The fourth and last day of the 2016 6MR European Championship started again with an early skippers meeting and a tow out to the south side of Lake Uri. Like the previous days we had to wait for the wind, but the whole fleet was chipper. With six races already in the bag, we all knew that we would have a valid Championship. Each boat already had one striker (dropping the worst race from the count) and now we were anticipating two more races, because the rules of this championship state that if all scheduled eight races are completed each boat would be able to drop two races. So this presented a great opportunity to polish the overall standing.
It again took until 12:30 until we had stable enough thermal breeze to lay a course and by the time the moderns had started and the sequence for the classics began it was already 1:15. This would be tight as the last race could not be started after 3 pm and we knew from previous days that course two (two up, two down) will take around 75 minutes. Anyways – LUCIE hung deep at the pin during the final minute of the starting sequence – maybe to deep? – and with the gun crossed the line but immediately saw a gap opened up by FIN67 DJINN and layed over to port tack. Phenomenal start and now all clean air! Would this be LUCIE’s race? The wind was significantly lighter then the previous days, the thermal breeze was only around 10 knots, LUCIE’s favored conditions.
The LUCIE crew sailed without flaws, staying out of any dogfights and seeking clean lanes. LUCIE met DJINN shortly before the first rounding, with LUCIE leading by less than a half a boat length. LUCIE took the inside position, kept her speed and rounded in first place. It was exciting and tight sailing, all very clean. However, there were still three legs to go and the wind was lightening more and more.
By the last leg, LUCIE was in striking distance of the tail-end of the modern fleet and more than ten boat lengths ahead of DJINN. Just as LUCIE reached the last rounding mark to head for the short reach toward the finish line the wind spun and almost died. LUCIE had her spinnaker flying and on what was supposed to be a reaching leg. It started getting slow and boats coming down the course started closing in. However, the entire fleet got stuck in the little wind hole right around the last turning mark while LUCIE slowly reached the finish line and won the race. (DJINN, who was in a solid second place all through the race, got overtaken by LLENORIA at the last mark rounding).
There were 30 minutes left to get the second and final race of the day started. The wind kept building and then peaked at about 15 knots.
The final race of the 6MR European Championship got started at 2:45. It was a longer course this time and LUCIE chose the left side initially as it looked like slightly less wind, but it didn’t pay off. By the first rounding, the Rule 3 boats had taken advantage of their higher wind abilities on the right side, and LUCIE rounded in 10th place. But there was no giving up yet with potentially five more legs to go. So LUCIE was now kicking and fighting, and leg after leg passing one or two boats until she was in 6th place at the fourth rounding. But then a line fouled on deck right after the rounding, and the genoa did not come in. LUCIE got passed by a few boats she had fought so hard to catch. So LUCIE finished the last race of this Championship in 10th place.
Overall LUCIE finished the 2016 European Championships in 5th place with same points as 4th place FLAPPER who beat LUCIE in the last race and therefore won the tie-breaker.
LUCIE won the August Ringvold Memorial Trophy and the Baum and König Trophy
Next stop: PANERAI Newport Classic Yacht Regatta in Newport, RI (September 2nd – 4th)
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