Bermuda’s elite sailing contingent has brought a grueling week of high-stakes competition to a close at the 57th Semaine Olympique Française in Hyères. Navigating a fleet of the world’s best, Sebastian Kempe, Campbell Patton, and Adriana Penruddocke faced a rollercoaster of conditions on the Mediterranean, finishing the regatta with a mix of hard-fought results and tactical lessons.
In the highly competitive ILCA 7 fleet, Sebastian Kempe emerged as the top Bermudian performer, securing 26th place overall. Kempe, who has shown consistent pace throughout the week, finished with a net total of 156 points. His final day of racing was a tale of two halves; he opened the session with a superb showing to cross the line in 12th place, demonstrating his ability to mix it at the front of the pack. However, a more difficult 34th-place finish in the final race of the regatta saw him solidify his position in the top thirty.
It was a more frustrating conclusion for Campbell Patton, who ended the regatta in 41st position overall with 237 net points. Patton’s final day was hampered by a black flag in the opening race, a costly penalty that effectively ended his charge up the standings. He showed resilience to return for the final race of the afternoon, crossing the line in 34th place to bring his campaign in Hyères to an end.
Meanwhile, in the ILCA 6 fleet, Adriana Penruddocke delivered a performance defined by persistence, finishing third in the silver fleet and 48th overall. Ending the week on 51 net points, Penruddocke found herself on the podium alongside fleet winner Hanna Koba and runner-up Ebru Bolat. Her final day of racing started in spectacular fashion as she surged to a victory in the first race of the morning. She followed that up with a steady 11th-place finish before a challenging 27th in the regatta's final outing.
As the sun sets on Hyères, the Bermudian trio will take significant confidence from their flashes of brilliance against world-class opposition, providing a solid foundation as the international sailing calendar continues to ramp up.
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