FX Open Series concludes a great MedSailing 2024 with victory for the British team of Pank & Morris
by Jaume Soler 24 Feb 2024 02:51 AEDT
20-23 February 2024
MedSailing 2024 FX Open Series © Alfredo Llobet
The MedSailing 2024, organized by the Club Nàutic El Balís, has come to an end after ten intense days of competition in the waters of Sant Andreu de Llavaneres (Barcelona).
The FX Open Series closed this edition on Friday, which began on February 15 with the 29er EuroCup. During the last four days, the 49erFX boats have been the protagonists, with equality being at its maximum until the last race.
The British duo of William Pank and Hannah Morris emerged as the overall winners, surpassing the French team of Sam Chambet and Karl Devaux in the final race, who had been the dominant force throughout the championship. Both crews finished tied on 17 points after 12 races, but the British team secured five first-place finishes compared to four by the French. The third position on the podium went to the Swiss crew of Sam Chambet and Pierre Jully.
In the women's category, victory went to Spain, with the Galician-Balearic crew of Stella Maris Enríquez and Marta Cardona (RCN Vigo/CN Arenal), who finished fourth overall, tied with the third-placed team. The Swedish duo of Ebban and Ellen Fredriksson took second place, with the Swiss pair of Sophie Studer and Johanna Klötzli finishing third.
The other Spanish crew in contention, formed by Daniel Cardona and Pablo Llorens (CN Arenal/RCN La Coruña), finished in fifth place overall. Problems on the second day, where they had to retire and lost three races, prevented them from fighting for a podium position.
The weather was favorable during the FX Open Series at El Balís, with wind throughout all the days, allowing for up to twelve races to be held.
The Sports Director of CN El Balís, Magda Resano, expressed her satisfaction with this edition of the MedSailing: "It has been two very intense weeks, first with the 29er and then with the FX, and we are very happy with how everything went."
Regarding the novelty of the FX boats, she explains that "this first experience has been very positive for both the participants, the class, and the club. This year we had the handicap that the World Championship will be next week in Lanzarote and still we had 11 boats. We will continue working so that next year we can double the participation, and in this regatta, we want quality to prevail over quantity."
In this first participation of the 49erFX in the MedSailing, eleven crews from six countries took part: Spain, France, Finland, Great Britain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
See full results here