Star Class Honoring the Past, Leading the Future
This year the 2018 Swedish Championships were held on Baggensfjärden just outside of Sune Carlsson's Båtvarv in Saltsjöbaden.
Once again Leif Carlsson, Lars Nordling and the rest of the organizers put on a fantastic event all the way around. From the racing to the social events after the sailing, everything was top notch and all of us competitors had a great time.
We started things off with a clinic hosted by Frithjof Kleen. About 15 boats participated and learned a lot from the veteran crew. When it came time to race, we had eight races over the three day event in varying conditions. With 28 boats registered, there was some great competition.
The first day saw races being completed in winds ranging from 8-12 knows of wind. There were a few shifts meaning a few gains and losses could be had. Johan Qviberg with Michael Nettelbladt faired the best winning the first race and finishing the day with 10 points.
Day two saw some cloudy weather cover the race course the entire day. We had slightly lighter wins in the morning with the breeze building as the day went on. Johan and Michael picked up where they left off and went out to win the first race again and finish the day with two more top five results. The competition was tight between the top 5 and things were set up for a fantastic final day.
Going into the last day the question was if Johan and Michael could hold onto their lead over Tom Löfstedt and if anyone else could challenge for the podium positions.
After a still morning and little wind, the race course filled with breeze. Johan and Michael ended up finishing their regatta after posting a 6 in the first race while Tom didn't fair as well and ended up in 15th. This would be Tom's drop and secured the win for Johan and Michael. The last race would decide the rest of the podium places with second and third up for grabs. In the end Tom and his crew Joost Houweling finished up in second, while Carl Schröder and Henrik Glimstedt got third place.
The 2018 Swedish Championships were a hotly contested event and a great team took home the win. Congratulations to all competitors and especially those on the podium. A huge thank you to the organizing officials for hosting such a great event, we all are looking forward to the Oktoberpokalen September 29-30th. It would be fantastic to see as many or more teams on the line at the end of the month!
by Danny Cayard
