Rio Test event, seventh Volvo entry, Sevenstar and more

by Dan Ibsen, Sail-World UK editor on 14 Aug 2014 Rio de Janiero Olympic test event for sailing - the Aquece Rio International Sailing Regatta 2014 - became a success for both the sailors and the organiser. This was the first opportunity for sailors to race in a top level fleet at the Guanabara Bay, the largest competition for Olympic classes ever in Brazil.

The 30 medals in the 10 Olympic Classes were won by only 11 nations. The 10 Gold medals won by seven different nations. Two for Australia, France and New Zealand, and one for Brazil, Denmark, Great Britain and Netherlands.

Great Britain performed outstandingly overall with eight medals in seven classes, one gold, three silver and four bronze.

Australia, France, Netherlands and New Zealand each won medals in four classes. Four other European countries won bronze medals, Austria, Belgium, Italy and Poland.

European sailors performed well in Rio and European nations won in total 21 of the 30 medals at the test event.
There is still a long way to Rio 2016, but in a month all the Olympic top sailors and nations will gather in Santander, Spain for the 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships, fighting for World championship titles and medals, as well as a large portion of the Olympic nation quotas.

The Danish company Vestas, world leader in wind energy, secured the first ever Danish entry in Volvo Ocean Race and the seventh boat on the starting line in Alicante at October 4th.

What a match, the world leader in wind energy and the world’s pre-eminent round-the-world yacht race and one of the most covered events in sailing and sport, Volvo Ocean Race.

VOR reached their goal with seven boats on the starting line in Alicante, and CEO Knut Frostad had a big smile on the face in Copenhagen at the press conference Tuesday this week. Seven boats on the starting line with seven different sponsors are also remarkable.

‘Vestas Wind' is the latest entry ever for the event, and ‘Team Vestas Wind’ also is thereby also the VOR project with the shortest planning and preparation period ever. The OD VO65 makes this possible. Both Knut Frostad and Chris Nicholson expressed to Sail-World.com that the One Design concept will be the key to success in the future, for the teams, sponsors and event.

'Vestas Wind' is flying the Danish flag, the burgee of Royal Danish Yacht Club, where the whole crew are members, and the boats home port is Tuborg Harbour – it could not be more Danish! Inside read more about the Danish entry, including two interviews with Nicholson.

Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland race was postponed because of Bertha, but the fleet is streaming south, with Musandam Oman Sail l, a MOD70 Trimaran crossing the finish line of the 2014 Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race off the Royal Yacht Squadron, Cowes at 12.42.36 BST on Thursday 14th August 2014 with an elapsed time of 3 days, 03 hours, 32 minutes, 36 seconds.

This breaks the previous World Record for a multihull held by Banque Populaire 5 in 2011, by 16 minutes, 38 seconds and is subject to ratification by the World Speed Sailing Record Council

Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland race Seven also marks the first time that so many of the new Volvo Ocean Race 65s have raced against each other. The five boats in the fleet are: the unnamed Spanish boat, Abu Dhabi, Dongfeng, Team Alvimedica and Team SCA. This will further be a valuable last test of the boats as well as crew training before they are heading south in order to assemble in Alicante, Spain.

While the five teams get miles in the book, Team Brunel continues training in Lanzarote and Vestas Wind is waiting for the launch in Southampton on August 21st.

Stay up with the latest sailing news, as it happens, on our websites www.sail-world.com/uk and www.sail-world.com/europe - Read about more sailing events going on: 505 World Championship, a new IMOCA boat for Vendee Globe, Star Class Eastern Hemisphere Championship and Nanjing Youth Olympic Games.

Good sailing,

Dan Ibsen, Sail-World UK editor
dan.ibsen@sail-world.com