Garda Trentino Olympic Week - Breakages, capsizes and retirements

by Elena Giolai on 11 May 2014 Day four was another great day at Garda Trentino Olympic week, one day from the end of the first EUROSAF Champions Sailing Cup event. Same ingredients as the rest of the week with the wind oscillating between 10 and 20 Kts, and even stronger in the last races. With loads of breakages, capsizes and retirements due to the tough conditions.

Great satisfaction for this first stage of qualification races from all the Clubs taking part in the Vela Garda Trentino, who have contributed to the grass roots organization: Fraglia Vela Riva, Lega Navale Italiana, Circolo Vela Arco, Circolo Surf Torbole e Fraglia Vela Malcesine who have all been involved in providing five separate courses to satisfy the demands of the ever more professional athletes and coaches coming from almost 50 nations and five continents. This group of Sailing Clubs worked really well together by coordinating, committees, International Juries and on the water and on shore volunteers. This is a show of significant force and dedication for the sake of Olympic sport.

Tomorrow will be the conclusion of the regatta with the ‘Medal Races’, the end game for the first 10 sailors of every class: great anticipation for the 49ers and the 49ers FX which are going to challenge in three race finals as are the Nacra 17’s as opposed to just one race for all the other classes. The 49ers are going to race on a course limited by a line of buoys so as not to be missed from the streaming of the race that can be watched from all over the world, bringing the reputation of Lake Garda and Olympic Sailing to the five continents.

Nacra 17, three races today, nine races in total Location Fraglia vela Malcesine.

Speed, dexterity, preparation and affinity all these attributes make this mixed catamaran more and more fascinating. At the Fraglia Vela Malcesine less intense wind but definitely exciting, interesting and demanding sailing with 15 knots of wind Just as they had a couple of days ago. They ran three races again today and to make them a little longer they made the boats complete three rounds of the course. Still on top form today, Bissaro and Sicouri had two firsts and a second and are emphatically in the lead with a stratospheric 24 point advantage over the French Vaireaux and Audinet.

2.4 – Sonar – Skud 18, two races today out of a total six races – Location: Fraglia Vela Malcesine

The first medals of the 2014 Garda Trentino Olympic Week 2014 were awarded today at the Fraglia Vela Malcesine: in the Paralympic classes the Italians dominated the Sonar finals with the three hander captained by Cristiano D’Agaro (Triestina Sailing Club) who after three days of steady sailing landed two good victories which were enough to lengthen their lead and to win by five points over the German Kern team. The Dutch Barend easily won in the 2.4 class after winning eight out of nine races. Silver went to Antonio Squizzato who out-performed the German Bodler. The Skud 18 classification was as predicted a victory for the English Rickam and Birrell team and silver went to Italians Gualandris and Zanetti with Dutch Voorback and Van Essenveld in bronze position.

RSX M/F three races today, 12 races in total Location Circolo Surf Torbole

At the Circolo Surf Torbole the classification remains unchanged for the RSX men’s. Out of the medal race are Oman and Slovenia. It was another amazing day for Marcantonio Baglione who with grit and determination has been seeking to claw his way back into the reckoning. After a first and a third today he started the last race really badly but one by one he passed his adversaries and at the end crossed the line in first place. It was a great show of character after a difficult start to the regatta. Tomorrows medal race counts for double points, the Croat Mratovic is in the lead with a six point advantage over the Italian Camboni and one point behind him is the Thai Boonsawad. In the women’s event victory for Flavia Tartaglini, 13 points behind is the Japanese Sunaga third is the Italian Veronica Fanciulli who has been steadily improving.

470 M/F two races today out of a total six races – location: Fraglia Vela Riva.

The situation before Protests have been heard.

The Croatian Olympic team Fantela and Marenic didn’t make any mistakes today and with a first and second place, they arrived at the medal race with a three point lead over Germans Fernandez and Szymanshi. The Italian team Desiderato-Trani gave ground with a sixth place and an OCS and slid into third place five points behind the leaders. Tomorrow they will be racing for podium places. There is a real battle going on between fourth, fifth and sixth places with three teams within two points of each other of which Capurro and Puppo are hanging on to fourth position.

In the women’s racing, the Polish Skrzypulec and Pogon are still leading with a first and a third today giving them a two point lead over Roberta Caputo (European champion and world 420 in 2009) and Alice- Sinno who are in second place thanks to a good day (2,2).

49er and 49er FX, three races today out of a total 12 races. Location: Fraglia Vela Riva.

The situation before Protests have been heard.

Exciting stuff on the race course with the men’s 49er leaders Plazzi and Molineris breaking their mast during the first race, in which they stumbled with an OCS. After a quick return to shore to change the carbon mast they were able to participate in the third race in which they came fourth. In the lead are the French D’Ortoli and Delpech. The 49ers will be fighting out the medal races with three short races.

Among the women, the New Zealanders Maloney and Meech have stayed in the lead, followed by the Germans Meyer and Stoffers and then the Danish Hansen and Salskov. Martine Grael and her crew Kahena Kunze had some problems with the strong wind despite their sailing heritage: after a 12th place and an 11th they capsized and didn’t cross the finish line. Eight different nationalities will be competing in the Medal Race.

Laser Standard and Radial, two races today, nine races in total. Four Gold/Silver- Location Circolo Vela Arco

Nothing new to report in the Laser Standard fleet with Robert Scheidt leaving absolutely no chance to his rivals. Eight nations are represented in the medal race the gaps in the points being quite considerable.

A decisive lead in the Laser Radial for the Irish sailor Murphy who is in command with a 16 point advantage over the Italian Silvia Zennaro who has a four point lead over the Dane Rindom.