Alfredo González and Cristian Sánchez lead the Snipe World Championship after opening day

The 2022 world champions scored a second and a first in a day with northerly winds of more than 20 knots. Julio Alsogaray and Malena Sciarra are second, while José María Guerrero and Nahuel Rodríguez sit third.

The main favourites have lived up to expectations and moved into contention at the Snipe World Championship. Canary Islanders Alfredo González and Cristian Sánchez lead the provisional overall standings after the first two races sailed yesterday, Tuesday, September 22nd, in the waters of Mahón, while defending champions Julio Alsogaray and Malena Sciarra are in second place.

Organised by the Club Marítimo de Mahón, the competition got underway in strong winds. The anemometer hovered around 20 knots throughout the day, although, according to most crews on returning to port, the most uncomfortable feature was the “intense” and “disorganised” swell.

González and Sánchez, representing the Real Club Náutico de Arrecife and world champions in 2022, top the overall standings with three points after scoring a second and a first. Argentina’s Julio Alsogaray and Malena Sciarra, from Club Náutico San Pedro and Yacht Club Olivos, have five points thanks to a win and a fourth-place finish. José María Guerrero and Nahuel Rodríguez, from Real Club Mediterráneo de Málaga, are third with ten points after recording a fourth and a sixth.

“It was a spectacular day for us. We had prepared the boat for light winds and found ourselves in very demanding conditions, with strong wind and a huge swell. We managed to score a second and a first, so we’re very happy,” said Alfredo González, who stressed that there is still a long way to go and that they cannot afford to let their guard down: “There are four days left and the fleet is extremely strong, but we have got through the day we were most concerned about. Now we have to stay focused and trust our preparation.”

Defending champion Malena Sciarra was also pleased with her opening day: “We won the first race and finished fourth in the second. It was a spectacular and extremely demanding day physically, with wind and swell. You couldn’t ask for more.” The Argentine sailor identified the leading pair as one of their main rivals. “Alfredo and Cristian are very solid, but we have come here with the goal of defending our title.”

José María Guerrero said that, regardless of their strong performance, which puts their boat in third place, the main objective was to come through the opening day unscathed: “We had the toughest wind conditions forecast for the entire week. Our mindset was to get through the day, avoid breaking anything or capsizing, and try to be consistent and improve our position in each race. That’s what we did, but there is still a long championship ahead and, from experience, we know that nothing is won on the first day.”

Gustavo del Castillo and Rafael del Castillo, from Real Club Náutico de Gran Canaria, are fourth with 12 points. Local sailors Jordi Triay and Lluís Mas, from Club Marítimo de Mahón, complete the top five. The reigning European champions recorded an eighth and a seventh and are the highest-placed local representatives in echoing the thoughts of several of his rivals. The local sailor believes it is “very important” to adopt a conservative strategy at the start. “We’re fifth overall, so we have to be happy, although we’re also very tired. It was a very difficult day because the Snipe class limit for sailing is 23 knots and we got close to that today. In fact, we damaged the mast and tomorrow the provisional standings, with 15 points.

“You don’t win the championship on the first day, but you can lose it,” said Lluís Mas, echoing the thoughts of several of his rivals. The local sailor believes it is “very important” to adopt a conservative strategy at the start. “We’re fifth overall, so we have to be happy, although we’re also very tired. It was a very difficult day because the Snipe class limit for sailing is 23 knots and we got close to that today. In fact, we damaged the mast and tomorrow we’ll have to replace it with a new one.”

The Race Committee applied the Snipe class criteria for strong-wind conditions and set a triangular course. Both crews and equipment were put through an initial test, with several casualties. One of them was the team of Leonardo Armas Lasso and Miguel Bethencourt, from Real Club Náutico de Arrecife, who had to return to port during the first race after breaking the rudder fittings.

The day also produced some notable performances outside the leading positions. Americans Ernesto Rodríguez and Taylor Scheuermann finished second in the second race and are eighth overall. Brazilians Felipe Rondina and João Pedro Herrlein took third in the same race and sit 11th. Damián Borrás and Javier Magro, from Club Marítimo de Mahón, bounced back from an initial 33rd place with an eighth, moving them into 21st overall.

Among the fleet’s notable names, Brazil’s Alexandre Paradeda, the 2001 world champion, is 13th, while American Justin Callahan, the reigning junior world champion, is 14th.

The Vakaros Atlas2 system has made its debut at a World Championship, allowing the entire fleet of 88 boats from 21 countries to be managed with two starts. Devices fitted to every boat record their position and identify boats that cross the starting line early. The technology eliminates the need for the Race Committee to split the fleet into groups and reduces general recalls caused by the difficulty of identifying all boats that second day of racing. The first warning signal is scheduled for 11:30 a.m., with two further races planned, provided conditions have crossed the line prematurely. Its use is one of the main innovations of the Mahón World Championship.

The competition continues today, Wednesday, September 23rd, with the second day of racing. The first warning signal is scheduled for 11:30 a.m., with two further races planned, provided conditions allow the schedule to be completed.