Daniel García Optimist winner in Palamós

Spanish sailor Daniel García de la Casa proclaimed victory at the 32nd edition of the Palamós International Optimist Trophy-12 Nations Cup with the participation of 532 sailors. 

Hugo Rodríguez has been awarded this past weekend the prize as the winner of the Optimist Excellence Cup 2021-2022 circuit in Vila de Palamós. 

Victory in Palamós went to Spanish sailor Daniel García de la Casa, who overtook Greek sailor Konstantinos Portosalte and Italian Lorenzo Ghirotti who ended up in third position. The second place went to Spanish sailor Tim Lubat. 

In the female category, Italian Victoria Demurtas finished first followed by French sailor Sarah Jannin. Third spot went to Spanish National champion, Blanca Ferrando. The Under 13 trophy also went to Daniel García de la Casa and the Under 12 trophy was for Dutch sailor Maurits Melens. 

Unexpected conditions and results

The third day of the 32nd Palamós International Optimist Trophy-16 Nations Cup began with adverse weather conditions, as it did not kick in with the intensity predicted. At that time, Greek sailor Konstantinos Portosalte was leading the competition over the Italian Lorenzo Ghirotti. Daniel García was in third position by only three points separating him from the Greek sailor. 

The final races of the last day of competition were not easy either, as there was a Southern wind 3 to 5 knots that started to blow around midday. In total, two races were sailed by the Gold, Silver and Bronze groups and one in the Emerald and Pearl groups. 

However, during the last day, Daniel García de la Casa finished 3-2 in the final competition day in the Gold Group. Tim Lubat finished second with a 5 point difference with the champion. The podium was one point away from being dominated by Spanish sailors, as Hugo Rodríguez, Optimist Cup Champion, ended in fourth place. 

Optimist Excellence Cup 2021 - 2022

However, this fourth position earned him the overall victory in the Optimist Excellence Cup. The 2021-2022 circuit included four events: Semana del Atlántico Ciudad de Vigo, Regata Ciudad de El Puerto, Trofeo Euromarina Optimist Torrevieja and Palamós International Optimist Trophy. 

With 320 points, Hugo Rodríguez ended first in the circuit followed by Spanish sailors Valero Joaquin (291 points) and Juan Bennassar (286 points). Palamós winner Daniel García was not far away from the podium as he ended in fifth place. 

Optimists are one of the smallest sailing dinghies, and sailors race them up to the age limit of 15-16 years old. They are single handed boats and are the first boat most beginners sail with. This means participants in this class could potentially become future promises in other sailing disciplines. 

If you want to watch the Optimist Excellence Cup, do not miss out on the XIV Torrevieja Euromarina Optimist International Trophy and soon also on Nautical Channel the event from Palamós. Stay tuned with our shows on our social media: we are on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.