World Championship Ilca 7: Brutal current starts, good winds - Buhl struggles, black day for Willim

For the last two days of the Ilca 7 World Championship, the forecast in the Gulf of Saint Vincent off Adelaide is for another nice wind of around 20 knots. In principle, this is good news for power player Philipp Buhl on his final spurt. But the challenging waters also harbour pitfalls. The starts off Adelaide are extremely demanding because they usually take place from 1 p.m. local time with a pushing current.

We were prepared for the scenario that came to pass: three Black Flag starts in the Goldfleet!" (Alex Schlonski)

DSV coach Alex Schlonski said on Monday in Adelaide: "We were prepared for the scenario today, which came to pass: three Black Flag starts in the Goldfleet! Unfortunately, Nik Willim got caught in the last one." The 27-year-old helmsman from the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein thus caught an early start penalty of 52 points. Because he also dropped back from 13th to 27th in the second race of the day, Nik Willim will start the last two races of the Gold Fleet on Tuesday in 21st place. "That ruined a lot for him," Alex Schlonski is not the only one who knows.

Things went better for Philipp Buhl on Monday after a penalty curl due to an unfortunate barrel roll the day before. The 2020 World Champion was able to consolidate his position in the World Championship field in seventh place (44 points) on Tuesday with 10th and 9th place. Only three points separate the 34-year-old from fourth place, which is occupied by Jonatan Vadnai from Hungary with 41 points after eight races.

Good winds are forecast for tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. The only question is whether it will be there in time for the first start" (Philipp Buhl)

Australian Olympic champion and defending world champion Matt Wearn (16 points), his British rival Michael Beckett (17 points) and Norway's Hermann Tomasgaard (20 points) are already in the top three and have pulled away from the field ahead of the last two races leading up to the medal final. The last two gold fleet races on Tuesday will show whether their pursuers will be able to get back into the fight for the medals. So far, the top sailors have not made any serious mistakes.

Philipp Buhl attested: "They also drove strongly today. But I'm satisfied. Of course, fewer points would have been better, but I wasn't unnecessarily aggressive at the start line today in the stronger wind. Perhaps I was a little too cautious, which may have been the reason why I didn't finish in the top positions. Good winds are forecast for tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. The only question is whether it will be there in time for the first start ..."

Strong starts hoped for

Philipp Buhl has a clear plan for the last two races before the final: "My priority for tomorrow is to put into practice what I've learnt in training over the last few months. Especially at the start and with positioning. That went really well in training and at the test regattas, but has been rather mediocre so far at the World Championships. If I can transfer that into the competition, I can sail on a par with the top three."

Coach Alex Schlonski agrees: "We will have to master difficult starting situations again tomorrow. The first of the two races on Tuesday could perhaps start in lighter winds of around seven to ten knots before the stronger wind sets in. But you also have to realise that Philipp can get back to the front even after a not-so-good start."

If Philipp can unpack his super speed, there's still a lot in it" (Alex Schlonski)

According to Schlonski, Buhl's gap to the leading trio can be explained by the more consistent series of the top three: "In a 1:1 comparison, Philipp is just as good here in these conditions. The three who are ahead are simply sailing very solidly and have had fewer 'downs' so far." One of them is Buhl's long-time training partner Hermann Tomasgaard. The Norwegian also describes sailing Down Under as challenging: "It's complicated with the many turns, the current and lots of seaweed."

However, Alex Schlonski still has high hopes for his top athlete Philipp Buhl in the final spurt of the Ilca 7 World Championship: "Philipp drove the fourth-best series of the field today. We're expecting another challenging day tomorrow. But if Philipp can unpack his super speed, then there's still a lot in it."

One World Cup, many tasks

Although Buhl would love to compete for World Championship medals, his higher goals at this Ilca 7 World Championships are different: to score as many points as possible in the current national Olympic qualifiers, to fulfil the criteria of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) for his third Olympic start and to secure his individual Olympic ticket.

To achieve this, Philipp Buhl, who competes for the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein and his local sailing club Alpsee-Immenstadt, must not only prevail against his national rival and club mate Nik Willim, but must also have mathematically secured a top ten place in the international rankings at the end of the three-part elimination series, which concludes at the Mallorca classic Trofeo Princesa Sofía in April. Philipp Buhl can come very close to achieving these goals with a strong finish at the World Championships.

Click here for the results of the Ilca 7 World Championship.

The Australian dream spot of Adelaide also challenges the best - the highlights from day 4 of the Ilca 7 World Championship: