A consistent Irish Team TED, led by skipper Michael O'Connor, with Davy Taylor and Ben O'Donoghue of Royal St. George Yacht Club, scored three top-six results to be fourth overall after Monday's (August 18) day one of the SB20 European Championship in Ostend, Belgium.
The championship in Ostend opened today with a full-on test for the 40+ boat fleet. After a slow start with a two-hour delay ashore three races were completed in freshening breeze and challenging North Sea conditions. What started as 10–12 knots quickly built into a solid 15 with steep chop and strong currents demanding high concentration from every team.
Ger Dempsey, Colin Galavan and Artem Basalkin from the Royal Irish Yacht Club are in 17th position in the 42-boat fleet.
The conditions pushed both boats and crews to their limits. "There was no room for error," - one competitor noted at the dock, with many sailors visibly tired after more than five hours on the water. Tomorrow promises even more breeze, with another three races scheduled.
Race 1 – a photo finish
The opening race began on Uniform flag as late as at 13:30. Most of the fleet favoured the pin end looking for more wind offshore, while a handful tried the less-current right-hand side. The breeze held at 10–12 knots from North Easterly direction.
Reigning World Champion John Pollard's Team Xcellent (GBR) came out on top, but only just. The Portuguese HelloNext of Nuno Cabral almost stole the win, the two boats crossing the line within half a meter of each other. The race committee confirmed Xcellent by the slimmest of margins with Paul Loiseau's French Youth team taking third.
Pollard admitted the result could have gone either way:
"It was a really close tussle with Portugal to the finish. I think the odds were running on who was going to win – we came out ahead by maybe five percent. That's about how close it was."
Ger Dempsey, Colin Galavan and Artem Basalkin from the Royal Irish Yacht Club are in 17th position in the 42-boat fleet. Photo: Anna Zyk
Race 2 – youth challenge
The breeze built to 15–16 knots for Race 2, shifting slightly. With waves growing the downwinds turned into full-on surfing runs. Again, Xcellent held their lead, but this time the French Youth team of Paul Loiseau were their closest rivals, chased by Team TED (IRL) who notched their best finish of the day in third.
FFVoile coach Xavier Rohart OLY explained:
"The strategy was difficult today, because of the mix of strong current and the wind. Near the shore you had less current, but also less wind, offshore it was the opposite. Add in choppy waves and it became very unpredictable. The British teams are strong in these tidal conditions, while the French are still learning, especially upwind. In the end, the key was getting a good start – if you were clear early, you had more chances to control your race."
Race 3 – Xcellent hat-trick
The pattern continued into the third race as the sun broke through and the breeze pushed higher. Pollard and his crew took a middle-right route up the first beat and never looked back, securing their third straight win. PB Twenty (GBR) rounded second at the top mark before slipping to fourth, while Hendrik Witzmann's Desert Eagle (UAE) claimed an excellent second place.
Witzmann, who first joined the Class in Dubai last year, is sailing with Will Sargent (AUS) and Tom Cracknell (UAE). He described the day as:
"We had three long races – about an hour and a half each – but really nice. Very choppy with a lot of current, not easy to sail. It's totally different from Dubai where I sailed the SB20 Worlds last year, but this was fun. We're sailing together for the first time in this crew setup, so there are small things to improve. Hopefully as the week goes on it will get better."
Ireland's Team TED, skippered by Michael O'Connor, were frequently in the mix at the front of the fleet, leading at times. Fatigue set in by the finish, though spirits were high.
"It was a very challenging day on the water," O'Connor said. "Great sailing conditions – sunshine, breeze – but we're extremely tired now. We had a 5th, a 3rd and a 6th today, and we're very much ready for a beer."
Who Can Stop Xcellent?
Pollard's clean sweep leaves him firmly at the top of the leaderboard, but he is under no illusion about the strength of the fleet:
"The Irish have been going really well. My friends from Portugal were right there. Belgium has put on some classic sailing today – it's been amazing. It's also good to have the band back together; my crew haven't sailed together in a while."
With Loiseau's French Youth team and Witzmann's Desert Eagle tied on points just behind and team TED close in fourth, the championship is still wide open. The question remains: can this highly competitive and motivated fleet stop the reigning World Champion from adding a European title?
Acknowledging the length and intensity of today's races, the race committee adjusted the maximum race duration to 60 minutes, a move that drew cheers from the sailors.
Racing continues on Tuesday
Top 5 after Day 1
- GBR 3834 – John Pollard, Team Xcellent – 1, 1, 1 (3 pts)
- FRA 3580 – Paul Loiseau – 3, 2, 7 (12 pts)
- UAE 3843 – Hendrik Witzmann – 4, 6, 2 (12 pts)
- IRL 3809 – Michael O'Connor, TED – 5, 3, 6 (14 pts)
- FRA 3653 – Ian Garreta – 7, 8, 3 (18 pts)
