Please select your home edition
Edition
Rooster 2025

Tough sailing at the Hempel World Cup Series Enoshima for American and Canadian sailors

by David Schmidt 3 Sep 2019 16:00 BST August 25-September 1, 2019
Luke Muller - Hempel World Cup Series Enoshima, day 3 © Pedro Martinez / Sailing Energy / World Sailing

Seasons are curious things. Here in the USA, Labor Day Weekend, not the autumnal equinox (September 23, 2019), marks summer's unofficial end, fall's unofficial start, and, during general-election cycles, the start of the serious political season.

But for sailors looking to compete and medal at next summer's Tokyo 2020 Olympics (July 24-August 9, 2020), September 1 also marked the final day of Hempel World Cup Series Enoshima (August 25-September 1), which is the final large Olympic class regatta of 2019 and the last of World Sailing's World Cups until January 2020. More importantly, it also marks less than 11 months until the starting guns begin sounding at the next Olympic regatta, and a time when serious medal candidates need to be showing their tactical strengths and big-fleet speed.

Unfortunately for North American sailors and their flag-waving fans, there was no danger of hearing O Canada or the Star-Spangled Banner at the awards ceremony at the Hempel World Cup Series Enoshima, as the best finish that any American or Canadian sailor achieved was a seventh place in the Men's Finn, which was earned by Tom Ramshaw (CAN).

The top finish by US sailors was an eighth-place finish in the Men's 49er, posted by Andrew Mollerus and Ian MacDiarmid. Sisters Atlantic Brugman Cabot and Nora Brugman finished in tenth place in the Women's 470 class, and Luke Muller also finished in tenth place in the Men's Finn.

While it's nice to be able to write about Top Ten finishes, less than 11 months out from the start of the next Olympic regatta, I'll admit that the temperature in my office feels a bit hot for what is (symbolically at least) autumn's grand opening.

After all, as a journalist at the London 2012 Olympics I had a front-row seat to the first medal-ceremony shutout that the American team, which is one of the most decorated countries in Olympic sailing (the UK has more gold medals, but we hold more medals in total), has suffered since the Berlin 1936 Olympics.

Trust me when I say the view (and it's aftermath) wasn't pretty.

But, it's important to remember that the wind-up to that tough performance was entirely different than the drubbing that the team just suffered in Japan at the World Cup Series Enoshima. Careful sailing historians will remember the 2011 ISAF Worlds (now World Sailing), which took place on the waters off of Perth, Australia, where three American-flagged teams realized Top Three finishes (Anna Tobias [nee Tunnicliffe], Molly O'Bryan Vandemoer and Deborah Capozzi, sailing in the Women's Elliot 6m finished in first place; Paige Railey, sailing in the Women's Laser Radial, finished in third place, and Mark Mendelblatt and Brian Fatih finished in third place in the Star class).

While it was a proud day reporting these great finishes, the results, just nine months later on the waters off of Weymouth, UK, proved devastating for American interests.

So, while I'm trying hard not to read too deeply into the results from the Hempel World Cup Series Enoshima, I can't shake something that Malcolm Page (AUS), US Sailing's chief of Olympic sailing, told me in a recent interview.

"Statistically, those who win World Championship medals often have good chance at winning Olympic medal as well," said Page. "Of the Rio 2016 Gold Medalists, 100% had won a World Championship medal as well. 73% of the Silver and Bronze Medalists in Rio had one World Championship medals as well."

Page should know. As a two-time Olympic Gold medalist and a three-time 470 World Champion (as well as a two-time Silver medalist at the 470 Worlds and a one-time 420 World Champion... we barely even need to count his still-proud Bronze-medal finish at the 2001 470 Worlds), the man has clearly stared-down his share of world-class competition and understands the upwards performance trajectories that winning teams need to own in the ramp-up to the Olympics.

The next World Sailing World Cup Series event is set to unfurl on the waters off of Miami, Florida, from January 19 to January 26, 2020. While the 2011 ISAF Worlds prove that dominance at a World Cup-level event doesn't ensure medal-ceremony success come the Olympic Games, according to Page, there's clear evidence that the inverse also holds true, and that if North American sailors aren't in the hunt now, next summer could prove to a flashback to 2012, or worse, 1936.

May the four winds blow you safely home,

David Schmidt
Sail-World.com North American Editor

Related Articles

SailGP, TOR Europe, Women's Match Racing Worlds
Good things often happen when preparation meets opportunity Good things often happen when preparation meets opportunity. Such was the case for the Germany SailGP Team presented by Deutsche Bank squad when they notched their first-ever SailGP event win at last weekend's Rolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix. Posted today at 5:00 pm
And so, it begins…
Grand Final not run yet, but our Hobart coverage begins with something very cool Maybe a tad earlier than last year, which I think was after the Grand Final, but the 100th entrant seemed like a good place to set things off. Now with that said, Sail-World's Hobart coverage begins. Posted on 21 Sep
Growing Female Participation in Sailing
Success Stories in the Flying Fifteen fleet It's been an incredible summer of sailing in the UK, and one of the highlights for me has been talking with competitors at major events, learning how they started sailing, what they love most about the sport, and their visions for the future. Posted on 16 Sep
Dr. Peter Puskic on TOC's Pacific Data Expedition
Dr. Peter Puskic discusses The Ocean Cleanup's Pacific Data Expedition This year, The Ocean Cleanup teamed up with some of the returning Transpac fleet to gather data on the Great Pacific Garbage Patch using innovative camera technology and AI that the organization developed. Posted on 16 Sep
Globe40 and La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec
A look at the Globe40 and the La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec It's always an encouraging sign when a round-the-world race begins its second edition, especially when the steeds in question are approachable boats for most serious sailors. Posted on 9 Sep
You just gotta love a good algorithm
So, I opened up YouTube, and there it was. Could not believe my luck, actually. So, I opened up YouTube, and there it was. Could not believe my luck, actually. The algorithm had coughed up something I really wanted to watch. Yes, I know it means Big Brother is watching and listening.Also, every key stroke is being recorded. Posted on 7 Sep
Carbon or Steel?
Moth Foil Evolution with Alex Adams Foils have been shrinking for years as sailors continually try to reduce drag and increase speeds, but designers were reaching the limit of what they could do with carbon, so the latest foils have turned to steel for some parts. Posted on 7 Sep
Unboxing the Bieker Moth with Kyle Stoneham
A look 'below decks' at the hidden control systems on Kyle's International Moth Why are all the ropes hidden on all the latest International Moths? It's all about aerodynamic efficiency as the boats get faster and faster. As we find out with Kyle, there are also some very clever systems under the carbon covers. Posted on 6 Sep
The Age of Steel in the Land of Rock
The International Moth class is never standing still This week the Moths have gathered in Torquay at the Royal Torbay Yacht Club for the UK Championship, and the discussion is all about steel. Posted on 3 Sep
From vision to reality
The XR 41's journey from sketch to World Champion In 2023 I took part in my first X-Yachts Gold Cup at Aarhus in Denmark. It was a glorious event, balancing fun and competition perfectly, and was a weekend where new friendships were formed with sailors who I continue to chat with regularly. Posted on 2 Sep
Sea Sure 2025Marine Products Direct 2023 - Calypso FOOTERHaven Knox-Johnston Commercial