Please select your home edition
Edition
Armstrong 728x90 - Wing FG Board Range - TOP

Kieler Woche Finns day five - Railey wins Medal race, Gaspic the Gold

by Robert Deaves on 24 Jun 2010
Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic - Kiel Week 2010. Berichterstattung Bilder sind Honorarfreie. der Fotohinweis © okpress/Kieler Woche Sollte gedruckt werden Robert Deaves/Finn Class http://www.finnclass.org
Kieler Woche Finn Class report.

Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic (CRO) took the Finn class in Kieler Woche from Oleksiy Borysov (UKR) and Rafa Trujillo (ESP) after another light and shifty race. The medal race was eventually won by Zach Railey (USA).


Sailed in an offshore breeze of three-six knots with a lot of different pressure over the course area, there were lots of place changes during the 30 minute race.

Having sailed the regatta of his life this week, Oleksiy Borysov led at the first mark followed by Mike Maier (CZE), Rafa Trujillo and Zach Railey. The fleet was pretty evenly split on the first upwind and Trujillo looked to have the race and the series under control in third place with his main opposition some way back.


Maier immediately headed left on the downwind with Borysov and Trujillo favouring the right. The top few boats were very tight around the bottom mark with Borysov still leading, but Railey was about to make his move.

Railey said, 'I was able to get out in front and round with the top group at the first weather mark. We stayed pretty much the same order down first downwind and then the second upwind got pretty tricky. It looked like the left was going to pay, but the wind was very patchy. I was able to make it up the middle left and round first just ahead of UKR.'

However, it all went wrong for Trujillo on the second upwind. He said, 'I made poor decisions. I was not thinking clear. I positioned myself to the left of the fleet and had less wind so lost a lot of ground. But without counting the medal race I am pretty happy this week, but I do need to work on the medal race.' Trujillo ended up ninth in the race but just hung on to the bronze medal.

Railey continued, 'The two of us had a pretty good fight down the last downwind for the race win. Behind us the fleet was really changing all the time with the shifts and puffs and I was glad to have been ahead as there were some big gains and losses for guys. I feel good about the race win. I had a tough race in first one yesterday so to bounce back and come back strong with the last race yesterday and medal race today feels good.'

Deniss Karpak (EST), who started the day in third, said, 'Today was a disastrous conditions. There were holes with no wind at all, 45 degrees shifts... I was a bit unlucky and was last at the first mark first time, so I was sailing to try and not be last. Zach and Oleksiy were extremely fast and got it right tactically. So, I lost the medal, but I'm happy to be sixth overall, and to be in the medal race for the first time this year.'

In winning the race, Railey recorded his second major medal race win of the year with Borysov in second and Björn Allansson (SWE) moving through into third. A fourth place for the European Champion, Kljakovic Gaspic, was enough to take the week by just one point. With just two major regattas left this season, the Croatian has won the last three and will go into Sail for Gold in Weymouth and the World Championships in San Francisco as one of the absolute favourites.

Weymouth will be the final regatta in the ISAF Sailing World Cup, in which Trujillo has now taken a two point lead from Kljakovic Gaspic and a five point lead from Railey. The previous leader and last year's winner, Ed Wright (GBR), drops to fourth place, some seven points off the lead.

1 CRO 524 Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic 23 (4)
2 UKR 1 Oleksiy Borysov 24 (2)
3 ESP 100 Rafael Trujillo 29 (9)
4 USA 4 Zach Railey 30 (1)
5 FRA 112 Jonathan Lobert 31 (5=)
6 EST 2 Deniss Karpak 33 (7)
7 SWE 6 Björn Allansson 39 (3)
8 CZE 1 Michael Maier 42 (5=)
9 ITA 117 Giorgio Poggi 47 (10)
10 AUT 3 Florian Raudaschl 60 (8)



Event website click here
RS Sailing 2021 - FOOTERNorth Sails Loft 57 PodcastSea Sure 2025

Related Articles

PredictWind launches PredictRain
New app From PredictWind delivers hyper-accurate, short-term rain predictions PredictRain is a groundbreaking standalone app that combines advanced AI modelling with intuitive tools to provide timely and precise rain forecasts for all types of outdoor activities.
Posted today at 4:51 am
49er & 49erFX Junior Worlds champions crowned
One final race before the storm kicked in at Øresund The final day of the 2025 Junior World Championship delivered high drama and even higher waves. As wind and rain swept across the Øresund, Race Committees managed to run one final race before safety concerns forced an early end to the competition.
Posted today at 4:43 am
Admiral's Cup: Emotional, Rare, Unforgettable
The 2025 Admirals' Cup set the stage for a bold new era in offshore racing Once the pinnacle of international offshore sailing, the return of the Admiral's Cup was a resounding success, setting the stage for a bold new era in offshire racing.
Posted on 4 Aug
29er World Championship at Porto Day 2
The breeze never quite showed up but the action didn't stop Day two of the Porto World Championships began with hope—and strategy. With light winds in the forecast, the race committee scheduled an early start in anticipation of a short sea breeze window.
Posted on 4 Aug
RS Aero World & Youth Worlds overall
The fine Brittany weather and afternoon sea breezes have provided excellent racing The stage was set for a dramatic final day showdown in Quiberon Bay, France, to decide the titles for the 7th RS Aero Worlds and 4th Youth Worlds.
Posted on 4 Aug
RS Feva Worlds at Aix-les-Bains, France Overall
Crowning of our 2025 World Champions As our World Championships drew to a thrilling close on Friday afternoon, the atmosphere was electric with anticipation! Sailors and families were buzzing with excitement as they prepared for their journey home.
Posted on 4 Aug
ClubSwan 28 American Series launched
US-based regatta series unites high-performance design with competitive racing. Nautor Swan today announces the launch of the ClubSwan 28 American Series in collaboration with Terry Hutchinson and American Magic, a new high-performance racing circuit designed to ignite competitive sailing in the U.S.
Posted on 4 Aug
Just another event?
Is Cowes Week still a pinnacle regatta? We've been blessed with incredible sailing so far this summer in the UK (for once) with great breeze much of the time, and some of the best events in the world gracing our shores. But, like with Storm Floris, there are clouds on the horizon...
Posted on 4 Aug
Safe Harbor Race Weekend starts Friday
Exciting racing, unforgettable shoreside festivities on tap Ever growing in popularity and caliber, the three-day Safe Harbor Race Weekend will host an impressive fleet of 73 boats on August 8 when it begins its fifth annual edition in Newport, R.I.
Posted on 4 Aug
Tenerife Windsurf Grand Slam Day 3
Pierre Mortefon draws first blood after the wind fills in late After a couple of days of waiting for the wind, Day 3 eventually provided the goods to end the wait for some official competition as the Slalom X got under way during the early evening in 15-18 knots of wind.
Posted on 4 Aug