470 Europeans: Late but worth the wait

Sanremo, Italy (May 11, 2019) – Perseverance was needed, but patience was rewarded with exciting racing on Day 3 of the 470 Europeans. After several hours of waiting ashore, the breeze picked up and at around 18:10 the Race Committee was able to launch the first and only race of the day for both the men/mixed and women fleets.

With an easterly of 10 knots that progressively reached 15 knots, the first group to start was the yellow, shortly followed by the blue and finally by the women. All in all racing was over in around 40 minutes.

Today’s race contributed to better shape the provisional standing, wrapping up the men’s/mixed teams’ qualification. All the crews proceed to the finals and have been divided into Gold and Silver fleets, with the top 35 fighting for the medal race scheduled for May 14.

Reigning European champions Anton Dahlberg and Fredrik Bergstrom from Sweden move to second place thanks to a win in the blue group, while Australian stars Mathew Belcher and Will Ryan keep a solid margin in the overall Open standing (that includes the non-European teams) with a second place in the yellow group.

“My birthday was yesterday,” noted Dahlberg. “Long waiting but once we got a race; the wind was on our side and I could celebrate belatedly. Super happy to come out with a win today. A day where the race was almost about waiting smart.”

Despite a twelfth, Austrians David Bargehr and Lukas Maehr maintain the third spot, tied at points with the Swedes. Spain’s Jordi Xammar/Nicolas Rodriguez and Greece’s Panagiotis Mantis with Pavlos Kagialis both scored a third that puts them in fourth and fifth position respectively.

The fourth race in the women’s fleet went to Poland’s Agnieszka Skrzpulec and Jolanda Ogar, who catch up some positions in the overall scoreboard led by Israel’s Gil Cohen and Noha Lasry, who scored a second today and have taken over British duo Hannah Mills and Eilidh McIntyre, who finished in eight position.

In third overall, with very consistent results in the series so far, the French Camille Lecointre and Aloise Retornaz, just one point in front of Netherland’s Afrodite Zegers and Lobke Berkhout, serious contenders for a spot in the medal race like Spanish Silvia Mas Depares and Patricia Cantero Reina.

Representing North America are three teams from the USA: Stuart McNay and David Hughes in 19th, Atlantic Brugman and Nora Brugman in 31st, and Nikole Barnes and Lara Dallman-Weiss in 39th after not competing on day one due to illness.

Tomorrow, Sunday May 12, the first signal is scheduled for 11:00 with a weather forecast for an intense east/northeasterly.

Racing at the 470 European Championship is on May 9 to 14 in Marina degli Aregai, Italy.

Event details – Results – Facebook

The 470 Europeans consist of a series of fleet races and a final medal race, if more than five qualifying races have been completed, for the top 10 teams in each fleet. The racing will be on windward/leeward or trapezoid courses. The championship has an open format, that means that non-Europeans crews can compete but cannot run for the European title.

Source: Carla Anselmi