Please select your home edition
Edition
Hyde Sails 2024 - One Design

ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyeres - Strong start for Fletcher and Sign

by Lindsey Bell on 22 Apr 2014
Dylan Fletcher and Alain Sign, 49er - ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyeres 2014 Richard Langdon/British Sailing Team
At the ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyeres 2014 the 49er defending champions Dylan Fletcher and Alain Sign made their podium intentions clear on a fantastic first day of racing in Hyeres on Monday (21 April).

The European Champions were quick out of the blocks on a three-race day for the men’s skiff fleet, while the Sonar trio of John Robertson, Hannah Stodel and Steve Thomas took an early advantage to sit them on top of the standings after two races in the three-person Paralympic fleet.

The 2013 edition of this Hyeres World Cup saw a confidence boosting first regatta win for Fletcher and Sign – and with the duo having been on the podium in major regattas three more times since, including a bronze at the Palma World Cup two weeks ago, they’re buoyed by their form coming into this event.
'We certainly did ourselves pretty proud out there,' admitted Fletcher, who is poised in overall second place with Sign after the first day of competition. 'We had a good first race and won that one, and then had a couple more top threes so we’re really chuffed with how it went.

'It couldn’t really have gone much better. It was 10-14 knots, bit of chop, the sun was out and 40 boats on the racecourse made it pretty hectic, but it was great fun!'

But with a strong 49er fleet racing at this final World Cup event of the 2013-14 season – including a return for Australia’s Olympic Champions Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jenson – the British Sailing Team duo know there’s a lot of work still to do on the five remaining days of competition.

'As soon as we get into gold fleet it’s going to be really tough,' Sign explained. 'We’ve got pretty much everyone from the Worlds here so it’s a real test of how the season’s going to pan out and how we can gain even more up until the Worlds in Santander, so it will be good to see how we go.

'Through qualifying it’s just about trying to keep it really simple off the startline, do the simple things really well and see where we end up when it comes to gold fleet racing and then plan the rest of our attack on the rest of the series.

'I think it’s just about making sure we don’t do anything stupid for the first couple of days and see how we get on in gold fleet.'

Not to be outdone, Fletcher’s girlfriend Charlotte Dobson and crew Sophie Ainsworth saw a solid start to their regatta in the women’s 49erFX fleet, with a race win among their three races seeing them into third after the opening day.

'We had brilliant racing today,' enthused Dobson. 'The forecast wasn’t fantastic and we came down expecting a bit of a crouch-off, but the wind picked up pretty quickly and we had a lovely three races in 10-14 knots in the end.

'Our race course is quite close into the shore and there are quite a lot of refracting waves, so the sea state is quite challenging. It was pretty hard to sail the boat today but we managed to have three pretty good races, so we’re pretty happy really.'

Dobson has fond memories of the southern French venue from her time in the Laser Radial, and in the 49erFX last year where she won silver sailing with Mary Rook.

'I love Hyeres. I did well in Hyeres in my Laser as well – I’ve never won here though. I’ve come third once and second twice, so maybe this time we can do a bit better!'

British sailors also saw a strong start in the Nacra 17 event, with Pippa Wilson-John Gimson and Ben Saxton-Hannah Diamond each sharing a race win from the three multihull races on Monday. Local heroes and World Champions Billy Besson-Marie Riou took an early lead with two race wins from the three, but the two British teams are right behind in overall second and third places respectively after this opening day, with Lucy Macgregor-Andrew Walsh in eighth.

Eilidh McIntyre’s splinted finger didn’t appear to impact her racing on Monday, as she and Sophie Weguelin picked up a seventh and a third from the two races in the 470 Women’s fleet to see them poised in third place, while in the 470 Men’s event, a three-race day improved as it went on for Luke Patience and Elliot Willis. The duo, competing in just their second event together since teaming up in February, scored 14,9,3 for their day.

In the Paralympic fleets, John Robertson, Hannah Stodel and Steve Thomas saw a great start to their regatta with an opening day of three,two to sit them on top of the Sonar leaderboard, while Miami World Cup winner Megan Pascoe had a consistent day in the 2.4mR event, posting two third places to place third overall going into day two. Paralympic Champion Helena Lucas is poised in sixth.

RS:X World Champion Nick Dempsey picked up three consistent top-five results in the men’s windsurfing event, placing 10th overall with training partner Tom Squires right behind him in 11th.

In the single-handed Laser event, Nick Thompson and Elliot Hanson are 19th and 20th respectively after three races, while Hannah Snellgrove is 14th after day one in the Laser Radial event.

Racing at the ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyeres continues on Tuesday 22 April with the final medal races scheduled for Saturday 26 April.

For more information: click here
Henri-Lloyd Dynamic RangeLloyd Stevenson - AC INEOS 1456x180px BOTTOMBarton Marine Pipe Glands

Related Articles

Rolex TP52 Worlds in Cascais day 4
All on the line Sunday as American Magic Quantum Racing seek to close out eighth world title After three spectacular races today on Cascais, Portugal's showcase high winds arena, Doug DeVos' seven times world title winners American Magic Quantum Racing lead into the final day of the 2025 Rolex TP52 Worlds with a hard earned five points buffer.
Posted today at 6:45 pm
Registration open for Annapolis to Bermuda Race
A2B covers 753 nm from the heart of the Chesapeake Bay to the island paradise of Bermuda The organizing committee of the Annapolis to Bermuda Ocean Race (A2B) is pleased to announce that registration for the 2026 edition of this iconic offshore sailing event sponsored by Mustang Survival is officially open!
Posted today at 2:42 pm
North launches new Wingfoil Race Collection
Pinch even higher and reach even deeper at pace Pinch even higher and reach even deeper at pace. Engineered with a VMG-optimised partial double skin for improved aerodynamic efficiency, lower drag and precise manoeuvres at higher speeds.
Posted today at 10:35 am
AEGEAN 600 Attica Warm-Up Race
5th edition sets sail with strong winds and signature Greek hospitality Under perfect sunny skies and brisk northerly winds, the 5th edition of the annual AEGEAN 600 kicked off with a flawless start both on and off the water.
Posted on 4 Jul
GKSS Match Cup Sweden & Nordea Women's Trophy D5
Stage set for Finals showdown in Marstrand With just one day to go at the 2025 GKSS Match Cup Sweden and Nordea Women's Trophy, the stage is set for a thrilling finale in both the Open and Women's classes.
Posted on 4 Jul
Sam Goodchild in the Course des Caps
The final phase is full of potential pitfalls Sam Goodchild, the British skipper of MACIF Santé Prévoyance who has been dominating the IMOCA round Britain and Ireland race since the start of the third day, says the goal now is to focus on the complex finishing section.
Posted on 4 Jul
29er Europeans at Lake Garda day 2
Light breeze, boat park buzz and big wins off the water >Day 2 brought lighter winds to Lake Garda, but the energy around the event stayed sky-high.
Posted on 4 Jul
Rolex TP52 Worlds in Cascais day 3
French tour de force gives Paprec world championship lead As the Rolex TP52 World Championship passed its midway point today in Cascais, Portugal it is the French underdogs on Paprec, led by ocean racing legend Loïck Peyron, which has taken the overall lead.
Posted on 4 Jul
Rolex Fastnet Race IRC One preview
Beyond the French legends there is plenty of international talent with podium potential With 17 editions of the Rolex Fastnet Race to his name, including five class victories along the way and an outright victory in 2015, could anyone bet against Géry Trentesaux doing it again?
Posted on 4 Jul
International Moth Worlds begin this weekend
Pre-Worlds are under way at Malcesine From 6 to 13 July 2025, the 2025 Moth World Championship officially gets under way, hosted by Fraglia Vela Malcesine and preceded by the Pre-Worlds on 4 and 5 July. The event marks the culmination of three weeks entirely dedicated to foiling.
Posted on 4 Jul