
23 Oct A ‘textbook’ day in the Bay of Cadiz at the opening of the European Flying Dutchman Championships
Italians and Germans make their first podium after three races.
Top9 and top13 for the Spanish crews of Ginés Romero/Álvaro Moreno and the Timón de Roche of Fran Martínez and Cadiz-born Pepe Ruiz.
October 22nd, 2024 – With the celebration of three races, the European Flying Dutchman Championship has started this Tuesday in the waters of the Bay of Cadiz. With a day’s delay due to the lack of wind on Monday, the committee and the fleet took advantage of the good wind today to open the scoreboards after approximately four hours of racing. Three races and as many winning crews have already set up an intense fight for the continental title. The first podium is in the hands of the visitors, but the Spaniards do more than make the grade as serious contenders to be among the best.
Hungary’s Szalbolcs Majthenyi and Andras Domokos scored first, followed by Italy’s Nicola and Francesco Vespasiani. Afterwards, while the Hungarians scored a 6th and a 5th, the Italians won the second race and with a 3rd in the next one, they took the first place, which they will defend tomorrow, Wednesday. They are followed with three and four more points by the German crews of Kilian Koenig and Johanes Brack, winners of the third race with a 3rd and a 5th in the others, and the crew of world champions Kay-Uwe Ludtke and Kai Schafers, third with two 4th and a 2nd, two points ahead of the Hungarians, who are tied with the Dutch Enno Kramer and Ard Geelkerken, fifth.
These five crews open a gap of ten points with the next classified, awaiting the first discard with the fourth race that will arrive tomorrow. The first Spanish crew is Ginés Romero and Álvaro Moreno from the RCN Torrevieja, 13th, 19th and 6th today. In thirteenth place, the second Spaniards are Fran Martínez de Torrevieja’s Timón de Roche and Cadiz’s Pepe Ruiz (RCN de Cádiz) improving from 22nd to 8th and 13th. Both crews have shown their cards to get into the fight with a lot of racing still to come.
Today has been a day marked by the easterly breeze which, although it came in timidly yesterday, has arrived today to stay and provide one of those ‘textbook’ days in the bay of Cadiz, with the fleet competing at the pace of winds of between 11 and 16 knots of intensity. The demanding conditions allowed the favourites to use their knowledge to put the boats at top speed in the search for the goal, on a day in which, apart from the skill of the crew, the good trimming of the boat was key. The most difficult manoeuvres were seen at the waypoints with forty boats in a battle for the best place. On the negative side, some teams had to return to shore to repair or retire definitively due to a breakage.
Tomorrow, Wednesday, the organisers are scheduling two new races starting at midday with a forecast that warns that the easterly will increase in intensity.
The European Flying Dutchman Championship is a regatta organised by the CN Puerto Sherry in collaboration with the international secretariat of the class, with the support of the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation and the Andalusian Sailing Federation, the support of the City Council of El Puerto de Santa María, the sponsorship of Yuasa, Secin Group and Timón de Roche, and the main sponsorship of Puerto Sherry.
Photographs by INGRID CARNERO
More information:
Mara Escassi Revuelta
Phone: 667 641 746