2024 SIX METRE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS OIVA AND BRIBON ARE CROWNED

Sadly strong winds and big seas prevented racing on the final day of the International Six Metre European Championship 2024 Trofeo Xacobeo in Sanxenxo. After seven fiercely fought races two worthy champions have been declared.

The Open Division 2024 Six Metre European Champion and winner of the Coppa Giovanelli is FIN81 Oiva (2022 designer Allan Savolainen), skippered by Henrik Andersin and crewed by Robert Nyberg, Jacob Granqvist, Theis Palm and the boat’s designer Allan Savolainen, sailing for Nylandska JK.

Henrik Andersin explained that this is the happy culmination of many years of commitment to the Six Metres. “Oh, it feels great. I’ve been chasing this for 21 years. I’ve never won a championship of this size before, so I’m really happy. And, we have a fantastic crew, and I think the organisation here did a really good job with the bad weather situation. So I think the regatta is a success. We believe the boat is good in all weathers. It’s very well balanced. And it’s a new boat. We have had one and a half years of practice on it, and now I think we know what it’s all about.”

The Open Division podium is completed by silver medallist GBR89 Battlecry (1988 designer Ian Howlett), skippered by Jeremy Thorp and crewed by Pedro Costa, Philip Parry, Wouter Stiphout and Joao Matos, sailing for the Royal Yacht Squadron. And in bronze position is SUI77 Junior (1981 designer Pelle Petterson), owned by Rainer Muller, skippered by Loic Forestier and crewed by Mathieu Fischer, Yann Marilley, Kaspar Schadegg and Nicolas Berthoud, sailing for SN de Geneve.

In the Classic Division His Majesty Juan Carlos of Spain has successfully defended his European title with the beautiful ESP16 Bribon (1947 designer Arvid Laurin), crewed by Alejandro Abascal, Ross Macdonald, Lino Perez, Roi Alvarez and Eduardo Marin Lasheras, sailing for the RCN Sanxenxo. At the Prize Giving Gala Dinner they once again received the President Woodrow Wilson Trophy to rousing applause.

Bribon crew member Roi Alvarez spoke on behalf of his team saying, “Well, the truth is that it’s been pretty tough, we’ve had a bit of everything. There have been very variable days, days with a lot of wind, days like yesterday, with very, very little and a bit of a roll. Yesterday we managed to withstand the pressure a little bit because there were some very complicated moments where we were on the verge of losing the championship, but in the end, we managed to come in fourth in the last race and keep the lead. I think that in the end we always went out on the water trying to stay on top and be consistent. We have the advantage of being a very competitive boat. I think that in all wind conditions, and I think that’s key in championships that last many days, not just on the days when it’s windy to be in the top five or six, but on the days when it’s not windy. We would like to thank everyone involved in the championship, to the club for the organisation, to the committee that didn’t have easy conditions to make this championship but were nonetheless able to complete seven out of eight possible races.”.

The Classic Division podium was completed by silver medallist FIN80 Astree III (1959 designer Bjarn Aas), skippered by Ossi Paija, crewed by Thomas Hallberg, Sam Faguerlund, Heikki Pulsa and Kimmo Viljamaa, sailing for the Nylandska JK. And in Bronze Medal position was the RCN Sanxenxo based ESP72 Titia, skippered by Mauricio Sanchez-Bella Carswell and crewed by Alicia Freire Vazquez, Pepe Lis Santos, Francisco Gonzalez Sanchez and Gerado Prego Menor.

The Championship closed with a superb formal prize giving dinner hosted in the club’s elegant dining room, where the crews came together to honour their champions. This historic class has gathered some spectacular trophies over the years and the names on these trophies represent a veritable who’s who of yachting over almost a century. The special trophy award winners this year were:

Titia won the The Lucie Trophy, for the best performing crew in which at least one crew member must be female.

The Nelson Trophy, for the best performing Open Division boat constructed and certified before 6 September 1979 with no underwater modifications, was awarded to Nicolas Jaton’s SUI91 Irene, a 1977 Pelle Petterson design.

The IYRS Astor Cup, for the boat with at least one crew member under the age of 25, was won by ESP59 Aida (1936 Bjarn Aas) owned by Francisco Botas of the RCN Coruna and skippered by Javier De La Gandara Alonso.

The August Ringvold Trophy, for boats originally built to the First or Second Rule, was won by Dirk Stolp and Tom Owen GBR40 Valdai, which was designed to the Second International Rule by the legendary Alfred Mylne in 1930 and built by the Bute Slip Doc Co at Port Bannatyne on the Clyde.

There are also special trophies for the all-amateur Corinthian crews, and this year the Trofeo Pierre-Paul Heckly, for the Open Division Corinthian Champion, was won by SUI191 Irene, and the Trofeo May Be VI, for the Classic Corinthian Champion, went to FIN80 Astree III

As the regatta drew to a close, International Six Metre Association President Louis Heckly was fulsome in his praise for his fellow competitors and the organisers. “It’s been an extraordinary but wonderful regatta. We have two truly worthy winners in his Majesty King Juan Carlos’ Bribon, and Henrik Andersin’s Oiva. I am particularly delighted for Henrik as he has been such a wonderful supporter of the Six Metres for more than two decades and I know this victory means a great deal to him. Once again, the Real Club Nautico de Sanxenxo has thrown open its doors to welcome the Sixes and provide us with an outstanding championship. The Race Committee showed exceptional skill in judging the unusually difficult conditions to achieve almost all the races, and we are all most grateful to the club’s members and staff for their warm hospitality, and to the sponsors for their generous support. Sanxenxo holds a special place in our hearts, and we look forward to returning.”

FINAL TOP FIVE

OPEN DIVISION