(Lundeberg, Denmark)- This past Saturday marked the Danish J/70 Sailing
League's third season kick-off in Lundeberg; the Oure schools in
Lundeberg hosted this year's first double event.The second division began with races on Saturday and Sunday (May 14 to 15). Then, next weekend (May 20 to 22) the first division starts, where Skovshoved Sejlklub hopes to embark on their title defense.
The Danish Sailing League offers two significant innovations this year. Both were put in to sharpen the drama and intensity - while strengthening the league as a spectator sport.
The latter is about the finish line consistently brought as close as possible to the quay, regardless of the wind direction. This gives the crowd lots of melodrama served a few meters away, which hopefully inspires even more people to be engaged in boating.
"In the final at Langelinie last year, we had a day with the finish line very close to the quay. It created a special experience with the audience; their loud cheering gave the sailors the extra incentive to work hard in the final meters of the race. That is the effect we want to have featured in our Sailing League this year," explains project manager for the league, Peter Wolsing.
The other significant feature in 2016 is the introduction of the "Final 6” for the League I teams. It is a final format inspired by the Olympic classes Medal Race. In the league, all racing will be completed by Sunday at 1400 hrs after the latest full flight. Then the boats in the top six continue on to race as the “Final 6”, with three more races to determine the ultimate winner.
"We want to see the best against the best for last. So, podium will be settled in direct duels on the water. It puts extra fire into a melodramatic finish for everyone, and it puts pressure on the sailors to perform when it counts. The biggest beneficiaries will be the spectators, the high voltage finale should get them pretty amplified and charge up," explains Wolsing.
Media-wise, all teams will be tracked in all races- it can be followed on SAP Live Center. Furthermore, there will be live video coverage of the Final 6 races on 22 May.
Yacht Club Furesøen Win League IIMeanwhile, youngest crew ever to win a league event took place this past weekend in the second division tournament in Lundeberg.
Three young skiff boys and an experienced woman match race sailor joined together as a team for YC Furesoen- the team consisted of Daniel Nyborg, Jacob Emil Pjetursson, Lærke Ilsøe Nørgaard and Kasper Bech as skipper.
YC Furesøen (YF) got to an excellent start with their victory in Lundeberg, winning a three-way tie-breaker for first place, with each team sitting on 46 pts each! As a result of the tie-break, YCF end up with just 18 points and a provisional first place in Sailing League's second division. The event confirmed clearly the old sports cliché that it pays to fight for every meter. Both Silkeborg Sejlklub and Gilleleje Sejlklub could have won the tournament by simply having snatched a single point more along the way.
Behind the YCF team, Gilleleje SK took second and Silkeborg SK completed the podium in third. The tie-break was based on number of firsts, with YCF winning six races, GSK five and SSK four. It simply could not have been any closer, talk about anxiety and drama!
"It has been fun. We've had some wild tight races with Kasper’s heart in his throat," says Lark Ilsøe Nørgaard. "We have focused on making good maneuvers- in good time- and to communicate, so it was only the necessary things that had to be said for us to succeed," she says about the background of their successful league debut.
The plan was that the second league would have tried the new Final 6 format where the six best clubs sailing against each other at the end of a finale flight over three races. Unfortunately, Saturday's wind conditions were insufficient to permit all eight flights to finish by the Sunday deadline. For more Danish J/70 Sailing League information
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