News

Following on from the 420 clinic held in Angola in October 2010, the Clube Naval de Luanda has taken the next step in supporting and training its 420 teams towards their first international competition next year, at the 2013 420 World Championships.

Sixteen teams gathered on Lake Balaton for the 2012 420 National Championships, hosted in Tihany, on the northern side of Lake Balaton. The 420 National Championship was held alongside the 2012 470 National Championship.

The Austrian Youth Championships 2012 concluded on Wednesday 22 August on Lake Achensee, after a week of stunning weather and a full programme of 10 races completed. Twenty four teams from three nations – Austria, Germany and Hong Kong – competed.

The final day of the CurraDinghy Open 420 National Championships welcomed drizzle and 12-13 knots of breeze but with more forecast later for the final two scheduled races of the Championship.

Two final races for each of the gold, silver and bronze fleets on Friday 17 August 2012 wrapped up the 2012 420 Junior European Championships in Riva, Italy for one hundred and thirteen 420 teams from twenty-nine nations.

Race day 4 at the 2012 420 Junior European Championship, Wednesday 15 August 2012, marked the first day of the final series for the one hundred and thirteen boat 420 fleet. The teams are split into gold, silver and bronze fleets.

Chile’s Benjamin Grez/Diego Gonzalez represented their nation at the 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition in the 470 Men, the first time Chile had a team in the 470 event since the 1984 Olympics. Grez and Gonzalez’s coach headed out to the 470 Junior Europeans in Italy with a special gift for the Chilean 470 Women team of Nadja Horwitz/Sofia Middleton.

With lights winds forcing no racing on Saturday, it looked as though it might be a repeat situation on Sunday’s final day at the 2012 420 World Championship. After a tense wait ashore filled with uncertainty as to whether the forecast breeze would fill in, it did and just in time for the 1700 hours cut off by when the Race Committee had to get a race started. Another day of unpredictable wind, which eventually turned good and delivered a solid breeze to complete race 10 for all fleets.

Despite the light wind, racing was looking like a distinct possibility as teams were sent out for an 1100 start on Saturday’s race day 5 at the 2012 420 Junior World Championships in Austria. But after waiting for around an hour on the race course, teams were eventually sent ashore in the hope of more breeze in the afternoon. This failed to materialize and racing was called off for the day at around 1630 hours.

Superb racing conditions for race day 4 at the 2120 420 Worlds, which marked the start of the six-race final series. With fleets now split into gold, silver and bronze for the 420 Open and Gold, Silver for the 420 Ladies, many of the top teams faced off against each other for the first time. Races 7 and 8 were held in an 18-20 knot breeze, before dropping down to around 12 knots for race 9.