Brits pass 49erFX test before Tokyo 2020

Cascais, Portugal (June 11, 2021) – After leading the championship since day one, Charlotte Dobson and Saskia Tidey (GBR) won the 2021 Cascais International Week Act II to solidify their position as a favorite for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Dobson and Tidey, after a less successful first race of the day, regained the breakneck pace having been runner up and a bullet on the last two fleet races. The British also took advantage of the momentum of the two previous races and went on to a win on the Medal Race ending the championship in a big way.

Tamara Echegoyen and Paula Barceló maintained the second position they had occupied since the beginning of the event. The Norwegian pair of Helene Naess and Marie Ronningen closed the podium in third.

With three fleet regattas and a Medal Race completed today, the Olympic sailors were able to sail in different conditions in a single day. The first race, which was completed on the Guia Race area, with stronger wind conditions, at around 18 knots and with a wave of about one meter and a half. The second and third races of the day, in Cascais Bay, had more moderate winds around 15 knots and with some shifts. It was also within Cascais Bay that the ten best competitors attended the medal race.

Americans Steph Roble and Maggie Shea finished 5th overall. “This was our last event before the Olympics,” noted the US duo. “We had a variety of tough conditions to prepare us for Japan with almost the whole Olympic fleet on the course. Overall we are really proud of how we raced the event, especially the second half, posting all top 7 scores in 8 of 12 races. Our second place finish in the medal race was the highlight of the week because we were tucked in Cascais harbor with tricky offshore & puffy conditions and tight racing on a 15 min short course.”

In total, 5 continents were represented – North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Oceania – with 19 nationalities competing. The championship had 12 races scheduled plus a Medal Race that will count double points for the final overall.

Racing was to be held June 7-12 but concluded on June 11 due to light winds forecast for final day.

Results: https://www.cncascais.com/index.php?option=com_rib&view=item&id=1268&catid=2&Itemid=157&lang=en#results