Last day of racing BMW Dragon Gold Cup 2010

This last day offered some sun and a steady southeasterly wind of 7 – 10m/s, 14 – 20kts. After three general recalls the boats were off. The Race Committee had planned two races but only one was completed. Skipper Anatoly Loginov in RUS27 and his crew Andrey Kirilyuk, Alexander Shalagin were the overall winners of the BMW Dragon Gold Cup 2010.

The start was delayed an hour and a half due to three gnerall recalls. After a bit more than two hours today’s race was won by POR 58, Felipe Silva, runner up GBR723, Quentin Strauss and third DEN399, Jens Christensen. RUS27, skipper Anatoly Loginov came in fourth which meant a step up from second to first place overall and winner of the BMW Dragon Gold Cup 2010.

The winners had only 4 points more than the runner up UKR8, skipper Leon Hendriksen, crew Igor Sidorov and Georgiy Leonchuk, who were in the lead after three races but their 12th place today lost hem the Cup.

Today’s winner POR58, overall third, had the same number of points as the runner up but UKR8 had two firsts and POR58 only one.

Already last year, Anatoly Loginov RUS27 showed his mettle when he came third in the Dragon Gold Cup in Skagen, Denmark. Earlier this year he won a bronze in the Europeans in Hungary.

When asked by Gisela Andrén, GKSS’s Press Office, why they are so successful, Anatoly Loginov says: – We’re a really good team; we chose the correct side of the course and made very few mistakes!

This year’s starting field comprised as many as 96 boats, out of 106 applications, more than in the Dragon Gold Cup in Denmark last year. On the starting line there were medalists from both Olympics and Worlds, CEOs, bankers, professional yachtsmen and Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Frederik and Prince Henrik of Denmark.

9th place overall and best Swede was SWE358 Hans Liljeblad, crew Fredrik Heijne and Johan Hedberg. Asked if they were happy with the result Hans said: – Yes we really are! We made quite a few minor mistakes but were never worse than 20th with a 10th as our best result. We won the Swedish Championships this year and have sailed a lot of regattas which has paid off.

Marstrand offered the sailors popular “After Sails”, a royal gala dinner, varied winds, sun, rain and waves and thus confirmed its position as Sweden’s sailing Mekka. During seven days sailors from all over the world participated in an event well organized by GKSS.

Kerstin Holmberg, Race Committee Chairman of the BMW Dragon Gold Cup is really pleased. “Our organization of some 50 volunteers, working day and night, have done a fantastic job!”