J Class yachts at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in Sardinia - Day 5
by J Class Association 5 Sep 2014 21:32 BST
1-6 September 2014
By winning the third coastal race for the J-Class at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup with their closest rivals Rainbow sinking to a fourth place between the final mark and the finish line, Bouwe Bekking and the Lionheart crew lead into the final day of the regatta by one single point.
The crew which have won both of the season's J-Class regattas so far were comfortably clear, well ahead of what proved to be the most exciting finish of the event so far.
All the way down the final brisk run Rainbow were challenging Ranger for second place. The stakes were high. If Rainbow could steal second they had a chance of finishing the day on the same points aggregate as Lionheart, retaining a share of the regatta lead.
But Velsheda could take full advantage of the tussle. They sailed the more direct, faster course to close right up on the duelling pair. And when Rainbow sailed slightly wider at the final turn, making ready to flip over and break Ranger's cover, Velsheda squeezed inside and closed the door on Rainbow, despatching them to fourth.
With up to two windward-leeward expected for Saturday, the stage is set for an engaging finale with the possibility of the most wind so far, adding to the spectacle and the challenge.
Lionheart have six points – counting two firsts and two seconds with the discard applied today after Race 5 – Rainbow are second on seven points and Ranger third on eight.
Lionheart's lead was slightly flattering, the transition zones around the 25 miles passage favouring the leader, as tactician Bouwe Bekking readily acknowledged:
"It was quite easy for us once we were ahead. After that there were not too many passing opportunities. We had the chance to tack on Ranger after the start but saw from the other boats that were up the beat that there was a big favourable shift out to the left, we took that, and that basically gave us a couple of boat lengths at the top mark and then that was it for the whole race. The race was always favouring the guys who were ahead. We were the first guys to sail into the heading breeze for example, and so it was an easy race for the guys who were ahead."
The course did deliver different points of sail, with the NE breeze between 9 and 14kts. Lionheart lead at the first windward mark by about 1 minute and 23 second with Rainbow third about 12 seconds behind Ranger. By the first leeward turn at the Mortorriotto rocks Ranger had cut the lead back to 55 seconds but the leaders gained time as they went into the new more westerly breeze as they beat across the most westerly mark by the south end of Caprera island. From there the black hulled, black sparred Lionheart could steadily move away to finish two minutes and 36 seconds ahead of Ranger.
Having worked hard down the last long run Velsheda seized the opportunity when it presented itself. Tactician Tom Dodson paid tribute to the helmsmanship of Velsheda's owner at the tight, precise mark rounding.
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"The Owner did a lovely job steering then and it felt really good to get that place at the end. We needed it then and we got. The race was a bit of a procession up to then so we were happy to get back into it. We saw Rainbow and Ranger having their little battle and we just took the shortest course down there. We benefited from their match race. He did a great job. We had more speed than these two boats and he did great work keeping it tight on the mark. Rainbow were wanting to flop on to port, we only needed to get our bow inside them like we did to stop them tacking." Dodson reported.
"We are not so good in the lighter stuff. We need 12kts really. We have had good starts and first beats but are just not able to hang in there in the lighter winds." Dodson concludes.
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