Today, Tuesday, July 5, 2022, three more tests of the J80 European Championship have been held in the waters of Saint-Cast, adding a total of six of this European one-design regatta.
322° wind throughout the day, giving the first start at 12:12 pm on a windward-leeward course of less than a mile in which they made two beats and two sterns. In the passage through the windward buoy, the Spanish «Gpbullhound» was in sixth position and the «Baiona World 2023» in eighth position, while the «Etnia Barcelona» would do so in twenty-two position and the «Enbata 80» in twenty-eight due to the melee of ships on starboard tack that they had to dodge as they passed the buoy.
In the traverse section, «Baiona World 2023» had to penalize itself with a 360°, losing seven positions, recovering in the first stern to ninth place, which it did on the left side of the regatta field. ‘Gpbullhound’ turned downwind in fourth position close to the leading group led at the time by Simon Moriceau’s ‘Armen Habitat – PL Yachting’ half an hour into the race.
During the second beat, which lasted about 13 minutes with the wind at 330°, «Etnia Barcelona» would also recover positions by turning the second pass to windward in 17th place, but in the second stern she would lose eight places and be overtaken by the “Enbata 80” on the leeward door. Finishing the test with victory for «Armen Habitat – PL Yachting» followed by «APCC – MKL» of Clement Guihot and «Sail In Blue» of Martin Allix, the best Spanish was «Gpbullhound» in sixth place, one minute later the «Baiona World 2023» in tenth position, «Enbata 80» in 21st place and «Etnia Barcelona» in 23rd place.
At 1:48 p.m., the start of the second test, 335° wind, with the fleet always sailing along the left side of the regatta field, led by Patrick Bot’s “Ecole Navale – Team Custo POL”, which he would turn the windward buoy in first position after 13 minutes of close hauling. Javier de la Gándara would do it in sixth position ten seconds later with the «Baiona World 2023». A minute later it would be “Enbata 80” in 11th place, “Gpbullhound” in 13th and “Etnia Barcelona” in 20th.
At the first stern the fleet spread out a bit more between the far left side and the center line of the race course. Seeing a tough dispute between «Ecole Navale – Team Custo POL» and «Armen Habitat – PL Yachting» with «Baiona World 2023» in fourth position after passing the leeward buoy, 20 seconds behind the leader. «Enbata 80» would do so in position 9, «Gpbullhound» in 15 and «Etnia Barcelona» in 18 at 2:16 p.m.
The second beat of this fifth overall test would be more of the same, the fleet sailing on the left side reaching the windward mark on the second board of the stage. De la Gándara continued to improve by turning in third position 20 seconds from «Ecole Navale – Team Custo POL». “Enbata 80” is seventh, “Gpbullhound” is in 11th place and “Etnia Barcelona” 15th.
During the second stern «Baiona World 2023» remained in third position, since it would lose a few meters from finishing it when the «Elite Navale – Team Custo POL» of Pierre Laquenan and the «Jumpin Jack» Flash of Nicolas Guesard, finishing in fifth position. “Enbata 80” enters seventh, “Gpbullhound” in 11 and “Etnia Barcelona” 16.
The third race, the last of the day, began at 15:23 with an upwind wind of 340° that would roll to 332° and the entire fleet thrown to starboard that would split into two in the middle of the race course. «Elite Ecole Navale – Team Custo POL» by Pierre Laquenan would turn the windward buoy in first position, at 3:37 p.m., one minute later the Spanish «Enbata 80» in tenth position, «Baiona World 2023» in the position 14, «Gpbullhound» in 23 and «Etnia Barcelona» in 39th place.
Left side for the first stern, «Enbata 80» and «Baiona World 2023» are scratching some positions reaching the leeward buoy in sixth and ninth place respectively at 01:19 and 01:38 minutes respectively from the first. «Gpbullhound» kept the 23rd, more than a minute behind De la Gándara’s J80 and «Etnia Barcelona» had to withdraw shortly after turning the traverse buoy.
During the second stern «Enbata 80» would arrive in fifth place and «Baiona World 2023» finished in eighth position two and a half minutes later than the winner «Elite Ecole Navale – Team Custo POL», and «Gpbullhound» in the position 17 to four minutes of the first.
After two days held, six races played and a first discard, the best Spanish J80 is in fourth place overall. Javier de la Gándara’s “Baiona World 2023” accumulates a total of 34 points, with “Gpbullhound” in fifth position with 35 points and “Enbata 80” sixth with 42 points. And «Etnia Barcelona» sinks to 18th place with 83 points after having to abandon the last test on Tuesday, when there are still three days of competition left in Saint-Cast.
«Armen Habitat – PL Yachting» is the leader of the general European J80 with 12 points, second «Ecole Navale – Team Custo POL» with 14 points and third «Ecole Navale Localponton de Patrick Bot with 29 points.
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism