Palamós Optimist Trophy 2024 - Day 1
by Jaume Soler 16 Feb 2024 21:26 AEDT
34th Palamós Optimist Trophy day 1 - The starting ramp at Platja Gran de Palamós © Alfred Farré
The first day of the 34th International Vila del Palamós Optimist Trophy leaves Swedish sailor Oscar Wetter at the top of the leaderboard, remaining undefeated after winning the two races held in the blue group, edging out Catalan sailor Juan Lleonart (CN El Balís) by one point, in the waters of the bay of Palamós.
The day started with fog and a Garbí wind, blowing from the southwest at about 15 knots, with which the first race was contested. The fleet is divided into five groups, each distinguished by colors, with 110 boats in each start. The initial nervousness of the fleet led to several general recalls with a black flag.
Lleonart and Wetter made it clear they wanted to be protagonists, winning, as did Balearic sailor Lucas Montoya (CN Arenal) in the green group, Catalan sailor Fede Blanco (CN El Balís) in the red group, and Polish sailor Maurycy Kosmowski in the yellow group. However, the latter three did not hold up in the second race, and did not even finish in the top ten.
In the second race, Wetter and Lleonart continued their dominance, with the Scandinavian winning and the Spaniard coming in second. Following them in terms of consistency were the Catalans Joan Domingo (CN Cambrils), who scored two third-place finishes and currently holds third position overall, and Leo Alonso (CN El Balís), with a second and a fifth-place finish. Also in the mix is the European runner-up, Mateo Carbonell (CN Jávea) from Alicante, with two fourth-place finishes.
These sailors occupy the top five spots in the overall standings, in a day that provided opportunities for everyone, as the wind in the first race was light and increased to around 5-6 knots in the second, allowing for a variety of conditions for the fleet.
From there, a small gap of between nine and eleven points opens up, with one of the favorites, Catalan sailor Iker Mújica (CN Cambrils), in tenth place; Oriol Costabella (RCN Barcelona) in twelfth place; Andalusian sailor Leo Zabell (CM Benalmádena); and Balearic sailor Xuacu García (CN Cala Gamba) in fourteenth place.
The top female sailor is Ukrainian Olha Lubianska, currently in eleventh place overall.
Tomorrow, Friday, a Gregal wind is forecasted, blowing from the northeast at an intensity of between 12 and 14 knots, and the Committee will attempt to hold three starts for all groups, with a discard applied after the fourth race.
After Friday's racing, the Winner Party will be held at the Platja Gran Village, one of the most anticipated moments for the participants.
Results: www.palamosoptimisttrophy.org/en/default/races/race-resultsall