M32
Convexity pads lead, Midtown moves onto podium on day two of World Championship
Day two of the M32 World Championships in Biscayne Bay, Florida began with calm winds, bright skies and temperatures in the mid 70s. Race committee attempted an on time start, but squalls forced the fleet back to shore to await safe racing conditions. A little after 3:30 they managed one exciting race in 20-22 knots of wind. Teams had to stay on their toes to get around the track. Midtown did well to stay clear of carnage and won the only race of the day moving into third position overall. Convexity padded their overall lead a few points by finishing 2nd in the race. Gravedigger, helmed by Jimmy Prendergast, and Inga From Sweden, driven by Richard Goransson, finished in 3rd and 4th respectively showing just how deep the fleet is. But, another squall forced the sailors back to the dock before the race committee could start any more races.
This World Championship showcases a world class fleet. In the extra downtime today some European teams shared how they got into the class and why this event was worth the trip. Bliksem, Pieter Taselaar’s team has done more North American Regattas than any other European team in the last few years. He is drawn to the Miami winter series year after year because of the warm weather and great atmosphere, one that reminds him of some of the best M32 sailing venues in Europe. “For the European teams,” Said Taselaar, “come down in January, February, March or April. 25 degree’s celsius, 12 knot breezes, you can’t ask for anything better and Miami is a great city.”
This is Richard Goransson’s third season in the class on Inga From Sweden. The M32 was his first multi-hull boat. “I was a bit intimidated at the beginning” Said Goransson, “but it works out pretty well, and I really really enjoy it. It’s just a lot simpler than most other classes.” Goransson started the Worlds strong with a 2nd and a 3rd place, but got caught over the line early in a couple of the races on day one and is now aiming to climb the leaderboard in the next two days of racing.
On the Vikings it is Hakan Svensson’s first time back in Miami after a couple of years, but Hakan has been involved in the class since its inception in 2013 and is partly responsible for its recent growth. Leeloo is one of those new teams. Their helm, Harold Vermeulen, and his team of friends were drawn to the one-design competition of the M32 after trying the boat in Miami in 2019. “I was on the boat once and I was hooked.” Said Vermeulen
The US fleet has been growing exceptionally fast over the last couple of years and all of the European teams commented that they were eager to get more experience racing in the big World Championship fleet. They will have two more days to do just that and you can expect the race committee to make the most of it. The first race of day three will be one hour earlier and the race committee is rumored to be planning 7 races on the day. The forecast is for a northeast wind blowing down over the towers on south beach. It’s a shifty direction for Miami so no position is safe yet.
