Bribon and Jane Ann, the first leaders of the Trofeo Xacobeo

The Trofeo Xacobeo in Sanxenxo has begun. The event organized by the Real Club Náutico de Sanxenxo (RCNS) with a new European title for the 6 metre class up for grabs, began on Monday in the Ria de Pontevedra and declared its first two leaders, H.M King Juan Carlos’ “Bribon” in the Classics division, and “Jane Ann” in the Open. An important stand in the general classification which promises to be very close indeed.

The event in Sanxenxo (Ria de Pontevedra) began with fog, rain and very little wind, meaning a first postponement on land, whilst waiting for better conditions and to enable the beginning of the competition programme. Finally, visibility began to improve and just after 13:00h the fleet left the dock to head out to the racecourse situated in front of the Ons island.

Low and unstable wind speeds accompanied the fleet throughout the first hours of the afternoon, and following a first attempt which was cancelled due to a drop in wind intensity, a race was finally started just after 16:30h with south-westerly winds of six knots, giving an exciting start to the event. The Trofeo Xacobeo will continue until Saturday 5th October.

King Juan Carlos’ “Bribon” the first leader in Classics

A great start to the Trofeo Xacobeo, held in the Ria de Pontevedra, for José Cusi’s “Bribon,” with King Juan Carlos on board for the first race. The current world champions in the class moved to the front of the fleet from the very start and were able to hold their position until crossing the line. A true feat on a racecourse made more complicated by the unstable wind conditions.

On arriving at the docks at the RCNS, King Juan Carlos described his first impressions on day one of the regatta in the Ria de Pontevedra,

“I am very happy to be able to say that we were first, but it was quite challenging because the wind was shifting all the time, and pressure constantly rising and falling. There are still many days of competition ahead of us, and we will see if we can hold onto first place.”

Jane Abascal, from Cantabria, also competing on board “Bribon,” added,
“The atmosphere on board is really good, the King always helps us in everything, is the most enthusiastic and motivates us all, so we are excited to aim for another title, and we will see if we can achieve it.”

Behind them in second place, was Finnish team Ossi Paija’s “Astree II” from club Nyländska Jk., and third went to French team Luis Heckly’s “Fun” from Y.C. De France. Heckly’s team is also one of the favourites on the racecourse in the Ria de Pontevedra, as the winners of the World championships held in Sanxenxo in 2022.

A close fight for the lead in the Open class

In the open class, two teams were protagonists of an intense battle for leadership of the table. Violeta Álvarez’s “Stella” from the RCNS went into the lead on the first mark rounding, but American team Basil Vasiliou’s “Jane Ann” and Swiss Muller Rainer’s “Junior” then took the lead and began an intense head-to-head that continued right up to the finish line.

Finally, the first partial victory went to “Jane Ann” from the New York Y.C., and second to the Swiss team from S.N. De Genève, the first in the continental fleet to be fighting for the European title. In third place overall, another Swiss team owned by Muller Rainer, “Duclop”.

Staffan Lindberg, skipper of “Jane Ann” explained,

“We were able to start well and hold onto the lead for the whole race, which we are very happy with. It is a very competitive regatta, and all the teams are very fast with a lot of experience. They are all professionals, and I am not, so it is a huge privilege to be competing with them,” he added.

On Tuesday 1st October, day two of racing is programmed to begin at 12:00h.