Flying Dutchman World Championships at Santa Cruz Yacht Club - Day 5
by Richard Phillips 28 Sep 2012 16:10 BST
23-30 September 2012
Light winds - Close racing - Challenging conditions
After a shoreside postponement due to lack of wind, boats were released from the harbour.
The competition is hotting up with the first two boats (HUN 70 and GER 88) tied on points after six races and one discard in the nine race Championship.
Race 5
The 43 FDs that came to the start area made a clean start at the first attempt spread evenly along the start line. Some chose to tack off to the starboard side off the course and the rest gradually followed, some tacking up the middle of the course but the.majority going hard right. The SW wind increased gradually to 8 to 10 knots.
At the leeward mark first lap Szabolcs Majthényi & András Domokos (HUN 70) was in the lead, 2nd Enno Krammer & Ard Geelkerken (NED 26), 3rd Peggy Bahr/Torsten Bahr (GER 19), 4th Edward Cox & Peter Bevis (AUS 7), 5th Dirk Loewe/Sven Hermenau (GER 35), 6th Dirk Bogumil & Michael Lisken (GER 199). The wind remained in the 7 to 10 knot range.
At the end of the run, the first four boats were in the same positions, GER 199 had climbed to 5th and Nicola & Francesco Vespasiani (ITA 4) to 6th. On the final beat the fleet favoured the starboard side of the course and was well spread out. The wind dropped a little.
By the finish, ITA 4 had gained another place to finish third, GER 19 slipped to fourth, AUS 7 slipped to fifth with GER 199 holding sixth.
Race 6
There was a General Recall on the first attempt to start Race 6. With the Black Flag the fleet got away to a clean start. The promised Santa Cruz breeze failed to materialise and the wind remained at 8 to 10 knots and reduced in strength during the race to about 6 knots.
Rounding order at end of the run on lap two was 1st Kay-Uwe Lüdtke & Kai Schäfers (GER 88), 2nd ITA 4, 3rd HUN 70, 4th GER 199, 5th Ralph Jambor & Jens Schreiber (GER 135), 6th Dirk Loewe & Sven Hermenau (GER 35). The wind was holding up to enable the full race to be completed.
By the finish ITA 4 had climbed to second place behind GER 88, with GER 199 fourth. Jorg Herrmann & & Oliver Hyzyk (GER 219) climbed to fifth and GER 19 was sixth.
Once ashore competitors and volunteers enjoyed a tasty snack and a glass of beer in the Regatta marquee.
The seventh race is scheduled for 1200hrs on Friday 28 September. For more information and full provisional results see www.fdworlds2012.org
Provisional Top 10 - Subject to Protest:
| Pos | Bow/Sail | Skipper | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | Pts |
|---|
| 1 | 15 / HUN70 | Szabolcs Majthényi | 4 | [7] | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | T |
| 2 | 35 / GER88 | Kay‑Uwe Lüdtke | 2 | 4 | 2 | 5 | [11] | 1 | T |
| 3 | 41 / NED26 | Enno Kramer | 1 | 8 | [11] | 2 | 2 | 11 | 24 |
| 4 | 31 / ITA4 | Nicola Vespasiani | 8 | 1 | [14] | 12 | 3 | 2 | 26 |
| 5 | 27 / GER19 | Peggy Bahr | 5 | [9] | 6 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 30 |
| 6 | 30 / GER135 | Ralph Jambor | 11 | [18] | 1 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 33 |
| 7 | 26 / GER35 | Dirk Loewe | [OCS] | 6 | 4 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 35 |
| 8 | 47 / GER199 | Dirk Bogumil | [21] | 3 | 13 | 14 | 6 | 4 | 40 |
| 9 | 16 / HUN13 | András Süli | 13 | 2 | [15] | 4 | 9 | 13 | 41 |
| 10 | 7 / AUS7 | Edward Cox | 7 | [26] | 17 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 46 |