(Lago Maggiore, Switzerland & Italy)- The first round of the Swiss
Sailing League took place on Lago Maggiore, a pretty alpine lake that
borders both Switzerland and Italy. Like many mountain lakes in the
region, the approximate north/south orientation means that no matter
what weather systems are moving across the European Alps, the “bora”
wind fills in from the south as a thermal by midday and can often hit
15-20 kts-plus by the afternoon.It was an exciting duel to the finish for Act 1 of the Swiss Sailing League, punctuated by magnificent spring sailing conditions with nearly perfect breezes each day. The protagonists were the top three teams, Kreuzlingen, Oberhofen (BE) and Neuchâtel. After two days of racing, 25 races were completed and everyone was enjoying the warm sun and nice winds.
The racing between the top three teams was very tight and no one could afford to make mistakes. Concentration, perfect maneuvers, good speed and smart tactics were essential on the tight, short courses.
On
the first day of racing on Friday, each team managed to sail four
races. The Neuchâtel team won all four of their heats. They were
followed by the Kreuzlingen (SVK) team in second for the day. The
Oberhofen club started well and managed to win the fourth race to hang
on to third.The racing on Saturday saw even better breeze, with fewer gusts and shifts, just a steadier 8-14 kts breeze. The Oberhofen club started the day with some wins and stayed in the lead for a short time. However, Kreuzlingen won five races to take back over the lead. Oberhofen and Neuchâtel teams suffered some mistakes and dropped back into 3rd and 4th overall. As a result, the final day was going to determine the outcome for this closely fought battle at the top of the leaderboard.
On Sunday, RegattaClub Bodensee won three races to secure 4th place, a dramatic improvement on their 6th position from the previous day. Meanwhile, Seglervereinigung Kreuzlingen pushed hard and firmly established their lead over the fleet with 28 pts total, followed by Regattaclub Oberhofen in second place with 41 pts, and Cercle de la Voile de Neuchâtel in third just two points back with 43 pts. The balance of the top five included Regattaclub Bodensee in 4th and Société Nautique de Genève in 5th. Sailing photo credits- Sven Jurgensen For more Swiss J/70 Sailing League information Add to Flipboard Magazine.
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