News

 Light air finesse was the key today with 3 races held in the 49er World Championship. 5-8 knots of wind was all that could muster to keep the first day of the finals for the Gold fleet alive. Iker Martinez and Xabier Fernandez of Spain continued their run to the top by sailing a 1-2-10 in the 3 race day with a 19 point lead over John Pink and Rick Peacock who managed with mid-fleet finishes. The British team also holds 3rd and 4th place with Stevie Morrision and Ben Rhodes and Paul Brotherton and Mark Asquith following up.&...

 Cool temperatures did not dampen the competitive sailing in Freeport, Grand Bahama with Iker Martinez and Xabier Fernandez of Spain jumping into the lead of the 49ers. Although the mercury was low, the winds were up averaging 16-18 knots on the race course. The Spaniards reveled in the conditions posting 3-2-3 finishes with the Italian Sibello brothers stepping up to finish second in the qualifying with a 4-1-4. The British teams had a tough day with Stevie Morrision and Ben Rhodes slipping to third in the series after bein...

The heavy air sailors reveled in the Bahamian conditions today which brought strong breezes across the both niner fleets. Spaniards Iker Martinez and Xabi Fernandez had two wins today to move them up in the standings but not quite enough to match Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes consistency which moved them atop the leader board. Average winds of 18 knots with puffs in the high 20’ kept sailors on their toes on mach speeds around the race course. Only 2 races were held for each fleet for the day.   More of the same condi...

Words of a 3-peat were already muttered to Nathan Outteridge after the first days racing who humbly replied, “I had a good day today.” Outteridge and crew Iain Jensen of Australia are returning 2-time 49er World Champions who currently hold the lead with a 3-1-1 after day 1 of the 2010 49er Worlds. Conditions in the Bahamas were perfect with winds of 8-15 knots on flat azure waters sailed inside the coral reef.    British sailors Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes also sailed a great first day with fellow countrymen ...

 The key word for the 2010 Seiko 29er and 49er Worlds beginning Monday, January 4, 2010 in Freeport, Grand Bahama is quality. With 62 49er skiffs on the line, the list of sailors include Olympic medalists, World and European champions as well as the current ISAF ranking leaders, the Sibello brothers of Italy. The backdrop of the Bahamian wind, water, sand and palm trees in January while most of the northern hemisphere is sitting in colder weather will provide ideal sailing conditions.  

 Miami, Fla. (September 30, 2009) – US SAILING’s Rolex Miami OCR will bring together the world’s top sailors for elite-level competition in the classes selected for the Olympic and Paralympic Games from January 24-30, 2010, US SAILING announced today. Held on picturesque Biscayne Bay in Coconut Grove, Fla., this prestigious event is the second stop on the International Sailing Federation’s (ISAF) Sailing World Cup 2009-2010 circuit. The Notice of Race is now available online at the newly-launched event web...

The 49er Class holds Sailors Forums at their biggest events to have open communication between the sailors, the builders and the Class and to ensure that the needs are met from all.  A Sailors Forum was held at the 49er Europeans in Zadar, Croatia with many crucial notes for sailors. 

 Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jenson are the fastest 49er sailors as verified by Velocitek units for the SEIKO Speed Challenge 2009.  Nathan and Iain took  advantage of the high winds that kept most other classes ashore during the last World Cup event at Weymouth - the  Sail For Gold.  Read the full release here and view the speeds attained during this years challenge on this website under "Events>Seiko Speed Challenge" Thanks for SEIKO for providing the incentive and prizes and Velocitek for verification of spe...

6 Nations have registered for the 2010 Worlds in Grand Bahamas.-- GER, URU, GBR, FIN, AUT, AUS -- have you registered? www.49erworlds.org to register today. NOTE: class dues are included with your Worlds registration for 2010!!   Photo: ok - so they're not 49ers, but there is lots of sailing in the Bahamian tradewinds.