Sara Winther (NZL). Image copyright onEdition.
by Daniel Smith
The titles for the 2010-2011 ISAF Sailing World Cup have been decided after the final day at Kieler-Woche, the seventh regatta in the Sailing World Cup series.
A number of results were possible in the 49er ahead of the final ISAF Sailing World Cup Regatta in Kiel, Germany with Nico Delle-Karth and Nikolaus Resch (AUT) going up against Peter Kruger-Andersen and Nicolai Thorsell (DEN) for the 49er title.
The World #1 Austrian pair required a 14th place finish or better to win the title and after the opening two days the pair were placed down in 15th. But as the week progressed Delle-Karth and Resch gradually pulled themselves up the leader board. And after an enthralling final day of racing at Kieler-Woche they claimed the bronze medal and 49er ISAF Sailing World Cup title.
Meanwhile the Danes had to settle with second place in the Standings and Stephen Morrison and Ben Rhodes (GBR) finished third overall.
Erin Maxwell and Isabelle Kinsolving (USA) clinched the gold medal at Kieler-Woche and jumped from eighth to first place in the Women’s 470 Standings to take the ISAF Sailing World Cup title. Their gold medal picked up in Kiel was their only podium finish on the 2010-2011 series. Nonetheless the American girls finished ahead of Tara Pacheco and Berta Betanzos (ESP) by five points. Penny Clark and Katrina Hughes (GBR) had two podium finishes but sailed in less regattas than Maxwell and Kinsolving, meaning the British girls finished third on 65 points.
Mathew Belcher and Malcolm Page (AUS) had the Men’s 470 title wrapped up ahead of Kieler-Woche. The pair still sailed in Germany and comprehensively won the gold medal to stand tall at the helm of the Men’s 470 Standings on 98 points. Greece's Panagiotis Mantis and Pavlos Kagialis finished 36 points behind the Australians in third place at Kieler-Woche. They take second place in the Standings followed by Pierre Leboucher and Vincent Garos (FRA), who finish third.
There was a superb fight in the Laser Radial with one point separating Evi Van Acker (BEL) and Marit Bouwmeester (NED) after seven regattas. But Bouwmeester came out on top after gold medals at the Delta Lloyd Regatta and Skandia Sail for Gold. Paige Railey’s gold medal at Kieler-Woche gave the American third spot overall in the Laser Radial Standings.
ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Tom Slingsby (AUS) had already sealed the Laser ISAF Sailing World Cup title ahead of Kieler-Woche. He chose not to sail in Germany but Simon Grotelueschen (GER) took advantage of the Australians non attendance and picked up his first gold medal in Kiel thus moving to second in the Standings. Winner of Sail Melbourne, Nick Thompson (GBR), finished behind the German in third.
After sailing at five ISAF Sailing World Cup Regattas Anna Tunnicliffe (USA) comfortably won the Women’s Match Racing title following her fifth place finish at Kieler-Woche. With 91 points Tunnicliffe took the title ahead of Silja Lehtinen (FIN), second on 76 points, and Sally Barkow (USA), third on 75 points.
In the Men’s RS:X Dorian Van Rijsselberge (NED) finished on the podium three times claiming gold at US SAILING’s Rolex Miami OCR and at Trofeo S.A.R. Princess Sofia MAPFRE to clinch the Men’s RS:X title. Nick Dempsey (GBR) also picked up three podium places but was behind the Dutchman on two occasions to finish a point behind in second. And World #1 Nimrod Mashich (ISR) claimed third place.
Blanca Manchon (ESP), ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year, sealed the Women’s RS:X title after he second place finish in Kiel. Jessica Crisp (AUS) won gold at Kieler-Woche and finishes behind Manchon in second place. France’s Charline Picon was tied on 71 points with Crisp but lost out having not won an ISAF Sailing World Cup Regatta in the 2010-2011 series.
In the Finn at every ISAF Sailing World Cup Regatta there was a British sailor at the top of the podium. Ben Ainslie, Giles Scott and Ed Wright all recorded regatta victories. But it was Ainslie who came out on top after claiming four gold medals. 2010 Finn World Champion Wright and Scott were tied on 90 points, nine points behind Ainslie, but Wright takes the silver medal with two regatta victories to his name.
Robert Scheidt and Bruno Prada (BRA) wrapped up the Star class ISAF Sailing World Cup title after Skandia Sail for Gold where they picked up their fourth gold medal. Diego Negri and Enrico Voltolini (ITA) and Fredrik Loof and Max Salminen (SWE) finished behind the Brazilians in second and third.
And in the 2.4mR Thierry Schmitter (NED) won the ISAF Sailing World Cup title, Megan Pascoe (GBR) came second followed by Helena Lucas (GBR) in third.
The 2011-2012 ISAF Sailing World Cup starts in November with Sail Melbourne running from 6-12 November 2011 before the 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships in Perth, Australia from 3-18.
Full results here
ISAF Sailing World Cup
