505 Euro Cup at Fraglia Vela Riva, Lake Garda, Italy - Day 2

The committee boat sets off during the 505 Euro Cup at Fraglia Vela Riva © Michael Quirk

Day 2 of the 505 Euro Cup in Riva on the stunning Northern end of Lake Garda saw another cold, wet day. I am sure most of the fleet feared that we would not get to race, but around 3pm the PRO informed the fleet that he intended to start us at 4pm.

So damp wetsuits were put on, covers were pulled off of soggy boats and we launched in a gentle Northerly breeze. Once again he had it right and 2 races were held in around 7-9 knots.

Race one of the day and four of the series saw a shake up at the front of the fleet. Once again getting off of the crowded start line was a challenge and those who did it well benefited greatly. None more so than Brits Ben McGrane and James Ross who took the win from French team of Phillipe Boîte and his son Alexander, with German team of Frederick Schaal and Felix Diesch. Proving that their first race win was no fluke, Ben and James proceeded to repeat in race 5 taking another bullet. This time from compatriots Paul Brotherton and James Fawcett in second and another GB team, Michael Sims and Carl Gibbon in third.

The leaderboard had now been well shuffled and in a high scoring event, showing the depth of the fleet and quality of the racing. Ben and James now top the leaderboard, tied on points with Paul and James and just ahead of Mike Holt and Rob Woelfel. With potentially 3 more races there is lots of opportunity for more changes at the top and hopefully a good last day of racing ahead.

Results after Day 2: