This Friday's (the 3rd) coastal race shook up the standings of the Energisa Búzios Sailing Week 2026 and reinforced the Crioula 52's status as favourite in the contest for the Lachmann Trophy. On another day of good wind conditions on the Rio de Janeiro coast, the boat from Rio Grande do Sul won again and reached the penultimate weekend of the championship with a perfect record in the ORC Overall.
After two windward-leeward races at the opening of the event, the fleet faced a longer and more strategic challenge in the waters of Búzios. With wind around 15 knots in the east/southeast quadrant, the race demanded a keen reading of the course and precise decisions during the passages by Ilha Feia, Ilha Branca, Geribá and Gravatá. The race was 21.3 nautical miles for the ORC boats and 17.5 for those entered in the BRA-RGS, with the start at 11:10 am, off Praia do Canto.
Crioula reaches its third win
The great highlight of the day was once again the Crioula 52, the reigning champion of the event, which was the line-honours boat (Fita-Azul) and also came out on top on corrected time. Skippered by Eduardo Plass, the Veleiros do Sul TP52 reached its third win in three races and opened up a lead at the top of the ORC Overall.
"It is a championship with conditions typical of Búzios, with more standard wind at the start and more shifty at the end. The TP52 is spectacular in any condition, but on a strong-wind day it demands a lot from the crew. We are training for the TP52 class world circuit," said tactician Samuel Albrecht, of the Crioula 52.
In the ORC Performance and ORC Overall, the Magia IV, of Torben Grael, moved up to second. "It was the long race to Geribá, with variable conditions. We managed to finish second, but there are still three races to go and we have a lot of work ahead to keep this position and, who knows, take the lead from the Crioula, which is sailing very well," explained Daniel Santiago, of the Magia IV.
Dona Bola and Bierkaai also stand out
In the ORC Cruiser-Racer, the Dona Bola took the lead of the division, managing the wind shifts well in a balanced fleet. In the BRA-RGS, the Bierkaai kept the front, but continued with the Tangará II La Borie close by. "There is nothing like it. Sailing here in Búzios is wonderful, there is no better place in the world," said Delio Valdetaro Jr., of the Tangará II La Borie.
Organised by the ICAB in partnership with CBVela and ABVO, the event reaches its 39th edition and brings together Olympic, Pan American and world medallists such as Torben Grael, Marcelo Ferreira, Marcos Soares, Kiko Pelicano, Daniel Santiago, Samuel Albrecht and Guilherme Hammelmann. The ICAB and ABVO revived the traditional contest for the Lachmann Trophy, in honour of Lauritz Anton von Lachmann, one of the club's founders and a promoter of national ocean sailing.
By: Redação Mundo Mar
Photo: Divulgação | ICAB
