Displaying items by tag: ILCA 7
Gear Failure Set Back for Finn Lynch at ILCA 7 Europeans
Gear failure for Finn Lynch on the first day of gold fleet racing at the ILCA 7 European Championships in Andora, Italy, has been a setback for the National Yacht Club ace.
Lynch was forced to use his discard when the centreboard stop on his new dinghy failed, causing him to sit out the day's first race and count maximum points in his 62-boat fleet.
A repair at sea was possible before the second race in which the world-ranked number two scored 20th, dropping him back overall in the gold fleet.
It's a disappointing setback for the Dun Laoghaire sailor as his scoresheet reflected his top form of late, ending the qualification rounds on Tuesday with a race win boost to his eighth overall with a consistent 5, 5, (6.0) and 1.
Winds were between 15 to 22 knots.
On the ILCA 7 course, the Gold fleet had their first start right away, but the Silver and Bronze fleet starts were delayed around an hour for the Race Committee to anchor their boat and pin end boats correctly to set the line.
After five races sailed, reigning Olympic champion Matthew Wearn AUS is leading with nine points. Four times Senior European champion Tonci Stipanovic from Croatia is second overall and leader of the European Championship with 17. Reigning World champion Jean Baptiste Bernaz FRA has 19. Philipp Buhl GER completes the European provisional podium with 25 points.
Racing continues with the final for the coming two days.
Consistent Finn Lynch is Sailing in the Top Ten of the ILCA 7 European Championships
Consistent sailing by Olympic Paris 2024 campaigner Finn Lynch puts him in the top ten of the ILCA 7 European Championships in Andora, Italy.
The National Yacht Club ace, ranked as high as second in the world last season, added another two fifth-place results to his scoresheet on Tuesday before ending the qualification rounds with a race win boost to sit eighth overall with 5, 5, (6.0) and 1.
Reigning World champion Jean Baptiste Bernaz FRA (1-3-1-10) leads the competition with five points among 191 sailors.
Medium air conditions were quite shifty, with the breeze up and down in big seas on the Riviera delle Palme.
Three sailors are just one point behind Bernaz, so the championship promises to be fought to the bitter end; Duko Bos NED (7-4-1-1), Philipp Buhl GER (1-19-1-4), and Matthew Wearn AUS (1-3-2-4) are all counting six points after the first four races. Tonci Stipanovic CRO (7-1-4-3) is also close with eight.
There was a special moment for Ireland at this major championship when Lynch's rival for Paris 2024, Ewan McMahon of Howth Yacht Club, crossed the finish line just behind Lynch, giving Ireland a 1-2 in race four.
Three races are scheduled for Wednesday, with the first warning signal at 09:00. Coaches meeting at 07:00.
ILCA 7 – Full results below
Finn Lynch Aims to Finish on a High as He Drops to 32nd at ILCA 7/Euros in Hyeres
The National Yacht Club's Finn Lynch scored a 16th-39th-32nd dropping him to 32nd place overall in a light wind three race penultimate day of the ILCA/Laser European Championships in Hyeres, France.
Three more races were held today by all the fleets, with shifty and patchy 8-12 knots of breeze. There were many ups and downs that made the sailing conditions very tricky for all the 350 competitors, with significant changes in the standings.
"We just didn't find the right mode to get in front of the fleet at the beginning," commented Vasilij Zbogar, Lynch's Laser coach. "The truth is... I don't know; we were going so well before the event, but now we have different conditions.
"Finn mentally was prepared well and is feeling well. We're struggling a little bit for speed in these conditions for the set-up we have could be a little bit better."
Zbogar, a triple Olympic medallist, pointed to Lynch's improved performance in the upper wind range earlier in the week, calling it a "huge step forward." Normally, the Rio veteran would be expected to perform well in the conditions of the past two days.
"I'm not feeling great - I need to be doing better," Finn Lynch said after racing ended. "There is a lot of luck involved in these conditions, but I need to be better so that I can afford to have bad luck."
For the remaining two races, Lynch will be aiming to finish on a high with individual best results though both the podium and, most likely, the top ten are beyond his reach.
It was not a good day for the overnight leader and reigning 2021 Senior European champion Michael Beckett GBR (22-25-2), losing the top spot for the first time in the event. He’s now in second place but only 2 points behind the new leader Pavlos Kontides CYP (4-3-1), who’s counting 32.
Finland’s Kaarle Tapper FIN (5-23-3) is now third with 50. 7 points after him is Jonatan Vadnai HUN (8-18-17) on fourth.
Lorenzo Chiavarini ITA (6-17-13) and Sam Whaley GBR (24-6-10) are tied in 66 points on places fifth and sixth.
Provisional ILCA 7 European Top 10 after 10 races:
- Pavlos Kontides CYP 32
- Michael Beckett GBR 34
- Kaarle Tapper FIN 50
- Jonatan Vadnai HUN 57
- Lorenzo Chiavarini ITA 66
- Sam Whaley GBR 66
- Niels Broekhuizen NED 72
- Tonci Stipanovic CRO 74
- Hermann Tomasgaard NOR 75
- Jean Baptiste Bernaz FRA 85
Download results below
Eve McMahon Starts Week Off Strong at ILCA U21 Worlds in Portugal
Tuesday’s first day of racing saw Eve McMahon take third in the overall ILCA 6 standings — and first among U19s — at the ILCA U21 World Championships in Vilamoura, Portugal this week.
The Howth Yacht Club prospect is part of a youth sailing fleet that enjoyed champagne sailing conditions in the Algarve in the early part of this week — though lack of wind meant day two on Wednesday (24 August) saw no racing.
Eve is no doubt eager to hold her place at the top of the table to challenge for the podium this weekend — and close out a successful summer after her return with a gold medal from the ILCA 6 Youth Worlds besides two other major titles.
And she isn’t the only McMahon in action in Vilamoura, as her brother Jamie placed 11th overall in the ILCA 7 after two races. Fellow Irish competitors Tom Higgins (Royal St George YC) and Jonathan O’Shaughnessy (Royal Cork YC) were in 60th and 73rd respectively.
The ILCA U21 Worlds continue till this Sunday 28 August. The latest standings can be found on the event website HERE or below
National Yacht Club's Mark Lyttle Stays Second at ILCA 7 Grand Masters World Championships in Mexico
The National Yacht Club's Mark Lyttle stays second going into the final two races of the 2022 ILCA 7/Laser Grand Masters World Championships in Mexico.
Canadian Allan Clark won the first race of the day – as a typical ILCA 6 sailor, the lighter wind suited him. The fleet’s leader of the week, Australian Brett Beyer, won the second race and continues to hold first overall. Ireland’s Mark Lyttle still sits in second and Spain’s Jose Maria Van Der Ploeg in third.
Two final races are scheduled for Tuesday.
For full results, see here
Consistent Finn Lynch Sailing In Top Ten of ILCA 7/Laser Worlds, Ankle Problem for Ewan McMahon Continues
The National Yacht Club's Finn Lynch kept the defence of his 2021 silver medal very much alive when he added a fourth place on Tuesday to be in the top ten overall of the ILCA7/Laser World Championships in Mexico.
Lying eighth overall with one day of the qualification round remaining, consistent Lynch had a 13th place in the second race of the day, his worst of the series so far at Puerto Vallarta.
Unfortunately, Howth Yacht Club's Ewan McMahon's 'problem with his ankles' continues to limit his ability to hike his dinghy. He finished 45th and 41st places leaving him outside of contention for Gold fleet.
Howth Yacht Club's Ewan McMahon is continuing to race while battling an ankle problem. Photo: John Pounder/Vallarta Yacht Club
French sailor Jean-Baptiste Bernaz currently leads the championship overall while Tokyo 2020 Gold medallist Matt Wearn from Australia sailed ashore prior to Monday's race and is out of the competition due to illness.
Results are here
The Laser or ILCA7 is the Men's single-handed event for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Qualification for the Marseille regatta in just over two years' time will be at next year's combined Sailing World Championships in The Netherlands with another opportunity at the 2024 worlds.
Finn Lynch will seek to repeat or better his 2021 World Championships silver medal in Monday's first races of the ILCA7/Laser World Championships at Riviera Nayarit, Mexico, in a fleet of 125 sailors from 45 nations.
Lynch (26) and second Irish Paris 2024 campaigner Ewan McMahon (21), along with Irish coach Vasilij Žbogar arrived in Mexico a week ago.
As regular Afloat readers will know, last November's silver medal was a career-high for Lynch and Ireland's best-ever men's Laser result. The result also provided the Carlow man with much-needed funding. On Monday, he embarks on his silver medal defence with Sport Ireland podium funding of €40k per annum in his hip pocket.
The National Yacht Club ace is also boosted by some promising early season results that saw him take fourth in Palma in April (while nursing an arm injury). Admittedly Lynch did not make the medal race in Hyeres later in April but still managed a top 15 finish, both high-quality results setting him up well for this week's successful world championship defence.
Two Irish ILCA 7 campaigners, one Olympic place
Overall, It's an optimistic scenario at this stage in the Paris 2024 triennial. What's more, Ireland has the added spice of up and coming talent in Howth's McMahon.
McMahon has rapidly become Ireland's second most successful men's Laser sailor after Mark Lyttle, the Dun Laoghaire solo ace who sailed first for Ireland in the Laser in the 1996 Olympics.
Howth Yacht Club campaigner Ewan McMahon
Lynch v McMahon
As with all venues, each race track has its own characteristics. In Riviera Nayarit, the intriguing question – in an Irish context – is, with solid and steady breezes the norm, will these conditions suit Lynch or McMahon best over a 12-race series?
Lynch tends to put together an incredibly consistent series, and recently he has been coming through as the week progresses, ticking off one rival after another as they knock up a big score.
It's a winning formula, and the trickier the conditions, the more the talented Carlow man seems to thrive.
This week's challenge for Ireland's number one might be that steady sea breezes could be a leveller.
Could the regatta be more of a speed test than regattas in European or venues with more unstable conditions?
Indeed, the younger MacMahon is a tall athlete with excellent boat speed (especially downwind). In this regatta, any tactical or experience deficits (expected at his age) might not be such an issue.
From various reports (including comments from his coach), McMahon still has to improve his upwind tactics and position on first beats, convert good speed, and get into top-10 windward mark rounding.
After Palma's April regatta, Zbogar said, "The results don't show it, but it's only some small mistakes keeping him out of the top 20". "He isn't losing any places on the downwind, but we need to work on executing the upwind legs better."
The Hague 2023 and Paris 2024
It sets up an increasingly competitive scenario where the two Irish sailors will attempt to qualify Ireland for the single place in Paris 2024 at the first opportunity in The Hague in August 2023. It's still not popular in some circles to mention that it is a qualification standard Ireland failed to make for Tokyo.
From this tiny Irish squad of just two, what happens if we have two sailors right on top of their game in the World's top 20?
Does the dynamic change? Does Lynch have to start considering his Irish competition in earnest, possibly negatively impacting his own programme?
Early answers to these questions probably lie on the Vallarta race track and the defence of Ireland's best-ever men's Laser result starting this Monday.
Monday and Tuesday will form the qualifying round of the regatta with two races daily scheduled that will decide the Gold fleet finalists before the final result is decided on Saturday.
Update: Sunday, May 22 8 pm: Ewan McMahon is reported as 'unwell'. The Irish camp says he is under the care of the squad physio but the 21- year-old has already missed two days of training.
No Irish representation in the medal races at the Semaine Olympique Francaise (French Olympic Classes Week) in Hyères is a disappointment for Irish Olympic sailing efforts but there is consolation in the two top 15 finishes achieved in what is the second biggest regatta since Tokyo.
Laser/ILCA7
Carlow sailor Finn Lynch finished 13th overall in the ILCA 7 (Laser) after coming fifth in both races yesterday demonstrating he has the speed even if nursing an arm injury, missing the medal race by just 12 points.
His 21-year-old rival for Paris 2024 Ewan McMahon (Howth YC) moved up again in the fleet to finish 23rd overall, a result that confirms he is an exciting prospect and Ireland's second most successful full rig sailor since Mark Lyttle, Ireland's inaugural Laser helmsman at Atlanta 1996.
The pair are now in preparation for the World Championships, a highlight of the year where Lynch will defend his 2021 silver medal in Mexico in May.
49er
With less wind than on previous days, Robert Dickson and Seán Waddilove (Howth YC and Skerries SC) finished in 15th place in the 49er class after the day’s three races. Rivals Séafra Guilfoyle and Johnny Durcan (Royal Cork YC) finished in 30th place overall.
Full results here
The regatta concludes today Saturday 30 April.
Laser Sharp Finn Lynch in Medal Race Finish at Princesa Sofia Regatta Despite the Painkillers
On painkillers and sailing with a swollen arm, Ireland's Finn Lynch secured his medal race place when he moved up to fifth place overall at the end of Gold fleet racing in the ILCA7/Laser single-handed fleet today at the Princesa Sofia regatta.
After another breezy day on the Bay of Palma The National Yacht Club sailor had a fifth place in the opening race of the day and followed with his worst result of the week, a 22nd which then became his discard.
The result marks the end of 10 races for the 163-boat class with the top ten placed boats going forward for a brief race on Saturday to decide the podium places.
The best place that Lynch can achieve is fourth to match his previous best at this regatta in 2019.
"Finn has put together a really solid event this week," said Lynch's coach Vasilij Zbogar. "He's had an issue with a swollen arm so it’s hard to sail but all credit to him, he didn't want to give up even on painkillers for two days."
"The upside is that we'll get some medal race practice after a long gap but the downside is that a medal isn't an option so fourth is the target."
British sailor Michael Beckett is guaranteed a medal and hilled about carrying an 11 points lead into his medal race, ahead of Germany’s 2020 world champion Philipp Buhl and Australia’s Tokyo gold medallist Matt Wearn:
Beckett said, “I love the medal races. It is good to have a points gap. Last time I did this regatta I was 21st and this is a great regatta and everyone is back after the Games. I have done a lot of work with the squad and this week I have been fast and it has just felt as good as I have felt in training.”
Ireland's other sailor in the ILCA7 event is Ewan McMahon Howth YC) who placed 32nd overall after the ten race fleet series ended and who is going to work on executing the upwind legs better.
McMahon's younger brother Jamie placed 25th in the Silver fleet after a promising start to the series on Monday when he scored top 20 results in his qualification flight.
The medal race final for the ILCA7 class takes place at 10 30 (Irish Summer time) on Saturday 9th April.
Full results here
Finn Lynch's Clever Sailing Moves Him to Sixth Overall in Palma & The Prospect of a Medal Race Finish
Some clever sailing through minimising race course errors has put Finn Lynch into sixth place overall in the Laser/ILCA 7 class at the Princess Sofia Regatta in Mallorca today.
The National Yacht Club ace scored eighth and 14th in fresh winds today on the Bay of Palma, scores that give him a highly prized sixth place with just two races remaining in the Gold fleet series.
With the possibility of further improvement tomorrow, Lynch has the prospect of a medal race finish in his first event towards Paris 2024.
Howth's Ewan McMahon slipped to 30th overall after placing 39th and 21st, his brother Jamie lies in 80th place in the 160-boat fleet.
Best of the Laser Men today was Olympic Champion Matt Wearn who continues his comeback from 32nd overall on the opening day of the competition.
The Australian was third in the first race when it paid to go left and struggled a bit more in the next when it paid to go right, still scoring a reasonable 12th. Michael Beckett (GBR) was only a point less consistent than Wearn with 14th in the first race and narrowly missing out on a race win against Filip Jurišić (CRO) to finish second. “I got the day half right,” said Beckett, “which was probably about all that anyone managed today. It was hard to read the pattern of the breeze so that was a pretty good day out, really.”
A race win for Philipp Buhl (GER) puts the 2020 World Champion just two points behind Beckett’s lead, with Wearn now 15 points off the top. France’s Jean-Baptiste Bernaz, the overnight leader did not race today.
Results here
