After the second day of racing, Meteor Racing leads the first event with 8 points, but EASY and CAPA are tied on 13, keeping the battle for the win wide open. The fleet will contest the final day tomorrow, with the schedule brought forward and the overall standings still tightly packed.
DID YOU LIKE THIS CONTENT? WELL... YOU HAVE ALL OF OUR FULL PROGRAMS HERE!The wind once again tested the fleet on the second day of the X Puerto Portals Dragon Winter Series, but this time the Race Committee’s experience allowed it to read the conditions and get the teams ready to race from early in the day. A revised schedule, brought forward from the times set out in the Sailing Instructions, was announced on the Official Notice Board (ONB). With all boats on the racecourse before 10:00, the fleet was able to make the most of a window of around six knots, just as forecast; in the end, the decision paid off.
Two windward-leeward races were completed off Puerto Portals, in the waters of Calvià: the first over a course of almost four miles and the second over approximately three and a half. The first race was sailed in an average of seven knots, with gusts reaching eight, while the breeze eased to an average of six knots for the second. Although the conditions were sufficient to complete both races, there was not enough wind for a third. The Race Committee had to stay alert to every opportunity to keep the racing going, while the starts were also marked by individual recalls for boats that crossed the line early and had to take a penalty before continuing.
The day reshuffled the leaderboard and left the outcome of this opening event wide open. Meteor Racing, helmed by Pete Cooke, has climbed from fifth yesterday to take the lead on 8 points, after scoring a win and a second place in today’s races. EASY, which started the day at the top after winning Friday’s opening race, is now second on 13 points. The team has two race wins from the three races sailed, but an eleventh in the first race today cost it ground. CAPA completes the provisional podium, also on 13 points. Helmed by Carlos Carbajal, President of the Spanish Dragon Class, the boat has competed in every edition of the event, and its skipper knows the waters of Palma Bay well.
With high-pressure conditions forecast and little prospect of steady breeze, the Race Committee has also brought forward tomorrow’s schedule, when the winner of this opening event will be decided. Sailors are due at the hospitality area at 08:00 for breakfast together, with the warning signal scheduled for 10:00. After three races, Meteor Racing holds only a five-point advantage over EASY and CAPA, who are tied in second, so every place will count on a final day when the podium could still change.
The X Puerto Portals Dragon Winter Series is organised by Club de Regatas Puerto Portals, in collaboration with the Spanish Dragon Class Association, the Balearic Sailing Federation, Repsol and North Sails, and in coordination with the International Dragon Association. After racing, competitors and organisers gather in the hospitality area on the Beewi terrace to share their impressions and continue the fleet’s camaraderie ashore.
The fleet brings together more than 50 sailors from Germany, Australia, Austria, Denmark, the United Arab Emirates, Spain, Hungary and Portugal. They are racing Dragons, 8.90-metre one design keelboats that are usually sailed by a crew of three. With the same rules applying to every boat, crew skill and tactical decisions are central to the competition.
Meteor Racing wins the opening event of the X Puerto Portals Dragon Winter SeriesThe 10th Puerto Portals Dragon Winter Series gets underway 
