Please select your home edition
Edition
Doyle_SailWorld_728X90px_SY TOP

US Sailing Team at the 49er, 49er FX & Nacra 17 2020 World Championships - Day 4

by Brittney Manning 14 Feb 2020 05:03 NZDT
Andrew Mollerus and Ian MacDiarmid - 2020 49er, 49er FX & Nacra 17 World Championships, Day 4 © Adam Mustill

A glorious Melbourne day with clear blue skies and challenging wind from the east greeted the 2020 World Championship sailors on Port Phillip Bay.

The Nacra and 49erFX fleets were the first to hit the water this morning in what remained of a shifty, dying easterly. Both fleets got two races off in the eight-knot breeze before rounding out the day once a 10-12 knot building seabreeze filled from the south.

Close to shore, US Sailing's Olympic Performance Manager and Coach Sally Barkow (Park City, Utah) said the breeze coming around the point led to some geographical trends on the water. "It was hard to anticipate how far the breeze would shift one way or the other, but the right side was pretty favored, it was a pretty geographic day."

U.S. Nacra 17 athlete Sarah Newberry (Miami, Fla.) and David Liebenberg (Livermore, Calif.) excelled in the shifty, geographic conditions. The pair finished two of the three races in the top five and moved up to 10th overall. Their advances through the fleet were due to a combination of several skills within their boat.

"Sarah and David had a great day," Barkow continued. "They sailed really well tactically speaking and they managed to pull themselves out of some tough spots off the starts. They also transitioned their boat set up according to what we anticipated the breeze would do. As it got lighter, they made a really good adjustment and then when the seabreeze filled, we made an adjustment back. Having confidence in their speed and setup let them have more time to look out of the boat. Finally, their communication onboard has been great. Working together as a team, you can see their two minds trying to sail one boat instead of sailing as individuals."

Good communication and a steady mindset prove to be successful for the US Sailing Team athletes in other fleets as well. 49erFX sailors Stephanie Roble (East Troy, Wisc.) and Maggie Shea (Wilmette, Ill.) have performed incredibly consistently this week. The pair is currently in 7th place overall. So far, they've also finished all but two races in the top ten.

Though their coach Giulia Conti (ITA) says their consistency is in part thanks to some awesome starts that have set them up in the front of the pack off the line, she also mentions that a "one step at a time" approach has worked well for the team. "They were trying to sail conservatively during the qualifying in order to get safely through the finals," she said. "Now, they're trying to be a little more aggressive in this next stage, all the time focusing on the present, leg by leg."

The 49er men had a particularly challenging day. After a postponement spent waiting for the weather forecast to settle in, U.S. athletes Nevin Snow (San Diego, Calif.) and Dane Wilson (Ojai, Calif.) battled the tricky conditions to move up the ranks to 18th overall.

Snow and Wilson teamed up only just about a year ago, making their several top 10 finishes this week all the more impressive. The US Sailing Team Men's 49er Coach, Mark Asquith (GBR) thinks that their rapid progress and consistent performance is thanks to their process between races. "Nevin and Dane were strong in what was a hugely challenging day. It's not an easy ride for any team here in Melbourne," he said. "One of their great stand out skills is their ability to talk through tough races and move fresh into the next one. It makes both of them much more coachable."

Over the next two days, U.S. athletes will be lining up for the final races that will determine the 2020 U.S. Olympic Sailing Team. In Geelong, the athletes are looking forward to continuing the final series tomorrow. They will have a total of five more fleet races between tomorrow and Saturday to qualify for the final medal races scheduled for Saturday afternoon.

Meanwhile in Sandringham, the Men's Laser sailors have just wrapped the final day of the qualifying series at the ILCA Laser Standard Men's World Championship. All six races of the qualifying series have now been sailed and the fleets will be split into gold, silver, and bronze for the remaining three days of the championship, meaning the top 42 sailors will come together for the first time in the regatta. U.S. competitors Chris Barnard (Newport Beach, Calif.) and Charlie Buckingham (Newport Beach, Calif.) have both qualified for gold fleet, and Leo Boucher (West River, Md.) will be competing in bronze fleet.

Barnard continues his slow and steady streak. He's finished the bulk of his races around the top 10 and is sitting in 25th overall. Though he's not necessarily dominating the leaderboard, his coach John Bertrand (San Mateo, Calif.) believes the slow and steady process will deliver over the next few days. "We've done exactly what we wanted to do for the qualification, which was a really solid series and a process we have confidence in," he said. "It's been pretty well planned in terms of executing a race that suits him really well, which also leads to what you're seeing: a really consistent regatta. In gold fleet, there's a lot more going on, people take more risk. I think if we remain consistent, over time that will pay off."

"Chris is also a great starter and he is probably one of the best tactical sailors that I've coached. So even with his challenges, he still puts together really good races. So now that we're going into the finals, we're kind of ratcheting it up in terms of all the best sailors are consolidating into one fleet. So we'll look each day and see if we need to continue what we're doing or adjust our process in terms of taking more risk, or otherwise."

Barnard's fellow U.S. athlete Charlie Buckingham is also looking forward to starting the final series tomorrow. Though he had a difficult day on the water today and currently stands in 30th, he's optimistic about the opportunities he has to move up through the fleet. "Even though his position overall isn't great, the point total is still pretty tight so a few races in the gold fleet, positions will still change quite a bit," said Buckingham's coach, Mark Ivey (San Francisco, Calif.).

"I think Charlie's been in the mix with a bunch of great sailors already, but it's going to be great to see all of the big players in one fleet," he continued. "The races they've gone through are definitely a test, but now we see more of what you expect at a worlds, the cream has risen to the top, they're in the finals and you get to see how the fleets behave differently when you have a dense group of talent. We want to keep strong and keep fighting and grinding it out."

Tomorrow, the 2020 Laser World Championships will start again at 2:00 p.m., local time. At the 2020 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 World Championships in Geelong, races will begin at 10:55 a.m., local time. The Worlds in Geelong will also be broadcast live. Streaming is available here.

49er - view full results

  • Andrew Mollerus and Ian MacDiarmid, 13th
  • Nevin Snow and Dane Wilson, 18th
  • Ian Barrows and Mitchell Kiss, 21st
  • Harry Melges IV and Finn Rowe, 23rd
  • Judge Ryan and Hans Henken, 26th

49erFX - view full results

  • Stephanie Roble and Maggie Shea, 7th
  • Paris Henken and Anna Tobias, 10th

Nacra 17 - view full results

  • Sarah Newberry and David Liebenberg, 10th
  • Riley Gibbs and Anna Weis, 18th
  • Ravi Parent and Caroline Atwood, 26th

Laser - view full results

  • Chris Barnard, 25th
  • Charlie Buckingham, 30th
  • Leo Boucher, 104th

Related Articles

BOISW - New Committee announced for 2026
New Committee working hard behind the scenes to rework the 2026 Bay of Islands Sailing Week . A newly appointed committee is already working hard behind the scenes to rework the 2026 Bay of Islands Sailing Week event while honouring the traditions that have made it so special to the sailing community. Posted on 26 Jun
Nick Olson on PredictWind's newest features
Nick Olson discusses PredictWind's newest features PredictWind has long been a leader in presenting high-quality marine forecasts. Nick Olson discusses the company's newest features. Posted on 12 Jun
PredictWind launches Anchor Alert App
The app delivers immediate, real-time alerts if their anchor drags, ensuring enhanced safety. Global leader in marine weather forecasting, PredictWind, has announced the launch of its new standalone Anchor Alert app. Posted on 12 Jun
Armstrong Foils Demo Days return for 2025
Test the latest gear, get expert advice, and ride with the pros. Armstrong Foils is proud to announce the return of Armstrong Demo Days for 2025. Test the latest gear, get expert advice, and ride with the pros. Posted on 4 Jun
Armstrong Foils: On tour - Home of Armstrong II
Join America's Cup champion, Blair Tuke and Armstrong team riders on the tour of NZ's Far North Join three times America's Cup champion, Blair Tuke and Armstrong team riders Olivia Jenkins, Naumi Eychenne, Bowien van der Linden, Cash Berzolla, and Reo Stevens, on the Home of Armstrong Tour II, as they explore NZ's Far North. Posted on 30 May
VX One Class forms Int. Class Assoc.
Significant new chapter begins for VX One sailors with formation of an Int Class Assoc. A significant new chapter has just begun for VX One sailors worldwide with the formation of the VX One International Class Association Posted on 20 May
“Foil4TheGulf”, set to take place on Saturday
“Foil4TheGulf”, set to take place next Saturday (24 May) at Auckland's Okahu Bay “Foil4TheGulf”, set to take place next Saturday (24 May) at Auckland's Okahu Bay, has been inspired by the Hauraki Gulf / Tikapa Moana Marine Protection Bill's stalled progress in Parliament after its second reading in December last year. Posted on 13 May
RS-Quest rally at Cheltenam Beach
Eight RS-Quests sailed to Cheltenham Beach, on Sunday for the first NZ Quest barbeque lunch. Eight RS-Quests sailed to Cheltenham Beach, alongside North Head at the entrance to the Inner Waitemata Harbour, on Sunday for a barbeque lunch. Posted on 5 May
Taipa Sailing Club hard hit by Cyclone
The Taipa Sailing Club is reeling after being hard hit by Cyclone Tam - launches Givealittle page When Cyclone Tam tore the roof off the Taipa Sailing Club just over a week ago, the immediate future of the small Northland yacht club suddenly looked uncertain.A Givealittle page has raised more than $6000 in the first five days. Posted on 28 Apr
Exotic caulerpa in Paradise Bay at Urupukapuka
A cruiser was surprised when he pulled up a substantial amount of exotic caulerpa A cruiser was surprised - and worried - when he pulled up a substantial amount of seaweed that looked like it could be exotic caulerpa in Paradise Bay at Urupukapuka. Posted on 16 Apr
Doyle_SailWorld_728X90px_GP BOTTOMPredictWind - GPS 728x90 BOTTOMBoatseekr_LeaderBoard_121 - BOTTOM