Palma
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The Swede Galant, owned by Jan Strombeck, leads the general classification of the IV Puerto Portals Dragon Winter Series after the completion, this afternoon, of the first round of this competition that brings together several of the best European teams in the Dragon class in Mallorca and that will conclude next January. It is followed, just three points behind, by the German sailboat Meerblick, by Otto Pohlmann, while the Spanish Capa, by Carlos Carbajal, occupies third place, five points from the lead.
After yesterday’s excellent day, in which the Race Committee overcame the difficult conditions in the Bay of Palma and managed to complete three rounds, only one race could be played today.
The start was at 11.17 hours, with the wind starting at 110 degrees (ESE), and everything pointed to a magnificent day of racing. But the weather began to be very unstable already in the early stages of the competition, forcing us to change the course twice, at the first and second mark, and to shorten the field and finish on the second beat.
From that moment on, the Embat (SW) tried to impose itself on the eastern gradient and the result was the usual one in the cases in which this fight takes place: the wind disappeared. The Committee waited for the thermal in the Bay to “jump”, but at 3:00 pm it gave up. There was no indication that the situation was going to improve and the sun sets these days at 5:30 in the afternoon. With no time to complete what would have been the fifth quarter of the Winter Series, it was decided to return to port.
The Dragon Gunter, by Javier Scherk, who has in his crew the Olympic medalists Íker Martínez and Hugo Rocha, prevailed in the only test of the day and climbed to fourth place overall, placing only one point off the podium. The second position was for the Meerblick and the third for the Latinia, of the Spanish ocean sailor Guillermo Altadill.
Hugo Rocha, a bronze medalist at the 1996 Atlanta Games in the 470 class and several times world champion in various categories, admitted that the day had been complicated: “We had very little wind, but in the end we won the test and that. it always makes you feel like you’ve had fun. “
The fleet gathered in Mallorca, made up of 12 boats, entered the second round of the Puerto Portals Dragon Winter Series, which will take place between December 18 and 20, and will be the last regatta of the year.
The Winter Series will lower its curtain on January 17, but the Dragon class will continue to have Puerto Portals as a European reference base. From February 26 to 28, the IV Mediterranean Cup is scheduled and between April 10 and 16, the European Championship will be held, the most important regatta on the international circuit of the International Dragon Association (IDA).
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