The second round of the Wednesday Night Sailing series delivered a tactical masterclass in Hamilton Harbour as Airforce utilized their handicap to perfection, snatching victory from a swift Crossfire side.
Hosted by the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club, the evening was initially defined by the blistering raw speed of Crossfire. The vessel was the first to physically cross the finish line, clocking an impressive elapsed time of 56:58. However, the unforgiving nature of the PHRF handicap system proved to be their undoing; once the calculations were applied, a corrected time of 1:02:50 saw the line-honours leaders relegated to fourth place overall.
The ultimate beneficiary of the evening was Airforce. Despite crossing the line over eight minutes after the frontrunner with an elapsed time of 1:05:46, their corrected mark of 1:02:14 was enough to secure the top spot on the podium. It was a victory decided by the slimmest of margins, emphasizing the precision required in the island's premier midweek regatta.
Encore produced a remarkably disciplined performance to claim second place on the night. Their corrected time of 1:02:29 saw them finish just fifteen seconds adrift of the winners, while Scatteraction rounded out the podium in third with a corrected mark of 1:02:38.
The results highlight the immense competitive depth of this year's fleet, where the battle for the top four positions was separated by less than forty seconds after handicaps. With the leaderboard tightening, the fleet now turns its attention to next week’s third round, where Crossfire will be eager to translate their physical pace into a corrected victory.
After the champagne and sunshine of Monday and Tuesday, Wednesday brought the wind and tonic to the 57th Semaine Olympique Française de Hyères.
A mixture of punishing conditions and the first day of the three-day elimination phase brought the best out of the world’s elite. Strong easterlies of 23 to 25 knots, gusting to 28, brought choppy waves, cloud cover, and squalls that pushed the fleets to their absolute limits. The severe weather forced race officials to limit both the ILCA 6 and ILCA 7 fleets to just two races on the day.
In the ILCA 6 fleet, Australia’s Zoe Thomson seized the overall lead. A victory in the opening race followed by a disciplined tenth in the second was enough to move her to the top of the standings as the top ten began to fill with familiar champions. Bermuda’s Adriana Penruddocke currently leads the Silver Fleet with 17 points. Following a difficult Tuesday that saw her miss the Gold Fleet cut by just four points, she showed great character today, recording finishes of 7th and 8th to sit 46th overall, climbing one spot in the global rankings.
The ILCA 7 fleet saw a spectacular charge from Sebastian Kempe, who once again proved to be the day's biggest mover. Building on his massive jump of 58 places yesterday, Kempe surged another 24 spots today. Starting the morning in 41st, the Bermudian standout crossed the line 18th in his first race before delivering a stunning 3rd-place finish in the second. He ends the day in 17th place overall with 62 points.
At the summit of the ILCA 7 standings, Australia’s double Olympic champion Matt Wearn made his move. Wearn jumped past two British challengers to take the overall lead, winning the day's first race and finishing second in the next. It was a more challenging outing for Campbell Patton, who fell two places to 35th overall. Patton recorded finishes of 25th and 33rd to conclude a grueling day on the Mediterranean with 91 points.
Tuesday, April 21, 2026
Kempe Climbs Standings as Winds Test Resolve in Hyères
IslandStats.com
The second day of racing at French Olympic Week continued to test the patience and tactical prowess of the world’s elite sailors as light wind conditions dominated the second event of the Sailing Grand Slam series.
On a day defined by marginal gains and high-stakes maneuvering, the Bermudian contingent experienced a shift in fortunes across the ILCA fleets.
The most significant movement came from Sebastian Kempe, who produced a masterclass in consistency to ignite his campaign. Starting the day buried in the lower half of the standings, Kempe leaped a remarkable fifty-eight places to end the session in 41st overall. A disciplined 19th-place finish in the day's opening race provided the platform for a late-afternoon surge, where he crossed the line in 13th to bring his net points total to forty-three.
His compatriot Campbell Patton remains the highest-placed Bermudian in the ILCA 7 fleet, maintaining a steady hold on 33rd position. Patton demonstrated his ability to read the shifting Mediterranean breezes, improving as the afternoon progressed. After an opening 16th-place finish, he produced a clinical display in the second race of the day to finish 9th, a result that keeps him firmly in the hunt for a top-thirty berth with thirty-seven net points.
In the ILCA 6 fleet, Adriana Penruddocke endured a more frustrating outing as the shifty conditions proved difficult to navigate. Despite starting the day with a solid 13th-place finish—her best result of the regatta so far—Penruddocke was unable to maintain the momentum in the subsequent races. Finishes of 26th and 25th saw her slip ten places down the leaderboard to 47th overall. With seventy-six net points on the board, the Olympian will be looking for a return to the form shown in her opening race as the fleet prepares for the midway point of the competition.
Monday, April 20, 2026
Bermuda Sailors Tested as French Olympic Week Begins
IslandStats.com
The 57th edition of La Semaine Olympique Française began in spectacular fashion as the Champagne Côte d’Azur conditions provided a grueling opening test for a world-class field of over seven hundred competitors.
Among the elite international fleet are three of Bermuda’s finest sailors, all looking to make their mark across six days of high-stakes racing in France’s premier Olympic sailing week. The opening day was defined by steady breezes and a shifting leaderboard that saw established favorites pushed to their limits by rising stars.
In the ILCA 6 fleet, Ireland’s Eve McMahon continued the blistering form that saw her triumph in Palma recently. McMahon produced a flawless display in the blue fleet, securing two victories from two races to sit atop the standings. She leads Switzerland’s Rosine Bauret and the 2025 champion, Italy’s Chiara Benini Floriani, who currently occupy the podium spots. Bermuda’s Adriana Penruddocke endured a mixed opening day, ending the session in 37th place overall. After a difficult 28th-place finish in the first race, she showed significant resilience to bounce back with a much-improved 12th in the second, keeping her within striking distance of the middle of the pack.
The ILCA 7 division, the largest fleet in the competition, was dominated by Britain’s Michael Beckett. Matching McMahon’s perfection, Beckett swept both races in the yellow fleet to take an early lead. He is chased closely by Hungary’s Jonatan Vadnai and fellow Briton Elliot Hanson, both of whom remain locked in a tight battle for second.
For the Bermudian men, it was a day of contrasting fortunes. Campbell Patton navigated the testing conditions to sit in 33rd place at the close of the day’s racing. Much like Penruddocke, Patton found his rhythm as the day progressed, following a 23rd in the opener with a strong 12th-place finish in the second.
The day proved more frustrating for Sebastian Kempe, who ended the first session in 99th place overall. Kempe’s campaign got off to the worst possible start with a Black Flag disqualification in race one, saddling him with a heavy 47 points. However, the young sailor demonstrated his competitive character in the second race, fighting through the fleet to finish 11th. That late surge provides a glimmer of hope as the trio prepares for another day of elite tactical warfare in the Mediterranean.
Sunday, April 19, 2026
Curtis and Tucker Navigate to Victory in St. George’s Harbor
IslandStats.com
Maxwell Curtis and Wesley Tucker continued their imperious start to the sailing season, guiding Pole Position to a commanding victory at the Willard Kelly Memorial Regatta.
The pristine waters of St. George’s Harbor provided a spectacular backdrop for the Comet Class fleet as they contested one of the East End’s most storied events. Curtis and Tucker, who have become the pair to beat this spring, delivered a tactical masterclass to finish at the top of the standings with just three net points.
The duo’s dominance left the rest of the fleet battling for the remaining podium spots in increasingly testing conditions. Veteran sailor Gladwin Lambert, partnered with Simon Van De Weg, secured the runner-up position in Melody. The pair displayed consistent boat speed to finish with six net points, fending off a spirited challenge from the trailing pack.
Rounding out the top three were Lorenzo Lambert and Jade Smith aboard Sea Hawk. Despite some heavy pressure in the final race of the series, the pair held their nerve to finish with a net score of eight points, narrowly clinching third place.
The Willard Kelly Memorial serves as a key marker in the Comet Class calendar, and with Curtis and Tucker already showing a clean pair of heels to their rivals, the field will be looking to bridge the gap as the fleet moves toward the highlights of the summer season.
Willard Kelly Memorial Regatta Results
03 Maxwell Curtis & Wesley Tucker - Pole Position 06 Gladwin Lambert & Simon Van De Weg - Melody 08 Lorenzo Lambert & Jade Smith - Sea Hawk 09 Quinton Simons & Zane Hendrickson - Stir De Pot 13 Gregory Wade & Amber Bradshaw - It’s a Standard 14 Geovanni Hayward & Sivaja Pernichief - Mai Lucy 20 J’Cal Washington & Jacal Minors - Lady Commodore
