The RS:X World Championships in Spain are entering their final days and the action is only getting more exciting! Day 6 saw gusts peaking over 50 knots. Too much wind for the RS:X Class surely? No… As opposed to racing, the organisers decided instead to simply switch to speed sailing! While they may never break the 50-knot barrier on their 9.5 metre sails, the competitors gave it a very good go in the howling winds.

Defending World Champion Dorian van Rijsselberge from the Netherlands hit an incredible 31.86knots, securing the win in the mens fleet while Hanna Zembrzuska won the ladies fleet, just shy of 26 knots. The two sailors shared the $1,000 prize money.

Check out a video of the action from Day 6 below and Nick Dempsey storming into second place on Day 5 at the bottom of the page…

Winds of 40 knots howled through Cadiz on Friday, forcing the race committee to postpone the competition for a day. After waiting for the conditions to drop all day, the scheduled rest day on Saturday saw one race completed in both the male and female fleets.

Nick Dempsey flat out in Spain

In the Ladies’ fleet, Bryony Shaw is in 7th place. Not dropping out of the top 10 in any of the races so far and regulary in the top 5, Bryony can hopefully climb into the top 5 overall. Lee Korzits from Israel is dominating the women’s fleet, posting a bullet or second place in every race so far! Also representing the UK is young Izzy Hamilton. With a fantastic 4th place in Race 1, Izzy has fallen back slightly in the super windy conditions. She will be sure to climb back up the rankings as the racing continues. Currently in a great 22nd, Izzy is also 3rd in the U21 category.

Izzy Hamilton

Nick Dempsey is leading the way for the Brits and currently sits in fourth place overall. With two bullets and two seconds, Nick is performing well in the stronger winds and is sure to give the remaining races everything he’s got. Tied on points is Greek sailor Byron Kokkalanis – he and Dempesy have had some battles on the water and it’s not over yet!

In 25th place is fellow Brit Elliot Carney. Opening the proceedings with an awesome 3rd place, followed by an 8th and a 7th, Carney has also slipped slightly in the recent stronger winds but will be hungry to power back through the rankings.

Full tilt at Cadiz

Check out a video of the action from Day 4 below and be sue to follow the action on the official RS:X website HERE. Today’s racing is scheduled to kick off just before midday and the wind is already blowing, good luck to all the competitors.

RS:X World Champion and Olympian racer Nick Dempsey is competing at the RS:X World Championships in Cadiz, Spain. The World Championships is the final event before the London Olympics this summer and, as such, is a vital part of Nick’s Gold medal plans. Neil Pryde recently boosted the prize pot to $45,000, giving the racers a further incentive to be the fastest on the course.

Action in Cadiz.

After the first day of competition, three races were completed and GBR-1 has posted some great results already. Not quite finding his stride in the first race due to shifting winds, Nick came in a very respectable 9th place. In the second race, Dempsey really sailed to his potential, taking the win and a second place in the final race of the day. Sitting in 6th place at the moment, Nick will be sure to climb the ranks over the coming days in Spain.

Nick's 'lucky' 13 seeding

You can follow the action on the official RS:X website by clicking HERE and Nick’s Twitter:@nickdempsey1