International Sailing

In light winds of around 10 knots, the final regattas of the Junior European Championship continued yesterday with 2 races. Hermionie Ghicas GRE extended her lead in the women's race to 6 points with another race win. The Greek already won the U17 title a year ago. Sienna Wright IRL is still in 2nd place, while Alina Shapovalova UKR was able to hold on to 3rd place with a narrow one-point lead over Gaya Datiashvili ISR. Mirja Dohle GER is now 6th, Camille Vallotton SUI is 48th and thus 5th in the U17 classification, Yara Roth SUI follows directly behind in 49th place. In the men's competition, Alexander Hartsink NED took the lead in the U19 classification with a race win he was already in the lead in the U17 classification. Tim Lubat ESP is now 2nd, 3 points behind, while Alessandro Cirinei ITA has moved up to 3rd place. Ulysse Raison SUI improved to 24th place. All rankings and the daily-report.

Conditions have been good so far at the 29er Eurocup in the south of France. The qualifications for Gold and Silverfleet were completed yesterday with 4 races. With 6 race wins in 7 races, Nolann Huet/Titouan Gresset FRA clearly lead the classification. Giulia Bortolozzi/Pietro Rizzi ITA and Emilia Salvatore/Pietro Zandri ITA follow in 2nd place, tied on points, Lucas and Moritz Hamm GER are in 6th place, Jakob Bründler/Thierry Stucki SUI in 11th place, just ahead of Ikke Huber/Liam Berger SUI in 14th. There are 110 teams at the start. The ranking list and the reports.

Best thermal conditions allowed 3 more races on Lake Garda yesterday. With 5 wins in 6 races, Jesper Karlsen ITA has a clear lead on his home waters. Thanks to 3 race wins in his group, Leandro Scialpi ITA moved up to 2nd place. Dimitri Wälchli SUI dropped back to 216th place, Andrin Weidel SUI follows in 250th place. Lucas Christiansen PUR has taken the lead among the younger Cadetti, James Bentley BER and Viola Covi ITA are the first pursuers. Gian Kaufmann SUI is now 35th. All rankings and the Facebook page with report, video and pictures.

With a northerly wind in the morning and a moderate Ora in the afternoon, the ILCA Junior Easter Meeting on Lake Garda continued yesterday with 3 races. With another race win, Nikko Palou ESP held on to the top spot in ILCA 4, with Konstantinos Portosalte GRE one point behind. With 5th and 6th place on the day, Leo Gossling SUI moved up to 11th place. Leanne Turrin SUI dropped back to 29th place. Oscar Thule DEN extended his lead in the ILCA 6 with two race wins. Sofia Naumenko UKR follows in 2nd place, 3 points behind. Rebecca Cook SUI is in 43rd place. All rankings and the Facebook page with report, videos and photos.

The final regattas began in Vilamoura yesterday for the first time in lighter winds. ----- Hermionie Ghicas GRE remained on top in the girls' gold fleet with a 5-point lead over Sienna Wright IRL. Alina Shapovalova UKR was again the day's best with the ranks 2/5, and is in 3rd, 8 points behind. Yara Roth SUI improved to 47th place. Camille Vallotton SUI in 49th place, is at the same time 5th in the U17 classification. ----- In the men's rankings, Tim Lubat ESP further extended his lead. Sergio Garcia ESP in 2nd place is now 8 points behind. Alexander Hartsink NED, who also leads the U17 classification, has moved up to 3rd place. Ulysse Raison SUI improved to 35th place. ----- The rankings and the report.

Stormy winds prevented the first races of the Easter Regatta in Portoroz yesterday. Two months before the World Championships at the same venue, the fleet is top-class with 600 participants. The entry list (scroll down). The large Swiss delegation will hold its second World Championship selection regatta. ----- The Facebook page with a short report and pictures.

Unstable weather made for changing wind conditions, but the Juniores could nevertheless complete two races in all groups. The younger Cadetti were able to finish one race. ----- With two race wins each in their group, Isak Kaplan SWE and Jesper Carlsen ITA lead the standings. The best Swiss is Dimitri Wälchli SUI in 156th place out of the 700 participants. ----- James Bentley BER won the only race of the Cadetti (U12). Gian Kaufmann SUI in 23rd place was the best Swiss among the 67 participants. ----- All rankings and the Facebook page with report, pictures and video.

There were no further races yesterday at the ILCA Easter Meeting on Lake Garda. ----- After the two races of the starting day, Nikko Palou ESP and Konstantinos Portosalte GRE lead the ILCA 4 classification on equal points. Leanne Turrin SUI in 10th place is the best girl. ----- Sofia Naumenko UKR, Sören Hemme NOR, and Oskar Thule DEN are tied for the lead in the ILCA 6. Rebecca Cook SUI is 34th ----- The rankings and the Facebook page.

Moderate winds prevailed yesterday at the ILCA 6 Junior European Championships for the end of the qualifications. From today, sailing will take place in Gold, Silver, and, for the men, Bronze and Emerald Fleets. ----- In the women's race, defending champion Alina Shapovalova UKR moved to third place with two race wins in her group. Still in the lead is Hermionie Ghicas GRE, superior with a 2nd place as a discard! Sienna Wright IRL is 4 points behind in 2nd place, followed by Mirja Dohle GER in 4th place, just one point behind the podium. Camille Vallotton SUI (41st place, making her 4th in the U17 classification) and Yara Roth SUI (47th place) are also in the gold fleet. ----- Tim Lubat ESP and Sergio Garcia ESP are now tied at the top of the men's rankings, followed one point behind by Georgios Mantis GRE. Ullyse Raison SUI (45th place) was the only Swiss to qualify for the gold fleet. ----- All rankings and the daily report.

As is tradition, the Opti-Meeting on Lake Garda began yesterday with the Nations Trophy: one participant from each country is at the start: after 3 races, Andrea Demurtas ITA secured Italy the home victory ahead of Diego Delgado PUR and Nathan Montebello MLT. Dimitri Wälchli SUI followed in 16th place out of the 33 competing nations - the ranking. Today is the start for everyone. There are 825 participants at the start - the event website.

Large fleets tackled the ILCA Junior Easter Regatta in Malcesine yesterday. After 3 races, Oscar Thule DEN leads the ILCA 6 fleet with a 2-point lead over Sofia Naumenko UKR. Rebecca Cook SUI follows in 42nd place of the 107 participants. In ILCA 4, Nikko Palou ESP and Konstantinos Portosalte GRE share the lead with two race wins in their group each. The best girl is Leanne Turrin SUI in 10th place, Leo Gossling SUI is 12th of the 220 participants. All rankings and the Facebook page with a video and a short report from the Swiss team.

The rainy weather in Vilamoura yesterday caused inconsistent winds. Nevertheless, all fleets were able to finish one race each. ----- Hermionie Ghicas GRE has taken the lead in the women's U19 classification, Sienna Wright IRL is 3 points behind in 2nd place, while Mirija Dohle GER moved up to 3rd place, thanks to winning her group on the day. In the other group, title defender Alina Shapovalova UKR won and moved to 6th place. Thanks to a 26th place finish, Camille Vallotton SUI improved to 52nd, with Yara Roth SUI and Ava Wilson SUI following in 58th and 60th of the 102 participants. ----- In the men's race, the leaders moved closer together: Tim Lubat ESP continues to lead, but is now just one point ahead of Sergio Garcias ESP and Georgios Mantis GRE. Ulysse Raison SUI is now 56th, Lars Dittel SUI follows in 84th place of the 254 participants. ----- All rankings and the report.

Good conditions yesterday at the start of the ILCA 6 Junior European Championship in the south of Portugal. Both fleets sailed two heats each in winds of 12-15 knots at first, then freshening up to 20 knots for the second race. In the women's category - 102 participants, 2 groups - Hermionie Ghicas GRE won both races in her group; the Greek won the U17 title last year. 3 points behind her, Ainhoa Gomez ESP, Sierra Wright IRL and Gaya Datshiavili ISR share 2nd place on equal points. The title defender Alina Shapovalova UKR, who lives in Switzerland, follows in 10th place with 11th/4th places. The best Swiss is Yara Roth SUI in 44th place, followed by Ava Wilson SUI in 51st. In the men's race - the huge fleet sails in 4 groups - Tim Lubat ESP won both heats of his group, followed one point behind by Cédric d'Hondt BEL. Ulysse Raison SUI as the best Swiss is in 51st place of the 258 participants. The rankings and the report and the photos.

Yesterday, the first Grade 1 Dragon Grand Prix ended in Cascais with another 3 races. There was an upset at the top: Pedro Andrade POR and his team took victory with a one-point lead over the equal-scoring duo of Jan Eckert SUI and Sam Gilmour SWE in an extremely close decision. Christoph Toepfer GER follows in 4th place. François Bopp SUI improved to 12th place, Dirk Oldenburg SUI followed in 16th place among the 34 teams. ----- The rankings and the Facebook page with video and pictures.

Yesterday, another race was sailed on Lake Geneva in light winds. ----- Eric Monnin SNG and his team won again, relegating Bruno Engel SNG to second place, one point behind, while Michel Vaucher CVG remained on rank three out of the 15 teams. ----- The ranking list.

Light winds also characterised the final day of the Finn European Championships in Naples. Valérian Lebrun FRA was able to narrowly defend his lead, Federico Colaninno ITA put the pressure on again with 1st and 2nd place and closed the gap to 5 points. Bronze went to Deniss Karpak EST. Christoph Burger SUI was a good 11th, Valentin Bovay SUI remained in 22nd place. 111 participants from 20 nations took part. The ranking list and the Facebook page of the Swiss Finns with numerous videos.

The Dragon GP of Cascais continued yesterday with 2 races in moderate winds. Sam Gilmour SWE and his team held on to the lead, with Werner Fritz GER and his team moving up to 2nd place as the day's best (2/4). The winners of the day also included Jan Eckert SUI/Torvar Mirsky AUS/Federico Melo POR, who moved up to 5th with 4th and 3rd of the day. François Bopp SUI (with Ed Wright GBR) improved to 13th place. The rankings and the Facebook page with the video of the day and pictures.

There were light winds yesterday for races 7 & 8, Valérian Lebrun FRA has now extended his lead to 16 points ahead of today's final day. Federico Colannino ITA has moved up to 2nd place thanks to two race wins, followed one point behind by Deniss Karpak EST in 3rd place. Christoph Burger SUI has improved to 8th place, Simon Bovay SUI is now 22nd. Laurent Chappuis SUI is the third Swiss in the top half of the rankings in 56th place. The rankings and the event website.

There were light winds yesterday in Cascais at the start of the 1st Grand Prix of the year. The fleet was able to finish two races. The first leader is Sam Gilmour SWE and his team, Joao Leitmann POR and Klaus Diederichs GBR are the first chasers. The best of the three Swiss teams is Jan Eckert SUI (with Torvar Mirsky AUS) in 11th place. 34 teams are at the start. The rankings and the Facebook page with video and pictures.

Yesterday, Peter Burling NZL, helmsman of America's Cup holder Team New Zealand, announced his retirement earlier this week. The report.

Moderate seabreeze between 10 and 15 knots made two races possible again yesterday on the Bay of Naples. ----- Valerien Lebrun FRA was again at the top yesterday, with 1st and 3rd place on the day. He is now 3 points ahead of Arkadij Kistanov ITA. Deniss Karpak EST follows in 3rd place. Thanks to a 3rd rank in the second race, Christoph Burger SUI moved up to 11th place, and Simon Bovay SUI also improved to 21st place with a 7th place in the race. ----- The ranking list and the report.

The Rio Sail GP scheduled for the first weekend in May was cancelled yesterday by the GP organisers. After the mast breakage of Team AUS in San Francisco, structural problems of all masts were detected, which are now to be reinforced. Apparently the repairs cannot be completed in time. The report.

Two more races of the Finn European Championship were completed in Naples yesterday in sunshine and 12-15 knots of seabreeze. ----- Valeryan Lebrun FRA extended his lead in the overall standings to 9 points with two more top results (3/5). Deniss Karpak EST moved up to 2nd place, and Arkadii Kistanov ITA followed in 3rd place. Christoph Burger SUI lost a few places and is now 13th, Simon Bovay SUI improved to 22nd place thanks to a 12th place finish. ----- The ranking list and the report.

After the European Cup in Lugano, 4 of the 11 EC-series have now been sailed. ----- The Swiss dominate the intermediate classification in the ILCA 4: Leo Gossling SUI leads, followed by 7 other Swiss in the top ten. ----- Leanne Turrin SUI leads the girls' ranking ahead of Adele Ramm SWE and Svenja Müller SUI. ----- Christoph Wurm GER leads the men's ILCA 6, Lars Dittel SUI follows in 9th place. ----- The ILCA 6 girls' classification is led by Louise Debeaumont MON, Laura Noll GER is 2nd, and Viktoria Jedlinska SUI follows in 9th place. ----- Valery Kudriashov UKR leads the ILCA 7, Ennio Turrin follows in 5th place. ----- The rankings. The European Cup continues on 1 May in Maubuisson FRA (near Bordeaux).

Inconsistent offshore winds of between 8 and 15 knots made for two challenging races at the start of the Finn European Championship on the Bay of Naples. ----- Valérien Lebrun FRA took the lead with 2nd and 3rd place. Arkadii Kistanov ITA and Deniss Karpak EST follow in 2nd and 3rd position. Christoph Burger SUI also made a good start in 9th place. Simon Bovay SUI follows in 26th place of the 108 participants. ----- The ranking list and the report.

It was blowing up to 25 knots yesterday for the practice race, and only a few of the 126 participants from 21 nations used the practice race as their last training session. Things get serious today, with the first start at noon. The forecast is much more moderate at around 15 knots. ----- The daily report.

The 1 metre class, the most popular in radio-controlled sailing, is currently sailing its European Championships in Croatia. The record-breaking fleet - more than 100 participants (21 nations) did register - has completed the qualifications after 5 races. ----- Alexis Carré FRA, Robert Walsh GBR, and Robert Matulija CRO are tied at the top. Torsten Fildebrand GER is 17th, Matteo Longhi SUI follows in 23rd place. ----- The ranking list and the report.

The Finn European Championship begins today in Naples with the practice race. At the start 126 participants from 21 nations including 5 Swiss. According to wind forecasts, there should be good wind conditions today and tomorrow, after which light winds are likely to dominate. The presentation and the event website.

After two days of decent wind, yesterday's final day was characterized by calm conditions, with only the ILCA 6 just finishing one race. ----- Again, the superior Carlos Alberto ESP won (6 races/6 victories !), Miriam Carles ESP, and Nicolo Elena ITA completed the podium. Thanks to a 6th place, Jean-Luc Dreyer SUI has moved up to 36th. Lorenz Müller SUI follows in 39th place - the ranking ILCA 6. ----- There were no more races in the ILCA 7, Lorenzo Cerretelli ITA won ahead of José-Luis Doreste ESP. On 3rd follow Carlos Echevarri ESP and Roger Schulz GER, on points. Markus Ochs SUI was the best Swiss in 23rd place out of the 48 participants - the ranking ILCA 7. ----- The report and the Facebook page with videos and pictures.

The first World Cup of the Olympic classes came to an end yesterday in Palma with the Medal Races held in good conditions. ----- There was only one change at the top in the Nacra 17: thanks to victory in the Medal Race, John Gimson/Anna Burnet GBR moved to the top, with Gianluigi Ugolini/Maria Giubilei ITA 2nd, 2 points behind. England also won the ILCA 7 (Michael Beckett GBR), the 470 (Martin Wrigley/Bettine Harris GBR), the women's Kite Foil (Emma Wilson GBR, who also won the Trofeo Princesa Sofia overall all classes), and the 49erFX (Freya Black/Saskia Tidey GBR). ----- There were two wins for Australia: Zoe Thompson AUS won the ILCA 6 and Grae Morris AUS took victory in the iQ-Foil. ----- The other victories went to Max Maeder SGP (Kite Foil Men), Erwan Fischer/Clément Péquin FRA in the 49er, and Wan Li CHN (Kite Foil Women). ----- The Swiss had to be satisfied with mediocre results, as best the kite-foilers Gian Andrea Stragiotti SUI came 11th, Karl Mäder SUI followed in 19th place. There were also good results in the large ILCA 6 fleet. While Olympic fourth-placed Maud Jayet SUI was starting her regatta activities and had to settle for 40th place, Anja Von Allmen SUI was able to book 28th place after her winter of training, and Rosine Baudet SUI came 39th in the field of 113 participants. In the ILCA 7, Gauthier Verhulst SUI finished 17th in the Silverfleet (=76th overall). The 49er junior teams finished the series in 46th place (Joshua Richner/Corne Janssen SUI) and 53rd place (Pablo Rüegge/Finn Meichle GER). Elia Colombo SUI failed to get going in the iQ Foil Windsurfers and finished 41st. ----- All rankings and the final report.