Addeco Maxi OD - Gotland Race Overall

SKANDIA TRIUMPHS IN GOTLAND RUNT

SANDHAMN-Ludde Ingvall's Skandia (EUR) crossed the finishing line off Stanskobb at 0719 local time this morning to win the Gotland Runt, the fourth event of the Adecco World Championship. Skandia had emerged from the mist of the morning with a reaching jib set, but handed that for a light spinnaker just two miles from the line. It was a slick crew manoeuvre which matched their performance throughout this race.

As Skandia crossed the finishing line, Ingvall took his right hand off the wheel and punched the air with his fist and yelled, 'Yes!' The gesture said it all.

DELIBERATE STRATEGY

'We worked hard for this win,' said Ingvall, 'we never let up for an instant. It was only because we did that no one got ahead of us - no boat crossed our bow after the start.' He was beaming with the pleasure of winning although dripping wet after his crew had given him the ducking that is traditional for the winning skipper of this race.

It was a planned attack on the race from the very outset. Skandia deliberately started in mid-line to ensure that she was in clear air and Ingvall was determined to protect the right hand side as soon as he could as he believed that the wind would go that way between 2000 and 2200 on the first night. 'It came a little later,' he admitted, 'but by that time we had established a lead and were to the right of the rest.'

WIND FROM ALL DIRECTIONS

By the time they were passing Gotska Sandon to starboard, the Skandia crew were in a controlling position, but they knew that they would be under constant pressure. 'We could not, and did not, relax for one moment,' said crewman Greg Prescott. Ray Davis, one of Skandia's helmsmen, added, 'We got the shifts right early on, some of them seemed to have our name on them, at least we called them Skandia shifts.'

Ingvall opted to go close as he could to the beach at Faro Island, tacking out for three minutes every time they reached the five metre line. 'I have never been that close in before,' he said, but it was just after this that Skandia's big gain came when they had cleared the rock at Avagrund. 'It was then that we were first into the new breeze from the west,' said Davis.

HARD WORK TO HOBURGEN

While Skandia made a two mile gain at the start of the reach to Ostergarn, the other seven were soon into the new breeze and the pursuit was on. Gunnar Krantz' Team Henri-Lloyd (SWE) was next past the point, just ahead of Ernesto Bertarelli's Alinghimax (SUI) and Ross Field's RF Yachting (NZL) and the wind faded and went back to south east. It was a tiring beat in the light winds all the way to the southernmost tip of Gotland.

'There was so little wind as we approached Hoburgen,' said Ingvall, 'that we had Richard Mason hoisted to the top of the mast to look ahead for wind on the water.' The afterguard was also using other signs for wind, particularly flags on the shore. 'We had to pick our way carefully and at one time I gambled that there would be wind above the water,' said Ingvall, 'to make those flags flutter, but there was absolutely none on the surface.' It was a gamble that paid.

At Hoburgen, Hans Bousholte's Synphony (BEL) led the pursuing pack from Team Henri-Lloyd, RF Yachting and Guido Maisto's Seac Banche (ITA).

EXPERIENCE TELLS

There was less to go wrong in the second half of the race, but Ingvall who has sailed this race on 12 previous occasions, admitted that there were places where he felt he had an advantage, particularly staying close to the shore at Visby, the last turning mark before the long haul north to Almagrundet.

There were several gybes and sail changes necessary before the finish for all the competitors but the pecking order was largely established at Visby, where Skandia had a lead of an hour and a half over Ross Field's RF Yachting.

FINISHING ORDER WITH ELAPSED TIMES AND POINTS

1. EUR  Skandia  Ludde Ingvall  40:49:37  20
2. NZL  RF Yachting  Ross Field  42:22:43  16
3. RSA  Rainbow Magic  Geoff Meek  42:33:20  13
4. BEL  Synphony  Hans Bouscholte  42:34:57  10
5. SUI  Alinghimax  Ernesto Bertarelli  42:58:53  8
6. SWE  Team Henri-Lloyd  Gunnar Krantz  43:14:29  6
7. FRA  Le Defi Bouygues Telecom - Transiciel  Jules Mazars  43:38:20  4
8. ITA  Seac Banche  Guido Maisto  43:39:59  2

ADECCO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS AFTER FOUR EVENTS

1. EUR  50
2. NZL  38.5
3. FRA  25
4. SWE 21
5. SUI  20
6. RSA  19
7. BEL  19
8. ITA  7