The winds finally graced Palamós Bay, breathing life into the 47th Christmas Race. Following the lack of wind on the first day, the second day saw a delayed yet welcomed entry of the northern winds. Initially from the West, later shifting to the North, 5 to 14 knots, challenging both committees and competitors.
The first starts were made after midday. Ukrainian sailor Oskar Madonich won all three races in ILCA 6 class, maintaining an unbeaten streak and securing a dominant position in the Christmas Race. With 68 boats at the starting line, Madonich’s prowess stood out. Dutch sailor Bas Blokzijl managed to trail Madonich closely in the first two races, securing two second-place finishes, yet a twelfth-place finish in the third race placed him thirteen points behind the leader. Britain’s Ralph Musto secured the third spot. Leading the female division is Ukrainian Yelyazaveta Vynohradova in sixth position.
The three top sailors are classsified at just one point difference from each other. Dutch sailor Alexander Hartsink leads with a 4-1-2 scorecard, though the initial highlight belonged to Catalonian Quim Ferrer (CN Sant Feliu), who briefly held the top spot with a 1-2-5 performance. Third and leading in the female fleet is Finnish sailor Iiris Sepponen.
Debut of the 29er EuroCup saw Spanish team Santiago Torres and Ricardo de March (CN El Garraf) take the early lead with a 1-3 record, amassing four points and maintaining a seven-point lead over their nearest competitors, Dutch sailors Tjed Wildeboer/Lars van den Berg and Folkert van Surksum/Lars Ganzevles, both with eleven points each. Notably, the reigning Optimist world champion, Swedish Henric Wingforss alongside William Drakenberg, secure an admirable eighth place in their debut. The first mixed crew from the Netherlands is Sophie and Lucas Pieters, fourth overall, while Italy leads the female teams with Victoria Demurtras and Caroline Karlsen.
The 420 Class witnesses British sailors Freya Sewel and Hugo Valentine as the early leaders, securing a 1-3 record. However, they are followed closed, only one point ahead of French team Simon Prot and Berier Joyet Swan, who managed a 4-1 performance, and two points ahead of the British duo Neil Marsden and David Bromilow. The first female crew is the French duo Joane Ezraty/Ainoa Phillipe Sasain.
Tomorrow, Thursday, marks the third day of the Christmas Race, with three more races scheduled for all classes.(four for 29er). Once the fourth race is completed, crews will discard their worst partial result.
En español: ‘Oskar Madonich acaba invicto en el estreno de la 47ª Christmas Race’
