Saturday, June 24, 2017 (Image © Ricardo Pinto)
AC-50 - 35th America's Cup - Hamilton BER - Day 3
This evening at 6h UTC, the duel between 'Team New Zealand' with Peter Burling NZL and 'Oracle' with Jimmy Spithill AUS will continue. Four days are left to grasp the Cup with 7 wins. How far will the New Zealanders be at the end of the day .... and go with a matchpoint in tomorrows' races ? Was 'Oracle' in the past five days in a position to make their AC50 faster in the light winds that have been forecast for today ?The preview.
Act 3 of the J/70 European Sailing Series began on Lake Garda yesterday with two races. Carlo Alberini ITA and his team has taken the lead 2 points ahead of Claudia Rossi ITA. The best Swiss Stefan Seger SUI is on the 36th place among the 72 teams from 19 nations. The 
Thunderstorms and calms impaired racing on the second day of the Olympic Classes Kiel Week yesterday. Some classes returned even without a valid result. Only the skiff classes sailing closer to the shore completed almost the normal program. 
The thundery weather disturbed the program of the two Laser classes. 
The Para Classes were hampered by the lack of wind as well. Only the 
The wind was somewhat fresher on the second and crucial day of the Youth America's Cup allowing for the first time to fly the AC45s. 'New Zealand Sailing Team' was unbeatable in these conditions and won all three heats. Thanks to the big advantage from day one, 'BAR Academy' with Robert Bounce GBR stayed on rank one overall by a small margin, leaving the Silver Medal to the New Zealanders. The Swiss 
The winds remained moderate on the first day of the Olympic Classes Kiel Week. All Olympic events except the RS:X Windsurfers are held. 
Light winds prevailed on the first day of the Olympic Classes Kiel Week and both Laser fleets completed two races each.
The Disabled-Sailing Classes World Championship (on 2.4mIJ and Hansa 303) began yesterday with two races. Since disabled sailing has been eliminated from the Paralympics 2020, World Sailing is making big efforts to promote the sport on all continents to regain homologation. 
The Women's Match Racing World Championship was concluded yesterday in Helsinki FIN. Lucy McGregor GBR defeated Renée Groenveld NED in the Final with 3-1. In the Petite Final, Trine Palludan DEN earned Bronze. The 
No flying day on the first Final day of the Youth America's Cup, but nevertheless, the three races have been completed. With the day ranks 2/2/1, 'BAR Academy' with Robert Pounce GBR had a smashing start leading with a solid 7 points advantage on 'Team Tilt' with Sébastien Schneiter SUI and 'Team France' with Robin Follin FRA at equal points. Today is the second and last day of the Youth America's Cup with another three races on the program.
The International Classes concluded the 2017 Kiel Week yesterday with more light-wind races. As from today, the Olympic Classes will be underway with top sailors such as Robert Scheidt BRA (49er) or Matthew Belcher/Will Ryan AUS (470).
After the first four Rounds of the America's Cup Challenge, it is the Youths' turn (U24) today and tomorrow. The eight Youths' teams qualified for the Final will sail six fleetraces to determine the Youth America's Cup winner. Four years ago in San Franisco, Peter Burling NZL grasped the Youths' title and today, he is the helmsman of the4 NZL America's-Cup-Cat. 
For many are the J-Class Yachts the most beautiful sailboats ever. During the 2017 America's Cup Challenge, 7 teams started yesterday to their regatta. Never in th 87-year history of these former America's Cup Class, such a big fleet was sailing together. 
On day two of the America's Cup Challenge, 'Team New Zealand' with Peter Burling NZL recorded two more back-to-back victories over the Cup Defenders, putting themselves 3-0 up in the first-to-seven series that will determine the winner of the 35th America’s. The superior boat speed made the difference again yesterday. Four more days with two races per day are on the program, starting June 24. Will the Americans be able to compensate for the speed deficit during the coming 5 days ?
Sun and moderate winds again on day 2 of the International Classes' Kiel Week 2017, and the full program could be sailed. 
The Melges 24 held Round 3 of their European Sailing Series in Marstrand SWE over the past weekend. With a row of top-5 ranks in the 9 races completed, Corinthian team of Giacomo Fosatti ITA den was the winner 15 points ahead of Miles Quinton GBR. On rank 3 followed Bill Hardesty USA, the first professional sailor. 30 teams from 7 nations participated. 
The 35th America's Cup Challenge began yesterday on the Bermuda Great Sound in shifty light winds (8-10 kn) just enough to foil. Two races were on the program with the Cup Defender 'Oracle' with Jimmy Spithill AUS one point up thanks to the bonus as Qualification Series winner. 
The Kiel Week 2017 began yesterday for the International Classes in sun and good wind conditions, allowing to complete the full program with 3 to 4 races by Class. 
The seabreeze was somewhat lighter (around 12 kn) on the last day of the Dragon World Championship with three teams at the start with chances for the title. Andy Beadsworth GBR steering the Turkish 'Provezza' team defended the overall lead ahead of Anatoly Loginov RUS and Lawrie Smith GBR taking Silver and Bronze. 
The fresh North-East wind made the 2017 Bol d'Or fast yesterday. 'Alinghi' with Arnaud Psarofaghis SNG steering missed the record by a few minutes only. With the 'Ladycat' of Dona Bertarelli SNG as 2nd followed another D35 catamaran on top of the rankings. The friendly attack of the GC32 foiling catamaran 'Realstone' with Jerôme Clerc failed in the lighter winds on the upper Lake Leman. However, the ultra-fast down-wind ride on the way back to Geneva allowed Clerc to climb on the podium as 3rd. Jean Psarofaghis SNG on the Psaros40 'Sytz & Co' finished first in the monohulls after a tight duel with the Hungarian Libera 'Raffica', decided shortly before the finish line when two Hungarian crews fell from the wires and the MOB manoeuvre pulled them back considerably. 
The 35th America's Cup begins today on the Bermuda Great Sound with the first two of max 15 races to determine the America's Cup Holder for the coming years. The duels between the Cup Defender 'Oracle' with Jimmy Spithill AUS and 'Team New Zealand' with Peter Burling NZL in the Round Robins were very close, and the outcome of the Final seems to be quite open. The name of the game will be to get and keep the catamarans flying. Every dive means massive losses. The start will be given at 18h UTC and can be followed on the 
Day Two of the Pool A Qualifiers in the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup once again belonged to Sweden’s 'Artemis Youth Racing' as they topped the tables with two wins, qualifying for the Final comfortably with 55 points. Joining them in the final three qualification spots from Pool A are 'SVB Team Germany', Switzerland’s 'Team Tilt' and 'Team France Jeune'. The result today means that 'Youth Vikings Denmark' and 'Kaijin Team Japan' are eliminated. The wind was again very light and again, the catamarans could not foil. 
The Dragon World Championship in Cascais POR continued yesterday with two race. Finishing on the ranks 5 and 9, Andy Beadsworth GBR with his Turkish 'Provezza'-Team defended his lead. Anatoly Loginov RUS reduced the backlog to the leader on 7 points. New on the 3rd place is now Lawrie Smith GBR, winner of the last race yesterday. The best Swiss is now Dirk Oldenburg SUI on rank 35.
The Bol d’Or Mirabaud is the most important inland lake regatta in the world. Started in 1939, it welcomes mono-hulls and multihulls each year on Lake Geneva, starting in Geneva, Switzerland. More than 500 boats encounter each other on this 123 kilometer (66.5 nautical mile) course from Geneva to Le Bouveret and back. Among previous winners are Dennis Connor USA and Russell Coutts NZL.
The six teams of the Youth America's Cup Group A sailed three races yesterday in light winds. With an impressive performance (ranks 3/1/1), The Swedish 'Artemis Youth Racing'-Team with Gustav Pettersen SWE has taken the interim's lead 2 points ahead of 'Team France' with Robin Follin FRA on 2nd and Max Kohlhoff GER and his 'SVB Team Germany' on 3rd. Sébastien Schneiter SUI and his 
Unfortunately, the 
The 72-foot Maxi 'Momo' of Dieter Schön GER finished the Giraglia Race yesterday evening at 21:36 h after 32 hours' racing as winner. 'Caol Ila R', also a 72 foot Maxi, followed 8 minutes later on rank 2. The majority of the 205 boats' fleet is still underway. 
Winning the Nacra 17 Gold Medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics together wiht his crew Cecilia Carranza ARG, Santiago Lange ARG has written a page of sailing history. After two times Bronze in 2004 and 2008, he earned Gold at the age of 54 years, and this only 9 months after half of his lung was chirugically removed fighting against cancer. The IOC honors this exceptional performance including him in the Video Serie 'Against all odd' for heros of the Olympic Games 2016. The 
Sun and moderate winds around 15 kn prevailed yesterday during another race of the Super-Yacht-Regatta. Here some 
Two races were held yesterday at the Dragon World Championship in Cascais in a 8-12 kn breeze and a fair Atlantic Ocean swell. Andy Beadsworth GBR steering for the Turkish Provezza Team confirmed his results so far (1/1/10) with two more top-10 results and has now an 8 points' lead on Anatoly Loginov RUS. Yevgeni Braslavets UKR on rank 3 is already 19 points behind.
Yesterday, the start to the Giraglia Race over 260 nm from St-Tropez around the Giraglia Rock (North of Corsica FRA) to Genoa has been given. In light winds, the leading boats were just about to round the Rock this morning. The IRC-0 72-foot Maxi 'Caol Ila' of Alex Schaerer GBR was in the lead, 0,7 nm ahead of 'Momo'. another 72-footer. The 
Group B of the Youth America's Cup concluded the Qualification Series yesterday with another three races. The best four are qualified for the Final, the last two are eliminated. 
The America's Cup Super Yacht Regatta began yesterday with a 19 nm long-distance race. The 80-foot plus yachts sail in four different categories. The main interest goes to the fleet of the six J-Class-Yachts. Despite a premature start, the winner was 'Hanuman' ahead of 'Ranger' and 'Velsheda'. In the C-Class, the biggest yacht, the 250-foot 'Maltese Falcon', finished first. 
Over the past weekend, the International Dutch Optimist Team Race Championship was hes in Loodsrecht NED, with 8 teams from 4 nations. In the Semi Finals, NED 2 defeated SUI and SWE had the upper hand on IRL.
Yesterday, 'Team New Zealand' with Peter Burling NZL won the 7th race and herewith the Challenger Playoff Final to sail the America's Cup Match against 'Oracle'. For the first time, the New Zealanders had the better start and after a perfect race, they distanced 'Artemis' with Nathan Outteridge AUS with over a minute. On the coming Saturday, June 17, they will encounter the America's Cup Defender to avenge the last-minute defeat at the 34th AC Challenge in San Francisco. The match will without doubt be close.
After the last race of the Louis-Vuitton Challenger Sailoffs, the Youth America's Cup began yesterday with three fleetraces for the six Group B teams sailing in moderate winds. Finishing 1/3/1, the English 'BAR' team with Rob Bunce GBR has taken the interim's lead, closely followed by 'Spanish Impulse' with the 470 crack Jordi Xammar ESP steering and the ranks 2/2/4 on their results' sheet. Rather disappointing were the New Zealand defenders. Winning race 2 was not enough to remain better than rank 4 overall at halftime. Even worse was the 'Next Generation USA' team on rank 5, five points behind the cut to qualify for the Final.
After the conclusion of the Louis Vuitton Challenger Sailoffs until the start of the America's Cup match June 17, two supporting Acts are on the program this week. The Youth America's Cup for Group B will continue today with the remaining 3 fleetraces. In addition, the Super-Yacht-Cup, a Show-Regatta for yachts exceeding 80 foot, will be held. Thursday and Friday, Group A of the Youth America's Cup will sail their elimination fleetraces. 
