Nationale Suisse into the lead

After two windward-leewards are held on day one of the IMS 670 Worlds in Sanxenxo

The quayside of the Sanxenxo Royal Yacht Club was buzzing with activity this morning, with crews nipping on and off the yachts, eager to finish those last minute preparations before heading out to race. For the crowds gathering around the Juan Carlos I port, anticipation was rising for the start of the 2007 IMS World Championship, the Anjoca World Cup, which runs through until Sunday 23 Spetember in the northern Spanish port of Sanxenxo.

The sun was shining on a calm sea this morning, with wind-speeds picking up to give 8 -12 knots of breeze for the fleet to race with. The waters around La Lanzada beach area welcomed 34 boats from 8 different countries all ready for a tough battle at sea to see who will be crowned Champion of the IMS 670 class.

Pre-race nerves and perhaps an excess of enthusiasm led the Race Committee to recall various boats back to the start line, in most cases due to false starts, as well as four general recalls to the fleet.

As the fleet took the windward mark in the second race of the day a 70° shift meant the race was abandonned and restarted, with the boats finishing the course with no further obstacles. Despite an attempt at a third race this afternoon, the Committee took the decision to direct the fleet back to port after the final general recall of the day. As such, the day’s schedule was reduced to two races with the X-37 National Suisse, owned by Malalo Bermudez de Castro proving untouchable. The boat registered at the Bayonne Yacht Club won both races in a convincing fashion; the first 8 seconds ahead of Vindio and the second 17 seconds in front of Spanish Champion Jose Maria Van der Ploeg’s Madrid Turismo.

Today’s solid results put National Suisse firmly at the top of the leaderboard at the start of this competition. The five boats below the leaders are separated by just 3 points, showing there are no safe bets in this highly competitive IMS fleet.

Nationale Suisse skipper Malalo Bermudez de Castro, commented: “We made strong starts in both of today’s races, and we held on to our lead. Once you’ve started at the front, it’s much easier to stay on top. The hard work comes when the start isn’t so good and you have to fight to recover positions, which is what happened to my favourite, “Turismo Madrid”, who dealt with the situation really well. In terms of the offshore race tomorrow a lot will depend on the breeze. If it’s anything like today, those who sail the best race will win, but if the wind drops it could prove much more of a lottery.”

It looks like the X-37 boats are making a big impression on this year’s Anjoca World Cup, with four out of the five top boats of the same model. Their only unfamiliar neighbour is the Grand Soleil 37 Vindio, which looks set to make an impression of her own after finishing in 3rd place at the end of the first day.

Carles Rodríguez, skipper of Vindio said: “We’re pleased with today’s result. In the first race we made a good start through the middle and we made a good call by sticking to the left to take the windward mark first. On the leeward leg we broke a sheet and we lost the lead. National Suissehas sailed a great regatta so far, mainly due to the sailing itself rather than the speed of the boat. I think the long distance race will be crucial, especially as we’re not expecting much wind, and anything can happen. Yes, I think tomorrow will be D-Day in this event.”

Thursday hails the start of the highly anticipated offshore race, with the boats due to set off at 13:00 (local time) on a course of approximately 70 nautical miles. The planned route will take the fleet from Sanxenxo to El Castro via the Riveira area with the boats going down to the Ons Islands and then back up to El Castro, the halfway and scoring point in this race.

Once the fleet pass this scoring waypoint they will have sailed a distance of 35 miles, the minimum for the race to be declared as valid by the Race Committee. From thereon, the course will be decided subject to weather conditions.

Should the Committee choose to continue the race for the entire 70 mile course, the fleet will head back to the Ons Islands and southwards to the Vigo Estuary, to pass the last mark of the race and will head towards the finish line in the northern mouth of the Pontevedra Estuary.

Saturday will see a return to the windward - leeward racing starting at 13:00 (local time).

Provisional overall results - day 1, top 10

1. Nationale Suisse (Malalo Bermúdez, ESP), 0,75+0,75=1,5
2. Turismo Madrid (José Mª Van der Ploeg, ESP), 4+2=6
3. Vindio (Carles Rodríguez, ESP), 2+6=8
4. movistar (Pedro Campos, ESP), 3+5=8
5. Navantia (Jesús Pintos, ESP), 6+3=9
6. Rías Baixas (Javier Gándara, ESP), 7+4=11
7. Tanit-Medilevel (Nacho Campos, ESP), 8+10=18
8. Ricana (Lars Bergkvist, SWE), 5+14=19
9. Opecen Inmobiliaria (Javier Puertas, ESP), 13+7=20
10. Albariño Valdamor (Axel Rodger, ARG), 14+11=25
10. Ciudad de Ceuta (Sergio Llorca, ESP), 10

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