Morning Report: Sails up for the Finn, and the skiffs too

Today’s racing will take place in:

• • Laser Men
• • Laser Radial Women
• • Finn Men
• • 49er Men
• • 49er FX Women

Good morning from Enoshima! Day 3 of the Sailing competition brings in the skiff fleets, 49er Men and 49erFX Women, along with the Men’s heavyweight dinghy, the Finn.

It’s a poignant moment for the Finn class, a mainstay of Olympic competition since the late, great Paul Elvstrom won the first Finn gold medal in Helsinki 1952. Who will take the honour of being the last Finn gold medallist? The defending Olympic Champion from Rio, Great Britain’s Giles Scott? There are so many pretenders to Scott’s crown with a real prospect of taking the top step, among them New Zealand’s Josh Junior, and Hungary’s Zsombor Berecz, looking to win a first ever sailing medal for his nation.

In the 49erFX, Brazilian duo Martine Grael & Kahena Kunze are here to defend the Olympic title they won on their home patch five years ago, but they are one of many with a serious tilt at the women’s skiff podium.

The 49er Men seems much more clear cut, with America’s Cup winners and six-time 49er World Champions Pete Burling & Blair Tuke widely talked about as the best sailors in the world, perhaps the best duo in the history of competitive sailing. Does anyone have the self-belief to take on the New Zealanders? Perhaps one of their training partners, the Spanish crew Diego Botin & Iago Marra, or the bronze medallists from Rio, Germany’s Erik Heil and Tommy Ploessel.

Anyone wondering if they deserve to reach the dizzy heights of the podium can take heart and encouragement from the performances we’ve seen in other fleets so far this week. Take Line Flem Høst in the Laser Radial event, for example, the unassuming Norwegian who has put down an incredible statement of intent. “I was actually feeling kind of shaky, a bit nauseous, not quite ready,” admitted Høst yesterday. “So it was really great to have such a good day and really feel like I was in the zone.” Can she maintain the momentum ahead of more highly rated sailors breathing down her neck, Vasileia Karachaliou (GRE) and Anne-Marie Rindom (DEN)?

Similarly in the Laser Men, Kaarle Tapper from Finland holds the lead ahead of more fancied rivals, such as Tonci Stipanovic (CRO) and Pavlos Kontides (CYP) who are both four points off the lead. As well as being great friends and training partners, the Croatian and Cypriot also share the honour of being Olympic silver medallists from the past two Games, Stipanovic in 2016 and Kontides in 2012. The plan is to hold the race that got abandoned on Day 1, making today a three-race marathon for the Laser Men. “Moving Day”, you could say.

Meanwhile it’s a day off from RS:X windsurfing competition, although some would probably be wishing they could get out there on the Pacific for what looks set to be the windiest and waviest day yet, with waves up to 2 metres in height.

Weather

It’s set to be cloudy with showers, and the risk of a thunderstorm early afternoon. Northerly winds of 20 knots, then 10 knots from WSW from 1500 hours. Warnings of a typhoon have now been downgraded to a tropical storm.

Schedule

Fujisawa Course

1200 JST Laser Radial Women, 2 races
1210 JST Laser Men, 3 races

Enoshima Course

1200 JST 49erFX Women’s Skiff, 3 races
1445 JST 49er Men’s Skiff, 3 races

Kamakura Course

1300 JST Finn, 2 Races

To follow the racing on tracker, click here.

To find out more about international broadcasters of the Sailing, click here.

For more detail from the Weather Forecast, click here.

Words by Andy Rice – World Sailing
Photography by Sailing Energy / World Sailing