Xth Puig Vela Clàssica Barcelona - Overall
by Lisi Martín 17 Jul 2017 16:48 BST
13-15 July 2017
The tenth edition of the Puig Vela Clàssica Barcelona regatta, a competition that has celebrated its ten years of life with a record number of yachts, has offered a competitive show with the outcome fought to the last buoy.
Since the 13th of July, the waters of Barcelona have witnessed a spectacle of the purest art of navigation. More than 50 registered boats arrived from 12 different countries with more than 600 sailors, turning the city into the world capital of classic and vintage sailing.
An intense fight until the last minute
The third and final day of the Puig Vela Clàssica again offered good conditions to compete. With moderate sunshine and wind (9-11 knots) from the south, the organization opted for a route between buoys 13.6 miles away and five sections (very tactical and demanding for sailors). A perfect scenario for the disputed final outcome, which began with ties to be resolved in four of the five categories.
The Marconi Époque started the route designed for today with the triple tie of the British Argyll, the Argentine Cippino and the Uruguayan Fjord III. The trio of aspirants began sailing very close ones with the others, led by the Argyll, but the Cippino took the initiative starting the fourth stage, which allowed it to impose itself on the arrival and confirm its victory after the compensation of times, thus deserving the trophy of the winner. Finally, the Fjord III also surpassed the Argyll and obtained the sub-championship.
Kelpie of Falmouth sought revenge, surpassing the Marigold in the compensation of times, creating an impressive photo finish in the last moment: 6 seconds have marked the difference of the regatta and the final victory of the Cangreja Époque category. The Malabar X completed the podium, after beating the Marigan and the "small" Gipsy, which with this fifth position happily celebrates its 90th anniversary.
The fleet of Classics 1 has seen how the local Guia successfully defended the title of the last edition. The debutant in the Puig Vela Clàssica, Il Moro di Venezia I, started tied to points, but the second partial position of the Guia and its fourth position of the day have relegated it to the sub-championship. The French Sagittarius has defended the third position, while the Italian Corsario has won today's regatta, thus going up to the final fourth position.
Three partial victories of three have confirmed Alba's grace status in Classics 2, followed by the final podium by the Margarita Estalindalamar, which finished second today and could beat Kanavel, after cutting the final line in fifth place today.
The duel between the two co-leaders Big Boats has begun with a better start from the Moonbeam IV, but its rival Moonbeam III has managed to move forward and stay ahead, despite its smaller size, for much of the remaining route, finally giving in just the right to overcome the Moonbeam IV in compensated time by a minute of margin. The Cambria was third today and also in the general classification, while the Xarifa 1927 maintained its fourth position.
Overall Results:
Marconi Époque Division
1. Cippino (YC Argentina) Daniel Sielecki 5 points
2. Fjord III (YC Uruguay) Christine Fox Perry 6 points
3. Argyll (British Classic YC) Griff Rhys Jones 8 points
Cangreja Époque Division
1. Kelpie of Falmouth (R. Cornwall Y.C.) Asgard Yachts 4 points
2. Marigold (RCNB) Husk LTD 5 points
3. Malabar X (RCNB / AEBEC) Navilier S.L. 10 points
Classics 1 Division
1. Guia (RCNB) Ramón Roses 6 points
2. Il Moro di Venezia I (YC Sanremo) Massimiliano Ferruzi 8 points
3. Sagittarius (SR D'Antibes) Thierry Lafitte 9 points
Classics 2 Division
1. Alba (RCNB / AEBEC) Damián Ribas 3 points
2. Margaritaestalindalamar (CVP Andratx) Antón de Llano 8 points
3. Kanavel (RCNB / CN Garraf) Javier Mestre 10 points
Big Boats Division
1. Moonbeam III (SN Saint Tropez) Carsten Gerlach 4 points
2. Moonbeam IV (YC Monaco) Tom Van der Bruggen 5 points
3. Cambria (RNCYC) Cambria Yachts LTD 9 points
The Enrique Puig Prize has been awarded in this edition to the Alba and the Guia.