GAES Christmas Race - Tricky conditions on Day 2 + Video

by Michalis Pateniotis on 20 Dec 2013 GAES Christmas Race second day in Palamós started with a strong SW wind expected to blow until midday and then begin to lose strength. The Race Committees were at the racing areas ready to give starts at the scheduled times but drizzles brought big changes with the wind shifting and dropping and therefore providing tricky conditions for sailing. So it was a wet, cold day and sailors sailed in unstable SW wind conditions and battling constantly to keep race positions.

Three bullets in today’s races gives a comfortable advantage to Spanish sailor Jesús Rogel in the Laser standard followed in second place by British sailor Lorenzo Brando at 13 points. Third place is for another British sailor, Martin Evans.

The Finn class sees a new leader with Slovenian Vasilij Zbogar (Esimit Europa) taking the top place of the standings with two second places and fourth in today’s races. Zbogar is just at one point from second classified Deniss Karpak (Starter) from Estonia. Third place is now for Spanish sailor Pablo Guitián (Auto Cádiz) tied in points with also Spanish sailor Alex Muscat (Dr Sails who is now fourth.

The Danish teams dominate the FX fleet on the top three places after today’s races. Ida Marie Baad and Marie Thusgaard (Wavebreaker) keep the lead although they didn’t have such a consistent performance as yesterday. Second place, at only four points, is for Lin Ea Cenholt and Anders and third place is for Jean Mai Hansen/Katja Steen (Katja Salkov).

It was the debut of the 29er class today at the GAES Christmas Race and Spain takes the lead after three races with Nil Mas and Jordi Llena followed by British sailors Mimi El-Khazindar and Ben Batten (Mer Union) and Dutch team Cas Van Dongen and Daniel R. Bramervaer, second and third respectively.

French team Pierre Leboucher and Nicolas Le Berre (Battous) keeps the lead in the 470 men fleet but the most interesting battle is for second and third place between team Onán Barreiros and Juan Curbelo and Jordi Xammar and Joan Herp with only a one point gap between both. The lead in 470 women is for British team Amy Seabright and Anna Carpenter.

Firm leadership in 49er with Finnish team at the top of the leader board followed by Danish Olympic champion Jonas Warrer and Peter Orsted and British sailors Nic Asher and Fynn Sterritt (UK Sport Lotter).

Tatiana Drozdovskaya continues at the top of the Laser Radial women standings although the sailor of the day was Spanish Irene Mira, who with three bullets climbs to second overall at only two points from the leader. Third place is for Polish sailor Agata Barwinska. In the Radial men, Spanish sailor Mon Cañellas is the new leader with two points over also Spanish sailor, Héctor Domínguez (Hobby Nautic) leaving behind third classified, Polish sailor Raczkowski.

British lead in the 420 with team Max Clapp and Joseph Burns (Izzy) in first place followed by Spanish sailors Paula Barceló and Margarita Alba (EBE-Bauhaus) and Polish team Ewa Romaniuk and Katarzyna Goralska, second and third respectively.

Strong Northerly winds are forecasted to start blowing tonight and throughout tomorrow so teams will probably have to face extreme conditions and exciting sailing.


All results available on the regatta website