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2024 SIX METRE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS OIVA AND BRIBON ARE CROWNED

October 6, 2024 fionabrown Leave a comment

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

FIN81 – Oiva – Henrik Andersin – 5, 1, 5, 3, (7), 2, 4 = 20
GBR89 – Battlecry – Jeremy Thorp – 4, 3, 2, (10), 5, 5, 6 = 25
SUI77 – Junior – Rainer Muller/Loic Forestier – 2, (9), 1, 2, 6, 7, 8 = 25
SUI142 – Momo – Dieter Schoen – 6, 6, (8), 6, 4, 1, 2 = 25
ESP116 – Stella – Violeta Alvarez – 7, 2, 3, 7, 1, 6, (8) = 26

CLASSIC DIVISION

ESP 16 – Bribon – His Majesty King Juan Carlos – 1, 2, 1, 2, 2, (8), 4 = 12
FIN80 – Astree – Ossi Paija – 2, 1, 2, (4), 4, 2, 2, 7, 7 = 13
ESP72 – Titia – Mauricio Sanchez-Bella Carswell – 4, 3, (7), 1, 1, 7, 7 = 23
ESP50 – Aida – Francisco Botas – 4, (9), 8, 5, 5, 1, 1 = 26
FRA11 – Fun – Louis Heckly – 3, 5, 6, 3, (OCS), 4, 9 = 30

FULL RESULTS

News

OIVA AND BRIBON ARE 2024 INTERNATIONAL SIX METRE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS!

October 5, 2024 fionabrown Leave a comment

Due to strong winds, big seas and poor visibility no racing is possible on the final day of the International Six Metre European Championship 2024 Trofeo Xacobeo, and so we are delighted to announce that our 2024 European Champions are:

2024 International Six Metre Open European Champion FIN81 Oiva – all images ©SailingShots by Maria Muiña

Open Six Metre European Champions 2024 – 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.

2024 International Six Metre Classic European Champion ESP16 Bribon

Classic Six Metre European Champions 2024 – ESP16 Bribon (1947 designer Arvid Laurin), skippered by His Majesty King Juan Carlos of Spain and crewed by Alejandro Abascal, Ross Macdonald, Lino Perez, Roy Alvarez and Eduardo Marin Lasheras, sailing for the RCN Sanxenxo.

In the Open Division our podium is completed by:

2024 International Six Metre Open European Silver Medallist GBR89 Battlecry

Open Division Silver Medallist GBR89 Battlecry (1988 designer Ian Howlett), skippered by Jeremy Thorp and crewed by Pedro Costa, Philip Parry, Wouter Stipout and Joao Matos, sailing for the Royal Yacht Squadron.

2024 International Six Metre Open European Bronze Medallist SUI77 Junior

Open Division Bronze Medallist 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 our podium is completed by:

2024 International Six Metre Classic European Silver Medallist FIN80 Astree III

Classic Division Silver Medallist FIN80 Astree III (1959 Bjarn Aas) skippered by Ossi Paija and crewed by Thomas Hallberg, Sam Fauerlaund, Heikki Pulse and Kimmo Viljamaa, sailing for the Nylandska JK.

2024 International Six Metre Classic European Bronze Medallist ESP72 Titia

Classic Division Bronze Medallist ESP72 Titia (1952 designer David Boyd) skippered by Mauricio Sanchez-Bella Carswell, and crewed by Alicia Freire Vazquez, Pepe Lis Santos, Francisco Gonzalez Sanchez and Gerardo Preto Menor, sailing for the RCN Sanxenxo.

The Gala Prize Giving Dinner will take place at the Real Club Nautico de Sanxenxo this evening and we will have a full report for you including confirmation of all our special division winners and photos later.

News

ALL CHANGE ON DAY FIVE OF THE SIX METRE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS 2024 TROFEO XACOBEO

October 4, 2024 fionabrown Leave a comment

The sun finally came out on day five of the International Six Metre European Championships 2024 Trofeo Xacobeo, where it was all change on the leaderboards as races six and seven of the eight race series were completed for both Open and Classic Divisions and the single scoring discard came into play.

Once again there was an initial postponement as the visibility improved and the wind filled in. But the wait was worth it and both races were run in a light and pleasantly warm, if rather shifty, six to eight knot south westerly. After the wet and windy conditions earlier in the regatta it was a welcome change of pace for the teams.

In the Open Division new faces came to the fore and the overnight leaders both struggled. Henrik Andersin’s Oiva (2022 Allan Savolainen) took a second and third place to bounce up from third into a five-point overall lead. Jeremy Thorp’s Battlecry (1988 Ian Howlett) went into the day in fifth and added a pair of fifths to his card, so now sits in second place. A single point behind him is Rainer Muller’s Junior (1981 Pelle Petterson), skippered by Loic Forestier, who drops out of the lead after a seventh and eighth place.

Defending Open Division Champion Dieter Schoen’s Momo (2022 Judel Vrolijk) hasn’t had the best of weeks so far, but she found form again today to win race six and take second in race seven, putting her into fourth overall but on equal points with Junior. Also off her usual pace was Violeta Alvarez’s Stella (2017 Juan Kouyoumdjian), who could manage no better than a sixth and eighth so drops from second into fifth, a point behind Junior and Momo. The day’s other race winner was Nick and Fotis Lykiardopolou’s Aera (1988 Pelle Petterson) who scored a fourth and then won race seven to end the day in sixth overall.

A pre-start port/starboard incident between Eugenio Galdon Brugarolas’ Maybe XIV and Basil Vasiliou’s Jane Ann, skippered by Steffan Lindberg, sadly saw Jane Ann holed above the waterline. Maybe XIV retired from the race and the Jury awarded Jane Ann average points, which means she sadly drops down from fourth overall to sixth.

Back ashore Henrik Andersin was delighted with Oiva’s performance. “Today was a very challenging day, and we didn’t have much wind. It’s weird hanging around for a long time. We really thought it was a hard sail. I think the feeling in the Open Class is just great. We are helping each other, and we support each other. So, it’s going great. And I think also our crew is very happy!”

In the Classic Division His Majesty King Juan Carlos’ Bribon (1947 Arvin Laurin) took an eighth in race six, which she immediately discarded, followed by a fourth in race seven, which was just sufficient to allow her to retain the overall Classic Division lead. However, Ossi Paija’s Astree II (1959 Bjarn Aas) fared much better with a pair of second places and now sits just a single point behind Bribon.

Ten points behind in third place of the Classics is Mauricio Sanchez-Bella Carswell’s Titia (1952 David Boyd) after a pair of seventh places. But the boat of the day in the Classics fleet was without doubt Francisco Botas’ Aida (1931 Alfred Mylne), skippered by Javier De La Gandara Alonso, which put in a stunning performance to win both races and move into fourth overall, four points ahead of Louis Heckly’s Fun (1937 Olin Stephens), which had added fourth and ninth to her card, dropping one place down the ranking.

Diego Fernandez of Aida explained that the conditions played a big part in their double race victory. “It was a light wind day which the boat enjoys. We hit the right shifts. We had a good start and steady racing. We got quite a lot right, and the boat was going very well, very fast. After days of strong wind, big waves, days when the boat wasn’t going well, we were a little bit stressed and the truth is that today the boat was going very well in light wind, and the crew were delighted. Today is the special type of day when everything comes together, to do two firsts everything has to be perfect, otherwise the others will beat you. It’s incredibly tough racing, all good boats, good helms, good trimmers, very tough. We’re all very close together and you have to stick your head out metre by metre.”

With a single race left to complete on the final day of the competition the rankings in both Divisions remain wide open. The forecast for the last day is tricky to read to say the least. Torrential rain is more of less guaranteed, and the wind will be between south and southwest, but the wind strength could be anything from six to thirty knots. Fortunately, both the Real Club Nautico de Sanxenxo’s Race Committee and the sailors are up for the challenge and so we look forward to a spectacular final show down.

PROVISIONAL RESULTS AFTER SEVEN RACES

OPEN DIVISION

FIN81 – Oiva – Henrik Andersin – 5, 1, 5, 3, (7), 2, 4 = 20
GBR89 – Battlecry – Jeremy Thorp – 4, 3, 2, (10), 5, 5, 6 = 25
SUI77 – Junior – Rainer Muller/Loic Forestier – 2, (9), 1, 2, 6, 7, 8 = 25
SUI142 – Momo – Dieter Schoen – 6, 6, (8), 6, 4, 1, 2 = 25
ESP116 – Stella – Violeta Alvarez – 7, 2, 3, 7, 1, 6, (8) = 26

CLASSIC DIVISION

ESP 16 – Bribon – His Majesty King Juan Carlos – 1, 2, 1, 2, 2, (8), 4 = 12
FIN80 – Astree – Ossi Paija – 2, 1, 2, (4), 4, 2, 2, 7, 7 = 13
ESP72 – Titia – Mauricio Sanchez-Bella Carswell – 4, 3, (7), 1, 1, 7, 7 = 23
ESP50 – Aida – Francisco Botas – 4, (9), 8, 5, 5, 1, 1 = 26
FRA11 – Fun – Louis Heckly – 3, 5, 6, 3, (OCS), 4, 9 = 30

FULL RESULTS

Additional information about the 2024 International Six Metre European Championships is available at 6meuropeans2024.com. You can follow the regatta action online at:

News

NO WIND AND NO RACING ON DAY 4 AT THE EUROPEANS ’24 IN SANXENXO

October 3, 2024 fionabrown Leave a comment

The weather gods have not been making life easy for the sailors of the International Six Metre European Championships 2024 Trofeo Xacobeo in Sanxenxo. After three very tricky days with low visibility and lots of rain but good wind, day four was the opposite with dry conditions but barely a breath of wind, so the scheduled race six could not take place. Five races have so far been completed and three races remain to be sailed between now and Saturday 6 September. The single discard comes into play once race six has been completed, which could shake things up considerably.

Race Officer Jano Martin explained the Race Committee’s thinking as they look ahead to the final two days of the regatta. “The forecasts are changing every day. The view we see now looking ahead to tomorrow may change overnight and again tomorrow morning, so it is difficult to predict. If there is a chance, we will try to complete two races tomorrow.”.

In the overall standings His Majesty King Juan Carlos of Spain’s ESP16 Bribon continues to lead the Classics Division from Ossi Paija’s FIN80 Astree II with Mauricio Sanchez-Bella Carswell’s ESP72 Titia third, Miguel Lago Cereceda’s ESP50 Alibaba II fourth and Louis Heckly’s FRA11 Fun fifth.

In the Open Division Rainer Muller’s SUI77 Junior, skippered by Loic Forestier and Violeta Alvarez’ ESP116 Stella are tied at the top of the leader board with Henrik Andersin’s FIN81 Oiva a point behind them. Tied for fourth and just four points behind the leaders are Basil Vasiliou’s USA105 Jane Ann, skippered by Steffan Lindberg, and Jeremy Thorp’s GBR89 Battlecry. With so much to play for, the sailors are all praying that the weather gods smile on them at last tomorrow.

Luckily for the sailors, the Real Club Nautico de Sanxeno and surrounding area are a delightful place to hang out, with many great restaurants and bars and superb shops, so the sailors were able to make the most of their afternoon once the decision not to race had been confirmed.

Whilst of course the sailing is the primary focus of the championship, these international events are also a wonderful opportunity to appreciate the longevity and beauty of this extraordinary class.

The oldest boat sailing this week is Cesar Elizaga’s FIN59 Ian, which was built in Gothenburgh, Sweden in 1929 and was the last boat designed by Gustav Estlander, who had her built for his own use. She was a successful boat and won the coveted Scandinavian Gold Cup in 1930. She continued racing in Sweden under various owners until 1988, when after 60 years under the Swedish Flag she was sold to Finland. She raced regularly for a decade before beginning a complete refurbishment in 2003. She was relaunched for the 2007 racing season having been restored back to her original state. In 2015 she made the move south to Sanxenxo where she has played a pivotal role in developing the new Galician fleet.

At the other end of the spectrum, the newest boat racing is Henrik Andersin’s 2022 Allan Savolainen designed Oiva, which was built by Red Sky Yachts in Finland. Andersin is an experienced Six Metre sailor, having owned a number of both classic and modern sixes over the years. The story of the construction of Oiva is told in a six-part series of articles which are available on the International Six Metre Archive.

The Six Metre Class dates back to 1907, and the introduction of the International Rule, also known as the Metre Rule. It has been at the forefront of technical innovation for over 120 years with the world’s top designers and sailors bringing often radical concepts and technical excellence to the fleet. But alongside the incredible technical development and the amazing racing history of many of the boats, there are also dozens of wonderful personal stories of sailors and their families simply enjoying their Sixes for pleasure. A message via the class Facebook page this week has reminded us of the special place Sixes hold in so many people’s hearts.

Alibaba II was designed and built in Sweden in 1948 by Tore Holm, under whose helmsmanship she won a bronze medal for Sweden at that year’s Olympics. In 1951 she was sold to Harry Melander, and it was Harry’s daughter Lisa who reached out to say how thrilled she was to see the boat still racing successfully 76 years after she was built. Lisa told us that she well remembers sailing with her father and family to Åland in the Swedish archipelago during the summer holidays. Under various names and ownerships Alibaba II has had an extraordinary sailing career to date. She won a second bronze Olympic medal in 1952, came second in the 1998 European Championship, won the 1999 World Cup and the 2000 European Championship. Now based in Sanxenxo she continues to be one of the top performing Classic Six Metres.

To find out more about the history of the Six Metre Class and the boats racing this week, please visit the International Six Metre Archive, where individual boat profiles and a host of fascinating technical and historic data is to be found. If you have additional information that you feel would be of interest to the archive, please contact the Archivist on archivist@6metrearchive.org.

Racing at the International Six Metre European Championship 2024 Trofeo Xacobeo at the Real Club Nautico de Sanxenxo continues until Saturday 5 September with three races remaining to be sailed in the eight-race series.

PROVISIONAL RESULTS AFTER FIVE RACES

OPEN DIVISION

SUI77 – Junior – Rainer Muller/Loic Forestier – 2, 9, 1, 2, 6 = 20
ESP116 – Stella – Violeta Alvarez – 7, 2, 3, 7, 1 = 20
FIN81 – Oiva – Henrik Andersin – 5, 1, 5, 3, 7 = 21
USA 105 – Jane Ann – Basil Visilou/Steffan Lindberg – 1, 8, 4, 1, 10 = 24
GBR89 – Battlecry – Jeremy Thorp – 4, 3, 2, 10, 5 = 24

CLASSIC DIVISION

ESP 16 – Bribon – His Majesty King Juan Carlos – 1, 2, 1, 2, 2 = 8
FIN80 – Astree – Ossi Paija – 2, 1, 2, 4, 4 = 13
ESP72 – Titia – Mauricio Sanchez-Bella Carswell – 4, 3, 7, 1, 1 = 16
ESP50 – Alibaba II – Miguel Lago Cereceda – 5, 8, 3, 7, 6 = 29
FRA11 – Fun – Louis Heckly – 3, 5, 6, 3, OCS = 32

FULL RESULTS

Additional information about the 2024 International Six Metre European Championships is available at 6meuropeans2024.com. You can follow the regatta action online at:

News

BRIBON CONSOLIDATES WHILE JUNIOR MOVES INTO FIRST ON DAY THREE OF THE SIX METRE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS 2024

October 2, 2024 fionabrown Leave a comment

The third day of the International Six Metre European Championship 2024 Trofeo Xacobeo off Sanxenxo brought more tough conditions for the competitors, who completed race five of the eight race series in heavy mist, tricky seas and a 12-14 knot west-south-westerly breeze.

Overall Standings

A second place in race five helped His Majesty King Juan Carlos of Spain’s Bribon consolidate her place at the top of the Classic Division leaderboard, which she now heads by five points from Ossi Paija’s Astree III (Nylandska JK) who finished the race in fourth. Classics race five was won by Mauricio Sanchez-Bella Carswell’s Titia (RCN de Sanxenxo), who retains her third place overall. Miguel Lago Cereceda’s Alibaba II (MRCYB) claimed sixth in the race and overtakes Louis Heckly’s Fun (YC de France) who was over the line at the start and failed to return, dropping him down to fifth overall.

On the dock Pepe Lis, tactician aboard Classics race winner Titia, summed up the conditions and looked ahead to the remaining races. “Well, we have been here for three days now. Three days with a lot of humidity and rain, and it’s hard to see the windward marks. The leeward ones too. Well, difficult. The championship has not been easy at all. When we went out, there were very good conditions. It was about 12-14 knots or so and there was visibility. At the start we managed to get off quite well, not too tight on the windward side. The shifts were good left and right, ten to fifteen degrees and we managed to hook the first right, then a little bit of left and then we got in front and from there it was more or less just about controlling the fleet. The hardest part was almost finding the leeward mark, that was really hard. The day after tomorrow we have very light winds, very light, and the direction is not very clear, and on Saturday too. In other words, there are three days left, three days to do three races in really difficult conditions. But we’ll see, that’s where we are. It’s better to be where we are now than further back.”

Going into the day the Open Division had been a three-way tie between Basil Vasiliou’s Jane Ann (New York YC), skippered by Steffan Lindberg, Rainer Muller’s Junior (SN De Geneve), skippered by Loic Forestier, and Henrik Andersin’s Oiva, (Nylandska JK). For Jane Ann the race was something of a disaster and they finished tenth, which drops her down into fourth overall. A sixth place was just sufficient to allow Junior to take the overall lead, but she is now tied on 20 points with Violeta Alvarez’ Stella (RCN Sanxenxo), who won the race in impressive style. Oiva finished seventh in the race to put her a single point behind the leaders in third. Jane Ann drops down to fourth, four points behind the leader and tied on 24 points with Jeremy Thorp’s Battlecry (Royal Yacht Squadron).

Back ashore Open Division race winner Violeta Alvarez was pleased with how their day went. “Well, it was very wet, very foggy, but we enjoyed it. The most difficult thing was to find the marks. It was really difficult; we couldn’t see where we were. But we just kept going a little bit more and did a few extra tacks just because we couldn’t find the windward mark. My crew is very special, the boys are superb, and I love them all. Pablo [Iglesias – tactician] was a little bit stressed because he couldn’t see the marks and it was such shifty conditions, but it was very nice. I have a very good crew, and I’m very lucky. Our mood has always been positive. Yesterday when it was raining, we were singing songs, so we’re always positive. We have fun. We. We call ourselves the Happy Team. So, we shall continue to be happy and enjoy ourselves whatever comes.”

Classic Division Race Roundup

Classic Division race five went to Titia who led the fleet off the line and never really looked back. Behind her Catalin Trandafir’s Essentia from the CYC Constanta led Bribon around the top mark, setting up what was to become a battle royal for the rest of the race. Essentia did everything she could to defend but on the second beat Bribon went further left and snuck into second position on the approach to the second windward mark. Essentia challenged Bribon at every opportunity on the last run, but at the line, it was Bribon that followed Titia home with Essentia third, Astree III fourth and Aida fifth.

Open Division Race Roundup

Stella got a fantastic start in the Open Division and lead the fleet throughout the race. Whilst Stella stretched away for a comfortably victory, behind her the fight was on between Rainer Muller’s Duclop (SN de Geneva), helmed by Frank Narbone, defending Champion Dieter Schoen’s Momo (SC St Moritz), Eugenio Galdon Brugarolas’ May Be XIV (RCR de Cartagena), Jeremy Thorp’s Battlecry (Royal Yacht Squadron), Jan Eckert’s Ginkgotoo (SN de Geneve), and Junior. Finding the marks and at times even locating your fellow competitors in the heavy mist made the race extraordinarily challenging, but on the line Duclop held second with May Be XIV third. Momo took her best result of the regatta at fourth, Battlecry was fifth and Junior sixth.

The warm welcome of the Real Club Nautico de Sanxenxo’s clubhouse and the wonderful apres sailing hospitality provided by the hosts, which includes a range of local beers, wines and produce, was hugely appreciated by the sailors. And once again the drying facility in the club’s boiler room came into its own!

Three races remain to be sailed in the eight-race series which concludes on Saturday 5 October.

PROVISIONAL RESULTS AFTER FIVE RACES

OPEN DIVISION

SUI77 – Junior – Rainer Muller/Loic Forestier – 2, 9, 1, 2, 6 = 20
ESP116 – Stella – Violeta Alvarez – 7, 2, 3, 7, 1 = 20
FIN81 – Oiva – Henrik Andersin – 5, 1, 5, 3, 7 = 21
USA 105 – Jane Ann – Basil Visilou/Steffan Lindberg – 1, 8, 4, 1, 10 = 24
GBR89 – Battlecry – Jeremy Thorp – 4, 3, 2, 10, 5 = 24

CLASSIC DIVISION

ESP 16 – Bribon – His Majesty King Juan Carlos – 1, 2, 1, 2, 2 = 8
FIN80 – Astree – Ossi Paija – 2, 1, 2, 4, 4 = 13
ESP72 – Titia – Mauricio Sanchez-Bella Carswell – 4, 3, 7, 1, 1 = 16
ESP50 – Alibaba II – Miguel Lago Cereceda – 5, 8, 3, 7, 6 = 29
FRA11 – Fun – Louis Heckly – 3, 5, 6, 3, OCS = 32

FULL RESULTS

Additional information about the 2024 International Six Metre European Championships is available at 6meuropeans2024.com. You can follow the regatta action online at: