ISO Eurocup at Fraglia Vela, Malcesine on Lake Garda

Action from the ISO Eurocup on Lake Garda © Lee Whitehead / www.photolounge.co.uk

Action from the ISO Eurocup on Lake Garda © Lee Whitehead / www.photolounge.co.uk

15 ISOs travelled from the UK to join the local club boat at Fraglia Vela, Malcesine, on Lake Garda for the ISO Eurocup on 27th July to 1st August.

Unlike last year the temperatures were more moderate with the occasional summer storm passing by further down the lake providing spectacular lightening displays – and lots of wind ! The ISO fleet was out in force to the thrills of some full on skimming from wave top to wave top heading for Riva. This early practice prior to the event saw Mike Lillywhite in Team Rooster sustain a broken nose caused by the enthusiasm of his crews’ elbow; enabling him to sample the delights of Italian nursing for the rest of the week instead of sailing – after doing a 50km bike ride, of course !

Day 1 and eager eyes watched for the first ripple of the afternoon wind while still tinkering with the boats. There it is ! Lunchtime !

The first race got underway in a steady force 3. Pete Lindley & Annie Smith in Team RWO, lead to the first mark, but failed to hold onto the lead down the run, allowing Ian and Katie Keam-George in Smartnav and the rest of the fleet through, with SmartNav taking first, followed by Ian Moss and Tim Berriman in Team Wet & Windy, with Bob Ladell and Luke Draper in 814 taking third. With the Garda wind increasing to a force 4 for the next 2 races, Smartnav continued their dominance with former national champion Andrew Gould and Simon Keam-George taking second, and Graham Shaw taking third in both races.

The second day provided similar conditions. Bob and Luke in 814 set the pace for the first lap and half before a costly mistake at the 2nd windward mark allowed the continued dominance of Smartnav to take all 3 races. The second and third places were being hotly contested by Andrew Gould, Ian Moss (Team Wet & Windy), Graham Shaw and Pete Lindley (Team RWO) with all of them in with a chance of second. The end of the second day saw Smartnav first Andrew Gould second and Ian Moss third.

Day 3 saw the strongest winds with a good force 4 throughout. Again Smartnav led the way in all 3 races to ace the championship and take it for the 2nd year running ! Stunning sailing. The race for second was getting closer with Andrew Gould taking a fifth and a second, Ian Moss a second and a third and Graham Shaw a third and a fifth leaving them within 3 points of each other. 814 continued snapping at the leaders heels taking a 4th and 6th to just stay ahead of Teams RWO and Lewis at the close of day.

Day 4 saw the final day of Eurocup racing and with a slightly earlier start giving lighter winds with all to play for in the runners up placings. With the lighter winds we saw the only hiccup on the Smartnav dominance with Ian Moss in Team Wet & Windy leading from the start and extending the lead throughout the race. Second place went to Andrew Gould to leave them equal on points for second place going into the final race. With the wind starting to fill in the final race saw the return of Smartnav first, Graham Shaw second and Andrew Gould third enabling him to secure second place overall from Ian Moss.

Racing throughout the fleet was intense for the whole the series, with the smallest mistake being punished with the loss of not one place but four, five or more. Everyone gave it their best shot with the lower places just as hotly contested as the leader board. An exciting week in good winds was had by all !

The RWO Marine sponsored pro-am series, where the first boat is paired with the last boat, second boat with second to last and so on, saw some of the best improvers picking up prizes, with Stephen Bell & Declan O’Keeffe paired with Bruce Bowler & Steve Harniman taking the first place with second place going to Richard and Simon Lewis paired with newcomers Tim Warner and Mark Sheldrake. Third place in the Pro-Am series went to Bob Ladell & Luke Draper, paired with local sailors Paola Galli & Michele Favaretto.

Congratulations go to the very worthy Eurochamps – and our thanks to Fraglia Vela Malcesine for hosting the Eurocup event for the second year, as well as the Pro-Am series sponsors, RWO Marine.

Overall Results: