J/24 European Championship at Patras, Greece - Day 3
by Julie & Chris Howell 9 May 17:55 BST
4-10 May 2019
In nine of 10 scheduled races at the J/24 European Championship, Ignazio Bonanno's La Superba has consistently placed in the top four. Factoring in one discard for the Series, that leaves the Italian team as European Champions for the second time (they also won in 2012 in their home country), with one race to spare.
Retaining scores of only firsts, seconds and thirds, La Superba has netted just 18 points. Teams battling for the balance of the podium, nearly 20 points in arrears, include Anthimos Nikolaidis' Evniki, Alexandros Tagaropoulos' Hellenic Police, Panagiotis Kampouridis' JMania and Stefan Karsunke's Schwere Jungs. 30 J/24s conclude racing Friday at the Sailing Club of Patras in Greece.
Conditions were perfect again on Thursday, with breeze at 10-15 knots, sunny skies and warmer temperatures. Bonanno's La Superba notched their second bullet of the series to start the day, tailed by two German teamsStephan Mais' Runningmen and Karsunke's Schwere Jungs. Kampouridis' JMania of Greece snagged the win in the day's middle battle, while Bonanno settled for second and Nikolaidis' Evniki third. Then Kampouridis' JMania went back-to-back with another victory, ahead of Karsunke and Bonanno.
Racing continues through Friday. Complete results may be found at j24europeans2019.gr, and photos are available on the International J/24 Class Facebook page.