Inaugural Eurosaf Two Keelboat Team Racing European Championship

by John Friend on 23 Sep 2012 Eurosaf Two Keelboat (2K) Team Racing European Championship, an exciting form of team racing which is attracting increasing interest from sailors across Europe, is being held from 21st to 23rd September 2012 in Bataviahaven, Lelystad, The Netherlands.

Two keelboat team racing, colloquially known as 2K Team Racing, is a fairly new discipline within team racing, but it is attracting increasing attention in an growing number of European countries, as well as other continents. Early in 2012, Eurosaf decided to give their support to this form of team racing, by agreeing to organise a European Championship in association with the Match and Team Sailing Center of Holland and the Royal Dutch Yachting Association. The Netherlands has become the hot-bed of 2K Team Racing, with a strong and growing inter-club circuit within the country. In addition to the Netherlands, the discipline is practised in Ireland, Great Britain, Italy, Denmark, Germany and Belgium, with the latter having already confirmed their intention of entering a team in the 2013 European Championship. Perhaps the best known 2K team racing event in Europe is the Royal Thames Yacht Club Carmela Cup, which next takes place at Queen Mary Sailing Club, London on 19th and 20th January, 2013.

The inaugural European Championships started on Friday 21st September, in Bataviahaven, Lelystad, and is being competed for by teams from Holland, Germany and Great Britain. A small, but elite entry, with a total of eight teams. The format of the event includes a double round-robin, followed by a third round-robin if time permits, with the winner being the boat with the least number of points after all three race series. If conditions do not allow all three round-robins to complete, the teams will be split into two groups of four, for a sail-off on the third and final day, leading to a best of three race final, which takes place later today, on Sunday 23rd September.

Conditions on Friday were light winds, in the region of 6 to 7 knots, but a full round-robin was completed, with the exception of one race. Saturday saw a significant increase in wind strength, up to 17 knots from the north east, which saw some exciting and close racing. With many crews having female members and one all-female crew, winds at this level made racing a little uneven, so the Race Committee brought all the boats back to the harbour to put reefs in the mainsail. This had an equalising effect on the sailors and racing was able to continue. Another full round robin was completed on Saturday, including the one missing race from Friday, so by Saturday evening the championship was on schedule. Unfortunately, Sunday dawned still and grey, so the Race Committee decided to invoke the option to split the fleet in half, with those placed fifth – eighth sailing one round-robin and those places first – fourth another. Those placed first and second from the second of these round-robins will sail a best of three final. This requires fewer races than completing a third full round-robin.

Provisional Results going into Day 3

Eurosaf website

Team	Nationality	Total Wins	Points
Batavia Sailing Center	NED	14	42
Cambridge Alumni	GBR	9	67
Royal Loosdrecht	NED	8	63
Royal Yachting Association	GBR	8	66
Royal Netherlands	NED	6	76
Dutch Match and Team Racing Association	NED	5	78
Haarlem	NED	5	78
Bayern	GER	1	100