The first day of racing in Medemblik yesterday saw 30 boats registered for the “Tune Up” regatta & 27 teams made it to the start line for the initial two races..
With the wind just above 6 knots the first race got away on the second attempt under a Black Flag, which saw the current World Champion, Klaus Diederichs, GBR 758 as the only casualty… The slight starboard bias, shifted to a port bias just before the start and so most gains were made from the left side on the first beat. Racing was tight and competitive and in the end it was the “home” team of NED 402 helmed by Jan Bakker, crewed by his son’s Dominic and Olivier who took the winning gun.
In race two, again started after an initial general recall, so under a Black Flag, it was the extra pressure on the right side of the first beat that saw GBR 708 helmed by Quentin Strauss, crewed by his brother Simon & Nigel Young take an early lead. Despite some good sailing from NED 311 Bram de Wilde, GBR 708 held their lead to win in the end by a comfortable margin….
With the Bakker’s finishing 6th in the second race, it was enough to give them the overall lead after day one….It was a beautiful sunny day here on the Isslemeer and a very nice relaxing sailing day was had by all. I expect the fleet to get a little larger today for race 3 and 4 which start at midday, as more boats come out for a bit of practice prior to the main Dragon Gold Cup event, sponsored by BMW which begins at the weekend. With 90 boats now registered it should be an unbelievable regatta…..
Higher, Faster, Longer…………… Stavros. (GER 1102).