Finals Friday fliers fear favourites in Hyères but Nacra nosedive shows no gold guaranteed
As local favourites, Lauriane Nolot and Singapore’s flying teenager, Max Maeder, soared into Friday’s finals with perfect racing, this Hyères spectacular showed that even the greatest are human. Italy’s double Olympic champions, Ruggero Tita & Caterina Banti, the dominant force in the Nacra this week - this decade - nosedived in the second race and down the leaderboard. But this is why they come to this stretch of the Med, because the challenge is different every day. Do not bet against them storming back by Saturday’s finals, but it gave the rest of the fleets hope in the face of Olympic odds and gods.
After the Champagne and sunshine of Monday and Tuesday, Wednesday brought the wind and tonic to the 57th Semaine Olympique Française de Hyères – TPM.
A mixture of the conditions and the first day of the three-day “Elimination phase” brought the best out of the best.
Strong easterlies of 23-25 knots, gusting to 28, brought choppy waves, cloud cover and squalls. This was the other face of sailing here in the Mediterranean and the sailors could feel the change of pressure on their cheeks as they arrived in the morning and got ready on the beach or in the Base Nautique.
Italians winning game of inches in Hyères before the pressure rises (1)
If Monday was Champagne sailing in Hyères, Tuesday was a Mediterranean Millésimé - the vintage. If you created an exceptional blend capturing one side of sailing in Hyères - and you did not want to try and bottle the Mistral - it might look something like this. Bright bobbing sails stretching across the Bay of Hyères as far as the eye could see between the Giens peninsula and the Îles d’Or with the ESE wind of 8-12 knots gradually shifting right under the influence of the thermal currents as the land heated up faster than the sea.
Champagne Sailing as La Semaine Olympique Française is Hyères again
The 57th edition of La Semaine Olympique Française de Hyères – TPM (France’s Olympic sailing week) began on Monday in Champagne Côte d’Azur conditions as 705 competitors from 59 nations started six days of racing.
705 sailors from 59 nations in the starting blocks
The world’s best Olympic sailors are rigged and raring to go for the start of the 57th edition of the Semaine Olympique Française - France’s Olympic Sailing Week.
Racing begins tomorrow, Monday April 20 at 11:00. Between challenging weather conditions, sporting stakes sharpening towards Los Angeles 2028 and the return of the event village, the competition will be intense - on and off the water. Sunday saw the official launch with the opening ceremony at 18:00.
D-3 to the French Olympic Week of Hyères – Toulon Provence Méditerranée
Three days to go until the 57th French Olympic Week of Hyères – Toulon Provence Méditerranée’s kick-off, the line-up is taking shape. More than 700 athletes from 59 nations are getting ready to take over the Bay of Hyères for one of the highlights of the international calendar. Across the ten Olympic classes on the program, the level promises to be high and the show worthy of this iconic and demanding race area.