Rui Ramada’s Yess met all expectations and was the first sailboat to reach and tack the Carrumeiro Chico in the inaugural test of the 47th Conde de Gondomar Trophy – Zelnova Zeltia / Banco Sabadell Grand Prix
· The sailboat of the Monte Real Club de Yates is fighting against itself at this time to reach Baiona as soon as possible and try to break the record of the event that has remained unbeaten since 2011
Solventis by Alberto Moro, Aceites Abril by the Pérez Canal brothers and Magical by Julio Rodríguez maintained an exciting heads-up throughout the event
· The competition continues this Saturday with the second day of tests in which the rest of the fleet will compete in a coastal regatta along the Vigo estuary
Rui Ramada’s Yess fulfilled all the forecasts and expectations placed on it and was the first sailboat to reach and turn the Carrumeiro Chico in the inaugural test of the 47th Conde de Gondomar Trophy – Zelnova Zeltia Banco Sabadell Grand Prix, which came on stage this Friday in Galicia.
The 63-foot Hanse (just over 19 meters), armed and skippered by the experienced Portuguese navigator, and manned by Pedro Pinto, Nuno Campos, Pedro Azevedo and Óscar Peixoto), rounded the mythical rock of Corcubión at 18:15: 07, seven and a quarter hours after leaving Baiona.
They chose a coastal navigation, stuck to land. They took advantage of the thermals of the estuaries and the result was satisfactory, managing to maintain an almost constant speed of between 8.5 and 9 knots. “Approaching land was, without a doubt, the best decision” , declared Rui Ramada after completing the ascent to the mythical rock. “At times we tried to move away and go a bit further out, but the wind was not so good and we decided to return to the track closer to the coast, which worked very well for us” .
In the second half of the test, which the Yess will take a few hours to complete, the direction of the wind is being key for the boat. With the wind blowing from the north and wearing an asymmetrical spinnaker, the boat will not reach the full speed that a northeast or northwest wind could offer them, and this could disadvantage them with respect to other crews.
In spite of everything, the separation of the Yess from the rest of the fleet is very great and right now it is only fighting against itself, to try to reach Baiona before 22:56, which would allow it to beat the stage record. del Carrumeiro, which Cenor & de Dietrich has held since 2011.
The second crew to reach the Corcubión rock was that of the Solventis, led by Alberto Moro, also from the Monte Real Club de Yates. He did it at 19:39:51, almost an hour and a half after the Yess. Throughout the tour, from the very beginning of the test, he maintained a tough hand in hand with the April Oils, of the brothers Luis and Jorge Pérez Canal; and Julio Rodríguez’s Magical; and finally managed to overtake them with a certain margin before reaching the key point of Carrumeiro.
The three are, without a doubt, clear contenders for the final victory in this edition of the Count of Gondomar; and all of them, like the Yess, chose to sail within the Cíes archipelago. Only two boats chose the outer layout; the Portuguese Five, by Joao Tourigo; and the Txole, by Ignacio Sánchez Otaegui, who defended the choice by assuring that “the wind was well established on the outside and there was good pressure, the winds on the inside being more doubtful” .
Of the 13 boats registered to participate in what is considered the queen of the trophy, only 11 finally came out to compete. The fastest boats are expected to complete the course around midnight and the race could be finished by early morning, or even Saturday morning.
It will be then when the names of the winners will be known, both in real time and in compensated time, in the different classes in contention, although for many of the participants, the real prize is to be able to complete the deep-sea regatta par excellence in Galicia and one of the the most attractive long-distance events on the Spanish nautical scene.
After the Carrumeiro Chico stage, the Conde de Gondomar Trophy – Zelnova Zeltia / Banco Sabadell Grand Prix still has four races ahead of it. This Saturday there will be a coastal race along the Vigo estuary, on Sunday the classic Vuelta a Ons; and on Monday, the last day of competition, two poles at the Cíes anchorage.
The 47th Conde de Gondomar Trophy is sponsored by Zelnova Zeltia and Banco Sabadell; and has the special collaboration of the Pontevedra Provincial Council. The Xunta de Galicia, the Baiona city council, the Volvo Autesa de Vigo dealer, the Martin Miller premium gin, the Terras Gauda winery and the Musto nautical clothing brand also collaborate in the competition.
47th COUNT OF GONDOMAR TROPHY
GRAND PRIX ZELNOVA ZELTIA / BANK SABADELL
BOATS THAT AT THIS TIME (20:05) HAVE TURNED THE CARRUMEIRO CHICO
YESS RUI RAMADA MRCYB – 18:15:07
SOLVENTIS ALBERTO MORO MRCYB – 19:39:51
APRIL OILS LUIS AND JORGE PÉREZ CANAL RCN VIGO – 19:45:11
MAGICAL JULIO RODRÍGUEZ RCN VIGO – 19:59:32
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