this new Olympic class have been drawn in from a variety of other disciplines in the sport. Some, like Paula Lewin (BER), are renowned women’s match racers, while others like 2000 Sydney Gold medallist Shirley Robertson (GBR), Sharon Ferris (NZL) and Dorte Jensen (DEN) have moved up from Europes. Perhaps the majority, including Kristin Wagner (GER), Ruslana Taran (UKR), Ekaterina Skudina (RUS) and Monica Azon (ESP) have stepped up from the 470s. For everyone the learning curve has been steep and remains so. One suspects more coaching resource has been poured in to this class than any other.

Designed by Jan Linge in Norway the Yngling is a strict one-design but the poorly written class rules have had to be constantly updated by ISAF as they have come under increasing scrutiny from Olympic teams striving for the perfect boat. ISAF have even had to make up some totally new rules for the Games themselves to keep the playing field as level as possible. The biggest example of this is the swing test rule which will be used for the first time in Athens to equalise the pitching moments of each boat after measurement.

Despite a lot of sail development, as you would expect in a new Olympic Class, the reality is that with most of the competitors using Abbott boats from Canada, a Proctor mast and either Doyle or North Sails it is pretty much a strict one design. The principle exceptions will be the Dutch team who use the stiffer Johns mast and the Danish who have a Borreson boat. Any speed advantage is usually due to better tuning or technique on the part of the competitors and rarely does one boat dominate a regatta from start to finish. This was demonstrated at the World Championship this year where the winner averaged eighth place per race in only a 37 boat fleet.

The race course will be shared with the Finns on course area Delta which is the furthest north and is least likely to have good sea breezes. Meltemi winds will be coming straight off the shore producing huge shifts and gusts. Starting well will be important as the first shift can be the key to unlocking the beat. The Ynglings race two or three laps of a windward-leeward course with a race target time of 75 minutes.

The racing is generally very close and tactical with any errors being heavily punished This is especially true in light winds when the boats are slow to tack and accelerate, making it difficult to sail conservatively.

Downwind the draggy hull shape and conventional spinnaker mean that the boats run deep and it is hard to get tactical leverage on the fleet. Do not expect the huge place changes downwind that you may see in some of the dinghy classes.

One point to note is that several of the best Yngling skippers and their teams in the World will not be in Athens as the have fallen victim to the one entry per country rule.

These include the 2004 Women’s World and European Champion Trine Palludan (DEN), 2003 Women’s World Champion Hannah Swett (USA), winner of the recent Greek Nationals Sally Barkow (USA), 2003 Open World Champion Betsy Allison (USA), Janneke Hin (NED) who was sixth at this years Women’s Worlds and Ulrike Schueman (GER) who was second in the 2003 Women’s Worlds.

But what of those that will be competing? It is interesting to note that being a new Olympic Class only seven of the 16 teams have anybody on board with any Olympic experience. Many competitors can be visibly nervous and dealing with this may be the biggest test of all.




AUSTRALIA - Nicky Bethwaite, Karyn Gojnich, Kristen Kosmala
Current ISAF Ranking - 24th
Best results - 2nd Open Worlds 2004, 9th Women’s Yngling Worlds 2004
Olympic Experience - Karyn crewed for Nicky Bethwaite (then Green) in the Women’s 470 in 1988 finishing 6th.
Medal Potential - This team have been erratic but have shown that they can win races at World Championships in the past. They are fast in strong winds and seem to be improving as the Games approaches. As one of the most experienced teams in the fleet they will be a threat if they can find the speed in the tricky Athens conditions.

BERMUDA - Paula Lewin, Peta Lewin, Christine Patten
Current ISAF Ranking - 19th
Best results - 4th Yngling Women’s Worlds 2002, 10th ISAF Worlds 2003
Olympic Experience - Paula competed in the Europe Class at the 1992 and 1996 Games finishing 21st and 14th respectively.
Medal Potential - This has been a tough year for Paula’s team after her crewman and sister Peta had her finger crushed and broken during a hectic mark rounding in Princess Sofia Regattta in April. Her recovery has been slow but she will be there to boost the team in Athens. Paula and her team have shown moments of brilliance but are yet to put it all together over the length of a series. Her Match Racing pedigree and Olympic experience can only help in the heat of battle but they will need their best performance ever to win a medal for Bermuda.

CANADA - Lisa Ross, Deirdre Crampton, Chantal Leger
Current ISAF Ranking 17th
Best results - 9th Spa Regatta 2004 , 9th Miami OCR 2004, 25th Women’s Yngling Worlds 2004
Olympic Experience - none.
Medal potential - Lisa and her team have been steadily improving this year and clinched the Canadian Olympic nomination with their best Grade 1 result yet at Spa regatta this year. The testing Athens conditions will undoubtedly upset the form book but it would be a shock if this team were to be on the podium on 22 August. Free from too much expectation they may well benefit from that underdog status.

DENMARK - Dorte Jensen, Christina Borregaard Otzen, Helle Jespersen
Current ISAF Ranking 1st
Best results - 2nd 2004 Women’s Yngling Worlds, 3rd 2003 ISAF Worlds.
Olympic Experience - Dorte was fifth in the Europe in 1992.
Medal Potential - Possibly the team to beat. After being very good in stronger winds last year their change to Doyle Sails this year seems to have given them better all round speed. They have the experience to pull top results out of the bag at the big events but will have been disappointed with some poor results at more minor regattas. Should be contending the medals at the end of the week.

FRANCE - Anne Le Helley, Marion Deplanque, Elodie Lesaffre
Current ISAF Ranking 10th
Best Results - 2004 Spa Regatta 7th, Hyeres 7th 2004, Women’s Yngling Worlds 13th 2004
Olympic Experience - none
Medal Potential - This team have won races at the highest level but again have struggled to put together a medal winning series. They can be erratic and have a tendency to end up in the protest room - not often on the winning side. They can perform well in a range of conditions and again should be free from too much expectation. A medal would be a surprise.

GERMANY - Kristin Wagner, Anna Hoell, Veronnika Lochbrunner
Current ISAF Ranking - 2nd
Best Results - 4th 2003 ISAF Worlds and 5th 2004 Women’s Yngling Worlds, 1st Spa 2004, 2nd Hyeres Week 2004.
Olympic Experience - none
Medal potential - This team overcame stiff German competition to qualify for Athens and were calm under pressure. Training with Shirley Robertson’s team has improved their sailing in a breeze and they now have one of the best all round performance profiles. They are used to doing well in big events and their consistency could lead them to the podium. Watch this team.



GREAT BRITAIN - Shirley Robertson, Sarah Webb, Sarah Ayton
Current ISAF Ranking - 6th
Best Results - 7th 2003 ISAF Worlds, 1st Hyeres Week 2004, 1st Pre-Olympic test event 2003, 3rd Spa 2003 and 2004.
Olympic Experience - Gold medal for Shirley Robertson in Europe in Sydney plus 4th in 1996 and 9th in 1992.
Medal Potential - Well known for their hard work and dedication this team have tried very hard to overcome an apparent weakness in light winds. Training with the Germans has undoubtedly helped here. How much of their superiority in a breeze have they had to give away? They have rarely been out of medal contention at most events but slipped horribly to 16th at this year’s Worlds in Santander. They have a good track record in Athens having won the Pre-Olympics last year and have sailed there as much as any team except the Ukrainians and Greeks. The team’s excellent boathandling and Shirley’s experience of the big event could be crucial. Another team to watch closely.

GREECE - Katerina Giakoumidou, Eftichia Mantzaraki, Elena Dmitrakipoulou
Current ISAF Ranking - 16th
Best Results - 2nd Athens Eurolymp 2004, 23rd Women’s Yngling Worlds 2004 .
Olympic Experience - none
Medal Potential - This team have failed to show any real form on the International circuit this year. They have spent more time training in Athens than anybody else. The difficult local conditions will be their best hope of upsetting the form book. Being the local team will either help them raise their game or it could bring pressure that will be hard to bear if things do not start well.

ITALY - Giulia Conti, Alessandra Marenzi, Angela Baroni
Current ISAF Ranking - 3rd
Best Results - 2nd Spa Regatta 2004, 11th Women’s Yngling Worlds 2004, 9th ISAF Worlds 2003.
Olympic Experience - none
Medal Potential - At 18 years of age Giulia is undoubtedly a star of the future. The question is whether or not this Olympics has come too soon for her and her team. Their third place in the World Ranking and medal winning performance at Spa suggest maybe not. This team are fast in light winds and if it is sea breezes all week this could be a surprise team to watch.



NETHERLANDS - Annelies Thies, Annemika Bes, Petronella de Jong
Current ISAF Ranking - 13th
Best Results - 7th Yngling Women’s Worlds 2004, 1st Princess Sofia 2004, 6th Spa 2004.
Olympic Experience - none
Medal Potential - Do not believe their World Ranking or lack of medal winning results. This team are strong, especially in very light winds. They are the only ones using the stiffer Johns mast and have moments of great speed. Their preparations have been hampered by Annelies dislocating her shoulder whilst training in a swimming pool six weeks ago. She is back sailing again now. Their biggest weakness has been starting and performing under pressure, but they did come through a very difficult selection trials. If it is very light winds this team could streak away from the opposition.



NEW ZEALAND - Sharon Ferris, Joanna White, Kylie Jameson
Current ISAF Ranking 11th
Best results - 1st Miami OCR 2004, 10th Yngling Women’s Worlds 2004, 5th Princess Sofia 2004.
Olympic Experience - Sharon was fifth in the Europe in 1996
Medal Potential - Another team who’s potential is not reflected by their World Ranking. Amongst the best in stronger winds and always solid downwind Sharon and her crew will be fighting for the medals. The protracted New Zealand selection process will have done their preparations no good but Sharon’s experience in Olympic and other sailing will put her and her team in good stead. Maybe especially strong if it blows Meltemi winds all week.

NORWAY - Karianne Eikeland, Beate Kristiansen, Lisa Brigitte.
Current ISAF Ranking - 20th
Best results - 4th Spa Regatta 2004, 17th Yngling Women’s Worlds 2004, 3rd Miami OCR 2004.
Olympic Experience - none
Medal Potential - This team are new to the boat and are learning fast. Their performance at a light air Spa regatta showed their potential but a medal winning performance would come as a shock. They have sailed some good races but are they fast enough to sail 10 of them in one series?

RUSSIA - Ekaterina Skudina, Diana Krutskikh, Vladislava Ukraintserva.
Current ISAF Ranking - 9th
Best results - 8th Yngling Women’s Worlds 2004, 6th ISAF Worlds 2003.
Olympic Experience - Vladislava crewed the 470 in Sydney 2000 finishing 15th
Medal Potential - This team can be very deceptive. Their results have been nothing special at many International events but they have delivered good performances at both of the last Worlds. They used to be very quick in the light but they now have a more all round performance. They saw off a strong challenge for selection by Anna Basalkina and her crew and are mentally tough. Few would pick them but they have a chance of a medal if things go their way.

SPAIN - Monica Azon, Graciela Pisonero, Marina Sanchez.
Current ISAF Ranking - 12th
Best results - 1st Yngling Worlds 2002, 11th Women’s Yngling Worlds 2004.
Olympic Experience - none
Medal Potential - After winning the Worlds in 2002 it has taken Monica a long time to get over breaking up with her crew in 2003. Her new team are now bedding in much better and they have a fair turn of speed in light winds. Their lack of good recent results will not bother them too much as Monica is a seasoned campaigner. They potentially have the speed and experience to win but their boat handling can be poor and Monica is prone to both having ‘incidents’ on the water and to losing her cool. Will this team keep it together under pressure? If it is light winds don’t bet against them.

UKRAINE - Ruslana Taran, Svitlana Matevusheva, Galla Kalinina.
Current ISAF Ranking - 15th
Best results - 4th Hyeres Week 2004, 3rd Open Europeans 2004, 21st Women’s Yngling Worlds 2004.
Olympic Experience - Ruslana won a bronze medal in the 470 class at both the 1996 and 2000 Olympics.
Medal potential - Ruslana knows what it takes to win Olympic medals. She has also based herself in Athens and trained here for more than a year. This team has struggled for good results but they are better in light winds than strong. Will their local knowledge and Ruslana’s experience be enough to overturn the form book and get them into the medal zone?

UNITED STATES - Carol Cronin, Liz Filter, Nancy Haberland
Current ISAF Ranking - 5th
Best results - 3rd Yngling Women’s Worlds 2004, 4th Miami OCR, 14th ISAF Worlds 2003.
Olympic Experience - none
Medal Potential - This team defied all the odds to win the USA Trials with a race to spare. For this and their performance at this year’s Worlds they deserve a lot of respect. They seem to know how to peak when they need to and to win a medal they will need another of those performances. They are strong in light winds which may help their cause. They are an experienced team which should help them deal with the pressure of having to prove that they were the best team from the five strong USA triallists. Only a medal will do that but their inconsistent form does not make them one of the favourites.

As you can see the form book is muddled and not just because of my desire to sit on the fence! If ever there was a class in Athens where anybody could win a medal then this has to be it. I expect it will be high scoring, especially if the conditions vary. Much could depend on who has made the most progress in the last month, but ultimately it will hinge on which of the top twelve boats sail to their potential in the difficult Athens conditions.