We’re really looking forward to following the sailing action at the Paris Olympic Games where our very own sponsored sailors Odile van Aahholt and Annette Duetz will be competing for a coveted Bronze, Silver or Gold Medal!

Since teaming up two and half years ago Netherlands skipper Odile and crew Annette have been focused on qualifying for the Paris Olympic Games event. During their partnership they’ve achieved some pretty amazing results and now enter the Olympic Games as the current World Champions of the super-fast Women’s skiff known as the 49erFX.

What is a 49er / FX?

This explainer video, featuring Odile and Annette will get you up to speed on the super fast Olympic Class skiff known as the 49erFX:

Twenty 49erFX Olympic sailing teams  – the best of the best – will compete to take home the world’s most prestigious sporting Medal.

The sailing venue is the French Mediterranean coastal city of Marseille.

Beginning on Sunday 28th July and concluding on Thursday August 1 – our sailors will compete with the best sailors from twenty nations. Each team will be dreaming of winning a Gold, Silver or Bronze medal for their country’s national pride, and for their supporters wherever in the world they may be. The stakes for all of them couldn’t be higher!

Event heats

• The first race on the first day of the Women’s skiff event (Sunday July 28th) begins at 15:35 Central European Time (UTC + 1 hour). There will be three races today and on each subsequent day as follows.
• Day two (Monday) (Stop Press: delayed to the afternoon at the time of writing – insufficient breeze) will feature races 4, 5 and 6
• Day three (Tuesday) begins at 15:45 and will feature races 7, 8 and 9
• Day four (Wednesday begins at 12:15 and will feature races 10, 11 and 12
• Day five (Thursday) begins at 15:45 will feature one single race – the Medal race!

Watch Live

To watch a race, there are two options:

• The first one is by tracking (an interactive map), and the link for that becomes available only shortly before the race.

• The other option is to watch the videos. Probably best done by HBO MAX, which requires a subscription. But some races are covered, and others are not.
• You can watch live or on-demand sports coverage from the broadcast rights holder in your country. Follow the results race by race

[STOP PRESS –  Day 4 completed: our sailors are in second place, a single point behind the leaders – France!]

Race results and overall ranking will be posted immediately after each heat on the World Sailing website.

Odile/Annette athlete Instagram Account

• You can follow Odile and Annette daily on their Instagram channel: https://www.instagram.com/annetteodile/

TV coverage in your country

• You can watch live or on-demand sports coverage is available from the broadcast rights holder in your country.

How does a 49er FX race work?

Races will not usually take place if the wind speed is below 4 knots or above 25 knots. At wind speeds above 8 knots the 49erFX will begin to plane – making for exciting racing.

The target time for each race is 30 minutes, and 20 minutes for the medal race. The course distance will be lengthened or shortened to achieve those times as nearly as possible.

The course begins with an upwind leg, round a marker buoy, then downwind back to the starting gate; for each heat the course is run twice (very occasionally three times).

The top speed of a 49erFX is around 25 knots / 30 mph / 46km/h.

The waiting time between finishing one heat and beginning the next is kept to a minimum – a few minutes, usually.

Good Luck!

We will of course be publishing the Sailing results and the competition’s highlights after the event.

Good Luck to Odile van Aanholt and Annette Duetz!