(Cartagena, Spain)- Along the SE tip of Spain jutting into the
Mediterranean is a gorgeous "ocean lake", a fully enclosed body of water
with access to the sea via a ditch cut through the border island. The
flat water and strong sea-breezes make for fun, fast, exciting sailing. Setting the bar high in this series was Carlos Martinez sailing MAPFRE to victory in the Trophy V "Infanta Cristina". The trophy series started in October, completing six races over three weekends in 8-12 knot NE winds. Such steady, stable breezes made for very competitive sailing as it was not easy to break away from the fleet on massive, oscillating wind shifts. Instead, it was like sailing in ocean breezes with mild oscillations in direction and minor changes in wind speed.
The courses were windward-leeward, with a duration of approximately 50 minutes per race. The presiding PRO Jesus Moreno, aided by the stable wind conditions, managed to get off nearly flawless races for the J/80 fleet.
At the end of the series, behind Carlos Martinez's MAPFRE, was Emilio Azofra's OPORTO YATES in second and Charles Beltri's SAYULA in third- in a very tight final match only 2 points separated the top three when all results were tabulated. For more Spanish J/80 sailing information.
