Catalonian sailor Nacho Dávila, from Club Náutico Vilassar de Mar, has won the 29th International Optimist AECIO Trophy (Trofeo Internacional AECIO Ciudad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria) after a brilliant performance. Dávila won four of the six races in the regatta, in which local sailor Yoel Hernández, from Real Club Náutico de Gran Canaria, took the silver medal in a close battle for second place among various competitors. Third place on the podium goes to Mariona Rahola, who’s also from Catalonia and is a member of Club Náutic El Balis.
After a day without sailing because of a lack of wind, three heats were held today, although not without a few hitches due to the variable weather conditions. Today’s shifting wind varied in intensity from five to seven knots, while the sea had few waves.
In these conditions, the first race started an hour late and the course for the third and final race had to be changed.
The award ceremony was attended by the City Councillor for Ciudad de Mar (Sea City), Mimi González; Sports Councillor, Carlos Ester; the head of the naval dockyard, Juan González Aller; the head of Gando Air Base, Jorge Clavero; and the board of the host club, led by the president, Óscar Bergasa, and the commodore, Matías Gómez.
Also present at the ceremony were the president of the Canary Islands Sailing Federation, Joaquín Blanco; the president of the Gran Canaria Sailing Federation, Alejandro Barrera; Carlos Torrado, president of the Spanish Optimist Federation; and Alejandro de Juan, Canary Islands representative of the Federation.
The support of the City Hall (Ayuntamiento de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria) and the Island Council (Cabildo de Gran Canaria) was essential for the holding of this event, which is now in its 29th year. This year the trophy was the inaugural regatta for the recently created Canary Islands Optimist Series (Circuito de Optimist Canario – COC), an initiative of the Canary Islands Sailing Federation aimed at fostering Optimist sailing in the Islands.
The international trophy, organised by Real Club Náutico de Gran Canaria, is also the first regatta of the Optimist Excellence Cup 2014-15.
Translate from Spanish by Jane McGrath