Anglo-Italian leads 1720s

Campari in hand, Becci Eplett reports from the Europeans on Lake Garda

Following a dockside sweep-stake amongst the 30 competing teams at the Murphy & Nye 1720 European Championships as to precisely what time Lake Garda’s southerly Ora breeze would pump in, boats left the dock just after midday to race the first three races of the championship in a moderate (for the area) 12 to 15 knots.

The Race Committee of Fraglia Vela Riva got things started bang on time at one pm and so the men and the boys (plus a generous smattering of bikini clad racing ladies) were duly separated.

Race One was won by Conor Clarke in Wow, with Robert Eckstein (British born, but Italian resident) in second, and Darren Baker in Miele Mad Cow took third. Well… we did wonder what the ‘unknown’ Italians could do…

Race Two saw a return to form for the current 1720 UK National Champion Ruairidh Scott in King Quick, back on his winning streak, with Eckstein second and Clarke taking a hard fought third place.

tacktick micronet, helmed by slippery racing snake Geoff Carveth, took a bullet in Race Three, Eckstein crossed the line in solid second and Maurice ‘Prof’ O’Connell was third in Aquatack.

At the end of Day 1, the leader board shows Robert Eckstein in first place on 8 points, Ruairidh Scott second with 10.8, and Conor Clarke third on 15.8. Our congratulations to Mrs Eckstein on her wedding anniversary today, for which her husband is absent: he’s busy giving the Brits and the Irish a good whipping on Lake Garda!

Games commence again tomorrow (7th September) at the Murphy and Nye 1720 European Championship, with races 4 to 7 scheduled. My money says we’ll start with the Ora at one pm precisely.

Results:

Pos	Name	Sailno	R1	R2	R3	Tot
1	ECKSTEIN ROBERT	ITA 1720	4	2	2	8,0
2	SCOTT RUAIRIDH	GBR 1777	5	1	5	10,8
3	BAKER DARREN	GBR 1742	3	7	6	16,0
4	CLARKE CONOR	IRL 1759	1	3	13	16,8
5	BARBER SHAUN	GBR 1741	2	14	4	20,0
6	CARVETH JEFF	GBR 1743	19	4	1	23,8
7	MAGUIRE DAVID	IRL 1843	6	5	17	28,0
8	COOPER JOHN	GBR 1715	8	9	14	31,0
9	O LEARY ANTHONY	IRL 1807	17	6	9	32,0
10	ATKINS IAN	GBR 1785	9	12	11	32,0
11	O'CONNELL MAURICE	IRL 1804	22	11	3	36,0
12	SWINGLAND CHARLES	GBR 1797	10	16	12	38,0
13	BYRNE MARTIN	IRL 1808	12	20	8	40,0
14	BLAKE SIMON	GBR 1767	21	8	15	44,0
15	EVANS MIKE	IRL 1773	16	17	16	49,0
16	MCIRVINE ANDREW	GBR 1712	29	13	10	52,0
17	DUCKER CHRIS	GBR 1773	11	21	20	52,0
18	O'BRIEN GREG	GBR 1790	7	28	19	54,0
19	SMEDLEY VAUGHAN	GBR 1702	14	15	25	54,0
20	LOVEJOY PAUL	GBR 1710	15	23	18	56,0
21	MCLELLAND JANE	GBR 1774	25	27	7	59,0
22	PETERS JAMES	GBR 1770	27	10	23	60,0
23	GREENAWAY MARK	GBR 1701	23	18	21	62,0
24	MACDONALD COLIN	GBR 1798	13	dnf	22	66,0
25	LANGLEY BARRY	GBR 1789	18	24	24	66,0
26	GALAVAN COLIN	IRL 1751	24	19	26	69,0
27	RICKARDS JOHN	GBR 1721	20	22	29	71,0
28	MACPHEE DUNCAN	IRL 1722	28	25	27	80,0
29	ARMSTRONG NORMAN	GBR 1766	26	26	28	80,0
30	TINN TERRY	GBR 1704	30	29	ocs	90,0