Team GBR hat trick

Useful haul at Palamos Christmas Race

The final day of Palamos Christmas Race started sunny, with no wind and the Race Committee had to wait until midday to get the medal races underway. All classes were able to sail the medal race in S-SW, 8 to 10 knots wind conditions.

Spain claimed victory in the 470 men with team Onán Barreiros/Aaron Sarmiento (Toyota) followed by Austrian sailors Matthias Schmid/ Flavian Reichstaedt (Dolores) and third place overall was taken by British sailors Luke Patience/Chris Grube (Miller).

Andrew Mills from Great Britain has been the winner in the Finn class, followed by Spanish competitor Àlex Muscat and Ukrainian sailor Oleksiy Borysov (FOND), second and third respectively.

Mills, recently voted Skandia Team GBR Development Squad Sailor of the Year by sailors and members of the STGBR support team, sealed medal race victory to leapfrog fellow Brit Giles Scott into top spot in the Finn class.

Scott, the World Under 21 champion, had been leading the class going into the final double points showdown, but after he was declared OCS (on course side) at the start of the race, it enabled 23-year-old Mills, who had been lying second at the start of the day, to take the initiative and wrap up Christmas Race gold.

In Laser Radial, the overall winner has been Sara Carmo from Portugal followed by Spanish sisters Lucía and Fátima Reyes, second and third respectively.

Spanish 470 women team Marina Gallego/Julia Rita have finished third overall after winning the medal race. The victory in the class has been for French team Camille Lecointre/ Mathilde Geron (Vecteur +) and second place for British team Sophie Weguelin /Sophie Ainsworth.

Britain dominated the 49er class. Performance Squad pair Dave Evans and Simon Hiscocks wrapped up the medal race win, but with John Pink and Rick Peacock finishing so high up the fleet it wasn’t enough for Evans/Hiscocks to overcome their lead. Pink/Peacock finally boasting a 13 point advantage over their teammates overall.
Third place was taken by the Spanish team Alonso /Alonso.

Eifion Mon made no mistake in letting Laser victory slip through his grasp as he also romped to medal race victory to win the men’s single-handed dinghy class by 12 points from Development Squad teammate Robert Godwin. Third place overall went to France with Cabaz Rodrigue.

Sophie Weguelin and Sophie Ainsworth also enjoyed a regatta to write home about, with a fifth in the 470 Women’s medal race enough to consolidate their overall second placing while Luke Patience and Chris Grube also secured a top three finish in the Men’s 470 thanks to their medal race fourth.

Double Olympic silver medallist Nick Rogers, sailing with Pom Green, had to settle for fourth overall after a medal race eighth saw them drop from second overall.

Palamós Christmas Race – Skandia Team GBR results:

470 Men:
3rd Luke Patience/Chris Grube
4th Nick Rogers/Pom Green
6th Matt Mee/Sam Brearey
16th Ben Saxton/David Kohler
17th James Rusden/Dan Schieber
26th Ben Muskett/ Jonny Moss

470 Women:
2nd Sophie Weguelin/Sophie Ainsworth
5th Hannah Mills/Katrina Hughes

49er:
1st John Pink/Rick Peacock
2nd Dave Evans/Simon Hiscocks
7th Dylan Fletcher/Alain Sign
11th Andy Walsh/Simon Marks
13th Chris Rashley/Matt Gotrel

Finn:
1st Andrew Mills
5th Giles Scott

Laser Radial:
10th Sarah Butterfield (RYA Youth)
11th Rosie Chapman
14th Hannah Diamond
16th Chloe Martin
22nd Sophie McKeeman (RYA Youth)
24th Mary Fenton-Jones (RYA Youth)

Laser Standard:
1st Eifion Mon
2nd Robert Godwin
6th Max Holloway
9th Alex Mills-Barton (RYA Youth)
11th Stuart Godwin
12th Phillip Reynolds (RYA Youth)
14th Martin Evans (RYA Youth)
15th Rob Spencer
27th Dan Belben