Hempel World Cup Series champions were crowned over the weekend and the 470 Men’s pair of Mat Belcher and Will Ryan were among the victors, securing their tenth World Cup gold medal and their third win at Marseille.
SAILING: Hempel World Cup Series champions were crowned over the weekend and the 470 Men’s pair of Mat Belcher and Will Ryan were among the victors, securing their tenth World Cup gold medal and their third win at Marseille.
Across six days of racing, the port city in southern France provided sailors with a mix of conditions; strong, survival sailing contrasted with light and shifty conditions.
The final day was plagued with a light fickle breeze, only deemed suitable for racing at 16:00 local time. By the time the 6-10 knot north-wester came in, the Laser, Laser Radial and Finn Medal Races had been cancelled and the Men’s and Women’s 470 only just completed within the timeframe.
Rio 2016 Olympic silver medallists Belcher and Ryan held a 20-point lead ahead of the Men’s 470 Medal Race and, barring a disqualification, were assured of gold.
The pair stayed out of trouble and came through the finish line in third to confirm gold over the heavy-hitting Spaniards who made a strong start to the regatta but were overcome by the Aussies.
West Australians Nia Jerwood and Monique de Vries finished outside the top ten, 15th on the 470 Women’s scoresheet, but take away valuable lessons.
“We experienced the full range of wind conditions and this was great for us to test our speed and setting against the international fleet,” Jerwood said.
“We are now heading back to Perth for a solid month of training in preparation for the World Championships and Olympic test event in Japan this August.”
In the Finn class, Jake Lilley’s four top three finishes across the Finn’s 10 race series made him the highest-ranked Australian, seventh overall, and Jock Calvert took up the last single-figure place of ninth.
Competitors will enjoy a short period of rest before the READY STEADY TOKYO Olympic Sailing Tes Event in August. The next Hempel World Cup Series kicks off in Enoshima, Japan just days after.
Website http://www.sailing.org/worldcup/regattas/marseille_2019.php
All Medal races are available to watch back via the Hempel World Cup Series Final - Marseille YouTube playlist.
Australian Results from the Sailing World Cup Series Final in Marseille
470 Men’s (29 boats)
1st Mat Belcher and Will Ryan 3, 2, 1,1, 2, 1, 1, 2, 2, (21), 6 = 42 points
470 Women’s (24 boats)
15th Nia Jerwood and Monique de Vries 13, 21, 19, (BFD 25), 16, 5, 12, 6, 14, 10 = 141 points
Finn Men’s (12 Boats)
7th Jake Lilley 3, 8, 9, 2, 9, 1, 2, 9, 8, (13 DNF) = 51 points
9th Jock Calvert 5, 10, (10), 8, 10, 10, 8, 4, 6, 6 = 67 points
