One point separation

A light day on the water at the Aruba Heineken catamaran regatta sees the Dutch Inter 20s come good

The top ten competition of this year’s Aruba Heineken Catamaran Regatta is strong. On Tuesday November 11 2003, the gap between the the two overall leaders decreased to just one point. The British team Sunnucks/Self is still just ahead of Dutch Formula 18 sailors Larsen/Pols and Graat/Koene.

After breakfast in sea breeze, the competitors had to wait for wind. At 1030, the postponement flag was taken down and the fleet left the beach for the starting line. Due to the light winds, the course was short, but it still took the small boats a long time to get around in the burning sun.

Two Inter 20 teams, Breur/Buyse and Deutekom/De Vries, from the Netherlands were in the lead. They managed to stand the heat of the British Tornados and finished first and second, followed by Sunnucks/Self. Team Larsen/Pols stayed close and got a third place on rating after the two Nacra’s Inter 20. Sunnucks: “Gunnar is very good. He’s always there. I think he will win.”

In the afternoon, the race committee decided to vary with an Olympic triangle course. The seabreeze was still weak, but steady. Although Gunnar Larsen and Xander Pols belong to the younger generation, they sailed the alternative race very well. They finished 3 minutes 39 after Sunnucks and Self, which was enough for the victory on rating.

For William Sunnucks it is the second time that he has participated in the Aruba Heineken Catamaran Regatta. He won in 2001 and got a free ticket for the year after, but he did not come. In that year he competed in the Tybee 500, which is similar to the Worrell 1000. At the beginning of the 1990s, he campaigned in the Tornado class, but ended up in second position in the national selections. He continued his sailing career in the long distance races. And with success, because he won the series in the last two seasons. Sunnucks: “I feel comfortable about beating Richard Allen, because I have won every time this year. Last time, we had a closer competition with him, but this year the thread is coming from Gunnar Larsen. He is a different class of sailor.”

There will be no race tomorrow, so the competitors will have time for sight seeing. The Dutch Tornado team Mitch Booth and Herbert Dercksen will give a clinic for those who like to improve their sailing skills.


Top places after five races (inc one discard)]

1. Tornado / GBR – Sunnucks and Self, 8 points
2. Formule 18 / NED – Larsen and Pols, 9 points
3. Formule 18 / NED – Graat and Koene, 15 points
4. Tornado / GBR – Allen and Gummer, 19 points
5. Formule 20 / NED – Deutekom and De Vries, 22 points

The Aruba Heineken Regatta will be held from 9-14 November. Eight races are scheduled, included a long distance race on Thursday 13 November. The regatta is sponsored by the Aruban Toerist agency, Heineken, Hapag Lloyd, Holiday Inn, KLM, TNG, Magic Marine, Coca Cola, AWA, Tropical Bottling Company Aruba, Does & Cadushi, Pelican Watersports, Palm Tours, Aruba Watersport Center, Anthony Veder & Co, Astec, Meta Corporation, Seaworld Explorer, Kodak, Meta Corporation, AS Aruba and the Caribbean Mercantile Bank.

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