Optimist, Open Skiff, Youth & Olympic Sailing Blog

Un jour triste pour la voile - par Jean-Pierre Kiekens Aujourd'hui, les délégués du Conseil mondial de World Sailing sont invités à voter soit pour leur conscience, soit pour la course au large. C'est un jour triste pour la voile. (If you prefer to read this article in English, please click here ) Il y a quelques mois, on m'a raconté ce qui est arrivé à une régate internationale de premier plan dans une classe jeunesse. Le jeune athlète était clairement en tort, et il le savait. Devant le jury, il a tenté une explication, peu convaincante. La plupart d'entre nous sommes passés par là. Rien d'exceptionnel. Mais ce qui s’est passé ensuite fut beaucoup plus intéressant. Le jury a expliqué en détail, de manière très pédagogique, ce que le jeune aurait dû faire. Dans ce cas particulier, il aurait dû abandonner la manche en question. Oui il y a eu sanction, il y a eu disqualification, mais bien plus important encore, le jury a agi de manière pédagogique, a bien

A Sad Day for Sailing - by Jean-Pierre Kiekens Today, the delegates of the World Sailing Council are asked to either vote for their conscience or for offshore. This is a sad day for sailing. (if you prefer to read this article in French, click here ) Just a few months ago, I was told what happened with a protest at a prominent international youth regatta. The sailor was clearly in the wrong, and he knew it.  In front of the jury, the sailor attempted an explanation, but unconvincingly. Most of us have gone through that. Nothing exceptional. But what occurred then was much more interesting. The jury explained at lengths, an in a very pedagogical manner, what the sailor should have done. In this particular case, it was to have retired from the race. Yes there was a sanction, a disqualification, but much more importantly, the Jury acted in a very sensible way, explained at lengths its decision, and provided this youth sailor with a lesson. A lesson for life. The lesson was si

An impressive press conference took place on December 6 at the Nassau Yacht Club, in the context of the 2018 Star Sailors League Finals. On that occasion, Paul Cayard, Zsombor Berecz and Mateusz Kusznierewic responded to questions from journalists, along with 5 other prominent sailors participating in the event. Paul Cayard is one of the world’s most famous professional sailors and a former Olympian, with considerable experience offshore as well as in small keelboats and dinghies. He has won multiple world titles in the Star and other classes. He won the 1997/98 Whitbread Round the World Race, the 1995 Admiral's Cup and the Louis Vuitton Cup in 1992. Asked by journalist Michele Tognozzi from the Italian news outlet Farevela about the World Sailing’s recent decisions regarding the Finn and offshore, here is what Paul Cayard had to say. "Offshore sailing in the Olympics is a little hard to understand." "They kicked the Star out because it was too expensive

Resolving the 2024 Olympics Lineup: a Solution, by Jean-Pierre Kiekens Note: please find at this link a more recent and probably more realistic proposal:  https://optimist-openbic-sailing.blogspot.com/2019/03/2024-olympic-sailboat-lineup-proposal.html One of the most exciting moments in the history of sailing at the Olympics was the match race, within the fleet race, between Ben Ainslie and Robert Scheidt, at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. So before reading this, please watch, or re-watch, this video. Ben Ainslie and Robert Scheidt Battling for Gold at the Sydney Olympics WATCH VIDEO So what about match racing at the 2024 Olympics, in the Laser, but this time, in the Radial, and in a mixed format? When one races in the Laser Radial, it’s remarkable how both male and female athletes are competitive at the highest level. That would be similar in other single-handed dinghies, as long as the optimum sailor weight to sail them would not exceed 150 lbs (68 kg), which is the typi