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  Celebrating success in Auckland - Sailing from North America & beyond
 | | 420 leaders Wiley Rogers (Houston, Texas) and Jack Parkin (Riverside, Conn.). - 2016 Aon Youth Sailing World Championships Georgia Schofield |
The sun may have set on the Rio 2016 Olympics, but that certainly doesn't mean that sailors are not already riveting their attention on the 2020 Olympic cycle, and-in some cases-even the 2024 quadrennial. Gone are the days when an Olympic campaign could be stitched together a few months before trials; here to stay is an Olympic landscape that requires commitment and focus over multiple quadrennials, often starting at a young age, if podium finishes are to be a realistic goal.
While the U.S.-flagged team sailed home from Rio with just a single bronze medal that was earned by Caleb Paine in the Finn, Paine's path to Olympic glory is indicative of the new-generation Olympic sailor. Rather than following the straight-and-narrow course from high school to college, Paine instead focused on his Olympic goals, postponing his higher education until a time when his smoothest roll tacks had passed astern.
 | | Team Leader Josh Adams on the beach with Caleb Paine after the San Diego native secured Bronze in the Finn at rio 2016 © Amory Ross / US Sailing Team |
In the years following the U.S.-flagged sailing team's medal-ceremony shutout at the London 2012 Olympics (our first since the Berlin 1936 Olympics), US Sailing has made a huge investment into its youth training and development pipeline, and these investments are now paying handsome dividends. Take the 2016 Aon Youth Worlds (December 16-19), which just wrapped up on the waters off of Auckland, New Zealand. There, Americans Wiley Rogers and Jack Parkin proved the potency of their skills, as well as US Sailing's new pipeline program and some good old-fashioned weigh-in dieting, by winning a proud gold medal in the Boys 420 Class.
“It took a lot of dedication, dieting and it hasn't really set in yet,” said an elated Rogers about the team's win.
As for their celebration, the Americans had one thing on their minds. 'Eating!” exclaimed a famished Parkin. “We have had to stay light for the boat so we have been dieting pretty hard but now we get to eat whatever we eat. Pancakes, waffles-whatever we can get our hands on.”
 | | Wiley Rogers/Jack Parkin (USA-55162) - 420 World Championships 2015 © Jun Hirai / BULKHEAD Magazine |
To the victor goes the spoils, and while it's a safe bet that Rogers and Parkin availed themselves of Auckland's best eateries and ice creameries, there's no word yet of the talented duo's plans for college, or for the Olympics. Still, this proud medal should hopefully encourage the team to continue striving for personal and national honors.
Other Top Ten finishes by American sailors included Kathryn Hall and Ashton Borcherding's fifth-place finish in the Girls 420 Class, Romain Screve and Ian Brill's third-place finish in the Nacra 15 Open Class, and Cameron Pearce's third-place finish in the Laser Radial Boys Class. Furthermore, the American-flagged team also earned fifth-place in the Nations Trophy, which recognizes the best overall results-by nation-across all class disciplines. (N.B., The Canadian-flagged team finished in 29th place in the Nations Trophy.)
While this is serious cause for celebration for fans of American Olympic sailing, it's important to remember that the Olympics represent a sea change in competition levels from youth-sailing events. That said, it's also crucial to remember that the nation with the most well-developed youth talent pipeline is typically one to be reckoned with come the Olympic medal races, and the results at the 2016 Aon Youth Worlds certainly bode well for American aspirations at future Olympic regattas.
 | | Vendée Globe – French skipper in serious difficulty © Thomas Ruyant / Le Souffle du Nord/ Vendée Globe |
Meanwhile, on sailing's offshore stage, Thomas Ruyant (FRA; 35), sailing aboard his IMOCA 60 Le Souffle du Nord pour Le Projet Imagine in the ongoing Vendee Globe solo-nonstop-around-the-world race, is in serious trouble after suffering a collision with an unidentified floating object.
“The damage at the front of the boat is spreading,” reported Ruyant from of his stricken vessel. “The hull is opening up and the frame coming away a bit everywhere. I'm sailing to the south of New Zealand. I'm not sure if it will all stay in one piece until then. What's good is that I'm in helicopter range, which is reassuring. I just have to push a button and they'll come and get me. The inside hasn't been affected and with my watertight doors, I'm sheltered.
 | | Thomas Ruyant Vendée Globe |
“The shock was exceptionally violent. It gives me the shivers just thinking about it. I was at 17-18 knots and came to a sudden standstill hitting what was probably a container seeing the damage it has done to the hull. The whole of the forward section exploded and folded up.”
 | | Armel Le Cleac'h aboard current race leader Banque Populaire VIII, Day 29 Vendee Globe Race 2016/17 © Armel Le Cléac'h /Banque Populaire/ Vendée Globe |
Meanwhile, further along on the Vendee Globe's track, Armel Le Cleac'h (FRA), sailing aboard Banque Populaire VIII is enjoying a lead of 511.9 nautical miles over second-placed Alex Thomson (GBR), sailing aboard Hugo Boss, who is struggling to hold onto the pace thanks to a broken “Dali” foil. Impressively, Thomson still enjoys a lead of 777.1 nautical miles over third-placed Paul Meilhat (FRA), who is racing aboard SMA.
Get the full Vendee Globe report, as well as the latest news from next week's Sydney-Hobart race, inside this issue.
May the four winds blow you safely home,
David Schmidt, Sail-World USA Editor
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