8 countries from 3 continents are represented at the RS:One World Championships which have kicked off with 5 races on the beautiful Taal Lake in the Philippines. On the island of Luzon, it is located just thirty miles from the capital city of Manila and, despite being a lake, the breeze is usually solid at this time of year.
And on day one, Taal Lake certainly lived up to its reputation with winds of 20 knots, gusting 30, for 3 races in the morning followed by 2 after lunch.[more]
On equal points at the end of the day Pedro Pascual (USA-11) and Yancy Kaibigan (PHI-1) are at the top of the men’s leaderboard, separated only by the value of their first discard. Phattharadanai Chinain (THA-27) is just one point behind them in third place.
And it’s also close at the top of the Women’s fleet with Pilar Lamadrid (ESP-12) in first place, Wai Yan Ngai (HKG-4) only one point behind in second, 2 points ahead of team mate Ma Kwan Ching (HKG-3).
The championship, open to all, allows international racers to compete through innovative race formats like the Pulsar (compact slalom, America’s Cup style) and Marathon (long distance). Courses will be set up in a way that the on-shore audience can enjoy the races.
Racing continues until 12th December – stay tuned!