The ISAF World Sailing Rankings for 27 April 2015 have been released.

Top 30 in each Olympic event receive ISAF Sailing World Cup Weymouth and Portland invitations.
ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyères, a 200-point regatta, and Trofeo Princesa Sofia, a 100-point event, ensures plenty of changes.

Women’s RS:X Ranking

Bryony Shaw (GBR) is back at World #1 in the Women’s RS:X after a top ten finish in Hyères. Regatta winner Lilian De Geus (NED) moves up to World #2, a personal best.

Off the back of Hyères and Princesa Sofia, Tuuli Petaja-Siren (FIN), Marta Maggetti (ITA), Bruna Martinelli (BRA) and Yuki Sunaga (JPN) enter the top 30.

Men’s RS:X Ranking

Byron Kokkalanis (GRE) retains World #1 in the Men’s RS:X after a third in Hyères. The Greek racer has finished on the podium at the last four ISAF Sailing World Cup regattas he’s competed in which gives him a lead of nearly 200 points over Max Oberemko (RUS).

France’s Pierre Le Coq claimed gold in Hyères after a high scoring week of Men’s RS:X racing.

Juan Manuel Moreno Vega (MEX), Mariano Reutemann (ARG) and Makoto Tomizawa (JPN) enter the top 30 after Hyères.

The full ISAF World Sailing Ranking lists, results from all ISAF Graded events, lists of Graded events throughout the year, Ranking release dates and the method of calculation for the Rankings can be found on the ISAF website at www.sailing.org/rankings

ISAF

The fan was turned up for the final day at ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyères as an exciting finale played out across two racing areas.

18-20 knots of breeze ensured the regatta concluded with thrills and spills aplenty. Seven races unravelled on the live broadcast area - click here for a full replay or view below - whilst a further three concluded nearby.

Across the ten Olympic disciplines, ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyères medals were awarded, a share of the €72,000 was distributed and ISAF Sailing World Cup Final spots were picked up.

Women’s RS:X

Lilian De Geus (NED) booked her ticket to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and the Abu Dhabi World Cup Final by taking gold in the Women’s RS:X.

The Dutch sailor had a solid advantage heading into the Medal Race and knew a good performance would seal the deal. She put on an outstanding show in the Medal Race and established a commanding lead on the final downwind.

She pulled away to take her first race win of the week, ending 11 points clear of Charline Picon (FRA).

It was a high scoring affair in the Women’s RS:X with ups and downs a plenty.

Picon came through in second in the Medal Race to take silver, a result she was pleasantly surprised with, “If you had said to me three days ago ‘you’ll win silver this week’ I would have said that it was impossible but I’d never give up.

“I never gave up, I tried to fight and I’m happy because I have silver but I’m not happy about my week as I had a lot of bad races.”

Patricia Freitas (BRA) pushed Picon hard in the Medal Race in an attempt to overthrow her but at the penultimate rounding she misjudged the layline which allowed the French sailor to pass. Nonetheless Freitas came through in third, taking bronze.

Top Three
1 - Lilian de Geus (NED) - 90
2 - Charline Picon (FRA) - 101
3 - Patricia Freitas (BRA) - 104

Results RSX Women SWC Hyeres 2015

Men’s RS:X

A competition made up of the world’s most skilled male windsurfers was always going to be a tough challenge for all competitors. Throughout the week there have been many ups and downs with multiple race winners.

France’s Pierre Le Coq started the day knowing that he would take home a medal. The Frenchman entered the Medal Race at the top of the leaderboard with a 15 point lead. An eighth or better would seal the deal and Le Coq finished in seventh to wrap up gold.

Piotr Myszka (POL) was on top form in the big breeze, coming second to take silver whilst a fourth for Byron Kokkalanis (GRE) saw him drop into bronze medal position.

Louis Giard (FRA) revelled in the big breeze and took the Medal Race win. With three race victories, Giard recorded the most out of any racer but was not consistent and ended up eighth overall.

Top Three
1 - Pierre le Coq (FRA) - 74
2 - Piotr Myszka (POL - 81 -
3 - Byron Kokkalanis (GRE) - 83

Results RSX Men SWC Hyeres 2015

Text and photos by ISAF

ISAF have published a combined Notice of Race and Sailing Instructions (NoR/SIs) to cover the remaining regattas on the 2015 ISAF Sailing World Cup series.

The NoR/SIs covers Hyères, Weymouth and Portland and Qingdao as well as the 2015 ISAF Sailing World Cup Final set to be held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates from 27 October to 1 November.

Click here to view the Combined Notice of Race and Sailing Instructions (NoR/SIs).

The combined NoR/SIs will be supported by ‘Round Sailing Instructions’ (RSI) at each event.

Click here to view the Round Sailing Instructions (RSI) for Hyères.

Antonio Gonzalez Madrid, ISAF Sailing World Cup said, “By having a single document for the Notice of Race and Sailing Instructions it removes any duplication and significantly reduces printed material to be produced at each venue.

“The single document ensures consistency at all remaining World Cup events in 2015 including the ISAF Sailing World Cup Final in Abu Dhabi.”

Further documents that govern the ISAF Sailing World Cup including the Equipment Regulations and Support Team Regulations are available on the ISAF Sailing World Cup Online Notice Board - http://www.sailing.org/worldcup/onb.php

Racing at ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyères commences on Wednesday 22 April. Medal Races on Sunday 26 April will bring the regatta to a close.

2015 ISAF Sailing World Cup

Melbourne - 7-14 December 2014
Miami - 25-31 January 2015
Hyères - 20-26 April 2015
Weymouth and Portland - 8-14 June 2015
Qingdao - 14-20 September 2015
2015 Final Abu Dhabi - 27 October to 1 November 2015

Text by ISAF

Palma has given us another year of challenging conditions. We have had a little of everything for racing conditions and the forecasts have been consistently wrong. In the first day of the qualifying series, each fleet was only able to get one race off. The women started off the racing in strong winds that were slowly dropping and increasingly gusty. Several women in both fleets were timed out. The second race for the yellow fleet was abandoned as the wind shut off. The women were sent in as the wind refused to settle and finally died. The men were sent out a few hours later as the breeze started to build. The breeze consistently built throughout the first race, culminating in a 40 knot gust that took out the majority of the men’s yellow fleet. Both fleets completed their races, but only eight men in the yellow fleet were able to finish the race.

The second day the fleets stayed the same as prescribed in the sailing instructions. The men had a long day on the water looking for wind, but eventually got their three races off. For the women, it was a late night. They were sent out at five and came back around seven thirty. The wind was onshore and the race committee was able to do a great job of firing off three races quickly so that we were back on schedule for day three.

The final series started on Wednesday splitting the fleet into gold and silver after never having changed the yellow and blue fleet assignments. We were forecasted to have light wind with some rain and then a new breeze to fill in, but instead we had offshore winds that gave us two more planing races.

Medal Races brought the 46th edition of the Trofeo S.A.R. Princesa Sofia IBEROSTAR to the close on Saturday 4 April.

Kiran Badloe (NED) had been gnawing day after day at the points safety margin that separates him from leader Julien Bontemps (FRA). Today he inflicted the killer blow, winning the medal race and the title on equal points with the World Champion.

” I am very happy with the win. During the week, results were ok but the sailing is not perfect yet. I started poorly a few times. But with my speed and some smart sailing I could recover nicely. You have to realise the Polish and most of the French are not here including Dorian, so a number of tough competitors are missing. I am very happy with the progress we made last winter in New Zealand. Some of it is paying off now!”

1. Kiran Badloe (NED)
2. Julien Bontemps (FRA)
3. Sebastien Fleischer (DEN)

Men’s Results

Female RS:X World Champion, Charline Picon (FRA) is securing yet another event victory and is continuing on her good form. Lilian de Geus (NED) conserves her earlier second place while Eugenie Ricard (FRA) climbs to third overall.

1. Charline Picon (FRA)
2. Lilian De Geus (NED)
3. Eugenie Ricard (FRA)

Women’s Results