THE OCEAN RACE ATLANTIC RECAP

 

WORLD SAILING EYES GREENER OLYMPIC EQUIPMENT TO SHRINK ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

The boats are commonly made of carbon fibre, fibreglass and PVC foam, which take a lot of energy to produce in processes that emit carbon pollution

Wikipedia 

The governing body for sailing is looking at how the sport's Olympic-class equipment is made, used and discarded, to eventually make changes that will reduce its environmental impact.

Alexandra Rickham, director of sustainability at World Sailing, said this first-of-a-kind life cycle assessment project will give the organisation the evidence it needs to make smarter choices and shape the future of Olympic equipment.

"Sailing naturally has a close relationship with nature, with the environment. It's seen very much as this clean, green sport using the wind," she said. "But the reality is that our equipment has an impact. It goes through some major industrial processes."

Rickham said the project could be useful not just for Olympic sailing but for the broader sailing community and potentially other sports.

Competitive sailing, an Olympic sport since 1900, involves racing boats powered by only the wind and the waves. In the 2024 Olympics, one- and two-person crews sailed boats with hulls measuring as long as 17 feet around a course marked by buoys in the Bay of Marseille.

Outside the Olympics, competitive sailors race throughout the year in local events and larger regattas.

The boats are commonly made of carbon fibre, fibreglass and PVC foam, which take a lot of energy to produce in processes that emit carbon pollution. These materials don't decompose and are challenging to recycle. So when elite sailors are done with them, the boats would need to be sold, passed onto junior sailors or sent for specialised recycling to avoid landfills.

As part of World Sailing's initiative, the sustainability consultancy Marine Futures is collecting data from boat builders about their operations and surveying athletes about how many boats, sails, masts and other gear they use, how often they replace their equipment and how they travel with their vessels.

By the end of this year, the goal is to capture the environmental impact of a four-year Olympic cycle and identify which interventions by World Sailing could make the most difference, said Ollie Taylor, director of Marine Futures.

- AP

EMIRATES GBR NARROWLY MISSES OUT ON WIN AT NEW YORK SAIL GRAND PRIX

 

Image: Ricardo Pinto for SailGP

Emirates GBR narrowly missed out on a win at the Mubadala New York Sail Grand Prix after the closest of battles with Australia’s BONDS Flying Roos in the event final.

The Brits were just three seconds behind the Aussies as they crossed the line on the Hudson River, in what was the most thrilling finishes of the 2026 Season so far. As the two teams rounded the last mark practically neck and neck, both protested that the other team did not leave enough room, but the umpires concluded that no penalties were necessary.

Emirates GBR Driver Dylan Fletcher MBE said he was “proud” of the team’s performance, but it was “bittersweet” that they didn’t get the win.

“It was a great battle with the Aussies in that final race,” Fletcher said.

“We were surprised they didn’t get a penalty but when you leave it in the hands of the umpires it’s always 50/50.

“It’s a bittersweet feeling to not be standing on top of the podium but we’ve got to be proud of our performance this weekend.

“It was a fantastic day for the team and we felt like we were getting ourselves back on form after a tricky couple of events, especially looking at Rio which was similar conditions and configurations today where we really struggled. I’m really proud of how the team came out firing and there’s certainly more gains to come.”

Emirates GBR launched into action on Sunday after welcoming star (wars) power onto the F50 race boat on Saturday, with Ewan McGregor joining the team for a Sixth Sailor Experience. McGregor and his childhood friend Eric Strickland friends stepped aboard the 50ft foiling catamaran, which reaches speeds of 100km/h, as part of their preparation for an upcoming transatlantic sailing adventure, which will be documented in the series True Wind. The documentary is being directed by David Alexanian and ELIXIR FILMS, the team previously behind the acclaimed Long Way Round, Long Way Down, Long Way Up and Long Way Home series.

Emirates GBR kicked off the day’s action on Sunday with a race win after nailing the start and extending their lead to sail their own race and cross the finish line with a 150m advantage. The second race didn’t go as smoothly for the Brits as they were shut out at the start line which meant they began at the back of the fleet in 11th place. But the team persevered and kept pushing to make their way through the pack and come out with a sixth-place finish.

The third and final fleet race of the day started with a major collision between Red Bull Italy, Mubadala Brazil and the U.S SailGP Team on the start line. The incident occurred as Italy approached the start line early and turned in a bid to not get an early start penalty. The United States were deemed to be the boat required to keep clear and was disqualified by the umpires, the team also received a seven-point penalty, while Italy received a four-point penalty.

Emirates GBR Strategist Hannah Mills OBE described the conditions on the Hudson as “hectic” and “super challenging”. 

“We were at the top end of conditions for the 27.5m wing a lot of times today,” Mills said. 

“We had the same situation in Rio as well so we took a lot of learnings from then and put them into practice today. We felt like we got our speed back today, so to get in that final and have such a good race with the Aussies was amazing. Our goal for this event was to get that feeling back, and it was just an unbelievably good race – so bring on Canada.” 

Emirates GBR will be back in action at the Canada Sail Grand Prix in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on 20 – 21 June. The Brits were victorious the last time the championship stopped in Halifax back in 2024, and they will be looking to close the gap between them and the Aussies this time round. The current 2026 Season leaderboard sees Australia first on 55 points, Emirates GBR second on 44 points and United States third on 36 points. 

- All At Sea

CNN FOUNER TED TURNER DIES

 

AMERICA'S CUP | SUNMER | 1977 | TED TURNER

 

THAILAND 2027: IDEAL RACING DESTINATION FOR ILCA AND OK DINGHY SAILOR IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY

Royal Varuna Yacht Club © Henry Weidmann

The Royal Varuna Yacht Club in Pattaya, Thailand has recently completed three successful events - the Open Thailand ILCA Nationals, the Varuna Masters, and the Open Thailand OK Dinghy Nationals.

The three events were organised by active sailors and were on purpose scheduled so overseas sailors in either class could join two 3 days events on a 9-10 days visit to Thailand. The format was an unqualified success, and so much fun for the many participants, that it will be extended for 2027.

The equivalent dates for 2027 will be:

January 29-31: Thailand Open ILCA Championship (ILCA 4, 6 & 7)

February 5-7: Varuna Masters (for sailors 35+ years; ILCA 6, 7 and OK Dinghy)

February 13-15: Pre-worlds / Thailand Open OK Dinghy nationals

And the huge additional one:

February 19-26 International OK Dinghy World Championship

Start at 2013 OK Dinghy worlds in Thailand; Organizers expect twice as many dinghies on the start lines in 2027 - photo © RVYC

These events are held in the beautiful venue of the Royal Varuna YC in Thailand, and are well suited for sailors trying to escape a cold winter or just want the pleasure of sailing in water which typically is 28 degrees centigrade. We must warn that sailing in Thailand can be addictive, and for example 100% of the overseas OK Dinghy sailors who participated in '26 have advised that they will return in 2027.

The organisers would in particular like to invite regional single-handed dinghy sailors to contact them with regards to potentially taking part in the OK Dinghy worlds. Per the Thailand OK Dinghy Society advise, the class is equally suitable for sailors from 70 to 115 kg body weight and is easy to adapt to for sailors familiar with an ILCA.

For the Worlds, there is a dedicated web page, see 2027.okworlds.org. and for the other three events, information including NOR will be posted on www.varuna.org

Thailand Open ILCA Nationals '26; not a sweater or wetsuit in sight - photo © Henry Weidmann

OK Dinghies racing February 2026; Thailand Open won by 6 X OK world champion Nick Craig, but THA 444 won the class in the Varuna Masters - photo © Henry Weidmann

- Morten Jakobsen

CISM WORLD MILITARY SAILING CHAMPIONSHIP

 

THINGS YOU'LL SEE FOR THE FIRST TIME AT THE PARIS OLYMPICS

From breakdancing's twisting limbs to a new 'Fast and Furious' canoeing format, here's all the new stuff you'll see at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

AP

People watching the Olympics are going to have the choice of 30 different sports to tune into this summer, with many of them a staple of the games.

Popular fixtures like running, boxing and equestrian events have been going since the Olympics' conception in ancient Greece.

But every so often new sports and categories are introduced to modernise and freshen up the iconic event, and there's no shortage of additions this year.

Here's a look at what they are and how they will work.

Breaking to make Olympic debut

This sport, more popularly known as breakdancing, is entirely new to the games and will see 16 men and 16 women compete in dance-offs.

A round robin is followed by quarterfinals, semi-finals and then medal battles, with the athletes, referred to as B-Boys and B-Girls, being scored by nine judges on the following criteria:

• Creativity

• Personality

• Technique

• Variety

• Performativity

• Musicality

And unlike other sports, B-Boys and B-Girls can only go in somewhat prepared, because they aren't told what music they'll be dancing to - they have to improvise once they hear the DJ start playing.

Japan's Ayumi Fukushima competing in June. Pic: AP

While this is new to the Olympics, international breaking competitions have taken place since the 1990s, after the dance style broke out in the United States in the 1970s.

Breaking joins other recently established "urban" sports including skateboarding, surfing, sport climbing and BMXing.

The competition will on debut on 9 August at La Concorde, a historic square at the end of the Champs-Elysees. Be sure to watch it while you can, because breaking isn't set to feature at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

Who is favourite for gold in breaking?

B-Boy Victor - or Victor Montalvo - claimed gold in the 2023 world championship, making him a firm favourite. The 30-year-old has plenty of experience and has the added motivation of ensuring he brings the first breaking Olympic medal to the US, where the breakdancing craze first began.

B-Boy Victor will be gunning for gold at the Olympics. Pic: AP

B-Girl Nicka, 16, has been breakdancing since she was five. Pic: AP

Then there's fellow 2023 world champion Dominika Banevic, AKA B-Girl Nicka, who's looking to get an Olympic medal at the first time of asking aged just 16.

She may not have the same experience as someone like Victor, but the Lithuanian teen has been breakdancing since she was five years old.

Climbing has a new format

Not only is climbing bigger than it was when it made its debut at Tokyo 2020 - with 68 competitors instead of 40 - it's also been split into two categories.

There was a single combined event for each gender at the last games, combining the sport's three disciplines: speed, bouldering and lead.

Bouldering at the 2020 Olympics. Pic: AP

But this time the speed discipline has been split off into a standalone event, while bouldering and lead will remain combined into one event.

The aim of speed climbing is simply to scale a high wall as quickly as possible.

Bouldering competitors must scale multiple short but challenging routes, called "boulder problems," with the fewest attempts in a given period of time.

Japan's Tomoa Narasaki at the men's sport climbing final in 2020. Pic: AP

Bouldering is combined with lead, which judges climbers on how high they can climb on a 50ft wall in six minutes.

Kayak cross - 'canoeing's Fast and Furious'

It's canoeing like you've never seen it before on the biggest stage.

With kayak cross, previously known as extreme slalom, you'll see four competitors race each other to the finish line at the same time, rather than racing the clock.

Competitors drop in for start of the US Olympic Team Trials in April. Pic: AP

AP

It's a combination of all white-water disciplines, with competitors racing in plastic creek boats on a course featuring up to six downstream gates and two upstream gates.

It's an all-action affair, with athletes permitted to make contact with each others' kayaks unless it borders on the dangerous.

The gruelling challenge is made even more difficult because each athlete must also complete a compulsory eskimo roll - a 360-degree flip where the rower must dip below water and come back up.

It's exciting watching any competitors battle it out - but it might help to know that many Team GB canoeists have already enjoyed great success in the discipline since its introduction in 2015, with Rio 2016 gold champion Joe Clarke winning back-to-back world titles in 2021, 2022 and 2023 and Kimberley Woods taking the world title last year.

They'll both be looking to win gold at the Olympics this year - though kayak cross is known to be a particularly unpredictable discipline.

Sailing to reach new heights

There will be two new sailing events in Paris and interestingly, both look to take the sailor out of the water.

There's iQFOiL, a format of windsurfing where the main difference with the old Olympic format, RS:X, is that the daggerboard is replaced by a foil.

iQ-Foiler Sebastian K'rdel leading a race in 2023. Pic: Sascha Klahn/picture-alliance/dpa/AP

Foiling boats are lightweight and have hydrofoils attached to the bottom, meaning the board is lifted completely out of the water at high speeds rather than merely hovering.

Then there's kiteboarding, and what you need to know is in the name - it's a high-octane sport that propels athletes across the water's surface while holding a 7-18m kite to harness the power of the wind.

Other changes at the 2024 games

This summer's games will also see some changes made to established competitions:

Artistic swimming: For the first time in Olympic history, men can be included in the artistic swimming competition, previously known as synchronised swimming.

Male swimmers have been dazzling spectators in world championship artistic swimming since 2015, but it's only now that they've been able to do so in Olympic waters thanks to a rule change by World Aquatics.

But despite the change, not one team added a man to its roster.

World Aquatics released a statement after teams were announced, saying Paris should have been "a landmark moment for the sport" and that they were "very disappointed".

Boxing: A new women's weight class has been added, and a men's class has been cut, meaning there will be seven men's weight categories and six women's.

Shooting: The mixed skeet team event replaces mixed team trap event.

Track and field: A new race-walking format called the mixed team relay will make its debut. Twenty-five teams will participate in the race, each made up of one male and one female athlete, who will complete the marathon distance in four stages.

Also in track and field, a repechage round will be introduced for all individual track events from 200m to 1500m (including hurdles).

Essentially it means athletes who do not qualify by finishing in the automatic qualifying positions in round one heats will have a second chance to qualify for the semi-finals by participating in repechage heats.

Volleyball: At the Paris Games, teams will be separated into three pools of four, with each team playing only three matches total in the pool phase.

This differs to previous Olympics, when the men's and women's volleyball fields of 12 teams had been split into two pools of six, with each team playing five matches total in the pool phase.

Weightlifting: The number of weight classes has been reduced from 14 to 10.

- Sky.com