"YeahNah" sets course for a new conquest of the Puerto Portals Dragon Winter Series

Jan Eckert's Australian yacht "YeahNah" has taken the lead in the third round of the VII Puerto Portals Dragon Winter Series, consolidating its position at the head of the general classification with a comfortable lead of 40 points over the second placed yacht, Jorge Forteza's Spanish "Mr. Nova". The provisional third place goes to the German "Puck", of Phillip Dohse, just one point behind his predecessor.

The competition will resume from the 19th to the 21st of January, when the name of the champion and his companions on the podium will be known. This regatta will coincide with the Balearic championship of the class.

The Dragon fleet registered in the Puerto Portals Winter Series has enjoyed three magnificent days of racing in the Bay of Palma from last Friday to Sunday. The good weather conditions have allowed six races to be sailed, although the Race Committee has had to work hard in the first race on Sunday, with no less than three course changes due to a 30-degree shift. The second race was sailed with the wind well established at 65 degrees and an intensity of 12 knots.

"YeahNah" and the German "Saskia", owned by Michael Schmidt, maintained an interesting duel until the last day. They finished the third round tied on 14 points, with this partial victory being decided by the highest number of first places. Jan Eckert's crew won the race, with Schmidt's team failing to cross the finish line.  Another of the outstanding boats was Michael Zankel's Portuguese "Easy", which finished third with 20 points.

The VII Puerto Portals Dragon Winter Series has accumulated a total of 18 races since it began last October. So far 18 teams from seven countries have taken part in the competition. YeahNah" is by far the boat in the best shape of the fleet. The Australian flagged Dragon has seven partial victories to its name, with 8 and 14 as its worst results. She has 48 net points, compared to 88 for the second placed boat. This leads him to face next January's event with a lot of confidence and in the knowledge that he only needs to make no mistakes and keep an eye on his rivals to revalidate the title he won last year with similar superiority.

Puerto Portals is the national epicenter of the Dragon class and one of the leading destinations for European sailors in this class thanks to the Winter Series and the Mediterranean Cup, which this year will take place from the 22nd to the 25th of February and will also bring the Spanish Dragon Championship into play.

The last three days of regattas have coincided once again this year with the celebration of the traditional Christmas Market in Puerto Portals, inaugurated on the 14th of December and which will remain open until the 6th of January. More than forty wooden stalls decorated with garlands of lights and fir trees offer a wide variety of Christmas products. The market is complemented by a magnificent gastronomic offer and an extensive programme of activities.