F16 Europeans: Day 2

Race Update – F16 Euro Challenge – Day 2. by 2Bsailing
Date: 20 July 2010
Location: AVAL-CDV Centro Vela Alto Lario – Gravedona, Lake Como, Italy Photo Left: Lara and Silvia Sicouri by Helen Sharrock

Race 4.
The southerly breeze was in early and the fleet got underway in a steady 15 knots. It was Froukje Feenstra and Bundy that hit the right hand side hard first and led the fleet around the first mark. Just when everyone was comfortable that it was a right hand track but it was Carolijn Brouwer and Liz Wardley that confused the fleet on the second down wind moving from 4th to first after venturing to the other side. Feenstra and Bundock persisted with the right hand side upwind and regained the lead. At the finish it was Froukje Feenstra/ Darren BundockBundock first closely followed by series leaders Thijs Visser/Diemer Feenstra.

Race 5.
The fleet was eager to get started and many boats broke the line. Brouwer/Wardley, Visser/Feenstra, Van Helden/Goodall returned to clear themselves. Froukje Feenstra/Darren Bundock continued only to find they were OCS after finishing 3rd. Race 5 was great as it was not a one way track with the leader coming from the left hand side of the course. It was Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin that took the lead but had to defend off the Sicouri sisters that were sailing extremely well and showed outstanding speed in the stronger breeze and pushed Waterhouse all the way for a photo finish but Waterhouse prevailed. There was a bit of controversy after the right hand bottom gate mark came adrift and the race committee pulled it out of the water after the first 4 boats rounded the gate. It was Thijs Visser in 5th that paid the penalty and was disqualified rounding the remaining mark to starboard where as the sailing instructions state that if there was a single mark it must be rounded to port.

Race 6.
The left hand side was working with a nice lift up the eastern shore and the breeze had settled in at 18 knots. Thijs Visser/Diemer Feenstra had the peddle down upwind in the breeze and led the fleet for 2 laps with Froukje Feenstra/Darren Bundock and the sicouri sisters in chase. Feenstra/Bundock crossed for the lead on the last down wind with only one gybe to go for the finish and with a rush of adrenaline rolled it over and lost 7 places and handed the lead to Thijs Visser/Diemer Feenstra. The Sicouri sisters slid into second.
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