British AC team IC 45 leads after first day of IC45 Circuit

by Sue Warden-Owen on 28 Jan 2001 Adrian Stead and his team aboard Barlo Plastics, began their Admiral's
Cup
campaign in style with emphatic wins in both the opening races of the
Clean
Marine Winter series regatta in Palma, Mallorca. Olympic Silver
medallist,
Ian Walker has stepped in as guest helmsman in place of Olympic Gold
medallist,
Ben Ainslie who has America's Cup commitments elsewhere this weekend.
Barlo Plastics came clean out of the start in both races and with
superior boat
handling and good speed, never once fell behind.

Following a breezy practice session on Thursday, Friday dawned bright,
clear
and windless. With what wind there was filling in from the north a day of
testing racing in the long southerly swell still running into the bay
looked
to be in prospect as the seven boats ventured out onto the course for the
first real test of the season. With just half an hour to go to the
scheduled
start time, the wind piped up almost instantly and swung to the west to
give
almost perfect racing conditions. With the breeze continuing to shift
around
before steadying in the west at about twenty knots, the first start was
delayed until 1PM.

With Stead in command of an all-star crew and Walker at the helm, Barlo
Plastics was perfectly positioned a few boat lengths down from the
committee
boat and right on the line as the gun fired. Protecting the left, Barlo
Plastics
pulled ahead of her rivals as each in turn tacked away. Once Stead called
the tack back to the middle of the course it was clear that Barlo
Plastics
would be ahead and only the question of how far remained to be answered.
In the end it was nearly ten boat lengths, a distance which remained
constant
to the windward mark.

Downwind, surfing in big swells, Stead called a series of gybes which
were
perfectly executed by Walker and the crew to pull out a few more lengths
by
the bottom mark. Taking a conservative route around the second lap, Barlo
Plastics pulled out just a couple more boat lengths before taking the
winner's
gun at the finish.

The strategy for race two was similar, though different in one vital
respect. With the wind now more settled Stead elected to call an early
tack
to the right on the first beat. Conscious of the gains made on the left
in the
previous race, most of the fleet continued on starboard tack but once
again
it was Barlo Plastic making the right decisions. 'We were about five boat
lengths ahead at the first cross' said Stead, 'and we never looked back
from there'. Again, Barlo Plastics worked the shifts well upwind and
surfed
the swells effectively downwind to pull slowly away for another victory.

Together with a world class crew and a superb boat, Stead and his team
have
the added advantage of several year's campaigning in the IC45. 'lots of
the
other boats have new people onboard', commented Stead, 'but we came out
with
pretty much the same set up as we had used at the World Championships
last
year and we won the last two races there'.

Racing continues today Saturday and Sunday, with two further three-day
series
scheduled in Palma before the fleet moves north in preparation for the
Admiral's Cup.

For further information please contact:
Sue Warden-Owen / Loretta Spridgeon
MHL Press & Publicity
Tel: 01489 575227
Fax: 01489 577766
Mobile: 07770 596111 / 07974 754340
Email: suewo@dial.pipex.com
www.ic45od.org


Notes to Editors:

Barlo Plastics IC 45 Crew List, 26th - 28th January:
Bow Mark Sheffield
Mast Brendan Darrer
Pit Kelvin Rawlings
Trimmer Richard Faulkner
Trimmer Hugh Styles
Cockpit Steve Dawson
Navigator Julian Salter
Main Andy Beadsworth
Helm Ian Walker
Tactician Adrian Stead

Competitors for the Clean Marine Winter Series 1:
Barlo Plastics, Robert Condon, UK
Babbalaas, David McLean, UK
Bounder, Chris Little, UK,
La Casera, Eugenio Jaudenes, SPA
Aïfos, Spanish Navy, SPA
Faster K-Yote II, Stephan Kandler, GER
Investor, (boat chartered), SWE

Barlo Plastics IC 45 Sailing Programme 2001:

January 26th - 28th Clean Marine IC 45 Winter Series, Palma Majorca
February 16th - 18th Clean Marine IC 45 Winter Series, Palma Majorca
March 9th - 11th Clean Marine IC 45 Winter Series, Palma Majorca
March 30th - April 1st Cassis Cup, South of France

Additional practise sailing and racing will take place during April, May,
June and July 2001 in the Solent, United Kingdom. Dates to be advised.

'Barlo Plastics' IC 45 will be one of three boats in the Barlo Plastics
British Admiral's Cup Team 2001. Each international team competing in the
Admiral's Cup must include one boat from three specified classes namely, the
IC 45 'big boat', the Sydney 40 and the Farr 40 class. The event will be
held between Monday 16th July and Saturday 28th July 2001 at Cowes on the
Isle of Wight and is organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club, in
association with the Royal Yacht Squadron.