Wind- & Kitesurfing

Not much more luck with the wind on Day 4 of the PWA Slalom World Cup Final in Hyères FRA yesterday, where a vent d’est teased but never filled in sufficiently to allow racing to commence. Today, with Sailing News editor Beat Stegmeier on site, the action will return as he made sure to pack some Mistral in his carry on, which will delight the ladies. The suspense for the titles is however reduced at this first-ever all–women’s PWA event, as current leader, Valerie Arrighetti FRA, is expected to win her second event of the year and Karin Jaggi SUI is set to pick up the 2010 world title. Details on the event site.

The famous windsurf beach of Almanarre in Hyères FRA is the site of the fourth and last event in the women's PWA Slalom World Cup. Alas thus far only three heats were sailed on opening day (Sat.) due to lack of wind. Ahead with three bullets is Valérie Ghibaudo-Arrighetti FRA, followed by Karin Jaggi SUI, who leads the World Cup overall standings. She need s a second here to ice another title. Details on the PWA tour site, including videos and an interview with Jaggi in the daily report. Forecast promises Mistral for tomorrow.

A rollercoaster ride in moderate to light conditions rattled the standings at both medal races for the RS:X World Championship in Kerteminde DEN. There were dramatic position changes in both fleets with the final podium positions fluctuating by the minute as each race progressed. A new challenge for the surfers was posed by the weeds that washed into the ocean during a torrential downpour on Friday. In the men’s fleet, Piotr Myszka POL had to come back from dead last to win the medal race and beat out his compatriot Przemyslaw Miarczynski. Third place for Nimrod Mashiah ISR. It’s Poland ’s first World Championship in the RS:X, although Miarczynski won in the Mistral class in 2003. The silver fleet was won by Ben Barger USA. Equally exciting was the women’s medal race, where Blanca Manchon ESP won the medal race and pipped 40-year old Alessandra Sensini ITA in the post, who finished sixth thus losing her bid for a fourth world title by a mere point. In third Charline Pichon FRA, winning the tiebreaker over Bryony Shaw GBR for bronze. Winner of the ladies silver fleet was Kate Ellingham NZL, by a half point over Tuuli Petaja FIN. Farrah Hall USA finished 26th. The report, the final results and the YouTube channel.

A more stable breeze between 10 and 18 knots has shuffled the standings in favor of the specialists for breezier conditions. After the two races in the men’s gold fleet finals at the RS:X Worlds in Kerteminde DEN, Dorian van Rijsselberge NED (23) maintains a two-point lead over Piotr Myszka POL (25) who in turn has a two-point advantage over Nimrod Mashiah ISR (27). In the first race van Rijsselberge came back from 43rd to finish 12th and followed up with a bullet in the next contest, his fourth of the event. The silver fleet is led by Albert Lopes de Carvalho BRA, Ben Barger USA) is in fifth after getting a bullet in the day’s second race. Robert Willis is in 22nd. In the women’s event, 40-year-old Alessandra Sensini ITA (23) is enjoying another renaissance here after a 3-1 day and holds a four-point lead over Lee-el Korzits ISR (27) and Blanca Manchon ESP (31), who all took advantage of the previous frontrunners’ Maja Dziarnowska POL, Charline Picon, FRA or Sasa Sun CHN scoring high yesterday. Kate Ellingham NZL leads the silver fleet where Farrah Hall USA is 26th. The report and all results, plus the tracking page.

No sailing at the RS:X World Championships in Kerteminde on layday, but behind the scenes the talk was about securing the future of the class in prepatration for the annual meeting. the talk was about finding a qualified organizer for the 2012 Worlds and the new Danish system to bring the racing to the masses, called ‘Sailstream – You Are the Producer’. It combines the TracTrac tracking system with several channels of video, including one with commentary on the racing streamed live from the water via wireless broadband network.
Of greater concern is the ISAF Olympic Commission and the requirements to keep sailing Olympic, byond keeping the RS:X as the s]windsurfing equipment. This includes a professionally managed class Web site and social media. Another objective is increasing more female competitors to a share of at least 40 percent or even half of the total RS:X fleet and getting boards to ISAF Member National Authorities in as many countries as possible to spread the class globally. Read on.
Racing in the gold and silver fleets is due to get underway today at 1100 local (0900 GMT). 8-10 knots from the ENE is forecast. Dorian Van Rjisselberge NED and Maja Dziarnowska POL are the current overall leaders. The standings and the event site.

With six races now sailed and the discard coming into play, Dorian van Rijsselberge NED (10) launched himself into the lead, with the final two qualification series races held off Kerteminde DEN. Van Rijsselberge, 22, dropped his black flag disqualification from race one and with an impressive three firsts is now five points ahead of Piotr Myszka POL and Beijing Gold medalist Tom Ashley NZL. Ben Barger USA and Robert Willis USA are 69th and 76th, respectively.
Two more races also in the women’s division with Maja Dziarnowska POL taking the lead after the Chinese faded a little. In second, one point behind, Charline Picon FRA followed by Sun Sasa CHN (18) and Li Ling CHN (18) A renaissance of sorts for four-time Olympic windsurfing medalist Alessandra Sensini ITA (19) in fifth and elder stateswoman Jessica Crisp AUS (19), who posted a 3-2 for seventh overall . Farrah Hall USA is 58th. With the qualification series complete, tomorrow is a lay day before racing resumes on Thursday and Friday with the fleet divided into gold and silver fleets prior to the top 10 show down in Saturday’s medal races. All results, the video and the tracking page.

Perfect conditions on Day 2 brought a 20 kn breeze for the Olympic RS:X windsurfers who sail their 2010 World Championship in Kerteminde DEN. The men had 2 heats, while the women sailed three to make up for lost time on Sunday.
The Chinese women hadn't shown flag a lot at this year's World Cup events, but here they do. Li Ling CHN and Sun Sasa CHN have established themselves at the top of the standings as if they mean business. Lee Korzits ISR and surf-legend Alessandra Sensini ITA follow in third and fourth. Some of the top sailors of the aging 2010 season are further back: Charline Picon FRA, tis only 11th, Marina Alabau ESP 13th, Bryony Shaw GBR 14th and Blanca Manchon ESP 15th.Farrah Hall USA is in 55th.
The Olympic Champion Tom Ashley NZL continues to lead the men's fleet from the day's winner and fellow Kiwi Jon-Paul Tobin NZL, who's tied with Byron Kokalanis GRE and Przemyslaw Miarczyinski POL. Ben Barger and Robert Willis USA are in 68th and 72nd, respectively.
The results and the report. All races can be viewed with GPS-tracking . During the day, some videos might become available on Youtube.

Today theRS:X World championships start in Kerteminde on the Danish Island of Fyn with 119 men from 42 copuntrues and 76 women from 28 nations. With only a handful of elite sailors dominating the class, wind conditions will be a decisive factor in the outcome. The forecast talks about two windy days initially but rather mellow condiitons later on, which could favor Shahar Zubari ISR. The US will be represented by former Olympian Ben Barger and Robert Willis, who both are long shots for a top finish here. The woman to beat here will be Blanca Manchon ESP, who had a very good year with consistent top results, unlike Farrah Hall, the lone US competitor. Watch the action via GPS tracking . The event site.

Light and shifty winds on Day 5 of the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore led to two m ore races. The two-day break obviously benefited top favorite Darren Choi SIN (38 pts.) who is riding his consistency to the top of the Byte CII Boys without having won a race yet. In second, Ian Barrows ISV (42), closely followed by Florian Haufe GER (43). In the Byte CII Girls, Lara Vadlau AUT (18) continues her dominant performance after a 3-4 day. She leads Constanze Stolz GER by 12 and Celine Carlsen DEN (38) by 20 points. Equally dominating is Rafic Mayan ISR (12) in the Tecno 293 Boys windsurfers, after two bullets yesterday for an eight-point lead over Michael Cheng HKG (20) who is trailed by Martin Kieran GBR (21). Ian Stokes USA (112) is 18th. With three bullets in the last three races in the Tecno 293 Girl windsurfers Siripon Kaewduang-Ngam THA (16) looks like the new champion as she has an 11-point cushion over Naomi Cohen ISR (27) and Audrey Yong SIN (28). Margot Samson USA (102) is 16th. The report.

Under the watchful eyes of IOC President Jacques Rogge, a former Finn sailor, new leaders in the Boys Byte Cll and the Girls Techno 293 windsurfing classes have emerged after Day 3 of the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore, which was raced in moderate winds but strong currents. With the completion of five races one discard is now in play. Kaarle Tapper FIN (25 pts.) now leads the Byte CII Boys, followed by Florian Haufe GER (27) and event favorite Darren Chong SIN (31) while previous leader Just Van Aanholt AHO dropped to fourth. No such antics in the Byte CII Girls where Lara Vadlau AUT (10) had a 1-3 day to extend her lead to 11 points over Constanze Stolz GER and Celine Carlsen DEN (both on 21)
In the Tecno 293 Boys Mayan Rafic ISR (10) leads the boys after a 2-4 day, followed by Michael Cheng HKG (13) who won the final race of the day with a dramatic surge at the finish and Martin Kieran GBR (15) who had a bullet in Race 5. Ian Stokes USA (80) is 17th. In the Tecno 293 Girls Siripon Kaewduang-Ngam THA (14) got her third bullet of the series to take the lead from Audrey Pei Lin Yong SIN (15), who lost ground after dropping her sail twice in race five and previous leader Naomi Cohen ISR (17) who had an OCS in Race 6. Margot Samson USA (72) is 16th. The Saturday forecast is for similar conditions. The report and thewww.sailing.org/yog/media.php ]gallery[/url].

Layday in Singapore at the Youth Olympic Games. Just van Aanholt (14 pts.) AHO leads the Byte CII Boys, Lara Vadlau AUT (16) is ahead in the Byte CII Girls. No US sailors competing. In the Tecno 293 Boys Rafic Mayan ISR (9) is the front runner and Naomi Cohen ISR (11) holds the top spot in the Tecno 293 Girls. The two US competitors, Ian Stokes and Margot Samson, are 18th and 16th, respectively. Theevent site.

Stormy clouds blew in from the west late in the morning, prompting a category one storm warning to be raised and forcing race officials to postpone the races for a couple of hours. Racing finally got underway at around 15.00 hrs local time in a light five-knot breeze and slowly strengthening current. In the Byte CII Boys Just van Aanholt (14 pts.) AHO defended the lead on that shifty tricky day against Goncalo Pires POR (28) and Harald Faeste NOR (31). In the Byte CII Girls Lara Vadlau AUT (16) had a ninth and another bullet for a seven-point lead over Constanze Stolz GER (23) and Celine Carlsen DEN (30). The Tecno 293 Boys class has a new leader with Rafic Mayan ISR (9) who had a stellar day with 2-1. In second and third are Kieran Martin GBR and Chun Cheng HKG both on 14 points. Ian Stokes USA (69) improved to 18th. In the Tecno 293 Girls, things cleared up a bit with Naomi Cohen ISR (11) building a six-point cushion over Audrey Yong SIN and Valentina Sergios ARG both on 17 points. Margot Samson USA (62) remains in 16th. The report.

The ISAF World Sailing Rankings for 18 August 2010 have been released. Most top-five rankings for Great Britain (6 events), France (5), USA and Spain (4). However Spain now is tops in the overall nations score. There are new leaders in the 470 Men, 49er, RS:X Men. The classes:
Finn: Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic CRO, 3rd Zach Railey USA; Laser Radial: Evi Van Acker BEL, 3rd Paige Railey USA; Laser Standard: Paul Goodison GBR, 14th Clay Johnson USA; 470 Men: Belcher/Page AUS, 7th McNay/Biehl USA; 470 Women: Petitjean/Douroux FRA, 8th Clark/Chin USA; 49er: Dyen/Christidis FRA, 18th Storck/Moore USA; Star: Scheidt/Prada BRA, 4th Mendelblatt/von Schwartz USA; Womens Match Race: Lucy MacGregor GBR, 3rd Anna Tunnicliffe USA; RS:X Men: Ivan Pastor Lafuente ESP, 29th Ben Barger USA; RS:X Women: Bryony Shaw GBR, 36th Farrah Hall USA.
The next release of the ISAF World Sailing Rankings will be on 22 September 2010 up to and including the Finn Gold Cup in the USA, Laser World Standard Senior Championships in Great Britain and the RS:X World Championships in Denmark. Visit the ISAF World Sailing Rankings homepage to view the full Ranking lists.

Today racing was to begin at the Youth Olympics in Singapore with two US windsurfers, Margot Samson and Ian Stokes, competing. Light air that has forced Monday's practice race to be canceled, still prevailed in the morning. For live updates, check the Twitter feed on the event Web site. The report

After Sail for Gold in Weymouth last week,which was the seventh and last event of the 2009-2010 World Cup circuit, the overall winners in all classes were tallied with the US team failing to win any class, but coming away with three medals. In the Men's 470 Mathew Belcher/Malcom Page AUS won Gold with Leboucher/Garos FRA and Dahlberg/Östling SWE filling the other podium spots. Delle-Karth/Resch AUT won the 49ers ahead of Dyen/Christidis FRA und Norregaard/Lang DEN. Ed Wright GBR is the overall champ in the Finns follwoed by Jonathan Lobert FRA and Rafael Trujillo ESP. Javier Hernandez ESP closed the deal in the Laser Standard early but Nick Thompson GBR and Michael Leigh CAN used their top results in Weymouth to jump onto the podium. In the Star Melleby/Pedersen NOR wrapped up their successful title bid in Kiel and didn't sail in Weymouth, where Horton/Lyne USA and Florent/Rambeau FRA secured rank 2 and 3, respectively. In the RS:X-Men Julien Bontemps FRA edged Nimrod Masich ISR and Ivan Pastor ESP for Gold.
Former Swiss Olympia sailor Emmanuelle Rol SUI/FRA now sailing for France with her aptly named crew, Hélène Defrance finished second behind Ingrid Petitjean/Nadège Douroux FRA in the 470-Women, where Koch/Sommer DEN took third. No changes in the tol three in the Laser Radial with Marit Bouwmeester NED taking Gold ahead of Veronika Fenclova CZE and Paige Railey USA. Blanca Manchon ESP, Bryony Shaw GBR und Laura Linares ITA were the top sailors in the RS:X-Women. Winning the Women's Match Race was Claire Leroy FRA who took second in Weymouth to dethrone the lone US hope for overall Gold, Anna Tunnicliffe USA who had to settle for second, ahead of Lucy MacGregor GBR. The World Cup site with all the rankings.

The Meltemi returned today but failed to blow with full force playing havoc with the competitors and crew. Race director, Juan Antonio Aragon and his team made every effort to get a fifth and final elimination completed, and very nearly managed the first round, but there were just too many lulls over the course causing it to grind to a halt early in the evening. This makes afor a record fourth day without sailing. With the results the same as day two, former world champion Micah Buzianis USA claimed his first event victory of the season ahead of 2009 World Champion Antoine Albeau FRA and 2009 vice world champion, Finian Maynard ISV. In the women’s fleet, 2009 world champion, Valerie Arrighetti FRA took her first event of 2010 ahead of former world champion, Karin Jaggi SUI, and Sarah Hebert FRA. More on the tour Web site.

The qualifiers for the medal races were concluded yesterday with two ore races in 10-15 knots of breeze. In Women’s Match Racing the finals will be Nicky Souter AUS vs. Claire Leroy FRA while Anna Tunnicliffe USA and Renée Groenveld NED sail for Bronze. There’s also a duel for gold in the Men’s 470, where Leboucher/Garros FRA lead Belcher/Page AUS by two points. Patience/Bithell GBR look safe for Bronze. Kondo/Tabata JPN have an 11-point lead in the Women’s 470 over Maxwell/ Kinsolving USA, who can challenge for Gold, but also have to watch their backs. In third are Petitjean/Douroux FRA, who are closely followed by Pacheco/Betanzos ESP and Clark/Hughes GBR. As the event wears on, Outteridge/Jensen AUS have whittled down the competition and now lead the 49ers by 12 points from Dyen/Christidis FRTA. Giles Scott GBR leads the Finns by a fat 16-point margin over Ben Ainslie GBR who is followed by five others who are only seven points apart. In the tough Star fleet the podium will be decided between Lööf/Tillander SWE, O'Leary/Kleen IRL and Kusznierewicz/Zycki POL. In the RS:X men Julien Bontemps FRA closed the gap to Nick Dempsey GBR with Dorian Van Rijsselberge NED another point back. Blanca Mancon ESP has a six-point lead in the RS:X women over Charline Picon FRA with Laura Linares ITA and Bryony Shaw GBR also in the medal mix.
All medals were decided in the Paralympic classes: In the Skud 18 Daniel Fitzgibbon/Rachael Cox won Gold with seven first places and two seconds. In second Alexandra Rickham/Niki Birrell GBR. In the Sonars, Udo Hessels/Marcel van de Veen/Mischa Rossen held off the hard charging team of John Robertson, GBR and Dror Cohen ISR. The 2.4mR class was a weeklong duel of Thierry Schmitter NED and Damien Seguin FRA with Gold going to the Frenchman. Beijing Gold medalist Paul Tingley CAN fell just short of the podium in fourth.
All results, the report and the video.

Again a very inconstant 10-15 kn breeze and a strong current and therefore very difficult to sail on the first day of the final races in Gold, Silver and Bronze Fleets. Today, the qualifications for the Medal Race of Saturday are at stake. New leaders did emerge in the 470 men, where Belcher/Page AUS passed Leboucher/Garros FRA and have a one point's lead. New also the first in the 470 women with Pacheco/Betanzos ESP now ahead of Kondo/Tabata JPN, and finally, Giles Scott GBR has replaced Jonathan Lobert FRA on top of the Finns. In the other classes, the leaders had no problems: O'Leary/Kleen IRL extended their lead in the Starboats to 10 pts, Dyen/Christidis FRA are still ahead of Outteridge/Jensen AUS in the 49ers, Blanca Manchon ESP and Nick Dempsey GBR remain on top of the RS:X-Surfers. The Women's Matchrace enters the crucial phase with the quarter-finals, where Katie Spithill AUS and Anna Kjellberg SWE complete the set after the repechage. All results, the daily report and the video of the day.

With a similar forecast to the previous day, there was little hope of the Meltemi returning with enough force to allow the competitors to head out into Alacati’s bay and recommence racing. Micah Buzianis USA in the men’s division and Valerie Arrighetti FRA in the women’s have had the lead since they last raced three days ago. Those sailors that did leave the comfort of their air-conditioned rooms were met with soaring temperatures and a gentle southerly breeze to cool them down. After two days of this, it is time for some racing before this event turns into a keg fest. The tour site with all the details and an interview with Swiss tour leader Karin Jaggi.

Alacati’s bay delivered a gentle southerly breeze today (the opposite to the Meltemi direction), which failed to swing round and build with any degree of strength. This left the PWA racers idle for the day and former world champion, Micah Buzianis USA at the front of the men’s fleet, and 2009 world champion, Valerie Arrighetti FRA leading the women. The tour Web site .

It was forecast to be Big Tuesday a couple of days ago with 15-20 knots and gusting 25 - and so it was, with 49ers, Stars and Finns all sent back to the harbor early, and the SKUD-18’s not racing at all. It was the French had standout performances in three classes. Probably the most remarkable, given the conditions, were the two bullets that Dyen/Christidis added to their three second places to lead the 49ers by seven points from Burling/Tuke NZL. In the 470 Men Leboucher/Garos FRA also scored double bullets today, and added them to a first and third to lead World Champions Belcher/Page AUS by eight points. Jonathan Lobert FRA in the Finns, took second in the only race and now has a 17-point lead over Pieter-Jan Postma NED and Ivan Kljakovic-Gaspic CRO. Ben Ainslie GBR was 12th today and now lies sixth overall. In the Laser Radial front-runners Marit Bouwmeester NED and Veronika Fenclova CZE remained solid. Bouwmeester who had another first now leads Fenclova by four points. In the Stars Rohart/Ponsot FRA won yesterday but Pepper/Monk NZL lead Polgar/Koy GER overall.
Class leaders: 470 Women (4 races): Kondon/Tabata JPN (21 pts.);470 Men (4 races):Leboucher/Garos FRA (6); 49er (5 races Yellow, 3 Blue):Dyen/Christidis FRA (8); Finn (3 races):Lobert FRA (5); Laser Standard (4 races): Goodison GBR (12); Laser Radial (4 races): Bouwmeester NED (11); RS:X Men (4 races): Van Rijsselberge NED (10); RS:X Women (4 races): Manchon ESP (13); Star (3 races): Pepper/Monk NZL (11) Women’s Match Racing: Leroy FRA 7-0; 2.4mR (4 races): Damien FRA (6); Skud-18 (2 races): Rickham/Birrell GBR (3); Sonar Results (4 races): Hessels NED (7). The report, the video and the results.

On the second day of racing at the PWA World Cup in Alacati TUR the wind built around midday to allow two races for both the men’s and women’s fleets. Over the course of the day the wind varied between ten and twenty knots causing the sailors to swap gear on a constant heat by heat basis. On the men’s side, Micah Buzianis USA remains in control, holing off challenges by Antoine Albeau FRA and Finian Maynard IRL. In the women’s bracket Valerie Arighetti FRA clings to her lead, but Sarah Quita Offringa AHO won a race while tour leader Karin Jaggi SUI, now 3rd, is closing in on the overall lead. The tour Web site with all the details and galleries.

The World Cup Final began yesterday off Weymouth with a moderate and very shifty breeze, but in spite of the diffcult conditions, clear leaders did emerge in most of the classes already. Hamish Pepper/Craig Monk NZL, rather discrete during the past season, started the event with two bullets in the Starboats, followed by Florent/Rambeau FRA (2/3) and Polgar/Koy GBR. With the day ranks 1 and 2, Andrew Murdoch NZL is leading the 180 Lasers together with Marc De Haas NED and the Olympic Champion Paul Goodison GBR. Jonathan Lobert FRA (1/2) is on top of the Finns with a solid advantage on Thomas Le Breton FRA and Ivan Klijakovic-Gaspic CRO. The comeback man Ben Ainslie GBR is on the 4th place. Confirming her reputation, Blanca Manchon ESP is in control of the RS:X womon (3/1) followed by Charline Picon FRA and Flavia Tartaglini ITA. With a series of top finishes (2/2/2), Dyen/Christidis FRA are leading the show in the 49ers ahead of Outteridge/Jensen AUS and Draper/Greenalgh GBR. Dominance also in the Lasers Radial,J where Marit Bouwmeester NED and Veronika Fenklova CZE finished the races of their groups with two bullets. Sophie de Turckheim FRA is on the 3rd rank. Tied also the leaders LeBoucher/Garros FRA and Asher/Willis GBR in the 470 men, followed by Patience/Bithill GBR 3rd. More open however the rankings in the 47 women, where Lecointre/Geron FRA (3/5) are the leaders in front of Kondo/Tabata JPN and Emmanuelle Rol/Hélène Defrance FRA (1/14). In the RS:X-male windsurfers, only one of the two groups could sail two races. Joao Rodrigues POR is first after 2 heats. Shahar Zubari ISR is the winner of the unique race of the other group. The event-website - slow and overloaded, without report and showing a video of the past year,... unworthy of an Olymic venue organisation.

On the first day of competition in Alacati TUR 64 men and 21 women were on hand for the opening day of the PWA Slalom World Cup. Following the first race for the men a new elimination was scheduled, with the top 20 sailors automatically seeded through. Former world champion, Micah Buzianis USA is in the lead, followed by World Champion Antoine Albeau FRA. In the women’s bracket, 2009 World Champion Valerie Arrighetti FRA took the lead, followed by Sarah Hebert and Fanny Aubet FRA. Karin Jaggi SUI, the tour leader is in 4th. More on the tour Web site.

Techno 293 U.S. National Championship crowned new champions after three days of ideal conditions at Vineyard Haven Yacht Club. Thirty-four competitors traveled from as far as Mexico, USVI, Canada, California, and Florida to compete in Under 19, U17, U15, and U13 age groups. Jean Sebastian Fugere CAN excelled in winds over 20 knots, and won the U17 class and the overall title. Local Rasmus Sayre USA won the U15 title and took second overall. Olin Davis USVI won the U19 class and placed fifth overall. Maximo Nores USA is the Under 13 champion, while Ry Brodsky USA took the Silver Fleet in a series of figure eight reaching courses. Perhaps the highlight for the Gold Fleet was the six-gate downwind slalom races held with gusts over 20. The full results.

The Olympia venue of 2012 at Weymouth GBR is the stage for then final and largest ISAF 2010 Sailing World Cup. Most sailors just want to get a feel for what it’s like here, but the top teams in each class are battling for the overall World Cup win. Except for the Star boats (Melleby/Pedersen NOR) and the Laser Standards (Xavier Hernandez ESP) all winners will have to be determined at. All World Cup standings. Conditions are forecast to be moderate initially with 10-15 knots, increasing to 25 later in the week. With nearly 50 sailors, the US will have a huge contingent in Weymouth. A preview and the participants in all classes.

On the tenth and final day of competition at Sotavento, a strong breeze with the occasional piece of swell rolling in created perfect conditions for the world’s best freestylers. At the end three-time World Champion Jose Estredo VEN stood on top of the podium, which meant he wrapped up his quest for a fourth title with one event to spare. He had welcome help fro Tonky Frans AHO, who eliminated his twin brother Taty from competition to become king maker for Estredo. Taty was the only one with a mathematical chance to catch the Venezuelan. Tonky also got the better of Kiri Thode AHO before falling to the sensational Steven Van Broeckhoven BEL, who put up a gallant fight against Estredo in the finals, losing through a 3-2 split decision by the judges. The final results: 1st Jose “Gollito’ Estredo VEN (2.7pts), 2nd Kiri Thode AHO (4.7), 3rd Steven Van Broeckhoven (BEL) (7), 4th Tonky Frans AHO (7), 5th Taty Frans AHO (8). Details on the tour Web site.

PWA Sotavento, Fuerteventura Grand Slam 2010 Day 9 belonged to Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo VEN, the three-time World Champion, as he claimed the second single elimination in Sotavento. An early morning breeze quickly accelerated to hit the sailors at full force. With 27 to 35 knots and the occasional stronger gust, most of the competitors were seen frantically rigging their smallest sails. Following a defeat yesterday in the first double elimination, Estredo, the current tour leader, took down Steven Van Broeckhoven BEL for the win. In third of the second single-elimination Kiri Thode AHO followed by Taty Frans AHO. The overall lead belongs to Thode, in second Estredo, followed by Taty and Tonky Frans. Details on the tour Web site.

The Techno 293 World Championships with Youth and Masters Worlds attracted 360 sailors from 30 different countries. The very variable wind on the waters of Martigues FRA (15 to 23 knots) favored the best tactical sailors, and the lighter riders. The titles went to Gael Cousin FRA in the 158-board 7.8 boys fleet (Ian Stokes USA 62nd , Jack Lundquist USA 146th) and Andrey Zagaynov RUS in the boys’ 6.8 fleet. In the girls' 7.8 racing was tight with five different winners in five races and Naomi Cohen ISR taking the title. Marion Lepert USA finished 10th and Margot Samson USA in 48th. Marta Maggetti ITA posted a perfect score in the girls' 6.8 with Charlotte Samson USA 33rd. Alexandre Navarro FRA won the Open. Class while Partrik Pollak SVK was ahead in the Raceboard Masters with a perfect score and Thomas Goyard FRA won the Raceboard Junior’s class. The report and all results

On the eighth day of competition in the freestyle double elimination contest culminated in the duel of the top two surfers in the last World Championships. With plenty of wind the first round was completed, often in gusts of over 40 knots, and it was vice champion Kiri Thode AHO who took down titleholder Jose Estredo VEN to win the first double elimination. Competition will continue today. In third is Taty Frans AHO. Details on the event Web site.

With plenty of wind from first light, competition started on schedule in Sotavento, with the qualifiers from Thursday taking on some of the world’s best freestylers and tour regulars were seeded through to the second round. The wind remained consistent enough throughout the day to allow the elite surfers to flip, spin, and trick their way to the end of the first single elimination. Both the competitors and head judge wanted to begin the double, but late in the afternoon the conditions became too gusty resulting in the sailors being released to battle it out another day. Leading is World Champion Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo VEN, followed by Kiri Thode AHO and Tonky Frans AHO. Details on the tour website.

On the opening day of freestyle competition a handful of youngsters challenged the well-established tour regulars once the breeze gathered enough strength for the first single elimination round. In light of a favorable forecast, further racing was postponed until today. Fifteen-year old Youp Schmit AHO, eliminated Dai Nagamine, Daivis Paternina Teran VEN beat, Max Rowe GBR in a split 2-1 decision before Maarten Van Ochten NED pulled the big upset by sweeping aside the 2009 Pozo wave champion, Philip Koester GER. Andy Chambers GBR prevailed against fellow Brit Adam Sims. The event and the tour Web sites.

The fifth and final day of slalom competition started off with a long postponement before the final eight were sent out for the final race. Top favorite Antoine Albeau FRA had a good point lead over Finian Maynard BVI, who had to win the heat while Albeau had to finish near the bottom. Maynard pushed hard right at the start, but milliseconds later the horn went again, signaling a recall for the final eight. Unfortunately for Maynard, he’d put himself out of the race, and inadvertently handed the crown to Albeau who secured his fifth consecutive win here that also coincided with the 25th anniversary of the Fuerteventura World Cup. The final was won by Bjorn Dunkerbeck SUI who took third overall behind Maynard. Kevin Pritchard USA finished fifth overall, Micah Buzianis USA took seventh. More on the Web site.

After a long postponement at the PWA Grand Slam in Fuerteventura, the trade winds did kick in at 14 – 20 knots. In the day’s finals, former world speed record holder Finian Maynard BVI, Micah Buzianis USA and Bjoern Dunkerbeck SUI battled for the win. In the end, Maynard managed to fend off the hard-charging Dunkerbeck for his first win of the season. Top favorite Antoine Albeau FRA, crashed in his quarterfinal heat and failed to qualify. After nine races Albeau still leads, but with Maynard in second and Dunkerbeck in third closing the points gap somewhat. Kevin Pritchard USA remains in fifth while Micah Buzianis is eighth. More on the event Web site.

Man of the day yesterday was Björn Dunkerbeck, with a 2 and 1, advancing to fourth overall, while Antoine Albeau FRA remains on top followed by Fininan Maynard ISV. Kevin Pritchard USA moved up to fifth, Micah Buzianis USA is 8th. Get the details on the PWA-Website.

The Windsurfing National & Formula North American Championships that were raced last week on San Francisco Bay were a long and exhausting affair in the typical Bay blow with cold, often-choppy waters and the ubiquitous fog. And the guests from Brazil didn't seem to mind. Paolo dos Reis BRA (12) did a number on the 48-board fleet, never finishing lower than second in 11 races and wrapped up the title with one heat to spare. In second Phil McGain AUS (13) followed by Wilhelm Schurmann BRA (22) who won the slalom. Ben Grodner topped the juniors while McGain, who also won the Grand Masters Subdivision finished second in the slalom and first overall. See all results and read up on the minutiae on Waterhound.

Holding back in the qualifiers on Saturday, Antoine Albeau FRA demonstrated yesterday his skills as king of the PWA-Slalom events. With three bullets, he took over the lead from Cyrill Moussilmani FRA . In third is Finian Maynard BVI Keevin Pritchard USA droped to seventh. All other details on the PWA-website, including the videos of the second day.

The usual trade winds blowing with 30 knots allowed for three slalom heats on Fuerteventura on the opening day of the PWA-Grand Slam. Cyril Moussilamni FRA holds the first place ahead of the World Champion Antoine Albeau FRA and Kevin Pritchard USA. Björn Dunkerbeck starting for Switzerland is in 5th among the 60 participants from 21 nations. In addition to the slalom races, a wave contest is on the program of this men-only event. All details on the PWA-website.

Shahar Zubari ISR was not to be denied in the medal race of the RS:X Europeans after dominating the races all week long. Second overall, after winning the medal race, went to Byron Kokkalanis GRE ahead of Piotr Myska POL. Check out the men's reults. The final men's report. Different story on then women's course, where defending champion Marina Alabau ESP managed to edge previous leader Laura Linares ITA for the overall win. In third Zofia Noceti-Klepacka POL. The final women's report.

Victor Fernandez ESP claimed victory in the men’s fleet by beating Philip Köster GER to add a fourth trophy to his cabinet, whilst Daida Ruano Moreno ESP took home her twelfth consecutive women’s title. The wind was strong but the waves weren’t the biggest Pozo had ever seen. Three-time Pozo champion, Fernandez already had beaten defending champion Köster in the single elimination finals but lost the first heat of the double elimination to the German. In the second final both riders matched their jumps and had almost identical scores, but Fernandez prevailed in the end with his smooth transitions. The top four in the women’s bracket guarded their places in the double elimination round but it was the Moreno sisters who contended the finals- again, with Daida defending her single elimination victory the challenge of her twin sister Iballa. The final standings: Men 1. Fernandez ESP 0.7, 2. Köster GER 2, 3. Ricardo Campello VEN 3, T-17th Pritchard USA 20.5. Women: Daida Ruano Moreno ESP 0.7, 2. Iballa Ruano Moreno ESP 2, 3. Karin Jaggi SUI 3. See the event Web site for details.

The breeze and the waves returned on Day 3 of the PWA World Cup at Pozo. Three-time champion Victor Fernandez Lopez ESP beat co-favorite Philip Köster GER in the final of single elimination with a close 3-2 decision, while on the women’s side, 12-time Pozo winner Daida Ruano Moreno beat her twin sister Iballa in their finals. The standings for the men: Victor Fernandez Lopez, Philip Köster, Dario Ojeda ESP. Top US surfer is Kevin Pritchard tied for 9th. Women: Daida Ruano Romero ESP, Iballa Ruano Moreno ESP, Karin Jaggi SUI. Report, results, pictures and a coolvideo can be found on the event Web site.

Back from the lay day yesterday, the RS:X Europeans in Poland restarted with the final heats in a well established breeze. In the men's fleet, the leader Shahar Zubari ISR proved that he is also a master of heavy-air sailing. With finishes of 2 and 5 for the day, he kept his direct opponents Piotr Myska POL and Byron Kokkalanis GRE under control.
Several changes occurred on top of the women's rankings, but the point spread is very small. New leader is four-time Youth World Champion Laura Linares ITA, closely followed by Marina Alabau ESP and Zofia Noceti-Klepacka POL. Tough time for Farrah Hall USA, who is in 41st overall. The daily report and all results.

The opening round of the 2010 PWA wave tour on Gran Canaria took place in a northerly breeze of 18-25 knot that brought only small waves. The men managed to finish the first qualifying round, while the women watched from ashore. The dearth of decent waves meant the heats had to be extended to 18 minutes (8 minutes is normal) and some of them had to be abandoned. Conditions favored surfers with local knowledge: Qualified for the next round are Josep Pons Casanovas ESP, Francisco Casas Garcia ESP, Jose Romero ESP, Alessio Stillrich ESP and slalom world champion Antoine Albeau FRA. Details with the report and the galleries on the tour Web site.

Wave sailing’s elite arrived in Pozo, Gran Canaria ESP, but were left becalmed. A windless trials also left all of those hoping to qualify for an entry, awaiting the close of registration. In the end, there were just a couple of wildcard places available, leaving many disappointed for not making the cut. Entrants on the men’s side include top seeded Philip Köster GER, Antoine Albeau FRA, Everon Frans VEN, Kevin Pritchard, Graham Ezzy and Kai Lenny USA. On the women’s side the surfers to watch include Iballa and Daida Ruano Moreno ESP (No 1 seed) and Karin Jaggi and Laure Treboux SUI. With the current forecast, the organizers are hopeful that the competition will get underway today. More on the tour Web site.

Last Sunday the European Championship of the Olympic RS:X windsurfers got under way. Six heats were sailed in light winds so far with Shahar Zubari ISR dominating the 66-board men's category with 5 bullets, followed by Byron Kokkalanis GRE and Piotr Myszka POL tiedfor second. In the 46-board women's category, Malgorzata Bialecka POL leads Eugenie Richard FRA and Bryony Shaw GBR. Farrah Hall USA is having a tough time in 41st overall. The report.

The finals of the Freestyle World Cup were sailed yesterday in a puffy breeze. José Estredo VEN was the winner against Kiri Thode ARU/NED, and with an outstanding presentation, Sarah-Quita Offringa ARU/NED demonstrated once more her superiority in this discipline of windsurfing. Yoli Freites VEN remained cleary on the 2nd place. Reports, video clips and the rankings are published on the PWA-website.

There was barely enough wind to complete the men's semifinals yesterday, but not enough to start the women’s competition. Philip Soltysiak CAN lost to Kiri Thode AHO in the first men’s semifinal while in the other bracket Tonky Frans AHO went down to Jose ‘Gollito’ Estredo VEN. Finals today (with a better forecast): Estredo – Thode, petit finals Frans - Soltysiak. Women’s final: Sarah-Quita Offringa ARU vs. Yoli Freites De Brendt VEN. More in the PWA Tour Web site.

The wind gods turned on the fans on in Las Cucharas Bay at one o'clock yesterday, creating a freestyle heaven with 15-20 knot winds. Unfortunately, late in the afternoon a competing breeze began to push back the trades, and at six in the evening the competition had to be postponed for another day. The men's fleet battled their way through to the semi-finals where Philip Soltysiak CAN will meet Kiri Thode AHO. Tonky Frans AHO will meet 2009 World Champion Jose Estredo VEN to decide who heads in to the winner's, and loser's finals. In the women's fleet, Sarah-Quita Offringa ARU is through to the finals where she’ll meet Yolanda Freites De Brendt VEN. More on the event Web site.

Tomorrow, the Kiel Week 2010 the 6th event of the ISAF World Cup 2010 kicks off with high-quality fleetsfleets in most classes. Read the offical preview.
US Sailing's Team includes 44 athletes including defending champions Paige Railey (Laser Radial) and Mark Mendeblatt (Star) who'll sailwith magnus Liljedahl this year. Also present will be Star sailors Andy Horton/James Lyne, who won a bronze medal at the last ISAF World Cup, the Delta Lloyd Regatta in Medemblik NED.

Another day, another wait and again, no races at the PWA World Cup slalom on the Costa Brava. After three consecutive days of no racing, Thursday’s standings also became the final results with a double win for the Swiss Bjorn Dunkerbeck SUI and Karin Jaggi SUI on top of the podium. It was Jaggi’s second consecutive win after the PWA Slalom in Korea two weeks ago. The other podium spots in the men’s division go to Antoine Albeau FRA and Cyril Moussilmani FRA. Micah Buzianis USA finished fourth, Kevin Pritchard USA was eighth. In the women’s classement, second place went to Valérie Arrighetti FRA who tied Jaggi on points, followed by Sarah-Quita Offringa ARU. The final report.

Early in the afternoon a light onshore breeze kick started the sailors into action, and with the hope that the finals of the men’s race 2 could be completed, the top seeds hit the water early. Despite the race crew making every effort to get the competition underway, the wind failed to strengthen enough to meet the minimum requirement for racing which leaves the event standings the same as yesterday.

The waiting game continues as the PWA’s elite race force are held on the beautiful Catalunyan beach for another full day. A promising forecast fooled many from the finest slalom fleet into thinking that the competition would commence on schedule today. However, the weather gods had a completely different plan. By mid morning the clouds had moved in, bringing plenty of rain, which caused a lot of racers to reach for their umbrellas rather than their boards. The results still show Bjorn Dunkerbeck SUI leading the men’s contest from Antoine Albeau FRA and Cyril Moussilmani FRA. In 4th Micah Buzianis US, in 8th Keith Pritchard USA. In the women’s division after two races the lead belongs to Valerie Arrighetti FRA and Karin Jaggi SUI ( 2.7pts each) followed by Sarah-Quita Offringa ARU. John Carter PWA. The event Web site.

Inconsistent winds made racing difficult at the PWA's World Cup Slalom on the Costa Brava, i.e. leaving the elimination round of the men unfinished. With some luck, the top two, Björn Dunkerbeck SUI and Antoine Albeau FRA advanced however. With Micah Buzianis in 4th and Kevin Pritchard in 8th, there are two US surfers in the Top 10. In th women's division, Karin Jaggi SUI closed the gap to leader Valérie Arrighetti-Ghibaudo FRA with a win in the second race. Report, results and images on the PWA-Web site.

It was an unscheduled lay day on day 2 of the Costa Brava Slalom World Cup event due to lack of wind. The winners of the first heats on day 1 were Björn Dunkerbeck SUI ahead of Antoine Albeau FRA in the men's class, and Valérie Arrighetti-Ghibaudo FRA followed by Karin Jaggi SUI in the women's class. The organizers took advantage of the day off to interview the veteran Dunkerbeck, who has been one of the top sailors of the pro circuit for 25 years now. See the event-website for rankings, reports and the video of the first day.

Good conditions on the Spanish Costa Brava permitted a full program with elimination and finals on the first day of the PWA Catalunya Cup Slalom event. Björn Dunkerbeck SUI held off World Champions Antoine Albeau FRA to win the first race. Kevin Pritchard USA and Micah Buzianis USA are in 6th and 9th, respectively. In the women’s division it was a battle between newlywed World Champion Valérie Arrighetti-Ghibaudo FRA and Karin Jaggi SUI, which the French won. More on the event Web site.

What's it like when hundreds maybe thousands of windsurfers converge on San Francisco Bay and all them go Windsurfing at the same time? We are going to find out this Saturday June 12th! Windsurfing Magazine in conjunction with San Francisco Boardsailing Association has been working to put on an event slightly inspired by the Le Defi Wind Event in France and it's going to be amazing! The idea is make a call to arms to windsurfers everywhere to come sail and party together at the same time in order to create photo-op that is an enormous spectacle on San Francisco Bay. Windsurfing Magazine editor Josh Sampiero has arranged for a helicopter, sporting a pro photographer, to go airborne to capture the events images from various locations around The Bay. Check out the program and the sailing locations

It was an exciting last day of the Delta Lloyd Regatta 2010. The breeze picked up to about 15-18 knots, sometimes gusting up to 20 knots during the match race finals.
Finn: Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic CRO, had to come back from seventh to third to secure the title, which changed hands several times during the race. Marin Misura CRO won the medal race to take third overall. Rafael Trujillo ESP salvaged Silver.
Women’s Match Racing: In the semis, Lucy McGregor GBR swept Sofia Bekatorou GRE and Anne-Claire Le Berre FRA followed suit against Tamara Echegoyen ESP. The final went the full distance with Le Berre winning the fifth and final race and the overall title. Echegoyen won the petit finale for Bronze.
RS:X:No changes at the top of the standings after the medal race Regatta leader Przemek Miarczynski POL won the race in the men’s division to take his first title of the season. Nick Dempsey GBR took third place in the race and Silver in the event, with Nimrod Mashiah ISR keeping Bronze. In the women’s class, Blanca Manchon ESP rode her points cushion from fleet racing to the overall title, controlling her only rival for the gold, Zofia Keplacka POL who took silver ahead of Bryony Shaw GBR.
Laser Standard: Tom Slingsby AUS continued his domination and takes Gold after an epic medal race. Positions changed regularly with the light and shifty wind and several competitors fell victim to yellow flags or disqualification for excessive kinetics. Javier Hernandez ESP lost the lead of the Medal race and the Silver medal on the last run after collecting his first `yellow` flag, leaving Silver for Matias del Solar CHI. Paul Goodison GBR won the medal race to finish 5th overall.
49er: A capsize of Delle-Karth/Resch AUT who just had taken the lead in the medal race opened the door for Outteridge/Jensen AUS to win the race and defend the overall title from 2009, ahead of Burling/Tuke NZL and the luckless Austrians.
Laser Radial: Event leader Marit Bouwmeester NED never blinked and finished in style. Taking the fifth bullet of the week, she won the medal race and the overall title, holding off Evi van Acker BEL and Vera Fenklova CZE who took Silver and Bronze respectively.
2.4mR: The Paralympic 2.4mR class sailed one last race but it came down to a protest of Damien Seguin FRA against event leader Thierry Schmitter NED for failure to give room in a downwind luffing incident. When Schmitter’s boom touched the French boat. The Dutchman was disqualified and lost the title to Seguin. Bronze for Helena Lucas GBR.
The final report, the results and the galleries.

On Saturday, the 2010 Delta Lloyd Regatta crowned three champions. In the 470s Asher/Willis, who had the lead going into the medal race, managed to come out on top after a seesaw battle with Belcher/Page AUS, Kliger/Sela ISR behind eventual race winners Fantela/Marenic CRO. A fourth-place finish for the Brits was just about enough for the overall win ahead of the Aussies and the Croatians. Another Croatian win by Arapov/Sitic was reported from the Star medal race. It lifted them from fourth to second overall, leapfrogging Horton/Lyne USA in the process. Overall winners and World Cup leaders Melleby/Pederson NOR added their third title after Miami and Hyeres, but won’t compete in the Star Europeans, which will see far more boats and top-level talent than any of the World Cup regattas. In the women’s 470, the French dominated the medal race, but Italians Conti/Micol ITA won the even. In second Westerhof/Berkhout NED, followed by Petitjean/Douroux FRA.
Prior to Sunday’s medal races the other classes are shaping up as follows: In Laser Radial, Evi van Acker BEL won both races today and closed the gap to Marit Bouwmeester NED to five points. In the Laser Standard, Tom Slingsby AUS looks like the odds-on favorite with a 16-point lead over Nick Thompson GBR and 18 over the resurgent Matias del Solar CHI. In the 49ers, Delle Karth/Resch AUT hold a six-point lead over Outteridge/Jensen AUS and seven over Burling/Tuke NZL. Expect the winner to come from this circle. The Finn medal race will be very close with 15 points separating the top five. Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic CRO has a five-point lead over Rafa Trujillo ESP and nine points over Zach Railey USA. Only one race was held in the RS:X men’s Gold fleet. Przemek Miarcynski POL is the favorite after scoring seven top five finishes and four victories this week. Lurking behind him are Piotr Myszka POL and Nimrod Mashiah ISR. In the RS:X women the final showdown on Sunday, which could see up to 30 knots of wind is a duel between Blanca Machon ESP who has a 13 point lead over Sofia Klepacka POL. 27 points behind out of the lead is Bryony Shaw GBR in third.
The 2.4 mR will sail one last fleet race on Sunday, which boils down to Damien Seguin FRA and regatta leader Thiery Schmitter NED who are now only separated by two points. In Women’s Match Racing the semifinals and finals are scheduled for Sunday: The pairings: Lucy MacGregor GBR vs. Sofia Bekatorou GRE and Tamara Echegoyen ESP vs. Anne-Claire Leberre FRA.
With winds expected to reach as many as 30 knots, the final day will provide plenty of excitement. The report, the results and the gallery.

Wind and sunshine provided for great racing during the 3rd day in the Delta Lloyd Regatta, 5th event of the ISAF Sailing World Cup. The North Westerly breeze reaching 20 knots, allowed all the classes to sail to schedule. In the Women Match Tamara Echegoyen ESP and Nicky Souter AUS made it out of the repecharge round to join the top six teams on Saturday. Four races in the 49er Gold fleet changed the leader board with Sibello/Sibello ITA in the lead three points ahead of Delle-Karth/Resch AUT. Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic CRO, the world’s top-ranked Finn sailor defended his lead successfully but Rafa Trujillo ESP drew even on points. In the 2.4mR favorite Thierry Schmitter NED has a two-point lead over Damien Seguin FRA with ladies Helena Lucas and Megan Pascoe GBR on his heels. Paul Tingley CAN the Olympic gold medalist is in 6th. Belcher/Page AUS won the day in the 470 men`s division to gain 10 places and rank 4th overall but the team to beat remains Asher/Willis GBR who hold a 20-point lead over Kliger/Sela ISR. Conti/Micol had a stellar day in the 470 women to claim the lead tied with Koch/Sommer DEN. In the Star, there was confusion about the correct results. The official report had Melleby/Morland NOR ahead of Lovrovic/Mikulicic CRO and Kusznierewicz/Zycki POL, while the result list had a flood of DPIs and a slightly different order: Melleby/Morland, Horton/Lyne USA and Lovrovic/Mikulicic. A Polish-Israeli sandwich leads the RS:X men with Przemek Miarczynski POL, Nimrod, Mashiah ISR and Piotr Myszka POL in the top three, while in the women’s division Blanca Machon ESP leads Sofia Klepacka POL.
Stars and 470s will have their medal race Saturday evening after two fleet races in the morning. Medal races will be broadcasted live on with 3D tracking integrated in the footage. Event Web site, all results and the galleries

Just about 700 teams from 53 countries, among them 30 Olympic medalists, are ready for the Delta Lloyd Regatta 2010 in Medemblik NED, the 5th event of the ISAF Sailing World Cup. As usual, the largest fleets are in the Laser Standard, the RS:X-windsurfer and the 470 men classes. Racing starts today and will conclude with the Medal race on Sunday, May 30th. As a special motivation, the day’s winners will get invited to do a sail-off in Mini 12 M boats for a 200 Euro cash prize. Even without participation in women’s match racing, 2.4 mR and Laser Radial, there is a sizable US squad with 21 teams. Five US sailors, led by Olympic silver medalist Zach Railey will compete in the Finn class and four, led by Clay Johnson, will start in the Laser Standard. We will report daily. See all entries.

On the final day of the first slalom event of the 2010 PWA World Tour the Korean sea breeze never materialized. When racing was called off at 2 pm local time, it marked the third day in the week without sailing and confirmed Thursday’s results as final. Antoine Albeau FRA rode consistency to win the men and sharing the podium with Bjorn Dunkerbeck SUI and Jimmy Diaz ISV. In fourth, Micah Buzianis USA. Karin Jaggi SUI used her routine and experience to take the women’s trophy followed by Sarah-Quita Offringa ARU who missed a shot at the title by sailing the wrong course in the penultimate race which she lead and young Alice Arutkin FRA who topped the field for the first two days, but was hit with a couple of OCS toward the end. See the event Web site.

With winds gusting between 10-16 knots, the majority of the fleet chose to compete on the largest board they’d registered, and sails between 8.5m and 10.0m. Antoine Albeau FRA (6.1 pts) had another solid day of mistake-free sailing and continued to build his lead over Bjorn Dunkerbeck SUI (16.7 pts.) and Jimmy Diaz ISV (23 pts.) In fourth Micah Buzianis USA (31pts.). A shuffle at the top occurred in the women’s division: Karin Jaggi SUI got the bullet in Race 6 and benefited from her rivals’ mistakes to move into the overall lead. In the seventh heat Jaggi and previous overall leader Alice Arutkin FRA were fighting for the race lead but crashed and finished at the back of the pack. Still, Jaggi (9.1 pts) totaled out to first, ahead of Sarah Quita Offringa ARU (10.7 pts) and Arutkin (11.4 pts). Check the event Web site for the report and the images.

Following two days on standby, day five of competition started in mid-afternoon after the weather had cleared. The men’s leader Antoine Albeau FRA fought his way through his heats straight into the finals, and claimed yet another race win while many of his rivals committed mistakes. Bjorn Dunkerbeck GER remains in second despite losing it on a gybe in the qualification round, but the real battle is for third, held by Finian Maynard FRA, but three others, including Micah Buzianis USA within 1.3. The women’s fleet sailed in a split heat format today with overall leader Alice Arutkin FRA collecting an OCS, which allowed Karin Jaggi SUI to win the race and narrow the gap in the standings to two points. In third 3rd Sarah-Quita Offringa ARU. The event Web site with reports and results and the gallery.

On the morning of day four, the organizers were hopeful that racing would commence with a weather front that was forecast to pass through the Sea of Korea. Unfortunately, the competitors were greeted with bucket loads of rain and no wind whatsoever, leaving them sheltering for much of the day in either their hotel rooms or the equipment tents. After another frustrating day on standby, race director, Juan Antonio Aragon, finally called it off at 17:00. Antoine Albeau FRA leads the men’s and Alice Arutkin FRA the women’s division. See the tour Web site.

At the Jinha KOR stop of the 2010 PWA Slalom World Tour the third day was a washout with a lack of wind. So Sunday’s results still stand with Antoine Albeau FRA in the men’s and Alice Arutkin FRA in the women’s division occupying the top spots. Albeau (6.7 pts) FRA leads Bjorn Dunkerbeck SUI (7.7 pts) and Micah Buzianis USA (15). Arutkin (3.4pts) has a more defined grip on her competition, as she leads Karin Jaggi SUI (7.7pts) and Sarah-Quita Offringa ARU (8.0pts) TheWeb site and the video.

The Windsurfing Task Force of US Sailing and US Windsurfing announced the selection of the 2010 Youth Development Windsurfing Team, which is a joint effort of US Sailing’s Windsurfing Task Force and US Windsurfing. The 2010 Youth Windsurfing Development Team is endorsed by the US Olympic Sailing Committee and is affiliated with Team USA Windsurfing. Membership on the Youth Windsurfing Development Team is open to new members by application. For more information, visit their Web site.

'Ora' of 25 kts. reinforced by rain and three hard races made the crews work for their dinner. No change in the Starboat class, where Szabo/Strube USA remain in first, but Lovrovic/Mikulicic CRO have closed to within two points. Babendererde/Jacobs GER follow in third. The other US contenders Campbell/Nichol in sixth and Merriman/Trinter in 13th are moving up. Yesterday, the women's match races began on Lake Ledro, a small lake above Lake Garda. Katie Spithill AUS leads undefeated with 4-0. The daily report and all results.

The forecast was not correct this time, as the sun was out on Lake Garda and the dark clouds above the mountains never interfered. A light Ora between 10 and 15 kn enabled all classes to sail three races. In the 36-boat Star class, George Szabo/Mark Strube USA (15 pts) lead Florent/Rambeau FRA (21) and Babendererde/Jacobs GER (27). Other US boats are Campbell/Nichol in 11th, Merriman/Trinter in 22nd despite an OCS and Jennings/Sharp in the caboose with two DNFs and a 29th. In the 77-boat Laser Standard class, Fred Vranizan USA is 40th. The top three are Karol Porozynski POL, Andreas Geritzer AUT and Javier Hernandez ESP. Check all the results and the daily report.

Almost 700 boats participate in the Dutch Youth Regatta beginning today. In addition to the traditional development classes, the Cadets, Splashes and Flashes participte as well, which brings the total number of classes to 10. Two US entries are listed, Piet van Os/Smantha Childers in the 29er and Romain Screve in the Optimists which are the largest fleet with 248 boats. All entry lists and the event Web site.

Rain and thunderstorms thwarted the gradient breeze at the Eurolymp Regatta at Lake Garda ITA yesterday, so the fleets had to stay ashore. Today the dinghies try their first start at 9 a.m., provided the breeze fills in on time. The event Web site.

After five frustrating days on the beach, the early-morning breeze yesterday was sturdy enough to permit the 48 participants to sail one elimination round. In the final heat, Taty Frans (Bonaire NED) beat Steven Van Bronkofen BEL. The report on the PWA website.

Day 3 - Light winds plagued Podersdorf for the third day in a row, but this didn’t stop the freestylers from busting out their best tricks in front of the crazy Austrian crowds. Mid afternoon, the same seven sailors that took part in the tow-in jump contest (yes, they used a panga-style powerboat to get up to speed) the previous day were saved from any bone breaking ramp action, and were instead asked to put on a show just yards from the beach. With reputations to uphold and fans to please, the young Belgian, Steven Van Broeckhoven, took full advantage of his extensive arsenal of tricks and pulled off the most technical move, a culo, to win with emphatic style. No official result, but Van Broeckhoven claimed first place in the tow-in freestyle exhibition, with Bonairean style master, Taty Frans (Starboard, Maui Sails) in second after landing an amazing double flaka, and French showman, Nicolas Akgazciyan followed in third. Full report.

The world's best freestyle surfers have been waiting for wind on Lake Neusiedl AUT for two days. Tehrer are 46 participants from 16 nations waiting to spring to action. Nevertheless, the party mood among the many spectators hasn't suffered, thanks to the summery weather and the attractive supporting program. The report.

The medal races at 42nd Semaine Olympique Française mirrored the light and shifty conditions that plagued the athletes all week long. With racing postponed for an hour, the 470 men and the Star started behind schedule, which meant there was no time to race the RS:X. In the men’s division Byron Kokalanis GRE, who also won Palma was declared the winner ahead of Piotr Myszka POL and King Yin Chan HKG. In theRS:X women Bryony Shaw GBR was excited with her performance and enthusiastic to get the other podium finishers Blanca Manchon ESP and Laura Linares ITA involved in the customary post-ceremonial dunking. In the 470 men Charbonnier/Meyer Dieu FRA collected one of the many medals for the host country. Zandona/Zucchetti ITA passed Dahlberg/Ostling SWE to win Silver. In the 470 women France got two more medals with Rol/Defrance coming from behind to win the medal race and the event, dethroning Lecointre/Geron FRA, who led most of the week. In third Cohen/Mamriav ISR. In the Star, Melleby/Morland NOR increased their lead in the ISAF Sailing World Cup standings with another regatta win. Second and third for France with Florent/Rambeau and Rohart/Ponsot. Marin Misura CRO in the Finns won his first ISAF Grade 1 event. Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic CRO was flagged for a non-excludable disqualification, and took third, behind Thomas Lebreton FRA. Brotherton/Asquith GBR played it cool in the 49er medal race and held on to win, 21 years after Brotherton raced here for the first time. In second, four points behind the Brits, Delle-Karth/Resch AUT ahead of Dortoli/Delpech FRA. A third penalty in the medal race took away Gold medal hopes for early Laser leader Javier Hernandez ESP who dropped to third, behind winner Paul Goodison GBR and Andreas Geritzer AUT. In the Laser Radial, the light conditions favored the younger crowd like winner Ausra LIT who won her first Grade 1 event. Saving her best for last was Charlotte Dobson GBR who won the medal race and climbed to second overall, ahead of Tatiana Drozdovskay BLR. In the women’s match racing, Silke Hahlbrock GER overcame Anna Tunnicliffe USA with 3-1. Claire Leroy FRA won the Petite Finale against Katie Spithill AUS. In the 2.4 mR, Damien Seguin FRA took first overall, ahead of Palma winner Thierry Schmitter NED and Megan Pascoe GBR. In the Sonar, Dror Cohen ISR narrowly edged Marcel de Veen Van NED and Aleksander Wang-Hansen NOR who ended up tied on points. Read the final report, photos and results on the event site.

Chip Wasson, Eric Due and Frank Wittke are the top three in the Cabrinha Kiteboarding Course Racing Series Race 2 that kicked off last Thursday with many competitors back from the World Championships in Texas. Unlike the last two days of the World Championships, where there was no wind, San Francisco Bay dished out sold 25 knots. With an ebb tide running, it was sure to be a bumpy ride for the racers. But as the day wore on, the breeze did drop, which left many underpowered with their 8- and 9-meter kites. Story on Sail World.

“You've got what you've got and you do what you can. We just got lucky, ” is how Canadian Laser sailor Dave Wright, a graduate of the United States Merchant Marine Academy at King's Point, summed up rescuing a missing kiteboarder one night last weekend on Banderas Bay, Mexico. The truth is that his level-headed, methodical approach, his persistence, his training and his wits were instrumental in saving that kiter’s life. Wright was in Mexico to train at the International Sailing Academy, because the volcanic ash fiasco in Europe fouled up his trip to the ISAF Sailing World Cup in Hyeres. Here he recounts the dramatic rescue on Sailgroove.

It was another agonizing and long day at the Semaine Olympique Française in Hyères with the 49ers returning to shore close to 9 pm. Brotherton/Asquith GBR keep a 10-point lead in the Gold fleet, which has six races in the book. Paul Brotherton’s first appearance in Hyères was in 1990 in the 470 class. French teams lead in the Star with Florent/Rambeau despite a DSQ for rounding the wrong mark and in the men’s 470 with Charbonnier/Meyer-Dieu. Byron Kokalanis GRE won both races in the RS:X men’s Gold fleet, closing in on regatta leader Piotr Myszka POL. Bryony Shaw GBR has continued her dominance in the women’s division, leading by 13 points over Blanca Manchon ESP. 2009 World Champion Sari Multala FIN jumped to first place Laser Radial, while 2008 Olympic Gold medalist Paul Goodison GBR still leads the Laser Standard, followed by Javier Hernandez ESP and Andreas Geritzer AUT. In the Finn class, three races were sailed today and Marin Misura CRO replaced team mate Kljakovic Gaspic in the top position, tied on points with Ed Wright GBR, the winner in Miami and Palma earlier this year. After the repechage round in the women match racing Claire Leroy FRA and Silvia Roca ESP joined the quarter finalists without racing the Gold Round Robin. The pairings: Roca - Tunnicliffe USA, MacGregor GBR - Hahlbrock GER, Skudina RUS - Spithill AUS and Leroy FRA - Le Berre FRA. No races were scored in the Paralympic classes yesterday, so the Dutch team of Marcel de Veen Van leads the Sonars and Damien Seguin FRA the 2.4 mR. The event Web site with reports, results, photos and videos.

The Semaine Olympique Francaise in Hyeres FRA has reached its halfway point, but nowhere near half of the racing is done. Yesterday was on-again, off-again before a 10-knot westerly breeze sprang up, with barely enough time to run at least one race for all classes. The women completed their match racing round robin to fill out the quarterfinal roster with Kathie Spithill AUS and Silke Hahlbrock, GER. They join Lucy MacGregor GBR, Anne–Claire Le Berre FRA, Ekatarina Skudina RUS and Anna Tunnicliffe USA to race for the seeding in the quarterfinals. Also advancing will be the top two from the yet-to-be-completed repechage round. In the RS:X, yesterday’s leaders Piotr Myszka POL in the men’s division and Bryony Shaw GBR in the women’s group won again. Only three races are counted in the three Laser groups. Olympic Champion Paul Goodison GBR took the lead with one point over Sydney's medalist, Andreas Geritzer AUT who’s tied with Javier Hernandez (ESP), winner of the Trofeo Sofia. Susana Romero ESP remains in the lead in the Laser Radiall. In the Finns Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic (CRO), won race two, after nine competitors, including previous leader Zach Railey USA were BFD’d. Three races are in the book for the yellow group of the 49ers. Until the blue group catches up only two scores are reflected in the standings. Lefebvre/ Janssens BEL hold the lead with 6 points.
More of the same in the men’s 470: Charbonnier/Meyer-Dieu FRA are tied for the lead with Mantis/Kagialis GRE, while in the women’s 470 Kondo/Tabata JAP claimed the lead with a win yesterday. New leaders also in the Star with Florent/Rambeau FRA after winning yesterday’s race. Check the event Web site with reports, results, photos and videos.

In the beginning they had a lot, sometimes even too much breeze, in the end there was not enough. Like Saturday, there was no racing on the final day of the 2010 IKA Course world championship in Corpus Christi Texas. The final standings remain unchanged from Friday, meaning Adam Koch USA wins ahead of Damien LeRoy USA and Bruno Sroka FRA. In the women’s division Kari Schibevaag NOR bested Steph Bridge GBR and Kristin Boese GER.

Four more races were added yesterday at the 2010 IKA Course Racing World Championship of the kiteboarders in Corpus Christi, Tex. With two discards in play after 10 races, Thursday’s leaders have cemented their spots. Adam Koch USA remains in front in the men’s division with 11 points, but runner-up Damien LeRoy USA (16 pts.) is whittling away at the difference after posting a score line of 3, 2, 1, 1 on Friday. In third is Bruno Sroka FRA (20 pts.) who won the day’s first two races. The final decision for the World Championship will be settled between these three sailors. In the meager women’s division (eight competitors), Kari Schibevaag NOR (9 pts.) has extended her lead over Steph Bridge GBR (13 pts) and Kristin Boese GER (29). The event looks like it is Schibevaag’s to lose, especially after she was the only one to finish Friday’s first race. The Thursday video and the sparse event site.

Great breezes make for great racing in Corpus Christi, Tex., for the 32 men and eight women at the 2010 KA Course Racing World Championships. After six races and one discard, Adam Koch USA has a perfect score of five points. Second with 13 points is Damien LeRoy USA, followed by Bruno Sroka FRA. In the women’s division it’s a duel between Kari Schibevaag NOR with 6 points and Steph Bridge GBR with eight, who are in first and second, respectively. In third is Kristin Boese GER. See all the results and get the videos.

On Sunday it’s show time for the 42nd issue of the Semain Olympique Francaise in Hyeres in the South of France. A long entry list of 745 boats from 58 countries is divided into 10 Olympic and three paralympic classes. It’s doubtful however that all the entrants will make the starting line, due to the chaotic air travel situation after the volcanic eruption in Iceland. The US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics will be in attendance, albeit without Laser sailors Rob Crane and Clay Johnson, the 49er team of Peet Must/Carl Horrocks, Rick Doerr Sonar, and John Ruf in the 2.4mR. Zach Railey (Finn) barely made it to Hyeres, but is expected to get to the medal race, just as he did at Palma a couple of weeks ago. The two 470 crews of Stuart McNay/Graham Biehl and Adam Roberts/Nick Martin had a chance to get acclimatized during the Spring Cup in Marseille last week and Team Tunnicliffe is looking to avenge their early exit in the match race competition of Palma. Also competing in the match race event are Genny Tulloch/Alice Manard/Karina Shelton. One Laser to watch in this 173-boat fleet (if he makes it) is John Bertrand, who won the World Championship in 1977, a long time before most of today’s racers were born. Read the eventpreview.

American boardsailor Kimberly Birkenfeld has lost her nearly eight-year bid to get $15 million damages from Olympic gold medalist Bruce Kendall. Once the United States' top female boardsailor, Birkenfeld suffered severe brain and spinal injuries in 2002 when her windsurfer collided with a Yachting New Zealand-owned motorboat driven by Kendall in Greece. She claimed she had stopped in the water when he ploughed into her, but Kendall said she came at him at high speed and he was unable to avoid her.
Kendall, Birkenfeld's former coach, pulled her lifeless body out of the water and resuscitated her, saving her life. She now needs a wheelchair to go more than short distances and struggles to speak. She had initially sought $15 million in damages, but Yachting NZ and Kendall won orders limiting the amount of funds payable to about $500,000. Yachting NZ never admitted liability for the accident but had offered on several occasions to pay Birkenfeld the full amount, which she had declined. Read the entire story.

Gisela Pulido ESP and the Australian newcomer Andy Yates AUS, age 19, are the winners of the second event of the Kitesurf-Freestyle Weltcups 2010, held at Leucate FRA. The Kite- and Windsurf-Party 'Mondial du Vent' at the French Mediterranean coast lasts until the end of this week. The report with a video clip.

October 2010 marks the next rendez-vous of the world's best speed kiters trying to win back the overall speed world record that right now belongs to the foiler trimaran 'Hydroptère'. A few days ago, the Web site of the organisers published a video-preview with spectacular takes of high-speed runs.

Since last weekend, the 10th 'Mondial du Vent' for wind- and kite-surfers has been happening at Leucate in the South of France. Freestyle-contests and a long-distance races are on the program, but the highlight will be the speed race that pits windsurfers against kitesurfers. It’s a grudge match between Antoine Albeau FRA (windsurf-record holder) and Alexandre Caizergues FRA (kitesurf-record holder) and many others. Last year, the windsurfers won. Only in the 500 m short-distance race, the kiters were ahead. The event-website contains a number of spectacular videos the reports and results thus far.

While the top talent showed off their tricks and racing abilities in Leucate FRA at the 'Mondial du Vent' (a PKRA-event), two other kite surfing organizations, the International Kitesurfing Association and the Kiteboard Pro World Tour (KPWT, official name: Globe Pro Firm LLC) went to court in Germany. After the ISAF appointed IKA as the official kitesurf representativ and IKA prevailed in said lawsuit, others no longer can call any of their events World Cup and athletes who compete in their events might get banned from IKA sanctioned regattas. Read the report.

There were difficult light-wind races with big shifts on the second day of the Trofeo, causing lead changes in most classes. Panagiotis/Orologas GRE are now ahead in the 470 men, followed by Fantela/Marencic CRO and Dahlberg/Östling SWE who are tied. In the 470women, Oliveira/Barbachan BRA are now in first. The leading pack in the 49ers, consists of Draper/Greenalgh GBR,Morrison/Rhodes GBR and Dyen/Christidis FRA. GBR is also in the lead in the RS:X-women's fleet, with Bryony Shaw who replaced Laura Linares ITA at the top of the rankings. Veronika Fenclova CZE has taken over first with the Lasers Radial from fellow Czech Marketa Audyova. Despite of a 12th-place finish, Flavio Marazzi/Enrico De Maria SUI managed to protect their lead in the Starboats, but Negri/Colaninno ITA have closed the gap to one point. Tonci Stipanovic CRO has now has a 15-point advantage in the Laser fleet, followed by Andreas Geritzer AUT. In the RS:X men's class, Shahar Zubari ISR and Fabian Heidegger ITA share the lead. The Finns had their first race yesterday. Rafael Trujillo ESP is leading Per Moberg NOR. In the women's matchrace, the top two by group qualify for the quarterfinals: Sally Barkow USA, Renée Groenveld NED, Claire Leroy FRA, Katie Spithill AUS, Lucy MacGregor GBR and Lotte Meldgaard DEN. The third and fourth-place finishers have a sail-off for the remaining two spots. More information and images to be found on the event Web site. Today, the game will change with stiff southerly winds of 30 knots in the forecast.

After Antoine Albeau FRA und Marta Hlavaty POL secured their titles in this year's Formula Windsurfing World Championship with one race to spare, the only disputed medals was silver, which remained in the hands of Paolo Dos Reis BRA and bronze, which went to Ross Williams GBR, due to a second place in the final heat. Micah Buzianis USA finished 16th and third in the Masters division. See the overall standings. The women's results remained unchanged, with Morane Dumont FRA und Farrah Hall USA taking silver and bronze behind Hlavaty. Der final report.

Leander Vyvey BEL has made his name as one of the best free-style kitesurfers worldwide. And sometimes he uses his skills for some house jumping. To hell with lobbies and elevators. See for yourself.

After 14 races, Antoine Albeau FRA had shattered the men's competition at the 2010 Formula Windsurfing World Championships on Lake Potrerillos, ARG. Winning 50 percent of the races and discarding a 12th, a sixth and a fifth-place finish, Albeau, who also wins the Masters division, nabbed the overall title with one race to spare. Paulo Dos Reis BRA in second seems safe, but there’s still a battle for third in tomorrow’s last heat. It will be a grudge match between Ross Williams GBR, Pawel Hlavaty POL, Casper Bouman NED and Steve Allen AUS who are separated by four points. American Micah Buzianis is 17th overall and third in the Masters division. There was never a shade of doubt about the outcome in the women’s class. Marta Hlavaty POL won 12 of the 14 races and is forced to discard two seconds and a first., giving her a ridiculous 11 points total. 'You don’t want to mess with me on this event. I’m going there to win! :) she said on her blog. The lady stands for her word. Second is Morane Demont FRA with Farrah Hall USA completing the podium.

Sunshine and a good breeze of 4 bft blew again yesterday on Lake Potrerillos ARG for 4 more heats at the Formula Windsurfing Worlds. The title picture in the men's division seems to favor Antoine Albeau FRA while Marta Hlavaty POL is on the home stretch with the Formula women's fleet. The final heats will be sailed today and tomorrow. The official report.

At 12 to 15 knots the breeze took a breahter at the Potrerillios reservoir during the 2010 Formula windsurfing World Championships. No problem for Caspar Bouman NED, who also sails RS:X and scored 4/1/1 for the day to climb into third in the men's division. Clear ahead still is Antoine Albeau FRA. Micah Buzianis USA is 19th overall, and third in the Masters division. In the women's fleet Marta Hlvaty POL has a five-point cushion over Morane Dumont FRA, with Farah Hall USA still in contention for a podium finish. Hundreds of spectators congregated along the shores, to watch the races and to check on the contestants in the Miss-Bikini-Contests Either way, the official report would not comment.

At the Formula Windsurfing Worlds in Mendoza ARG, it was a near-perfect day for the PWA World Champion Antoine Albeau FRA, who shot to the top of the standings with a score of 1, 1, 1, 2 leading Ross Williams GBR by four and Steve Allen AUS by five. Micah Buzianis USA dropped to 16th overall and trhird in the Masters class (behind Albeau and Allen). In the women’s fleet favorite Marta Hlavaty POL tightened her grip on the lead after this windy day with all bullets. Second is Morane Demont FRA followed by Farrah Hall USA who seems to be destined for a podium finish. The daily report and the standings.

Contestants at the Formula Windsurfing Worlds in Mendoza, ARG got a fresh, yet inconsistent blow for the opening day. Still, they managed to get in two races for women and men. In the men's fleet, defending champion Steve Allen AUS is in the lead, followed by Paulo Dos Reis BRA and Ross Williams GBR. Top and only US sailor in the 50-baord fleet is Micah Buzianis in 11th place. In the 7-board women's fleet, Marta Hlavaty POL is in the lead with two bullets. Farrah Hall USA is 4th. The report.

Sun and spring temperatures, but no wind for the 100 participants on Day 1 of the Split Olympic Week at the Croatian Adriatic coast yesterday. The report.

A stranded windsurfer was rescued Saturday late afternoon in southern San Francisco Bay after radioing the Coast Guard for help. After becoming separated from his board near the San Mateo Bridge, the windsurfer successfully contacted the Coast Guard with his handheld VHF. While dispatching a response boat and a helo, the Coast Guard Auxiliary, and the Foster City Fire Department, the Coasties also notified boaters in the area. One of these Good Samaritans picked up the distressed surfer who was transferred to a waiting ambulance at Coyote Point Marina near the San Francisco International Airport and admitted to Sequoia Hospital in Redwood City. ‘The successful recovery of the windsurfer was a direct result of his possessing a handheld VHF radio,’ the Coast Guard press release stated.

The information filtering back from the Calema Midwinters and the North American Championships in the Tecno 293 and Kona classes in Merritt Island, Fla, was sparse last night. But based on the posted results the qualifiers for this year’s Youth Olympic Games in Singapore, which were determined at this event, hasn’t changed. After seven races in the Boys Under 17 class, Ignacio Lleonart and Jose Carlos Torres MEX and Alejandro Monllor PUR qualified their home countries. Marion Lepert USA won the Under 17 Girls division by beating Audrey Caron CAN and Margot Samson USA. Even though Lepert is said to be ineligible as a US qualifier, the YOG berths went to the US and Canada. Results

No more wind for more races at the 2010 North American Kiteboard Racing Continentals in Puerto Vallarta MEX. After nine races and one throw-out, Adam Koch USA edged Bruno Sroka FRA based on the tiebreaker for wins. Both finished withy 21 points, just one point ahead of Damien LeRoy USA who won the three last windy heats. In the womens fleet, Steph Bridge GBR was absolutely dominant, but the Continental Champion is Melissa Gil USA. Next events are the PKRA tour in Thailand, and the 2010 Course Racing World Championship in late April in Corpus Christi, Tex. Results and report.

The forecast was right for the boys and girls on the boards down in Merritt Island, Fla. at the Calema Midwinters and the Tecno 293/Kona North American championships. A total of six races has been run good-to-perfect racing conditions. Of special interest is the Under-17 category in the Tecno 293 class, because this is also a qualifying event for the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore later this year. In the boy’s class, Ignacio Lleonart and Jose Carlos Torres MEX are ahead of Alejandro Monllor PUR. These two nations are first in line to punch a ticket to Singapore. Ian Stokes USA is in 5th, a hefty 12 points behind. On the girls’ side, Marion Lepert USA is clear ahead of Audrey Caron CAN and Margot Samson USA. Results and photos

Another three races have been completed at the 2010 North American Course Racing Championship, which means there is a throwout now. In the men’s division there’s a US-French sandwich at the top, with Adam Koch USA ahead of Bruno Sroka FRA but tied in points at 21, closely followed by Damien LeRoy USA with 23. In the meager women’s fleet (3 contestants) Steph Bridge (GBR) has no less than seven bullets and a second place after the first discard (dropping a third). She’s eight points ahead of Melissa Gil and Sandy Parker both USA. Results after 9 races.

After six races at the 2010 North American Kiteboard Racing Continentals, Sean Farley Gomez MEX (20 pts) has a narrow lead over Adam Koch USA (21) and Bruno Sroka FRA (23), the worlds top-ranked course racer. On the women’s side, Steph Bridge (GBR)the world’s Number 2 course racer is clear ahead in the women’s fleet after winnnig the last three heats, followed by the world’s top-ranked speed kiter Melissa Gil and Sandy Parker, both USA. Results

While some are kiting and sailing in subtropical climes, there’s a hardier bunch, who need ice and snow to feel at home. In Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, Quebec, Canada, the 30th edition of the 2010 World Ice and Snow Sailing Association’s World Championships are under way. It’s a merry and a diverse affair, with lots of air, plenty of smiles and, yes, sunshine, too. Even the Canadian government, represented by The Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of State for Canada Economic Development, kicked in a cool $60,958 in non-repayable funding. Rarely hear that about sailing regattas, eh? These folks have not posted any results yet, but they sure know how to shoot nice videos. Need to sink a few minutes? Watch here

The US SAILING Center Sheboygan will host the Grand Final of the sixth edition of the ISAF Nations Cup September 13-18 2011. The races will be sailed on Lake Michigan in the Sonar for the men’s event and the Elliott 6m for the women’s event. The ISAF Nations Cup Grand Final is the culmination of an 18-month competition staged over a series of Regional Finals held across the globe to find the world’s top match racing nation. The venues, dates and country allocations for the Regional Finals are expected later this month. Read the announcement

The 2010 North American Championships of the Kona and Techno 293 windsurfers in Merrit Island, Fla. March 4 –7, is part of the 25th Calema Midwinters windsurfing festival and an important qualifier for spots in the Youth Olympic Games that will be held in Singapore, August 14 – 26. Extra significance has been placed upon this event by US Sailing - should a sailor qualify USA for YOG, they will also be selected to represent their country in the windsurfing event. For the Youth Olympics two boys and two girls (15 or 16 years old) will each qualify their nations in the singlehanded Byte CII dinghy and the Techno 293 windsurfer. Get the details about events and scheducles.
Next qualifying events for the Byte dinghy:North America & Caribbean YOQE, Byte CII Midwinter’s/North American Championship (boys & girls), March 10-15, Cayman Islands and Byte Cll World Championship YOQE (boys & girls), April 6-11, Cannes, France

The 2010 Course Racing World Championship of the International Kiteboarding Class will be held from April 21-25, 2010, in Corpus Christi, Tex. Cash prizes range from $4.500 for the winner to $100 for the tenth-place finisher in the men’s division and $2,800 for first to $700 for third place for the women. Registration, event info and videos

More than 50 dead and heavy damage is what the low-pressure system Xynthia left in its wake last weekend on the French Atlantic coast. A combination of spring tide, heavy winds and lashing rainproduced the French version of the Perfect Storm. The sea level temporarily rose seven feet above mean high water. While the drama unfolded, French kite-surfer Jérémiy Eloy risked life and limb as he headed out to prove he was up to these extreme conditions on the coast of Brittany. See the photos.

Gathered in a tent city, wave riders, wind and kite surfers, cameleers and musicians came together during the annual 'Desert & Sea Festival' at the Moroccan lagoon of Dakhla. The 50-mile coastal run for wind and kite surfers had a prominent participant this year. Björn Dunkerbeck, sailing for Switzerland, defeated kite surf world speed record holders Alexandre Caizergues FRA and Sjoukie Bredenkamp RSA. Vendée-Globe-helmsman Sébastien Josse FRA was in it too, racing a windsurfer. The event-website with a film- and photo-gallery looks just just like a holiday brochure.
Read the article in Sail-World.

After several days with stormy weather around 30 kn, the breeze became light to moderate - 8 to 12 kn - during yesterday's final two races by class. In the top-rated male and female RS:X-windsurfer fleets, the winners were Alex Guyader FRA ahead of Ivan Pastor ESP, in women's fleet victory for Marina Alabau ESP followed by Bryony Shaw GBR and Blanca Manchon ESP. The best Laser Standard helmsman was Angelo Tabernero ESP, and with the Lasers Radial, Lucia Reyes ESP finished first. All results and the final report in spanish.

At approximately 4:00 p.m., on Tuesday, the Coast Guard received a report of a kite-surfing kite in the water off of Pilot Rock near Trinidad, Calif. and immediately initiated a 9-hour search mission involving two 47-foot Motor Lifeboats from Station Humboldt Bay and three helicopter sorties from Air Station Humboldt Bay.
The search was suspended as the aircraft and rescue boat had saturated the search area with negative results. Also, no one had reported a missing kite or missing surfers in the area.
Hours later, the Coast Guard received a phone call from a professor at Humboldt State University who determined that the kite belonged to a Humboldt State University student and that the student was safely ashore. Read the Coast Guard report