Challenging first day

Morrison and Rhodes are back and take the lead in the 49ers at Semaine Olympique Francaise in Hyeres

The 41st Semaine Olympique Française, the fourth event in the ISAF Sailing World Cup, started with a long day on the water. The light and unstable conditions provided for tricky racing for the 505 teams competing in the event. Racing was delayed onshore waiting for the sea breeze to wrinkle the bay in Hyères. Light and shifty from the south east, the wind gradually shifted to the west and built.

2007 ISAF 49er World champions, Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes (GBR) mastered the light and shifty winds, winning both races to lead at their first Sailing World Cup event, their first event since the Games in Qingdao. After a sixth place at the Princesa Sofia Mapfre trophy in Palma, the German duo of Lennart Briesenick and Morten Massmann collected top three results to place second overall in front of Morgan Lagravière and Yann Rocherieux (FRA).

Race winners in the other 49er group were taken by the Italian Princesa Sofia Mapfre Trophy winners, Pietro and Gianfranco Sibello, and young British team of Dylan Fletcher and Alain Sign.

ISAF Sailing World Cup leaders in the 470 Women, Henriette Koch and Lene Sommer (DEN) collected near perfect results with a first and a second. “We have found it very difficult today, with the wind changing all the time in direction and speed. We were happy to be able to keep our focus on the shifts even if it was well passed our dinner time!” explain the Danes. “Of course these are only two races and many things can happen this week.” The second race was taken by British duo Sophie Weguelin and Sophie Ainsworth, who are now fourth overall behind Palma winners the Austrians Sylvia Vogl / Carolina Flatscher, and Gil Cohen / Dana Mamriev (ISR).

A second and a first for the newly formed team of Matias Buhler and Felix Steiger (SUI) place the Swiss in the lead in the 470 Men’s fleet. Harada Ryunosuke and Yoshida Yugo from Japan are in second position overall in front of Gabrio Zandona associated for the first time to 21 years old, Eduardo Mancinelli (ITA) who already proved successful in the 420 by winning the European title in 2007. The Semaine Olympique Française marks the start of the London campaign for the top three teams.ISAF Sailing World Cup leaders, Stuart McNay and Graham Biehl (USA) won the first place and are standing in fourth place overall.

After their first regatta together in Miami, the new British Star team of John Gimson and Ed Greig are leading the six boat fleet. Despite opposite backgrounds, Gimson comes from the Tornado and Greig from the Finn, they prove to be well adapted to their new steed, winning the first race and placing third in the next.

The day proved long and tedious for the RS:X and Lasers who experienced long delays, cancellations and postponements. Maayam Davidovich (ISR) in the RS:X women and Veronika Fenclova (CZE) in the Laser Radial took the bullet in the only race sailed in their class. Liwei Wu (CHN) and Piotr Myszka (POL) won their group in the RS:X Men.

The Croatian team made a promising debut in Hyères with Luka Radelic, Tonci Stipanovic and Aron Lolic taking 2nd, 3rd and 4th respectively in the Laser Class. Julio Alsogaray from Argentina finished first and third to take the lead.

In the Finns, World number 1, Gasper Vincec (SLO) is on equal points with Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic from Croatia. They both won a race and scored a second place.

Thierry Schmitter continues his good form. After winning convincingly the Princesa Sofia Trophy in Palma, the Dutch sailor took the only race sailed in the 2.4m.

The day ended late, but the sailors were cheered up once onshore with a seafood pasta party.

Unfortunately, this is not the end of these difficult racing conditions, as the same is forecast for Monday.

Robert Deaves reports on the Finns:

World number one Gasper Vincec (SLO) underlined his ranking position today with two great races at the Semaine Olympique Française in Hyeres, placing second in the first race and then going one better to win the second race in light and unstable winds as the fourth event in the ISAF Sailing World Cup got underway.

However, the Slovenian is on equal points with Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic (CRO) who won the first race and followed that up with a second place. Third place after two race belongs to Ed Wrght (GBR) the current overall leader of the ISAF Sailing World Cup for Finns after a win at the Rolex Miami OCR and a second place at the Trofeo S.A.R. Princesa Sofía MAPFRE.

With a delayed start to racing to wait for the sea breeze to settle, the light and shifty wind gradually moved round from the south-east to the west and produced an interesting results sheet at the end of the day. The light conditions brought a number of unfamiliar faces to the front. Michael Maier (CZE) a veteran of four Olympic, produced a relatively consistent 7th and 3rd to lie in fourth overall, while 2007 European Champion Eduard Skornyakov (RUS) placed 4th and 8th to sit in fifth position.

The top ten after two races is rounded out by Alexandros Dragoutsis (GRE), Marin Misura (CRO), Thomas Le Breton (FRA), Pieter Jan Postma (NED) and Rafal Szukiel (POL). Meanwhile, the winner in Palma last week Giles Scott (GBR) placed 6th in the first race but then had the misfortune of two yellow flags in race two and had to retire.

With the forecast for more of the same conditions on Monday, sailors are hoping for more breeze later in the week to stretch their legs.

More photos on the following pages...

Results: RS:X Men, RS:X Women, Laser, Laser Radial, Finn, 49er, 470M, 470W, Star, 2.4m