Across the Med for round two

New-look British Sailing Team caught on camera © Mark Lloyd / Lloyd Images

The 2022 53rd Semaine Olympique Française de Hyères – or French Olympic Week en anglais – is the second regatta of 2022. It’s taking place in Hyères near Toulon in the beautiful south of France, just down the coast from the Paris 2024 sailing venue of Marseille. Racing begins on Monday April 25, and concludes on Saturday April 30.

Following on from the British Sailing Team’s recent success at Mallorca’s Trofeo Princesa Sofia, the 2022 Olympic classes season opener, most athletes will be in action in Hyeres next week. Notable absences include 49er Olympic champ Dylan Fletcher and his crew Rhos Hawes, who’ve opted to sit this one out after suffering boat damage in Palma. And with the iQFOiL class European Championships coming up in mid-May, only Sam Sills and Emma Wilson have opted to race in Hyères.

The Semaine Olympique Française is one of the few this year to feature all ten Olympic classes. With six medals won in Palma Bay earlier this month, the British Sailing Team will be looking to ride the wave of success across the Mediterranean. Watch out for Trofeo Princesa Sofia ILCA 7 gold medallist Micky Beckett, who will undoubtedly have a target on his back after such a dominant performance, while Tokyo 2020 Olympian Saskia Tidey and new partner Freya Black will be looking to avenge their luck in Palma that saw them miss out on a medal race spot due to a final race disqualification. One thing’s for sure – there will be plenty of action to follow across the ten classes.

The official website featuring results and the full entry list is here, but if you want to track the progress of the Brits the best place to do so is the British Sailing Team social media channels. Each day we will keep you posted on results, and feature the best photos the event has to offer.