Vallarta, Mexico – Two races were completed today at the ILCA 7 Men’s World Championship in Riviera Nayarit, Mexico. The thermal breeze on Banderas Bay continues to arrive in time for racing each day. For the first day of the Final series, it was a bit farther right and lighter than the previous days, with a stronger current pushing the boats slightly to windward.
In the first race the nerves were showing in the Gold fleet as it took 3 tries to get them started, with nine sailors earning Black flag disqualifications.
Jean-Baptiste Bernaz (FRA) who has been leading since quite early in the championship consolidated his position when he took his first race win, crossing the finishing line ahead of William De Smet (BEL) and Filip Jurišic (CRO).
In the second race of the day the fleet started clear under U Flag rules. Last year’s World champion Thomas Saunders from New Zealand won the race in front of Finn Lynch from Ireland and Finn Alexander from Australia
Jean-Baptiste proved to be the most consistent in the fleet with another good race, finishing in 4th position and moving further away from his competitors.
The leaders are:
1. Jean-Baptiste Bernaz (FRA) – 13 points
2. Jonatan Vadnai (HUN) – 43 points
3. Thomas Saunders (NZL) – 48 points
4. Finn Lynch (IRL) – 48 points
5. Tonci Stipanovic (CRO) – 49 points
The full results: https://www.sailwave.com/results/vyc/ILCA7Mens2022.htm
Tomorrow, on the fifth racing day, two races are scheduled for Gold fleet and Silver fleet, with the first possible warning signal at 1300.
Follow us on event website: https://2022ilca7men.ilca-worlds.org
Photos: https://jldigitalmedia.net/f381980536