The National Yacht Club's Finn Lynch made the gold fleet in French Olympic Sailing Week on Wednesday, but a U-flag disqualification for a premature start means he is now unlikely to compete in Saturday's medal race final.

The ILCA 7 fleet completed their minimum five race races to make the qualification cut.

A black flag disqualification for early-starting in Wednesday's delayed opening race had seemed set to scupper Lynch's Gold fleet chances, but the World Number 3 has made the top third of his 155-boat fleet, even nursing his long-term wrist injury.

"He's made Gold fleet, and there are still four races, so everything is open, but the Black Flag makes it very difficult as there's only one discard," Lynch's coach Vasilij Zbogar said.

"We are going to treat this regatta as a training event and focus on the areas we need to improve on", he said. 

One of the areas identified was a lack of upwind speed in strong winds, but forecasts say it is unlikely these conditions will be replicated in the Bay of Hyeres again this week.

Lynch will know that improvements will need to come fast as the all-important Paris 2024 Olympic Qualifier in The Hague – with 40% of Olympic places up for grabs – is now four months away.

Strong day for British ILCA 7 sailors

It was another strong day for Britain in the ILCA 7, who was last out of the water at 20:00.

Eliott Hanson, second in Hyères last year, retained the overall lead despite 18, 8 finishes in yellow fleet. Daniel Whiteley was 2, 12 in red fleet, but Michael Beckett fared better in the light, winning his first race and finishing 4th in the second in blue fleet to move into third place. He has been the most consistent sailor this week so far and has not been out of the top five.

It was a tougher day for the Australians, but Olympic champion, Matt Wearn, was 10, 4 in the yellow fleet and is still very much in the hunt. Just two points separate the top five, and only 12 across the top 10.

Results are here

Lack of upwind pace in strong Mistral conditions left Finn Lynch fighting to regain places in the first ILCA 7 races of French Olympic Sailing Week today.

The Paris 2024 campaigner, who is nursing a long-term wrist injury, confronted near gale force winds at Cap de L'Esteral, Hyeres. 

“I didn’t feel super-good to be honest; I was struggling a lot, the conditions were very, very hard, but hopefully, better performance by me in the next few days,” the Irish world number three said. “I need to prioritise starting as I found myself in bad lanes on the upwinds.”

Lynch, who seeks a medal race finish this week, was around 25th in his fleet after the first upwind leg, but he recovered in the downwind and still finished around 12th to stay within the qualifying limit for the gold fleet. 

Two further races will be sailed on Tuesday to complete the qualification round for the Gold fleet in the ILCA7, but similar conditions, if not harder, is forecast.

Ewan McMahon, Lynch's rival for the single Paris ILCA 7 berth, is not competing in Hyeres.

Britain’s Elliot Hanson, second here last year and Germany’s Philipp Buhl, fifth at the Tokyo Olympics, got 2-1 and 1-2 finishes, respectively to top the leaderboard, but Australia’s Olympic champion, Matt Wearn bagged two fourth places. 

Results are here

With an Olympic medal as his stated ambition, the National Yacht Club's ILCA 7 sailor Finn Lynch will hope to return to earlier form when he competes at French Olympic Week in Hyerés next week (24-29th April 2023).

Lynch finished best of the Irish in 13th (and tenth European) at the ILCA 7 European Championships in Andora, Italy, last month, but a left-hand wrist injury will not go away despite ongoing treatment, and it affected him again in Palma a fortnight ago when he finished 25th overall at the  52nd Trofeo Princesa Sofia, Mallorca.

As regular Afloat readers will recall, the world number three complained of the problem as far back as last year at Hyeres 2022.

In Palma, Lynch's coach Vasilij Zbogar said, "Recovery from the Europeans two weeks ago wasn't managed well enough, so we need to adapt for the next time." 

Eagle-eyed observers will note his bandaged arm at the Andoran prizegiving.

At Hyeres 2022, Lynch finished 13th overall, missing the all-important medal race, something he will want to feature in this year given the proximity of the World Sailing Championships in three months' time, where the first Olympic places are up for grabs.

Lynch's rival for Paris 2024, Ewan McMahon of Howth, is not competing as the Hyeres regatta is not part of his 2023 plan.

The National Yacht Club's Finn Lynch improved steadily as Thursday's three-race day at the Princess Sofia Trophy progressed, including several impressive comebacks from the rear of the 60-boat ILCA 7 fleet in light winds.

The Rio Olympian's results were 22nd, 14th and an eleventh but ultimately lacked the top ten individual race results that he is known to produce as the world-ranked No. 3 sailor in this event.

Lynch finished the day in 20th overall, having displaced Paris 2024 rival Irish sailor Ewan McMahon (Howth Yacht Club), who slipped back a place to 26th overall after counting two mid-fleet results and discarding a 50th place.

A third Irish sailor, Jamie McMahon is placed 170th in the 184-boat fleet.

Michael Beckett Leads

Last year’s title winner Michael Beckett of Great Britain, stepped clear of the pack with a consistent day to lead by 16 points ahead of Cyprus’ 2012 Olympic silver medallist Pavlos Kontides.

Beckett who went 1,1,3 in the 8-10kts sea breeze said, “I'm happy with how I went given how fickle the wind was. Mark 1 was was so tight with the whole fleet arriving at pretty much the same time, it was a day of really fine margins. 3 races in gold fleet is a big day out for us, so I'm looking forwards to a big dinner this evening!”

Results are here

Howth Yacht Club's Ewan McMahon leads Irish hopes heading into the Gold fleet for the ILCA 7 class in 25th overall at the Princess Sofia Trophy in Mallorca.

McMahon's rival for Paris 2024, Finn Lynch of the National Yacht Club posted seventh and eighth places, which pulled him up to 34th overall and, crucially, inside the Gold fleet cut as the Rio veteran had been as low as 124th after a day one UFD flag penalty.

Jamie McMahon (Howth YC) placed 140th overall and will compete in the Bronze Fleet finals.

The 2021 World Champion Germany’s Philipp Buhl came back from a black flag to record a 1,3 to lie second, whilst Australia’s Olympic champion Matt Wearn drops to 11^th after a BFD also.

GBR’s Daniel Whitely has no counting score worse than second, and so leads the Men’s fleet, which has only managed five races over the first three days of racing.

Irish coach Vasilij Zbogar, maintains that as tomorrow is the start of the finals, "everything is still open".

Racing continues for the next three days, with sailors competing to win a top ten place for Saturday's single medal race final.

Results are here

Paris 2024 Irish Olympic sailors are among athletes across sixteen sports who were awarded a total amount of €115,000 to support their performance through an Olympic Federation of Ireland athlete's fund

ILCA 7 campaigner Finn Lynch, who just finished 13th overall at last week's European Championships in Italy, got €3,000, and the Irish doublehanded 49er crews, Dublin's Robert Dickson & Sean Waddilove and Cork's Seafra Guilfoyle & Johnny Durcan were each awarded €3,000 per boat.

The proceeds of the fund were partially raised by the Make a Difference Golf Day in October 2022 and an additional €50,000 from the Olympic Federation of Ireland.

Athletes targeting both the Summer Olympics in Paris 2024 and the Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina 2026 will benefit from the fund, which will support applications detailing projects from training camps to specialist coaches.

Chair of the Olympic Federation of Ireland Athletes’ Commission, Shane O’Connor welcomed the increased amount saying,

“There are a huge number of athletes across a huge number of sports vying for Olympic qualification. The quality and depth of applications received were very impressive and highlighted that a little extra support to the athletes can really make a huge difference. We are happy as an Athletes' Commission to be able to support this fund, with the backing of the Olympic Federation of Ireland, and the Make a Difference golf fundraiser.”

Paris 2024 make a difference fund recipients - €93,000

Ireland's top hope for Paris 2024, Finn Lynch, worked back from disappointments on Thursday to finish tenth European and 13th overall in ILCA7 European Championships in Andora, Italy today. 

Although Lynch will rue mistakes made in gear failure and rules infringement, the most important thing for the Rio Olympian is that he knows he is on the pace for the all-important Olympic qualifiers coming up in the Hague this summer. 

“It was a very, very up and down week for me, a good start and a decent ending," Lynch said after racing ended.  "I was happy with how I was sailing, but definitely lots of room to improve.”

The series had started with plenty of promise, including straight top five places in the qualification round, setting the National Yacht Club sailor on a good trajectory into the final round.

Lynch's rival for Paris, Ewan McMahon, ended the event in 45th overall.

Final Results – ILCA 7

European Championships 

1. Tonci Stipanovic CRO 41 pt
2. Filip Jurisic CRO 42 pt
3. Pavlos Kontides CYP 62 pt
4. Nik Aaron Willim GER 67 pt
5. William De Smet BEL 78 pt
6. Philipp Buhl GER
7. Duko Bos NED
8. Jonatan Vadnai HUN
9. Jean Baptiste Bernaz FRA
10. Finn Lynch IRL

European Trophy

1. Tonci Stipanovic CRO 41 pt
2. Filip Jurisic CRO 42 pt
3. Matthew Wearn AUS 48 pt

There was more disappointment for Ireland's Finn Lynch (National Yacht Club), who had placed fourth in the day's first race for the senior men's ILCA 7 European Championships in Andora, Italy.

A protest by Australian event leader Matt Wearn against the Irish sailor for an alleged rules infringement saw Lynch accept an arbitration penalty (42 points) ashore following the end of racing for the day.

After a consistent qualification series, where Lynch counted 5, 5, 6, 1 til Tuesday, the last two days have seen Ireland's top hope for Paris 2024 suffer gear failure and penalties, dropping him out of the top ten overall with scores of 23.0 PRP, 20.0 and (42.0).

The added points today dropped Lynch to 12th overall, and his best outcome for the championship will be a top-ten placing on Friday, but, crucially, no way near a podium finish.

Shifty light to medium winds and good swell marked the fifth day.

Reigning Olympic champion Wearn AUS (2-17) continues to head the overall fleet and leads the European Open Trophy with 17 points.

Second place overall and first European place for Tonci Stipanovic CRO (9-5) with 23.

Duko Bos NED (25-9) and Filip Jurisic CRO (8-11) complete the European provisional podium with 29 and 36 points, respectively.

Howth's Ewan McMahon is lying 41st overall. The last day of the competition is Friday.

Gear failure for Finn Lynch on the first day of gold fleet racing at the ILCA 7 European Championships in Andora, Italy, has been a setback for the National Yacht Club ace.

Lynch was forced to use his discard when the centreboard stop on his new dinghy failed, causing him to sit out the day's first race and count maximum points in his 62-boat fleet. 

A repair at sea was possible before the second race in which the world-ranked number two scored 20th, dropping him back overall in the gold fleet.

It's a disappointing setback for the Dun Laoghaire sailor as his scoresheet reflected his top form of late, ending the qualification rounds on Tuesday with a race win boost to his eighth overall with a consistent 5, 5, (6.0) and 1.

Winds were between 15 to 22 knots.

On the ILCA 7 course, the Gold fleet had their first start right away, but the Silver and Bronze fleet starts were delayed around an hour for the Race Committee to anchor their boat and pin end boats correctly to set the line.

After five races sailed, reigning Olympic champion Matthew Wearn AUS is leading with nine points. Four times Senior European champion Tonci Stipanovic from Croatia is second overall and leader of the European Championship with 17. Reigning World champion Jean Baptiste Bernaz FRA has 19. Philipp Buhl GER completes the European provisional podium with 25 points. 

Racing continues with the final for the coming two days.

Consistent sailing by Olympic Paris 2024 campaigner Finn Lynch puts him in the top ten of the ILCA 7 European Championships in Andora, Italy.

The National Yacht Club ace, ranked as high as second in the world last season, added another two fifth-place results to his scoresheet on Tuesday before ending the qualification rounds with a race win boost to sit eighth overall with 5, 5, (6.0) and 1.

Reigning World champion Jean Baptiste Bernaz FRA (1-3-1-10) leads the competition with five points among 191 sailors.

Medium air conditions were quite shifty, with the breeze up and down in big seas on the Riviera delle Palme.

Three sailors are just one point behind Bernaz, so the championship promises to be fought to the bitter end; Duko Bos NED (7-4-1-1), Philipp Buhl GER (1-19-1-4), and Matthew Wearn AUS (1-3-2-4) are all counting six points after the first four races. Tonci Stipanovic CRO (7-1-4-3) is also close with eight.

There was a special moment for Ireland at this major championship when Lynch's rival for Paris 2024, Ewan McMahon of Howth Yacht Club, crossed the finish line just behind Lynch, giving Ireland a 1-2 in race four.

Three races are scheduled for Wednesday, with the first warning signal at 09:00. Coaches meeting at 07:00.

ILCA 7 – Full results below