CASSANDRE BLANDIN / ALOISE RETORNAZ TAKE OVERALL WIN AT CHRISTMAS RACE
23 Dec 2016The 41st edition of the Christmas Race came to an end on Thursday 22 December having hosted 400 boats from 23 nations across the Olympic and World Sailing Youth classes international regatta.
Racing in Palamos over five days, 18-22 December, and with 9 races contested, it was the French partnership of Cassandre Blandini/Aloise Retornaz who won the 470 women event and wrapped up the overall victory as absolute winners of the Christmas Race. Their impressive scorecard of six back to back wins set the pair apart from the rest of the women’s fleet and counting the best score across all the twelve events racing at the 41st Christmas Race.
Second to Silvia Mas/Paula Barceló (ESP) who also topped the youth teams, with France’s young Charlotte Yven/Marine Riou in third.
Olympic helm Jordi Xammar, with his new crew Nicolás Rodríguez won the 470 Men in a fiercely fought battle with Ukraine’s Borys Shvets/Pavlo Matsuyev and Germany’s Simon Diesch/Philipp Autenrieth, with just 1 point separation between each team. Ultimately second to the Ukrainians and the German team in third.
The 470 Class ran a pre-event training clinic and daily briefings and post-race video analysis, led by coach Michalis Mileos which attracted a large turnout of teams keen to soak up every snippet of knowledge.
