While many entrants could worry for a very light weather day, conditions in day one of Finn World masters SPLIT bay turned almost ideal with average winds blowing as yesterday from the sea as a current thermal breeze staying around 12 knots nearly from west.

While chances are more even in red fleet the blue group was clearly led by two sailors from Czech Republic and Italy who started a duel while both recording a win and a second on finishing line.

Marco Buglielli the present is grand masters so more than 50 years old .

He now races his third Finn world masters after entering the FWM at Split in 2002 and Braccianno in 2006.

Member of YC Anzio he’s resident at Roma, works in computer and races Finn for now 18 years . He also raced 3 gold cups at La Rochelle in 1996 , Split in 2006 and Denmark last year in 2009.

His close rival Mike Maier is now master ( 46 ) and lives in CZE republic near Praha. Married and father of two kids Mike has so far done

24 gold cups and 4 Olympics.

He used to play ice hockey but now devote all his sport time to Finn sailing.

While Marco Buglielli is rather medium size and weight ( 1.80 meter – 83kgs ) his Czchek rival is taller and lot heavier . Telling this data is Top secret so Mike did’nt say is actual weight but one could estimate it is close to 100 Kgs .

In the Red group the local Finn champion Luksa Cicarelli who ended 3^rd last year in the Grand Grand master fleet dominated and won race 1 while Slovak sailor Peter Mosny win race two.

Alan Tucker from south Africa has a reputation to sail and race expertise . He raced for his country on FD some 30 years ago . Now based at London he never misses the Finn World masters and now stand Ist on provisional standings.

Richard Hart leads the Legend group ( Over 70 ) after two races .

WORDS BY FRANCOIS RICHARD from YC LABUD at SPLIT