Regattaberichte Olympiaklasse RS:X

Hollandregatta 2006 RS:X Bericht von Christian Freimüller

Nach schlechtem Start alles gedreht und die Qualifikation für die ISAF Youth Worlds in Weymouth erreicht.

Vorerst möchte ich mich bei allen bedanken, die mich bisher unterstützten und mir diesen Erfolg mit ermöglichten. Vor allem mein Bruder Florian, meine Eltern, meine Trainer Peter Krimbacher, Diederik Bakker, Peter Salzer und das gesamte deutsche Team.

Die harte Vorbereitung hat sich gelohnt! Nach insgesamt 2 Pumpwettfahrten und 7 Gleitwindrennen konnte ich mich bei der Hollandregatta 2006 in Medemblik/Holland für die ISAF Youth Worlds 2006 in Weymouth/England, dem olympischen Revier für London 2012, qualifizieren.

Am 24.05 war es soweit, erster Regattatag und das erste wichtige Messen des Jahres mit den anderen deutschen U19 Surfern. Der Tag begann mit 25 bis 40 Knoten Wind und einer langen Startverschiebung. Um 19:30 hatte das warten endlich ein Ende und es wurden bis 22 Uhr noch 2 Rennen ausgetragen. Mit abnehmendem Wind von 20 auf 6 Knoten gelangen mir die Platzierungen 21 und 15 mit denen ich sofort 10 Punkte auf meinen größten Konkurrenten Oliver-Tom Schliemann, der mit Platz 6 in Rennen 2 glänzte, verlor.

Am 25.05 konnte Oliver-Tom seine Führung weiter auf insgesamt 13 Punkte ausbauen und lag nun fast uneinholbare 21 Plätze vor mir. Selbst meinen Bruder Florian einzuholen, der zu diesem Zeitpunkt 10 Plätze vor mir lag, wäre mir zu diesem Zeitpunkt nicht in den Sinn gekommen. Mit Platz 40 war die Qualifikation ins Glodfleet der besten 31 Teilnehmern fast nicht mehr möglich und der Traum von der ISAF WM schon fast geplatzt.

Am 26.05 und dritten Regattatag waren bei 7 - 10 Knoten die letzten 2 Qualifikationsläufe. Mit 2 top Rennen auf Platz 9 und 7 machte ich das ganze jedoch doch noch mal spannend. Oliver-Tom verlor mit Rang 12 und 18 insgesamt 14 Punkte auf mich und sah mich dann zum ersten Mal von hinten auf der Liste. Er erreichte das Goldfleet mit Platz 31 als letzter. Mit einem Punkt Vorsprung und auf Platz 29 ging es für mich dann an den letzten 2 Tagen um alles oder nichts.

Am 27.05 wurden bei um die 14 Knoten Wind 2 weitere Rennen gefahren. Bei diesen Bedingungen konnte ich sehr gut bei den Besten mithalten und fuhr weiterhin konstant auf Rang 17 und 19. Nach diesem Tag betrug der Vorsprung auf Oliver-Tom dann 3 Punkte die es dann im letzten Rennen zu verteidigen galt. Die Nervosität war bei mir sehr groß und somit die Nacht auch nicht besonders lang.

Am 28.05 und letzten Tag ging es bei 21 – 26 Knoten und sehr schwieriger Welle dann ums Ganze. Nach einem harten Rennen kam ich keine 5 Meter hinter Oliver-Tom ins Ziel und gewann die Qualifikation mit einem dünnen Vorsprung von 2 Punkten. Das Gesamtergebnis war mit Platz 27 auch top und ich konnte zeigen, dass ich in der Lage war in einzelnen Rennen sogar Weltklasse Surfer wie Maksim Oberemko UKR19 und Toni Wilhelm GER319 (Olympioniken 2004)zu schlagen.

Alles in allem war es eine super Regatta und ich freue mich schon in Weymouth mein Land vertreten zu dürfen!

Hong Kong Windsurfing Championship 2005

Ailsa Angus (As Amended By ISAF). Image, It proved to be a difficult day in Hong Kong for Gal FRIDMAN:© Neil Pryde Ltd., Hong Kong, 28 October 2005

The Sailing Instructions called for a long day on the water for both the Race Committee and competitors at the Hong Kong Windsurfing Championship, with a long distance race scheduled for the morning with a geometric race in the afternoon. It proved to be a day for the local sailors with HO Chi Ho (HKG) recording an impressive win.

Due to the wind shifting the Race Committee wisely postponed the start of the first race by half an hour. The course was a windward/leeward followed by a reach out to Castle Rocks (south of Hong Kong Island) and then a reach back to the finish in Stanley Bay. There was a general consensus amongst the coaches that the RS:X would probably perform less well in the windward/leeward leg but would come into it’s element during the reaching legs.

With one start for all classes and divisions meant that with 127 sailors on the start line it was critical to be able to start in clean air in order to avoid being buried all the way to the top mark. Olympic Champion Gal FRIDMAN's (ISR) tactical decision to take the pin end did not pay off and he ended up being covered with ten seconds to the start gun. The Mistral sailors in light and disturbed air managed to take the lead to round the top mark in first to fourth places, with local sailor Ho Chi Ho leading the RS:X fleet at the top mark and finding a bullet to start planing down to the bottom mark. In host pursuit of the Mistral sailors HO quickly took the lead on the reach, with fellow countrymen CHENG Kwok Fai, MA Kwok Po and Thailand's Ek BOONSAWAD following in quick procession.

In order of safety for the long race there was a five minute time limit from the bottom mark to the gybe mark. With a Mistral sailor setting the clock ticking two thirds of the fleet failed to reach the mark in time and were scored DNF. Included in this pack of sailors was FRIDMAN, who missed the cut off by seconds much to the dismay of his coach.

By the time the coach boat was able to get to Castle Rocks the lead RS:X sailors were already around. With the wind coming in gusts down the race course it was nerve racking to see if HO could reach to the finish with CHENG and BOONSAWAD barrelling down the course. HO sailed into a gust to take the gun with CHENG and BOONSAWAD taking second and third respectively.

With the breeze starting to drop the Race Committee kept the sailors on the beach until it became steady. During the break double Olympic medallist Mike GEBHARDT (USA) kept the sailors entertained with freestyle tricks on the water until the Race Committee at 1400 hours local time announced there would be no more racing that day.

HO gave his thoughts after the race on the new RS:X equipment and Olympic sailing, 'I think that the RS:X will bring more competitors to Olympic sailing and I find the RS:X very exciting and sometimes scary due to the speeds which can be reached on the equipment.'

He put his success in the Regatta down to local knowledge in the gusty conditions as he has been sailing at Stanley Beach for the past 15 years. HO has only been training on the new Olympic equipment for the past two weeks and his current lead over the Olympic gold medallist bodes well for his future as a force to contend with in 2008. Quelle: RSX Racing Class / ISAF

Hong Kong Windsurfing Championship 2005

Ailsa Angus (As Amended By ISAF). Image, Action from Hong Kong:© Neil Pryde Ltd. , Hong Kong, 27 October 2005

With three races scheduled for the first day of racing of the Hong Kong Open all the competitors were down at the beach early to rig up and take to the water to find the best wind shifts on the race course. Gal FRIDMAN showed why he is hot favourite taking two bullets to hold the overall lead.

October is one of Hong Kong's best sailing months and with the north easterly Monsoon in force, the wind averaged 15 knots gusting to 18 giving the Principle Race Officer a relatively easy day to set the course. The RS:X division for the event is sailing the same course and start with the Mistral One Design fleet. Race one saw the RS:X sailors starting Formula style coming up to the line with pace and attitude so that they were off at maximum speed. FRIDMAN from Israel led from start to finish but was under constant pressure from Hong Kong sailor, HO Chi Ho who finished only a second behind. The remainder of the men's fleet was widely spread apart with the next local sailor CHAN King Yin finishing two minutes later. In the women's fleet local sailor CHAN Wai Man dominated the race to take line honours with Japan's Yasuko KOSUGE taking second place, with time spent on the water seemingly paying off in the new Olympic windsurfing equipment.

Race two start saw the RS:X sailors favouring the pin end while the Mistral fleet favoured the Committee Boat. RS:X Korean KIM Kyung Yong starting on port mistook the length of the anchor line of the Committee Boat and got tangled thereby loosing valuable time which is essential in a one design race. FRIDMAN showed all the sailors and spectators why he is the current Olympic gold medallist in windsurfing by commanding the fleet from start to finish with local sailor HO again taking second place. In the women's fleet CHAN Wai Man again showed dominance with second place a close fought battle between Hong Kong's CHAN Wai Kei and Japan's KOSUGE, with the Hong Kong sailor just taking the spot.

As per the Sailing Instructions, all the sailors set off to the beach for a rest before the start of race three. With the wind starting to drop race three was light and shifty. The RS:X sailors who managed to get planing early at the start gained a large advantage while the remainder of the fleet tried to sail high but slower. With the wind continuing to drop the Race Committee wisely shortened the race. Hong Kong sailors obviously relishing in the lighter conditions took first to third places with CHENG Kwok Fai taking the gun followed by MA Kwok Po and CHAN King Yin. FRIDMAN, who is used to sailing in heavier conditions, took fourth place to stay in the lead overall. With wind conditions due to strengthen the Israeli sailor will be hoping that it fills in earlier than the expected Saturday. Quelle: RSX Racing Class / ISAF

RSX Hong Kong Windsurfing Championship 2005

Ailsa Angus. Image, Action from the RS:X Pacific Coast Championship back in September:© David Bell, Hong Kong, 26 October 2005

Day one of the Hong Kong Open started with conditions that all of the competitors hope will continue throughout the event; clear sunny skies and a strong north easterly greeted the windsurfers as they arrived at Stanley Beach, with Olympic gold medallist Gal FRIDMAN (ISR) amongst their ranks. With registration, a rigging clinic, the official Opening Ceremony and a practice race all of the Hong Kong team were down early to prepare.

The Hong Kong Open includes an RS:X division with a total of 17 competitors from seven nations taking part. The morning kicked off with registration at 1100 hours local time followed by a rigging clinic at 1130 by Neil Pryde's Technical Liaison, Mike GEBHARDT (USA), to assist all sailors to acclimatize to the new equipment in the shortest possible time. GEBHARDT has been in Hong Kong since the beginning of the week to help coach the Hong Kong team while continuing his usual work of coaching FRIDMAN.

The Opening Ceremony started promptly at 1300 at the Stanley Hong Kong Sea School. The Chairman of the Hong Kong Windsurfing Association and Patron of Stanley Sea School, Cowen CHIU, welcomed all the overseas and local competitors to the event and Hong Kong. The Ceremony included a full procession of the Sea School Marching Band followed by a local tradition Baisan which is an offering to the Gods for good luck and prosperity for the Hong Kong Open event.

The Hong Kong Open and RS:X is honoured to have Athens's Olympic gold medallist FRIDMAN at the event. Whilst he had some free time at Stanley Beach Neil Pryde correspondent, Will BUDDEN, took the chance to catch up with him to find out his thoughts on the new RS:X equipment. FRIDMAN has been racing on the RS:X equipment since September this year and has competed in one event so far, the Pacific Coast Championship held at St. Francis Yacht Club, San Francisco, USA.

As an Olympic gold medallist FRIDMAN is excited about the new Olympic equipment, 'the RS:X will bring a new spirit into Olympic windsurfing which has been missing for a while,' he commented. FRIDMAN went on to explain that the RS:X is very similar in high wind conditions to formula windsurfing, 'when the wind reaches above twelve knots you can really get the best performance out of the RS:X.' After the Hong Kong Open FRIDMAN will travel to Shenzhen, China to take part in the Shenzhen Open which commences early next week and is looking forward to getting involved in more events listed on the RS:X calendar. Quelle: RSX Racing Class / ISAF

RSX - Optimum sailor weight (mens fleet)

(These comments are related to the men on the 9.5 RSX rig)
Optimum RSX weight for men sailors at the 4 regattas I have attended has been right at or around 75 kg. (My educated guess)
It does not seem to be an advantage in light air non-planing conditions to be lighter than 75kg as the top sailors are quite efficient at 75kg and plane as fast as the most efficient 65 to 70kg sailors. As soon as the 75kg sailors plane they seem to be faster than the lighter guys and since all the top guys are efficient in pumping and fit, there seems to be no advantage to being lighter.
Once the wind comes up to solid planing for everyone and increases to over 20 knots the fastest sailors have weighed 80 to 86 kilos.
In the Raceboard worlds where the majority of the fleet was on rsx's, we had a slight majority of lighter air races where marginal planing was the norm and the leaders were NICOLAS HUGUET FRA 8 at 72kg and JULIEN BONTEMPS FRA 6 at 73/74kg.
Other players in the less than 11 knots average light wind were, BRA 1 RICARDO SANTOS at 72kg, GBR 21 NICK DEMPSEY at 75kg just to name a few. It should also be mentioned that all of the aformentioned sailors are over 180cm tall (oveer 6 foot tall).
On the last 2 days when the wind picked up to over 20 knots and gusting over 25 the top sailors were 80kg JULIEN QUENTEL FRA 421 (this kids going to be a weapon as he won the 2 first windy races) , POL 126 PRZEMEK "Pont" MIARCZYNSKI at 80 kg plus, and the impressive formula sailor DEN 111 JESPER VESTERSTROM at 86 kilos who finished the last 4 rasces in the regatta in the 20 knots plus with 2 seconds and 2 firsts.
It would be possible to be a fit 80 kg guy with excellent technique and excellent tactics to fight it out with the lighter guys at a light wind regatta.
And we saw 70 kg NED 1, JOERI VAN DIJK finish 3rd overall by hanging on in the 4 windy races by staying in the top ten when the breeze was on.
My educated guess and target weight for my athlets i am coaching is 75kg as an alround weight.
Time will tell and the talented sailors will rise to the top of the pile, so we will see lighter sailors and heavier sailors fighting it out more as the skilllevels and tuning gets more refined.
http://www.internationalwindsurfing.com/files/usercontent/pages/Men_Final_Results_Gold.htm
This is the link to the results at the race board worlds where we had a full mix of all conditions. The first 8 races were non planing to marginal planing and the last 4 races were fully blasting in 18 to 25 knots as an average.
It should be noted that 4th,5th and 9th places were on race boards (longboards) with 9.5 meter sails.
And Huget and Bontemps were chucking some sick flat water forward loops on their RSX's and 9.5's after racing for the benefit of Belly da video guy shooting film.
hope this helps
gebi

Raceboard WM-Bericht von Moritz Martin

Wie versprochen eine kurze Einschätzung nach der RB WM in Cadiz. Leider konnte ich selbst aufgrund einer starken Halsentzündung nicht teilnehmen. Es sind hier neben ca. 65 RS:X Startern nur ca. 25 Raceboarder am Start. Davon nur 2 mit Hybrid Boards (Exocet), meiner Meinung nach unter anderem, weil der neue Lightning noch nicht zugelassen war. Das bereits zeigt, wie nötig die Raceboardklasse eine Integration der Hybrids hat! Es ist eindeutig, dass der RS:X und damit auch andere Hybrid Boards erst ab konstant 11-12 Knoten konkurrenzfähig sind und erst ab ca. 14 Knoten den Raceboardern überlegen. Und das auch nur auf einem Seerevier, wo man die Kreuz mit einer Wende hochkommt. Es ist auch klar geworden, dass ein 9,5er auf den bisherigen Longboards super funktioniert. Es wird damit insbesondere auf der Kreuz bei Leichtwind signifikant weniger gepumpt, sodass die Belastung für den Bewegungsapparat nicht viel größer wird, ich denke insbesondere im „Hobbybereich“ sogar abnimmt. Nach Gesprächen mit Toni und Wiebke sind wir übereinstimmend zu der Auffassung gekommen, man sollte die internationalen Regelungen übernehmen, denn auch der Winkel, der auf der Kreuz gefahren wird ist sehr ähnlich – es gibt kein Chaos beim Start o.ä.. Der Punkt ist, dass man ein Hybrid nur mit einem 9,5er in Bewegung bringen kann. Will man, dass nicht immer wieder Regatten aufgrund von mangelnden Teilnehmern ausfallen, so sollte man sie mitstarten lassen. Als logische Konsequenz muss die Segelgröße für alle auf 9,5 maximal geöffnet werden. Dies ist allerdings ein Maximalwert bei 2 erlaubten Segeln. Ich würde mir beispielsweise als Raceboarder ein 9,0er zulegen, mit dem ich noch gut pumpen kann und mein 7,4er ab 4-5 Bft. benutzen. Damit werden weder enorme Kosten geschaffen, noch werden Starter verloren gehen. Ein 9,? und ein 7,5er halten genauso lange wie zwei 7,5er, die Mehrkosten sind gering. Darüberhinaus kann man auch durchaus mit nem 7,5er weiterfahren. Das Regattageschehen wird allein über die Möglichkeit der Segelwahl bei wechselnden Winden viel interessanter.
Auch die These, dass spezielle Raceboard-Segel erst entwickelt werden müssten wiederlegt die Tatsache, dass hier mit dem RS:X Segel, das nichts anderes als ein leicht modifiziertes V8 mit 2 Cambern ist, in Kombination mit einem Raceboard sehr gut gefahren wird. Ich persönlich habe mein North Daytona Freerace 9,0 (3 Camber) ausprobiert und es funktioniert wunderbar. Solche Segel können für 400-500 Euro neuwertig oder neu erworben werden.
Spezielle Raceboardsegel macht Aerolite und auch ein slovakischer Hersteller namens Slim Sails.
Soweit meine Eindrücke aus Cadiz. Für Rückfragen stehe ich gerne zur Verfügung.
Viele Grüße,
Moritz

Rückblick RS:X Cadiz Race 2005

With over 100 boards and entrants coming from 23 nations the first RS:X event in Europe provided a wide-ranging view at the future of the new Olympic windsurfing equipment. France sent a massive contingent of over 20 sailors to the event and were rewarded with the top honours in both the women’s and men’s fleets thanks to Olympic gold medallist Faustine MERRET and Mistral World Champion Nicolas HUGUET.

Over the two days of racing, a total of 14 races were completed, four in the women’s fleet and five each in the two men’s fleet. On both days the start of racing began with around ten knots of wind before the breeze gradually died in the afternoon. Many Formula sailors had been attracted to the event keen to test the new hybrid board. For Denmark, the new interest in the RS:X has had a major impact as National coach Jacob HOLST explained, 'We haven’t done anything in Olympic windsurfing for ten years at least, so this is all new, we’re starting up again and focussing on windsurfing in an Olympic campaign.'

In the weekend’s conditions however the advantage lay with the Olympic campaigners, with more experience sailing in the lighter winds. Olympic Champion MERRET took the honours in the women’s fleet, finding greater consistency than the rest of the fleet to score a five point victory over Blanca MANCHON (ESP) and Bryony SHAW (GBR).


Nicolas HUGUET walked away with the honours in the men's fleet © ISAF	Whilst Faustine MERRET took the top spot in the women's competition © ISAF

In the men’s fleet, Nicolas HUGUET (FRA) took an early lead with two bullets on the first day and then held off a strong challenge by double ISAF Youth Worlds winner Joeri VAN DIJK (NED) to take overall victory by a single point with fellow Frenchman Nicolas LE GAL in third.

At this early stage in the new board’s life, Cadiz was not just about the winning, but the learning. For the French team it appeared that time spent on the board had paid off, with six of their sailors gaining top ten places across the two leaderboards. The majority of the French success came in the men’s fleet, with the women’s top ten having a particularly international look to it. Only France placed two sailors in the top ten which featured an incredible combined honours lists including the Olympic gold medal, the Mistral World Champion, the 2003 ISAF World Sailing Champion, the leader and four other of the top ten of the Women’s Windsurfer ISAF World Sailing Rankings and eleven of the twelve medals from the last four Windsurfer Girls events at the ISAF Youth Worlds.

Youth was also a focus for Esperanza PÉREZ CRESPO (ESP) a member of the ISAF Youth World Championship Sub-Committee, in Cadiz to carry out trials on the smaller rigs. On Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning she carried out trials to look at the suitability of the 8.5 and 7.5 rigs for the ISAF Youth Worlds.

Testing the youth rigs on
Sunday morning
© ISAF

As well as the stars racing in Cadiz, the massive gathering of windsurfers and coaches also provided the perfect opportunity for all those involved with the RS:X to discuss the development of the new class. From the administration, led by former Chair of the ISAF Windsurfing Committee Rich JEFFRIES, to the coaches, ISAF Vice-President Fiona BARRON (GBR), the officials and of course the sailors, communication was the order of the day. On Friday, RS:X International Manager Ailsa ANGUS, International Judge and member of the ISAF Windsurfing Committee Aaron BOTZER (ISR) and men’s representative on the RS:X Management team and two-time Olympic medallist Mike GEBHARDT (USA), joined JEFFRIES and BARRON to form a panel which hosted two feeback sessions, one with the coaches and the other with the sailors.

JEFFRIES explained that the massive turnout in Cadiz made it an ideal time to get together with the windsurfers, 'With over 120 sailors here at this event, to give them the opportunity to say to us as a class, okay – this is how we are moving forward, this is what we’re doing, here are the people, let me introduce you to the people that are your representatives on the class administration. Work with us, talk to us, we’re open to you, we’re not hiding, we’re not saying we won’t talk to you, we’re stepping up and introducing ourselves to you and saying we’re here for you.'

GEBHARDT was a familiar face around Cadiz, taking part in the sessions, out on the water watching the races and also conducting a clinic on Saturday morning to give advice on setting up the rig to the competitors. The double Olympic medallist has taken a key role in the development of the board and believes it will reward sailors who take the time to really get to know the board and the affect different tunings will have on, 'The downhaul and outhaul settings are very critical for this board – you can´t just jump on it and sail it,' he said after the conclusion of racing on Sunday, 'This board very specifically needs the right amount of power and you can´t go over and you can´t go under, that was the biggest thing I noticed.'

After Cadiz many of the the
RS:X sailors are competing
in the Raceboard Worlds
© ISAF

ISAF would like to thank the Federación Anduluza de Vela, the Real Federación Española Anduluza de Vela, the Race Committee and member of the ISAF Windsurfing Committtee Debora POWELL for their dedication in organizing and hosting the event.

Many of the competitors in Cadiz are set to begin racing again with the RS:X as the opening exchanges in the Raceboard World Championship get underway today, whilst the RS:X becomes part of the ISAF Graded event circuit from 1 January 2006.

Quelle: ISAF

RS:X Cadiz Race 2005 - letzter Tag - Ergebnislisten

ISAF. Image, RS:X racing in full flight:© ISAF, Cadiz, Spain, 02 October 2005

Olympic gold medallist Faustine MERRET (FRA) and Mistral World Champion Nicolas HUGUET (FRA) took the spoils in Spain as the RS:X Cadiz Race drew to a close this afternoon. With over 100 windsurfers competing, the event is by far the largest for the new RS:X board to date and has provided a fascinating glimpse at the future of Olympic windsurfing.

The men´s fleet lined up for the first race with ten knots from 285° at the warning signal. After one general recall the fleet launched into an ´O´ course, with a large number of the competitors starting off at the pin end.

Yesterday´s double race winner Nicolas HUGUET (FRA) was right on the pace again, rounding the top mark in second, just behind Joeri VAN DIJK (NED). It was Holland Regatta winner VAN DIJK who held on to his lead to score the opening bullet of the day and move within a point of HUGUET, whose second place meant he just held on to his overall lead.

Reflecting on the race VAN DIJK described his victory, 'A lot of people started at the pin end, but I was closer to the boat, I had good acceleration at the start so I had some free wind over there. I made a nice upwind to the left and was first at the upwind mark and then I could plane the whole reach, the whole downwind so nobody passed me, and on the second upwind I again went to the left. It was alright there, there was some wind and only FRA 8 (HUGUET) came a little bit closer, but on the downwind I was able to finish the race.'

With the two highest placed blue fleet sailors scoring first and second in the opening race the pressure switched to their nearest challengers, Max

Blanca MANCHON opened
the day with a bullet in race one
© ISAF

WOJCIK (POL) and Nicolas LE GAL (FRA) in the other men´s fleet.

Before they began however the third women´s race got underway, with Mistral and Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Champion Blanca MANCHON (ESP) making up for an eleventh in yesterday´s second race with a victory. Establishing a clear gap after heading right on the first leg she consolidated her lead to score her first win in the RS:X. Great Britain´s Christina JOHNSTON (GBR) crossed in second, ahead of Agata BRYGOLA (POL).

There was further French joy in the first race of the men´s red fleet as Nicolas GUYADER (FRA) and Julien BONTEMPS (FRA) secured a one-two ahead of Ivan PASTOR (ESP). LE GAL came in fourth to stay within touching distance of HUGUET and VAN DIJK, although WOJCIK dropped back after coming in 19th.

BONTEMPS followed his second place in race one with a bullet ahead of Tom ASHLEY (NZL), whilst in the second race in the other men´s fleet Maxim OBEREMKO (UKR) proved he is learning quickly on the new rig, with a bullet to add to a third place in race four after finishes of 14,17,18 yesterday. After five races and counting one discard, HUGUET held a one point lead over VAN DIJK, with both LE GAL and WOJCIK within five points of the lead.

After 2005 ISAF Youth World Champion MANCHON´s win in the first women´s race of the day, it was the turn of the bronze and silver medallists in the second, with Laura LINARES (ITA) scoring victory over Anne-Sophie LE PAGE (FRA).

Maxin OBEREMKO came back
strongly today
© ISAF

With yesterday´s two winners Bryony SHAW (GBR) and Flavia TARTAGLINI (ITA) both struggling in the race three, fourth and eighth place for Olympic Champion Faustine MERRET (FRA) was enough for her to extend her overall lead to five points, with MANCHON moving up to tie with SHAW for second, after she followed her win with a ninth in race four. TARTAGLINI recovered with a third in race four to stay within one point of second place along with Bulgaria´s Irina KONSTANTINOVA.

The fleets then returned to the shore, whilst out on the course the wind dropped to around three to four knots and failed to pick up again, bringing the day´s racing and the opening European RS:X event to a close.

For both of the winners, their performance on Saturday proved decisive, and although both VAN DIJK and MANCHON launched strong challenges today, neither could do quiet enough to claim the top spot. For MANCHON there was the added consolation of finishing as the top youth sailor, whilst in the men´s fleet that honour went to Federico ESPOSITO (ITA) in ninth place overall.

Mike GEBHARDT gives a
little advice on setting up
© ISAF

As well as the action on the water the RS:X Cadiz Race has also seen plenty going on behind the scenes. Two-time Olympic medallist Mike GEBHARDT (USA) has played a important role in the development of the RS:X board and now represents male sailors on the RS:X Management team. He has been in Cadiz over the weekend, conducting a clinic with the competitors on Saturday morning and taking part in meetings with both sailors and coaches.

As one of the keenest windsurfing brains around, he was quick to notice what he considers to be some of the keys issues for success on the new board. At the end of racing on Sunday he commented on what he had seen, 'the downhaul and outhaul settings are very critical for this board – you can´t just jump on it and sail it,' he explained, 'This board very specifically needs the right amount of power and you can´t go over and you can´t go under, that was the biggest thing I noticed.'

For the large number of the competitors who are now setting their sights on the Raceboard World Championship, where racing begins again in Cadiz on Tuesday, GEBHARDT´s words will be carefully heeded as the learning curve continues.

Top Ten Men´s Results

Pos	Nation	Last name	R1	R2	R3	R4	R5	Pts
1	FRA	Nicolas HUGUET	1	3	1	2	(6)	7
2	NED	Joeri VAN DIJK	3	2	2	1	(5)	8
3	FRA	Nicolas LE GAL	4	1	2	4	(15)	11
4	POL	Max WOJCIK	2	3	1	(19)	6	12
5	GBR	Nick DEMPSEY	1	(10)	7	5	2	15
6	FRA	Julien BONTEMPS	13	(OCS)	4	2	1	20
7	GBR	Leo MCCALLIN	6	11	4	4	(13)	25
8	FRA	Samuel LAUNAY	4	7	(26)	7	7	25
9	ITA	Federico ESPOSITO	3	4	13	6	(18)	26
10	POL	Piotr MYSZKA	7	(27)	5	10	4	26

Top Ten Women´s Results

Pos	Nation	Last name	R1	R2	R3	R4	Pts
1	FRA	Faustine MERRET	3	3	4	8	18
2	ESP	Blanca MANCHON	2	11	1	9	23
3	GBR	Bryony SHAW	7	1	9	6	23
4	ITA	Flavia TARTAGLINI	1	6	14	3	24
5	BUL	Irina KONSTANTINOVA	5	10	5	4	24
6	FRA	Anne-Sophie LE PAGE	8	14	8	2	32
7	ISR	Lee KORSITS	12	7	12	10	41
8	UKR	Olga MASLIVETS	4	4	19	15	42
9	POL	Zofia KLEPACKA	9	5	17	12	43
10	ITA	Laura LINARES	19	16	15	1	51

Quelle: ISAF

RS:X Cadiz Race 2005

ISAF. Image, Olympic Champion Faustine MERRET will be one of the stars competing in Cadiz:© MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP/Getty Images, Cadiz, Spain, 28 September 2005

Around 100 of the World’s best windsurfers are heading to Cadiz, Spain for the largest Neil Pryde RS:X event to date. A line up filled with stars includes Olympic, World and ISAF Youth World Champions, top sailors from the Mistral ISAF World Sailing Rankings and one of the nominees for the 2005 ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award, with the majority of them competing on the new Olympic board for the first time.

Windsurfers from across the sailing world will be in Cadiz, with 97 competitors from 23 nations already on the entry list. With the majority of the fleet making their competitive debut on the RS:X, the racing in Cadiz looks set to provide a fascinating glance at the future stars of the class. With the Raceboard World Championship following the racing in Cadiz, many of the competitors will have further opportunity to test themselves on the RS:X board.

One of the most intriguing aspects of the racing in Cadiz will be the opportunity the young windsurfers have to prove their worth against the well known Olympic campaigners, who previously had the advantage of years’ of experience racing the Mistral One Design board. The newness of the board in competition could well see a new pecking order established.

Amongst the big guns in the men’s fleet are Mistral World Champion Nicolas HUGUET (FRA) and World’s runner up Ricardo SANTOS (BRA), number one in the Mistral ISAF World Sailing Rankings Maxim OBEREMKO (UKR) and 2003 ISAF World Sailing Champion Przemek MIARCZYNSKI (POL). In an international fleet, Puerto Ricans, Jorge and Jaime TORRES will be looking to challenge as will the US Virgin Islands’ Mike COMPTON, whilst New Zealand’s Jon Paul TOBIN will feel he has a head start on many of his rivals after already compting in Rizhao at the Neil Pryde RS:X China International Invitation Tournament.

Amongst the young stars in the women’s fleet, current Mistral and Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Champion and nominee for the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award Blanca MANCHON (ESP) will face four-time ISAF Youth Worlds Champion and current Mistral Youth World Champion Zofia KLEPACKA (POL). Olympic Champion Faustine MERRET (FRA) will be keen to prove that she is still leading the pack, with these three stars going head-to-head for the first time since Athens. 2003 ISAF World Sailing Champion Lee KORZITS (ISR) will also be looking to make her mark, as will two-time ISAF Youth Worlds silver medallist Anne-Sophie LE PAGE (FRA).

The RS:X will be part of the ISAF Graded event tour and will be included in the ISAF World Sailing Rankings from the 1 January 2006.

ISAF will be bringing you daily updates from Cadiz.

Top Ten Men After Three Races

Pos	Nation	Last name	R1	R2	R3	Pts
1	FRA	Nicolas HUGUET	1	3	1	5
2	POL	Max WOJCIK	2	3	1	6
3	FRA	Nicolas LE GAL	4	1	2	7
4	NED	Joeri VAN DIJK	3	2	2	7
5	GBR	Nick DEMPSEY	1	10	7	18
6	ITA	Federico ESPOSITO	3	4	13	20
7	ITA	Dario BAFFETTI	9	5	6	20
8	GBR	Leo MCCALLIN	6	11	4	21
9	FRA	Antoine CORDONNIER	11	5	7	23
10	FRA	Fabrice HASSEN	10	1	13	24

Top Ten Women After Two Races

Pos	Nation	Last name	R1	R2	Pts
1	FRA	Faustine MERRET	3	3	6
2	ITA	Flavia TARTAGLINI	1	6	7
3	GBR	Bryony SHAW	7	1	8
4	UKR	Olga MASLIVETS	4	4	8
5	GER	Amelie LUX	10	2	12
6	ESP	Blanca MANCHON	2	11	13
7	POl	Zofia KLEPACKA	9	5	14
8	BUL	Irina KONSTANTINOVA	5	10	15
9	ISR	Lee KORSITS	12	7	19
10	FRA	Pauline PERRIN	11	9	20

Quelle: ISAF

RS:X Windsurfing Pacific Coast Championship - St. Francis Yacht Club, San Francisco Bay 23. - 25. September 2005

37 RS:X Charter Boards und Riggs, Teilnehmerliste, Fotos1, Fotos2, Fotos3, Ergebnisse

Eindrücke: OK I just participated in the RSX Pacific Coast Championship here in San Francisco and while I didn't finish a race (my problem not the gear) I had a blast. While the board and sail are not as fast as my RS5, Mikes Lab L5, Debocheit combo it was still fast, especially downwind. The fin isn't very good and spin-out was common for most people and at high speed it whistled loudly. When planning, the board feels just like my formula set-up and with the dagger down in marginal sub-planning conditions I was able to rail it. When it nuked to 30 knots, most people couldn't keep the board on the water (I didn't even try) and close the gap with the sail. Of course 30 knots is extreme conditions anywhere, more tuning is necessary to determine whether a weekend warrrior and newbie racer such as myself can operate the RSX in extreme high-wind conditions. However, the pros Sam Ireland, Wilhelm Schurman, Seth Besse, Zac Plausic and Olympic Gold Medalist Gal Fridman where able to pull it off. As a matter of fact the formula guys dominated here with Wilhelm winning the event. (Gal is just getting back into sailing after taking a year off after winning the Gold.) Cadiz will be interesting if there is a strong breeze, will the FW World Cup guys dominate or will the Olympians? On a side note while the board is defintely heavy, I was able to easily carry it to the waters edge and it is extremely durable since I went over the handle-bars at least 10 times in 3 days and only a small welt was visible on the nose. I think the board will remain strong and stiff for at least 2 years as opposed to the 3 regattas that a normal formula board lasts. As a result I'm buying an RSX to train in the Winter here and I look forward to doing the North American tour and chartering my gear at the events and avoiding traveling with my FW gear. It's more fun than you think! George Israel

Bericht von Steve Bodner:

Hers a quick inpression from this w-ends rs-x pacific coast championship:

We finally got to run a rs-x regatta here in San Francisco with a bunch of our local formula fleet, some top world fw sailors, as well as the developing US jr fw expereince team. With a fleet of 37 boards, provided by NP, nobody could complain about having an advantage. A true one design with new boards and rigs coming out of the boxes.

Despite everyones initial preconceptions about the board, after 3 days of racing, I think everybody enjoyed racing the boards once they got them tuned in.

Sure, its not the most ideal board for light, medium or heavy wind, but it does the job and covers the range. We had conditions ranging from 30+k on the first day to 10-18k over the next 2 days. 95% of the time, the fleet was running with the cb 's up and mast tracks back like typical formula racing. The board doesnt respond as well as a formula board but many of the same techniques are used in racing. It was a bit more tactical as you could tack easier with out much loss but most people picked a corner and went for it, if there was more wind there. In a few races, sailors stuck to the shore to keep out of the flood tide, tacking every minute or 2 making their way up the windward beat. Off the breeze, the board was more comfortable than a fw setup but the were some concerns with the cb poping down suddenly. A few minor tweaks could be made to improve the board and rig but overall, it seems like a good way to race with more modern equipment that might bring more people into racing.

Im not sure our local fw fleet will be changing over to a less modern and heavier board that what we are already using but the 2 classes are very similar and could be used to compliment eachother if some one to mount a serious campaign in the rs-x class. Jean proved on day 1 that heavyweights can be competative when its windy with his 2nd place finish. Also it seems like the formula guys might have an advantage over the imco guys as the new class is more like fw sailing than anything else.

With 9 races and 2 throwouts, W. Schurman won the regatta with Sam Ireland close behind. Rounding up the top ten was 3-Seth Besse, 4-Alain Buldoc, 5-Zach Plavsic, 6-Steve Bodner, 7-Mike Percy, 8-Steve Sylvester, 9-Bill Weir and 10- Chris Radkowski. NP will be sponsoring a 6 stop tour next year in the US with charter boards available at each event. It would be interesting to see how other people respond to the board in different conditions but here we know it works and we will have a few boards to practice on in the upcoming months ahead.

More detailed report and photos at http://stevebodner.com/home.html follow link to regatta reports. Steve

Neil Pryde RS:X China International Invitation tournament 2005

Ailsa Angus (As Amended By ISAF). Image, Racing in the Neil Pryde RS:X is getting underway in China:© Neil Pryde, Rizhao, China, 06 September 2005

The first one design Neil Pryde RS:X windsurfing event is taking place in Rizhao, China with 35 competitors battling for victory. So far it is the home sailors who have dominated with WU Shifu (CHN) a clear leader in the men, whilst SUN Sasa (CHN) and HUANG Yue (CHN) are fighting for control of the women’s leaderboard.

Windsurfers from China, Australia, Greece, Hong Kong, Korea, New Zealand and Pakistan are competing at the event in Rizhao hosted by the Chinese Yachting Association. For them it is a great opportunity to try out the new board in race conditions before the inaugural class event in Cadiz, Spain from 30 September-2 October organized by ISAF and the Andalusian Sailing Federation. As well as racing in Cadiz, RS:X sailors will have the opportunity to take part in meetings to help develop the new class.

The RS:X will become part of the ISAF Graded event circuit from 1 January 2006.

On the opening day in Rizhao, a steady north-northeasterly breeze of ten to twelve knots greeted the competitors as they rigged up and headed to the start line. The women's fleet starting first saw a clean start with HUANG leading off the line. She held her lead throughout the race to take line honours with Hayley THOM of New Zealand taking second place, and Chinese sailors following in third, fourth and fifth place.

The 25 strong men's fleet saw a number of competitors a little eager to start the day resulting in a general recall. The race re-started with an individual recall, M. TANVIEIER of Pakistan not realizing he was the guilty one failed to go back resulting in an OCS score. WU took line honours with Korean sailor KIM Hyung Kwon taking second place.

The second race for both the women's and men's fleet started with no recalls but several protest hearings due to half of the men's fleet starting on starboard with the rest starting on port with speed. As in the first race HUANG led off the line to take line honours, whilst in the men's fleet victory went to New Zealand's David ROBERTSON.

The second day of the Neil Pryde RS:X China International Invitation Tournament saw clear blue skies and a steady northeasterly breeze.

With the strong tide pushing competitors over the line, racing for both fleets got under way after three general recalls and two individual recalls. The breeze dropped to seven to nine knots in the first race making it a long morning for the competitors.

In the women's fleet, leader HUANG received an OCS in the first race of the day followed by a DNF and dropped her commanding lead in the event to fall to fifth place overall. Her fellow countrywomen SUN fared better, scoring a second place and a bullet to move her to the top of the leaderboard. THOM moved into second place overall finishing the day with two third places.

In the men's fleet, Jon Paul TOBIN (NZL) dominated the day scoring two bullets. The second race was a closely fought match with WU leading most of the race only to fall at the final gybe mark allowing TOBIN to take the lead. ROBERTSON had a solid day to finish with two thirds taking him to third place overall. The young Greek sailor, Stifanos LEONETIS, was unable to maintain his speed from the early races and finished a disappointing sixth which took him down to fourth place overall. After a great day on the water, TOBIN suffered a massive setback when he was forced toWU back into first overall.

On day three of the Invitation Tournament yesterday the predicted heavier breeze due to the Typhoon sitting off Taiwan did not materialize and the competitors started the day in an average north easterly of nine knots.

In contrast to Sunday's racing, both the men's and women's fleet were underway with no recalls. Throughout the race the wind continued to drop and as predicted in the women's fleet HUANG took first place with THOM second. Greek sailor Angeliki SKARLATON is starting to show her form on the new RS:X equipment and came in third.

In the men's fleet, China’s WU took first place, no doubt buoyed by the news that he had moved up a place in both of Sunday's races. ROBERTSON followed him in second with Korea’s top sailor, LEE Byung Gun taking third.

With the second start due, the wind dropped to six knots and the Race Committee wisely shortened the course length. New Zealander TOBIN, after receiving a disappointing seventh in the first race, led the race from start to finish with WU taking second. WU now has a 28 point lead overall and even when discards come into play it is doubtful that anyone can overtake him. Second overall is LEE with Greek sailor LEONETIS, fresh from Formula sailing, only three points behind in third.

In the women's race, China's SUN took first with HUANG a surprising third. SKARLATON continued to improve during the day to take second place, moving her up the overall standings to fifth. Discards in the women's overall standings will have a major impact and HUANG will be hoping for at least ten races to be held so that the maximum two discards are implemented and she can get rid of the OCS and DNF she scored in races three and four. Currently after eight races SUN leads from HUANG with THOM in third place.

Racing continues today with two races and a well earned day of rest for the fleet on Wednesday.

Full details of the RS:X Cadiz Race are available via the link below.

Website Links
	Event Website
	Men's Results
	Women's Results
	Neil Pryde RS:X
	RS:X Cadiz Race

Quelle: ISAF