SIX METRE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP 2022

Cascais delivered more glorious conditions for day two of the International Six Metre European Championship 2022. Two further races, races three and four of the eight race series, were completed in an 6-10 knot westerly. It was a day of snakes and ladders in the Open Division where Patrick Monteiro de Barros’s Seljm continues to lead the regatta by a narrow two point margin and close rival Dieter Schoen’s Momo was disqualified from race four. In the Classic Division Ross Macdonald and the crew of Bribon 500 dominated the day to win both races and give themselves a five point lead at the half way stage in the regatta.

For overnight Open Division leader Seljm, a 1988 Pelle Petterson design that finished third at the 2018 and 2021 European Championships, the day did not get off to a great start, picking the wrong side of the beat and rounding the first mark near the bottom of the fleet. They did their best to pull back but could do no better than seventh. Up ahead Dieter Schoen’s brand new Judel-Vrolijk designed Momo stormed away to victory with Vasco Pereira’s 1986 Petterson designed Scoundrel One just pipping Violeta Alvarez’s 2017 Juan Kouyoumdjian designed Stella for second on the line. Jan Eckert’s Ginkgo Too, a 2020 Javier Cela design, took fourth and defending European Champion Thisbe, another Petterson boat, this time from 1987 and owned by Michel Teweles and Philip Durr, finished fifth.

The tables appeared to be turned in Open Division race four where Momo was over the line for the second time in the regatta following a start line incident with Vasco Pereira’s Scoundrel One and had to spend the race playing catch up, crossing the line in sixth place. Seljm won the pin end at the start and headed off on port tack, making the most of their local knowledge to lead by the first mark. From here they confidently defended all the way to the finish and their second win of the regatta. Stella and Ginkgo Too had a great battle around the course with Stella taking second on the line. The New York Yacht Club’s Stephan Lindberg sailing Jane Anne, a 1985 Petterson design which finished third at the 2006 European in Flensburgh, crossed the line fourth with Jeremy Thorpe’s Battle Cry, an Ian Howlett design from 1988, fifth.

Back ashore though that start line incident was to come back to haunt Momo as she found herself being protested by Scoundrel One. The International Jury, chaired by Ireland’s Gordon Davies, found that Momo, as windward boat, had failed to keep clear of Scoundrel One breaking RRS11 and she was disqualified.

In the Open Division overall standings Seljm retains her lead by a two point margin. Ginkgo Too now lies in second, while Stella has moved up into third with a three point delta over the locally based Scoundrel One and Momo now rounds out the top five overall.

After sailing Stella’s Violeta Alvarez talked about her hopes for the remainder of the regatta, saying; “It’s lovely to be here in Cascais. I love the club and I love the water and I’m delighted to be sailing here. My strategy is to follow the tactician, do as I’m told and try to keep the boat fast. I would like to be in the top three really. There are a lot of very good sailors here who have a lot of experience and are more knowledgable than me so for me it would be a great achievement.”

While Bribon 500, which won the 2017 and ’18 Worlds and ’19 and ’21 Europeans with HM King Juan Carlos of Spain at the helm, dominated the Classics today with two wins, the battle for the remaining podium positions remains fierce. In race three Catalin Trandafir’s Essentia, a 1956 Sparkman and Stephens design formerly known as Buzzy III which was purchased by her current owner earlier this year, took second place from Thomas Kuhmann’s 1955 Bjarne Aas designed Hanko III. Andy and Lisa Postle’s Nirvana, a stunning replica of a 1939 Olin Stephens design, finished fourth.

In Classic Division race four Nirvana and Essentia did battle all the way round the course with Nirvana eventually getting the upper hand to follow Bribon 500 across the line, with Essentia third, Hanko III fourth and Maurizio Sanchez Bella’s Titia fifth. In the Classic overall standings Bribon 500 now has a five point lead over Nirvana, with Essentia three points behind in third, Hanko III fourth and Tita fifth.

After racing Andy Postle was full of praise for the racing in Cascais. “We’d heard lots of scare stories about strong winds and big seas, but we were reassured by Patrick [Monteiro de Barros of Seljm] that conditions would be much more moderate at this time of year so we decided to come. The three days of the King Juan Carlos and the racing so far this week have been perfect so we made the right decision!”

Back ashore the crews once agin enjoyed delicious complimentary local wines and foods on the club’s waterfront terrace. The après sailing is an important part of the Six Metre culture and is the perfect opportunity for friends old and new to mingle. With sailors from across the globe competing this week its a truly multinational gathering.

Furthest travelled are the Woodoo crew from Port Madison Yacht Club in Seattle, Washington. The Pacific North West is a stronghold of Six Metre sailing and this team have long supported the international circuit, regularly attending regattas in Europe with crews of family and friends, Their crew this week comprises Andy and Erin Parker, Kerry Sherwin, Jenny Borschoff and Richard James. Woodoo is a 1991 Bergström and Ridder design and won the closely contested 1991 Six Metre World Cup, with her elegant lines and gleaming varnished hull she is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful boats racing in the Open Division this week.

The forecast for day three is for more light to moderate westerly winds and the Race Committee has confirmed that it intends to get racing underway at 14:00 with races five and six of the series programmed. Racing for the Championship continues until Saturday 10 September. A total of eight races are scheduled with five being required to declare a valid championship. Once six races have been completed a single race discard will be introduced.

Further information about the Championship can be found at the event website, at http://www.6metre.com and on the ISMA Facebook page .

For additional information and images please contact ISMA Press Officer Fiona Brown on fiona.brown@fionabrown.com or +44 7711 718470

Provisional Top Five Results After Four Races

Open Division

1st – POR4 – Seljm – Patrick Monteiro de Barros – 3, 1, 7, 1 = 12
2nd – SUI140 – Ginkgo Too – Jan Eckert – 5, 2, 4, 3 = 14
3rd – ESP16 – Stella – Violeta Alvarez – 2, 9, 3, 2 = 16
4th – GBR86 – Scoundrel One – Vasco Pereira – 4, 4, 2, 8 = 18
5th – SUI142 – Momo – Dieter Schoen – 1, 6, 1, DSQ(11) = 19

Classic Division

1st – ESP16 – Bribon 500 – Ross Macdonald – 2, 1, 1, 1 = 5
2nd – GBR33 – Nirvana – Andy & Lisa Postle – 1, 3, 4, 2 = 10
3rd – ROU65 – Essentia – Catalin Trandafir – 4, 4, 2, 3 = 13
4th – USA96 – Hanko III – Thomas Kuhmann – 3, 5, 3, 4 = 15
5th – ESP72 – Titia – Mauricio Sanchez Bella – 6, 2, 5, 5 = 18