Playing the wind lottery at the A. Le Coq Moonsund regatta | 17 Jul 19, piret.salmistu

The legs of the regatta are very different, and the third race was a day-long event. The distance to be covered was 40 – 50 miles, varying depending on the group. The first yachts reached Roomassaare nine-thirty in the evening only.

Video - A4 Media

On top of rain the yachts had to struggle with windlessness until Abruka. Four folkboots – Jonna, Linda, Marielle and Skåne Saga – made use of the high water level and dared to cut between Muhu and Viirelaid. It’s a shallow straight with barely 1.2 m in depth in places, which means only the folkboots could risk such venture. There are nine Folkboots racing the regatta and Tiit Riisalo’s Lind is in the lead. Rimo Timm’s Linda is second and Mikk Köösel’s Jonna third.

Photo: Kristel Niit

If the first races had been blessed with sunny weather and strong winds, then the wind lottery did not pay out in most anybody’s favour last night. Calm means busy times on yachts as one must try and catch any gusts coming their way. Aivar Tuulberg from Katariina II racing in group ORC II admitted that the day was intense until the very last moment and the complicated conditions gave a fair chance to everyone. The crew from Jazz was: “Horrible race!”

S/Y Matilda 4 - Photo Gerli Tooming

In ORC I, Matilda 4 from Haapsalu Yacht Club is in the lead, leaving Olympic from Yacht Club Dago and Postimees Sailing Team behind them. Koit Pauts, skipper of Matilda 4, praised the new boat and his team and was very happy for the race win. “We have a new boat and today it was unstoppable. It took some adjustment during the first two races but this time the team worked in unison with the boat. And we were lucky too. We kept an eye on our competitors all the time – some were far out, and some kept near the coast. We stayed in the middle and did not dare sail too far away from the others. It was very calm, but we made it work somehow.”

S/Y Piloilleri - Photo Gerli Tooming

This time ESTLYS II was dominated by girl power, as Piloilleri 3 from Rein Ottoson Sailing School won the race leaving Pinta from Saaremaa Maritime Sports Society and Markku Auvinen’s team on Donna behind. Piloilleri’s skipper Anne-Mari Luik commented they had a professional no wind team. “The girls like searching and experimenting. We were on guard all the time and tried different approaches.  Light winds are ideal for that. I was a bit apprehensive of the smaller yachts coming behind us and rightly so – after eleven and half hours of sailing we had only two minutes in reserve. We are third overall. Like our coach Rein Ottoson likes to say – stability is the foundation of good results. And this is what we have managed to be – consistent.”

 
Here are the top three of the HEIMON KALA Kuivastu - Roomassaare leg by group:

ORC I
I Matilda 4, EST112, Haapsalu Yacht Club, skipper Koit Pauts
II Postimees Sailing Team, EST850, Yacht Club Dago, skipper Sven Nuutmann
III Credit 24 Reval Cafe, EST703, Kalev Yacht Club, skipper Eero Pank
 
ORC II
I Adele, EST467, Yacht Club Baltsail, skipper Aleksandr Karboinov
II Evelyn III, EST477, SMS/KJK, skipper Kristen Pugi
III Amserv Toyota Sailing Team, EST379, Kalev Yacht Club, skipper Margus Žuravljov
 
ORC III
I Bamby, RUS1117, SPb RYC, Vasiili Bykov
II Fart, RUS1118, SPb RYC, Anatoly Shukanov
III Liza 1, EST734, Saaremaa Marine Sports Society, skipper Mattias Johan Kangur
 
ESTLYS I
I Katarina Jee, EST464, Saaremaa Marine Sports Society, skipper Mart Tamm
II Port Artur, EST31, Pärnu Yacht Club, skipper Kaarel Maide
III Mia, EST330, Kalev Yacht Club, skipper Jaan Tiidemann
 
ESTLYS II
I Piloilleri 3, FIN9004, Rein Ottoson Sailing School, skipper Anne-Mari Luik
II Pinta, EST57, Saaremaa Marine Sports Society, skipper Guido Grass
III Donna, FIN4493, SPS, skipper Markku Auvinen
 
ESTLYS III
I Black Bird, EST574, Haapsalu Yacht Club, skipper Tarmo Polli
II Far-O-Zon, EST750, Kalev Yacht Club, skipper Maarja Kask
III Lote, EST460, Saaremaa Marine Sports Society skipper Rando Salu
 
Folkboot
I Lind, EST32, Kalev Yacht Club, skipper Tiit Riisalo
II Linda, EST42, Kalev Yacht Club, skipper Rimo Timm
III Jonna, EST50, Kalev Yacht Club, skipper Mikk Köösel
 
Open 800
I Globus, RUS250, SPb RYC, skipper Andrei Nikandrov
II Equator, RUS2248, SPb RYC, skipper Aleksandr Proniashkin
III Alaska, RUS298, MBU SC Primorsk, skipper Ivan Tokarev
 
All results and gallery are available on the website. 

Summary in Postimees

Wednesday will be quite ceremonial. Before sailing around Abruka, S/Y Admiral Bellingshausen will be seen off on its Antarctic expedition. Kersti Kaljulaid, President of the Republic of Estonia, who is also racing on Folkboot Jonna, will address the regatta and the S/Y Admiral Bellingshausen team during the skippers meeting.

A. Le Coq Moonsund Regatta is organized by Kalev Yacht Club and Pärnu Yacht Club in cooperation with the Estonian Yachting Union.

Sponsors of the Moonsund Regatta are: A. Le Coq, Pro Marine Trade, Haapsalu municipality, LoodusInvest, PR Foods/Heimon Kala, Hiiumaa Sadamad, Santa Maria, Silmalaser, Essilor, Alter Marine, M.V Wool, Rahva Raamat, Alexela, Sportland / Helly Hansen, DSV, Volvo, Amserv, Hiiumaa rural municipality government, Muhu rural municipality government, Saaremaa rural municipality government and Pärnu municipality.

 

Regatta website: www.muhuvain.ee 
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/muhuvainaregatt/