The 54th Semaine Olympique Française - Toulon Provence Méditerranée is one of the most important regattas in the build-up to the Paris 2024 Olympics and saw a vast turnout across all the Olympic sailing classes.
It started with a bang. Two days of Mistral conditions pushed the sailors to the limit, allowing the big wind specialists to spread their wings, while many ended up going for a swim or two. Many commented that Tuesday was some of the biggest winds they had sailed in.
Wednesday onwards saw much calmer conditions on the Bay of Hyères, with shifty and light South-Westerlies replacing the 25+ knot winds of the previous two days.
The results saw many SSL Gold Cup sailors excel and top the rankings in their classes.
SSL Team Netherlands’ Odile van Aanholt (SSL #6), sailing with Annette Duetz (SSL #5 crew), wrapped up an incredible week to win by a massive margin of 52 points. SSL Team Brazil’s Martine Grael (SSL #4) & Kahena Kunze (SSL #4 crew) finished third.
In the Mixed Nacra 17, SSL Team Great Britain’s John Gimson (SSL #3), sailing with Anna Burnett (SSL #3 crew), won with a day 2 spare.
The ILCA 6 titled went down to the wire with SSL Team Canada’s Sarah Douglas (SSL #184) beating SSL Team Denmark’s Anne-Marie Rindom (SSL #5) by a single point to win the title. The result will see Douglas shoot up the SSL Global Skipper Ranking when this week’s list comes out.
Full results from the Semaine Olympique Française - Toulon Provence Méditerranée can be found here.
Mark has been managing sailing websites since 1996, always being at the forefront of technology, and now manages the combined Sail-World.com and YachtsandYachting.com network. He has covered events such as the International Moth World Championship and Cowes Week, focusing on the sailors' thoughts and words. Mark has been European Champion in the Farr 30 & J/24 class and has won numerous UK titles, and competes regularly in local and national events in dinghies and sportsboats.
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