Italians strong at Nacra 17 Europeans

Weymouth, England (May 13, 2019) – The Nacra 17 Europeans got underway today with wind in the mid-teens, a welcome relief from a run of light-airs regattas so far in 2019. Also returning to form was Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti (ITA) as the defending World Champions and two time defending European Champions strung together three bullets that echoed their performances in 2018.

Among the 55-boat fleet, the top teams separated themselves with blistering downwind boatspeed. Using a stealthy combination of coordination, feel, balance, and guts on a challenging but manageable swell, the best Nacra 17 teams worked to get into a foiling rhythm that separated the top of the fleet from the rest.

Long time campaigner from Denmark, Alan Norregaard commented that they really improved in handling the waves as the day went on. It was, after all, the first time he and fellow Bronze medalist Katja Iversen had sailed in waves so large in the Nacra 17, having only recently started their campaign together. They managed a 9, 10, 9, and left the top places to those with more experience.

The waves sifted the skill well today, with most teams ‘jumping’ or ‘skipping’ at least a few times on every downwind. Those teams that could manage minimize the interruptions made large gains and scored well. Teams nearer the back of the fleet resorted to low riding in order to survive the conditions.

The Nacra 17 Europeans are on May 13 to 19 off Weymouth, England.

Day One Results (Top 5 of 55; 3 races)
1. ITA Ruggero Tita, Caterina Banti 3
2. ITA Vittorio Bissaro, Maele Friscari 6
3. ESP Tara Pacheco, Florien Trittel 8
4. FRA Billy Besson, Marie Riou 9
5. DEN Lin Cenholt, CP Lubeck 10

Event details – Results – Facebook

North American Results:
Top ten or top position
24th (3 races): Sarah Newberry (Miami, Fla.) & David Liebenberg (Livermore, Calif.)

Competing from North America:
Canada: Allie Surrette/ Max Flinn
USA: Sarah Newberry/ David Liebenberg, Riley Gibbs/ Anna Weis, Ravi Parent/ Caroline Atwood, Nicholas Martin/ Romy Mackenbrock

Source: Port Tack Racing