Adecco Maxi OD - North Sea Regatta Overall

Final race abandoned

SCHEVENINGEN, HOLLAND - The final race of the North Sea Regatta, the first event in the Adecco World Championship, was abandoned when the fourth turning mark was missing. It was a great disappointment for Gunnar Krantz (SWE) and the crew of Lex Sea which had a substantial lead when the fleet reached the area where the buoy should have been.

Lex Sea's navigator, Murray Ross, was the first to inform the Race Committee, by VHF radio, that the buoy was not in position, and in fact there was not one to be seen, and asked for advice. The Race Committee initially suggested that the Maxi One Designs should round the GPS position where the buoy should be, but it was pointed out that this was not equable as the leaders had already passed the position and would therefore lose their hard earned places. The Race Committee then informed the fleet that the race had been abandoned.

It was a grey-green day off the Dutch coast when seven Maxi One Designs approached the start - Ludde Ingvall's Skandia had eschewed racing as she was already declared the winner of the event and her mainsail was damaged. Twenty knots of wind, gusting slightly more, blew from south-south-west and there was a short, 1.5 mile beat to windward to the first mark.

The pin end of the line was favoured as it enabled the boats at that end to head for less adverse current. Ross Field (NZL) in RF Yachting and Bertrand Pace (FRA) in Le Defi Bouygues Telecom - Transiciel were the most aggressively attacking the pin end while Geoff Meek (RSA) in Rainbow Magic was further up the line towards the Committee Boat in clear air. Ernesto Bertarelli (SUI) in Alinghimax was just to leeward of the South African boat with Hans Bouscholte's Belgian Synphony up on their hip.

Bertarelli was the first to tack out to sea towards the mark and looked to have been successful when those who stayed inshore appeared to have gone too far, but the effect of the strong adverse tide put three boats in front of the Swiss sailor. Geoff Meek was first to the mark, 15 seconds ahead of Gunnar Krantz, with Ross Field in third place. Bertarelli didn't quite make the mark on his starboard tack approach and when he was forced to tack, the French slipped round in front of him.

After two reaches, the places remained the same, but on the next beat the fleet split into two factions. Krantz led those who headed to the left and gained immensely so that when the boats from either side crossed after four miles, the Swedish boat was clear ahead by 200 metres. It was shortly after this that the leaders discovered that the mark was missing.

With the race abandoned, the result of the regatta was settled on the outcome of the previous races. Ludde Ingvall's Skandia was the winner of the first event in the Adecco World Championship with Le Defi Bouygues Telecom - Transiciel second and RF Yachting third.

Overall points with one discard :

1 – EUR Skandia Ludde Ingvall 1.2.DSQ.3.1.1 : 54.5 
2 – FRA Bouygues Telecom Jules Mazars 5.1.DSQ.1.3.2 : 42.5 
3 – NZL RF Yachting Ross Field 2.4.2.4.4.3 : 40.5 
4 – SWE Team Lex Sea Gunnar Krantz 3.3.3.5.6.5 : 34 
5 – RSA Rainbow Magic Geoff Meek 4.5.1.8.5.DNF : 29 
6 – SUI Alinghimax Ernesto Bertarelli 8.7.4.2.2.4 : 28 
7 – BEL Belgian Synphony Hans Bouscholte 6.6.5.7.DNF.DNS : 15.5 
8 – ITA Seac Banche Guido Maisto 7.8.6.6.7.6 : 15 

Event Website: www.adecco-championship.com/uk
Class Website: maxi-one-design.com