Swiss teams Alinghi and Black Star start the GC32 Mar Menor Cup on top in San Pedro del Pinatar
Repost from murciaplaza.com
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(machine translated with deepl.com)
SAILING – 4/11/2021 – SAN PEDRO DEL PINATAR. The Swiss boats Alinghi and Black Star Sailing have started their participation in the GC32 Mar Menor Cup leading in the first of the four days that make up the fourth and final round of the international circuit GC32 Racing Tour held in Murcian waters and both share the lead in this flying catamaran regatta with five points.
Alinghi, which is also the leader of the tour classification and is the great favourite to win the title in the 2021 edition, the ninth, won two of the three races sailed and was third in the second, while Black Star obtained two second places and a first place.
Third place in Lo Pagán goes to the Austrian Red Bull Extreme Sailing, Alinghi’s great rival in the dispute for the title on the circuit, and which has 11 points – a third place and two fourths – while also with that score is the French Zoulou – a second place, a fourth and a fifth – followed by the Danish Rockwool Racing with 14 points – a third, a fifth and a sixth place – and closes the classification with the American Argo, with 17 – a fifth place and two sixth places.
The competition, which will last until Sunday in the waters of the Mar Menor, will be the culmination of the GC32 Racing Tour, which held its first two races in Portugal and the third in Italy between June and September.
The Formula 1 of the sea, as these boats that reach speeds of over 30 knots are considered, will be taking part in this event organised by the Club Náutico Lo Pagán, with the support of the Murcia Regional Tourism Institute (ITREM) and the collaboration of the town councils of San Pedro del Pinatar, San Javier, Los Alcázares and Cartagena.
The boats, which are ten metres long – 12 metres including the bowsprit – and six metres wide, are made up of international crews, and sailed this Thursday in winds of between seven and 18 knots.
This Friday they will race again and Alinghi, helmed by double America’s Cup champion Ernesto Bertarelli and with Arnaud Psarofaghis at the helm, has another opportunity to advance on their way to victory, which is within reach as they arrive at the GC32 Mar Menor Cup with a three point lead over Red Bull Extreme Sailing. Fourth place would be enough to take the trophy, although his intention is to finish the championship with what would be his third victory.