The men’s and women’s skiffs were the only classes to race on the first day of competition off Marseille, France, at the Olympic Games.

The temperature was hot, and the wind was frustratingly light most of the day. In fact, the windsurfing sailors were unable to get in any racing. Amazingly, the international race committee was able to run three races for both divisions for the 49er sailors. It was a struggle getting off the starting line. All 20 boats in both divisions would line up about one or two boat lengths behind the line and wait for the gun. Finding undisturbed wind and a clear lane was a tall order.

RESULTS/STANDINGS: Men's Skiff | Women's Skiff

The Olympic regatta format calls for 12 races in each division leading to one medal race. The top 10 boats advance carrying their accumulated points forward. The medal race is worth double points. The boat with the lowest score will be the Olympic champion. The field of sailors is populated with an impressive list of top sailors. Everyone on the water has been training hard since the Tokyo Games in August 2021. The skippers this year range in age from 19 to 40.

The wind filled in from the southwest at 5 to 9 knots. At times the sailors were able to hike from their trapeze wires, but mostly there was constant motion of moving in and out from the rail to maintain a fast angle of heel.

In the women’s skiff, Odile van Aanholt and Annette Duetz from the Netherlands had a 5-1-1 score to lead the fleet. The French crew of Sarah Steyaert and Charline Picon were consistent with a 2-2-2. If the full schedule of races is sailed, each team will be able to discard their worst two finishes.

The American crew, Stephanie Roble and Maggie Shea, struggled getting off the line cleanly. The duo finished with 7-11-10. In Tokyo they finished 11th and are hoping to make the medal race this year. Both were standouts during their college careers and have been training full-time for these Games. They stand 12th but only one point away from the top 10.

The American men had a similar day with finishes of 8-7-17. Ian Barrows and Hans Henken also had a difficult time getting off the starting line. In the first and second races they were able to work out of a bad position and achieve respectable finishes. Isaac McHardie and William McKenzie from New Zealand lead after three races with a 1-3-8. Ireland’s Robert Dickson and Sean Waddilove finished 9-4-1 and are standing second. Ten different boats were able to score a top-five finish indicating that finishing on the podium is wide open. In the women’s division eight boats were able to finish in the top five in at least one race.

The U.S. sailing team’s head coach, Marcus Lynch, will work with the sailors to improve their strategy on the starting line. They will review videos of the starting sequences and look for an opening, so they are not forced to maneuver soon after the gun.

These boats lose about one or more boat lengths when tacking in light air. The winds were relatively steady in direction while the unsteady velocity of the breeze tended to favor the western side of the race course with stronger wind. The wind is predicted to be about the same on Monday.

Eleven more days of race action lie ahead.