Wind, waves, breakages, and withdrawals in a challenging day
HM Hospitales is the only reigning champion starting off in the lead
ORC 3 Fleet in Barcelona. Photo: © Oscar Torveo
May 31, 2024 – A spectacular day welcomed the bulk of the fleet at the 51st Conde de Godó BMW Trophy, where nothing was missing. Wind, waves, breakages, withdrawals, and above all, intense competitiveness. HM Hospitales (ORC 0-1), L’Immens Laplaza Assessors (ORC 2), Lady (ORC 3), Lassal (ORC 4-5), Shaka (ORC a Dos), Tenaz (J70), and Team Baleària-RCNP (Women’s Cup) are the initial leaders.
Two races kicked off the event, with strong southwest winds of over 18 knots testing the fleet.
HM Hospitales helmed by Oscar Chaves. Photo: © Oscar Torveo
HM Hospitales Leads in ORC 0-1
HM Hospitales, helmed by Oscar Chaves and skippered by Olympic champion Fernando León, is the first leader in the premier ORC 0-1 class. The boat from El Balís arrived with the prestige of being the 2023 champion and started defending its title with authority, securing a first and a third place. The only boat able to keep pace was the German Swan 42, Elena Nova, helmed by Christian Plump, which, with a fourth and a first place, sits just one point behind the DK46. Third place is held by the Galician boat Solventis, skippered by Alberto Moro, which scored a sixth and a second place. The two TP52s, Blue Carbon by Toni Guiu and Urbania by Tomás Gasset, were neck and neck, dominating in real-time but finishing sixth and seventh respectively. Some of the favorites faced setbacks: Seabery-MarAmigo broke its spinnaker in the first race, and Soler Cabot abandoned the second race due to a breakage.
L'Immens-Laplaza Photo: © Oscar Torveo
L’Immens-Laplaza Assessors is a Fixture in ORC 2
L’Immens-Laplaza Assessors, helmed by Alexandre Lapaza, is a consistent frontrunner in the Godó Trophy. It is the first leader in ORC 2, showing solid performance with a second and a first place in the partials. Saeta III from Castellón, skippered by Eduardo Maestre, follows two points behind after winning the first race and placing fourth in the second. Further back, the Italian boat Magica, helmed by Marco Corno, holds third place with two fifth-place finishes.
Lady Sailing Team. Photo: © Oscar Torveo
Uruguayan Lady Undefeated in ORC 3
If there's a boat that excels in the Conde de Godó Trophy, it's the Uruguayan Lady, helmed by Nicolás González. The Yacht Club Uruguayo's boat ended the opening day as the only undefeated vessel, starting strong with two first-place finishes. The British boat Saiola 10, helmed by Wim Vandesande, follows in second place with two second-place finishes, and L’Oreig, helmed by Martí Gelabert, is in third place with two third-place finishes. The standings continue in this pattern up to the fifth position.
Lassal Sailing Team. Photo: © Oscar Torveo
Lassal Wins Both Races in ORC 4-5
The Valencian boat Lassal is another undefeated competitor. Gonzalo Calvo's team is in first place with two wins. They are followed by the reigning champion, Asterix, helmed by Ilse Verly, with two second-place finishes, and Odisseus, helmed by Jordi Tusell, in third with two third-place finishes.
In this class, the two Dufour34s, Swahili and Ildemar IV, suffered a collision but managed to finish the day.
Tenaz helmed by Pablo Garriga. Photo: © Oscar Torveo
Tenaz and Team Baleària Lead in J70 and Women’s Cup
The one-design J70 class kicked off and was the only category to hold three races. In the overall standings, Tenaz, helmed by Pablo Garriga, leads, followed closely by Noticia, helmed by Luis Martín Cabiedes, just one point behind. Hang Ten is in third place.
In the Women’s Cup, Team Baleària is in the lead, showcasing strong performance in their category.
Balearia J70. Photo: © Oscar Torveo
In the Women’s Cup, the female crews race within the same fleet. The Team Baleària-RCNP, helmed by María Bover, is leading, followed by Hakuna Matata, helmed by Bàrbara Cornudella, just one point behind, and Citanias Obras y Servicios, helmed by Patricia Suárez, two points behind.
Shaka (Ivan Olivé & Toni Pozo), the figaro 2 is the winner of the long race. Photo: © Oscar Torveo
Shaka Wins the Coastal Race
The coastal race of the ORC Double Handed, which opened the 51st Conde de Godó BMW Trophy, was won by Shaka, crewed by Iván Olivé and Toni Pozo, with a time of 18 hours, 12 minutes, and 33 seconds. Representing the Real Club Náutico de Barcelona, Shaka surprised and surpassed Tarterita, helmed by David Garcia, the 2023 world runner-up, who finished second, 8 minutes and 27 seconds behind on corrected time. Third place went to Yellow Rose, helmed by Dutch sailor Martin Jan Ringers. The defending champion, Ia Orana, helmed by Jordi Zaragoza, finished in fourth place.
Iván Olivé commented at the end of the race, "We are very happy with this victory, but now the difficult part is to maintain it," noting that they still have a second race ahead. He explained that "we had good wind for almost the entire course; it was light at the beginning and on the return, near Garraf we encountered a small calm, but elsewhere it blew, and even past La Petrolera some gusts reached up to 26 knots."
The ORC Double Handed fleet departed on Thursday at 3 PM and began arriving at port in the early hours of the morning after covering 113 miles, starting from Barcelona, turning around La Petrolera, and finishing back in Barcelona. The fastest boat was once again Smerit, helmed by Tito Moure, crossing the finish line at 8:26 AM on Friday after 17 hours, 26 minutes, and 31 seconds of sailing, but after time correction, it placed eighth overall.
The wind was favorable throughout the journey, intensifying near the Delta de l’Ebre.
Four boats retired from the race: Blue Oyster, Enigma, Jambo Mar sin plástico, and Pipo Primer.
The ORC Double Handed fleet will rest on Friday and return to competition on Saturday with a new coastal race covering around 70 nautical miles.
Photo: © Oscar Torveo
Organized by the Real Club Náutico de Barcelona in collaboration with the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation and the Catalan Sailing Federation, the 51st Conde de Godó BMW Sailing Trophy is sponsored by BMW and supported by La Vanguardia, the Barcelona City Council, and the Generalitat of Catalonia. Collaborators include Mapfre, Engel & Völkers, Veri, Royal Bliss, Estrella Damm, Isdin, Gramona, Tropicfeel, De Antonio Yachts, and Boero Yacht Coatings.
The 51st Conde de Godó BMW Sailing Trophy is part of the Mediterranean Sailing Circuit, along with the PalmaVela Regatta organized by the RCN Palma and the SM La Reina Trophy organized by the RCN Valencia.
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