Please select your home edition
Edition
RS Sailing 2021 - LEADERBOARD

RS Aero World Championship at Calasetta, Sardinia, Italy - Day 1

by Elena Giolai 26 Jul 14:49 PDT 26-30 July 2023

The RS Aero World Championship has kicked off in Calasetta with the eagerly anticipated Mistral winds providing a thrilling spectacle, blowing at 18-20 knots.

The UK has a strong presence, with many helmsmen securing top positions in the early races.

The Lega Navale del Sulcis is fully committed until Sunday, July 30th, to award the coveted world titles.

The first day of races at the RS Aero World Championship, taking place in Calasetta (Southern Sardinia, Sulcis), and organized by Lega Navale Italiana del Sulcis in collaboration with the Federazione Italiana Vela and the RS Aero Class, was marked by tight competition, thrilling surfs, and many fun planing moments. This year's RS Aero World Championship has set new records with 136 participants from 19 countries, as highlighted by International Class President Peter Barton during the opening ceremony on Tuesday late afternoon.

The teams paraded from the Torre Sabauda in Calasetta to the harbor, crossing the town center. The event was attended by the mayor of Calasetta Claudia Mura and the President of the III Zona FIV Sardegna Corrado Fara, along with Salvatore Turco, President of Lega Navale del Sulcis, and Guido Sirolli, President of RS Aero Class Italy, and International Class President Peter Peter Barton, who officially declared the championships open. Countries from overseas, such as Korea, Australia, the United States, New Zealand, Canada, and Australia, are also participating in the event.

The long-awaited Mistral winds finally refreshed the air after the record-breaking temperatures in Sardinia in the past few days. The Mistral started blowing on Tuesday morning and continued with an intensity of 18-20 knots today, accompanied by short and steep waves that challenged some participants who were not accustomed to racing in such conditions. The day saw three races completed for the RS Aero 9, 7, 6, and 5 fleets, each divided based on the chosen sail size.

In the RS Aero 5 fleet, the British dominated the provisional standings, with Mark Ripley (Youth) leading the way after achieving three first-place finishes in strong winds. Chloe George (2-3-2) is the top female sailor and is currently in second place, followed by Sammy Isaacs-Johnson in third. The first Italian and junior sailor is Giacomo Zanzini (CN Rimini), placed sixth overall.

In the RS Aero 6, there is a tie for the lead between Australian Rhett Gowans (1-6-1) and British sailor Chris Hatton (3-1-4). Andrew Frost (5-3-2), another Brit, currently holds the provisional third place. Ukrainian sailor Sofiia Naumenko is the leading female racer and holds the fourth position overall. Giacomo Gatta (CN Savio) represents Italy as the leading Youth sailor, currently in seventh place.

In the RS Aero 7, Peter Peter Barton (GBR) leads the pack with a 1-2-4 record, just one point ahead of the American Jay Renehan (2-1-5, master category). Noah Rees (3-3-2) from the UK follows in the provisional third place. Italian Filippo Vincis, representing Lega Navale del Sulcis, is currently in sixth place with improving results, having achieved 10-9-6 finishes.

The RS Aero 9 fleet has a significant American presence due to the larger 9 sqm sail. The American sailor Keith Hammer tops the provisional standings with a 2-1-1 record, holding a 5-point advantage over the British racer Robbie Lawson (3-3-3). The Norwegian Henrik Schrader (6-4-4) sits in third place. American Dyklan Williams leads the junior category.

On Thursday, races are scheduled to start at 12:00, with weather forecasts predicting the Mistral to decrease to 9-13 knots. It will be interesting to see if the current leaders can maintain their momentum in lighter winds.

More Information:

Related Articles

RS Class Association announce new round of grants
Funding for coaching has been released - clubs welcome to apply Following the completion of another successful racing season, a new round of coaching grant funding has been released. Posted on 15 Nov
RS Aero UK Inlands at Draycote Water
A sunny but chilly weekend for the 50 helms 50 RS Aeros enjoyed a sunny but chilly weekend at Draycote to race their UK Inland Championships. A medium breeze blowing across the lake provided opportunities for everyone with the large and plentiful gusts and shifts. Posted on 31 Oct
RS Aero Youth Team Race Europeans overall
Lithuania wins at Cagliari, Italy Lithuania wins the 2nd RS Aero Team Race Under 22 European Championship; Italy 1, with Sara Murru and Davide Mulas, second after a fierce final, lost 3 to 2. Posted on 30 Oct
RS Aero Youth Team Race Europeans day 2
No wind, no racing at Cagliari, Italy If the first day of the European Team Race under 22 RS Aero class was characterised by a mistral wind, which even touched 20 knots and more, unfortunately on Saturday the breeze fluctuated all day long both in intensity close to the minimum limit. Posted on 28 Oct
RS Sailing announces RS Fest Miami 2024
The first multi-class RS event in North America! Get ready for the RS Fest Miami, the first EVER major multi-class RS Sailing event in North America. The three-day regatta, Saturday March 30th to Monday April 1st 2024, is a celebration of RS Sailing fleets - hosted in tropical Miami, Florida! Posted on 28 Oct
RS Aero Italian Youth Championship
Enrico Loi and Davide Mulas win the titles in Cagliairi, Sardinia Enrico Loi (Windsurfing Club Cagliari) and Davide Mulas (LNI Sulcis) win the Italian RS Aero Youth Championships in Cagliari, Under 17 (RS Aero 5) and Under 22 (RS Aero 6) categories, respectively. Posted on 19 Oct
Felpham RS Aero Open
Glorious sunshine but light winds in Bognor Regis, West Sussex Sailors for the RS Aero Felpham Open arriving on Saturday were met with glorious sunshine but light winds. Racing was due to start at midday on the Saturday but was delayed by the RO for an hour as the wind increased. Posted on 12 Sep
RS Aero Worlds at Calasetta, Sardinia overall
Youth, Junior, Overall as well as Master and Grandmaster titles awarded The fifth World Championship of the RS Aero class, organised in Calasetta by the Lega Navale del Sulcis, in collaboration with the Italian Sailing Federation and the RS Aero class, ended with two more races and a thermal mistral wind of 8-10 knots. Posted on 30 Jul
RS Aero Worlds at Calasetta, Sardinia Day 4
Penultimate day very long due to the variable wind Sunday sees the conclusion of the RS Aero Worlds with the awarding of the rainbow titles in the various classes and categories, including youth and junior with many Italians in the podium zone. Posted on 29 Jul
RS Aero Worlds at Calasetta, Sardinia Day 3
Very light winds mean only one race is possible The RS Aero Absolute and Youth - Junior Worlds, which began on Wednesday in Calasetta, after two days of strong to medium-strong mistral winds, had much lighter winds on the third day of racing, enough to contest just one race. Posted on 28 Jul
Henri-Lloyd 2022 December - SW FOOTERLloyd Stevenson - Artnautica60 728x90px BOTTOMUpffront 2020 Foredeck Club SW FOOTER