Poles Dominate Skiffs in Lanzarote Swell

Dominik Buksak and Adam Glogowski sailed their 49er skiff to victory as the first phase of the Lanzarote International Regatta concluded on Tuesday, 18 February. The Polish duo finished a healthy points margin ahead of the rest of the pack, relishing the big-wind, big-wave conditions on the Atlantic swell.

Polish avert starting disaster

The Poles didn’t start the final day of 49er competition in the best way, picking up a UFD disqualification for crossing the start line too soon. However Buksak and Glogowski were able to discard this result from their scores, and for the rest of the day turned in some barnstorming performances around the windward-leeward race track. They won the next race, and were second in the next, already sufficient to secure gold in Lanzarote. Even then the in-sync Poles didn’t take their foot off the gas, going on to take the winner’s gun in the final race of the series.

“We are a new crew that has been sailing together for three months and it feels great that the work we are doing is bearing fruit,” said skipper Buksak, who finished fifth at last year’s Olympic Games. He felt that Lanzarote was the ideal venue for developing the partnership and team work between himself and new crew Glogowski. “These past days we have had a very wide range of different conditions: very light wind, strong, changeable, stable, and we have sailed well in all of them, so it has been a good test for us.”

Their compatriots Tytus Butowski and Borys Podumis took silver while the Americans Andrew Mollerus and Trevor Bornarth rounded out the first podium of the Lanzarote International Regatta with bronze.

Conrad Konitzer and Anto Torrado finished fourth and were best of the Spanish teams that came to Marina Rubicón. “In general we are happy, especially with the objectives we had set ourselves,” said Konitzer, from Mallorca. “We have also seen many things where we need to push a bit and improve, so this regatta has been very good for us. This year we would like to push harder in the gold fleet, which is never easy in the 49er class, but this is a good start to the season.”

Olympic veterans ready to be challenged by up-and-comers

Now begins the second phase of the Lanzarote International Regatta, with the 470 Mixed, ILCA 6 and ILCA 7 classes beginning their racing schedule on Thursday. The plan is to complete a maximum of 10 races across four days, plus the Medal Race, which will be held on Sunday 23 February, the last day of the regatta.

Among the ones to watch in the 470 Mixed are Olympic representatives from Paris 2024 such as Italy’s Elena Berta, sailing with Giulio Calabro, and Portugal’s Diogo Costa and Carolina Joao. In the ILCA 7, Paris 2024 silver medallist Pavlos Kontides will start as favourite although the Cypriot will be very aware of the threats in the fleet, not least from other veterans of last summer’s Olympics, Filip Jurišić from Croatia and Duko Bos from The Netherlands.

Former 470 World Champion and twice Olympic representative in the Nacra 17, Spanish sailor Tara Pacheco makes the switch to the ILCA 6 dinghy this week. However the Canarian sailor will have her work cut out trying to out-hike the likes of Peru’s Olympic representative Florencia Chiarella.

This weekend these three Olympic classes will be joined by a guest class, the doublehanded Snipe, an internationally popular racing dinghy that enjoys a strong following among Corinthian sailors who live in the Canary Islands.

* According to the report prepared by the consultancy Auditax, the Lanzarote International Regatta generated an economic impact of 37.4 million euros in 2024. This international event organised by Marina Rubicón is sponsored by Turismo Lanzarote through its sports tourism product “Lanzarote Sports Destination”, Cabildo de Lanzarote through the Insular Sports Service, the Art, Culture and Tourism Centres of the Cabildo de Lanzarote and the Yaiza Town Hall; and the collaboration, among others, of the Canarian Sailing Federation, the Latin Sailing Federations and DinghyCoach.

Final Podium – Lanzarote International Regatta – 49er Class

1. Dominik Buksak/Adam Glogowski (POL), 3+1+2+1+7+1+4+1+6+7+1+1+(UFD)+1+2+1=39

2. Tytus Butowski/Borys Podumis (POL), 2+2+5+6+(9)+2+3+3+2+1+5+3+5+7+5+2=53

3. Andrew Mollerus/Trevor Bornarth (USA), 4+(10)+1+3+3+4+6+9+1+3+3+9+4+4+3+4=61

Written by Andy Rice