Day 4 of the SB20 European Championship brought even rougher conditions with the tide building quickly against the strong northerly breeze.
The racing itself mirrored the conditions: unpredictable and unforgiving. John Pollard’s Xcellent opened the day with a win, but the momentum shifted in Race 2, where Pollard slipped down, allowing his rivals to claw back valuable points.
The scoreboard now has Pollard and Witzmann tied on points with everything still to play for as the championship enters its final day.
Michael O’Connor summarised the fleet’s excitement from the lively Ostend conditions: “A fantastic days sailing in Ostend, really challenging conditions with place changes on every leg. The race committee team did a fantastic job with the courses today, great races in really tough conditions. We’re delighted with the results so far and looking forward to the final showdown tomorrow.”
SB20 European Championship – Leaders after 11 races:
1st GBR 3834 John POLLARD 1 1 1 5 1 1 6 7 (43) BFD 1 6 (73) – 30 pts
2nd UAE 3843 Hendrik WITZMANN 4 6 2 2 (7) 3 1 5 2 2 3 (37) – 30 pts
3rd IRL 3809 Michael O’CONNOR 5 3 6 1 2 (43) BFD 8 4 4 5 1 (82) – 39 pts
4th FRA 3580 Paul LOISEAU 3 2 7 7 6 (8) 4 1 3 3 5 (49) – 41 pts
5th FRA 3653 Ian GARRETA 7 8 3 (12) 4 7 2 6 7 6 7 (69) – 57 pts
