Dutchman Duko Bos won the ILCA 7s and Diogo Costa and Carolina Joao won the 470 Mixed on the final day of competition at the Lanzarote International Regatta.
With the wind blowing 18 knots from the east, the local Canarian Snipe fleet were delighted to join in on all the Olympic action on the race course close to Marina Rubicón in the south of the island. Top performers in the two-handed Snipe dinghy were Gustavo del Castillo and Christian Sánchez.
Portugal v Spain match race in 470 Mixed
The strong wind and big waves proved a good test of boat handling on the final day of the regatta, and it led to a dramatic showdown between the top two teams in the 470 Mixed. After battling it out so closely all regatta, Portugal’s Costa and Joao went into the final race absolutely tied on points with new Spanish partnership, Silvia Mas and Alex Marsans.
Everything would therefore be decided in the final race. Both crews started well until a capsize by the Spanish saw their chances of overall victory evaporate. The Portuguese pairing went on to take their fifth race win of the week, giving Costa and Joao overall victory ahead of Mas and Marsans. Still, not at all a bad start for the Spanish team who only started sailing together two months ago.
Joao explained their approach to the final day: “We went out on the water with only a one-point advantage over the Spanish and we didn't start very well as we made several mistakes in the first race. But we picked up speed in the next two, and that was enough for us to win.
“It was a good championship because at the end we had a bit of everything in terms of conditions: medium wind for a couple of days, stronger today, light another day, good waves, some swell. Without doubt, a great training regatta for everyone here.”
Silvia Mas gave a big thumbs-up to the regatta and all the varied conditions they experienced. “It was very good to test ourselves in all the conditions and see exactly where our strengths and weaknesses are, which is what it’s all about when you’re working on the process of improving.”
Another Portuguese team, Bea Gago and Rodolfo Pires, completed the 470 Mixed podium.
Duko Bos wins ILCA 7 before the Medal Race
Despite the presence of some big names in the 31-boat ILCA 7 fleet, Duko Bos dominated the regatta in the latter stages. The Dutchman was so dominant he had already wrapped up the top spot before the Medal Race was run. Even so, Bos went all out and sealed his participation with a victory, which was actually his first race win of the championship.
“In the last few weeks we have been training here as a squad, as Lanzarote is our winter base,” said Bos, 15th at last year’s Olympic Regatta in Marseille. “It has been a good regatta with different conditions. After three weeks here, tomorrow we return home to rest a bit and then we will return for another training period in Lanzarote.”
The Olympic sailor from Montenegro, Mikivoj Dukic, took ILCA 7 silver while another the Dutchman Thomas van Ofwegen took the bronze.
Surfing fun in the Snipes
The Canarian fleet of Snipes completed two races on the final day, and everyone loved the big-wave sailing conditions. Dominant leaders after Saturday’s two race wins, Gustavo del Castillo and Christian Sánchez caught a wave just before the finish line of the first race and surfed their way to the winner’s gun just ahead of Rafa Lasso and Gonzalo Morales.
Del Castillo and Sánchez sailed away to a good race in the second and final race, making them the first Snipe champions of the Lanzarote International Regatta. Miguel Naveran and Lucho Hernández took second place while Lasso and Morales were third.
Northern Europeans will be back
With Polish sailors Dominik Buksak and Adam Glogowski having won the 49er skiff competition earlier in the regatta, coming at the end of a few weeks of early season out of Marina Rubicón, the fifth edition of the Lanzarote International Regatta was another great success.
Buksak was clear about why he had returned to Lanzarote for the winter season. “We chose Lanzarote because it’s sunny and windy, and you never lose a sailing day here,” said the Pole. “You get to spend your time here really productively, and the shoreside facilities make life very easy here in Marina Rubicón.” He, like many from northern Europe and beyond, will very likely be back next winter for more warm-weather training, and to compete in the sixth edition of the Lanzarote International Regatta a year from now.
* The Lanzarote International Regatta has been organized by Marina Rubicón and sponsored by Turismo Lanzarote through its sports tourism product “Lanzarote Sports Destination”, Cabildo de Lanzarote through the Island Sports Service, the Art, Culture and Tourism Centers of the Cabildo de Lanzarote and the Yaiza Town Hall; and the collaboration of, among others, the Canary Islands Sailing Federation, the Latin Sailing Federations and DinghyCoach.
