The skies parted in Clearwater for Day 3 of the 49er and 49erFX North American’s. An offshore breeze greeted the 49er fleet to kick off the days racing. In 7 knots the men raced toward the beach in shifty conditions. Ruggi Tita continued hi winning ways and took the first race.
The wind started decreasing and becoming less stable which made life tricky for the sailors. In race 2 Erik Heil (GER) headed hard right and Sebastien Schneiter (SUI) headed hard left. They were first and 2nd around the windward mark as teams played puffs from either edge as the breeze graduall moved to the right.
The third race was even more unstable, and once again Erik Heil took advantage in very light conditions with shore puffs quite unpredictable. The wind got very light and shifty but there was just enough breeze to finish the race and send the fellas home.
The 49erFX fleet was already on the water so they waited about 2 hours for the wind to turn around and the sea breeze to establish. The wait was worth it as the sea breeze filled just off the beach in front of Pier 60 in Clearwater so the 49erFX could get three great races in right in front of the thousands of beachgoers.
Sperry Topsider Team USA veterans Deb Capozzi and Molly Vandeomoer had a plan to hit the right shore and worked it to perfection. The rest of the fleet caught on and the final two races we well contested with a variety of good options on the beats and runs making for great racing.
The European Teams are dominating so far with the Alonso brothers from Spain heading up the 49er and Jena Hansen and Katja Iversen of Denmark heading up the 49erFX. There is one day left to decide on the championship.
