Bullitt GC32 Racing Tour: Kiel Cup - Day 2
by Bullitt GC32 Racing Tour 31 Jul 2015 20:17 BST
29 July - August 2015
Even Alinghi skipper Morgan Larson could barely comprehend his team's level of dominance in today's racing at the Bullitt GC32 Sailing Cup Kiel. Six wins from eight races was unthinkable in such tricky and variable conditions in the narrow confines of the Kieler Fjord.
"It was one of those magical days where we did nearly everything right," said Larson. "The conditions were hard on all the teams. Even when we weren't doing so good, the guys kept on pushing for every boat length here and there on the race course. We probably had some extra luck with some of the bigger wind shifts, but we also put ourselves in some good spots, and the team's boathandling was superb in the tight situations."
Alinghi's performance was the perfect way to bounce back from their capsize the previous day, from which both crew and boat emerged unscathed. The only two teams to take a race off the Swiss were Team ENGIE winning race 4, and Spindrift racing fended off Alinghi in the 8th and final race of a very long day on the water. Although there is no doubt who tops the leaderboard in Kiel, the points are very tight between 2nd and 4th place.
Yann Guichard's victory in race 8 puts Spindrift just a point in front of Sultanate of Oman, with Team ENGIE 4 points further back. "It was good for our team spirit to win the last race, it was a tricky day for everybody," said Spindrift's skipper. "The race course is small, narrow, and very challenging, especially with the GC32. I did a few bad starts earlier on, but then we started to race well. For sure we are a better team at the end of the day than we were at the beginning."
Racing on such short courses in such fast boats is a steep learning curve for everyone here, but none more so than for offshore racer Seb Rogues helming Team ENGIE. "We were very pleased to win a race today. The starts are difficult for me. I'm used to racing for 25 days, not just for 15 minutes! But I am here in the GC32 to learn. It's perfect for me, to learn how to sail and race multihulls for the first time. We are pushing ourselves out of our comfort zone, and we are enjoying it."
The forecast for Saturday is much lighter, so there may not be many opportunities to wow the crowds with the hydrofoiling of today. Guichard believes light winds will make the field more open. "It will be harder for one boat to dominate," he said. The regatta leader was the first to agree with Guichard's assessment. "Light winds have been one of our weaknesses at past events," said Larson. "We've watched video of some of the good teams in the light airs, like ARMIN STROM and Sultanate of Oman, and hopefully it will be our turn to be fast in the light tomorrow!"
Saturday's racing for the Bullitt GC32 Sailing Cup Kiel is scheduled for a 11am (local time) start.
www.gc32racing.com
Results after day 2:
| Pos | Team | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | R8 | Pts |
|---|
| 1 | Alinghi | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 11 |
| 2 | Spindrift racing | 2 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 23 |
| 3 | Sultanate of Oman | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 24 |
| 4 | Team ENGIE | 5 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 28 |
| 5 | ARMIN STROM Sailing Team | 3 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | DNF | DNF | 36 |
Update from Oman Sail
Illness to Sultanate of Oman stalwart Pete Greenhalgh meant some hasty overnight adjustments to McMillan's tried and trusted crew but luckily, Paul Campbell James, one of the Land Rover BAR America's Cup sailors who last weekend won the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series in Portsmouth, flew in shortly before racing started to take Greenhalgh's place.
CJ, as he is known, helmed Sultanate of Oman to victory in the recent JP Morgan Round the Island Race in England after McMillan broke his hand in the Cowes Cup but it has been more than 20 years since the pair raced on the same team.
"Over the years, Pete and I have had a lot of time together on the boat so it took time to get used to being with new crew," admitted McMillan.
"It is the first time CJ and I have sailed together since we were nippers – we have spent most of our time racing against each other. We have had some good rivalries over the years so it is good to be on the same side of the sheet for a change!
"He is quick around the boat and very good on these foiling machines so we are getting used to the communications and fitting in around each other."
McMillan was also supported by GC32 regulars Nasser Al Mashari, Ed Smyth and Alister Richardson and as the day progressed, despite strong gusts that exceeded 20 knots, results improved with two second places posted in the last three races to finish the day in third place, one point behind Spindrift and 13 behind leaders Alinghi.
"We were pushing hard all the time but Alinghi are very well oiled – they have their handling sorted so we have a bit of catching up to do," McMillan said.
"It was challenging out there. The wind shifts and gusts have a massive impact on the decision making. It was a difficult course and I wasn't making a great job of it so it was a big day of learning."
Crewmate Nasser was upbeat about prospects for the weekend.
"We won the last couple of starts but didn't manage to convert those into race wins but we are improving all the time so will have a good reflection on it tonight and come out again tomorrow with some good races."