Champagne Sailing as La Semaine Olympique Française is Hyères again

There was chess on the water, philosophy in the kites, and Italian profits, on day that separated the best from the rest, but still left many of the best in its wake. There were Italians in podium places wherever they were racing throughout the fleet, led by their returning-from-retirement-like-they-have-been-away double Olympic champions, Ruggero Tita & Caterina Banti in the Nacra 17.

The rich kept on getting richer and the rest needed to be philosophical as the Bay of Hyères was bathed in unending sunshine and fanned by light southerlies.

ILCA 6 and 7 – (women’s & men’s solo dinghy)

The biggest fleet of boats in the regatta with 136 ILCA 7 and 84 ILCA 6.

ILCA 6

On a day when a fleet of old favourites struggled, fresh from her victory in Palma, Ireland’s Eve McMahon (1, 1) kept up her winning ways with a perfect day 1, recording victories in both races win blue fleet. She leads overall from Switzerland’s Rosine Bauret (5, 1) in second, and Italy’s SOF 2025 champion, Chiara Beninin Floriani (1, 6) in third, after both won a race in yellow fleet.

ILCA 7

Britain’s Michael Beckett leads the largest fleet after a perfect day saw him both races in yellow fleet. His compatriot, Elliot Hanson, who beat Beckett into third in Palma, is third overall after a 1, 2 in red fleet after trading blows with Hungary’s Jonatan Vadnai, who lies second. After a year out,

Australia’s double Olympic champion, Matt Wearn (BFD, 4), who beat both Brits to top the Palma podium, finds himself in the unusual position of 72nd. But that is only because of a Black Flag Disqualification in race one for crossing the start line early – perhaps keen to assert his dominance in red fleet.

Formula Kite  (men’s and women’s kite)

Women

Local favourite, Lauriane Nolot, Paris 2024 Olympic silver medallist, winner in Palma 2026, and a winner in her home waters at SOF 2023, (1, 1, 2, 23 (DNC)) was in the overall lead despite not starting the last race. Israel’s Gal Zukerman (6, 2, 3, 1) lies in second after a strong finish to the day ahead of China’s Si Wang (2, 4, 4, 16) and Britain’s Lily Young (7, 3, 8, 2). SOF 2025 champion, China’s Wan Li is back in 11th after a consistently difficult day (11, 9, 7, 14).

Men

The podium after day 1 looks very similar to the end of SOF 2025. With the fleet of 44 racers split into two fleets, Italy’s Riccardo Pianosi, the SOF 2025 champion finished day still at the top of the leaderboard after finishing with three victories in his four races (2, 1, 1, 1) in blue group.

Pianosi leads perennial rival, the 19-year-old Singaporean, Maximilian Maeder, the world number one fresh from a fourth consecutive title in Palma (where he beat Pianosi into silver), scored (1, 1, 2, 2) in yellow group.
But Maeder, second last year, is third overall and second in yellow group to Switzerland’s 18-year-old Gian Stragiotti, third in SOF 2025, who finished the day strongly after it went light (2, 7, 1, 1).

49er (men’s and women’s double-handed skiff)

Women’s FX

Italy’s duo of Sofia Giunchiglia & Giulia Schio (1, 2, 2) lead after their consistent excellence paid off as all around them struggled in the lighter airs.  Their closest challengers, China’s Yingqian Wang & Xiaoya Su (2, 5, 18) were badly off the pace in the final race, but kept second overall with their discard. Estonia’s Helen Pais and Helen Ausman lie third in an open field.

Men’s 49er

A strong day for the USA in the men’s skiff, as Andrew Mollerus & Trevor Bornarth (2, 1, 5) lead overall after consistently staying in the lead group of yellow fleet with fellow Americans and SOF 2025 SOF champions, Nevin Snow & Ian MacDiarmid (4, 2, 4).

Ireland’s Robert Dickson & Sean Waddilove, fourth at the Paris 2024 Olympics, were second overall, racing at the front of blue fleet from the start (1, 2, 5). The New Zealand duo of Sam Bacon & Blake McGlashan are third after their day in yellow fleet got better and better (5, 3, 1).

Nacra 17 (mixed double-handed catamaran)

Italy’s double Olympic champions, Ruggero Tita & Caterina Banti showed no sign of rust after coming out of retirement in March and finished day 1 in their customary place – on top. Finishing 2, 2, 1 in the three races of the day, put them ahead of their old rivals and training partners, Britain’s John Gimson & Anna Burnett, the SOF 2025 champions. Everyone other duo struggled in the lighter airs, but showing the quality of Italy’s Nacra programme, Federico Figlia di Granara and Caterina Sedmak (3, 4, 17) are third overall. The Italian pair who lost out to Tita / Banti on the last Olympic cycle and were second at SOF 2025, Gianluigi Ugolini & Maria Giubilei, are 11th (10, 7, 10).

iQFOiL (men’s & women’s windsurfing)

Women

On day when all the fleet enjoyed their discards, Estonia’s Emma Viktoria Millend (11, 3, 1, 1) leads from Israel’s Shahar Tibi (17, 3, 3, 5) and Italy’s Marta Maggetti, who is fresh from her second place in Palma.

Men

Two wins from their three races took China’s 2025 SOF champion, Kun Bi (1, 7, 1) to the top of the leaderboard ahead of Italy’s Federico Alan Pilloni (1, 23, 1) and in joint third France’s Louis Pignolet (3, 1, 3) and the equally consistent Italian, Nicolo Renna (3, 1, 3).

470 (mixed double-handed dinghy)

More Italian dominance in the light as Elena Berta & Giulio Calabro’ (3, 1, 10) lead overall and their consistent compatriots, Giacomo Ferrari & Alessandra Dubbini (4, 3, 7) are third. Between are Britain’s Martin Wrigley & Bettine Harris (23, 5, 2), who were second in Palma. But like the rest of the high calibre field they already have a big discard.

Text and images courtesy of FFVoile.fr.