Tight Race at the Top as Gold Cup Concludes on Friday

Published: 2024-07-11 - 21:34

Heading into Thursday’s races, only three races had been completed in the Nordic Folkboat Gold Cup in Halmstad. On Tuesday, the wind was entirely absent, and on Wednesday, only one race was completed before a thunderstorm rolled over the competition area, leaving a calm in its wake. The forecast for Thursday looked relatively good with light winds.

The first race of the day started as planned with initial winds of 4-5 m/s from the southwest. As the race progressed, the wind decreased, prompting the race committee to shorten the race to ensure the boats could finish. The race was won by GER 564 with Sönke Durst at the helm, followed by another German boat, GER 739 helmed by Ulf Kipcke. In third place was DEN 633 with Michael Guldmann. The overall leader, GBR 808 with John Wulff, secured a solid 5th place.

By the time the second race of the day began, the wind had increased to 3-4 m/s, allowing the race to be sailed at full length. The race was won by SWE 1255 with Anders Cederblad at the helm, marking the Swedes' second victory as they had also won the first race of the Gold Cup. The Danish boats DEN 745 with Anders Sunne and DEN 873 with Søren Kæstel finished second and third, respectively. With this being the fifth race, sailors could discard their worst race, which many welcomed.

In the overall standings, with one race discarded, the competition remains very close. The British team, GBR 808 with John Wulff, leads with 17 points, just one point ahead of DEN 873 with Søren Kæstel, and two points ahead of DEN 745 with Anders Sunne. DEN 1152 with Morten Henriksen follows, one point further behind. Only nine points separate the top eight boats.

Friday promises an exciting conclusion, with hopes of completing two fine races before the award ceremony and regatta dinner. However, no warning signal will be given after 3 PM.

Results can be found at https://www.sailwave.com/results/NordicFolkboatGoldCup2024-results.html

Photos by Thomas "Thoya" Johansson