Irish mixed offshore keelboat duo Kenny Rumball and Pamela Lee finished 17th in the gruelling second leg of the 775 miles Sardinha Cup last night.

The sole Irish duo in the offshore race were racing a Figaro 3 foiling keelboat, a class dominated by French sailing stars.

The Rumball and Lee partnership is campaigning to be the first team to represent Ireland in the new double-handed mixed offshore sailing category in the Paris Olympics 2024 but as they sailed back to port last night, news broke that the new class might now be on hold for 2024.

After finishing first last Friday, Xavier Macaire and Morgan Lagravière repeated the feat yesterday in a remarkable double in the second leg of the Saint Hilaire-Sardinha Cup.

The two skippers of Team SNEF crossed the finish line in Saint Gilles Croix de Vie at 18:48 after 4 days 1 hour 36 minutes by sea, 2 minutes ahead of Brittany CMB Océane (Elodie Bonafous/Corentin Horeau) and 12 minutes ahead of Let's keep the Stargardt Foundation View (Martin Le Pape/Yann Eliès), who finish in the same order in the final general classification.

Tracker here

At an online meeting of Member National Authorities (MNAs), World Sailing (WS) today (April 16th) will convey the news that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had requested WS to provide details of an alternative event should the IOC not endorse the mixed two-person offshore event for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the IOC meeting at the end of May.

The International Olympic Committee has given World Sailing six weeks to come up with alternative events to the controversial Mixed Offshore keelboat proposed for the 2024 Olympic Sailing regatta in Marseille, France.

While this is not a final decision, it is a clear indication that the offshore event is unlikely to be approved.

In November 2018, following a lengthy debate, the WS Council voted to replace the Mixed One -person dinghy event with the Mixed Two Person Keelboat Offshore event. The vote at that stage was 31 to 8 in favour with two abstentions. In the subsequent ratification by the MNAs, 43 were in favour and 17 against with 4 abstentions (note- many MNAs did not have representatives at the meeting and so were unable to cast a vote)

IOC has suggested that WS were unable to answer satisfactorily their questions regarding:

• Field of Play security, scope and complexity and
• Broadcast cost and complexity

Furthermore, IOC noted that (due to Covid), there hasn’t been an opportunity for WS to deliver an Offshore World Championships, which may have addressed these questions.

World Sailing has accepted that the Offshore project will have to put on hold and in the meantime, in order to maintain 10 medals at the Olympics, they will have to submit an event that satisfies IOC in these areas.

A new organisation established to promote 'offshore doubles' sailing attracted 1700 Members from 70 countries in a matter of months when news of the new class broke in November 2018. 

Speculation is mounting that sailing's highly anticipated mixed offshore keelboat for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games may not be approved by the International Olympic Council (IOC) at its meeting next month.

When World Sailing received feedback from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on the event programme for Paris, the IOC approved only nine of the ten events in December 2020.

The 2024 programme had incurred a significant overhaul to meet new requirements by the IOC, with the introduction of the new Mixed Two Person Offshore Keelboat Event expanding the sailing competition beyond dinghies and boards and beyond closed-course racing.

While this event has helped to increase interest in shorthanded sailing, the IOC wanted to further review the event in order to properly assess the key considerations around safety and security of the athletes, with a decision to be no later than May 31, 2021, as Afloat previously reported here

It's not the first time that the decision over the offshore keelboat has been questioned either. A leading offshore sailor and former Admiral of the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) in London says because of the 'possible loss' of the new offshore keelboat back in December he questioned whether it is worth sustaining the connection of the offshore world with the World Sailing body. 

Campaigns (including three Irish parings and one currently racing off France) planning for 2024 are coming to terms with the fact Paris may now be a '50/50' chance?

The doubts come as the Finn class seeks to regain its Olympic place for 2024 through an innovative collaboration with a former women's Olympic class, the Europe dinghy.

It seems the fight for the tenth medal at Paris 2024 is well and truly underway.

Dun Laoghaire and Greystones Mixed Offshore Keelboat campaigners Kenny Rumball and Pamela Lee lie 18th after the first night at sea of the Saint Hilaire-Sardinha Cup, the second stage of the Sardinha Cup in France.

The fleet of 21 Figaro Beneteau 3 left for 775 miles and about five days at sea, with a one-way trip to the Scilly's that promises to be strategic with a return leg that should mainly boil down to a speed race.

Saint Hilaire-Sardinha Cup, the second stage of the Sardinha Cup began on Sunday evening in 15 to 20 knots Photo: Jean Baptiste

Offshore or coastal was the big question of the day.  Damien Cloarec, co-skipper of Englishman David Paul on G-Alok said: "There is an anticyclone that will block us on Monday on the Breton tip, we must choose from the first buoy between bypassing it from the west or staying ashore to take thermal breezes. Marc Mallaret (sailing with Sébastien Marsset on Mercyships.org) adds: "There are those who will cut straight to make less road, at the risk of having less wind, and those who will go around this bubble by doing more miles but certainly going faster. We scratch our heads”.

Tracker here

The doublehanded offshore Racing team of Kenny Rumball and Pamela Lee embark on the second leg of the Sardinha Cup this evening.

It's a gruelling 775 miler that immediately follows yesterday's conclusion of a 300-mile first leg in which the Dun Laoghaire Harbour debutantes finished 20th from 21.  

The Rumball and Lee partnership is campaigning to be the first team to represent Ireland in the new double-handed mixed offshore sailing category in the Paris Olympics 2024.

After 1 day 13 hours and 52 minutes at sea, Team SNEF won Friday morning at 6 a.m. the Naomis Trophy (subject to Protest), the first stage of the Sardinha Cup (300 miles).

Xavier Macaire and Morgan Lagravière,  led the race almost from start to finish, resisting pressure from Normandy's (Alexis Loison/Guillaume Pirouelle) and Brittany CMB Performance (Tom Laperche/Loïs Berrehar), who complete the podium.

More here

The Royal Yachting Association (RYA) has launched its search to find sailors to represent Great Britain at the 2021 Offshore Mixed Doubles European and World Championships.

Interest has been growing in mixed doublehanded offshore racing since 2019 when the discipline was put forward for inclusion at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Since then, the RYA has aimed to encourage participation in doublehanded keelboat racing and wishes to select and develop a mixed team with the potential to win international events.

Details of the European and World Championships have not yet been released due to the uncertainty surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic.

However, the RYA wants to publish its intentions in order to help prospective teams plan their seasons ahead.

With the support of RORC, selection will be based on an extended version of the RORC Channel Race, scheduled to start from Cowes, Isle of Wight, on July 24, 2021.

The RYA’s selection committee will comprise of Ian Walker (RYA director of racing), Stacey Clark (World Sailing council member), a representative of the RYA’s Olympic steering group and a representative from RORC.

“This is a great opportunity for any mixed crews to come forward and show us they have what it takes to represent Britain,” says Walker.

“While we still don’t know where, when or even if these championships will go ahead and if offshore mixed doubles will be in the Olympics for Paris 2024, we know that a lot of teams are setting their sights on these events, so it is important that they know now how we will select teams when the events are hopefully announced.

“2020 was a difficult season for most sailors but we actually saw a growth in double-handed offshore racing as it is, by its very nature, more socially distanced. Many new partnerships have been formed and we hope to see more new pairs coming together in 2021, especially with the largest ever entry of boats in the Rolex Fastnet Race on the horizon.”

RORC racing is IRC rated and not one design, so in order to best reflect the criteria of the new Olympic equipment, the RYA selection for the Offshore World Championship will only be open to fixed keel monohulls within an endorsed IRC rating band between 0.990 and 1.055, aligned with the new UK Double Handed Offshore Series.

Crews wishing to express interest in selection for either the 2021 Offshore Mixed Doubles European or World Championships must do so by emailing full names of each sailor and details of the boat to [email protected]. The cut-off is 1700 on June 30, 2021.

The much-publicised Mixed Two-Person Offshore Keelboat Event for Paris 2024 did not get the green light from the IOC this week and remains under review.

It’s understood that one of the key factors under consideration is cost, both of staging the event and of the figures involved in mounting a successful campaign for a coveted Olympic spot.

Estimates gathered by Afloat.ie show that the latter will not be cheap — with even the most tightly budgeted duo looking at more than €125,000 to have a shot at the 2024 Games.

But it’s looking more than likely that costs will be upwards of €200,000 for any serious mixed keelboat contenders.

In the absence of full details of the proposed Olympic mixed keelboat programme, Afloat.ie has based these estimates on the cost of running a Sunfast 3300 in a season of six to seven races around Europe and training in between, with a wage of €24,000 for both skippers.

A source close to Afloat.ie says savings of some €30,000 in vessel rental coats could be made by finding an owner willing to lend their boat — something that happens on a regular basis in offshore sailing.

“In return, I would let the owner keep the sails, the polars and Sailect files that we would make and they would get the boat back absolutely top spec, with the hull faired and new antifouling, and I would offer some coaching afterwards — so the budget could even be as low as €100,000,” our source added.

Another option for those with the available capital, or an investor willing to take a chance on Olympic success, is to buy a boat outright and sell it on after the competition — something else that’s regularly done in offshore racing circles.

Our source highlights that insurance for a two-handed keelboat is one area where things might work out cheaper than alternatives, as double-handed boats qualify as crewed — whereas single-handed insurance on a Figaro can be as much as €8,000 per annum.

See below for our full estimated breakdown of costs associated with a proposed mixed offshore keelboat Olympic campaign:

A leading offshore sailor and former Admiral of the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) in London says because of the 'possible loss' of the new offshore keelboat at the Olympics he questions whether it is worth sustaining the connection of the offshore world with the World Sailing body.

There were shockwaves sent through fledgeling Mixed Offshore Keelboat campaigns working up to the Paris 2024 Olympic regatta this week with the news that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has deferred the decision on the new class until next May, giving a tight window of opportunity. 

Campaigns (including three Irish parings) planning for 2024 are coming to terms with the fact Paris may not now be '50/50' chance.

Offshore sailor Andrew McIrvine

World Sailing has played down its own disappointment with the news handed to it from the IOC but a World Sailing insider told Afloat: "There are some old school WS dudes who are change-averse who may have put some influence in IOC but French enthusiasm will win the day".

Reaction from offshore quarters to the decision has been swift. Former RORC Admiral Andrew McIrvine, a respected international offshore figure, took to social media to say World Sailing is "a whole distance from the sailors it should be supporting".

Andrew McIrvine's Facebook comment on world Sailing

McIrvine appears to suggest that the IOC is being influenced by some people within World Sailing who are not pro keelboat. These parties, he says, were never keen on the inclusion of the mixed double-handed offshore and lost the day previously.

Now they appear to be pushing the issue through the IOC, who already have reduced the number of sailing participants recently from 350 to 330 for 2024.

In this scenario, what events will be reduced in numbers to facilitate this? Pro-dinghy people in World Sailing don’t want dinghy numbers reduced. Scrapping the offshore event allows the dinghy classes to retain their numbers with others such as McIrvine suggesting offshore sailing as a sport is not being well represented by WS.

The World Sailing Press statement on the matter this week said the IOC wanted to review 'safety and security' considerations of the new class for Paris 2024 but an IOC statement also issued this week says it wants to assess key considerations around cost, safety and security. Make of it what you will if there is any significance to the omission of the single word 'cost' by World Sailing.

"World Sailing Needs Doublehanded Sailing More than Double-Handed Sailing Needs World Sailing"

Meanwhile, former Olympic and VOR sailor Knut Frostad says World Sailing needs doublehanded sailing more than double-handed sailing needs World Sailing. Frostad tells SEILmagasinet's Mikkel Thommessen in the video below: 

The decision on the Mixed Two Person Offshore Keelboat Event for the Paris 2024 Olympics has been deferred until the end of May 2021 by the International Olympic Committee.

The International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Executive Board says it would like to further review the Mixed Two Person Offshore Keelboat Event in order to properly assess the key considerations around safety and security of the athletes.

The specific event proposal will be decided as soon as practicably possible but no later than 31 May 2021.

The lack of confirmation is a set back for the new keelboat class and also to sailors planning campaigns. 

In a statement, World Sailing says, “We’re looking forward to continuing our close collaboration with the IOC and the Paris 2024 Organising Committee to answer the important questions on the Mixed Offshore Event to ensure safety and security of the world’s best sailors.

“Offshore sailing is an exciting way of showcasing the sport and engaging fans worldwide with the thrill of adventure, eSport integration and sailors battling the elements. Marseille will be a perfect venue for the Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Competition, and we’re excited to progress the development of our sport with the IOC and Paris 2024.

A World Sailing insider told Afloat, "There are some old school WS dudes who are change-averse who may have put some influence in IOC but French enthusiasm will win the day".

Sailor Numbers to Decrease for Paris Olympics 2024

Meanwhile, the IOC has confirmed the event programme and athlete quotas for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The other decisions announced today come following an IOC Programme Commission recommendation. They were as follows:

• Mixed Kiteboarding (Formula Kite) and the Mixed Two Person Dinghy (470) will feature at the Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Competition.
• The athlete quota for sailing at Paris 2024 will be 330, which is a decrease of 20 from the 350 at Tokyo 2020.

The Mixed Kiteboarding competition will be one of the fastest events at the Paris Olympic Games Photo: World Sailing

David Graham, World Sailing’s Chief Executive Officer, commented, “Today’s announcement by the IOC marks a positive step forward for showcasing the diversity and excitement of sailing at the Olympic Games. The list of Events, approved by World Sailing’s Member National Authorities, truly represents the international landscape of sailing with dinghies, keelboats, kiteboarding, skiffs and windsurfers all included in the ten Events. This change has been a complicated process to manage, and I take this opportunity to thank the 1000’s of hours of work done principally by our volunteer body.

“The Mixed Kiteboarding competition will be one of the fastest events at the Olympic Games, requiring speed, precision and teamwork in short form, close-knit races. In addition, the Mixed 470 will require close collaboration between male and female teammates to master the dinghy that has established so many well-known champion sailors.

“It is obviously disappointing to receive an athlete quota reduction, but this has impacted many sports, not just sailing. We appreciate the difficult decisions the IOC had to make in order to deliver the requirements set out in IOC Agenda 2020.”

The new Events have been included in World Sailing’s Events Strategy for the next quadrennial with sailors already training and preparing for Paris 2024. World Sailing’s Events Committee will now review the individual Event quotas to promote and grow universality and participation in all disciplines.

The safety and well-being of athletes in the Olympic Sailing Competition is a joint priority between the IOC, Paris 2024 and World Sailing. World Sailing will now work closely and quickly with the IOC and Paris 2024 to address the queries, in the hope to obtain final confirmation as soon as practicably possible.

Dun Laoghaire Harbour's Kenny Rumball and Pamela Lee of Greystones Harbour have restated their goal to represent Ireland at Paris 2024 in the new Olympic Mixed Offshores Double Class. 

"We're absolutely focused and excited and working towards Paris 2024, but along the way we're absolutely enjoying the journey, we're really enjoying double-handed sailing anyway and this is just giving us a really nice focus goal to work towards," Lee has told World Sailing in an interview.

Their 'rough plan' next year is to keep competing in the Figaro 3 circuit in France, because they believe it's the toughest short-handed sailing arena in the world, and they say they'd also like to have a look at doing some double-handed IRC events.

After joining forces at the beginning of the year, the two skilled offshore sailors had their eyes on the 2020 Offshore World Championship, originally due to take place in Malta this October, and were working towards qualifying themselves to represent Ireland in the event.

But after the Worlds were cancelled, they reacted quickly to ensure they were able to continue training and improving their skills on the water, both with and without each other.

"We started training in the French Figaro 3 scene, as our first event to qualify and represent Ireland in Malta was supposed to be the Solo Concarneau, a double-handed offshore race out of Concarneau in France," explained Rumball.

Read more of the interview on the World Sailing website here which tells of Rumball's participation in the La Solitaire Du Figaro and Lee's World Speed Sailing record round Ireland set this October. 

At least two other Irish campaigns have also declared to contest the single berth for Paris in the new Olympic class. Read the latest updates here.