Strong start for the Balearic fleet at the 18th Euromarina Optimist Torrevieja

Weather conditions shaped the opening day in Torrevieja waters, limiting competition to a single race. Despite the challenging conditions, Izan Rogel, Nicolás Bastard, Charles Ganivet and Metehan Asar claimed victory in their respective groups and lead the provisional standings.

The first day of the Euromarina Optimist Torrevieja was marked by a lack of wind, which heavily conditioned the programme and allowed only one race to be completed. Even so, the sailors showed great skill, with local sailor Izan Rogel (RCN Torrevieja), Basque sailor Nicolás Bastard (RCMA–RSC), French sailor Charles Ganivet and Turkish sailor Metehan Asar taking wins in their respective groups.

The Balearic representation also delivered a notable performance on this opening day, placing several sailors within the top 30 of the overall standings after the sole race sailed. Balearic clubs secured prominent positions, including a fifth and a tenth place, along with other solid results that highlight the strong level of the Balearic fleet on a particularly demanding day due to wind conditions.

At 10:45 a.m., the fleet headed out to the race area in the hope of starting the day’s racing, despite the delay, as the first start had originally been scheduled for 10:00 a.m. However, the wind failed to materialise and remained absent until after 3:00 p.m., leaving the 417 sailors waiting on the water for more than three hours before racing could begin.

Shortly after 3:00 p.m., the race committee, led by Luky Serrano, decided to move the starting line further offshore in search of wind. The decision paid off: around three miles from the club’s harbour entrance, the breeze filled in, reaching 15 knots on a 215º axis, allowing the 417 sailors to finally get racing and complete the first race shortly after 4:00 p.m.

Looking ahead to the second day, today Friday 30th of January, the committee hopes that conditions will allow three races to be completed, reaching the four required to define the gold fleet and the remaining categories before moving on to the final series. To make the most of the day, the starting time has been brought forward to 9:00 a.m., with the fleet scheduled to leave for the race area at around 8:00 a.m.