Competitors at the Man Roland J/24 European Championship in Neustadt, Germany enjoyed another windy and sunny day on the race course for day two of the regatta yesterday.

In Race 4 of the championship, Carsten Henzel of Germany led to the windward mark from the favoured left side. Ian Southworth on starboard approach, was closely followed by series leader, Dan Glomb of Brazil with a port approach.
Glomb is a match racer who has joined the class in preparation for the Sardinia world championship in June 2008. His tactician is Brazil’s Olympic 470 representative from Sydney and Athens.

As Glomb approached the weather mark on port and within the two-boat circle, he opted to tack under Southworth, who had to luff up to avoid him. The protest flag was flown on the GBR boat, Inmarsat Hedgehog.
Fast racing in surfing conditions saw Henzel in Vitesse first, with Glomb second Schoke third by a boat length from Southworth.

Race five belonged to Glomb, who opened a clear lead by the end of the first run as winds freshened yet again. Glomb followed in second place by Southworth with Britain’s Gareth Robinson finishing third in his newly Sparloft-rigged boat, J-Whizz.
Race six saw a change to Genoas and yet again a tactical battle between Glomb and Southworth. On the upwind leg the British boat opened a clear lead taking left-hand shifts to round first and then opening further on the run. Glomb defended a strong challenge from Wenzel to hold second place.
The committee then opted for a fourth race and after general recall in winds around 12 knots the fleet got away under Black flag. Southworth opened and the extended a commanding lead from Glomb, with Dutch sailor, Ivo Kok working through the 20 degree shifts to take third place.

At the finish, Glomb discovered he had been Black flagged.
Southworth’s boat was then taken by the measurers for scrutineering and reweighed. All was in order and after this he considered protesting Glomb for the incident in the first race.

Southworth commented: “We had the opportunity to disqualify Glomb. We had witnesses and a jury boat observer, with his Black flag, he would have been taken out of the series. But that would spoil our chance to test Hedgehog against a key competitor for next years Worlds. He finished second to the Brazilian World Champion in the recent Pan American Games selection and is using a brand new Italian J/24 against our 20 year old hull. We opted to speak to him and let the protest drop.”

Overnight Glomb got redress on the Black flag and is again leading the series. Southworth is second, Mario Pasquale third and Gareth Robinson fourth, with Dutch sailor Ivo Kok in fifth place. Other British sailors include Mike Lewis in tenth, Jon Powell, 11th and class stalwart Jim Anderson 17th in Boomerang, who particulary enjoyed a fourth place in race five.