62 teams from 21 nations started racing yesterday
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Tornado World Championship - 62 teams from 21 nations started racing yesterday |
LA ROCHELLE, FRANCE-(14-6-2005) There is no shortage of Olympic medalists, World Champions and European Champions sailing the event. The fleet also has a contingency of new sailors racing the Olympic catamaran.
The first day of sailing was a long one for the competitors that were only sent out late in the afternoon when the N-NW filled the racing area.
Race 1 started with 7 knots and very shifty conditions. Spanish team Fernando Echavarri and Anton Paz – 8th in Athens Olympic Games – sailed consistently to the victory. The fleet had a hard time trying to keep up the positions. GER Jojo Polgar and Florian Spalteholz and NED Mitch Booth and Herbie Dercksen – 5th in the Games - had a good recovery race and finished second and third consecutively.
The wind conditions got better for Race 2, 8-10 knots and more stable. The right was the way to go and it took teams GBR Leigh Mc Millan/Will Howden and Hugh Styles/Graham Vials to the front of the fleet, despite a bad start, where they finished first and second consecutively. GBR is the country with more representatives in the event: 13 teams.
“We didn’t start well but tacked to the right as soon as we could and it definitely paid out. We had a big lead at the end. Nice race!” said Leigh McMillan.
4 teams are disputing the Youth World Title: AUT Thomas Zajac and Thomas Czajka,; FRA Baptiste Balzeau and Gael Ledoux; GRE Efstratios Kosmogloy and Konstantinos Trigonos; USA Donald Thinschmidt and Andrew Wierda.
2 more races are scheduled for today and the weather forecast promises good conditions: N-NE 11-13 knots. Beautiful day for the Tornados!!
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Source: Event Media |