Yachts & Yachting – August 2019

Bonniface looked a click faster than the

rest. By the medal race, we were looking

at an intriguing six-way battle for the

medals between two Italian teams, two

Brits, the Danes and Majdalani/Bosco

from Argentina. e two British crews

got great starts, the Italian teams had

a shocker. Saxton/Bonniface won the

race and the European title, Gimson/

Burnet were second and the Danes third.

In the 49erFX, Martine Grael

and Kahena Kunze dominated, the

Olympic champions right back to their

best aer Grael’s round-the-world

holiday on the Volvo Ocean Race.

All eyes were on the world champions

from the Netherlands, however. Having

seen their rivals for Dutch Olympic

selection win the rst trial event in the

light airs of Genoa a few weeks earlier,

Annemiek Bekkering and Annette Duetz

were under enormous pressure to win

a medal in Weymouth. Nothing less

would do. With the gold already gone

to Brazil by the medal race, Bekkering/

Duetz would have to sail the race of

their lives. ey booked their place at

the pin end, won their end of the start

and sailed o to a lead by the windward

mark in the 6-knot breeze and glassy

waters of Portland Harbour. Although

overtaken by the Norwegians before

the nish, the Dutch held on for second

across the line, giving them second

overall in the regatta and the European

title (excluding the Brazilians). ey

hugged and grinned from ear to ear. If

the Dutch trials system was designed to

test their athletes under pressure, that

is exactly what it achieved. Bekkering

and Duetz are a class act. eir next

task, now that they know they’re going

to Tokyo 2020, is to work out how to

get the better of the awless Brazilians.

For the week we were there, I

heard only positive comments about

Weymouth, apart from complaints

that the unusual run of easterly breezes

was making the place impossibly cold,

even by British standards. e legacy

of London 2012 was there for all to see,

and if it weren’t for the fact that the UK

is a bit o the beaten track compared

with the convenience of continental

Europe, there would probably be a

lot more events happening here.

My job in the commentary box

alongside the anchorwoman Genny

Tulloch (former US Sailing Team match

racer), and our two guest stars of Stevie

Morrison (former 49er world and

European champion) and Hannah Mills

(470 Olympic gold and silver medallist)

was a lot of fun, and a big education too.

Stevie’s word of the week was ‘control’,

FEATURE NACRAS & 49ers

about whether or not you are controlling

your own destiny or being dictated to

by others on the race course. Hannah

had never done commentary before

but took to it like a duck to water. It’s

all watchable on catch-up at 49er.org.

One self-confessed fan of YouTube

sailing footage is Nathan Outteridge.

Returning to the waters where he won

Olympic 49er gold in London 2012, this

week he was racing the Nacra 17 with

his sister Haylee. Aer a stellar launch to

their campaign last year, Nathan admits

they didn’t have a clue in the big waves of

Weymouth. Even for a man of his talents,

time is running out for him and Haylee

to beat the Rio 2016 silver medallists,

Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin,

to Olympic selection for Australia.

Above left

Rolling conditions

in Weymouth Bay

oered useful

practice for

Japan next year

Above right

Peters and

Sterritt won

European silver

Below left

Dobson and

Tidey sailed well

despite breakages

Below right

Burling and Tuke

ahead of Fletcher

and Bithell in

the 49ers

The legacy of London 2012 was there

for all to see at Weymouth

56 Yachts & Yachting August 2019 yachtsandyachting.co.uk