NZL Sailing Team prepare for new format ISAF World Cup

NZL Sailing Team prepare for new format ISAF Sailing World Cup Regatta

The NZL Sailing Team is in France preparing for the up-coming ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyeres Regatta which gets underway two days from now running from Wednesday 22 April until Sunday 26 April.

Image: Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie in action earlier this month at Princess Sofia Regatta, Spain © Sailing Energy

This important Olympic class regatta, which has a 47 year history, is the third of five events which lead up to the ISAF Sailing World Cup Final in Abu Dhabi later this year.

Changes to the format of the ISAF Sailing World Cup (the premier international sailing series for Olympic class sailors) mean that fleets are restricted, by invitation, to only 40 in each of the ten Olympic class events being contested in Hyeres, France.

Jo Aleh and Polly Powrie, New Zealand’s top Womens’ 470 crew arrived in Hyeres a week ago to train and prepare. “We’ve been out on the water in some good breeze today with a few other boats doing some line ups, great fun! Nice to be out again, looking forward to the next few days of training before we get racing next Wednesday.”

“It’s a bit strange, as with this new ISAF World Cup format there are only forty boats in each fleet. So what used to be a fleet of 160 plus Lasers is now 40. Its not as much of a change for us, from a typical fleet of 60 to 40, but it should be nice to be able to race what is essentially the gold fleet for the whole regatta.”

The NZL Sailing Team has 14 separate entries (20 sailors) competing in nine classes.

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