Georgie Corlett-Pitt gives us an Olympic sailing round-up, talking us through the highs and lows of a battling performance by Team GB’s Olympic sailors.

Team GB’s Performance: Olympic Sailing Round-up

From bitter-sweet beginnings to a glorious golden finale, Team GB’s performance at the Sailing events of the Paris 2024 Olympics made for a rollercoaster of emotion. With the regatta defined by Marseille’s fickle conditions, 12 days of unpredictable, predominantly light winds fuelled by intensely hot weather made for extreme challenges for sailors and organisers alike. 

Dramatic scenes unfolded from the first medal – a bronze for female windsurfer, Emma Wilson, competing in the debut iQFOil class, adding to her (RS:X) windsurfing bronze from Tokyo.

Yet, the heartbreak was plain for all to see. It so nearly could have – and should have – been gold… 

After going into the finals with a 31-point lead, winning 8 of 14 races in the opening series, Wilson earned a bye to the finals and with it, the guarantee of a medal. The question of which colour came down to an agonising winner-takes-all final race, in which Wilson dominated the first lap, only for her Italian rival, Marta Maggetti – 2022 world champion and fourth at Tokyo, who’d failed to win a single race in the opening series – to take a gamble on the second upwind, that turned fortune on its head. Tacking off early, the Italian sailed the shorter distance and emerged in first, with reigning world champion Sharon Kantor of Israel now in silver. Wilson tried to claw back from back from third, but the race simply wasn’t long enough. Both her rivals had competed in the semi-finals on that course already that day, giving them vital insights into the wind patterns, with Maggetti later admitting that had made her “quite confident” in her bold tactics. 

Italy celebrated. Meanwhile, Wilson sank to her board, head in hands, overcome by the emotion of gold wrenched from her grasped – an excruciating scene as her coach sought to console her. Already, questions were forming about the brutality of a high-jeoprady format intended to lure in TV audiences but potentially at immense cost to individual athletes.   

Speaking at the post-race press conference, Wilson slammed the format, suggesting she was “done with the sport” while questioning the impact on competitors’ mental health. 

While Wilson’s disappointment was hard to push aside, it was nonetheless her second Olympic medal – an achievement to be celebrated. 

It was also a welcome first sailing medal for Team GB. 

They had gone into the event defending their position as top sailing nation, which they had held for five of the six previous Games. Their target for Paris had been to win between three and five medals of any colour, as set out by Mark Robinson, RYA Performance Director.   

Olympic Sailing Round-up: Fickle conditions

However, achieving that target had already been proving difficult. This was turning out to be a regatta where consistency was all-but-impossible to find, thanks not only to the calibre of Olympic competition in a cycle that has brought many new faces to the fore, but the fickle breezes off Marseille which shifted and shut down without warning. Race management appeared to be trying their best, but as fans we lost count of the number of postponements, abandonments and restarts. Sailors faced long waits on the water, the sizzling heat hitting the high 30s – the mental strain impossible to fathom. 

For every challenge, the British team tried hard to treat each as an opportunity, taking every race as it came. But as time wore on and schedules became ever more uncertain, playing the long game became a dangerous strategy. The pressure mounted. 

49ers

In the opening races of the 49er series, British helm James Peters had spoken optimistically of “building momentum” – with hindsight, an uphill ambition. A few days later, going into the medal race in seventh tied with the Fantela brothers from Croatia, mathematically they were still in with a chance of a medal and indeed were looking good until the race was abandoned and postponed to the next day, and then again to the next… 

Nerves thoroughly tested, the fleet was finally underway. A poor start for the Brits however left them seventh overall, tied on points with the Dutch. Spain’s Diego Botin and Florian Trittel celebrated gold, describing it as a “dream come true”, even if they hadn’t won a race all week, giving the Kiwis silver (in the wake of Peter Burling and Blair Tuke’s haul of two silver and a gold at the last three Games) and USA the bronze, while a medal race OCS dashed Irish hopes, Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove settling for fourth.  

49erFX

Olympic Sailing Round-up: In the 49erFX, meanwhile, the British women’s pairing of Freya Black and double Olympian Saskia Tidey grappled with the emotion of missing the medal race, struggling to find their form in a high scoring week in which an OCS in race one hadn’t helped. Yet a tearful Black said she “couldn’t have been prouder” of the way they’d handled the event, as they resigned themselves to 16^th overall. 

The 49erFX medal race finish was wrought with tension as the Netherland’s Odile Van Aanholt and Annette Duetz thought they had crossed the line only to realise they hadn’t and had to quickly regroup to ensure the gold, ahead of a silver for Sweden and bronze for France’s ‘Team Mama’, Sarah Steyaert and Charline Picon (already a double Olympic windsurfing medallist) – the home team favourites not only received a medal but a marriage proposal each on return to shore! 

Men’s iQFOil

Also with an agonising wait for the medal races to get underway were the iQFOil windsurfing classes. While Emma Wilson found herself embroiled in that tension-filled women’s finale, in the men’s class, her teammate Sam Sills had his own outside chance of a medal after qualifying for the quarter finals and putting in a solid performance to earn a ticket to the semis. But a tough last leg saw him losing ground, finishing in fifth, nonetheless a pleasing performance for this affably determined sailor. 

Gold went to Israel’s Tom Reuveny, with Australia and the Netherlands sealing silver and bronze. 

470 Class

In the 470 class – ‘mixed’ for the first time at this Games – Vita Heathcote and Chris Grube were dealt the cruellest hand, finishing 11^th, one point off medal race qualification. It was a tough end to a tough week for 22-year-old Vita and 39-year-old double Olympian Chris, who had endured everything from the high of a second place in the first race through to the low of not realising they’d been disqualified from another race in which they’d also finished second. Austria, Japan and Sweden took the medals. 

Olympic Sailing Round-up: ILCA6

ILCA6 sailor Hannah Snellgrove sailed a series in which moments of brilliance – back to back race wins – were tarnished by times where she struggled to break through, not least in the final race of the opening series, where an painful 32^nd dropped her out of the medal race. 

It was that medal race that saw Marit Bouwmeester (NED) beat reigning Olympic gold medallist Anne-Marie Rindom (DEN) to the gold, adding to her existing gold, silver and bronze medals and so overtaking Hannah Mills to become the most decorated female Olympic sailor of all time. 

Olympic Sailing Round-up: ILCA7

In the ILCA7s, there was high expectation on Michael (Micky) Beckett, who did his best to maintain consistency in a tough 43 boat fleet, relishing the one day the wind and waves picked up in conditions he described as “biblical”. 

Going into the medal race, Becket sat 15 points off silver and five off bronze. Rival Matt Wearn – who at Tokyo became the third Aussie in a row to win gold in the class – was assured the gold if he finished ahead of 2012 silver medallist, Cyprus’ Pavlos Kontides, and debates raged over tactics might be, deployed. 

For Beckett, fate was briefly on his side as he gave it everything to get himself into a medal position, but a sudden shut down of the wind saw the race abandoned. Racing restarted, a penalty for illegal body movements set him back, while a further two turns on the downwind cemented his position of finishing sixth overall. Bronze instead went to Stefano Peschiera in a medal-first for Peru (a success story for World Sailing’s Emerging Nations programme) and silver to Kontides at his fifth Olympic Games. 

Describing the outcome as “crushing”, it was a devastating result for Beckett, a sailor who has well proved his potential in the run up to this event and yet was denied the opportunity to see that through. No doubt the Olympic experience will have fortified his skillset and make him truly a forced to be reckoned with in future. 

Nacra 17

Olympic Sailing Round-up: British optimism was reignited once again as the Nacra 17 medal race got underway. The soon-to-be husband and wife team of John Gimson and Anna Burnet, silver medallists from Tokyo lay tied with the Kiwis, Micah Wilkinson and Erica Dawson, in third, just six points behind Argentina in second; the Italian pair of Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti all but assured of defending their Tokyo gold. A week of largely top-five results had shown the Brits were pushing hard – too hard it turned out, when they were called OCS in the medal race. Any hopes of a medal evaporated, as they were left in fourth overall. It was deep disappointment for a promising pair that had campaigned hard. Gimson later summed up their loss as “brutal”, being “so out of our control” but said they nonetheless remained “proud”.  

Olympic Sailing Round-up: Kitesurfing

Onto the debut sport of kitesurfing. And for Formula Kite’s Conor Bainbridge, there was an outside chance of a medal if he managed three straight wins from the semi-final. It was a big ask. In a tough field topped by Austrian Valentin Bontus, the determined Brit finished eighth, but has vowed to return.   

Meanwhile, female kiter Ellie Aldridge went into her final day knowing she had to beat France’s Lauriane Nolot in two races if she wanted to win the gold. And that’s exactly what she did. Deliberately opting for the smaller 15sqm kite to her French rival’s 21sqm, Aldridge found the extra manoeuvrability when she needed it, and gained just enough of an edge to see off her faster rival. 

It made for a euphoric ending for fans to see Aldridge jumping for joy into the water, barely able to speak with emotion as she realised she had reached her ultimate goal, winning the first ever kitesurfing Olympic gold. She described the week as a “real challenge” and said she’d needed to be “adaptable” as well as “fearless” to get this far. Aware of the testing week endured by many of her teammates, she also said that she hoped her win would “brighten everyone’s spirits” and sure enough, received a hero’s welcome back at Team GB basecamp with Union Jacks waving and champagne spraying in a heartwarming show of appreciation and camaraderie. 

While it took time for the much-hyped foil-borne spectacle of kitesurfing to finally get its TV airtime, for British fans, it was worth the wait. That golden performance by GB’s Ellie Aldridge will certainly have helped win wider acceptance of this controversial discipline in the longer term. Its mindboggling format and the logistics of ‘sailing’ with strings and kites have now been unravelled and examined. Sure, it might not be sailing in its purest form, but much like the iQFOil, it’s fast, physical and requires sailors to be step ahead. Jurors watched via drones. Kites tipped 30 knots in just 5 knots of breeze. Even the post-race landings wowed the crowds on the beach – (who were pleasingly back in force after a notable absence in Tokyo due to the pandemic). On balance, kitesurfing delivered. Delays and postponements may have done worryingly little to merit our sport to TV broadcasters, but World Sailing has already confirmed that the sailing events for the LA Games in 2028 remain unchanged, with the waters off Long Beach due to host the same line-up of boats and boards. For now, at least, kitesurfing is here to stay.   

The Future

There’s the Olympic Sailing round-up, and what next for Team GB? Aldridge’s glittering gold added to Wilson’s brave bronze, gave a tally far from the three golds, one silver and one bronze of Tokyo; the sailing medal table was topped this time by the Netherlands, with their two golds and two bronzes. Interestingly the home nation of France, on whom much expectation had been placed, finished with just a silver and bronze.

For GB, it was a long way to fall. 

But with our medals coming in the ‘new generation’ foiling classes, that certainly is a promising basis to build on as the team re-groups, reflects and looks towards LA 2028. 

And there’s one thing the British sailors can all take away from Paris 2024 – the knowledge that they gave it their very best. Of that they should be proud.

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The post Olympic Sailing Round-up: Team GB Triumphs and Tears appeared first on Sailing Today.

On the eve of the 2024 Olympics, Georgie Corlett-Pitt talks to TeamGB coach Stevie Morrison as the Sailing events enter a new era…

The sporting spectacular that is the 2024 Paris Olympic Games is about to begin – (and yes, it has come round fast, thanks to 2020’s pandemic postponement) – with sailing one of 32 sports, set to contested 10 medal events. The Olympic waters lie over 400 miles south of Paris off Marseille, with its €50m newly re-developed marina, banks of stadium seating and sandy beach backdrops. Tricky conditions await, with wind and sea state both highly variable thanks to an unpredictable range of Mistral winds, sea breezes and of course the sweeping topography of the bay, which can all variously come into play. 

The addition of kiteboarding (men’s and women’s Formula Kite) and foiling windsurfing (men’s and women’s iQFOil) means five of those medals will now be fought for on foils; expect all-out action, with the kites especially ‘shredding’ the race course at blistering speeds of up to 50mph on this, their debut Olympic appearance. The windsurfers meanwhile have developed hugely since their first inclusion in 1984. Together with the Nacra 17 foiling cat (introduced 2016), they will give ‘Sailing’ at this Games an altogether different look and feel – certainly a far cry from when the sport was very first included at the 1900 Paris Olympics. 

British Sailing Team Coach Stevie Morrison says: “There will be a lot of readers saying ‘it’s not sailing’ and it’s definitely not Finn sailing, I can assure you of that, but you still have to make the same decisions, you’ve just got a fraction of a second to make it. You still worry about starting the leg on the long tack, and you still worry about good laylines and counting your manoeuvres and being accurate with your positioning. 

“It is more like the America’s Cup and SailGP nowadays, with a lot more set-play type sailing, rather than 15 or 20 tacks upwind – you can’t afford those, that’s for sure – but you’re still making the same decisions and you can still look at it like a boat – it’s still a sail and a sailor, it’s just happening really quickly.” 

For Stevie coaching the kiteboarding forms a sharp contrast to when he himself competed at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, finishing ninth and fifth in the 49er class with crew Ben Rhodes. That that class – and the 49erFX women’s class – now seems relatively pedestrian by comparison is a mark of progress across the sport. 

“I thought the 49er was the coolest boat there was,” he smiles. “They still look pretty cool and they’re still fast and fun, but when you go past them in your RIB they almost look like they’re a turning mark for the kites because they’re going so slowly relative to the kites. That’s how impressive the new kit is.”

A New Dynamic

He says the new classes also add another dynamic thanks to their alternative semi-final/final formats, making medal predictions much harder to call. “It comes down to one short race and it’s very condition dependent. If you excel in those particular conditions on that one day, then you could go from 10th to first, and that’s quite different to sailing in the past. And in Marseille, we could get a light sea breeze week, a very windy-wavy week, or a shifty up and down week.” 

Being in with a chance of a medal has meant training for every condition. Added pressure comes from the schedule, which this Games has no laydays interspersed, with each fleet’s racing compressed into just a few days, giving a high possibility that racing for any given fleet could be dominated by a singular weather pattern. With four course areas offering very distinctive conditions that vary with wind direction, racing in Marseille will be a true test. “It’s going to be an intense few days that’s for sure,” says Stevie.

“Mentally you need to be prepared for anything and comfortable with not being comfortable.” 

In all, some 330 sailors will compete. This Games marks another first with equal numbers of male and female sailors for the first time. Both the Nacra 17 and the 470 are now raced as mixed classes – for the 470 a nod to its roots when it was raced as an ‘open’ class from 1976-84. 

There’s no change however to the men’s and women’s singlehanders, the ILCA7 (Laser and ILCA6 (Laser Radial), which complete the class line-up. They will have the biggest fleets, with 43 boats in each. 

Around 65 nations will be represented – a marked step up in diversity thanks to the IOC’s Tripartite Commission, and fed by the ongoing success of World Sailing’s Emerging Nations programme. 

One of the charms of the Olympic sailing is that it allows feats of individual athletes to come to light. The new kite classes have certainly opened doors, enabling, for example, two athletes to represent Mauritius, which previously had only once ever sent a sailor. It’s a chance to go from dream to reality too for Antigua’s Tiger Tyson, aiming to bring home his country’s first ever Olympic medal in any sport. Tiger will no doubt look to the likes of Pavlos Kontides, who was Cyprus’ first ever athlete to medal for his country at London 2012 with a silver in the ILCA7 (then Laser); now Pavlos will be back competing at Paris, his fifth Games.  

A Place in History

There will plenty of experienced Olympians looking carve their place in history by repeating podium places at this Games, the likes of reigning Olympic champions Aussie Matt Wearn (ILCA7), Italy’s Ruggero Tita/Caterina Banti, Brazil’s Martine Grael/Kahena Kunze with double golds (49erFX), and triple Olympic medallist Marit Bouwmeester (NED, ILCA6) – to name a few. 

While France, Germany and Great Britain are the only countries with athletes in all 10 events, other nations out in force include New Zealand, China, Italy, Spain and the US, each fielding sailors in nine classes. 

France, of course, poses the biggest threat – well-funded, with a home-waters advantage and a great depth of experience in the new foiling classes. 

These heavyweight nations will no doubt share the same goal of taking the British team’s title as the most successful sailing nation; with a total of 64 medals, including 31 golds it’s an accolade they have held for the past five of six Olympics, after a superb haul in Tokyo of three golds (Giles Scott, Finn, Hannah Mills/Eilidh McIntyre, 470, Dylan Fletcher-Scott/Stuart Bithell, 49er), a silver (John Gimson/Anna Burnet (Nacra 17) and a bronze (Emma Wilson, RS:X).

New Faces

This time, TeamGB’s chosen sailors represent a mixture of experienced Olympians and fresh new talent. John Gimson/Anna Burnet (Nacra 17), Emma Wilson (iQFOil) and two-time Olympian Saksia Tidey (49erFX crew) are all tipped to do well, while Olympic debutants include Freya Black (49erFX helm), James Peters/Fynn Sterritt (49er), Sam Sills (iQFOil), Ellie Aldridge (Formula Kite) and Micky Beckett (ILCA7); the latter two athletes among the strongest medal contenders.     

TeamGB announced this initial squad of 10 sailors last autumn. Early selection has given a lengthy runway to focus on preparations – a critical move against the established French team and a clear statement of intent. 

The remaining TeamGB sailors had to wait until the calendar flipped into 2024 to get the nod.

Silver at the 470 World Championships in March granted Vita Heathcote and Chris Grube their spot. At 22, Vita is the youngest team member, while Chris is a two-time Olympian (competing at both Rio and Tokyo, finishing fifth both times). The pair teamed up only last summer, mixing raw talent with experience. Chris explained they have worked “tirelessly” to prove their capabilities, despite injury and their short run up, while Vita said: “It gives me goosebumps knowing that I’m going to be a part of the biggest sporting spectacle on earth.”

In the ILCA6, it’s been a long voyage for Hannah Snellgrove after her teammates pushed her hard for selection, which she finally clinched with a 10th at the 2024 Worlds. Having campaigned hard for several cycles, she described selection as “the biggest honour” while Mark Robinson, Team GB Sailing Team Leader and RYA Performance Director, praised Hannah’s “immense inner drive.”

The final ticket went to kiter Connor Bainbridge, who overturned a series of unexpectedly poor performances to take European bronze and follow with a dominant win at World Sailing’s Last Chance Regatta in Hyères. It was something of a relief for Conor to secure his spot for Paris with a medal race to spare, while Mark Robinson said he had shown “true grit and determination” in becoming the last of the GBR squad to qualify, adding it was “fantastic” for TeamGB to have once again have representatives in all 10 Olympic classes. 

Promising Signs for Olympic Sailing

Since selection, the British squad has been extremely busy, training hard to tick off personal development goals and notching up podium places at various events: world championship silvers have put Nacra 17 duo Gimson and Burnet, windsurfer Emma Wilson and kiter Ellie Aldridge in great positions to convert to gold when it matters in Marseille, while Micky Beckett topped a bronze at the ILCA7 Worlds with a win at the Princess Sofia Regatta from a 200-strong fleet and with a day to spare. 

It’s promising stuff, and comes on the back of a successful Olympic sailing Test Event in Marseille last July, where the Brits were second only to the French with four silver and one bronze. Second in the overall medal table may not seem ideal, but as Mark Robinson told STYY at the time, it throws down a marker in the sand and provides a framework for improvement. 

Peaking at the right time is everything when it comes to securing Olympic sailing medals.

GBR as a nation is tipped to top their fourth overall rank at Tokyo, and it’s likely that sailors will make a significant contribution to that. 

TeamGB sailors will have spent the final few weeks training hard in Marseille, returning to the UK briefly for a TeamGB uniform day and some final kit development before heading out again for one final camp ahead of the Games. 

For Stevie, who works closely with kiter Ellie Aldridge, that time has been spent keeping one eye on her biggest rival, reigning Formula Kite world champion, Lauriane Nolot (FRA), while also moding foils, getting into sync with weather patterns and finessing fitness. A huge amount of this is now driven by data analysis – much more like the America’s Cup says Stevie, and again, a far cry from the days of doing things by feel.

One thing that remains the same is the strength in depth of the British sailing squad, and support staff, who bring a huge amount of experience between them. Stevie counts the likes of Iain Percy, Stu Bithell, Joe Glanfield and Chris Draper among his fellow coaches, while having a pool of talented training partners available in the British squad cuts out the logistics of having to rely on other nations.   

As the clock ticks down to the first start, what words of wisdom will Stevie share with Ellie as she sets off for the line? “It’s just a sailing race, just a start line as you’ve seen before. Embrace it, enjoy the moment, but don’t lose sight of the fact that it’s the basics and the simple things that are going to matter. Do the controllable things that you can do really well, try your best, but keep it simple and don’t think you can do something magic.” 

Olympic Sailing: Meet the team

• John Gimson and Anna Burnet – Mixed Multihull (Nacra 17)
• James Peters and Fynn Sterritt – Men’s Skiff (49er)
• Freya Black and Saskia Tidey – Women’s Skiff (49erFX)
• Emma Wilson – Women’s Windsurfing (iQFOiL)
• Sam Sills – Men’s Windsurfing (iQFOiL)
• Ellie Aldridge – Women’s Kite (Formula Kite)
• Connor Bainbridge – Men’s Kite (Formula Kite)
• Michael Beckett – Men’s Dinghy (ILCA 7)
• Hannah Snellgrove – Women’s Dinghy (ILCA 6)
• Vita Heathcote and Chris Grube – Mixed Dinghy (470)

Watching the Games

The Olympic sailing takes place over 12 consecutive days, from 28 July to 8 August beginning with the iQFOil and 49er/49erFX, while the kites have the most nerve wracking wait until Sunday 4, their medal races the last to wrap up on 8 August.  Each fleet has reserve day at the end of their series. 

If you’re lucky you will have bagged official tickets to watch the Olympic sailing from Marseille Marina, which officially opens on 20 July. The venue was used in the Olympic torch relay when the flame arrived in the company of 1000+ spectator boats. 

For those watching back in Blighty, the BBC is your best bet, with coverage on the BBC, iPlayer, BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sport website. There is also live streaming of every sport available via Olympics.com. 

Race lengths vary considerably – from the blink-and-you’ll-miss it sub-5 minute windsurfing sprints, to their 90 minute marathon. The dinghies and cats meanwhile have a more conventional 30-45 minute race window. 

Race times are spread throughout the afternoon, so don’t expect any action before midday local time but with starts as late as 5pm.

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The post TeamGB Interview: Olympic Sailing Coach Stevie Morrison appeared first on Sailing Today.

As the excitement for Cowes Week 2024 builds, Georgie Corlett-Pitt looks ahead…

Cowes Week 2024

Cowes Week takes place this year from 27 July to 2 August. Entries for 2024 are already up on 2023, with around 500 boats expected, drawing sailors and spectators in their thousands. 

With 2026 set to mark the 200^th anniversary of this iconic event, things are already ramping up to ensure a superlative experience for all, with organisers promising a unique blend of traditional and modern. 

Yet sailors need not wait two whole years though to enjoy an exciting, world class regatta, with plans already well in hand to ensure 2024 is a fantastic and memorable event. 

High calibre Competition 

A concerted effort in recent years has seen the calibre of on the water competition cement the event’s reputation for outstanding racing, with amateur sailors lining up against some of the sport’s top international pros to tackle all the Solent can conjure. 

To ensure the needs of all classes are taken into account for 2024, the Cowes Week management team has spent the winter months consulting directly with class reps. Their feedback has been used directly in the planning of this year’s event, so expect a few class-specific tweaks this year when the Sailing Instructions are published on 12 July.  

The aim, says Steve Cole, Principal Race Officer for Cowes Week, is to “draw racing sailors together no matter what their experience or interest”. 

Regardless of whether a fleet is off orienteering round the cans, or has multiple short-course races scheduled, the opportunity to start amidst the smoke of the iconic Royal Yacht Squadron starting cannons is a prestige granted to all of the 30+ fleets at multiple points during the week.   

Other changes in recent years have already ensured the event remains welcoming to all, such as the introduction of two cruiser fleets, and mini-series now run as standard for some classes. Special trophies are awarded for newcomers and charter crews, as well as youth and female sailors, acts of sportsmanship – and of course we couldn’t not mention that there is a Sailing Today Cruiser Trophy for the best Performance Cruiser! Add a plethora of daily and perpetual prizes for every fleet, and there are plenty of silverware incentives for all.

Cowes Week 2024: Tech transformation

Transformations have also come about thanks to technology, alongside a significant increase in race management resources, which together have ensured this most historic of regattas can deliver seamlessly on the racing front.   

The introduction of start and finish line VAR cameras, cutting edge course setting and race tracking software for use by officials, plus a ground-breaking competitor communications app have all ensured racing is both fair and first class. It helps of course to have cohorts of highly experienced race officials. There are now four starting vessels out on the water on each of the seven days of racing, in addition to a team on the RYS platform – a herculean feat of volunteer people-power. 

Cowes Week’s Paul Ward explains more: “Our world leading race management app not only sends user-friendly and timely information on courses to all of our competitors, but is a really important part of being able to build in the flexibility that we need to run so many races a day from so many start vessels. So while we still have a significant number of competitors who enjoy our longer ‘orienteering’ courses – and that is why they come to Cowes Week – what we have also been able to add is the much more modern formats for those who want that, and we have been able to mix the two for those who like both.”

Cowes Week 2024: Fresh new vibe

Onshore, the organisers are promising a fresh, new vibe and are currently working towards delivering a programme of ‘festival’ style entertainment alongside the racing events. Details were still under wraps at the time of print, but there are hints at a number of exciting music, entertainment and food/drinks offerings. The Regatta team are working closely with Cowes Town Council, Cowes Harbour Commission and Cowes Yacht Haven to look at ways to enhance the competitor and visitor experience. More details soon…

The town’s yacht clubs, too, are being encouraged to open their doors competitors with more organised events, promising something for everyone’s taste and budget.  

This year, the RNLI has been chosen to join the regatta’s official charities, alongside the Tall Ships Youth Trust. The RNLI, the charity that saves lives at sea, will be celebrating their own 200th anniversary in 2024. The RNLI team from the Cowes Lifeboat Station will be organising a variety of fun activities throughout the week at the Parade Regatta Village. 

Of this year’s regatta overall, the final word to Cowes Week Chair, Bob Trimble: “We have to be worthy of our 200^th anniversary in 2026, and we also have to be good enough that 2026 is not a one-off. Both on and off the water, we are working hard to ensure 2024 is a milestone on a path of great racing and a true festival onshore.”

How to Enter Cowes Week 2024

Standard Entry is open until Sunday 14 July, and last-minute entries can still be made until 26 July; both regatta and daily entries are available. See the Cowes Week Website for info.

Q&A with Cowes Week Principal Race Officer, Steve Cole 

What makes Cowes Week so unique?

Cowes Week is a regatta in the true sense of the word; the town is always busy and with the event being based on a holiday destination it allows friends and families to be part of it both on and off the water. For the sailing, the aim is to provide a mixture of courses, sailing angles and duration to give both value for money and variety.

What might be different this year? 

Following the feedback survey conducted after the 2023 event, some classes have requested two or more races a day on some days and we will also be working on rescheduling races if the weather causes difficulties with the schedule. All of this is being thought through now with our course setting team and will be detailed in the sailing Instructions.

Anything else notable on the water?

With the announcement of the return of the Admiral’s Cup in 2025, we are expecting some teams to use Cowes Week as a training week for the races in 2025. The highlights will be the races for the prestigious trophies, including the Britannia Cup and the New York Yacht Club Challenge Cup (for IRC Class 0 and IRC Class 1).

What is your advice for first timers or maybe for those returning to the regatta after a few years away? 

If you have never been to Cowes Week before, we would definitely encourage you to come and give it a go, even if you are part of the cruiser classes, or Weekend Warriors, it still gives you the opportunity to sail in the same stretch of water as the pro boats and bigger classes.

For those returning after a few years away, you will notice huge improvements in the technology available; there is an outstanding competitors’ app which gives you all the race information at your fingertips, and allows you to do all the necessary formalities online.

Cowes Week 2024: Ones to watch 

Cowes Week is the greatest festival of racing in the Solent each year. Corinthian sailors compete with some of the biggest names in the sport in a wide range of keelboats, from custom designed race yachts to traditional dayboat classes. 

Some of the hottest action will no doubt come from the performance race yachts of Black Group, and will include the Performance 40 Class and Cape 31s. Family teams will be racing with Cougar of Cowes and Star-Born 4 will be sailing with three generations of the same family. 

Taking things at a more sedate pace perhaps but with some close contests nonetheless expected, the Performance Cruiser and Club Cruisers classes will be racing all week; Club Cruisers will also vie for the Weekend Warrior Trophy. Look out for West Solent One Design Suvretta celebrating her centenary year. 

Notable among the dayboat classes of White Group will be Solent Sunbeam Dainty, which has raced in every Cowes Week since 1966. 

The largest class is likely to be the X One Design, where the competition for the Captain’s Cup is one of the most hotly fought events. Expect to see teams from Itchenor, Lymington and Poole in action, among them will be Madcap – built in 1911. Previous winners set to compete once again include Itchenor legend John Tremlett, and David Bedford in his 60th year racing an XOD at Cowes Week.

For the J70 fleet, Cowes Week will once again see the biggest UK gathering of this modern and dynamic International Class, with 30 boats racing.

Meanwhile, in the Redwing class 2024 Cowes Week Overall Winners Mark Downer and family team will be back sailing Enigma to defend their title.

International competitors have Cowes Week at the top of their list of great regattas and this year the regatta will welcome Belgian, Dutch and French teams racing in IRC; along with Dragons from Germany and even an Etchells team from New Zealand.

Victory class celebrates 90 years 

Celebrating its 90th anniversary in 2024, the Victory Class is a Cowes Week classic having taken part in the regatta as early as 1938. 

The earliest of these sturdy, black-hulled, 21ft clinker dayboats trace their pedigree back to the gaff-rigged Bembridge one-designs, penned by eminent Solent designer Alfred Westmacott (also X One-Design, Mermaid and Sunbeam) and later modified by Sydney Graham – their shallow draft, speed and ease of handling under an updated Bermudan rig ensured a swift rise in popularity as the boat was readily adopted for club racing in and around Portsmouth Harbour. A spinnaker was added, along with the ‘Z’ insignia on the mainsail, and the class forged ahead as a strict one-design. The fleet numbered 29 boats by 1939, many sailed by naval officers, resulting in a number of boats being shipped to Gibraltar; a fleet still exists there today.   

By the 50^th anniversary in 1984, there were 32 boats racing for the celebrations in Cowes. 

90 years later, and the Victory class has maintained that competitive reputation (a busy calendar sees around 90 races run from Portsmouth in the summer months) and the class has had no fewer than seven different winners in the last eight Cowes Weeks! 

Celebrations for the 90th are set to be memorable, with a BBQ planned on the Monday night in Cowes to celebrate the Westmacott Trophy, followed by a special class dinner on the Thursday evening.  

Even as it celebrates its many years of successful racing, the Victory class is also embracing its future. Since the launch in 2007 of a GRP Victory, developed by the class association and built by David Heritage Yachting, numbers racing have shown an upwards trend, with several new boats bolstering this very active and much-loved fleet.

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The post Cowes Week 2024: What to expect appeared first on Sailing Today.

This year’s Round the Island Race was action-packed, with Peter Morton setting the pace on his TP52 Notorious and calling it ‘one of the greatest races in the world’. Georgie Corlett-Pitt reports.

Building Winds

The days leading up to the 87th edition of the Round the Island Race saw the forecasted winds build – and, too, the debate for skippers: to race or not race? The iconic 50nm circumnavigation of the Isle of Wight, organised by the Island Sailing Club (ISC), is an annual highlight for many, a true ‘race for all’; with nearly 1000 boats entered and several thousand crew members due to compete on Saturday 15^th June, it was not a choice anyone was taking lightly. 

By the Friday afternoon, the race committee – in consultation with weather and safety experts – prudently shouldered some of the decision-making when they announced the cancelation of eight of the smaller classes and issued direct safety guidance to the remaining entrants. Race Director Dave Atkinson explained that, “clear communication about the challenging conditions was vital”. So too, was ensuring all skippers were aware of their responsibility to, “evaluate the capability of their crew and the suitability of their boat to handle the expected conditions” and ultimately, make their own decision as to whether to take part. 

Unsurprisingly – given the forecasted strong winds and sea state – a number of individual skippers decided not to risk any potential season-impairing injury to boat – or crew and many of those starting chose not to venture beyond the relative sanctuary of the Solent. 

Rollercoaster ride

For the intrepid crews who persevered beyond The Needles, a rollercoaster ride along the southern side of the Island awaited, with peak gusts of 45mph and a 4 metre swell in places. The ISC safety boats, joined by the RNLI, Independent Lifeboats and other local rescue services provided safety cover.

The Race Organisers reported nine incidents which was fewer than previous years and praised the decision making and seamanship of race crews. Of the 154 boats that successfully braved a full circumnavigation – the fastest was Irvine Laidlaw’s catamaran, Highland Fling 18, taking multihull line honours in 3 hours, 39 minutes, 5 seconds. 

It wasn’t long after that when Peter Morton’s TP52 Notorious secured monohull line honours – a fantastic achievement for the boat which is new to Peter this year. They did so in 4 hours, 21 minutes, 20 seconds, winning the Observer Trophy, and with that, as winner overall under IRC, the prestigious Gold Roman Bowl, which was presented at the very first edition of the race in 1931. 

Peter, a renowned Solent yachtsman who resides in Cowes, has competed in Round the Island Race almost every year since 1973 and was delighted to notch up a fourth Gold Roman Bowl win. He was quick to point out that the conditions had made this the “toughest” yet. On top of that, his achievement this year was made particularly special as it came exactly 40 years on from a previous Gold Roman Bowl win; in 1984, he won sailing a Quarter Tonner Odd Job – although in far lighter winds. 

 Past glories

Peter also followed up with another Gold Roman Bowl win in 2001, racing his Mills 50 Mandrake which he co-owned with Adam Gosling.

Light winds had also governed the 1986 edition of the race, when Peter again won the coveted Gold Roman Bowl, this time sailing on board Graham Walker’s Three-Quarter Tonner Indulgence. He recalls making a fortuitous decision to sail due south from The Needles in a bid to escape a huge park-up of many far bigger boats; their gamble paid off and they tapped into the incoming sea breeze, putting them way ahead of the rest by the time they reached Bembridge, where the course was shortened. “That was an interesting race,” he recalls. “It was one of those ‘there is no second’ moments – we went for gold, rung the bell and it paid off.”

His 2024 win will undoubtedly be remembered for the battle against extreme conditions. “The forecast was always for a lot of wind, and generally when you see conditions like that and you see a forecast like that, the wind is always going to be a touch higher in the gusts – and it was,” Peter attests.

“I think in those conditions it’s always easier to have a slightly bigger boat. We still had a fair tide all the way up the Solent, whereas the boats behind it had to push in to it. It’s not untypical of the Round the Island Race; if it’s very light the little boats get the tidal advantage, and if it’s windy the big boats get the tidal advantage.” 

It was a murky, squall-ridden Solent that awaited Peter and his team as they crossed the start line with the rest of IRC0, speeded on their way by the customary boom of The Royal Yacht Squadron cannons. 

Avoiding the wipeout

“The start of the race was pretty benign – we actually thought, ‘Ooh, maybe this isn’t going to be that bad’,” says Peter. “But as soon as we got to Hurst Castle the breeze kicked in. It was pretty lumpy as we left the Solent. I think the fact that we got there slightly earlier in the tide than the smaller boats meant that we probably had an easier trip around the Needles than others. 

“We then got to St Catherine’s rather quickly, we had the three sail headsail up and was reaching there at an average of close to 18 knots. We were at St Catherine’s at 8.45am by which time the tide was fully ebbing and there were big breaking seas.”

After rounding the southern most tip of the Island, the team set course for Dunnose, at which point Peter notes, “it was really a case of keeping the boat on it’s feet and not wiping out”. 

“We were quite fortunate because a big rain squall came through and increased the breeze, but it also pulled it left a little so we weren’t tempted there to put the spinnaker up because the wind was too far forwards for us, certainly at the speed we were doing which was dragging the apparent wind even further forwards. We were sitting on 22-23 knots, we even touched 29 knots. 

“At one point we tried to put somebody up on the bow but there was just too much water – their lifejacket went off. The waves were three feet deep over the foredeck at that point.”

With the left-hand shift lasting and carrying Notorious most of the way across Sandown Bay, Peter and his team were still packing plenty of pace. 

“Even when the wind quietened down and squared a little bit, we talked about the spinnaker but there was still a lot of water on the foredeck. We were doing 20+ knots and the navigator said, look we’re only going to have 6 or 8 minutes before we get to Bembridge Ledge at this speed. So, we elected still to hold off on the spinnaker and we gybed just before Bembridge Ledge. It was then a reach across to the Forts and then we laid back up to the finish in one.”

Risk vs reward

It had been a question of risk vs reward, as Peter explains: “When you’re doing 23, 24, 25 knots, you’re not going to go any faster. Yes, at times you might drop down to 18 or 20 – but if you are already touching 25 knots with the headsail, staysail combo, there’s a real risk of breaking something or wiping out, which would be a far a greater set-back than just being slightly under your optimum speed for some of the time. Equally, getting people onto the foredeck in breaking waves carried a huge risk. We wanted to win the race by sailing comfortably rather than risk losing it by trying to be heroes.” 

Gunning for a fast rounding, Notorious had left her competitors standing long before they’d left the Solent. With the exception of the fastest multihulls, which powered past them just after the Needles, Peter and his crew saw few other boats, and therefore witnessed little of the dramas some of their competitors faced, including a man overboard incident at the Needles and another off St Catherine’s; thankfully, both sailors were successfully recovered.    

“It was only when I saw the photographs and was later told that I realised just how big the breakers had been off the Needles and St Catherine’s,” says Peter, who steered Notorious for the entirety of the gruelling race. “It was just good to get round without breaking anybody – or the boat. 

“St Catherine’s in particular was incredible. Going down these breaking waves and not knowing whether the bow is going to come up or the stern is going to overtake the bow, you’re facing downhill and just hoping you can just flick the bow up at the bottom of the trough to get it up the face of the next one. I had all the crew except one stacked up behind me to keep the bow out of the water.” 

Peter praises his crew for being an “exceptionally strong team” who he was confident would be able to maximise boat speed without needing to take any unnecessary risks. Among the crew were pro-Amercia’s Cup sailors, Nick Hutton and Andrew McLeane, along with longstanding regulars Sam Haynes, Bret Arrons, Darren Marsden, Toby Mumford, Mark Lees, and up-and-fresh talent such as Ben Childerley. 

He also acknowledges the other competitors, saying: “Anybody who got round in those conditions did a really good job, especially the little boats – I think they had a really brutal time! So especially well done to them.”

With next year’s race date confirmed as 21st June 2025, Peter has the date already firmly in his calendar. The appeal undoubtedly lies in taking part in what he says is “one of the world’s greatest races” and racing against many thousands of fellow sailors on a course that is famous worldwide.

The element of unknown

There is also attraction in the element of the unknown; being just a one-day, one-race event, he says, “you never know what conditions you’re going to get until you get three or four days out. With a week and a half to go you don’t really know what sails you’re going to take, what tactics you’re going to use. You can be first, or – as I suspect, if it had been less than 10 knots of breeze this year that we would have been – 300^th!  In 2019, Jo Richards won the Gold Roman Bowl in super light airs in a boat which was 18ft long. He took over 13 and a half hours to get round; this time we did it in just over four hours. So, you’ve got that unknown about it which makes this race really quite special.”

“Some of the boats have got a lot faster. When I first started doing the race, boats didn’t really plane, so you might be doing 8, 9, 10 knots on a good day, or if it was a huge blow you might get up to 12 knots. Now some are doing close to 30! And sailing them has probably got a bit easier – the systems on the boats have changed, the running rigging is better, the sails have got better, the boats are probably a bit lighter therefore easier to sail. 

“Having said that, the vast majority of the boats are dual purpose cruiser-racers and they go round and have a good time. The ethos of a ‘race for all’ very much remains, and that in itself is wonderful to be a part of.”

Next Year: 2025 Round the Island Race

We’re already looking towards next year’s race…

The organisers of the annual Round the Island Race, the Island Sailing Club (ISC), have announced a new date for the 2025 edition, following the Isle of Wight Festival’s decision to hold their event on the same day as the Race.

The 2025 Round the Island Race, which attracts over 8,000 competitors, will now take place on Saturday 7th June.

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The post A Wild Round the Island Race 2024 appeared first on Sailing Today.

Exclusive Interview with 2024 Olympic Sailing Team GB: Georgie Corlett-Pitt meets team thats going for gold!

Breaking News! Team GB are battling it out on the water…

Here’s the latest from Marseille… check out how Team GB are getting on:

• Olympic Sailing News 2024: Skiff Racing Medals
• Olympic Sailing Medals: Wilson’s Windsurfing and ILCA Dinghy

British Sailors: The Leading Nation

The 10 sailors so far selected to represent Great Britain at this summer’s Olympics were the first athletes of any sport to be announced by Team GB; filling the spots in seven of the ten Sailing classes. The Sailing Team GB is a mix of fresh talent and experienced Olympians. Tokyo 2020 Nacra 17 silver medallists John Gimson and Anna Burnet, and windsurfing bronze medallist Emma Wilson lead the charge, along with two-times Olympian 49erFX crew Saskia Tidey, hoping it’ll be third-time lucky with new helm Freya Black; the rest make their Olympic debuts. 

The ambition, according to Mark Robinson, RYA Performance Director, is to win three to five medals of any colour, and, above all, maintain Britain’s position – held for five of the last six Games – as top sailing nation. “That means more gold medals,” he says. “That will be our biggest challenge – can we be top nation? – particularly against the French who are throwing everything at it.” 

GB Vs France

Overcoming the home nation in Marseille will be no mean feat, given the French team’s head-start in the new board classes (several sailors were already semi-pro), the hefty funding injection they’ve received, and their exclusive access to a new state of the art facility within the Olympic Marina, out of bounds to foreign teams. 

Mark explains: “It’s always been a question of trajectory – can we catch the French for the gold medals prior to the Games? In last summer’s Test Event, France and Britain won five medals each – they took four gold, one silver; we took four silver, one bronze. It’s very similar to our position in the Tokyo Test Event; we had no gold medals in 2019 and then converted upwards to win three gold, one silver and one bronze at the Games. So all of our focus now is on converting the Test Event bronze and silvers into gold.” 

Of the sailors selected so far, Mark says all have shown medal potential based on results at key international events. “Selecting early sharpens the focus and allows us to focus resources on the one crew within each class,” he continues. 

The initial decision is made by the RYA’s Olympic Selection Committee – which includes multiple past Olympians – before being confirmed by the British Olympic Association.

For those already selected, the next few months are about carefully managing performance in order to peak at the Games in July. The challenge is both physical and mental. The board classes in particular have brought an increased physicality to the Games, adding a greater physiological dimension. There’s strong temptation to set goals around upcoming Worlds and Europeans – which Mark admits can help to boost confidence and focus, and aid equipment development – but it’s a careful balance of risk vs reward. “Ultimately,” he says, “it’s the Games that really matter”.  

James Peters, Sailing Team GB: 49er helm

Pathway: Optimist, RS Feva, 29er, RS200, 49er (training partner for 2016 Olympics)

Recent highlights: 2022 – European bronze, 2023 – Worlds 6^th

When did the Olympics become your goal?

In 2008, when I won the Youth Worlds and 29er Europeans – that gave me the belief.

What has got you this far?

My competitive instinct to beat my sister from a young age pushed me a long way!

What’s your super-power?

I love the downwind legs, especially when it’s gusty and patchy – I like to think I can find the wind before the competition. 

Other than 2024 selection, what has been your proudest moment? 

Winning the 49ers at the Princess Sofia Regatta with Fynn in 2017, finally, after so many memories of success and disappointments. 

What do you love most about your class?

The 49er requires both helm and crew to have superb feel for the boat. We often sail swapped over in training. You can see the best sailors in the class are nearly as good this way round. 

What will it take to win 49er gold?

Being a well-rounded sailor. Marseille could bring a strong Mistral wind, or a light steady onshore gradient – we must be ready for anything! 

Fynn Sterritt, Sailing Team GB: 49er crew

Pathway: Topper, 420, 49er 

Recent highlights: 2022 – European bronze, 2023 – Worlds 6th

When did the Olympics become your goal?

From a very early stage of sailing Toppers in the Scottish Highlands, the Olympic dream had me hooked. 49ers were always the goal, so after a break from sailing for university, I moved to Portland to sail full-time.

What has got you this far? 

One of my very first coaches, when asked who he thought would go to the Olympics, pointed at me. This has stuck with me ever since – in many cases it’s the belief those around you instil in you which lays the foundations for success. My parents played a huge part in that too.

First thing you did when you found out you had been selected?

I rang James! We have been together as a team for so long, through so many ups and downs, it felt right to appreciate it together. 

What’s your super-power?

Not letting my emotions get the better of me. It is also my kryptonite at times! Knowing when to lean into your emotions is super important, especially in a two-person boat. 

Biggest rivals?

There will be no previous 49er Olympic medallists in Marseille, which makes the field pretty open. However, the three-times world champions from the Netherlands will certainly go in as one of the favourites.

What do you love most about your class?

The 49er class used to be considered high speed, however the rapid development of foiling makes us look pretty slow at times these days! But no matter how good you think you are, the boat is always a handful in challenging conditions.

John Gimson, Sailing Team GB: Nacra 17 helm

Pathway: National 12, 29er, 420, 470, Tornado, various pro one-design keelboats, Star, America’s Cup AC45, Nacra 17 (silver, Tokyo Olympics)

Recent highlights: 2023 – Worlds silver, European gold, Test Event bronze

What has got you this far?

Perseverance, hard work – and Anna Burnet!  

This is your second Olympics. What’s different?   

During covid we had no access to the venue in 2020 or 2021; this time we are expecting to spend a lot more time in venue, and we have more regattas too.

What lessons will you be taking forwards?

In Tokyo we learnt to expect the unexpected, nothing ever quite goes exactly to plan so we need to be ready for anything.

What do you love most about the Nacra 17? 

This Olympic cycle the addition of the rudder delta system has enabled foiling upwind and unlocked more modes, it takes so much coordination between Anna and I to keep the boat on the polars. It is by far the hardest boat I have ever sailed in terms of sailing it well, so it is very easy to get it wrong, but so rewarding when you get the set-up, crew work, trimming and steering in harmony.  

What will it take to win at Paris 2024?

Hard work, doing the details well, following the plan. And as always in sailing, a little bit of luck!

Anna Burnet, Sailing Team GB: Nacra 17 crew

Pathway: Optimist, 420, 470, 49erFX, Nacra 17 (silver, Tokyo Olympics)

Recent highlights: 2023 – Worlds silver, European gold, Test Event bronze

What has got you this far? 

Perseverance, my parents’ support – and teaming up with John!

How has the experience differed this time around vs the run-up to Tokyo? 

We didn’t see our competitors much in the year before Tokyo due to Covid. Also, we haven’t had such tight British selection trials this time round so we’ve had a longer time to focus solely on the end goal.  

What lessons will you be taking forwards from Tokyo?

It’s hard to control the nerves on day one, but I’ll be expecting it this time round so hopefully it’ll be easier to come out firing. 

Biggest rivals? 

The Italians, and then about five other nations are very dangerous on a good week. 

What do you love most about your class? 

It’s incredibly hard to sail the Nacra well, so it’s hugely rewarding when you get it right.

Emma Wilson, Sailing Team GB: iQFOil windsurfer

Pathway: Techno 293, RS:X (bronze, Tokyo Olympics) 

Recent highlights: 2023 – Worlds bronze, Test Event silver

When did the Olympics become your goal?

When I was younger, I played every sport going. Then I went to some international windsurfing competitions and just couldn’t stop thinking about trying to win Olympic gold.

What has got you this far? 

Stubborn determination! If someone says I can’t do something, I want to do it even more. 

How has the experience differed this time around vs Tokyo?

I changed classes after Tokyo [the RS:X was replaced by the iQFOil], so at the start of this cycle I was on this whirlwind of trying to learn as much as I could in a rush. Now I’m selected, it’s quite nice to have the focus of Paris. I am definitely more of a favourite this time, which is a bit different too, as I don’t think anyone expected anything from me in Tokyo.

What did you learn from the last Games?

Enjoy the experience! It was the best two weeks of my life, so to get that opportunity again, I just really want to embrace it.

Biggest rivals?

About 10 girls could win it; Israel, France, Spain, Norway, Holland are all pretty high contenders.

What do you love most about your class?

How fast it is and how it just keeps developing every day. A year ago, no-one could foil tack and now we are doing it in races, so I just love that side of it.

What will it take to win at Paris 2024?

Being fast, smart and having a smile!

Freya Black, Sailing Team GB: 49erFX helm

Pathway: Optimist, RS Feva, 29ers, 470, 49erFX 

Recent highlights: 2023 – Worlds 5^th, Test Event 7th 

What has got you this far? 

Never settling for anything but winning. I remember winning the 29er Ladies European title [2018] – I was so happy but annoyed that we hadn’t won the overall title too!

Proudest moment in sailing so far?

Our first 49erFX Worlds in Canada in 2022, where we finished ninth. It was a pretty hard summer trying to learn the boat and how we work together [the pair teamed up in late 2021], and it felt like everything came together and you could really see the potential in our team.

What did you do when you found out you had been selected?

It was a pretty surreal feeling, I didn’t quite know what to do with myself! I had a big grin on my face and went for a champagne dinner with my parents to celebrate.

What will it take to win gold?

Consistency. The team that is well-rounded and keeps the scores on the board low will come out on top.

Saskia Tidey, Sailing Team GB: 49er FX crew

Recent highlights: 2023 – Worlds 5^th, Test Event 7th 

Pathway: Laser Radial, 49er FX (12th at Rio Olympics sailing for IRL; switched to GBR for Tokyo where she finished 6th with Charlotte Dobson)

What’s your super-power? 

Performing under pressure, delivering what we practice no matter what curve balls get thrown at us. 

How has the experience differed from the last Games?

This cycle can only be described as a sprint! Tokyo was a marathon of five years in the making. Covid was a very tough time for everyone and certainly affected performance expectations all over the world. Paris will be Freya’s and my first Games together. We have had to put in some serious hours to slot into the top 10 in the world within 12 months of starting together. 

What lessons will you take forwards?

Tokyo was a wild venue for weather. A lot like Marseille, you can be given all conditions in one week of racing. There are no short cuts, so every skill needs refining. 

What’s next?

Our Worlds in March is key. For our team it has always been the goal to strike late. We need all the training and racing we can get to make mistakes and learn from them. 

Biggest rivals? 

The 49erFX fleet has a very tight top 10, with a lot of shuffling over the last 12 months. The more experienced teams have been relatively consistent, such as Sweden and the Netherlands, but no-one is unbeatable. 

Micky Beckett, Sailing Team GB: ILCA 7

Pathway: Learnt in a boat my dad built, Topper, Laser Radial (ILCA 6) until age 17, then ILCA 7

Recent highlights: 2021 – European gold, 2023 – Worlds silver, Test Event silver 

When did the Olympics become your goal?

Realistically about five years ago, when I thought there was an outside chance I could qualify for the Tokyo Games. I didn’t win the trials [finished second], but the goal remained.

Proudest sailing moment to date?

Being ranked world number one earlier this year. I still remember getting my first world ranking over 10 years ago – I was outside the top 200.

What did you do when you found out you had been selected?

I was sat in Amsterdam airport when I got the call. I was travelling alone, so there was nothing to really say to anyone… I just looked around and smiled, it’s a cool feeling.

Biggest rivals?

Take your pick. The fleet at the moment has so many previous Olympic and World medallists in it, I wouldn’t recommend placing any big bets!

Best thing about your class?

It’s tough and there’s nowhere to hide. The boats are supplied at each major event, so if your technique, decisions, fitness or any other part of your game isn’t up to it the fleet will just spit you out in no time.

What will it take to win gold?

Good boat speed, consistent starts, staying calm.

Sam Sills, Sailing Team GB: Men’s iQFOiL

Pathway: Techno 293, RS:X for 2016 and 2020 cycles, then iQFOil (after a break to progress his a career as a naval architect)

Recent highlights: 2023 – Worlds 5th, Test Event 7^th  

How did you feel when you found out you had been selected?

It was a big relief, it’s pretty amazing. It was probably a 20 year journey to get there.

What has got you this far?

Not being afraid of commitment and sacrifice, even when it’s difficult – like missing Christmas with family three years in a row.

Proudest moment?

Qualifying the nation for Paris 2024 at the Olympic Test event, despite being in a road traffic accident two weeks before.

Ellie Aldridge, Sailing Team GB: Women’s Formula Kite

Pathway: Dinghies including 49erFX until 2018, then switched to kite-foiling

Recent highlights: 2023 – Worlds silver, European gold, Test Event silver 

What has got you this far?

I wouldn’t be going to the Olympics without the rest of the girls pushing me [Lily Young and Katie Dabson finished immediately behind her at the world championship qualifying event]. The key to our success has been our drive as a group. All of the girls started kite foiling at the same time, we all learned together and went through everything together. 

How did it feel to be selected?

Incredible! It has given me a lot of confidence.

More info

Visit the official Team GB website for more info on the most successful team.

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• Maiden & Tabarly Put Women at Top: Ocean Globe Race Results
• Swiss Solo Sailor’s Transatlantic Battle: Transat CIC Race Trouble
• Entries for the 2024 Round the Island Race are open

The post Meet the Sailing Team GB: Going for 2024 Olympic Gold appeared first on Sailing Today.

Great Scott…! Georgie Corlett-Pitt talks to Giles Scott on Ben Ainslie, SailGP and his new role as driver of Emirates GBR…

“A dream gig” is how Giles Scott describes his new position as driver of the British SailGP team, Emirates GBR, adding “It’s a super exciting prospect”. The 36-year-old double Olympic medallist and seasoned America’s Cup tactician was handed the reigns by the team’s CEO and skipper, Ben Ainslie, shortly before the seventh grand prix event in the Season 4 SailGP calendar took place in Abu Dhabi. 

At that juncture, the team was lying sixth in the overall standings, the ambition being a top three in the League overall by the end of the season to secure a place in the Grand Final in San Francisco in July.   

Ainslie’s decision to step back may have come as a surprise to some; however, Scott reveals they’d been having discussions behind the scenes for some time – although, he says, “when it came to fruition it did come about pretty quickly!” 

For Ainslie’s part, the rationale behind the move is clear. He plans to remain closely involved with SailGP, both commercially as CEO and team majority owner, and operationally; having publicly stated that he’s “not going anywhere”, he was very visibly there to support Scott as debuted in Abu Dhabi. 

However, the America’s Cup is now just a matter of months away, and in his role as CEO and skipper of INEOS Britannia, things are really about to intensify. The launch of the team’s AC75 is imminent, and their two-boat AC40 testing programme that was underway in Barcelona has since been beset after a lithium battery fire put boat ‘A’ out of action. All this means Ainslie has plenty on his agenda, and that’s without factoring in his commitments as a dad of two. With the Auld Mug sailing’s most coveted prize, it makes sense for his attention to now be focussed on that as the clock ticks down. 

Logic aside, the decision wasn’t one taken lightly by Ainslie who describes the league as “the best sailing I have ever done”. 

Giles Scott’s time to shine 

Now it’s Giles Scott’s time to shine. It has been a long road, but he’s grateful for the opportunity from the man who has over the years been both rival and teammate, not to mention his boss.

Scott’s career has been intertwined with Ainslie’s for nearly two decades, as he describes: “The first time I started competing and racing against Ben was in the Finn class. Ben had already won multiple medals and I was coming on to the scene as a young 20-year-old, and I certainly fancied a shot at an Olympic career, but I was in a pretty awkward situation where if I wanted to get to the Olympics I had to try and get past Ben – one of my childhood heroes! 

“As that panned out, I wasn’t successful, and Ben got the nod to go to the London Olympics and came away with a victory and the record of the medal count. 

“However, throughout that process I got quite close to Ben and trained closely with him and competed as hard as I could against him. Throughout that time I’d like to think we gained a lot of mutual respect for one another and we then became teammates.”

Described by Ainslie as a “incredible sailor” with potential to “hit hard” next season, the remainder of this season will now be all about clocking up as much time as possible in the team’s F50 catamaran for Scott. 

It’s perhaps a little surprising – given Giles Scott has long had ties to Ainslie – (not to mention exceptional achievements in his own right as a double Olympic gold medallist and multiple world champion) – that he has had limited experience with the GBR SailGP squad until now. Going into the Abu Dhabi event, he had counted at tops four days of time on the boat – most of that during an event in San Francisco last summer in which the team finished third. 

Now it is his name is emblazoned on the side of the boat, Giles Scott freely admits he has a lot to learn. “The biggest thing for me right now is the unknowns in terms of how much I have to learn,” he says.

“I spend a lot of time sailing yachts that are similar in terms of performance, speed, size and scale – that’s not new to me. But what is new to me is the F50 itself and the intricacies around having a bunch of them firing off the start line at the same time.”

It did appear Scott already had it nailed, when in the light winds practice race in Abu Dhabi he claimed victory over the 10-boat fleet. But when it came to racing for real, the advantage fell to the more experienced teams, with the likes of three-time championship winner Tom Slingsby’s Australian team, Quentin Delapierre’s speed-record holding Team France, and event-winner Peter Burling’s New Zealand team, all showing their prowess. After some inconsistent starts in super-shifty winds, Scott settled for eighth overall in the event. 

“There’s a lot of experienced teams out there and there’s certainly a gap to bridge to gap,” says Scott. 

But upskilling is no simple task. Training time in the F50s is typically limited to just one day prior to the start of each event – and even then subject to conditions being sailable – therefore much comes down to scrutinising video replays and analysing the data which is made available to all teams by the league. 

Despite the obvious frustrations of having had so little time behind the wheel, this data-led set-up is in some respects an advantage; according to Scott, “It really levels the playing field. The ability to be able to learn is very equal because there is no hiding how the good teams are racing; the performance data is available for everyone to view. Every team has access to every other boat. I make a point of watching the onboards (videos), picking out the boats doing a good job on any given day, how they are communicating, how the yachts are set up, the decisions they are making; and our coach Rob Wilson also takes a big lead in briefing and reviewing each event.”

The challenge Giles Scott faces now is translating those learnings into wins on the racecourse. With a 10-strong fleet and some of the world’s best sailors racing one another at speeds of 50+ knots, there are literally centimetres in it; the league is the precise definition of close quarters racing.  

Luckily, Scott also has Ainslie on hand. “The advice I’ve had from Ben has been a lot around the start, and about doing the simple things well,” he explains. “It’s actually quite easy to pick apart where the errors are when you watch racing back, particularly with hindsight – but what’s very difficult is making the snap decisions at those critical moments correctly because there is just no time; you get bounced off boats and the speeds are pretty up there.

“My focus now needs to be on consolidating exactly what those simple, hard and fast rules are. 

“From there, I need to layer on my own approach and work out how we want to take on those potentially tricky racing moments, which comes down to a little bit of personal preference.”

Cup cross-over 

After the light winds that had plagued his inauguration in Abu Dhabi, Scott admitted that in terms of boat-handling he was still feeling pretty “green” ahead of Event 8 in Sydney, Australia. Despite that, he was looking forward to getting to grips with the boat in the predicted foil-able winds. 

The iconic venue did not disappoint, delivering near-perfect conditions as a backdrop to Slingsby’s home team’s win – their first event victory of the season. For the Brits, it was a shaky start to day one but steady improvements on the second day placed them in seventh at the end of day two, meaning they retain their solid sixth position overall on the season leaderboard – (tied on points with fifth-placed France and seventh-placed USA). Notably, sixth is exactly where Ainslie left off. 

“The event felt like a nice building block,” reflects Scott, adding that there “were a lot of positives to take away” as the team turns their focus now to the next event in Christchurch, New Zealand (23-24 March). 

After that, there are a further three events plus the Grand Final in San Francisco in July. All this should give Scott valuable time on the water in race mode. The hope is this will pay dividends when it comes to this summer’s America’s Cup when Scott is due to take up the role as port-side helm on the AC75, alongside Ainslie.

As with any Cup cycle, most of his time so far has been dedicated to testing and design feedback, so Scott welcomes this unrivalled opportunity to sharpen his race skills – and of course, to take notes on how his competitors are operating. 

“It’s impossible to underestimate how critical all those snap decisions are that you have to make in the F50s. It can only help towards the Cup.” 

Giles Scott: A portent of the future?

For Scott, this Cup cycle has brought a step-up not only in responsibility on the water but also on shore – a definite a step towards the skipper’s role that Scott openly talks of his hopes to one day to take on.

And now his role within SailGP has given him another crucial step towards that.  

“SailGP is an amazing circuit like nothing else that exists in the sailing world and I’m also exceptionally lucky to be involved in the Cup. To be able to have a shot – ultimately with the goal of wanting to win both – is a is a very fortunate position for any yachtsman to be in.”

Scott has of course followed Ainslie’s footsteps before and done so with great success – not to mention in his own style. There are few if any sailors who could have done that. Could we see that pattern repeat itself? It’s certainly looks to be shaping up that way, but we will have to wait and see. 

For now, however, Ainslie remains very much in control and will be 110 percent focussed on winning the America’s Cup this summer. And Giles Scott will be with him every step of the way. If he can steer GBR to a podium position in SailGP along the way, so much the better. That is undoubtedly part of the plan for British dominance this summer. We’re excited to see how things play out… 

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The post Giles Scott Sail GP: Interview with new Emirates GBR driver appeared first on Sailing Today.

Big Trade breezes, warm turquoise waters and a vibrant après-sail scene – the Caribbean race season offers something to tempt racers of every level. Spanning January to April, the season here is the perfect antidote to the UK’s most wintry of months. And it’s eminently doable: whether you have your own boat or fancy a charter, whether it’s your first visit or you’re a seasoned pro, whether it’s serious competition or laid-back vibes you’re after, the Caribbean sailing scene promises visitors a warm welcome, whichever regatta takes your fancy…

First up – getting there. If you plan to race your boat, why not start as you mean to go on? Sure, you could cruise your way there, or perhaps charter or ship your boat and fly, but if you fancy racing your across way to the Caribbean, then RORC’s Transatlantic Race is the way to go. Setting off on 7 January 2024 from Lanzarote, participants will race the 3000-miles to Grenada.

The Canary Challenge

Ahead of that, interestingly, a new 600-miler – The Canary Challenge (13-17 December) – has just been added, which will give any crews arriving early to the islands with a nice warm-up.

RORC Transat

This year will be the 10th anniversary edition of the RORC Transat, and a particularly strong line-up of entries is expected from across Europe and the US. There will be racing for IRC, MOCRA, Maxis, high performance and two-handed classes, as well as classic and superyacht divisions.  

Among the line-up will be the two-time line honours winner and the race’s current multihull record holder, Giovanni Soldini’s Maserati Multi70. Can they break their own race record, set in 2023, of 5 days, 5 hours, 46 minutes? Also in the hunt will be two foiling MOD70s – Jason Carroll’s Argo and Erik Maris’ Zoulou – and a new all-female MOD70 team, The Famous Project, led by Jules Vernes hopeful, Alexia Barrier.

Leading the charge for the monohulls is likely to be Farr 100 Leopard 3, also expecting a speedy arrival in Grenada at Camper & Nicholson’s Port Louis Marina.

For most, the race takes around 12-14 days – worthwhile for the warm welcome and cold beers every boat is given as they dock, whatever time of day or night.

Grenada Sailing Week

Known as The Spice Island and voted as Yachting Destination of the Year 2023, Grenada has plenty of Caribbean culture to soak up and is a great base from which to explore the rest of the Grenadines; Tobago Quays, for example. With not long until the super-friendly Grenada Sailing Week (28 January to 2 February) with its mixture of coastal and inshore races, the temptation to stick around and soak up the delights of the region is surely hard to resist.

Barbados Sailing Week

Happening just before then and not to be overlooked, is the long-standing Barbados Sailing Week (13-22 Jan). The main highlight is the 60nm Mount Gay Round Barbados Race, which dates as far back as 1936. The event is also renowned for its inclusive ethos that has evolved in recent years to now include spectacles such as freestyle kitesurfing and wingfoil racing, as well as dinghy and keelboat racing for a wide variety of classes.  

Caribbean Multihull Challenge

Flipping into February and the focus switches firmly to multihulls at St Maarten YC, host to the Caribbean Multihull Challenge (1-4 Feb). A relatively new event, it comprises local and distance racing for cats and tris, from Diam 24s to Gunboat 60s. This dynamic event has tweaked its model and now includes a time trials division as well as a cruising rally that overnights in St Barths, in addition to the main racing.

RORC’s Caribbean 600

Next up is an event which, in its 15 years of running, has become an iconic Caribbean season fixture for any serious racer. The RORC’s Caribbean 600, organised in association with Antigua YC, starts (19 Feb) off Fort Charlotte, Antigua under a raft of spectators, then wends its way around 11 of the Caribbean’s most stunning islands. This 600-miler offers up a real racer’s challenge, with top prizes highly contested for IRC, MOCRA, two-handed, Class40s, classics and superyacht classes.

If last year’s 70-strong fleet is anything to go by, we can expect this regatta to showcase some of the hottest racing of the season; 2023’s race saw just 11 seconds between first and second in the battle for multihull line honours, as Zoulou (sailed by Erik Maris with crew inc Ned Collier Walkefield and Loïck Peyron) just pipped Maserati to the post.

The monohull record held by George David’s Rambler 88 has remained unbroken since 2018 at 1 day, 13 hours and 41 minutes. Can anyone beat it? Perhaps. This year the star-studded line-up includes two-times previous line honours monohull winner, Leopard 3, a Farr 100 skippered by Chris Sherlock, fresh from line honours in Rolex Middle Sea and sporting significant deck and rig updates.

RORC Nelson Cup Series

Just ahead of the Caribbean 600 is the inshore racing elements of the RORC Nelson Cup Series (13-23 Feb), continuing after a successful debut in 2023. Four days of windward-leeward racing, run by RORC and Antigua YC, is topped off with the Antigua 360 Round the Island Race; overall scoring for the Nelson Cup includes the RORC Caribbean, making this an exciting – and testing – inshore/offshore series. The 52nm circumnavigation of the island will no doubt be a highlight; last year, Antiguan kiteboard sensation Tiger Tyson blasted around in 2 hours 38 mins, beating the outright round Antigua record, (held by Lloyd Thornburg’s MOD70 Phaedo3) by six minutes.

St Maarten Heineken Regatta

From records breakers to record numbers, and the St Maarten Heineken Regatta – a Caribbean classic that attracts over 20,000 visitors each year, making it the largest event in the Caribbean. The 44th edition is set for 29 Feb to 3 March, with racing taking place under the CSA rule and catering to every class, from liveaboards cruisers (officially dubbed the ‘Island Time’ class!) to bareboat race fleets, Volvo 70s and 65s, multihulls and high performance race boats. No surprise given the sponsor, the event is also renowned for its post-race party scene.

Superyacht showcases

Like your regattas super glitzy? Two superyacht showcases are lined up this season, with the Superyacht Challenge Antigua (11-17 March), followed by St Barths Bucket (21-24 March). If your invite has been lost in the post (don’t worry, mine was too) these events still pose a superlative opportunity for those in the area anyway to kick back and watch some of the world’s finest race boats in action. If that’s you, take note of the dates.

St Thomas International Regatta

Back to more mainstream events and the sorts of size boat most of us are more accustomed to… The St Thomas International Regatta bills itself as ‘the crown jewel of Caribbean racing’ and this year celebrates its 50th anniversary, with the competition taking place over Easter weekend (29-31 March). Racing runs under CSA, and includes smaller one-design classes; charter options are available, interestingly with a new and exciting ‘race with a pro’ coached initiative on offer. Notably, a handful of Cape 31s raced last year. The regatta is preceded by the Round the Rocks Race (28 March).

BVI Spring Regatta

Elsewhere, another stalwart season fixture, the BVI Spring Regatta (1-7 April) is onto its 51st edition. Taking its cue from the destination’s laid-back island vibes, the event is split into two parts – the first a four-day Sailing Festival that includes the 37nm Round Tortola Race, then three days of the Spring Regatta. Building on a 70-strong turnout for last year, race options are diverse, including bareboat, cruisers and one-designs fleets, all run under experienced race management and hosted by Nanny Cay.

Les Voiles de St Barths

Reverting to the stunningly distinctive backdrop of St Barths, and the 13th edition of Les Voiles de St Barths takes place 14-20 April. High calibre short course racing attracts well-known Maxis, Multis and high performance flyers to race under CSA, the likes of Pyewacket, Roy P. Disney’s Volvo 70 winner of last year’s Maxi class. Around 80 boats are expected to this eco-conscious regatta. The schedule features the Richard Mille Record Trophy 47nm between the islands of St Barth and Tintamarre, and a mid-regatta lay-day party at the stunning white-sand Nikki Beach.   

Antigua Classics Week

On at the same time or thereabouts (17-22 April) is Antigua Classics Week. Niche perhaps, but a cornerstone fixture of the Caribbean calendar for decades, this regatta for Classic yachts, spirit of tradition or Modern Classics, attracts anything up to 100 boats and offers an impressive historical snapshot of the region.

Antigua Sailing Week

Rounding out the main season is The Peters & May Round Antigua Race on Saturday 27 April, marking the start of Antigua Sailing Week, which runs until 3 May. Over 100 yachts are expected, from 24 to 100ft, family cruisers to an array of sportsboat and keelboat classes, including bareboat charter fleet and multihulls. Racing takes place along the south coast of the island and is expected to be hotly contested; the Antigua Wingfoil Championship runs concurrently promising a wow for spectators.

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