Björn Hansen wins Open de España Match Race

Björn Hansen and his Team Onboard crew won the Open de España Match Race after a very long day in Calpe with tough conditions that kept the race committee busy trying to keep on top of a breeze that shifted left and right and went from 15 knots to nothing in a matter of minutes. Hansen was a favorite early on in the event. He led the round robins with 8 victories in 11 races, then easily beat Portuguese Alvaro Marinho 3-0 in the quarterfinals. He didn't encounter any problem either in the semifinals where he beat Russian Eugeny Neugodnikov 2-0 before meeting South African Iain Ainslie in the finals. Ainslie won the first race, despite the penalty received in the prestart but thanks to excellent starts Hansen dominated the next two races and won the event.

Our full report with many pictures will be published on Sunday. Our apologies for the scant updates on Friday and Saturday but it was the result of them being very long days on the water and a very slow internet connection.

Björn Hansen and Team Onboard sail to victory against Iain Ainslie in the finals of the Open de España Match Race. Calpe, 26 April 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Iain Ainslie claims second place in the Open de España Match Race. Calpe, 26 April 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Björn Hansen and Team Onboard sail to victory against Eugeny Neugodnikov in the semifinals of the Open de España Match Race. Calpe, 26 April 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing