Javier de la Gándara’s Okofen won this afternoon in Baiona the victory in the AXA J80 Autumn League, revalidating the victory achieved in the 2017 edition
· The Marías – Casas do Telhado by Manuel María Cunha took the silver of the championship and the bronze went to the Luna Nueva by Juan Luis Tuero
· A fraternization dinner put the finishing touch to the championship organized by the Monte Real Yacht Club with the sponsorship of AXA Seguros
· The 8 meter monotypes will once again be the protagonists of the first competition that the Baionese club has scheduled for 2019
Javier de la Gándara’s Okofen conquered this Saturday the victory of the AXA J80 Autumn League after winning the last day of tests held this afternoon in the bay of Baiona. The team led by the experienced skipper from Vigo sentenced the competition after adding another first place to those they had achieved in previous days.
With five first places, one second and one third in the seven races held since last October, De la Gándara and his team once again demonstrated why they are among the best in the Galician J80 class.
They sentenced the championship with 7 points, taking eight points ahead of their most direct rival, the Marías – Casas do Telhado of the Portuguese Manuel María Cunha who, despite completing very good races throughout the championship, was not able to beat the Okofen in no time.
On board the winning one-design we once again saw a committed team that performs at its best regardless of the weather conditions, which on some days, like today’s, made the fleet’s navigation quite complicated with rough seas and winds above 30 knots at times
In this new edition of the AXA J80 Autumn League, De la Gándara once again had his right-hand man on board, Diego Fernández; with his son Jaime de la Gándara and with Hugo Ferreiro, regulars at Okofen since its inception in J80 competitions. Santi Meygide, Javier Porto and Jaime García were other crew members who joined in some days, to complete the team or replace one of the regulars.
With its victory in the autumn championship, the Okofen closed a great regatta season in which it also won bronze in the Infinitus Rent Trophy and the Spanish J80 Championship, silver in the Príncipe de Asturias Trophy and gold in the Conde de Gondomar Trophy.
The podium of honor of the AXA J80 Autumn League was completed, with 15 points, by Marías – Casas do Telhado, led by Manuel María Cunha, and by Juan Luis Tuero, Luna Nueva, who came third with 18 points.
Already out of the podium drawers, the Pazo de Cea by Iago Alonso, in fourth position; and the Namasté by Luis de Mira, in fifth. The rest of the classification is completed by Bernardo Macedo’s Mondo, Fernando Yañez’s Cansino, Javier Martínez Valente’s Cunichán and Yago G. Robatto’s Cormorant II.
After the celebration this afternoon in Baiona of the last test, the participants and members of the regatta committee participated in a fraternization dinner presided over by directors of the Monte Real Club de Yates, as organizing club; and AXA Seguros, as sponsor of the competition.
A minute of silence was observed in it in tribute to the member and sailor of Monte Real, Berta Hernández Alfageme, who died this week after a hard fight against cancer.
At the end, the sailors were summoned for the next appointment of the J80 fleet, the Winter League, which will be held in Baiona between January and March 2019.
FINAL CLASSIFICATION (Top5) AXA J80 AUTUMN LEAGUE
1. OKOFEN · Javier de la Gándara · 7 points
2. MARÍAS – CASAS DO TELHADO · Manuel María Cunha · 15 points
3. NEW MOON · Juan Luis Tuero · 18 points
4. CEA MANOR Iago Alonso 28 points
5. NAMASTE · Luis de Mira · 31 points
OVERALL FINAL CLASSIFICATION AXA J80 AUTUMN LEAGUE (2018)
