Six Metre European Championship 2024 at Real Club Nautico de Sanxenxo – Day 2
by Fiona Brown 1 Oct 14:02 PDT
1 October 2024
Six Metre European Championship day 2 © SailingShots by Maria Muiña
The weather gods delivered favorable winds on day two of the Six Metre European Championships 2024 Trofeo Xacobeo, but adverse rains and low visibility made conditions challenging on the water.
Initially, the Race Committee of Real Club Nautico de Sanxenxo postponed racing ashore but later moved the fleet to the inshore course in front of the clubhouse. Despite fluctuating visibility, three solid races were completed for both fleets in a robust south-westerly wind, marking races two through four of the eight-race series.
Once again, racing proved incredibly competitive, with the increased wind favoring some while presenting challenges for others. The occurrence of six different winners across the six individual races undoubtedly highlights the high caliber of the competition.
Overall Standings
The overall standings currently feature a three-way tie for the lead, with Basil Vasiliou’s Jane Ann (1985 Pelle Petterson design) maintaining her position through tiebreaker rules, sharing equal points with Rainer Muller’s Junior, a 1981 Pelle Petterson design that is often considered one of the most successful Six Metres, helmed by Loic Forestier, and Henrik Andersin’s Oiva, designed by Allan Savolainen and built in 2022 by Finland’s Red Sky Yachts. Four points back and also determined by countback are Jeremy Thorp’s Battlecry (1988 Ian Howlett) in fourth and Violeta Alvarez’s Stella (2017 Juan Kouyoumdjian) in fifth.
Nicolas Berthoud from Junior expressed satisfaction with their outcomes. “I’d say we performed quite well in the first two races, followed probably by a ninth, though it was quite a difficult, wet day. The left side of the course was very favored, and we capitalized on that, even managing to recover from a bad start once; all in all, it turned out to be a fantastic day for us.”
In the Classic Division’s overall standings, the regatta has evolved into a contest primarily between His Majesty King Juan Carlos of Spain’s Bribon (1947 Arvind Laurin), helmed by Ross Macdonald today, and Ossi Paija’s Astree III (1959 Bjarne Aas). Bribon scored 2, 1, 2 to hold a three-point lead over Astree III, who recorded 1, 2, 4 in today’s races. A victory in race four propelled Mauricio Sanchez-Bella Carswell’s Titia (1953 David Boyd) past Louis Heckly’s Fun (1937 Olin Stephens) for third overall, while Miguel Lago’s Alibaba II, designed by Tore Holm in 1948 and a bronze medalist in the Olympic Games of 1948 and 1952, rounded out the Classics’ top five.
Following the racing, Ossi Paija reflected on Astree III’s day. “Today was quite interesting. The first challenge was figuring out where the top mark was because visibility was poor! The next challenge was spotting the bottom mark for the same reason. It was very rainy and wavy. We faced heavy rainfall and fog—pretty much everything nature could throw at us. Yet, we had excellent races. We showed good speed in the first race and won. The second was again quite tight, and we finished second. Unfortunately, we ended the third race in fourth, leading to a slight downward trend. Nonetheless, it was a fantastic sailing day for us, and we are still in contention. His Majesty’s Bribon holds the lead, but I believe we are in second place, so the championship is within reach, and we look forward to the upcoming days.”
Open Division Race Summary
In the Open Division, Oiva demonstrated exceptional speed in race two. With only one season of racing experience, this team has been searching for the perfect balance in their boat, and they certainly seemed to have found it today. Stella claimed second in race two, followed by Battlecry in third, and Nick and Fotis Lykiardopulo’s Aera in fourth, with Duclop trailing.
In race three, Junior secured a great start and ultimately triumphed in a tough battle with Battlecry. Stella closely followed in third after outperforming Duclop and Jane Ann on the final leg. Although Duclop initially finished fourth on the water, a subsequent disqualification in a port-starboard protest against Ginkgotoo boosted Jane Ann into fourth position.
Race four in the Opens showcased another fierce contest, with race one winner Jane Ann regaining her form to lead the fleet ahead of Junior in second, Oiva in third, Jan Eckert’s Ginkgotoo in fourth, and Aera in fifth.
Classic Division Race Summary
After being narrowly defeated by Bribon in yesterday’s first race, Astree III sought revenge and achieved it in race two, successfully holding off all advances from Bribon to claim her first victory of the regatta. The competition behind them was equally fevered, with Titia finishing third ahead of Fun and Alibaba II.
With a crew that includes Pedro Campos, Alejandro Abascal, and Ross Macdonald, the Bribon team can never be underestimated, and they bounced back stronger in race three, engaging in another fierce battle with Astree III, which she narrowly won at the finish line. Alibaba II claimed third place, followed by Catalin Trandafir’s Essential in fourth and Andy Postle’s Nirvana in fifth.
Race four broke the Bribon-Astree II dominance, as Titia led the fleet, effectively fending off repeated attempts from Bribon. Fun finished third, Astree II was fourth, and Javier de La Gandara Alonso’s Aida, helmed by Francisco Botas, took fifth.
After racing, the crews returned to the Real Club Nautico de Sanxenxo, where the post-race gathering had been relocated indoors to the club’s stunning third-floor bar, boasting views of the race area. Additionally, the boiler room was opened, allowing everyone to dry their gear!
Four races remain in the series, which continues until Saturday, October 5.
Open division standings after day 2:
1. USA 105 – Jane Anne – Basil Vasiliou/Steffan Lindberg – 1, 8, 4, 1 = 14
2. SUI77 – Junior – Rainer Muller/Loic Forestier – 2, 9, 1, 2 = 14
3. FIN81 – Oiva – Henrik Andersin – 5, 1, 5, 3 = 14
4. GBR89 – Battlecry – Jeremy Thorp – 4, 3, 2, 10 = 19
5. ESP116 – Stella – Violeta Alvarez – 7, 2, 3, 7 = 19
Classic division standings after day 2:
1. ESP 16 – Bribon – His Majesty King Juan Carlos – 1, 2, 1, 2 = 6
2. FIN80 – Astree – Ossi Paija – 2, 1, 2, 4 = 9
3. ESP72 – Titia – Mauricio Sanchez-Bella Carswell – 4, 3, 7, 1 = 15
4. FRA11 – Fun – Louis Heckly – 3, 5, 6, 3 = 17
5. ESP50 – Alibaba II – Miguel Lago Cereceda – 5, 8, 3, 7 = 23
Full results: toa.6meuropeans2024.com/results
Tracking: 6meuropeans2024.com/en/tracking-2
Event website: 6meuropeans2024.com
