August 16, 2019
Collision at the start of the coastal race in Vyborg
At the beginning of the race in Vyborg, the referee’s ship dropped anchor, the starting line was reduced, the race committee did not respond in time and did not cancel the start, because of this two L-6 class yachts collided.
The Varyag yacht violated the rules of discrepancy and did not yield to the Nika yacht, which had an advantage. The Varangian crashed into the stern of the Nika; as a result, the yacht lost control for some time and turned 180 degrees. Further, “Nika” touched the referee ship “Arkhangelsk” on the tangent. Thanks to well-coordinated and professional work, the team managed to avoid a more serious blow.
After the incident at the start, Nika also prevented other participants from staying on course. So, for example, the Amur yacht had to fall off – slightly turn to the side – to avoid a collision.
The race near Vyborg was held in difficult weather conditions: the wind speed was 18 knots, in gusts – up to 30, and the route passed among numerous islands and stones.
This stage turned out to be difficult not only for yachtsmen, but also for the referee committee, which will have to analyze all the protests. According to preliminary results, Amur yacht is in first place among the Sixes.
There are two more offshore stages of the competition and one coastal.
45 August 16, 2019 # 9380
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