Day 1 of the men’s 49er 2022 World Championship started with multiple nosedives and capsizes in winds that gusted to 27 knots with waves of 1.5 metres on St Margarets Bay.
Only one race was completed (by some) for the two 49er flight fleets, with first-time championship wins for Britain’s Chris Taylor and Rhos Hawes, and Erwan Fischer and Clément Pequin of France.
They are the overnight leaders, with in third place Jakub Sztorch and Mikołaj Staniul of Poland tied on 2 points with Andrew Mollerus and Ian MacDiarmid of the USA.
Britain’s James Peters and Fynn Sterritt finished 20th (39 overall) and Nick Robins and Daniel Budden 21st (41 overall).
Fifteen teams did not finish their flight race.
49er Men – 2022 World Championship – Leaders after 1 race (65 entries)
1st FRA 16 Erwan FISCHER and Clément PEQUIN 1 – – 1 pts
1st GBR 284 Chris TAYLOR and Rhos HAWES 1 – – 1 pts
3rd POL 9 Jakub SZTORCH and Mikołaj STANIUL 2 – – 2 pts
3rd USA 43 Andrew MOLLERUS and Ian MACDIARMID 2 – – 2 pts
5th CRO 83 Sime FANTELA and Mihovil FANTELA 3 – – 3 pts
5th POL 7 Łukasz PRZYBYTEK and Jacek PIASECKI 3 – – 3 pts
7th ITA 23 Simone FERRARESE and Leonardo CHISTÈ 4 – – 4 pts
7th NED 69 Pim van VUGT and Scipio HOUTMAN 4 – – 4 pts
9th AUT 28 Keanu PRETTNER and Jakob FLACHBERGER 5 – – 5 pts
9th USA 4 Ian BARROWS and Hans HENKEN 5 – – 5 pts
11th ESP 74 Diego BOTIN and Florian TRITTEL PAUL 6 – – 6 pts
11th GER 22 Jakob MEGGENDORFER and Andreas SPRANGER 6 – – 6 pts
