Welcome to Eilat, Israel’s most southern spot. The combination of warm tropical waters and beautiful coral reef running along the sandy shores of the Red Sea provide the perfect venue for one of the most competitive and exciting Olympic classes – the RS:X. You join us for the RS:X WORLD WINDSURFING CHAMPIONSHIPS and Eilat RS:X Under 21 Windsurfing Championships where experienced professionals as well as the youth of the sport, start their bid for the Championship title.
The RS:X was selected as Olympic equipment for the 2008 Olympic Games. The board measures 286 cm in length and 93 cm in width with a buoyancy of 231 liters. The rig is almost exactly the same for men and women, the only difference is the size of the sail; 9,5 square meters for men and a slightly smaller 8,5 square meters for women –either way, there’s more than enough power to make this piece of kit fly.
The first day of racing saw a grand Opening for the 2016 RS:X WORLD WINDSURFING CHAMPIONSHIPS with 81 men and 58 women all aiming to establish themselves in the fleet and in the game as they begin their fight for the world title. With only a few months until the Olympic Games, the level of performance here is extremely high with sailors already starting to reach the peak of their performance.
Olympic Medallists and World Champions are here to defend their reputation with the likes of Shahar Zubari and Piotr Myszka seizing the lead in men’s fleet, after 1 race and under extremely tricky conditions.
In the women’s fleet after an intense day of racing, Polish Zofia Noceti Klepacka came to the front, excelling after a brilliant day on the water to stake her claim as the leader ahead of the second day. A massive confidence boost for the races ahead.
That’s the state of play after Day 1 at the 2016 RS:X Worlds.
You can find the results here: https://rsxclass.com/worlds2016/?page_id=188
Event website: https://rsxclass.com/worlds2016/
Photos: https://rsxclass.com/media/pictures/?album=4272
Text: Icarus Sailing Media
Photo credits: RS:X Class
