- The general classification from yesterday and tomorrow therefore Saturday will be the decisive day.
- If the regattas prepared for tomorrow were cancelled, the 12 metres Nyala would be the virtual winner of the Puig 12mR World Champion
- The Moonbeam IV celebrates her centenary the same year of Puig’s 100th anniversary
Barcelona, 18th of July 2014. Today’s coincidence of the 12mR Puig World Championship and the VII Puig Vela Clàssica Barcelona has become a hive of sailors on the docks from the early morning. More than 600 crew members were tuning -up these nautical jewelry so that, about 11:30, they could go to the regatta course in a row of more than fifty vessels by the Moll de la Fusta, a spectacular image that the audience has been able to admire from the Pot Vell.
After leaving the port, the lack of wind has turned to be the big star of the day. After nearly three hours waiting for a change in the weather, both rounds have been canceled, so the boats have returned to the Real Club Náutico from Barcelona, retaining the classification of the previous days.
At the expense of the wind
After four days without missing the appointment, today the wind has taken the day off. The particular weather situation in Barcelona, with the temperature transition that has begun today, prevented the expected south wind made an appearance. A southeast wind seemed to take over the splendid southwest that yesterday was a real gift for the fleet of the Puig Vela Clàssica Barcelona, but finally the sky has progressively covered up ending up in a gentle breeze that allowed the start on both regatta courses.
The 12 Meters were the first who, when being about to complete the first section, were said to stop the round by the race committee. After a delay waiting for wind developments, which did not increase in intensity, the committee sent the fleet back home.
This is the way things are, and in case both regattas from tomorrow could not be performed, Nyala is the virtual World Champion. Her impeccable partial results reserves a trump, since her current disposal is a second position, and if we add a sixth position corresponding to the final classified in one of the two possible new rounds, he would have a total of 14 points, compared to the 15 accumulated by the Trivia in case of adding two firsts to her current 13 points.
But the final of the 12 meters World Championship will not lack excitement, since the two remaining places in the podium are going to intensely be competed. The Trivia, Vanity V and Wings are ranked in this order with 13, 14 and 15 points.
The Classics round has had the same fate as that of the 12 meters. After a last attempt to start the regatta, it has finally been suspended. Thus, the score of the four fleets remains unchanged after the first regatta held yesterday. The Moonbeam IV in Big Boats, the Samurai in Classics, the Peter in the Marconi Yachts and the Marigold in Gaff Yachts, will leave tomorrow for the regatta course to defend the lead of their categories.
Moonbeam IV celebrates 100 years leading the ratings of the VII Puig Vela Clàssica
This stunning yacht, designed by the renamed William Fife III, is one of the few fore-and-aft classic cutters that keep sailing today. She is one of the most beautiful boats in the world, not only for her exterior, but also for her luxurious details. Her construction began in 1914, but the First World War made it was not launched until 1929. The Moonbeam IV has the distinction of having been chosen by Rainiero of Monaco and Grace Kelly to spend their honeymoon in 1956.
This 2014, both the boat and Puig, the regatta organizer, are 100 years old this 2014. So, this afternoon this double centenary has been celebrated in the Real Club Náutico from Barcelona and Marc Puig, the president of Puig, has been commissioned to honor the legendary sailboat with a cake with the number eight, digit printed in the sail of a boat so loaded in history.
The varnish and the bronze of the Classics also attract the stars
Between the woods and the bronzes of these nautical jewelry, elite sailors have been highly successful in the past century quarter. Many stars of modern sailing, from Olympic sailors, to ocean sailors and stars of the America’s Cup compete in this VII edition of the Puig Vela Clàssica.
The presence of Francesco Bruni, the Prada tactician in the last America’s Cup and known in our waters for his campaigns in the TP52 Matador seems a nod to history. Bruni is in charge of the Nyala, maximum challenger to the 12 meters World Championship title, the boats class who wrote the first golden page of most important regatta.
Also linked to the prestigious competition, these days Guido Cavallazzi navigates in Barcelona. Guido is one of the world sail design gurus who worked in the crews of the Il Moro di Venezia, the Young America and more recently,the Prada. Cavalazzi competes in Barcelona on the 12 Meters Emilia.
There are many more, but Mauro Perlaschier deserves a place in any Hall of Fame of any regatta. Perlaschier is already a regular in the Puig Vela Clàssica Barcelona aboard the Peter.
On the Spanish side, ocean sailing is represented by Alex Pella and Cali Sanmartí. Pella is called to write the next pages of the ocean sailing all alone, after his Mini Transat campaign, the last Barcelona World Race, the Route des Princes and various transatlantic regattas. This time he competes under the orders of his brother Borja in the Galvana. Cali Sanmartí does so in the Alba of Damien Ribas, where he can certainly apply his experience acquired during the last Barcelona World Race.
The Olympic sailor Laia Tutzó takes the helm of the Alba and shares it with Sanmartí, as they once did with the Natalia Via Dufresne in the 470 category, that led them to compete together in the 2008 Beijing Games. The Via Dufresne already hung the silver with only 19, while competing in the Barcelona Games 92 in the Europe class. She repeated the same medal color 12 years later, when she won the silver in Athens in 2004, this time in the 470 category, in which she accumulates multiple honors in global and continental Championships.
Even more significant is the case of Luis Martinez Doreste, member of the legendary Canary saga. His Olympic career allowed him to represent Spain at the Games in Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004, both in the Laser class. But one of the great passions of Luis which is making him even more popular in the sail family is picking up the mic and encouraging the audience attending the concert of the musical band The Tall Tutsies, which will close for the fourth consecutive time the party that closes the Puig Vela Clàssica Barcelona.
General rankings of the VII Puig Vela Clàssica Barcelona
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