Damien Iehl wins Open de España after windless closing day

It's a pity when weather conditions don't let you watch four of the world's best match racers battle their way to a trophy but after all that's sailing. You have to accept that there is nothing you can do but wait until there is at least some decent breeze in order to have a fair race.

The race committee did its best and looked for the tiniest indication of decent conditions, far and wide for more than 6 hours but to no avail. Although the forecast yesterday evening was promising, the late-night heavy rain cooled the land and the clouds didn't let the thermal breeze build up. As a result, they were left with no option but call the day off at 5pm.

The final ranking of the event is thus the final ranking of the round robin. Damien Iehl wins the Open de España, having also won the round robin with a perfect 11-0 score. The world's number 2 match racer, Torvar Mirsky, finishes second with 10 victories, having lost his match to Iehl. Finally, Pierre-Antoine is third with 9 victories and two losses to, who else, Iehl and Mirsky.

Open de España Match Race - Final Results
1. Damien Iehl
2. Torvar Mirsky
3. Pierre-Antoine Morvan
4. Björn Hansen

Damien Iehl wins Open de España Match Race. Calpe, 30 April 2010. Photos opyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing