See the latest movie created by Basque Team under the video section.  Great footage of our new World Champions!

 Iker Martinez and Xabier Fernandez of Spain have won their third 49er World Championship (’02, ’04, ’10) adding to their Olympic Gold medal from Athens in 2004 and Silver medal from Beijing in 2008. In true championship fashion, Martinez/Fernandez also won today’s medal race, held in 8-10 knots. Two-time defending champions Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen from Australia made a strong push by winning both the morning races moving them into 2^nd which they held through the final results. Pietro and Gianfranco Sibello of Italy won the bronze.

 Light air finesse was the key today with 3 races held in the 49er World Championship. 5-8 knots of wind was all that could muster to keep the first day of the finals for the Gold fleet alive. Iker Martinez and Xabier Fernandez of Spain continued their run to the top by sailing a 1-2-10 in the 3 race day with a 19 point lead over John Pink and Rick Peacock who managed with mid-fleet finishes. The British team also holds 3^rd and 4^th place with Stevie Morrision and Ben Rhodes and Paul Brotherton and Mark Asquith following up. Brotherton & Asquith had a good day which moved them past the Sibello brothers of Italy who fell to 6^th overall. Manu Dyen and Stephane Christidis of France hold 5^th.

 Cool temperatures did not dampen the competitive sailing in Freeport, Grand Bahama with Iker Martinez and Xabier Fernandez of Spain jumping into the lead of the 49ers. Although the mercury was low, the winds were up averaging 16-18 knots on the race course. The Spaniards reveled in the conditions posting 3-2-3 finishes with the Italian Sibello brothers stepping up to finish second in the qualifying with a 4-1-4. The British teams had a tough day with Stevie Morrision and Ben Rhodes slipping to third in the series after being caught under a black flag while John Pink and Rick Peacock received a dsq in an altercation with Nathan Outteridge.

Seiko is the official sponsor of the 49er Class and title sponsor of the 2010 World Championships.   

Seiko is the official sponsor of the 49er Class and title sponsor of the 2010 World Championships.   

 The key word for the 2010 Seiko 29er and 49er Worlds beginning Monday, January 4, 2010 in Freeport, Grand Bahama is quality. With 62 49er skiffs on the line, the list of sailors include Olympic medalists, World and European champions as well as the current ISAF ranking leaders, the Sibello brothers of Italy. The backdrop of the Bahamian wind, water, sand and palm trees in January while most of the northern hemisphere is sitting in colder weather will provide ideal sailing conditions.

 Miami, Fla. (September 30, 2009) – US SAILING’s Rolex Miami OCR will bring together the world’s top sailors for elite-level competition in the classes selected for the Olympic and Paralympic Games from January 24-30, 2010, US SAILING announced today. Held on picturesque Biscayne Bay in Coconut Grove, Fla., this prestigious event is the second stop on the International Sailing Federation’s (ISAF) Sailing World Cup 2009-2010 circuit. The Notice of Race is now available online at the newly-launched event web site, RMOCR.ussailing.org.  

Starting November 13, 2009, competitors and coaches will be required to register online at RMOCR.ussailing.org. Online registration is mandatory, as on-site registration will not be available. Women’s Match Racers must register online prior to the December 1, 2009; the registration deadline for all other events is January 8, 2010.

"We're very excited about the second year of the ISAF Sailing World Cup, and we expect a great turnout for US SAILING’s Rolex Miami OCR,” said Gary Bodie (Hampton, Va.), the co-organizer of the event. 

Rolex Miami OCR is open to boats competing in events chosen for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Competitions. The 10 Olympic classes are: Laser Radial (women), Laser (men), Finn (men), Men’s RS:X, Women’s RS:X, 49er (men), Men’s 470, Women’s 470, Star (men) and Elliott 6m (women). The three Paralympic classes are: 2.4mR (open, able and disabled), SKUD18 (mixed, disabled) and Sonar (open, disabled). In addition to being a world-ranking event, it is also a US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics qualifier.

For fleet racing in the Olympic classes, the regatta will consist of a five-day opening series and a double-point medal race. The top ten finishers in the opening series of each event will advance to the medal race. Competitors in the Paralympic classes will have five days of fleet racing and no medal race. For match racing, which makes its debut in the 2012 Olympic Games, the regatta will consist of an opening series, a knockout series, and a sail-off for boats not advancing to the knockout series. Medals will be awarded to the top three boats in each Olympic and Paralympic event on Saturday, January 30.

Regatta Headquarters will be located at the US Sailing Center Miami, an official Olympic training center, in the Coconut Grove section of Miami, Fla. Event organizers have partnered with the city of Miami to provide world-class venues for competition. Additional hosts for the event include Coral Reef Yacht Club, Key Biscayne Yacht Club, Coconut Grove Sailing Club, Miami Rowing Club and Shake-a-Leg Miami. These sailing organizations host classes onshore, as well as help run the on-the-water racing. The Coral Reef Yacht Club also hosts the Opening and Closing Ceremonies.

In addition to title sponsor Rolex Watch U.S.A., US SAILING’s 2010 Rolex Miami OCR is also sponsored by AlphaGraphics, Sperry Top-Sider, Harken and Team McLube.