Americans secure first L30 World Championship
by Jana Pines 7 Oct 2023 17:54 BST
L30 World Championship 2023 © Jana Pines
Last night, the curtain fell on the first L30 class World Championship in the marina of Izola.
The title of champion was secured after an intense battle by American skipper Michael Norris and his crew aboard the Morning Breeze, edging out the Hungarian team Tranquillo helmed by Attila Bakonyi. The bronze medal glittered around the necks of Peter Tenke and members of the Present Perfect crewfrom Hungary.
The four-day championship was predominantly sailed in light winds, except for Wednesday, when a strong bora wind spiced up the racing. The race committee of the Sailing Club Burja excelled by conducting nine races, with the last one counting double. The overall winner was decided in the final race, where only a five-point difference separated the first and second-placed teams, Tranquillo (HUN) and Morning Breeze (USA). The finale saw a remarkable turnaround, with the Americans finishing second while the Hungarians finished fifth, losing the championship title by a mere point due to the double scoring awarded in the final race. The Present Perfect, helmed by Peter Tenke (HUN), secured the bottom step of the podium, a position they held throughout the championship.
On this occasion, the host of the competition, Sailing Club Burja, also took the opportunity to test the potential of Smartmark's remotely controlled marks for the first time. The president of the organizing committee, Vasilij Žbogar, is enthusiastic about the innovation, which is the result of Slovenian know-how: "Since the buoys can be accurately remotely guided to a selected GPS position, their use has significantly reduced the number of boats and personnel on the sea, thereby reducing the fuel consumption and the competition's carbon footprint on the environment. We have also almost entirely avoided the use of weights that damage the seabed," said the three-time Olympic medalist.
The marks are a Slovenian product, as they are manufactured in Domžale and Kamnik, and the software that allows for easy placement of marks on the racecourse, as well as remote adjustment in case of changing winds or currents, is being developed in Prevalje.
Today, the organizing committee will escort the fleet of 16 monotype boats from 9 countries from Izola to Trieste with the start of the "Go to Barcolana" regatta. And on Monday, preparations will commence for another major competitive event - the European Championship for the youth class Ilca 4. The event, scheduled for next spring in Izola, is expected to attract around 300 competitors and at least twice as many supporting staff.
Overall Results: (top three, 9 races, 1 discard)
- USA - Michael Norris Morning Breeze 20 pts
- HUN - Attila Bakonyi Tranquillo 21 pts
- HUN - Peter Tenke Present Perfect 25 pts