Wednesday, November 21, 2018
A-Cat - World Championship 2018 - Hervey Bay AUS - Day 3 - Too windy
Too much wind at the A-Cat Worlds in Australia this morning UTC and racing had to be cancelled for the day. Yesterday, we informed about the positions after 5 races before the final heat of the day was completed.The rankings on top did not change: Glenn Ashby AUS remains leading in the Open classification 5 points ahead of Misch Heemskerk NED. New on rank 3 is Blair Tuke NZL.
In the Classics, 9 races have been completed. Andrew Landenberger AUS leads with a 5 points' advantage on Scott Anderson AUS. Graeme Parker AUS is 3rd.
The ranking lists and the news of yesterday.
Racing is underway in Australia this morning UTC and two races have been completed so far. 
Overall winners of the 11th St-Barth Cata Cup were not the clear leaders Iordanis Paschalidis/Konstantinos Trigonis GRE on their way to the fifth race win, but Patrick Demesmaeker/Olivier Gagliani BEL. The Greek World Champions rounded mark in the wrong direction, retired therefore from the race and dropped on rank 4 overall. The podium was completed by Enrique Figueroa/Ruben Booth ESP and Pablo Volker/Sergio Mehl ARG. Steven Stroebel/Michael Risoer USA finished 11th and Nedim Alca/Brian Hunt CAN 40th among the 46 participants from 11 nations. 
Three races per fleet were sailed this morning UTC at the A-Cat World Championship in Australia and in both categories - the Foilers and the Classics - the dominators of the Australian Nationals of last week are in the lead with three bullets each.
No wind on the final day of the RC44 Cascais Cup der RC44, the last event of the annual championship. Nico Pons MON with his 'Charisma' (tactics Ray Davies NZL) is the winner and at the same time the RC44 2018 Annual Champion ahead of 'Team Aqua' of Chris Bake GBR (Cameron Appleton NZL) and 'Ceeref' of Igor Lah SLO (Adrian Stead GBR).
After two light days with a large Atlantic swell running, an aggressive-looking cold front off the Portugese coast filled in and delayed racing on the penultimate day of the RC44 Cascais Cup. Finally, the wind built into sailable mid-20 and two races could be sailed.
No wind this morning UTC at the opening of the A-Cat World Championship in Australia for the 
To make up for yesterday’s missed race and with the prospect of a possibly ‘too big’ weekend ahead, four races were held on day two of the RC44 Cascais Cup, the final event of the 2018 championship for the high performance owner driver one designs. As yesterday, conditions on the water were warm for mid-November, with the sun out and wind that started at 10-12 knots and dropped off to six, as forecast, as the afternoon wore on. 
Yesterday, the Grand Prix Pacifique des Jeux and herewith the 2018 season of the Diam 24-trimarans was concluded on Bora Bora.
No change on top of the rankings after the final three races of the A-Cat Australian Nationals yesterday. 
This morning UTC, two races were already completed at the Australian A-Cart Nationals, the tune-up event to the World Championship beginning next weekend. 
After two short round-the-buoys races on Raiatea Bay, the fleet sailed a 40nm leg to Bora Bora. 
The seventh annual Miami Star Winter Series got underway November 10-11 on Biscayne Bay with the Schoonmaker Cup in Miami, FL. Hosted at Coral Reef Yacht Club, the two day, four race event kicked off on Saturday after a delay, when a light easterly began to fill in. Three more races were held on Sunday in various conditions. 
A 30-mile transfer leg from Huaine to Raiatea was on the program of the 3rd day of the Grand Prix Pacifique des Jeux. The scheduled short races had to be cancelled due to unconstant winds. 
In the sailing media and among most Olympic classes sailors, the decisions regarding the Olympic events 2024, taken in early November at the World Sailing Annual Meeting, are much critisised. For the first time ever, non-existing disciplines on unknown boats have been chosen !
Today, the longest regatta of the Grand Prix Pacifique des Jeux over 90nm - from Moorea to Huahine - was on the program. After the start inside the lagoon, the wind was freshening on the open Pacific Ocean, allowing the 8 teams a fast downwind ride with speeds exceeding 15kn. 
Last Sunday, we informed on the outcome of the 18-footer Spring Championship on Sydney Harbour over livestream. Two races were held, initially in moderate winds, freshening during the second heat. The race winners were 'Asko Appliances' and 'Finport'.
Early December, the Star Sailors League Final will take place on the Bahamas, the highest-quality yachtracing event of this year with the best-ranked Starboat sailors and top-athletes from other Classes. Five World Champions from Olympic Classes will take part and prepare themselves in a clinic held on Lake Garda during these days. On this occasion, the organiser Frithjof Kleen GER interviewed the 2018 World Sailor of the Year Pavlos Kontides CYP, who will start in Nassau together with Markus Koy GER. 
The final outcome at the Starboat South American Championship 2018 was close with Robert Scheidt/Arthur Lopes BRA back in the Star again as final winner after 6 races ahead of Lars Grael/Samuel Goncalves BRA at equal points. The newly crowned World Champions Jorge Zarif/Ubiraton Matas BRA followed on rank 3. No doubt, that Robert Scheidt BRA will have a say in the Star Sailors League Final on the Bahamas in four weeks' time. 
The finals for both the Men and Women were held today at Dakhla Spirit, with perfect conditions for the last day of Competition in Morocco. The winners were:
The Diam World Tour Final off Papetee/Tahiti began this morning UTC with two short races sailed in fresh winds around 20kn, followed by a 22nm offshore race Moorea. Leader after the short races was ‘CER’ with Lauranne Mettraux SUI/SNG finishing on the ranks 1 and 2. ‘Oman Sail’ and ‘Mood’ with Damien Iehl FRA follow as 2nd and 3rd overall. 
After a year of regional qualifying races held all over the world, a global lineup of top young sailors from 16 countries and five continents faced off in the second-ever Red Bull Foiling Generation World Final on November 9-11 in Miami, FL sailed on Flying Phantoms. 
The Final of the Melges-40 World Series was concluded yesterday on Lanzarote ESP with a last race. Winner of this race and overall was Alessandro Rombelli ITA (tactics Francesco Bruni ITA) ahead of Yukihiro Ishida JPN (Manu Weiller ESP) snd Richard Goransson SWE (Cameron Appleton NZL). The 
The eight teams at the Grand Prix Pacifique des Jeux in Pampetee sailed three tune-up short and coastal race on their Diam's yesterday. No results were published (up to now), but among the first were always Damien Iehl FRA (‘Mood’), ‘Oman Sail’ and Laurane Mettraux SNG on ‘CER’. Tomorrow begins the GP with a format similar to the Tour de France with short and coastal races from island to island. Tomorrow, the 18-mile leg from Papeete to Moorea is on the program
With another successful day (3/2/2), Alessandro Rombelli ITA (tactics Francesco Bruni ITA) secured the win of Act 4 in Lanzarote and herewith the overall 2018 Annual Trophy victory. The remaining podium spots will be sailed off in the last race today. Yukihiro Ishida JPN (Manu Weiller ESP) on 2nd is 4 points ahead of Andrea Lacorte ITA (Gabriele Benussi ITA). Only another point back follows Valentin Zavadnikov MON (Michele Ivaldi ITA) who keeps a chance for a medal.
Today on Tahiti, the 'Grand Prix Pacifique des Jeux', the final Act of the Diam-24-Trimarans' annual chsmpionship, will be initiated. In addition to a number of short round-the-buoy races, a long-distance regatta between the Southern Ocean islands Moorea and Huahine, with 90nm the longest race of this young class, is on the program. 'CER Genève' with Laurane Mettraux SNG and ‘Cheminées Poujoulat’ with Bernard Stamm SUI represent Switzerland. Comes in addition Damien Iehl FRA with ‘Mood’ who steered the D35 cat ‘Swisscom’ on Lake Geneva during the past season.
The Melges 40 are sailing the 4th and final Act of their 2018 Grand Prix on Lanzarote. The Class has not yet a wide-spread popularity as in their second year of its existance, only five teams are present. However, the standard is high with prominent professionals on the crew lists. 
