Global Sailing World on Water Dec 15.23. SOLAS, Ocean Globe, IQFoils, IMOCA Champ, Youth Sailing

Highlights of what happened globally in the sport of sailing in the last 7 days.
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Last week saw the annual SOLAS Big Boat Challenge on Sydney Harbour. The fleet was 3 100 foot Super Maxis and 6, 60 to 70 feet Mini Maxis.
In the 100 Foot division, Christian Becks’, Juan Ks, Law Connect, led home from Andoo Comanche and Sun Hung Kai Scallywag.
Anthony Johnston’s Reichel Pugh 72, URM Group, was the winner of the Mini Maxi Division.
We thank Christian Beck for the use of Law Connects’ live stream footage for this report.

This is your weekly global sailing highlights show, the World on Water for week ending December 15, 2023.

The Italians Roared into Auckland In Historic Mack-Intyre Ocean Globe Race Finish to Leg 2
After 36 days, and 7500 nautical miles of racing, Translated 9 I T, triumphed, taking first in Line Honours, Provisional IRC, and Flier Class, in Leg 2 of the Ocean Globe Race.
Pen Duick 6 of France took 2nd, finishing at 01:41:20 (NZDT). Spirit of Helsinki, Finland, battling for 3rd in line honours.

Max Maeder of Singapore, made a stunning start to the Formula Kite male competition, at the Youth Sailing World Championships, winning all six races to take a commanding lead after the first day of racing.
There was also more success for Ewa Lewandowska and Julia Maria Żmudzińska (Poland), who continued their strong form with another two bullets to make it five out of six in the 29er female class.
It was also a positive day on the water for Spanish sailors, as Adriana Castro Nuñez rose to the top of the Ilca 6 female standings and Daniel and Nora Garcia de la Casa took the lead in the Nacra 15 class.

After 23 days and 64 races in Gran Canaria at the SSL Gold Cup it all came to the final four, and the Grand Final. The inaugural football world cup in sailing’s thrilling conclusion.
It all started with 56 nations, qualifying at Lake Neuchâtel to make the final 40 at the Gran Canaria Final Series with five rounds of competition to reach this stage.
The wind may have been light, but as the five minute countdown to race began, the tension was the equivalent of a hurricane.
In sailing, the race starts well before the starting gun as the teams jostle for position, aiming to start in the perfect place at top speed. In this one-race shoot-out for the title of World Champion of Sailing Nations, there are no second chances. It’s all or nothing.

Tokyo 2020 gold medallist Matt-Wearn continued his fine 2023 winning the ILCA 7 class ahead a strong field including his Australian squad mates and New Zealand’s 2022 World Champion Tom Saunders and 2023 World Championship bronze medallist George Gautrey.
“We had four great days of racing with big breeze and good waves, ” noted Wearn.
The ILCA 7 squad now have their sights set on the 2024 World Championships, which will take place on home waters out of Adelaide Sailing Club from the 24th of January.

Day 2 at the iQFOiL Games in Lanzarote brought us a full day of exhilarating course racing! The men’s class blazed through five intense races, with the reigning world champion, Dutch powerhouse Luuc Van Opzeeland, leading the charge. Meanwhile, in the women’s class, Shanon maintains her dominance after completing 4 course races.

Sam Goodchild is the new IMOCA Globe Series Champion after a remarkably consistent 2023 season
After finishing third in the Return to Base, his fifth consecutive third place finish of a remarkable debut season, the British yachtsman Sam Goodchild was confirmed as IMOCA Globe Series Champion for 2023.
And it came at the end of a year that saw him travel around 32,000 nautical miles in races, first on board second-placed finisher Holcim-PRB for much of The Ocean Race. Then he lined up in the Guyader Bermudes 1000, the Rolex Fastnet Race, the Défi Azimut 48 Hours and the Transat Jacques Vabre. Sailing alongside Antoine Koch in all but the Défi Azimut, he finished in third place in all of them.