Breeze and Breakdowns ~ Hyeres, France

Hyeres delivers yet another windy day and a new direction which kicked up big seas and carnage to add to the excitement on the final day before medal racing. The Skud 18, the 2.4 meter and the 49er did not sail today but most of the classes made their way out there. The Finns and Radials were sent all the way out to their course (one of the furthest) only to have the RC send them back in! They eventually went out again to another course area.

On the Star course they got one good race in but it was a war of attrition as boats and rigs were taking a beating. The Star team of Clarke & Bjorn were heading out on their course when their headstay (a wire that holds the jib on and mast up) broke. They managed to save their mast while heading back into the harbour for repair. After missing the first race, along with several other victims, they managed to head back out again to start the 2nd race which was ultimately called off. They are currently tied for 2nd place with Sweden.  
http://media.ffvoile.fr/videos/2256/star-day-5 

Bruce Millar, Logan and Scott, had a rough grind up the first leg on the Sonar course but once they got into the grove, started motoring on the second leg. They finished 6th in a race that saw 25 kts of wind and 3-4 ft seas (and some bigger). They are tied with the 7th place boat but are in 8th on the tiebreak.

The 470's also had 2 races today and there too was plenty of damage to equipment and people. Mike Leigh and Luke Ramsay had a 35- 30 on the day and finish their event in 21st overall. "Had a disappointing finish to an other wise solid regatta, tipped in at the top mark in both races." said Leigh. However, their coach, Nigel Cochrane, had some encouraging words for the pair. "I am proud of you both for establishing yourselves as one of the top 470 teams in the world in just over 1 year of sailing a double handed boat!"  

Next stop for these 470 guys will be the 2012 Olympic qualifier, at the 470 World Championships in May!

Medal races are full on tomorrow for the Olympic classes, including the Canadian Star team, while the Paralympic classes have one remaining race day. The forecast is for more of the same so it will be interesting to see what or how the race committee’s deal with the conditions on such a short course.

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