The Official
Website of the
International
Sailing Federation

Great Britain remain the most successful nation in the Rankings with six sailors within the top three places across the eleven events. With AINSLIE back at the top of the Finn Rankings and Chris DRAPER and Simon HISCOCKS (GBR) holding firm to the 49er top spot, they have two number one crews, a feat shared by the Ukraine thanks to Olga MASLIVETS in the Mistral and 2004 Olympic silver medallists, Ruslana TARAN, Anna KALININA and Svetlana MATEVUSHEVA in the Yngling.

Elsewhere Rankings leaders come from Brazil, the USA, Portugal, France, Spain, Hong Kong and Sweden, meaning the top spots are shared between Europe, Asia, North and South America.

The next release of the ISAF World Sailing Rankings will be on 8 February 2006.

1. Men's Windsurfer Mistral
2. Women's Windsurfer Mistral
3. Men's One Person Dinghy - Laser
4. Women's One Person Dinghy - Laser Radial
5. Men's Two Person Dinghy - 470
6. Women's Two Person Dinghy - 470
7. Skiff - 49er
8. Heavyweight Dinghy Finn
9. Multihull - Tornado
10. Women's Keelboat - Yngling
11. Men's Keelboat - Star

1. Men's Windsurfer Mistral

Maxim OBEREMKO has lost his top spot ISAF

There are no new events counting to the Mens Windsurfer event since the last rankings on 3 August.

However, the rolling calculation of the rankings has shuffled the places up a bit and presented a new leader. Hong Kongs Ho CHI HO leaps up from 3 to 1 and topples Maxim OBEREMKO (UKR), who had held firm leading the rankings since February 2005. HO has made a steady climb up the rankings and broke into the worlds top 10 in May of this year, and now he has clinched the top spot.

Good news also for another Hong Kong sailor, with King Yin CHAN jumping up from 13 to 5, also a career best.

As many of the sailors have made the transition to the RS:X Class, and with the RS:X to be included in the ISAF World Sailing Rankings from 1 January 2006, all eyes are on the form of the sailors as the competition circuit gets underway.

The first European event in the RS:X took place in Cadiz, Spain last weekend with a mix of results across the board for the sailors, but a strong consistency from Nicolas HUGUET (FRA) who finished a clear winner . This follows on from the Neil Pryde RS:X International Invitation Tournament in China which was dominated by Wu SHIFU (CHN) and the Neil Pryde RS:X Pacific Coast Championship in San Francisco, USA which was won by Wilhelm SCHURMANN (BRA).

France dominates the worlds top 20 with six sailors making an appearance. However, a downward fall for Julien BONTEMPS (FRA) from 10 to 19 as the effect of the rolling calculation and not competing on the Mistral since the Olympic Games crunches the numbers. BONTEMPSs performance in Cadiz last weekend was certainly heading the right way, with some excellent results as the racing drew to a close on the final day, finishing the series in sixth with his scoreline marred only by an unlucky 13 in the opening race and an OCS.

The events to be included in the final rankings for the Mistral Class on 12 December are the ISAF Grade 2 Enoshima Olympic Week and the ISAF Grade 3 Tzeni Grammalidou Cup.

Men's Windsurfer ISAF World Sailing Rankings

2. Women's Windsurfer Mistral

As in the Mens Windsurfer, the womens fleet has no events counting in this release of the ISAF World Sailing Rankings. Whilst the two-year ranking calculation has effected some sailors, there is no change in the worlds top four, who remain in the same order led by Olga MASLIVETS (UKR), with Amelie LUX (GER), Blanca MANCHN (ESP) and Antonia FREY (GRE) following behind.

All four put in an appearance at last weekends RS:X event in Cadiz, Spain, with MANCHN, who has been announced on the shortlist for the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards, finishing ahead of the others in second place overall, pipped to the post by Olympic Champion Faustine MERRET (FRA) who claimed the series.

Not surprising the results from the event in Cadiz mirror the same names which appeared at the top of the fleet in the Mistral circuit.

As in the mens windsurfer rankings, Hong Kong sailors are making a strong stand in the top 10, with Wai KEI CHAN up to 5 from 6, and Wai Man CHAN up to 6 from 14 a career highlight to date. Neither sailor has yet made a showing on the RS:X competition circuit, but expect them to make a strong appearance as the board is included in the ISAF World Sailing Rankings from 1 January 2006.

Women's Windsurfer ISAF World Sailing Rankings

3. Men's One Person Dinghy Laser

• ISAF Grade 3 Events - Cork Fall Regatta, Canada; Semana de Buenos Aires, Argentina; Laser South Brazilian Championship, Brazil

Robert SCHEIDT scored back-to-back wins at the Europeans and Worlds LC Moreira

Robert SCHEIDT (BRA) finishes the year as a worthy leader of the Laser ISAF World Sailing Rankings, although to is narrow would be somewhat of any understatement. Having amassed 5,017 points after dominant victories at the Europeans and for the eighth time at the Worlds, the Brazilian lies a mere point ahead of Paul GOODISON (GBR). SCHEIDT and GOODISON have been involved in a year long battle for the top spot, with the SCHEIDT holding it on the first Rankings release of the year on 2 February and GOODISON moving it to second. There they remained through March and April, before the Brit grabbed the top spot on 4 May, again by tiny margin of three points, although this time his closest challenger was Olympic bronze medallist, Vasilij ZBOGAR (SLO).

GOODISON confirmed he deserved his place with an emphatic victory at the ISAF Grade 1 Kieler Woche in Germany, but by 3 August the Brazilian was back at the top spot again, and after back to back wins in Spain and Brazil to take victory in both the Europeans and Worlds there was to be no shifting the double Olympic gold medallist.

Athens Olympic silver and bronze medallists Andreas GERITZER (AUT) and ZBOGAR respectively hold third and fourth places with Croatias Mate ARAPOV rounding out the top five.

Australias Tom SLINGSBY (AUS) has been one of the stars of the Laser year, winning at both Hyres and the Holland Regatta in Medemblik to move up into the top ten by the years end. A little further down the Rankings Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Champion Giles SCOTT (GBR) looks to be a sailor to watch, coming up from a place outside the top 200 in the first Rankings release of the year to finish it at number 44. Laser European Youth Champion Simon GROTELUSCHEN (GER) was also a high climber this year and is one to watch for the future, gaining almost 100 places from his 2 February Ranking of 147 to finish 2005 at 61 and with the top 50 as an early goal for 2006. Perhaps most impressive of all is the 24 year old Croatian Aron LOLIC (CRO), whose impressive twelfth at the Europeans helped lift him from a start of the year position of 214 to 36 in this Rankings release.

With SCHEIDT saying he intends to campaign a Star for Beijing, the Laser battle for the next Olympics looks wide open. GOODISON will certainly be aiming to displace his long time rival as he departs the dinghy scene, but with so many old hands around him and new faces coming up to challenge, 2006 is looking to set to be another fascinating year in the Laser.

Men's One Person Dinghy ISAF World Sailing Rankings

4. Women's One Person Dinghy - Laser Radial

Paige RAILEY added another feather to her bow with victory at the Europeans in Croatia Natasa Seric

• ISAF Grade W Events - Laser Radial World Championship, Brazil
• ISAF Grade 3 Events - Cork Fall Regatta, Canada

Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Champion and ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year nominee Paige RAILEY (USA) scored her fifth win of the year with a convincing display at the ISAF Grade C1 Laser Radial European Championship in Split, Croatia to build a dominant looking 450 point lead at the top of the Rankings. Behind her there is plenty of place changing in the top ten led by Magalie BONNEAU-MARCIL (CAN) rising from five to two after she took third place at the ISAF Grade 1 CORK Regatta in Kingston, Canada, whilst CORK Regatta winner Lisa ROSS (CAN) climbs from twelve to five and is one of four Canadians in the top six along with Jennifer SPALDING and Keamia RASA.

Just outside the top ten Tatiana DROZDOVSKAYA (BLR) climbs seven places to 13 after a fifth place at the Europeans, whilst new European Champion Sarah STEYAERT (FRA) rises from 55 to 38 and third place finisher in Split, Sari MULTALA (FIN) moves from 102 to 62. Also new into the top 100 is Bermudas Katrina WILLIAMS at 81 after an eighth place in Kingston.

The Laser Radial Rankings climb above 200 sailors for the first time this month, with Claudia LEAVENS (CAN) the highest of the 18 new entries at 131.

Women's One Person Dinghy ISAF World Sailing Rankings

5. Men's Two Person Dinghy 470

• ISAF Grade 2 Events - Enoshima Olympic Week, Japan

Nathan WILMOT and Malcolm PAGE scored an emphatic repeat win at the 470 Worlds Chris Ray

The men's 470 rankings see no change to the top two teams in this ranking but the effects of the ISAF Grade W 470 World Championship can certainly be seen further down the list. The Australian team of Nathan WILMOT and Malcolm PAGE (AUS) successfully defended their title in San Francisco, and subsequently count their first points from an event since the Olympic Games in Athens and move one place up the rankings to number eleven.

The big climbers are the six teams who join the top 20. The highest is Nic ASHER and Elliott WILLIS (GBR) who move up nine places to number 13 after finishing sixth in San Francisco. The biggest climbers are Gildas PHILIPPE and Nicolas LE BERRE (FRA) whose third place at the Worlds sees them move 14 places up to number 16. Two more French teams make the move up to the top 20, Pierre LEBOUCHER and Vincent GAROS climb from 23 to 15 whilst Ronan DREANO and Ronan FLOCH make the leap from 24 to 18.

The major fallers are those who did not compete at the Worlds, namely Andreas KOSMATOPOULOS and Andreas PAPADOPOULOS (GRE) who fall from number three down to 14. Eugeniy BRASLIVETS and Igor MATVIYENKO (UKR) suffer a similar fate, and this team who were at number two in the world on 1 June 2005 slip all the way down from eight to 24.

The highest new entry is at number 103 where Mantis PANAGIOTIS and Polychronidis THEODOR (GBR) count their 26 from the Worlds to enter the rankings.

Men's Two Person Dinghy ISAF World Sailing Rankings

6. Women's Two Person Dinghy 470

Marcelian DE KONING and Lobke BERKHOUT on their way to Worlds' glory Chris Ray

It's all about the Worlds for the women's 470 fleet in this ranking release. As the only event to count towards sailors' points the results in San Francsisco have had a significant impact on positions. Marcelien DE KONING and Lobke BERKHOUT (NED) took their first World Championship victory in the 470 and are additionally rewarded by their ranking position rising from 11 to five. DE KONING and BERKHOUT's victory in San Francisco couldn't have been tighter as they finished on equal points with Christina BASSADONE and Saskia CLARK (GBR), winning on countback as they counted five bullets to the British pair's two and discarding an eighth and a seventh compared to a 21 and a twelve. BASSADONE and CLARK might be smarting from being denied the title in such a way but they can console themselves with remaining at number four on the rankings.

There is also no change for Ingrid PETITJEAN and Nadege DOUROUX (FRA) at number one, Nike KORNECKI and Vered BUSKILA (ISR) at number two and Therese TORGERSSON and Vendela ZACHRISSON (SWE) at number three who finished third, fifth and sixth respectively at the Worlds.

Things get much more interesting throughout the rest of the top 20.There are five new entries, the highest being Elise RECHICHI and Tessa PARKINSON (AUS) who leap up to number eight from 22. This young duo who have four ISAF Youth World Championship gold medals between them have had a consistent season, topping the podium at the ISAF Grade 1 Kieler Woche, finishing second at the ISAF Grade 1 Holland Regatta and sixth at the ISAF Grade C1 Euroepans in June. Another young team who can boast ISAF Youth World gold medals and a dramatic rise up the rankings is Pippa WILSON and Sheena CRAIG (GBR). WILSON and CRAIG finished seventh at the Worlds, just behind the defending champions Therese TORGERSSON & Vendela ZACHRISSON (SWE), and see their ranking position climb from 32 up to 14. The other big climbers into the top 20 are Lauren JEFFRIES and Rike ZIEGELMAYER (AUS) who move up from 30 to 15, Teja and Alija CERNE (SLO) who climb from 34 to 18 and Marta PETRASZ and Natalia RUWINSKA (POL) who move up to 20 from 27 to become the second Polish team in the top 20.

2004 Olympic silver medallist in the Europe, Lenka SMIDOVA who has moved into the 470 with crew Elizabeth KRATZIG (CZE) had an excellent result at their first 470 World Championship and only their second event to gain ranking points; their fourth place in San Francisco boosts them 26 places up to number 43. The highest new entry is Carissa HARIS and Isabelle KINSOLVING (USA) who finished 17 at the Worlds and enter at number 55.

Women's Two Person Dinghy ISAF World Sailing Rankings

7. Skiff - 49er

Rodion LUKA and George LEONCHUK hit their best form in Russia to take the 49er World title 49erworlds2005.ru

Britains Chris DRAPER and Simon HISCOCKS complete year number two as the untouched leaders of the 49er ISAF World Sailing Rankings. The European Champions and World runners up will begin the new year with the World number one spot intact, although beneath them there has been plenty of scrapping for the number two spot.

At the start of the year Olympic silver medallists Rodion LUKA and George LEONCHUK (UKR) rose to overtake Tim WADLOW and Pete SPAULDING (USA) as the nearest challengers to DRAPER and HISCOCKS, a position they would continue to occupy through the next four Ranking releases. Then on the Ranking release of 29 June 15285#7 Nico DELLE KARTH and Nicko RESCH (AUT) rose to take second place, but by 15638#7 had themselves been undertaken by Marcus BAUR and Max GROY (GER). Come 3 October 16193#7 there was another change in second place with Pietro SIBELLO and Gianfranco SIBELLO (ITA) moving in behind the Brits. The Italians hold on to that place in this Rankings release, with BAUR and GROY third, DELLE KARTH and RESCH and new World Champions LUKA and LEONCHUK. Looming ominously one place outside the top five are Olympic Champions Iker MARTINEZ and Xavier FERNANDEZ (ESP).

Britain are strongly represented at the top of the Rankings, with Stevie MORRISON and Ben RHODES in seventh and John PINK and Alex HOPSON eleventh. Spain, Germany, Denmark, France and Greece all field two teams in the top 20.

DRAPER and HISCOCKS have set themselves high standards in their spell at the top, and despite victory at the Europeans and second place at the Worlds, their lead is a narrow 107 points over the SIBELLO brothers. Come 2006, the pair look set for a tough test to keep their top spot.

Skiff ISAF World Sailing Rankings

8. Heavyweight Dinghy Finn

• ISAF Grade C1 Events - Finn North American Championship, USA
• ISAF Grade 3 Events - Tzeni Grammalidou Cup, Greece

Ben AINSLIE (GBR) makes an unsurprising return to the number one spot following his back-to-back victories at the ISAF Grade C1 Finn European Championship in Sweden and ISAF Grade W Finn Gold Cup in Russia. Nobody could deny the double Olympic gold medallist his top spot, after he annihilated the competition at the Europeans and virtually led from the start to take his fourth consecutive Gold Cup. Since his victory in Athens last year, AINSLIE has cherry-picked his events, and balanced his Finn sailing with helming duties for Emirates Team New Zealand on the match racing circuit. His lack of practice in the Finn has seemingly not affected his winning ways, with another crushing defeat of the fleet at the ISAF Grade 1 Holland Regatta in Medemblik his only other Finn outing of 2005.

Ben AINSLIE was in dominant form at the Europeans before going on to take his fourth Finn World title in a row eurofinn.org

Behind AINSLIE former number one Jonas HOEGH-CHRISTENSEN (DEN) falls one place to two, just keeping ahead of runner up at the Gold Cup, Emilios PAPATHANASIOU (GRE), whilst Gasper VINCEC (SLO) climbs one place to four, after a podium finish at the Europeans.

Places six to ten see several big climbers rejuvenate the top of the Rankings led by Daniel BIRGMARK (SWE), ninth at both the Europeans and the Gold Cup. Soren HOLM (DEN) climbs up five places to seven after high finishes in Sweden and Russia, whilst Waclaw SZUKIEL (POL) gains 14 from 22 to eight after finishing fourth at the Gold Cup and tenth at the Europeans. Johan TILLANDER (SWE) also makes big gains from 21 to nine after finishing 16 at the Gold Cup and 21 at the Europeans, whilst Russias Vladimir KRUTSKIKH moves up six places to become the fifth new entry into the top ten in this release of the Rankings.

The remainder of the top 20 also sees several other high climbing new entries thanks to joint success at the Europeans and Gold Cup, amongst them new Junior European and World Champion Ivan KLJAKOVIC GASPIC (CRO) who climbs from 44 to 16, Great Britains Edward WRIGHT who moves from 39 to 13 and Olexiy BORYSOV (UKR) who jumps up a massive 28 places from 55 to 17.

Chris COOK (CAN) can count himself unlucky to just miss out on a top 20 place at 21 after finishing third at the Gold Cup and winning the ISAF Grade 3 CORK Regatta (Series 2) on his home waters. Michal HRUBY (CZE) at 23 also just misses out after an excellent fifth at the Gold Cup following a finish of 20 at the Europeans. New to the Finn this year, Dan SLATER (NZL), has made a great start in the Heavyweight Dinghy, and climbs another 25 places from 56 to 31. After a second place at the Europeans and a sixth at the Gold Cup he is streaking towards the top 20 and still only counting five of a possible seven events.

Heavyweight Dinghy ISAF World Sailing Rankings

9. Multihull Tornado

Roman HAGARA and Hans Peter STEINACHER took second at the Europeans Mikael Sundheden

In August, World Champions and ISAF Rolex World Sailors of the Year nominees Fernando ECHAVARRI and Anton PAZ BLANEO (ESP) added the ISAF Grade C1 Tornado European Championship to their 2005 honours list in Sweden to cement their position as the number one Tornado crew in the Rankings. Third place in Sweden for Mitch BOOTH and Herbert DERCKSEN (NED) lifts them up to second place in the Rankings, whilst Andrey KIRILYUK and Valery USHKOV move up to third.

Both Xavier REVIL and Christophe ESPAGNON (FRA) and Johannes POLGAR and Florian SPALTEHOLZ (GER) enter the top ten for the first time this year after finishing fourth and eighth respectively at the Europeans.

Outside the top 20 there are several high climbers who move up the Rankings thanks to their finishes at the Europeans, including Russias Alexey CHEKRYGIN and Sergey BOGATKIN moving from 62 to 46, Swedens Karl SUNESON and Eric ANDERSSON from 71 to 53 and Brazils Mauricio SANTA CRUZ and Joao CARLOS from 89 to 60.

Multihull ISAF World Sailing Rankings

10. Women's Keelboat Yngling

2004 Olympic silver medallists Ruslana TARAN, Anna KALININA and Svetlana MATEVUSHEVA (UKR) remain at the top of the Rankings for the second release running after overtaking Ekaterina SKOUDINA, Diana KRUTSKISK and Tatiana LARSTEVA (RUS) back in October.

With no ISAF Graded event for the last two Ranking releases, it is no surprise that the Yngling Rankings remain completely unchanged.

Going back to the start of the year, there was a major change at the top with long time leaders Dorte JENSEN, Hellen JESPERSEN and Christina OTZEN (DEN) displaced in the Rankings release of 2 February by Kristin WAGNER, Anna HOLL and Veronika LOCHBRUNNER (GER). The Germans maintained their lead throughout the next five Rankings releases before on 3 August they were displaced by SKOUDINA, KRUTSKISK and LARSTEVA after enduring a torrid time at the Worlds. Last release the Russians lost their top spot to TARAN, KALININA and MATEVUSHEVA and the Ukrainians will now start the new year as the Worlds number one team.

Despite the fact 2005 has been year one in the new Olympic Quadrennial, the Yngling Rankings has still grown this year, increasing by nearly 25% to 57 sailors. In the top 20 teams from 13 different nations are represented, with less than 300 Ranking points separating positions one through seven, showing just how tight the Class is.

The battle for the top spot next year looks set to be even more intense. Not only do TARAN, KALININA and MATEVUSHEVA have to keep an eye on those closest to them, but just outside the top ten plenty of leading lights are lined up and are still counting fewer than the maximum seven events in their Rankings totals. Amongst this bunch World Champions Sally BARKOW, Carrie HOWE and Debbie CAPOZZI (USA) and former leaders JENSEN, JESPERSEN and OTZEN catch the eye. 2006 should also see an intriguing battle between Olympic gold medallists Shirley ROBERTSON (GBR) and Sarah AYTON (GBR), now at the helm of different boats, with AYTON joined by Annie LUSH and Lisa MACDONALD (GBR) a successful debut season as the lead figure.

The next graded event for the Yngling is the ISAF Grade 3 Sail Brisbane from 10-14 December.

Women's Keelboat ISAF World Sailing Rankings

11. Men's Keelboat Star

• ISAF Grade 2 Events - 39 Trofeo Amicizia Iscyra Regatta Internazionale, Italy

Iain PERCY and Steve MITCHELL on their way to the European title Jan Walker/ RegattaActiveImages

Frederik LF and Anders EKSTROM (SWE) complete their second consecutive year as exclusive holders of the top spot in the Star ISAF World Sailing Rankings and remain the longest running leaders. Since they climbed to the number one spot on 30 May 2003, the Swedish pair have been unmovable at the top of the Rankings. However going into 2006, LF and EKSTROM look like they have a tough job on their hands to retain the top spot.

Britains Iain PERCY and Steve MITCHELL lie within 120 points of the leaders and are the form team of the moment, having recently won at the Europeans. North American Champions George SZABO and Eric MONROE (USA) in third, World Champions Xavier ROHART and Pascal RAMBEAU (FRA) in fourth and 2000 Olympic gold medallist Mark REYNOLDS and crew Hal HAENEL (USA) in fifth also look set to provide a formidable challenge to the leaders.

All the above teams will also be looking over their shoulder as Olympic Champions Torben GRAEL and Marcelo FERREIRA (BRA) re-enter the top ten.

The most significant move in this release of the Rankings sees the winners of the ISAF Grade 2 39 Trofeo Amicizia Iscyra Regatta Internazionale in Italy, home pair Luca MODENA and Michele MARCHESINI (ITA) climb six places from 34 to 28, to become the second Italian team (along with Francesco BRUNI and Vigna Guido ANTAR) in the top 30. After a fourth place on their home waters fellow Italians Albino FRAVEZZI and Giuseppe DEVOTI are one of the highest climbing pairs of the month moving from 186 to 132.

Similarly to MODENA and MARCHESINI, Marin LOVROVIC Jr. and Marin LOVROVIC Snr. Also enter the top 30 thanks to their performance at the Trofeo Amicizia Iscyra. Second place there lifts them from 33 to 27 in the Rankings. Third place finishers, the Austrian team of Hans SPITZAUER and Christian NEHAMMER just miss out on a top ten Ranking spot, moving from twelve to eleven after their bronze medal in Italy.

Men's Keelboat ISAF World Sailing Rankings

The next release of the ISAF World Sailing Rankings will be on 8 February 2006.

To take a look at the all of Rankings' releases of the past twelve months CLICK HERE.