Captain American and Superman Swoop Into 49er Lead

Captain America and Superman’s Polish alias’ Tomasz Januszewski and Jacek Nowak have swooped in to Abu Dhabi to take the 49er lead on the opening day of the ISAF Sailing World Cup Final.

The pair picked up two races wins and a 13th, discarding the latter to top the bill in the 18-boat 49er fleet. They lead Great Britain’s Dylan Fletcher and Alain Sign by a single point, “It’s great to be here and race here with the best of the best,” commented Nowak. “We were on Course D so we were inside the bay and the wind was inshore so there was a lot of shifts and gusts. It was good to have great speed and to be able to read the shifty conditions. All the teams were very close to each other throughout the races.”

The Polish competitors are instantly recognisable on the race track with their superhero outfits and Januszewski explained the origin of their tops, “We are co-operating with under armour, so when the t-shirts went on sale our friend gave us a couple of them.

“After we first wore them everybody has called us Superman and Captain America,” continued Januszewski with a beaming smile, “They’re defending someone’s honour and ambitions so we like those and they’re really friendly, they’re not bad guys.

“It’s a good way to show potential sponsors what we can do and how many opportunities we can give them.”

The racing on the 49er race course was exceptionally close with little separation of the fleet across three races. Fletcher and Sign picked up the first race victory before finishing second behind the Polish sailors in the second. The Brits did not sail the third race as the Polish sailors swooped through to take their second race win and the overall lead.

Januszewski and Nowak are in a good spot to progress with six fleet races and a Medal Race remaining and will be looking to draw on their strength from within, “With any power you can achieve anything, said Januszewski, “but if we were to have a power I think we’ll take super speed.”

49er racing is due to continue on Friday 28 November with three places scheduled.

Results

Results will be available straight from the water here – www.sailing.org/worldcup/results/index.php

Live Tracking

The racing will be available to watch in 2D and 3D via the live tracking.

Click here to view live tracking.

Race Highlights

Fully-produced highlight packages from 27-30 November will be available to view on the ISAF Sailing World Cup YouTube Channel here.

For many of the sailors, Abu Dhabi’s waters are very much untested. Practice is key in mastering any venue with hours afloat in advance of competition critical. For two time Finn class Olympian Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic (CRO) he has been working hard to prepare for the competition and likes what he’s seen thus far, “Today it was quite light and a typical sea breeze. The forecast is showing something more for the upcoming days so we’re going to have some good racing and I hope it’s going to be great.

“The water looks nice and it looks really refreshing for this time of the year,” he said with a smile. “To come to a venue and country like this, it is a new horizon for us sailors. I have never sailed in such a place and such a country. It’s new and everybody is excited and likewise, I cannot wait to get started.”

France’s Manu Dyen, a veteran of two Olympic Games in the 49er, was quick to echo Gaspic’s comments, “The forecast looks very good for the competition,” said the Frenchman, “It was quite light breeze yesterday and today but it is very sailable and it is an incredible area with all these buildings around.

“It’s my first time in this part of the world so it is quite exciting to discover a new place and new people. We will see how the competition will go and I hope it will be a spectacular World Cup Final.”

The forecast for the regatta suggests that the competitors will battle against a north westerly breeze that comes in around 12-16 knots. However since London 2012 Olympian Veronika Fenclova (CZE) arrived she has seen quite the mix, “It’s my first time here so I don’t know what we should expect,” commented the Czech Republic sailor, “There’s wind from the land in the morning and in the afternoon there is a sea breeze.

“It was my third day on the water today and everyday has been different wind. I’ve learnt that it’s going to be really hard this week. It will be an interesting competition because there are only a few top boats. That will make it more interesting than a normal regatta. In every race we will be racing against the best sailors here.”

It’s not only the racing areas and competition venue that has impressed the top Olympic athletes. Abu Dhabi’s skyline is most impressive and with a blend of nationalities, upbringing and cultures it’s all coming together in Abu Dhabi. “It’s a rich country and you can see something different to what we are used to,” explained Kljakovic Gaspic.

“Coming from countries that are really traditional and old style in their architecture to coming to a country like this is for sure interesting. It looks amazing and I have to say I’m pretty surprised and hope they bring more sailing into this wonderful surrounding and bring more competitions like this.”

Racing is scheduled to commence at 12:00 local time on 27 November. Fleet racing will continue on 28 and 29 November before the medals are decided in the Medal Races on Sunday 30 November.

Click here to view the entry list.

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About ISAF Sailing World Cup Final Abu Dhabi

All ten Olympic events will be contested in Abu Dhabi from 26-30 November, with an open kiteboarding event joining the fray around Lulu Island off the UAE capital’s stunning Corniche.
 
With just 20 boats in each event the competition is set to be fierce.  Equipment will be supplied in eight of the ten Olympic events (RS:X sailors shall bring their own equipment) and support will be available for travel expenses and accommodation.

The Abu Dhabi Sailing and Yacht Club will host the ISAF Sailing World Cup Final with some technical facilities located at the adjacent Abu Dhabi International Marine Sports Club. The venue is located on the main island of the city with immediate access to the beautiful waters of the Arabian Gulf.

The ten Olympic events will contest an opening series and a Medal Race with the kiteboard fleet using a short track format.  Prize money will be in awarded to the top three overall finishers in each of the Olympic events from a total prize purse of US$200,000.

The qualification system for the 2014 Final was published on 30 July 2014 and is included Addendum A of the Notice of Race.  Click here for the Notice of Race. The first sailors to secure their place were confirmed at the ISAF Sailing World Championships in Santander where the top ten in each event were offered a place.