Afternoon sea breeze built into the mid-to-upper teens as racing got underway Monday for the 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 fleets at week two of the San Pedro Olympic Class Regatta, giving sailors their first competitive look at the waters set to host the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
Ocean swell added another layer of complexity outside the LA Harbour breakwater. Precise boat handling was rewarded throughout, and tactical decisions around the start line proved decisive.
France's Alouïse Retornaz and Tim Mourniac lead the Nacra 17 fleet after a composed opening day. The pair crossed the start line on port in race one, cleared the fleet early and held the lead to every mark. "We managed to turn each mark in first, and it was perfect to start the day," said Mourniac.
Retornaz described conditions that were demanding despite the good breeze. "It was really nice conditions out there, but really tough. There were a lot of waves and the wind was picking up all day long." Two more podium finishes locked up the top spot overall.
Olympic silver medallists John Gimson and Anna Burnet of Great Britain sit second overall, with Sweden's Emil Järudd and Hanna Jonsson third after winning the final race of the day.
Germany's Richard Schultheis and Fabian Rieger lead the 49er fleet after two top-five finishes. France's Erwan Fischer and Clément Péquin are second, with Australia's Harry Price and Max Paul third.
Fischer credited clean starts with keeping them near the front. "We did two good starts in the first and second race. The last one wasn't as good, but we managed to come back through the fleet. It's close racing between every boat. Tomorrow we'll try to put together three good races."
Local brothers Grant and Jordan Janov, racing on home waters, found the tactical puzzle familiar but unforgiving. "We were looking for a high-end port start, exiting to the right, and I think the whole fleet was too. So it was a tough day if you couldn't execute those, but if you could, you were gone," Jordan explained.
Grant was candid about the standard they were measuring themselves against. "This whole fleet is basically a Gold Fleet. We've been focusing on boat speed for the past year, and this is the last regatta of the season where we get to check in with the international fleet. We're quite fortunate that the sailors who are here are the best in the world."
Canadian sisters Georgia and Antonia Lewin-Lafrance took the 49erFX lead with a second and a first across the day's racing. Great Britain's Freya Black and Saskia Tidey are second, with Sweden's Vilma Bobeck and Ebba Berntsson third.
The class had its share of physical racing. Spain's two-time Olympian Paula Barceló and crewmate María Cantero got into a scrap at the bottom mark with the Canadians during race two, and the room-at-the-mark incident sent both teams to the protest room. "It was definitely that," said Cantero, referencing the Days of Thunder-style competition on the course.
American Lily Myers, recently into her first Olympic campaign alongside helm Maddie Hawkins, summed up the field plainly: "All the top teams are here this week, so that makes it a very, very, very hard field to compete in."
US Nacra 17 helm Riley Gibbs, newly paired with Kay Brunsvold, pointed to the unforgiving nature of the venue. "You can't make any mistakes here. And everyone's really fast, so we expect to find ourselves battling it out through every race."
Three more races are scheduled in each class today, Tuesday, with fleet racing continuing through to the fifth day. The regatta concludes Saturday 8 August with medal races between the top 10 in each class.
