The 2007 Windsurfing RS:X European Championship continues here Tuesday, while on Sunday competitors were literally ‘flying’ downwind with fins fully clear of the water before disappearing into troughs only to re-emerge again a few seconds later, an airborne ‘speed blur’.
In the men’s blue fleet 2003 Mistral World Champion, Przemyslaw Miarczynski (POL) won with room to spare and took back the overall lead from young gun Nicolas Le Gal (FRA). Le Gal had a torrid time finishing 15th, now happily discarded, and so clings on to second place for now.
The other young gun, Fabian Heidegger (ITA), also sailed his throw out finishing Sunday’s blue fleet race in 15th, but still hangs onto third overall. JP Tobin (NZL), Joao Rodrigues (POR) and Ivan Pastor (ESP) are all square in fourth overall, the three sailed top five performances today. JP who rounded the bottom mark in second place during the race, fell on the jibe in the tricky conditions, but still recovered quickly enough to finish fourth.
It was totally ‘full on’ for the racers who came ashore with ‘wicked’ stories of heroic efforts to hold on while hitting speeds of up to 30 knots. A few competitors stepped it up Sunday and dominated in the radical conditions.
It was a cloudy and windy day in Cyprus, not exactly the light air that had been forecasted. Instead a solid 25 knots was pumping onshore shortly before the start for the men’s fleet. An area of low pressure had swung into the area and was substantially deeper than expected. The swell and chop also built up very quickly to produce very challenging conditions.
In women, Lucy Horwood (GBR) was the heroine of the day, who reveled in the conditions using her vast Formula windsurfing experience to take the bullet. Alessandra Sensini (ITA) took 2nd and picked up some points on the overall score board where she sits in 3rd just behind Barbara Kendall (NZL), who finished 8th in today’s race. Regatta leader Marina Alabau (ESP) sailed her discard with an OCS but retains the overall lead.
Monday is a rest day. The men’s fleet will now be split into Gold and Silver Fleets.
