Berger and Kargl claim EUROSAF European Mixed Offshore Championship title

Austria’s Lisa Berger and Christian Kargl claimed the 2019 EUROSAF European Mixed Offshore Championship title by finishing 36 minutes ahead of their Belgian rivals.

Raced in the L30, a one-design 30 foot keelboat, the Championship was a 187 nautical mile race which started in front of the iconic San Marco square in Venice and finished in Trieste, right in front of the Società Velica di Barcola e Grignano.
 
The race started in a stable 12 knots of north westerly breeze on flat water. Right after the start, the fleet was divided by two different strategical approaches. Some of the  teams were using a “code zero” heading mainly “on route” (approximately 120° to the first mark, the island of Susak in Croatia) while others headed south, using their gennaker, heading towards a foreseen southerly wind-shift, with the Scirocco wind filling in the Adriatic Sea later in the evening.
 
Despite the two different strategies the fleet arrived packed together at the first rounding mark, some ten hours after the start.
 
Conditions on the first night saw 30 knots of breeze from the south with bumpy seas and all seven teams competed closely through to the finish.
 
Look back at the tracking here – http://www.sgstracking.com/live/nroffshore.php.
 
The Austrian team built a good lead from the start and they rounded the Island of Susak in first followed by the Belgian team, the French and Australians.
 
The top four boats sailed in a close pack in the following light breeze along the Croatian and Slovenian shore until a partially rebuilding breeze brought them to the finishing line in Trieste.
 
At 02:00, the Austrians crossed the finish line to become the first European Champions. The Belgians arrived at 02:36, followed by the Australians at 02:43 and French at 02:48.
 
Riccardo Simoneschi, Race Manager, commented, “There is a lot of talking about this new discipline in the sailing world and I also was personally really interested in making a very first practical experience. I think we have learned a lot and seen the high potential of this discipline for sailing, despite many details that still have to be sorted out to make it working at the best.”
 
Results:
1 – Lisa Berger / Christian Kargl – Austria
2 – Sophie Faguet / Jonas Gerckens – Belgium
3 – Liz Wardley / Alberto Sonino – Australia
4 – Mathilde Geron / Pierre Leboucher – France
5 – Ana Santamaria / Guillermo Altadill – Spain
6 – Barbara Karpinska / Peter Beker – USA
7 – Giovanna Valsecchi / Andrea Pendibene – Italy