Two races were held for the 49er fleet for the first days of qualifying for the European and Youth World Championship.  Recovering from their epic long distance race held the day prior, the 63 boat fleet were split into two groups and sent to two courses on Lake Garda with seemingly two separate winds.  

The yellow fleet seemed to have the better wind and sailed near the eastern side of the lake, near Torbole.  The wind seemed more consistent in strength yet shifty with the sailors still heading to the cliffs off the line.  The Alonso brothers of Spain sailed well posting a 1-3 and carrying a 1 from the previous days long distance race to take the overall lead for the regatta. Also sailing in the yellow fleet, the Polish team of Lukasz Przybytek and Pawel Kolodzinski sailed a consistent 2-2 and sit tied for 2nd overall with 13 points. 

Third place are Julian d’Ortoli and Noe Delpech (FRA) who led the blue fleet with a 4-4 after today’s racing.  The blue fleet had much lighter winds and had one race that barely made the time limit as the wind began to die.

Leading the Youth Worlds are Jan Hauke Erichsen and Max Lux (GER) who have been sailing well and posted a 6-11 to put them 5th overall.

Racing continues with 1 more day of qualifying with the top 25 teams advancing to the finals. The top 12 teams from the Olympic Games an automatic invitation to the Gold fleet.  The final series will be held in Theatre style with a 4-round knock-out style racing and a Grand Final series to be held on the last day with the final 4 boats.

SEIKO has been the main sponsor of the International 49er Class since 2006. Through this agreement, SEIKO has assisted the growth of the sport and has supported the future development of the 49er sailing through the supply of funds and equipment to the new generation of sailors.  In return, SEIKO has gained valuable insights into the needs and wishes of the top athletes in world sailing, and is incorporating this knowledge into each new generation of Velatura, its marine watch collection. 

Michalis Pateniotis ICARUS SAILING MEDIA 

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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 11 September 2012 )