Race Day I (August 17) 2 Races (R1 & R2)
In Race 1 keeping an eye to the sky paid off for the Finish Blue Marlin (FIN-1) team, skippered by Henrik Andersin (Kotka, FI), who won the first race in very light and shifty winds. Blue Marlin (FIN-1) was mid-fleet leg when Andersin noticed “the clouds looked different than usual.” Anticipating a significant wind shift, he split from the fleet taking the left side of the upwind course and was second at the top mark close behind Flica II (K-14).
In the fleet, Vim (US-15) rounded the top mark as 4 and Jenetta as 6. Downwind Blue Marlin (FIN-1) again split from the fleet on the spinnaker course, gybing to port going to the left side of the spinnaker course, while the rest of the fleet led by Flica II (K-14) continued on starboard to the left side of the spinnaker course. The wind was now very weak, and the Race Committee decided to shorten the race displaying >S< (Sierra) at the bottom mark using the gate between the two bottom marks as the finish line.
The fleet on the starboard side, on now this last spinnaker leg of Race 1, decided in the middle of the spinnaker leg to gybe towards the left side, where Blue Marlin (FIN-1) seemed to have more wind. Jenetta (K-1), however, decided to stay on the starboard side of the spinnaker course, where Jenetta (K-1) in the search for wind found some pressure. Jenetta (K-1) stayed on the starboard side until lay-line to the finish line at the gate marks was reached, where Jenetta (K-1) made her gybe and came towards the fleet on her port bow.
Blue Marlin (FIN-1) did benefit from the early gybe to the left and came first to the finish line followed by Flica II (K-14). Vim (US-15) who from the left side gybed next after Blue Marlin (FIN-1) and Flica II (K-14) finished third. The in 2013 built Nini Anker (N-15) finished 4, and Jenetta (K-1) managed to finish 5 before Vanity V (K-5), who was the latest boat from the fleet on the left side to gybe for the finish line.
Wings (K-15) despite her larger sail area only at the end at the leg managed to finish as 7 before the 103 year old Thea (D-1), who came in as number 8.
The wind now completely disappeared but did rise from changing angles again.
After a pause for course adjustments, one abandoned start, and one general recall,
Race 2 got underway in a building 15-17 knot breeze with choppy seas.
Wings (K-15) and Jenetta (K-1) were close together on the left side of the upwind course going towards the top mark from the left on port bow. Blue Marlin (FIN-1) came on starboard and tacked on the top (slam dunk) of Jenetta (K-1) forcing her to fall a little off for free wind.
Vim (US-15) came at the end of the leg on starboard bow with the right to the way from the right side of the upwind course, forcing Blue Marlin (FIN-1) on port bow to fall off behind the aft of VIM (US-15). In this maneuver Blue Marlin (FIN-1) did slack her genua too much, which made her fall into the back winds from Jenetta (K-1) in the lee, thereby Jenetta (K-1) got her “courtesy returned” for the earlier slam dunk by Blue Marlin (FIN-1).
Wings (K-15), Vim (US-15), and Jenetta (K-1) rounded the first mark close together, and the three were still in the front of the fleet at the gate at the bottom mark.
At the top mark, Vim (US-15) rounded first around the mark coming in on port bow. Wings (K-15) also coming to the mark on port bow tried to do the same maneuver, but Jenetta (K-1) coming to the top mark on starboard bow with the right to the way had to maneuver to avoid contact with Wings (K-15).
Jenetta (K-1) however did not protest, but gained an inner overlap on Wings (K-15) and did a quicker hoist of the spinnaker having control over Wings (K-15) on her outer side.
Jenetta (K-1) decided at the beginning of the race to initially adopt a conservative strategy, as weather conditions were a challenge. Therefore, as Vim (US-15) on this last spinnaker leg sailed directly to the finish line, Jenetta (K-1), instead of challenging Vim (US-15) for the first place, kept control of Wings (K-15) and thereby held her position as second instead of risking it all.
Vim (US-15) skipper, Patrick Howaldt said: “It was very close racing in difficult conditions, the first three boats finished within one boat length of each other —this is a very closely matched and competitive fleet.”
With a combined score of 4 points VIM (US-15) was the winner of the day. Blue Marlin (FIN-1) finished second with 5 points and Jenetta (K-1) claimed her third place overall with 7 points:
12mR – Vintage (9 Boats):
- 1. Vim (US-15), Patrick Howaldt, Copenhagen, DK: 3 – 1 ; 4
- 2. Blue Marlin (FIN-1), Henrik Andersin, Kotka, FI: 1 – 4; 5
- 3. Jenetta (K-1), Thomas Müller, Flensburg, DE: 5 – 2; 7
- 4. Flica II (K-14), Alexander Falk, Hamburg, DE: 2 – 5; 7
- 5. Wings of Cowes (K-15), Peter Kampmann, Copenhagen, DK (with Finnish & Danish crew): 7 – 3 ; 10
- 6. Nini Anker (N-15), Christoph Avenarius, Hamburg, DE: 4 – 6; 10
- 7. Vanity V (K-5), Mikael Stelander, Helsinki, FI: 6 – 7; 13
- 8. Thea (D-1), Billy Holland, Copenhagen, DK: 8 – 8; 16
- 9. Vema III (N-11), Johan Troye, Oslo, Norway, NOR: 9 – 9; 18
SportTrec World Championship Helsinki 2021
12MR WORLDS - DAY 1 replay starts at 0:05 and 3:40
The 2021 Evli 12 Metre World Championship is presented by:
Evli Bank, an investment management firm headquartered in Helsinki, Finland.
Supporting Day Sponsors are:
Baltic Yachts, Keisari, Normet, Red Sky Yachts, Roschier, Scandic and Stanton Chase.