49er, 49erFX, Nacra 17 - World Championship 2016 - Clearwater FL, USA - Day 1

Rough conditions prevailed yesterday on the first day of the three World Championships running in parallel off Clearwater. The high winds around 18-20 kn and unforgiving waves built up in the rather shallow waters challenged competitors on Day One of the 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 World Championships in Florida. One race was completed for the Men’s 49er and Mixed Nacra 17, while the Women’s 49erFX fleets were held onshore. Capsizes and abandonments happened already while the boats left the harbour, and six 49er dismasted ! Racing was over when the wind reached 22kn in the afternoon, too much for the overpowered 'so called modern' Olympic classes.
It was no surprise the only the most experienced teams succeeded to master these conditions. In the 49er, Jonas Warrer/Anders Thomsen DEN and the favorites Peter Burling/Blair Tuke NZL won the race of their Groups. D'Ortoli/Delpech FRA and Pink/Bithell GBR finished 2nd each, and Bildstein/Hussl AUT as well as Januszewski/Nowak POL follow with 3rd ranks. The report and the video of day one.
The windy conditions caused troubles even before racing, as the high surges hitting the shore flushed some Nacras with all equipment afloat. The harsh sailing conditions with the short, steep chop was too difficult for many teams and 25% of the fleet abandoned the race. Living up to their role as favorites were the defending Champions Billy Besson/Marie Riou FRA, taking advantage of a big 40° shift right after the start and leaving the rest of the fleet far behind. Excellent 2nd are Matias Bühler/Nathalie Brugger SUI, confirming their solid performance in the preparation events. The two-times 49er Olympic Champion (and offshore racer) Iker Martinez ESP with Julia Rita ESP as crew finished 3rd, his best result on the multihull so far. The ranking list and the Nacra daily news.
The US Sailing Team facebook page and the Rio Olympic Team Tracker.