| ARUBA, NETHERLANDS ANTILLES-(15-11-2003) The Dutch Formula 18 team Gunnar Larsen and Xander Pols won the 13th Aruba Heineken Catamaran Regatta. On Friday November 14th, they beat the British Tornado sailors Sunnucks/Self in the last race with four minutes on rating. After the light conditions in the last couple of days, the wind was back and therefore the smiles on the faces of the competitors.
This morning the promised seabreeze at breakfast was there. The race committee put again an olympic course down. The competitors were excited to go on the water. It was their last chance to sail with stronger wind and they got it. Several catamarans capsized under spinnaker and there was also little damage to equipment, but everybody enjoyed sailing. Just like on the first racing day, it were again the Tornado’s that dominated the race.
Nevertheless, Gunnar Larsen and Xander Pols were helming their Nacra Formule 18 amongst the olympic catamarans. They had to finish within five minutes after Sunnucks/Williams in order to beat them. The gap turned out to be only one minute, so the victory was theirs. Larsen: “It was hard work to beat the Tornado’s, but fortunately we had more wind during the last race”. For Xander Pols it is the second time in row that he wins the event. Last year, he was helming a Tornado to the first position overall. Pols: “In 2002 we had a tough competition as well, but it was different. We had lots of troubles with the equipment and that was nerve breaking. This year, we had to deal with very good sailors. William is a fantastic competitor, so we are happy that we finally beat him.” Richard Allen and Stuart Gummer got a third place. Allen: “This was my seventh time racing in Aruba, but I still did not win the event. Last year, we were second and this year third. So, we are going backwards instead of forwards, therefore we need to come back. We have to win it one year.”
It is the first time the numbers one and two of the Aruba Regatta have the same amount of points. Larsen and Pols were the winners, because they had won more races. Sunnucks: “We sailed as fast as we could. They were just to close to us. Anyway, it was a good race and competition.” After the finish, all competitors began to pack the Hapag Lloyd containers for the transport to Europe, where they will be unloaded in the middle of the winter with perhaps snow-showers. The organization looks back on a successful and fair sailing event. Organiser Edwin Lodder: “Thanks to the support of all sponsors, this year’s edition was again a success. The conditions were lighter than last year, but we could complete all planned races. We had two days with more wind and in a way it makes the competitions more fair. Although it was the first time with such a big group, the atmosphere was great.”
The Aruba Heineken Catamaran Regatta is sponsored by the Aruban Toerist agency, Heineken, Hapag Lloyd, Holiday Inn, KLM, TNG, Magic Marine, Coca Cola, AWA, Tropical Bottling Company Aruba, Does & Cadushi, Pelican Watersports, Palm Tours, Aruba Watersport Center, Anthony Veder & Co, Astec, Meta Corporation, Seaworld Explorer, Kodak, Meta Corporation, AS Aruba and the Caribbean Mercantile Bank.
Top five after 8 races and two discards:
Formule 18 / NED – Larsen and Pols, 10 points
Tornado / GBR – Sunnucks and Self, 10 points
Tornado / GBR – Allen and Gummer, 21 points
Formule 18 / NED – Graat and Koene, 30 points
Formule 20 / NED – Deutekom and De Vries, 33 points
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