27 Feb 2011
Pillar and Thiesen Victorious in Semana Brasileira de Vela
After two weeks of qualifying races at the Semana Brasileira de Vela in Florianopolis the best Brazilian 470 sailors have secured victory at the event and their places in the national team.
In the 470 class, the champions were the top men's Brazilian 470 team of Fabio Pillar and Gustavo Thiesen – who moved up into the lead after an impressive string of race wins in the final 6 races. Whilst they had delivered race wins earlier in the series, a copule of sixth places pushed them down the leaderboard. In the early stages of the event it was Alexandre Paradeda and Barnardo Arndt who were looking imressive at the front of the fleet, but finally they were to finish fifth overall. Midway through the event, the lead moved into the hands of the world's #14 ranked team Martine Grael and Isabel Swan, but the second half of the regatta did not play out as well as the first. Having been used to placing inside the top three for the first six races of the series, Grael and Swan's form was knocked sideways a bit for races 7 through 10, but still sufficient to deliver them a third overall. It was the reverse for the world #38 pairing of Fernanda Oliveira and Ana Luiza Barbachan whose second half of the series saw their form improve to finish second overall.
A strong demonstration of some excellent 470 talent in Brazil, with the top 5 teams all in contention for the series lead at different stages throughout the event.
The Brazilian national team will compete in international competitions throughout the 2011 season with the first challenge coming in April at the Trofeo S.A.R. Princesa Sofia, Majorca, the third of seven stops in the 2010-2011 ISAF Sailing World Cup.
The Semana Brasileira de Vela was organized by the CBVM -- the Brazilian Sailing Federation and the Yacht Club of Santa Catarina, with support from the Brazilian Olympic Committee, the Sailing Federation of Santa Catarina, Florianopolis City Hall and the Government of Santa Catarina and production by Brazil1 Esporte.
Overall Results
| Pos | Nation | Crew | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | R8 | R9 | R10 | R11 | Pts |
| 1 | BRA | Fabio Dutra Pillar/Gustavo Thiesen | (6) | 1 | 1 | (6) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 11 |
| 2 | BRA | Fernanda Oliveira/Ana Luiza Barbachan | (5) | (4) | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 22 |
| 3 | BRA | Martine S. Grael / Isabel M. Swan | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | (6) | 4 | (5) | 4 | 2 | 24 |
| 4 | BRA | Henrique D. Haddad/ Nicolas I.L.Castro | 1 | (5) | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 3 | (6) | 3 | 3 | 4 | 32 |
| 5 | BRA | Alexandre Paradeda / Bernardo Arndt | 3 | 2 | (6) | 1 | (6) | 4 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 5 | (DNC) | 38 |
| 6 | BRA | Carlos Henrique Wanderley | 4 | (DNF) | 5 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 6 | (DNC) | 44 |
| 7 | BRA | Alexandre Moto / Felipe Brito | (7) | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | (DNC) | 64 |
| 8 | BRA | Rodolpho H Ramina/Sergio N.O. Kroetz | 8 | (DNF) | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | (DNF) | 8 | 5 | 69 |
More Information:
Event Website
Image: Alexandre Paradeda and Bernardo Arndt who finished fifth overall - credit: www.marbrasil.com.br