Bogatyrs won the overall standings, AYAZ took 1st place in the Corinthian division
2024-01-14 23:00
The strong gusty wind that accompanied the participants of the second stage of the Tenzor International Cup – J/70 Open Winter Series 2023/2024 on the second day of the regatta was replaced by a working fresh wind of 15-18 knots on the final race day.
The organizers and the judging panel held a full competition day, giving a start to 5 races.
There was an active struggle at the distance. Moving on a full course and in gliding mode, the teams demonstrated excellent speed, there was a confrontation on the marks and the yachts crossed the finish line in a very dense group.
The undisputed leaders and winners of the regatta were the “Bogatyrs” team, which won 5 of the 7 races during this stage.
Konstantin Besputin (tactician, "Bogatyrs"): "Everything turned out as well as possible! We started very well and were in the top 3 in most races. We walked steadily, got into the lead and took 1-2 points each. By the last race, we realized that we were winning the stage, but we tried not to relax. In the fight for the overall series, every point counts. We ended up fifth in the final race, it wasn't a very good start, but we got out. The rivals are all doing well. Congratulations to the Dolce Vita and Tenzor Team for their places on the podium. It was a difficult stage for the Tenzor Team, there were difficulties and not everything worked out, but the team showed a high level, for which they have great respect. Dolce Vita crew had a great day, established communication, had good starts, went great both on the tacking and on the fly down wind. Turkish teams have also been noticeably added the power, professional helmsmen have appeared, so I'm sure it will be even more interesting to race ahead, the competitor’s list is getting stronger and stronger. The regatta was held at an excellent level, in final day they gave five races despite the fact that the day was short in terms of timing, and for this we are very grateful to the judges and organizers."
Dolce Vita has firmly established itself in the second position, having recorded one race won and several arrivals in the top-3. This is the second consecutive podium for Inna Balashova's crew in the Series.
Tenzor Team closed the top-3 overall standings of the second stage, which, despite all the difficulties, was able to keep its place on the podium and continues to fight for victory in the series.
The Turkish teams Cheese Sailing, Orient JR and Nautique Yachting actively joined the fight against RAKETA 26 to get into the leading group.
As a result, two arrivals in the top-3 allowed the Cheese Sailing crew to climb to the fourth place in the classification, and RAKETA 26 completed the regatta fifth.
Levent Peynirci (tactician, Cheese Sailing): «It was really a good regatta. Our team is happy about the quality of regatta as well as Saturday’s night party. We were improving our skills, especially in downwind, so we are working on it now. Last year we were racing with other crew members. This year the Guney Kaptan is joining us and on this regatta the helmsman was different. Normally we are racing with Bora Olcav on helm, but he could not come this event, so we raced with Cem Gozen. As a results, we are happy with 4th position, because our helmsman, trimmer were different. Of course we wanted to make podium, but if we analyze the results, so this position is good for us among the teams participated. We are really happy about the organization and races».
Arif Gurdenli's international crew Orient JR lost just one point to their rivals, taking 6th place, followed by Nautique Yachting, Happyhour JR and IVEDI in the standings.
Arif Gurdenli (helmsman, Orient JR): «Last day races for the 2nd Leg were awesome. Sailing conditions were beautiful; race location was very good with clear wind and making the races fair for everyone. As the Orient JR team, we were very strong in the first legs, coming at the top mark in top 3 most of the cases. Our starts and tactical decisions were mostly correct. However due to an equipment failure (our spinnaker halyard block at the top of the mast dislocated and came down) we were not able to hoist our spinnaker correctly. We thought about going back to shore but then decided to continue. We took 2 risky decisions to beat the boat next to us and got penalized which cost us some valuable places but that's not a big issue. It is our attitude to attack forward than to play too safe. Overall we are pleased with our speed and height on upwinds. We need to practice more on maneuvers and then will be more competitive. We know what to improve and we look forward to the next leg hoping to come stronger! Thanks to the entire organization team».
Onur Erardag (helmsman, Nautique Yachting): “On the final race day it was a lighter wind than the previous day. We had a substitute that one of our team member was sick, so we had to change him. By the way, we started strong, finished in top-3 in second race of the day, but then we started to fall back. It is clear for us that we need more experience and trainings. It was a really nice day, but 5 races were a little bit too much I think. J/70 is an amazing boat and the teams taking part in the Series are very experienced. I believe we will gain more experience racing and training together with such sailors and hopefully in the next leg we will competing more better in the ranking. It was very nice organization and hope we will see in the next leg”.
In the Corinthian division, Arif Ayaz's crew AYAZ JR won the stage, ASPAT and ADA JR distributed the second and third places.
Ugur Ayaz (tactician, AYAZ JR): “We are very happy with our improvements, the team is getting faster and faster every day. The conditions were really hard this time, weather temperature was challenging. We are satisfied with the results, and it is always a pleasure to participate in the Tenzor International Cup series”.