International Contender European Championship at Circolo Vela Arco - Day 1
by Elena Giolai 31 Jul 2018 07:27 BST
28 July - 3 August 2018
2018 International Contender European Championship © Elena Giolai
Another European Championship at Circolo Vela Arco and this time of a very special class. A single-hander where the helmsman is on trapeze.
In Italy it is a fairly well known and loved boat; on the other hand, the Italian helmsmen are among the strongest in the world, considering that Andrea Bonezzi is the holder of seven world titles, even if for this occasion he is absent but well replaced by his brother Luca, who after a 32nd, took a beautiful first in his own back-yard in race two.
After the opening ceremony held Sunday evening on the Lido Lido promenade on Monday, which officially started the regatta, there was a sprint start by the Italians, who have fared well in the first two races with about 12 knots of wind and the fleet of about 130 participants was divided into two flights. Four Italians are in the top ten with Marco Ferrari in the lead, who in the first day had a 1-2, compared to 2-3 by Antonio Lambertini (World Champion in 2012), four points behind him.
In third place is the British sailor Graham Scott (5-2). Sixth and seventh respectively are Davide Fontana (3-7) and Guido Ciccotti (4-6). At the moment in only eleventh is the Danish World Champion 2013 and European 2014 Soren Dulong Andreasen, who started with a mediocre thirteenth, immediately recovering with a first in the second race. First woman is the British sailor Fiona Collins. Qualifying races are scheduled with two races a day to conclude with the finals, dividing the fleet according to the first half of the general classification.
For full results click here.