Antigua Sailing Week, alla maniera di DSK Pioneer Investments

Foto copyright Zerogradinord.it.

Antigua Sailing Week – Antigua – Torna a splendere il sole su Antigua e con esso torna anche il vento del caribe a mitigare la delusione di chi ieri ha visto la propria regata compromessa dall’improvvisa bonaccia. Tesa, da sudest, la brezza ha fatto la gioia dei protagonisti, impegnati dal Comitato Organizzatore su percorsi diversi a seconda del raggruppamento di appartenenza.

DSK Pioneer Investments, inserito di diritto tra quelli che da Eolo devono avere, ha seguito le comunicazioni impartite dal Principal Race Officer Dave Brennan, responsabile della Racing Division. Il team di Danilo Salsi, come sempre a bordo con il timone tra le mani, ha preso parte a due prove sulle boe disputate lungo la costa sudovest dell’isola. Un tratto di mare che, costeggiando in parte il reef, va da Pelican Island a Falmouth Harbour, sede dell’Antigua Yacht Club e del marina che accoglie la quasi totalità dei concorrenti.

Sin dall’inizio della prima manche gli uomini di Danilo Salsi e del tattico Gavin Brady hanno preso il comando delle operazioni, confermando quanto di buono fatto vedere nel corso della sfortunata regata di ieri. Manovrando con precisione anche nei momenti più concitati, l’equipaggio ha messo Brady nella condizione di seguire il suo istinto e agli avversari non è rimasto che inseguire, tentando di contenere il distacco in previsione della correzione dei tempi.

L’unico a riuscire nell’impresa è stato l’equipaggio del Santa Cruz 52 Sin Duda! che, già vincitore della manche d’apertura, ha fatto valere i pregi del suo rating conquistando altri due primi di giornata.

Ad arricchire lo score di DSK Pioneer Investments sono quindi arrivati due secondi di giornata che hanno permesso al team di Danilo Salsi di muovere importanti passi avanti nella classifica della Racing Division 2. Questa sera, infatti, l’equipaggio di ITA-490 è quinto a un solo punto dal Farr 65 Spirit of Minerva e a cinque lunghezze dal podio, distacchi che con cinque prove ancora da disputare lasciano aperto il campo a ogni possibile conclusione.

Nella Racing Division 1, invece, la giornata ha visto Ran e Titan 15 darsi grande battaglia per la conquista dei line honours. Ad avere la meglio, in entrambi i casi, è stato il secondo, che ha dovuto cedere il passo al diretto avversario, ora al comando con 4 punti, in seguito al calcolo dei compensi. Titan 15, tra l’altro, è stato avvicinato dal TP52 Interlodge, vincitore della prima manche odierna.

L’Antigua Sailing Week riprenderà domani con lo svolgimento della Willoughby Bay Race Regatta: una prova sulle boe di una trentina di miglia che si disputerà nelle acque a sudest di Antigua.

Per consultare la entry list clicca qui.

Per consultare le classifiche clicca qui.

Video copyright Zerogradinord.it.

ANTIGUA SAILING WEEK, DAY 2
[Antigua Sailing Week Press Release] Light to moderate winds from the east and scorching sunshine made for yet another sparkling day on the water for day two of Antigua Sailing Week. The racing yachts in Division A enjoyed two cracking round-the-buoys races on courses set along the south coast of the island, while the cruising classes and charter yachts had a fairly relaxed race from Dickenson Bay on a north-bound course to the finish just off Jolly Harbour on the north-west coast of the island.

The two super-stylish ‘powerboats’ – Tom and Dotty Hill’s custom Reichel-Pugh 75 Titan 15 and Niklas Zennstrom’s 72ft Judel Vrolijk-designed Ran continued their match-racing style battle in Racing 1 fleet as they headed off from the line neck-and-neck in the first race of the day in a 8-10kt easterly breeze. These two engaged themselves in such a close battle they ended up on the wrong side of the beat, which gave Austin Fragomen’s well-sailed JV52 Interlodge an opportunity to benefit. At the windward mark Ran had taken the advantage and rounded just over 30 second ahead of her closest rival. But Interlodge was up there too. A good downwind leg from Titan put her back in control by the leeward mark but she had not gained enough on Ran. Interlodge, on the other hand, had pushed ahead making further gains, which was enough to secure an overall class win. Ran was second and Titan had to settle for third.

Jeff Ewenson tactician on Interlodge commented: “We were able to get a good start ahead of Privateer and controlled the race from there on. Thankfully Ran and Titan engaged themselves in a private battle which meant they both slowed down a bit allowing us to sail clean and take advantage of that fact in the first race.”

In the second race of the day, the wind increased to 15-16kts and Ran was keen to keep the feisty Interlodge under control at the start, and control her destiny. Tim Powell boat captain on Ran commented: “We had a very good day, and a close tussle with Titan in both races. She has to give us one minute 16 seconds an hour, so if we have a good start and a good first beat, and get to the top mark ahead of her that normally sets us up. There was a certain amount of Titan and us playing around too much with each other, which resulted in us ending up on the wrong side of the course and allowing Interlodge to benefit. We learnt a lesson that in this class we need to sail smarter and go the right way if we’re going to win races.” In the second race they did just that, beating Titan and Interlodge on corrected time.

Lindsey Duda and team on Sin Duda the American Santa Cruz 52 have made their intentions clear by taking their third win of the regatta in Racing 2. They had a good start just behind Gavin Brady’s Swan 90 DKS Pioneer Investments in race one today and sailed a tactically good beat putting them in a good position well ahead of the gaggle of Farrs, which give her time. Increasing her lead further she not surprisingly went on to win, with DSK Pioneer Investments second, and Stefan Lenert’s Bill Trip-Turner 56 Passion4C in third. Stuart Lochner Sin Duda’s captain commented: “We’ve had a fantastic time so far and really looking forward to the racing tomorrow. Our team work is good so we hope to continue our current form for the rest of the week.”

In this fleet, round the world yachtsman Brian Thompson from the UK has teamed up with Safe Passage Sailing as a key coaching member aboard one of Ondeck’s four Farr 65s. This ‘fleet within a fleet’ is enjoying some extremely close racing with, often, just seconds separating them as they cross the finish line. Today’s racing was no exception. Thompson and team aboard Spirit of Minerva enjoyed a boat-for-boat, race-long battle in Race 2 and 3 with Spirit of Isis, and finished just 40 second ahead on corrected time in Race 2, and just over three minutes in Race 3.

Michael William’s King 40 White Heat stirred up things in Race 2 today with a 26-second win over Catapult, the brand-new J-122 sailed by Marc Glimcher. So close is the racing in this class that even the pre-event favourite – Lost Horizon was ‘struggling’ and beaten in this race by the extremely well sailed RP44 Peake Yacht Services Storm. Barry Sampson’s Swan SC42 Long Echo is also making her mark, finishing just behind Lost Horizon, while Richard Matthews’ Humphries One-Off design Oystercatcher XXVI had to settle for sixth place, just five second behind on corrected time.

Lost Horizon came good again however, in the second race of the day beating Catapult by one place. Alfred Koolen – Antigua Sailing Week measurer and core crewmember aboard Lost Horizon said: “We had a confusing first race where everything went wrong including a problem with the spinnaker. It was not our race. In the second race however, we were back on track and everything went right but at the moment we’re still just behind Catapult overall.”

In Division B, racing was equally close within the fleets with just seven minutes separating the top six boats in Performance Cruising 1. Tyke, Marco Serfini’s FY61 stole the show today beating Han Schmitt’s Swan 48 by just over two minutes. Peter Morris and his team aboard the Frers 43 Jaguar who won yesterday’s opening race, had to settle for sixth. Hugh Bailey sailing his First 456 Hugo B from Antigua won Performance Cruising 2 today, with another local hero – Carlo Falcone – aboard his one-off Caccia Alla Volope finishing second.

The British Jeanneau 49 Sunbeat IV sailed by Steve Kuhl and team took their second win in succession in Cruising 1, beating Dave Perkins’ Jeanneau 54 Windward Spirit for the second day in a row. Burt Keenan and team sailing the Frers custom 48 Acadia also sailed an exceptional race again today clocking up their second win of the regatta in Cruising 2.

The Bavaria 42 Match Moonlight, one of KH+P Yachtcharter’s 12 boats from Stuttgart, Germany won Bareboat 1 today, while Bareboat 2 saw four KH+P charterboats within the top five of Bareboat 2 including yesterday’s winner the Dufour 44 Sea you Later taking another win. Michel Ruyter in his Sunsail-chartered Beneteau Oceanis 39 Dynaf beat yesterday’s winner KH+P Sun King in Bareboat 3.

Robbie Ferron who runs the Heineken Regatta in St Maarten is at Antigua Sailing Week racing his Lagoon 410 – Katzenellenbogen – and has so far put two wins in the bag in Cruising Multihull fleet, beating Joe Walsh on his Lagoon 470 Escapade by two points.

The schedule for Antigua Sailing Week continues tomorrow with Division A yachts racing two races in the south-east corner of the island off Willoughby Bay. Division B will race from Jolly Harbour round the coast back to Falmouth in time for the English Harbour Rum Street Party where competitors and visitors to the island can enjoy traditional Antiguan hospitality with performances from some of the best bands on the island and a taste of Antigua Carnival.

To read the entry list click here.

To read the standings click here.

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