Skiffs begin at Allianz Regatta

Medemblik, Netherlands (June 9, 2021) – After the first half of the Hempel World Cup Series – Allianz Regatta completed competition for the ILCA 6, ILCA 7, Men’s and Women’s RS:X and Nacra 17, the second half on June 9-13 hosts the 49er and 49erFX fleets.

Light wind has been mostly prevalent throughout the event and the first day of racing for the 32-boat 49er fleet and 18-boat 49erFX fleet was a tactical affair.

“It was a bit like playing chess on the water,” commented France’s Emile Amoros, who along with his helm, Lucas Rual, were the grandmasters in the 49er fleet as they took a pair of seconds and a race win to grab the early lead.

“It was a really good day,” continued Amoros. “We were fast and it was just a pleasure to get back on the water. The conditions were really tricky.

“There were a lot of tactics out there, but we had three good starts and once you’re out in front, it’s always a bit easier. We were going fast today and I hope we can keep this up.”

The French crew, selected to race for their nation at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, have already opened up a healthy advantage. They lead on five points and are followed by Germany’s Jakob Meggendorfer and Andreas Spranger on 16-points.

The days race wins went to Erwan Fischer and Clément Pequin (FRA) who are fourth overall and Bart Lambriex and Pim van Vugt who are fifth.

Tokyo-bound Annemiek Bekkering and Annette Duetz (NED) put together the perfect performance in the 49erFX, claiming all three race wins.

“It was pretty light and super unstable,” explained Bekkering on the day’s action. “It was never the same up or downwind, which was a lot of fun. We tried to play the shifts, look out for the pressure and it worked quite well.”

“We’re quite happy to sail in a light wind event after so much wind during the winter. We’re doing our final preparations at home, and we have a good fleet, which is nice to prepare for the Games.”

Germany’s Marla Bergmann and Hanna Wille and Great Britain’s Isabelle Fellows and Alice Masterman trail the Dutch pair, tied on 11 points in second and third respectively.

Three days of qualification races are remaining for the 49er and 49erFX fleet as sailors fight for a place in the deciding Medal Races on June 13.

Event information – Race details – Results

The 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 World Cup Series which offers a definitive guide to the best-of-the-best in the Olympic sailing world.

Source: World Sailing, Scuttlebutt

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Sailing Program
Men’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 7
Women’s One Person Dinghy – ILCA 6
Men’s Two Person Dinghy – 470
Women’s Two Person Dinghy – 470
Men’s Skiff – 49er
Women’s Skiff – 49erFx
Men’s One Person Dinghy Heavy – Finn
Men’s Windsurfing – RS:X
Women’s Windsurfing – RS:X
Mixed Multihull – Nacra 17

Original dates: July 24 to August 9, 2020
Revised dates: July 23 to August 8, 2021

Details: https://tokyo2020.org/en/games/schedule/olympic/