2016 Sailing World Cup Hyeres - US Sailing Team wins two medal races

by Will Ricketson on 2 May 2016 2016 Sailing World Cup Hyeres - US Sailing Team Sperry athletes competed in front of a global digital audience on the final day of Sailing World Cup Hyères (April 27 – May 1), and won two medal races against the world’s best.

American sailing fans were able to watch live online at WatchESPN (ESPN3), and can also access full replays of the racing, which was broadcast during North America’s early morning hours. Medal races are reserved for the top ten competitors in each fleet, and count for double points.

Stu McNay (Providence, R.I.) and Dave Hughes (Miami, Fla.) have shown a talent for performing under pressure, and have now won both Men’s 470 Sailing World Cup medal races held so far this year. Gold medalists and medal race winners at the 2016 Sailing World Cup Miami, Presented by Sunbrella, McNay and Hughes finished fifth overall in Hyères. They also won both the medal race and silver medals at the Trofeo Princesa Sofia in Palma, and bronze at the 2016 470 Europeans, demonstrating a clear proficiency at controlling small but elite fleets.



“Our goal was to employ the best strategy among the ten-boat fleet,” said McNay, who will become a three-time Olympian this August. He also noted that winning medal races required careful preparation, and correct anticipation of what your competitors will do. “It’s important to know in advance how you’ll respond to a given situation,” said McNay. “You want to anticipate the motivations and behavior of other boats, and use that knowledge to gauge your best response. Anything you can think about prior to the race will give you the upper hand.”

Paine rose as high as second overall in the Finn fleet during the course of the regatta, but some deeper finishes during a light-air stretch of the event dropped the San Diego native down in the standings. Nevertheless, Paine battled within the top-ten throughout the event, and noted that the light and shifty medal race conditions were similar to what might be present during Rio 2016.

“It’s good to stay adaptive and be ready for anything out there on the racecourse,” said Paine. “It’s definitely challenging racing, and (with medal races) being so short, you have to keep your eyes open for every opportunity.”

Paine said that lessons learned this week will help in his preparation for the Olympics in August. “There are definitely some areas I’d like to improve,” said Paine. “All in all, on a couple days (my strategy) was totally together, and my results showed that.”

Despite winning the double-points medal race, Paine moved up only one place in the standings, to eighth overall. The 2012 Sailing World Cup Series Champion finished just four points away from the podium on the tightly condensed leaderboard.



Results:

Sonar (Paralympic Three-Person Keelboat): Final

• 3rd overall, Rick Doerr (Clifton, N.J.), Brad Kendell (Tampa, Fla.) and Hugh Freund (South Freeport, Maine), U.S. Paralympic Team and US Sailing Team Sperry (national team)

Men’s 470 (Men’s Two-Person Dinghy):

• 5th overall, Stu McNay (Providence, R.I.) and Dave Hughes (Miami, Fla.), U.S. Olympic Team and US Sailing Team Sperry (national team)

2.4mR (Paralympic One-Person Keelboat): Final

• 6th overall, Dee Smith (Annapolis, Md.), U.S. Paralympic Team and US Sailing Team Sperry (national team)
• 13th overall, Daniel Evans (Miami, Fla.), US Sailing Team Sperry (national team)
• 15th overall, Charlie Rosenfield (Woodstock, Conn.), US Sailing Team Sperry (national team)
• 19th overall, Kevin Holmberg (Tampa, Fla.)

Finn (Men’s One-Person Heavyweight Dinghy):

• 8th overall, Caleb Paine (San Diego, Calif.), U.S. Olympic Team and US Sailing Team Sperry (national team)

Women’s 470 (Women’s Two-Person Dinghy): Final

• 11th overall, Annie Haeger (East Troy, Wisc.) and Briana Provancha (San Diego, Calif.), U.S. Olympic Team and US Sailing Team Sperry (national team)

Nacra 17 (Mixed Two-Person Multihull): Final

• 15th overall, Bora Gulari (Detroit, Mich.) and Louisa Chafee (Warwick, R.I.), U.S. Olympic Team and US Sailing Team Sperry (national team)

Women’s RS:X (Women’s Board): Final

• 19th overall, Marion Lepert (Belmont, Calif.), U.S. Olympic Team and US Sailing Team Sperry (national team)

49er (Men’s Two-Person High Performance Skiff): Final

• 31st overall, Thomas Barrows (St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.) and teammate Joe Morris (Annapolis, Md.), U.S. Olympic Team and US Sailing Team Sperry (national team)
• 39th overall, Judge Ryan (San Diego, Calif.) and Hans Henken (Coronado, Calif.), US Sailing Team Sperry

Laser (Men’s One-Person Dinghy): Final

• 36th overall, Chris Barnard (Newport Beach, Calif.), US Sailing Team Sperry (national team)

Men’s RS:X (Men’s Board): Final

• 38th overall, Pedro Pascual (Miami, Fla.), U.S. Olympic Team and US Sailing Team Sperry (national team)