Please select your home edition
Edition
Excess Catamarans

34th Student Yachting World Cup at La Rochelle - Day 2

by SYWoC Press Office 20 Oct 2014 17:23 HKT 15-22 October 2014

Today's wind was so low that only two windward/leeward races were run, one in the morning and the other in the late afternoon. It enabled the competitors to escape from the pressure of the race, chilling a little bit, waiting for the wind to rise again. France knew today its best day since the beginning of the competition. They spent the two races at the very first positions, even rivalling with the ultra-dominant English team. They showed today an astounding panache, and can now hope to improve their ranking before the end of the SYWoC.

The first race (race 7 overall, three laps and 0.7 nm) started with a shining sun but a lazy wind... Technique was essential today. No OCS were reported. All the boats left on starboard tack. Who could have expected that France and Japan would lead the race at first ? (In particular thanks to a good tactical choice from the Japanese crew at the second buoy, taking a longer tack) Unfortunately for them, Japan got passed during the last leeward leg finishing at the fifth seed. Eventually, France won the race, followed by England and Italy.

Due to the lack of wind, the race committee decided to wait before launching the second race, and the crews had some time to relax and practice their diving and swimming skills! (We even saw the Swiss diving from their mast, shortly followed by the French crew from Polytechnique.) As the situation did not evolve, everyone came back to land, to the race village where they could enjoy some fresh beers, crêpes, and even play cards.

Around 4'o clock all crews went back sailing for a second race. Not every crew in fact as the Japanese team missed the call and didn't compete for that race. That's a shame as they had done a really good first race! After a general recall under black flag, the race began. England won the race (once more!), followed by France and Ireland.

England is clearly dominating this competition, their sailing skills are incredible: they never make any mistake and show complete mastery at sea. Ireland maintains a good level and reaches the 3rd and 4th places of today's races: they now rank 2nd overall. Italy is 3rd of the general ranking, but the USA are only two points behind.

England has a solid first place but the race is still open to complete the podium!

www.sywoc.org

Related Articles

2025 Transat Café L'OR is packed with surprises
73 boats sailed by 146 co-skippers will set sail on October 26th 73 boats sailed by 146 co-skippers will set sail on October 26th on the TRANSAT CAFÉ L'OR Le Havre Normandy. Posted today at 7:20 am
The Trimaran SVR-Lazartigue is back at sea
Peter Burling joining the team for the Rolex Fastnet Race After a refit that began in March, the Trimaran SVR-Lazartigue was relaunched this Thursday, July 3. Lined up for the months ahead is an exciting race programme, culminating this year with the Transat Café L'Or in October. Posted today at 5:14 am
Transpac's Middle fleet sets off for Diamond Head
Seventeen boats begin the 2,225-mile Pacific Crossing in light air conditions Seventeen boats begin the 2,225-mile Pacific Crossing in light air conditions in Transpac's second start. Posted today at 2:39 am
GKSS Match Cup Sweden & Nordea Women's Trophy D4
High stakes for semi-finalists as the final four teams in each division are locked in The third day of racing at GKSS Match Cup Sweden saw the completion of the quarter-final match-ups in both the Open and Women's class, locking in the final four teams in each division for Friday's semi-finals. Posted on 3 Jul
2025 29er Europeans at Lake Garda Day 1
Five teams tied at the top Ikke Huber / Liam Berger (Switzerland) lead the charge after sweeping all 3 races in the Green fleet — an impressive perfect score of 2 points. Lucas & Moritz Hamm, the dynamic twin duo from Germany, matched their Swiss rivals with consistency and pace. Posted on 3 Jul
Onboard reporters in the Course des Caps
Enjoying the challenge of bringing the race to life In the Course des Caps - Boulogne sur Mer - Banque Populaire du Nord, the Onboard Reporters, or OBRs, are back doing a wonderful job of bringing IMOCA racing to life with pictures, videos, interviews and reports from the boats. Posted on 3 Jul
Rolex TP52 Worlds in Cascais Day 2
Consistent American Magic Quantum Racing move clear ahead American Magic Quantum Racing stepped three points clear at the top of the 2025 Rolex TP52 World Championship leaderboard today in Cascais, Portugal on the strength of a first and third from two breezy races. Posted on 3 Jul
Unforgettable Transatlantic Race 2025 finish
First to arrive was Ocean Fifty Calamity, co-skippered by Timo Tavio and Kimo Nordström. It was rush hour in Cowes on Day 15 of the west-to-east Transatlantic Race 2025, as boats crossed the finish line in Cowes within minutes of each other after an epic 3,000-mile battle for top honors in IRC 1. Posted on 3 Jul
iQFOiL World Championships set to open in Aarhus
Olympic medalists and world-class riders gather in Denmark for the biggest iQFOiL event of the year. The stage is set in Aarhus for a spectacular week of high-speed sailing as the iQFOiL World Championships 2025 kick off on 4 July, bringing together over 200 of the world's best windsurfers from more than 40 nations. Posted on 3 Jul
The Ocean Race Europe to showcase new race tracker
Developed with PredictWind to revolutionise race coverage The Ocean Race, often described as the toughest test of a team in sport and widely recognised as a leader in impactful ocean health initiatives, and PredictWind, a global leader in marine weather forecasting, are collaborating on a new race tracker. Posted on 3 Jul
Rooster 2025PredictWind - Wave Routing 728x90 BOTTOMC-Tech 2021 SnuffAir 728x90 BOTTOM