Johannes Polgar and Markus Koy (left) behind the Brazilians Robert Scheidt and Henrique Raul Boening on the first day of qualification
Johannes Polgar and Markus Koy have achieved the most important intermediate goal. Seventh place after eleven races. And it was hard to fight in two races that were strategically very difficult. Gradient winds and a sea breeze fighting each other made for turning light wind conditions. After the first race of the day, the tenth overall, they had slipped to tenth overall after only 24th place out of 25 starters and had to tremble. But in the last race they sailed with the front again and made it into the finals.
"That was one of the hardest battles I have ever fought with Makrus," said a visibly exhausted Johannes Polgar. "Before the last race, we knew that we absolutely had to be in the lead up there, because downwind we have no chance. We easily let the dimmer lie 150 meters, we don't know why, but something is out of balance in light winds."
In addition, there was the great heat on the downwind passage, where hardly a breath of air could be felt on board. "I almost cooked in the neoprene."
Polgar is confident about tomorrow's final day. "Now everything does not matter what happened, everyone starts from scratch. We are very relaxed, anything can happen tomorrow, especially since the wind should also be better."
It wasn't enough for Robert Stanjek and Frithjof Kleen in 14th overall. Jochen Schümann and Ingo Borkowski couldn't cope with the conditions at all, and they also had problems with the boat speed right up to the end. At the bottom of the field is Hubert Merkelbach with his Austrian bowman Claus Olesen.
Results