The Med’s famous Mistral pushed the sailors to their limits and beyond on day 2 of the 54th Semaine Olympique Française de Hyères - TPM. Glorious sunshine and 23-knot+ westerlies building throughout the day and gusting towards 30 welcomed the fleets in the Bay of Hyères. Big wind specialists relished a rare chance to spread their wings, but for some - even Olympic medalists - it was the windiest conditions they had ever sailed in.
The 54th Semaine Olympique Française de Hyères - TPM opened in classic Côte d’Azur conditions with unending sunshine and a 25-knot Mistral mixing it up across fleets. It was a day for flying, punctuated by nosedives, capsizes and white knuckle rides in short steep waves. The 49er and FX fleet were the only boats in the 10 Olympic classes unable to race.
For more than 50 years, the elite of Olympic sailing have been journeying to Hyères, the historic jewel of the French Riviera, at the end of April. Over the years, the Semaine Olympique Française - Toulon Provence Méditerranée has become an unmissable event for every national team. In 2023, for its 54th edition, Hyères will have the pleasure of once again welcoming the world's best Olympic sailors in preparation for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The 54th French Olympic Week in Hyères (SOF) will take place between 22 to 29 April 2023. With Paris 2024 Olympic Games just over a year away, the world's best athletes will be present in Hyères. And on the water, the 10 Olympic series will put on a show!
Organized a few days after the end of the 53rd edition of the French Olympic Week in Hyères -TPM, the Virtual SOF was a real popular success among the inshore e-sailors community. No less than 4,912 players took up the challenge on the virtual water of Hyères, Toulon Provence Méditerranée. World Sailing and the French Sailing Federation had largely endowed this virtual event.
From Friday, May 6 for 72 hours, the Virtual Semaine Olympique Française will be contested on Virtual Regatta Inshore. For the second year running, players will compete virtually on the same body of water as the sailors did this week in the bay of Hyères, in the Toulon Provence Méditerranée area. The “Blue” competition starts on Friday, May 6 at 4pm