Usually associated with the glitz and celebrities of its annual film festival, Cannes in southern France will host the 470 Class European Championships this week. The event is the last major regatta of the season before the Paris Olympic Games, which kick off in less than three months, with sailing commencing in Marseilles on August 2nd.
SoPYC sailors, Conor Nicholas and Nia Jerwood, who were recently announced as members of the Australian Olympic Team will be using the event to sharpen their skills against the same crews that they’ll meet on the waters of the Mediterranean in August.
Since being selected for the team, the pair have been racing in the annual French Olympic Week world cup regatta in Hyeres, where they achieved a strong top ten finish, including an impressive “bullet” that saw them head the field by over two minutes.
The highly variable conditions over the week made consistency the key to success and a BFD in Race 8 cruelled their chances of a medal, but the indicators leading to the games are encouraging.
This week is an opportunity to reset and get amongst the European crews one more time. Many of their competitors will be in a scrap within their squads as several (including the highly fancied Germans and Italians) have yet to select their pairings for the Olympic regatta. Racing is sure to be tight and a real form guide going into the Games.
The long-range forecast for the week suggests it will be a light air event, which while not the Australians’ favored, will be an excellent chance for them to hone their race craft at that end of the wind range.
The event begins on Tuesday evening (Perth time) with the top ten Medal Race being contested on Mothers’ Day). GPS tracking and results of the event can be found on the event website at: https://2024europeans.470.org/en/default/races/race
