Olympic Results - 49er Class

And the results are out... The 49er results have been released and already there have been protests. The winners for the medal race are the Danish crew of Jonas WARRER and Martin IBSEN who have won the gold medal in the Skif.




Boat problem –
Just as the race was about to start the Danish team was already in a deep soup. The Danish team lost their mast just as the race had began. The Race Committee protested the Danish 49er because they had sailed the Medal Race in a boat borrowed from the Croatian crew (who were not competing in the Medal Race) after the mast on the Danish 49er snapped shortly before the start. The Protest hearing and Jury deliberations went on late into the night on Sunday and just before 01:00 was adjourned until Monday morning.

If the Danish team had been disqualified from the race they would have dropped from first to fourth overall and out of the medal position.

Conclusion:

DEN, as a boat assigned to compete in the medal race, was required by SI 19.7 to make a genuine effort to start, sail the course and finish. The OMC approved the replacement of the boat and found that it complied with class rules and all equipment inspections carried out in the Medal Race Quarantine Procedures. DEN complied with SI 21.2 and 21.3. The basis for the protest under MR 12.4 ceased to exist when the OMC approved the request. SI 2 (Additional Identification), SI 3 (Cameras) and MR 13 (Medal Race Quarantine Procedures) are subject to discretionary penalties (SI 18.7, MR 13.7). DEN did not gain a competitive advantage by failing to carry the camera (in the prevailing conditions), by failing to carry the correct identification, or by sailing a boat that had not been subjected to the Medal Race Quarantine Procedure at the required time. SI 2, 3 and 21, and MR 13 are not subject to protests by boats (SI 18.7 and MR 13.7).

Rule(s) applicable:
SI 19.7, MR 13, NoR 3, SI 2, 3, 18.7, 21.2 and 21.3.


Short Decision:
The protest by ESP under SI 21.2 and SI 21.3 is invalid. The protest by the RC is dismissed. No discretionary penalties imposed.

Jury:
John Doerr (chair), David Tillett, Marianne Middelthon, Takao Otani, Josje Hofland

If the Danes had been disqualified from the race MARTINEZ and FERNANDEZ would have been crowned Olympic Champions for the second time.

This means Denmark wins gold, 2004 Athens gold medallists Iker MARTINEZ and Xabier FERNANDEZ of Spain win silver and German brothers Jan-Peter PECKOLT and Hannes PECKOLT won bronze. Read more...

Olympics 2008 Sailing - The 49er Class

Considered as one of the fastest sailing boats the 49er is fast becoming a craze worldwide. The 49er class of boats which is an evolution of the International 14's and Aussie 18's is also a important part of the Olympics.

About the boat –

It is a double handed twin trapeze boat, meaning that it is sailed by a helm and a crew, the helm making many tactical decisions, as well as steering, and the crew doing most of the sail control. Designed by Julian Bethwaite, the 49er is an evolution of the International 14's and Aussie 18's

The high-performance dinghy class with a low hull and tiny wings, by skiff standards is also used for open competition in the Olympic Games. With a Portsmouth yardstick Handicap of 68.8 the 49er is the fastest two person one-design monohull dinghy.

Quick facts about the 49er –

Designed by - Julian Bethwaite
Crew Two (Double trapeze)
LOA 4876mm (16ft)
LWL Beam [w.o./w. wings] 1752mm/2743mm (5ft 9in /9ft)
Draft 1447mm 4ft 9in
Hull weight (with fittings) 74.25kg (210lbs)
Main and Jib area 215sq.ft
Spinnaker area 400sq.ft
Official website - http://www.49er.org
Current world champions - Nathan OUTTERIDGE and Ben AUSTIN
Seiko is also the official 49er class sponsor.

Design Features

The design of the 49er achieves an outstanding harmony of visual appeal, physical parts and dynamic ratios to achieve a miniaturized design of a new level of efficiency.

Drag
The drag of the 49er shape and assembled parts is far lower than that of any previous skiff. The following features all contribute to this:

Hull
This is due to both hydrodynamic (shape of the wet part of the hull) and aerodynamic (the hull is lower) features
The hull has no vertical or external bulkhead.

Wings
Wings are small and slender, blending smoothly into the hull with no bulky tube outlines or plug-in points
They are also low - well below the meter height above the water where the wind speed is slower because it is slowed by surface friction with the water.

Sails
The unusual design of the forward end of the mainsail foot both cleans up this area and greatly improves the efficiency of the jib/mainsail slot interaction
The diameter of the longer FRP topmast is tiny due to the spun alloy used
Foils are also state of the art

Ratio
The 49er s final ratios are also impressive. The 49er is a miniaturized and simplified design and yet it has achieved the superb performance level only recently achieved by the Grand Prix Eighteen footers. However, the 49er is affordable and easy to sail and is so efficient that it needs only 85% of the Eighteens relative power to achieve the same speed.

Below is a video of the 49er practice session before the China Olympics 2008



The Olympic Angle -
The 49er event is scheduled to sail 16 races. For each event the regatta will consist of an opening series and a medal race. The medal race will be scheduled on the day designated for each event's medal ceremony, if by that day six races of the full schedule have already been completed.

The 49er president is none other than our very own Malav shroff who is also an Olympian sailor himself. He was also a participant of the 49er during the 2004 Olympics where he along with his partner Sumeet Patel stood 19th in the final rankings. Click here to see the rankings

Olympic Racing Schedule 2008
16 races scheduled for 49ers (includes medal race)
Warning signal at 1300 each race day
• Aug. 9 - practice race
• Aug. 10 - racing
• Aug. 11 - racing
• Aug. 12 - reserve
• Aug. 13 - racing
• Aug. 14 - racing
• Aug. 15 - racing
• Aug. 17 - medal race
• Aug 18-19 - reserve for medal race

The 49er made its first Olympic appearance at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and has continued to grow in popularity ever since.

For all those interested in the technical aspects of the boat click here.
Read more...