South American Championship – Final

by SnipeToday 04/17/2022

Olivos, Buenos Aires, Argentina, April 17, 2022. Final results after 8 races (1 discard):

ARG Luis Soubie & Diego Lipszyc, 28
USA Ernesto Rodriguez & Kathleen Tocke, 29
CHI Matias Seguel & Constanza Seguel, 38
URU Ricky Fabini & Caro Rodriguez, 47
ARG Augusto Amato & Florencia Galimberti, 50

The final day was the most tricky of all the race days with extremely light winds and very strong current running left to right on the race course making laylines difficult and downwinds very painful for all.

Rodriguez & Tocke won race 6 which started with about 7 knots, but died significantly during the race. Soubie & Lipszyc sailed an excellent final downwind to finish third behind Poncell & Martínez.

With the Seguels and Amato & Galimberti finishing 9th and 11th respectively in race 6, Rodriguez & Tocke went into the final race leading, but only one point ahead of Soubie & Lipszyc, and three points ahead of the Seguels.

The breeze seemed to build for the start of the final race, but did not last. Most crews stayed inside the boat for the entire race. The race leaders change several times during the course of the race, with the Brazilian team of Santos & Siqueira leading at the first mark. By the final leeward mark, the Rodriguez & Tocke rounded just to windward of Soubie & Lipszyc. Rodriguez & Tocke tacked off to the left side with Soubie & Lipszyc going to the right for the final upwind.

The wind almost completely died on the final upwind, with the current pushing hard against the teams. Pesci & Quiroga fought hard against Soubie & Lipszyc for any breath of wind while Rodriguez & Tocke took their chances on the right hoping for a private puff. It seemed as if no one would finish the race. After a long and painful upwind, Soubie & Lipszyc drifted across the line first, Pesci & Quiroga second, putting the extra point between Soubie & Rodriguez for the win. The rest of the fleet saw a huge mix in positions as the wind disappeared and teams were at the mercy of the current and private puffs. Teams were towed to shore. After the prize giving, YCO presented once last meal to all the sailors.

All are looking forward to the next South Americans in Montevideo in 2023.

Final Results Download