SB20 Asian Grand Slam & Asia Pacific Championships - Overall
by Icarus Sailing Media 1 Feb 2016 22:31 NZDT
29 January - 1 February 2016
SB20 Asian Grand Slam & Asia Pacific Championships final da © Howie Choo /
www.howiephoto.com
Going into the final day of the SB20 Asian Grand Slam & Asia Pacific Championships the leader board was close and the path to success would be difficult and challenging.
Three races remained and every point mattered - Zenith Sailing Team has a 2 point lead over Bandit Racing Team. Hot on their heels were 5 other teams, with only 10 points separating them. Who could ride the pressure?
The drama started from the first race. Bandit Racing Team tore their spinnaker, so were forced to race the final 2 races without. In the first 2 races they scored a 9 & 10 and knew they had to recover their form in the final race. The pressure was all on the leaders Zenith Sailing Team, who needed a good result in only one of the remaining races. A total change of fortune, saw them score two 6th place finishes. Glasgow Kiss upped their game, claiming two 2nd places and jumped up the leader board.
The final race was critical. Glasgow Kiss continued their fiery assault, completing their comeback by winning the last race and the championship by less than 1 point over Zenith Sailing Team. A remarkable turnaround from a 10 point disadvantage yesterday. Despite their spinnaker failure, Bandit Racing Team took 3rd in the final race to secure 3rd place on the podium.
The challenging and tight championship came to an end with a glamorous Awards Ceremony - applause for the winners and camaraderie after a superb championship.