There were several early risers on the third day of the Hempel World Cup Series Miami as the Race Committee made a decision to start racing earlier than normal.

After two days of very light wind that hit the scheduled races, the first warning signal is scheduled at 10:00 local time with several of the fleets commencing thereafter.

The wind is predicted to be stronger than the days prior with a veering north eastlerly breeze coming in between 6-12 knots.

Cloud cover will be present across Miami with a chance of showers as the day progresses but the temperature is warmer than the days prior.

HOW TO FOLLOW

ENTRIES / RESULTS / SCHEDULE
Click here to view the entry list in full.
Click here to view the full results

WATCH
Daily highlights will be available across the World Sailing Network. Click here to subscribe.

Medal Races on Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 February will be streamed live on World Sailing’s Facebook and YouTube Channel. URLs and embed codes are available below:

Saturday Medal Races – RS:X, Nacra 17, 49er and 49erFX
URL – https://youtu.be/RV7NBYuGefI

Sunday Medal Races – 470, Finn, Laser, Laser Radial
URL – https://youtu.be/1utr_XXzeZY

SAP SAILING ANALYTICS
Live tracking, sailor analytics, live weather data and racing status will be available on the platform here – https://wcs2019-miami.sapsailing.com/.

SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow the event on World Sailing’s social networks and get involved in the conversation using #HWCSMiami
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/worldsailingofficial/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/worldsailingofficial/
Twitter – @worldsailing

PRESS RELEASES
All World Sailing international press releases throughout the duration of the Hempel World Cup Series, including the latest news and reports, are available to read here.

HEMPEL WORLD CUP SERIES
The Hempel World Cup Series is a world-class, annual series of Olympic sailing for elite and professional sailors. Over 2,000 of the World’s leading sailors, representing over 75 nations have competed in the Hempel World Cup Series which offers a definitive guide to the best-of-the-best in the Olympic sailing world.

If at first you don’t succeed, try something different. That was the recipe for success today for the American 49er team of Nevin Snow (San Diego, Calif.) and Mac Agnese (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) who captured a second in their lone race on Day 2 of the 2019 Hempel World Cup Series Miami and now sit in the overall lead by a point over defending class world champions Sime and Mihovil Fantela (CRO).

“It was really challenging because it was such light air and the starting line was slightly skewed, so everyone was battling for one end,” said Snow. “The first start, that ended up getting called off, we went pretty safe, and it turned into us being pretty far behind. So for the race that counted, we went pretty aggressive on the starting line and it paid off.”

While the final result in a Hempel World Cup Series regatta is an important achievement for a developing team, sailors often use these events to focus on and test a specific aspect of their game, with the hope of pulling everything together when Olympic qualifying starts later this year. That’s the case with Snow and Agnese.

“Starting has been our main goal this whole month in Miami,” said Snow. “Getting a good start in these really shifty races has led to being able to look outside the boat easier, you’re not in the mix with everybody from the get go. That’s been one of our goals, consistent starting, and in the one race today we made a good start.”

Click here to read the international press release

Getting off the starting line with some freedom to maneuver and make decisions was something of a theme today. In the 49erFX, Stephanie Roble (East Troy, Wis.) and Margaret Shea (Wilmette, Ill.) credited their surge to the sharp end of the standings to strong starts in two of three races. They are currently tied on points for second place with the British team of Sophie Weguelin and Sophie Ainsworth. The New Zealand team of Alexandra Maloney and Molly Meech has been nearly unbeatable with two firsts, a second and a fourth so far in the regatta.

“I think good starts definitely paid off,” said Roble. “If you had a good start and could hold your lane for a little while, you were pretty much guaranteed to be in the top 10.”

While the breeze was light and shifty, Roble said that speed was really important today, perhaps more so than one might expect given the inconsistent breeze.

“It was pretty light and tricky out there, and we were just really trying to focus on good lanes around the course and just trying to use out boatspeed to have good races,” said Roble. “I think the pressure was a bit more apparent [than on Day 1 of the regatta] and it was so light that having just any bit of more pressure than the boats around you or on the other side of the course made the difference. We were focused on getting in the pressure and getting into fat lanes when we had it and using our speed to bring it in. The more you can put your bow down and get the boat rumbling, the better off you are.”

The Laser fleet, the largest of the regatta with over 100 entries, sailed two races today to finish its qualifying series. Tomorrow, the fleet will split into Gold and Silver Fleet racing. Two U.S. sailors are well positioned for a run at Sunday’s Medal Race having each scored all top-10 finishes in the qualifying races. Chris Barnard (Newport Beach, Calif.) is seventh and Charlie Buckingham (Newport Beach, Calif.) is 12th. But just five points separate fifth from 15th in the always-competitive class.

“Today [the breeze] was north northwest, the first race we had 8 to 11 knots, it sort of died off at the end, and then the last race was much lighter,” said Barnard. “With those light, fluky conditions it was good to have two top 10s. You just had to be really aware of what was going on around the racecourse and big picture and stay fast as long as you can.”

With 18 months until the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Barnard is focused on the big picture. But there’s some pretty attractive carrots dangling at the end of this six-day competition.

“This event, particularly for us, is important to re-qualify for the national team, and it’s the Pan American trials and the first part of the [Tokyo 2020 Olympic] test event trials. So really a lot of our trials are starting with this event. But big picture, we’re on a path of progression and we have 18 months to the Games. We’re not trying to be our best selves right now, but just keep on progressing as the season and the year goes on.”

The Olympics are a unique competition in the sailing world and while there’s no way to truly replicate it, the test event at the Olympic venue this summer and the Pan Am Games in Lima, Peru, are good opportunities to get a glimpse of the experience.

“They’re great honors to be part of those teams, and if I’m fortunate enough to continue sailing well and qualify for those teams, those events will be great experience, and that’ll be really valuable to then hopefully go to the Games,” said Barnard. “But one step at a time, I’ve got a long way to go in this regatta. So I’m just focused on recovering and getting ready for tomorrow.”

In the Laser Radial class, Erika Reineke (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) made the most of today’s single race. A fifth place moved her up to 11th place overall, just three points behind Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.). That class will get an early start tomorrow as they look to make up for lost races over the first two days.

The Nacra 17 class squeezed in two races toward the end of the day and there is now just four points between the top three American teams. Sarah Newberry and David Leibenberg (Livermore, Calif.) lead the way in 11th place with 40 points. One place, and three points behind, are 2016 Olympians Bora Gulari (Detroit, Mich.) and Louisa Chafee (Warwick, R.I.) with Ravi Parent (Sarasota, Fla.) and Caroline Atwood a point further back.

A 13th in the lone Finn race today, combined with a third yesterday, has Luke Muller (Fort Pierce, Fla.) sitting in seventh. Caleb Paine (San Diego, Calif.), bronze medalist in the class from Rio 2016, is 16th.

Pedro Pascual is the top American in the Men’s RS:X class in 41st. Farrah Hall, who represented the United States at the 2012 London Olympics, leads the U.S. contingent in the Women’s RS:X class. She is 26th. With just two races per class, there is the potential for a lot more racing for the windsurfers over the next two days.

The Men’s and Women’s 470 fleet were unable to get in a race today due to the challenging conditions.

Racing continues on Thursday 31 January at 10 am local time with another packed schedule in a bid to catch up on races lost.

It was a rich get richer sort of day at the 2019 Hempel World Cup Series Miami, and during each of the first two races for the Women’s 49erFX fleet, Alex Maloney and Molly Meech (NZL) found themselves in very liquid situations-financially speaking-converting strong starts into race wins with relative ease.

“Starts were really important today,” said Maloney. “In the first two races, we kind of got away, and it made a big difference for the first beat. The rest of the race was a lot easier. For the last race we were kind of back in the pack and decision-making and tight boat-on-boat situations were a lot harder. Just getting a little bit of a clear lane and away from the fleet in the first half of the first beat was pretty beneficial.”

Their result in today’s third race was a 10th, but with the throwout applied and yesterday’s second added to the total, the antipodean pair find themselves 11 points clear of second place after two days of racing. Sophie Weguelin and Sophie Ainsworth (GBR) and Stephanie Roble and Margaret Shea (USA) are tied with 15 points, with the British team technically in second due to the tie-breaking protocol.

“It was pretty light and shifty,” said Maloney, when asked about the conditions they faced on Day 2 of the second stop on the 2019 Hempel World Cup Series, “and you were always on your toes. You could be confident in one side, but it was kind of the day that you wanted to be protecting both sides when you were in the lead because there was a little bit of snakes and ladders out there. Overall it was a fun day and we’re happy to come away with our scoreboard.”

The 49erFX is one of two Olympic classes that debuted at the 2016 Rio Games, and the fleet continues to evolve as the sailors who were there from the beginning grow more comfortable with the nuances of skiff sailing, and other talented sailors are lured in by the boat’s easy speed and strict one-design class rules.

“The class is becoming a bit older and there’s more depth in the fleet,” said Maloney, the Rio 2016 silver medallist. “The racing is closer, and you can’t get away with a few things you used to be able to get away with. There’s definitely more depth and anything under 14 knots, the boats are going pretty similar speeds, and it’s more tactical. There’s more of speed differential as it gets windier. As a fleet we’re getting a lot sharper and more aggressive on the start line. Our low speed boathandling control is a lot better than it used to be. You used to see the girls set up away from the line and more sail into it, but now we’re just the same as the guys, crabbing and getting a little more aggressive on the start line.”

After three races yesterday, the 49er fleet was able to squeeze in just a single race. Benjamin Bildstein and David Hussl (AUT) won that lone race, but a tough first day has them mired in 15th place. The big winners of the day were Nevin Snow and Mac Agnese (USA) who finished second in the race and jumped into the overall lead, with Day 1 leaders Sime Fantela and Mihovil Fantela (CRO) in second by a point and James Peters and Fynn Sterritt (GBR) in third, two points further back.

The Laser fleet finished its qualifying series with two more races and will start Gold and Silver Fleet racing tomorrow. Hermann Tamasgaard (NOR) added a first and a fourth to his scoreline and is currently winning by three points over Sam Meech (NZL) and seven points over William de Smet (BEL). But this fleet is particularly tightly packed with just five points separating defending OIympic gold medalist Tom Burton (AUS) in fifth with Jean Baptiste Bernaz (FRA) in 15th.

“The regatta really starts tomorrow with everyone in Gold Fleet,” said Chris Barnard (USA), who is currently seventh.

Monika Mikkola (FIN) won the only Laser Radial race and is leading the fleet with two races in the books. But it’s tight at the top. Mikkola is tied on points with Alison Young (GBR) and Zoe Thomson (AUS) is just a point behind that pair.

“I just got some pressure first and was able to make it simple,” said Mikkola of today’s race. “It was a bit of a combination of being in right place at the right time and a bit of luck. We’ve only done two races now, so it’s all open. And all the girls here are phenomenal. It’s going to be really hard. Tomorrow there’s supposed to be a bit more wind, so you’ll probably see the more usual names at the top of the leaderboard.”

The light wind specialists in the Men’s and Women’s RS:X came to the forefront in challenging light breeze on Biscayne Bay.

Chinese racers have always been known to excel in light wind and Mengfan Gao (CHN) was the personification of this statement out on the race track.

In a variable 5- to 8-knot breeze, Gao grabbed the lead on the first upwind and never relinquished it, finishing more than 20 seconds ahead of Poland’s Maciej Kluszczyski. The race win propels Gao up to first overall, one point ahead of Thomas Goyard (FRA) after three races.

London 2012 Olympic bronze medallist Zofia Noceti Klepacka (POL) also led the single Women’s RS:X race from start to finish and moves up to second as a result. China also has a leader in the Women’s fleet in the shape of Yunxiu Lu, who is on a run of three consecutive bronze medal finishes at international events, after she finished third behind Klepacka and Bryony Shaw (GBR).

The 27-boat Finn fleet were only able to sail one race in 6 to 8 knots of breeze. The phrase, “snakes and ladders,” could not be more appropriate for the fleet as sailors shuffled throughout the race.

In the end, Anders Pedersen (NOR) took the race win to advance up to second overall. Tapio Nirkko (FIN) snapped up a second and holds top spot after two races.

The Finn fleet will sail three races on Thursday, starting at 10:00 local time, in a bid to catch up on races.

The Nacra 17 class was able to squeeze in two races toward the end of the day. The Brazilian team of Samuel Albrecht and Gabriela Nicolino de Sá (BRA) continued to control the fleet with a fourth and a first and now has an eight-point lead over defending regatta champions Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin (AUS) and Rio 2016 gold medalists Santiago Lange and Cecilia Carranza Saroli (ARG). Both teams have 15 points.

The Men’s and Women’s 470 were unable to get a race in today due to the light winds.

Racing continues on Thursday 31 January at 10:00 local time with another packed schedule in a bid to catch up on races lost.

In the lead up to Hempel World Cup Series Miami, many of the 665 sailors from 60 nations had spent considerable time in Miami, training and preparing for the competition.

The competitors aimed to apply their training to the competition so the first day saw some close racing in light airs and blue skies.

As the saying goes, you can’t win the event on the opening day but you can lose it, and many of the pre-event favourites but in steady performances that will hold them in good stead as the week progresses.

Racing is scheduled to start at 10:30 local time as the Race Committee aim to catch up on races lost. The forecast is for light breeze once again. It is predicted to come from a northerly direction and remain from this direction as the day goes in. A 5-10 knot breeze is predicted with the best of the breeze on the eastern side of the field of play.

Some showers are forecast later on in the day and could impact the breeze.

COCONUT GROVE, Fla. (January 29, 2019) — Today’s forecast for Day 1 of the 2019 Hempel World Cup Series Miami was for a light breeze that would eventually settle into a southwesterly direction. The term, settle, however, is relative. When the wind flows from the mainland onto Biscayne Bay, it’s not known for being reliable.

“Once the breeze is out of the west here, it’s anything goes,” says three-time Olympic sailor Stu McNay (Providence, R.I.), who is competing in the Men’s 470 class with crew David Hughes (Miami, Fla.). “We have a pretty good meteo team, and they did suspect that the breeze would be around 215, 230 [on the compass] and that happened. It was within range of what we expected, but in this breeze direction, it’s hard to say you expect anything.”

The capricious breeze made for a stressful opening day of the regatta, with over 650 athletes from 60 countries in 10 classes all looking to start this event—a key milestone on the road to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic regatta—on the right foot. Regattas can’t be won on the opening day, but they can sure be lost.

Fortunately for McNay and Hughes, they avoided any major pitfalls on the water and stand in third place, of 37 boats, after two races.

“We rolled a third and a fifth today.,” says McNay. “We did the big picture things right, but made a couple of small errors. We did lose a couple of points. Dave and I have been sailing for a long time, we’ve raced in Miami for years. It’s a challenging venue, so we’re always glad when we walk away from a shifty day like this with scores we can carry forward.”

For Hughes, this regatta as close to a home event as he’ll ever get, something he tries not to take for granted.

“This is always a lovely event and always kind of the way to start the year for us,” he says. “I live in Miami, so it’s got a special meaning. It’s a bit of an added stress because it is a home event, and we are always looking to be proper hosts to everybody who comes here, off the water, at least. But it’s wonderful because all of our international friends come to our home. It’s a treat and for us this is just a staple of our sailing and our Olympic careers.”

With a seventh at last summer’s Hempel Sailing World Championships in Aarhus, Denmark, McNay and Hughes qualified for the United States for the berth in the Men’s 470 class at the Tokyo 2020 regatta. Now they are focused on making sure they are the team to claim that berth. They’ve been down this road before, but that doesn’t make it easy.

“We’re trying not to be distracted, trying to keep our priorities in line,” says McNay. “Not let one piece of equipment become distracting, not let one detail of a skill become distracting. Give our prioritization to each item, as it deserves, as it will help us most, which is a challenge because perspective is the easiest thing to lose when your head is this deep in something.”

The second-placed American team is Lucas Calabrese and Jack Parkin in 11th. Calabrese won a bronze medal for Argentina in the London 2012 Olympics—he’s now sailing for the United States—while Parkin is a former youth world champion. The team is new, but could pose a threat for the U.S. berth in the class.

In the Laser class, both Chris Barnard (Newport Beach, Calif.) and Rio 2016 Olympian Charlie Buckingham (Newport Beach, Calif.) had a strong start to the regatta and sit in amongst a knot of five sailors with 13 or 14 points. With 101 boats in the fleet, the Lasers are sailing a qualifying series for the first two days before splitting into Gold and Silver fleets for the remainder of the regatta.

Two-time Olympian Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) finished 10th in the single Laser Radial race. Charlotte Rose was 16th with Erika Reineke (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) in 25th.

Luke Muller (Fort Pierce, Fla.) made the most of today’s lone race in the Finn class. He finished third while Rio 2016 bronze medalist Caleb Paine (San Diego, Calif.) struggled with a 23rd.

Youth World Champions Emma and Carmen Cowles (Larchmont, N.Y.) showed little fear of the grand stage, putting together two top-10 finishes in the 28-boat Women’s 470 class. That places them in fifth, with another pair of sisters, Atlantic and Nora Brugman, the next highest American team in 12th.

Stephanie Roble (East Troy, Wis.) and Margaret Shea (Wilmette, Ill.) finished eighth in the lone 49erFX race. Paris Henken (Coronado, Calif.) and 2008 Olympic gold medalist Anna Tobias finished 24th.

The Nacra 17 class features seven American teams looking at the lone U.S. Olympic berth. Sarah Newberry and David Liebenberg (Livermore, Calif.) have the inside track in this regatta after a solid trio of top-12 finishes. They sit in ninth place overall. Ravi Parent (Sarasota, Fla.) and Caroline Atwood and 2016 Olympians Bora Gulari (Detroit, Mich.) and Louisa Chafee (Warwick, R.I.) are close behind in 13th and 14th, respectively.

The 49er class also finished three races today. Nevin Snow and Mac Agnese rebounded from a tough start—a 40th in Race 1—to score two top-10 finishes and are the top American team in sixth with Harry Melges IV (Fontana, Wis.) and Finn Rowe (Lake Forest, Ill.) in 17th.

In the RS:X divisions, 2016 Olympian Pedro Pascual is 36th in the men’s division while Dominique Stater is 26th in the women’s.

Racing starts tomorrow at 10:30 am on Biscayne Bay and will run through the Medal Races in all 10 classes on Saturday and Sunday, with a live broadcast available on World Sailing’s YouTube and Facebook channels and also on a Jumbotron in Regatta Park in Coconut Grove during the Hempel World Cup Series Miami Festival.

Photo Credit: Jesus Renedo & Pedro Martinez/Sailing Energy/World Sailing

A light breeze will be present on the opening day of the Hempel World Cup Series Miami providing a test for the 665 sailors from 60 nations

A morning northwest land breeze will turn to a light gradient wind from the west as the day progresses. The wind will turn at around noon, when most of the fleets will be out on the water racing, so postponements may be expected.

From 10:00 to 12:00 local time 6 to 10 knots are forecast before it decreases to 4 knots at 12:00, when the when veers. Although Miami has clear blue skies, the temperature is quite cool and not warm enough for a thermal sea breeze to develop. Once the wind has veered, a breeze in the region of 5-10 knots is forecast and is not predicted to go beyond this speed.

It is quite a change in conditions from the glamorous days the sailors have had in the build-up to the event, but sailors are prepared to expect the unexpected and will be raring to go in any conditions.

Find out how to follow the event below:

ENTRIES / RESULTS / SCHEDULE
Click here to view the entry list in full.

Results will be available when racing starts on Tuesday 29 January – http://sailing.org/worldcup/results/index.php.

WATCH
Daily highlights will be available across the World Sailing Network. Click here to subscribe.

Medal Races on Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 February will be streamed live on World Sailing’s Facebook and YouTube Channel. URLs and embed codes are available below:

Saturday Medal Races – RS:X, Nacra 17, 49er and 49erFX
URL – https://youtu.be/RV7NBYuGefI

Sunday Medal Races – 470, Finn, Laser, Laser Radial
URL – https://youtu.be/1utr_XXzeZY

SAP SAILING ANALYTICS
Live tracking, sailor analytics, live weather data and racing status will be available on the platform here – https://wcs2019-miami.sapsailing.com/.

SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow the event on World Sailing’s social networks and get involved in the conversation using #HWCSMiami
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/worldsailingofficial/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/worldsailingofficial/
Twitter – @worldsailing

PRESS RELEASES
All World Sailing international press releases throughout the duration of the Hempel World Cup Series, including the latest news and reports, are available to read here.

HEMPEL WORLD CUP SERIES
The Hempel World Cup Series is a world-class, annual series of Olympic sailing for elite and professional sailors. Over 2,000 of the World’s leading sailors, representing over 75 nations have competed in the Hempel World Cup Series which offers a definitive guide to the best-of-the-best in the Olympic sailing world.

The 2019 World Cup Series Miami, held out of Coconut Grove from 29 to 3 February, will see nine 2018 champions return to Biscayne Bay determined to defend their titles.

2019 marks the 30th edition of an Olympic sailing regatta in Miami and, with 650 sailors from 60 nations registered to race across ten events, it’s expected to be another strong year of competition.

Of the 2018 Miami gold medallists, Giles Scott (GBR) is the only athlete not competing this year. Across the ten events, there are 34 Olympic medallists racing alongside numerous World and World Cup podium finishers, and the best sailors will be vying for a World Cup medal as the race to Tokyo 2020 continues.

Australia’s Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin will come into Miami as favourites in the Nacra 17 after securing gold at the first round of the Hempel World Cup Series in Enoshima, Japan last September.

Waterhouse and Darmanin overthrew Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti (ITA) in the Medal Race to claim a hard-earned title – but exactly one year ago, the competition was slightly less stressful for the Aussies. Racing on the Biscayne Bay waters in 2018, Waterhouse and Darmanin controlled the fleet all week long and simply needed to finish the Medal Race to secure gold. They did that with ease and are back to defend their title.

Santiago Lange and Cecilia Carranza Saroli (ARG) and Thomas Zajac and Barbara Matz (AUT) joined them on the podium in 2018 and also return this year.

Further contenders in the 31-boat Nacra 17 fleet include Samuel Albrecht and Gabriela Nicolino de Sá (BRA), Iker Martinez and Olga Maslivets (ESP), John Gimson and Anna Burnet (GBR) and Bora Gulari and Louisa Chafee (USA).

Helen Noesmoen, of France, will aim to repeat her winning performance from last January in the 2019 Hempel World Cup Series Miami, which will be held from 29 January through 3 February 2019, racing will be held in all ten of the Olympic events. © Jesus Renedo /Sailing Energy/World Sailing

In 2018, Louis Giard and Helene Noesmoen (right) made it a double French gold in the Men’s and Women’s RS:X windsurfer.

Both will star in their respective fleets again in 2019, but bigger fleets with strength in depth will ensure it won’t be easy for them to retain their title.

Joining Noesmoen in the 44 strong Women’s RS:X fleet will be her compatriot and Rio 2016 Olympic gold medallist Charline Picon, who has been competing again for less than a year after becoming a mother post Rio 2016. Although Picon spent considerable time away from the RS:X, it was almost as if she never left as she finished second at the Hempel Sailing World Championships and seventh on Olympic waters at the Enoshima round of the Hempel World Cup Series.

After a sustained period of training and preparation, Picon will have her eyes set on overthrowing Noesmoen in Miami.

Enoshima World Cup gold medallist Peina Chen will be amongst the Women’s RS:X fleet, as will 2018 World Champion Lilian de Geus (NED) and Olympic medallists Zofia Noceti Klepacka (POL) and Bryony Shaw (GBR).

In the Men’s RS:X, a similar French battle is expected to unfold; one that has been ongoing almost immediately after Rio 2016. Giard has locked horns with compatriot Pierre Le Coq in the World Cup Series over recent years, the pair continuously sharing podiums with minimal separation. Thomas Goyard (FRA) has also been in the hunt as the fight between the French is set to resume in Miami.

The Men’s RS:X fleet will welcome 61 racers, many of whom know what it takes to stake a claim for gold.

Hopefuls for the podium include Mengfan Gao (CHN), Tom Squires (GBR), Byron Kokkalanis (GRE), Shahar Zubari (ISR), Mattia Camboni (ITA), Pawel Tarnowski (POL) and Mateo Sanz Lanz (SUI).

American hopes will be pinned on 2018 Youth World Champion, Geronimo Nores (USA).

Victoria Jurczok and Anika Lorenz (GER) plans to defend their 49erFX championship at the 2019 Hempel World Cup Series Miami will be tested by the return of two-time Miami champions and 2016 gold medalists in the class, Martine Grael and Kahene Kunze of Brazil. The regatta will run from 29 January to 3 February 2013, racing will be held in all ten of the Olympic events. © Jesus Renedo /Sailing Energy/World Sailing

In the 49erFX class, Germany’s Victoria Jurczok and Anika Lorenz won their first World Cup title in Miami last year and, following a mixed bag of results after that, they’ll be hoping to find that winning form once again.

Elsewhere, Rio 2016 gold medallists and 2013 and 2017 World Cup Miami winners Martine Grael and Kahena Kunze (BRA) are fully back into the Tokyo 2020 campaign trail. The pair stepped away from the 49erFX after Rio as Grael focused on a Volvo Ocean Race campaign, but they’re 100% focused on the next Olympic Games.

They showcased their skillset at the opening round of the 2019 Hempel World Cup Series in Enoshima, Japan, claiming gold, and recently won the Miami Skiff Mid-Winter Regatta, so they will be firm favourites this week.

Their long-term training partners and on-water rivals Alex Maloney and Molly Meech (NZL) will also be in the hunt, as will Charlotte Dobson and Saskia Tidey (GBR) and Tanja Frank and Lorena Abicht (AUT).

The final returning champions from 2018 are Dylan Fletcher-Scott and Stu Bithell (GBR). They weathered a late charge from Diego Botin and Iago Lopez Marra (ESP) last year to take gold by a single point. With the Spaniards returning as well, a familiar rivalry will resume.

A fleet of 43 will sail in the 49er, and Croatian brothers Sime and Mihovil Fantela will also be in the hunt after they emerged as serious contenders following victory at the Hempel Sailing World Championships in Aarhus last year.

Germany’s Rio 2016 bronze medallists Erik Heil and Thomas Ploessel, James Peters and Fynn Sterritt (GBR) and Jonas Warrer and Jakob Precht Jensen (DEN) will also fancy their chances of a podium finish.

Returnees in the remaining classes include Tina Mrak and Veronika Macarol (SLO) in the Women’s 470, Luke Patience and Chris Grube (GBR) in the Men’s 470, Alison Young (GBR) in the Laser Radial and Tom Burton (AUS) in the Laser.

Racing is scheduled to commence on Tuesday 29 January and run through to Sunday 3 February.

The world’s leading Olympic sailors, including 34 Olympic medallists, are preparing for the second round of the Hempel World Cup Series in Miami, Florida, USA.

More than 650 sailors from 60 nations are gearing up to race on the waters of Biscayne Bay for the first big event of 2019. Racing is scheduled to commence on Tuesday 29 January and run through two days of Medal Races on Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 February.

The 2020 Olympic venue in Enoshima, Japan was the last big opportunity for the world’s top sailors to test themselves as the battle to Tokyo heats up. After a few months of rest, training and intense preparations, excitement for another busy year of Olympic class sailing is high, starting with the Hempel World Cup Series event in Miami.

Luke Patience and Chris Grube (GBR) dominated the Men’s 470 fleet last year in Miami and make a return to the waters in a bid to defend their title.

Home nation hopes will be pinned on Stu McNay and Dave Hughes (USA). McNay sailed with former crew Graham Biehl one year ago, finishing seventh, but is back in the boat with his regular partner. McNay and Hughes have tasted success on the Miami waters in the past having won gold in both 2016 and 2017. They will be joined by four additional American crews who are all aiming to put the pressure on them in the chase for a spot in Tokyo.

The Men’s 470 fleet will comprise of 37 strong teams. Hempel Sailing World Championships gold medallists Kevin Peponnet and Jeremie Mion (FRA) will join the Brits and Americans as favourites but further strength is evident in the five Japanese teams, Greece’s Panagiotis Mantis and Pavlos Kagialis and Sweden’s Anton Dahlberg and Fredrik Bergström.

In the Women’s 470, 31 crews will fight for supremacy on Biscayne Bay.

Slovenia’s Tina Mrak and Veronika Macarol controlled the pack in 2018 and are back in Miami in a bid to make it two golds in a row. They will face stiff competition from a strong fleet of competitors, including Japan’s Ai Kondo Yoshida and Miho Yoshioka.

The Japanese duo won gold at the Hempel Sailing World Championships in Aarhus, Denmark and finish third on the podium in Miami one year ago. After finishing second at the first 2019 Hempel World Cup Series event in Enoshima, Japan, they’ll be aiming for a similar high-level performance this time.

Afrodite Zegers and Anneloes van Veen (NED) picked up gold in Enoshima ahead of the Japanese and narrowly missed out on a medal in Miami last year. Zegers has a new partner for 2019 – London 2012 bronze medallist and multiple World Champion Lobke Berkhout (NED) – so they will be ones to watch out for during the early days of their partnership.

Rio 2016 gold medallist Hannah Mills, sailing with Eilidh McIntyre (GBR), will also be on the start line, as will the experienced Fernanda Oliveira and Ana Luiza Barbachan (BRA), Camille Lecointre and Aloise Retornaz (FRA) and Poland’s Agnieszka Skrzypulec and Jolanta Ogar.

American hopes will be pinned on two-time Youth Sailing World Champions Carmen and Emma Cowles.

Olympic bronze medalist Caleb Paine (left, with Malcolm Park, Chief of US Sailing Team) will be aiming for another top finish at the 2019 Hempel World Cup Series Miami, held January 29 to February 3, in Regatta Park, Coconut Grove, Florida, USA. © Jesus Renedo /Sailing Energy/World Sailing

The 27-boat Finn fleet will be spearheaded by American favourite and Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medallist Caleb Paine, who snapped up a silver in 2018 as the accomplished Giles Scott (GBR) claimed a well-deserved title.

Paine finished a disappointing 12th at the Hempel Sailing World Championships, missing out on qualifying USA to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. He’ll have another shot at qualifying the nation at the Finn Gold Cup later this year but will be aiming to start off 2019 with another medal.

Scott won’t be in Miami to defend his title, but there is an abundance of top sailing talent who will contend for the podium. Jorge Zarif (BRA) has moved back into the Finn following his success at the Star Sailors League Final in the Bahamas and has a great pedigree racing in Miami. He has two gold medals to his name – in 2016 and 2017 – and will be targeting a third.

Further medal hopefuls in the Finn include Max Salminen (SWE), 2017 Finn Gold Cup winner, London 2012 bronze medallist Jonathan Lobert (FRA), Finland’s Tapio Nirkko and Canada’s Tom Ramshaw.

The leading lights in the Laser Radial will all be in Miami, making for one of the most competitive fights since the Hempel Sailing World Championships.

World Champion Emma Plasschaert (BEL), Rio 2016 Olympic gold medallist Marit Bouwmeester (NED) and returning Miami champion Alison Young (GBR) will all feature in the 68-boat pack.

The trio have raced competitively against each other throughout the Tokyo 2020 quadrennial and, as the clock ticks down to the Olympic Games, they will be looking for opportunities to demonstrate their abilities to perform on the biggest stage.

World Champion Emma Plasschaert of Belgium is one of the favorites in the 68-boat Laser Radial fleet at the 2019 Hempel Sailing World Cup, helped January 29 to February 3, in Regatta Park, Coconut Grove, Fla. © Jesus Renedo /Sailing Energy/World Sailing

Although Plasschaert, Bouwmeester and Young have enjoyed the recent accolades, there are also plenty of stars who have what it takes to reach the top step of the podium.

Anne-Marie Rindom (DEN), Sweden’s Josefin Olsson and Greece’s Vasileia Karachaliou have been consistent performers over the last two years and will be aiming for a medal. Dolores Moreira Fraschini (URU), Sarah Douglas (CAN), Tuula Tenkanen (FIN), Maria Erdi (HUN) and Paige Railey (USA) will also be targeting a top finish.

The Laser will be the largest fleet in Miami with 105 entrants on the start line. Rio 2016 Olympic gold medallist Tom Burton (AUS) dominated the pack in 2018, winning with a day to spare. As of late, he has been locked in an intensive battle with compatriot Matt Wearn as the two fight for the single Tokyo 2020 spot for Australia. The battle will resume in Miami and is expected to be fiercer than ever.

The Laser pack does not feature Rolex World Sailor of the Year and 2017 and 2018 World Champion Pavlos Kontides (CYP) but there are numerous competitors all capable of claiming a medal.

After finishing a lowly 35th last year, Jean Baptiste Bernaz (FRA) will have his 2017 victory in mind as he aims to regain his form this time round. Nick Thompson (GBR) will be another contender; the Brit has secured five medals in Miami, two of those gold, and will be at the front of the pack once again.

Elsewhere, Elliot Hanson (GBR), Philipp Buhl (GER), Rio 2016 bronze medallist Sam Meech (NZL) and Charlie Buckingham (USA) will also be in the mix for a podium spot.

Racing is scheduled to commence on Tuesday 29 January and run through to Sunday 3 February.

For the sailors entered in the 2019 Hempel World Cup Series regatta, the racing starts on Monday, January 28, and ends with Medal Races for each class the following weekend. The racing is mentally and physically taxing, and the stakes are high. For 30 years, Olympic dreams have been made—and crushed—on Biscayne Bay. However, the end of the regatta is defined. For sailors, and others, who care about the future of the marine playing field, the race is ongoing and there is no end in sight.

In recognition of this critical battle, the organizers of the 2019 Hempel World Cup Series are committed to doing their part to reduce the environmental impact of their event while also educating competitors and spectators about what they can both on and off the water to help improve the health of the world’s oceans and inland waterways.

The 2019 Hempel World Cup Series Miami is one of four stops on World Sailing’s World Cup Series tour, the premiere competitive circuit for sailors with aspirations of representing their country at the Tokyo Games in 2020. For 30 years, international sailors from around the globe have made Miami and Biscayne Bay a de facto winter training base, ensuring that the competition at the Hempel World Cup Series Miami is always of the highest level. Many of the sailors competing in the event will be standing on the podium in Tokyo in 18 months’ time.

In Miami, the sustainability initiative will be led by former US Sailing Team member Elizabeth Kratzig, who quarterbacked the award-winning sustainability effort at the 2018 Youth World Sailing Championships in Corpus Christi, Texas, last summer.

“Having been involved in this regatta as a past competitor and coach on and off since 1991, I am excited that the organizers have recognized the large impact that the World Cup Series regatta has on the local community, its resources and its waterways,” says Kratzig, a long-time Miami resident. “We want to make sure we leave Regatta Park and Biscayne Bay in better shape than we found it. We also want to provide to anyone who comes in contact with the regatta the tools to reduce their environmental impact in their day-to-day lives.”

The effort kicked off on Sunday, January 13, as US Sailing Team athletes joined sailors from around the world and other volunteers for the Coconut Grove Coastal Clean-Up. The event was organized by US Sailing in partnership with VolunteerCleanup.Org and was sponsored by World Sailing. Upwards of 100 individuals collected over 850 pounds of trash from the mangroves lining Kennedy Park, Shake-A-Leg and Prime Point Marina. The evening prior to the clean-up, volunteers and members of the general public listened to a moving presentation from ocean advocate and explorer Emily Penn.

Click here for a story and video on the Coastal Cleanup

Kratzig also has some specific goals for the regatta itself, including a drastic reduction in single-use plastics and a Clean Regattas Silver Level certification, as outlined by Sailors for the Sea.

“We have a unique opportunity to use the sport of sailing to promote environmental stewardship and sustainability not only to the competitors, race committee officials, but also to sailing fans and the local Miami community,” says Kratzig. “By following environmentally friendly practices and incorporating an educational component in the regatta festivities, we hope to lead by example and inspire changed behaviors. This year’s event will include a special emphasis on promoting environmental best practices for motorboat operation, including information on using fuel spill pads and tips for reducing fuel consumption. We are also excited about growing the educational zone at the regatta festival. This year, the festival will include interactive displays from Miami Waterkeepers, Women’s Club of Coconut Grove and University of Miami’s Rescue a Reef program, among others.

Looking further down the road, the regatta hopes to establish a robust approach to sustainability at the World Cup Series Miami, sharing best practices and setting standards and targets, reduce the World Cup Series Miami carbon footprint and promote resource efficiency and create lasting legacy programs from this event.

Spectators who come to Regatta Park to watch the Medal Races on Saturday, February 2, and Sunday, February 3, will be enjoy fun and educational activities designed to develop individual awareness of what it takes to maintain a healthy relationship with the environment.

If there was a common thread to the five Medal Races on the final day of the 2018 World Cup Series Miami, USA, it was that the hard work put in earlier in the regatta proved the decisive component in determining the champion.

In three of the five classes, the leader coming into the day was assured or all but assured of the gold medal due to the advantage built up during the full-fleet portion of the regatta.

The leaders in the other two classes had solid, if not invincible, cushions over second place.

Not surprisingly, all five class leaders going into the day stood on the top of the podium at the end of it. But there was plenty of excitement when it came to the remaining podium positions.

© Richard Langdon/Sailing Energy/World Sailing

It was the final race of the day, in the Women’s 470 division, that proved to be the most entertaining. Tina Mrak and Veronkia Macarol (SLO) gave the fleet a hint of hope by rounding the first mark in fourth. But an impressive run, which vaulted them into the lead, all but squashed any hope of another team closing the 13-point gap and taking over first place.

“It was a great week of sailing, particularly on the first few days of racing, we did really well,” said Mrak.

Their biggest challenge this week was sailing downwind in lighter winds.

The real battle then settled on silver and bronze with three teams, Afrodite Zegers and Anneloes Van Veen (NED), Agnieszka Skrzypulec and Irmina Mrózek Gliszczynska (POL) and Ai Kondo Yoshida and Miho Yoshioka (JPN), separated by three points going into the race and a fourth, Amy Seabright and Anna Carpenter (GBR), with an outside chance should two of the three falter.

The race turned at the bottom of the second run when Zegers and Van Veen ran into some equipment issues with their boat, which required Van Veen to come off the trapeze and spend a few minutes inside the boat.

In the breezy conditions, this was fatal as the fleet streaked away from the Dutch team. The Polish and Japanese teams matched each other for the second lap of the race, with Skrzypulec and Mrózek Gliszczynska maintaining the advantage and locking up the silver medal.

“We’ve had a week and it’s been great sharing the podium with our sparring partners. We’ve done our best and we’ve managed to achieve silver so we are blessed,” expressed Gliszczynsk.

With a 10th place in the race, Zegers and Van Veen, the defending champions at this event, dropped from second to fifth. Amy Seabright and Anna Carpenter (GBR) won the Medal Race and jumped to fourth in the overall standings.

The Laser Radial was the most wide-open of the five classes, with nine of 10 sailors starting the Medal Race mathematically alive for a medal.

© Richard Langdon/Sailing Energy/World Sailing

Alison Young (GBR) had a five-point advantage over second place starting the day. But the way that Young closed the regatta—with four wins in five heavy-air races—there didn’t appear to be much chance to unseat her at the head of the class with the Medal Race being sailed in much the same conditions, 16 knots and choppy seas.

Young jumped out to the early lead with an impressive first beat. Mári Érdi (HUN) would slip past on the second beat, but second was more than enough for the Briton to clinch the overall title. Emma Plasschaert (BEL) played solid defense to hold on to the silver while Anne-Marie Rindom (DEN) did the same to claim bronze.

Rindom says she could improve on her hiking, “I’ve been struggling with hiking this week and that’s something I definitely need to improve on.”

With the gold medal locked up courtesy of a 30-point advantage, Tom Burton decided to use the Medal Race to work on his starts. All evidence to the contrary—including two race wins and eighth top-seven finishes in this event—Burton wasn’t quite satisfied with his ability to get off the line.

He’ll need a little more work as he pulled the trigger just a hair early and was called OCS by the race committee. Without anything to gain or lose, Burton was content to follow the fleet around the track, finishing ninth and still winning the class by 17 points.

Separated by just a point going into the race, Nick Thompson (GBR) and Philipp Buhl (GER) were effectively tied going into the race. And Sam Meech (NZL), the bronze medalist from the Rio 2016 Olympics, was lurking just three points back.

It all looked good for Buhl when he rounded the first mark in sixth, with Meech in sixth and Thompson in ninth. But Thompson ground back into contention and it was anyone’s race as the Lasers surfed down the final run, flicking side to side and aggressively working the short, steep chop of Biscayne Bay.

A year and a half ago, with the majestic hills of Rio de Janeiro as a backdrop, Caleb Paine (USA) proved that he’s not afraid of the bright lights, claiming the Finn class bronze medal in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games with a stirring win in the Medal Race. Earlier today, on Biscayne Bay, Paine came up big again, earning the Finn silver medal.

Paine started the Medal Race needing to place one boat between himself and Alican Kaynar (TUR) to move from third to second in the overall standings, while also not letting Ioannis Mitakis finish too far ahead. Giles Scott (GBR), the reigning Olympic Medalist, had simply to finish the race to ensure himself of the gold medal.

Scott shares his secret on his this week, “I think consistency in the top positions is key and that applies to most fleets.

“The trick is just to say steady and easy into it at the start and don’t do anything outstanding during the first couple of races of an event. You just keep plugging away and try and secure the top three results. This was my strategy in Miami.”

Paine put himself in a difficult spot at the start when his plan to attack Kaynar before the start didn’t quite go as planned, forcing both sailors to make an early clearing tack and work the right side of the course while the bulk of the fleet streaked off toward the left.

While the Medal Race is short, there’s still plenty of opportunity to come back from a bad start as the smaller fleet—10 versus 26 boats in the case of Finn—makes it easier to find clean lanes. Paine was patient, working himself past Kaynar on the first beat and then making the decisive move on the final run, slipping past Max Salminen (SWE) and Tapio Nirkko (FIN) to put two boats between himself and Kaynar and claim the silver medal.

© Richard Langdon/Sailing Energy/World Sailing

In the Men’s 470, Luke Patience and Chris Grube (GBR) won gold. The pair lead the fleet majority of the week and triumphant by a 27-point margin ahead of the French, Kevin Peponnet and Jeremie Mion, who took silver.

Peponnet and Mion have only sailed together for six months and they walk away with silver medals, “Overall we are really happy because we’ve only been sailing together for six months and we’ve done so well. Our height and weight is perfect, that’s what us perform better than most in the fleet.” Said Peponnet.

Anton Dahlberg and Fredrik Bergström (SWE) claimed bronze in Men’s 470.

You can watch the final Medal Races here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZcq- EHxZ3M

The third leg of Sailing’s 2018 World Cup Series will be held in Hyères, France, this April.

By Stuart Streuli & Aadil Seedat – World Sailing