Sunday, July 10, 2011

J/80 Swedish Championships/ Pre-Worlds

J/80 one-design sailboat- sailing spinnakers past Oresund Bridge (Malmo, Sweden)-  Mikael Lindquist, sailing Team ROCAD Racing from KSSS (Royal Swedish YC), won the Swedish J/80 Championships in Malmo, a great "pre-Worlds" event for the J/80 sailors participating this week in the J/80 Worlds in Copenhagen, Denmark.  Lindquist's team sailed a very strong series, starting out slowly but closing with all top three finishes- getting a 6-2-2-1-3-2 for 10 pts (inc toss).

Sailing a very strong series as well as the American Glenn Darden from Fort Worth Boat Club in Texas sailing their well-traveled boat LE TIGRE.  Glenn's team are past J/80 World Champions themselves and showed some of that form during the regatta, being the only two race winner in the event.  Glenn's team sailed a 1-4-4-7-1-3 for 13 pts (inc toss) to secure second overall.  Finishing third was Jesper Feltd, who started out strongly but faded towards the end, sailing a 2-5-1-6-6-5 for 19 pts.  Fourth was Johnannes Bergh and fifth was the familiar team of Tom Klok sailing with husband/wife team of Will and Marie Crump  and Newport sailor Will Welles.

During the awards ceremony, the team that traveled the longest received 2 kg of Toblerone Chocolate!  So, the betting was starting as to when Glenn and team on LE  TIGRE would finish it before weighing in for the Worlds in Copenhagen!   Sailing photo credits- Magnus Grubb/ Picasa   For more J/80 Swedish Championship sailing results