A-Class Worlds 2017 @Sopot: Day 1, Bundock & Brewin lead

Images by Paula Kopylowicz / Exploder – Gordon Upton / IACA – Helena Darvelid / Sailrocket . Full respective galleries follow their links.  Click images for orig size & slideshow.

Sopot Worlds 2017 Day 1
After many days without much wind at Sopot, the venue responded when most needed, on the first day of the Worlds providing off shore breeze up to 20knots.
The best part aside speed runs and airborne modes was the chance to see how  upwind foiling payed in this wind range.
Conclusion is  basically that to be at the top in this wind conditions nowadays you need to master upwind foiling .

Steve Brewin and Darren Bundock have been training extensively this mode on their  Expldoers D3, and I had past private reports on 21knots upwind and excellent vmg.
Today that preparation showed being quite effective  as both Australians dominated their respective fleets.
The info I have from several sources is Brewin got a very good gap in fleet A and Bundy has the best upwind foiling performance with Kuba and Sandro a bit behind.
Locals couldn’t repeat the domination seen with lighter winds at past week Polish Nats.

Mischa Heemskerk (Dna F1) finished second to Brewin in the first race, and he was second in the last race, but capsized to windward, a posterior confusion made him do an additional lap, to finish 29th.
Brewin still won both races with a comfortable margin.

Yesterday in our preview and when all were focusing on the D3 and Dna F1 teams, we mentioned the Scheurer G7 riders had a chance to perform in the breeze. And Sandro did just that with the 2017 G7 and short mast. Pic above is from his brother Daniel, as no shot from Sandro was available today.

Sandro scored 3 & 2 for a great third position overall tied in points with Exploder local rider Kuba Surowiec  (2 & 3) , both racing in Bundy’s fleet.

Coen de Koning (Dna F1)  had a great day with little time on the As , two 4th for at sixth overall.
Also  a productive day for Dave Shaw (8&2) and Stephen Brayshaw (D3 Boxing Aussie stickers 4 & 6)  for a  7th & 8th overall respectively.

On short masts aside the Caviezel bros on the G7s, “rookie” Adam May (D3) also sailed with a short rig and did really good considering his lack training last years on the As, specially the new full foiling mode in the breeze.

Seeing results it was a pity our friend Sergio Mehl could not even start a race , as 5 mins before the first start his boom mast attachment failed totally with rivets popping out and leaving him no chance to show his intensive training.
Once at shore, who else than Jakub Kopylowicz , helped Sergio to fit and repair the failed part and mast small crack for him to be able to sail tomorrow.

From the top riders Mischa sits 27th on his own additional lap, and Manolo Calavia (D3) got a 3rd in first race but followed with an OCS which relegates him to 61st overall at the moment.

All in all an excellent first day of racing for the 2017 Worlds , everyone was asking for more breeze and that is what they got, as the weather forecast showed yesterday.

Brewin and Bundock dominated today. For Brewin, Simon Nelson calculates on the info gathered that  Stevie was “ 1 minute ahead after 1 lap, which is over 300 metres and at the finish he was over 2 minutes ahead when he stop foiling and cruised  the last bit of the run. That means he was 600-800 metres ahead”.

Tomorrow lighter breeze expected and the locals might attack to get some bullets of their own. Mischa will need to score also, and the top Aussies will show us if they are untouchable in any wind range now that the real game is On.

Sopot 2017 Worlds Links
– Official Worlds web  aclassworlds2017.pl
– Worlds FB
– IACA Fb
– Fleet list here
– Live stream from cell https://livestream.com/ACLASSWORLDS2017/ACLASS
– Onsite report by Gordon Upton at IACA’s  web: www.a-cat.org

Top 15 results below,  full results https://2017.sailingnet.pl/aclassworlds2017/results.html