MADRID, 30 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The ‘Bribon’, skippered by King Juan Carlos I, in Classics, and the American ‘Jane Ann’, in Open, have positioned themselves this Monday as the first leaders of the Xacobeo Trophy, the event organized by the Real Club Náutico de Sanxenxo ( RCNS) that puts the title of European champion of the 6 Meter class at stake and is held until Saturday in the Pontevedra estuary.
Sanxenxo woke up with fog, rain and hardly any wind, which caused a first postponement on land waiting for conditions to allow the competition program to begin. After a first attempt was canceled due to the fall of the wind, the fleet was finally able to complete a single test after 4:30 p.m. with southwest component conditions of about six knots of intensity.
José Cusí’s ‘Bribon’, current world champion of the class and which has had King Juan Carlos on board, was at the head of the fleet from the beginning of the task and knew how to defend its position until the end. “It makes me very happy to be able to say that we have come first, but it has been quite complicated because it has been a day of shifting winds and with ups and downs in pressure. There are more days of competition ahead and we will see if we can maintain first place “, indicated the king emeritus.
The Cantabrian Jane Abascal, who also competes aboard the ‘Bribon’, confessed that “the atmosphere on board is great.” “The King always helps us a lot in everything, he is the first in enthusiasm and motivates us a lot, so we are looking forward to revalidating the title and seeing if we can achieve it,” he said.
Behind, the second place went to the Finnish ‘Astree II’ by Ossi Paija, from the Nyländska Jk. club, and the third position was taken by the French ‘Fun’ by Luis Heckly, from the YC De France. The Heckly team is one of the favorites in the Pontevedra estuary, since it was the winner of the class World Cup held in Sanxenxo in 2022.
In the Open class, the ‘Stella’ of Violeta Álvarez of the RCNS took the lead at the first passing point of the course, but in the second section the American ‘Jane Ann’ of Basil Vasiliou and the Swiss ‘Junior’ of Muller Rainer were They took the lead and began an intense hand-to-hand fight that continued until the finish line. Finally, the first partial victory was awarded to Rainer’s team, which competes under the New York YC banner, and second were Vasiliou’s, from SN De Genève, who are the first among the continental fleet fighting for the European title. .
Behind them, third place overall is currently occupied by another of the Swiss teams of owner Muller Rainer, ‘Duclop’. Staffan Lindberg, skipper of the ‘Jane Ann’, highlighted the team’s “good start” to the regatta. “We managed to be in front throughout the course, so we are very happy with that. It is a competitive regatta, everyone is very fast and has a lot of experience. They are all professionals and I am not, so it is a privilege to compete with them,” he added. the North American shipowner.