Cadiz Welcomes the Top Sailors in the World

The Bay of Cadiz, host to the 2003 ISAF World Sailing Championships from 11 to 25 September, continues to welcome many of the teams that will take part in what is considered to be the most important sailing event of the year.

The Finnish, British, Dutch and Danish teams in the different classes, who have been here for several weeks now, have been joined by sailors from other countries, such as Germany, France and the Ukraine. The local weekend sailors based in Puerto Sherry (EL Puerto de Santa Maria) are treated to skilful displays by the crews of one of the most spectacular Olympic classes, the 49er.

Puerto Sherry is the base for the top three crews in the 2002 ISAF ranking. The Spanish teams, who are trained by the gold medallist in the Flying Dutchman class in Moscow, (1980), Jane Abascal, and whose skippers are Iker Martínez and Santi López Vázquez, (1st and 3rd respectively in the 2002 ISAF ranking), have come to train at the same time as the Ukrainian crew, Luka Rodion and George Leonchuk, who were second in this ranking in 2002. A coincidence that means that the three best teams in the world in this class are currently here in order to learn the prevailing winds and currents in this bay in the south of Europe.

On the other hand, a growing number of teams and crews have sent Mundo Vela their entry forms for the III International Carnival Race, which will be held from the 6 to 9 March. The test event will be an excellent opportunity for Deporte Andaluz and the Mundo Vela Consortium, the local organisers of the 2003 ISAF Worlds, to try out the human and technical teams, both on land and on the water, that will be involved in the Worlds in September.

Twenty British teams have confirmed that they will be taking part including Ben Ainslie, Gold medallist (Laser class) in Sydney 2000, 2002 World and European Finn champion and 2002 ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year.