The event organized by the Real Club Náutico de Sanxenxo crosses the halfway line with the dispute of a third day in which the wind and rain were again protagonists.
In Classics, “Bribon” continues to settle at the top of the table. In the Open division, the overall ranking is compressed with a double tie in the lead between the Swiss team “Junior” and the crew of the RCNS’s “Stella”.
Sanxenxo, Spain, 2 October 2024
The battle for the continental title of the 6 Meters in the Trofeo Xacobeo continues. The race organized by the Real Club Náutico de Sanxenxo (RCNS) has crossed the halfway point today with the dispute of the third day of competition, and has done so with “Bribon” extending its lead in Classics and with a double tie between “Junior” and “Stella” at the top of the overall Open.
The squall is not giving any respite. Today, Wednesday, Sanxenxo dawned again with rain and very strong gusts of wind that exceeded 25 knots in intensity for much of the morning. The weather forecast, however, indicated that conditions would improve from 14:00 hours, so the race committee and the fleet were kept waiting for several hours.
Finally, the forecast was fulfilled and at 15:40 hours the starting horn was blown for the only race scheduled for today in both divisions, with a westerly wind of about twelve knots of intensity and in the race course located in front of Sanxenxo.
“Titia” wins the day’s race and “Bribon” widens its lead in Classics
It was a great day for the “Titia” of Mauricio Sanchez-Bella in the Classics division. The team representing the RCNS had no rival in this fifth championship race, and the truth is that it did not take long to get to the front of the fleet to win a resounding first place that allowed it to get even closer to the leading group.
“We managed to make a good start, we got in front and then it was more or less controlling the fleet. There are three days ahead for three races with really difficult conditions, very light winds, but we’ll see what happens, better to be where we are than further back,” said the Galician Pepe Lis, crew member of ‘Titia’, after the fleet returned to the pontoons of the Pontevedra club.
Behind, the fight of the day was between José Cusí’s “Bribon”, once again with Ross McDonald at the helm, and Catalin Trandafir’s Romanian “Essentia”. A hand to hand that was resolved in the last stretch of the course in favor of the RCNS boat, which continues to hold on to the overall lead and extends its lead over the Finnish “Astree III” of Ossi Paija, which now separates him by five points. Sanchez-Bella’s “Titia” closed the podium for another day.
Behind, there were no major changes in the overall standings, with Miguel Lago’s “Alibaba” from Monte Real Club de Yates and Louis Heckly’s French “Fun” fighting for fourth and fifth place overall. They do so, however, further away from the podium, and until the discard comes into play the teams of Lago and Heckly are 13 and 16 points respectively from the roll of honor.
Open Class: “Junior” and “Stella” tied at the top of the table
The classification of the Open division could not be tighter. The only race sailed on this third day of the Trofeo Xacobeo has caused a new turnaround in the general classification and a double tie in the lead.
The “Stella” of Violeta Álvarez, who on Monday started the championship in seventh place and yesterday was fifth, took to the water today ready to continue their comeback. The RCNS boat had no problems getting to to the front line almost from the start and was able to defend first place until the end, scoring their first partial victory of the week.
“Today has been a very wet and foggy day, but we have enjoyed it. I have a great team and I am very fortunate; the atmosphere is always very positive and we will continue to have fun no matter what comes,” said Alvarez at the end of the day.
With these results, and after the leader “Junior” scored a sixth place today, the general classification changed and the Swiss team of Rainer Muller keeps first position tied on points with the team of Violeta Álvarez, who now occupies second place. Behind, the Finnish “Oiva” of Henrik Andersin remains third, just one point behind “Junior” and “Stella”, so everything could change again tomorrow with the dispute of the sixth round of the championship.
“Jane Ann” and ‘Battlecry’, meanwhile, are in fourth and fifth position respectively and both are only three points away from the podium. A very tight ranking in which the top five teams have all the options open three days before the end of the European Championship.
Tomorrow, Thursday, if the program is fulfilled and the conditions allow, after the dispute of the sixth race of the championship, the discard will come into play and the teams may discard their worst partial scored so far, which could cause new changes in the general. With light winds forecast for the next three days, the committee will try to give the starting signal at 12:00 noon.
RESULTS – DAY 3
Classics
Position/Country/Boat/Skipper/Points
1. ESP, Bribon, El Rey Juan Carlos, 8 points
2. FIN, Astree II, Ossi Paija, 13 points
3. ESP, Titia, Mauricio Sánchez-Bella, 16 points
4. ESP, Alibaba II, Miguel Lago, 29 points
5. FRA, Fun, Louis Heckly, 32 points
Open
Position/Country/Boat/Skipper/Points
1. SUI, Junior, Loic Forestier, 20 points
2. ESP, Stella, Violeta Álvarez, 20 points
3. FIN, Oiva, Henrik Andersin, 21 points
4. USA, Jane Ann, Staffan Lindberg, 24 points
5. GBR, Battlecry, Jeremy Thorp, 24 points
Trofeo Xacobeo 6M Europeans 2024
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