BRA 73 Bergenthal, Goldmeier and Oppitz leads the South American Championship

written by Matias Collins  on  April 19  of  2025 and read by 249

Crossings at the SA Champs
@Matias Capizzano / SIL

With an intense first day of competition, the Solings had their start racing day in the multi class event SIL organized by the CNSI and FAY (Argentine Sailing Federation), an event with more than 800 sailors, at this easter including classes such as Optimist, ILCA and F18 and the previous weekend IQFoil, Wingfoil, J70 and ALMA and next weekend other classes such as Grumete, Star, Finn and Snipe and later on the 29er and 420.

The Soling racing area was quite far from the CNSI, which took a bit more than 1 hr to reach, initially the wind was too light, but later it built from the West and shifting to the Southwest then back to the West even stronger, making each race different, the current flow always went to the ocean with a quite strength.
Three windward/leeward courses of three laps were used, the courses didn't have an offset at the windward mark.

The first race with 6 to 9 knots of wind, it was clear that boats that went to the left had the a bit more wind and had then a good crossing to the mark, leaving BRA 73 to take the lead ahead ARG 34 (Cappagli, Padilla, Ravazzi ), the Argentine team never lost the grip and fought close with BRA 73 including to round ahead the second beat, but BRA 73 consolidated then the lead to not lose it again. At the same beat USA 853(Collins, Jordana, Celedoni) who was following managed to lose the third place to ARG 37 (Warburg, Celedoni and Roldan) and situation was kept that way. ARG 32 (Warburg, Burg, Caviglia) had an intense fight on last downwind with USA 853 but could not pass despite all the jibes.

The second race USA 853 had a brilliant start and dominated the fleet from the windward position rounding first the upwind followed by ARG 37, the situation was kept the same way the whole downwind, but the second beat for some reason USA 853 instead tacking under ARG 37 decided to go a couple of meters more that ended in a huge overstanding, losing the pole, and losing the second place to BRA 73 too, by the last downwind again ARG 32 attacked all they could to pass USA 853 but it was just not possible.

The third race, the wind increased substantially, nice hiking, lots of backstay despite the start was kind of slow, BRA 73 took the lead at the windward mark followed by ARG 32 and USA 853, close behind ARG 37 and ARG 3 (Maffei, Morgan, Bermudez), and the show began in a fast downwind with some nice super gusts, USA 853 showed how to Chinese jibe and recover three times in a row!! Becoming very last, consequences, a bucket lost from the 4 the boat usually has when bailing water out, flip flops floated in the boat but remained onboard, Gonzalo almost went to the water two times. But the spinnaker went up and they finish that run and then at the upwind they kept bailing out the water and managed to pass a boat and get closer the middle pack. The race ended with BRA 73 winning, followed by ARG 37 and ARG 3 .

This Saturday two races are scheduled, but forecast isn't good.

Complete Results

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BRA 73 the leaders Bergenthal, Goldmeier and Oppitz
@Matias Capizzano / SIL

1st Chinese jibe of USA 853
@Matias Capizzano / SIL

Third Chinese jibe of 853
@Matias Capizzano / SIL