Puig Vela Clàssica Barcelona Day 3
by Covadonga Muñoz 6 Sep 11:29 PDT
4-7 September 2024
Viola on Puig Vela Clàssica Barcelona Regatta Day 3 © Nico Martinez / MartinezStudio
The third day of the prestigious Puig Vela Clàssica regatta did not disappoint, offering a new spectacle worthy of admiration.
The good weather conditions, with clear skies and steady winds, created the perfect setting for the 77 classic sailboats competing this year to showcase their full potential in the Mediterranean. From the early hours of the morning, expectations were high, and they were quickly met: the favorable wind allowed for agile and precise sailing, increasing the competitiveness among the boats and providing unforgettable images for both participants and spectators.
The Barcelona coastline once again became a privileged viewpoint to admire the impressive parade of sails, each loaded with maritime history and tradition. The sailboats, some over a century old, sailed elegantly, evoking times past and captivating all present. The synergy between the sea conditions, the wind, and the sailors' skills made this day an unforgettable event on the international nautical calendar.
The third day of the Puig Vela Clàssica broke the curse of the Southeast wind on the Barcelona racecourse. The Xaloc joined the great celebration of this XVII Edition of the Puig Vela Clàssica, dispelling its well-earned bad reputation for weak and irregular wind today. Eolo was punctual and generous, blowing with an intensity of 10-14 knots and considerable waves of nearly two meters as the day progressed.
The classic fleets competed on a 15.5-mile course with various segments and varied headings. Even being the last of the entire procedure, the start of the 10 Big Boats was spectacular, with a daring Haloween starting on port tack, narrowly avoiding the stern of The Lady Anne of Jaime Botín, yesterday's winner, and today surpassed by Keith Mills' Viveka, on a difficult day for the 15 Meters, with Tuiga finishing fifth and Mariska sixth. The day's podium was completed by Halloowen. The leaderboard is led by The Lady Anne with 4 points, Viveka with 5 points, and Mariska with 7 points after accumulating two results.
Germán Frers' Recluta consolidates its lead (2 points) in Classics I after today's new victory, followed by Andrés de León's Yanira and Timothy Wilson's Oro, while in the overall standings, Yanira (4 points) and Pepe de Miguel's Kahurangi are in pursuit.
In Classics II, today's top seven finishers lead the provisional standings in the same order. Javier Mestre's Kanavel (5 points), Bárbara Trilling's Argos (7 points), and Ronnie Peters' Alba (9 points) occupy the podium in that order, with Andrew Harvey's Clarionet, fourth with the same points as Alba, close behind.
Today's victory allowed Bart Weduimer's Encounter to take the provisional lead in Classics IOR with 5 points, the same score as Susan Caroll's Ojalla II after finishing third in today's race. The second place in today's race went to Vittorio Cavazzana's Emeraude, allowing him to climb to the third step of the provisional podium with 6 points.
The alternation of the top two spots in Modern Classic allows Jens Ricke's Legolas to break the tie at 3 points with Christian Hentschel's Anima II, a similar situation in their wake where Jordi Puig's Phidias, third today, steals the last podium spot from Belén García's Melbac-Etchell.
No changes among the four museum pieces in Época Clase P, with identical results in both days. Thus, Sylvan Duculty's Olympian leads, followed by Bernaud Liautaud's Chips, Victor Migraine's Joyant, and Sebastian Sazin's Corinthian.
The Época Bermudian Skylark of 1937 by Chris Bake won today by just 6 seconds over Claudio Melli's Amorita, and 1:46 minutes later, Marc Marciano's Comet finished third, defending the category lead with 4 points, followed by Jordi Cabau's Sonata (sixth today) with 6 points, Skylark of 1937 with 7 points, and Amorita with the same points. Kostoa Bekim's Viola, second today, also retains the lead in Época Cangreja with three points, one less than today's winner, Juan Carlos Eguiagaray's Oriole, with Paolo Zanoni's Chinook, also third in today's race.
Grael continues to add in 12 Meters
The legendary 12 Meters completed three races today, with Torben Grael's Kookaburra II continuing to rack up victories in Division A, now with five in this edition of the Puig. Intense competition follows between Johan Blach's Kiwi Magic, hampered by a withdrawal in the first race today, and Richard Matthews' Crusader, with 10 and 11 total points, respectively. Similar dominance in Division D, with five out of five for Hans Eliasson's Northern Light. James Patrick's Vim follows with 8 points, ahead of Thomas Muller's Jenetta with 11 points.
Two legendary sailors at the Puig Vela Clàssica Regatta
Among the lineup of great sailing figures participating in the Puig Vela Clàssica, two names shine brightly. Frenchman Marc Pajot and Brazilian Torben Grael, both competing in 12 Meters with French Kiss and Kookaburra II, respectively.
Marc Pajot
Olympic silver medalist (Munich 1972) in Flying Dutchman, a figure in the then-emerging ocean sailing, including victories in the La Baule-Daker (1980), Route du Rhum (1982), and holder of the North Atlantic record. As a helmsman in the America's Cup, he was twice a semifinalist of the challengers in Fremantle 1987 with the 12 Meters French Kiss and with the IACC Ville de Paris in San Diego 1992, and also competed in San Diego 1995 and Auckland 2000.
Is this your first time sailing in Barcelona?
No, the third. I sailed in an IMS 50 regatta and another time in Dragon a long time ago, and I am happy to be at the Real Club Náutico de Barcelona for the attention they give to boats and sailors.
How does it feel to sail a 12 Meter again after so many years?
It's a very nice memory for me. I was an Olympic sailor, switched to ocean sailing competing around the world, and finally ended up in the America's Cup with French Kiss in Fremantle in 1987. Five of those crew members are now competing in Barcelona... 37 years later!
What do you think of the Puig Vela Clàssica regatta?
It's an excellent regatta with a very large fleet, and this year, a unique opportunity to enjoy the America's Cup in Barcelona.
What are your expectations in terms of results and your performance in the 12 Meter class?
In the 12 Meter class, we know that Kookaburra, with Torben Grael and the rest of the Italian team, are very strong. We love competing with and against them, but our real battle is against the Kiwis, South Australia, and Crusader, so we can't take anything for granted; we have to play, fight, and win.
Torben Grael
Five-time Olympic medalist (two golds, one silver, and two bronzes) between 1984 and 2000. Winner of the Louis Vuitton Cup in Auckland 2000, participated in the 2003 edition also in Auckland, and was a finalist among the challengers in Valencia 2007, all with the Italian team Luna Rossa. He competed in two round-the-world races with stops, finishing third in 2005-06 and winning in 2008-09.
What do you think of the 12 Meters?
The 12 Meters are beautiful boats, requiring a good and trained crew for maneuvers. The races are very close and beautiful.
How are things going on board the Kookaburra II?
In the recent World Championship (Porquerolles, France), we debuted a reconfiguration of the boat because when it was purchased, it still had the setup from Fremantle 1987. Our program is Mediterranean and sometimes in Newport, where the wind is much lighter. We have changed the keel and other things, and we are getting to know the boat.
The first day the race course was very difficult because the wind was irregular. In the first race, we didn't start very well, we went to the right and found the shift we were looking for, achieving a comfortable lead until the finish. The second race was already with more stable conditions. Today we expect races with more wind, and they will be closer, more even because the wind will be more stable. With such equality, the starts are very important.
Do you like classic boats?
I like them a lot. I started sailing with my grandfather in a 6 Meter from 1912, which had won the silver medal at the Stockholm Games. We still have the boat; it's beautiful, very nice to sail, very low freeboard.
Class Leaders:
- CLASSIC IOR: ENCOUNTER
- CLASSIC I: RECLUTA
- CLASSIC II: KANAVEL
- ÉPOCA CANGREJA: VIOLA
- ÉPOCA BERMUDIAN: COMET
- BIG BOAT: THE LADY ANNE
- MODERN CLASSIC: LEGOLAS
- 12 M JI - DIVISION A - GRAND PRIX: KOOKABURRA
- 12 M JI - DIVISION D - TRADITIONAL: NORTHERN LIGHT
- CLASS P: OLIMPIAN
Full results can be found here.
The XVII PUIG VELA CLÀSSICA BARCELONA REGATTA is an international event that is part of the official RFEV calendar and counts towards the II International CIM Championship (International Mediterranean Committee), as well as the XIII Mare Nostrum Trophy - Spanish Cup of Classic Boats.
www.puigvelaclassica.com