Soft breeze and big shifts upset some of the big beasts
Very light airs made for a tricky fourth day at the 49er and 49er FX European Championships in Porto. After a long wait ashore for the breeze to fill in, the 49erFX sailors were sent home without any gold fleet finals racing today. By late afternoon a light breeze was blowing out to sea, and […]
Lightweight Germans ride the wave to the top of FX leaderboard
Bigger breeze and two-metre Atlantic swell delivered some challenging conditions for day 3 of the 49er and 49er FX European Championships in Porto. Boats were leaping off waves with clear daylight showing between hull and water. Avoiding the dreaded pitchpole was one of the big goals on the downwind legs. These were not the conditions […]
Port tack flyers launch Portuguese into the lead in Porto
Jorge Lima and José Costa have claimed an early lead in the 49er European Championships on home waters in Porto, the second city of Portugal. With the 79-boat fleet split into three qualifying divisions for the first three days of competition, the inshore course favoured the right-hand side strongly throughout the day, especially so in […]
River Race Sets Stage for 49er Europeans in Porto
The boat park hums with registration, measurement, last minute tuning, and last minute nerves on the Duoro River in Porto, Portugal. On Monday the 6th the 49erFX Eruopean Championship will begin followed by the 49er class on the 7th. To cut the tension and invite the city of Porto into the regatta a fun River […]