Stella Maris Enríquez of Vigo and Marta Cardona from the Balearic Islands lead the 49erFX class
France dominates in the Nacra 17 class and New Zealand in the 49er with a small margin
49er fleet race start in Vilagarcía de Arousa (Galicia, Spain) 17 July 2024
The 2024 49er, 49er FX and Nacra 17 Junior World Championships could not have had a better start for the Spaniards. Vilagarcía de Arousa, a town located in the southwest of Galicia (Spain) is hosting on the waters of the estuary of Arousa, with the Galician Sailing Center as its epicentre.
After a short break on shore waiting for the wind, the Race Committee hoisted competitors to the water at 12h45 for the 49er FX class and at 13h00 for the Nacra 17. They competed in two different race areas: the first near the Port Authority of the Port of Vilagarcía, and the Nacra near the Island of Cortegada.
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After completing their respective racing programs, three races per class, it was the turn of the 49er class, which were divided into two groups: yellow and blue.
There was a predominantly southwesterly wind, starting the first races with 245º and closing the day with 220º, from right to left from 8 to 12 kts.
In 49er FX, a brilliant start for the Galician/Balearic was performed by Stella Maris Enríquez and Marta Cardona, who have taken the lead with an extraordinary debut: 2-1-2. This gave them the first 5 points.
In second place are the Germans Katharina Schwachhoper and Elena Stoltze, who scored 5-2-5 to finish the day with 12 points. Further down in third position was another Spanish crew, formed by Marina Garau and María del Mar Gil, with 31 points.
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After three races in the 49er class and the results of the two fleets, New Zealand’s Sebastian Menzies and George Lee lead the overall standings with 10 points (2-7-1), just one point ahead the second placed team, Robbert Huisman and John Swart from the Netherlands (4-5-2). Third place goes to Richard Schultheis and Younenn Bertin, from Malta, with 14 points (7-1-6).
Menzies and Lee dominated the 49erFX fleet at the 2022 Junior World Championship in Lake Como, winning almost all of the races. The two had just graduated from the 29er fleet and moved briefly into the FX before heading to the 49er. That early pedigree is showing it is no accident as they move to the top of the 49er fleet.
In the Nacra 17 class the podium is also very tight, with a small margin of points between the three places. The provisional lead is held by France’s Clément Martineau and Adélie Bertin, who lead with 10 points after scoring 5-4-1 in the three races of the day. Their compatriots Titouan Petard and Thea Lubac are in second place with one point more, while the Belgian siblings Kwinten and Lieselotte Borghijs are third.
‘Today has been a typical day of sea breeze here in Vilagarcía,’ said Stella Maris Enríquez. ‘We had a good day; we took good decisions and sailed very fast despite some mistakes. There are still another four days to go and our rivals are very good crews, so it won’t be easy,’ said the Galician sailor.
Thursday July 18, 2024 will be the second day of the championship. Racing will start at 11h00 CEST.
The 49er, 49er FX and Nacra 17 Junior World Championship is organised by the Real FederaciónGalega de Vela (Royal Galician Sailing Federation) with the sponsorship of the Diputación de Pontevedra (County Council of Pontevedra), the Xunta de Galicia and the Concello de Vilagarcía de Arousa (City Council of Vilagarcía) with the support of the Port Authority and other brands collaborating in the event.
For full results, photos, videos and more head to the regatta website.
