TP52 Regatta Breitling at Mallorca - Day 3
by Medcup Media 22 Jul 2007 09:08 BST
18-22 July 2007
Double Points for Artemis, Double Body Blows For Mean Machine
Torbjorn Torqvist's Artemis crew, lead by a virtuoso performance from skipper Russell Coutts, scored maximum points from today's 33.7 miles coastal race which spanned the Bay of Palma and provided a comprehensive test on all points of sail.
Artemis' finished three minutes and 11 seconds ahead of Peter de Ridder's Valle Romano Mean Machine and closed the gap on Regata Breitling Illes Balears leader Caixa Galicia to seven points.
Vicente Tirado's Caixa Galicia came away today with a fifth and fourth, which tactician John Kostecki acknowledged could have been worse, but it sets up the prospect of an exciting final showdown tomorrow when two windward-leeward races are scheduled.
But the biggest loss today proved later to be that for Valle Romano Mean Machine who fell victims to the Coastal Race's double jeopardy penalty.
A visit to the protest room was the result of an incident with Balearia at the first windward mark and De Ridder's team were consequently scored disqualified from both parts of the race, suddenly being burdened by an additional 50 points, dropping them to a provisional 14th in the regatta.
Having also assumed leadership of the Breitling MedCup series today, it proved a very costly protest.
Artemis showed a clear speed edge upwind on the first beat, and while – as Valle Romano Mean Machine's Tom Dodson observed earlier– the black hulled 2006 Judel-Vrolijk design bolted Mean Machine neatly off the pin end of the line and was one of the first to benefit from the persistent left shift, the newer Judel Vrolijk design did not have to be as extreme and started mid line with a good, solid clear lane of undisturbed air and simply went faster.
It was the Swedish flagged Artmeis, with owner Torqvist steering throughout the race – which lead Valle Romano Mean Machine around the windward mark by 11 seconds on the short windward-leeward circuit.
This loop was followed by a long, tight Code sails reach westwards across the bay to round the Isle de Sech.
In 9-11 knots of mainly southerly breeze a broader, the return starboard tack gennaker reach became a run as the first leeward mark was approached off the San Juan de Dios before a one sided, windward leg.
The breeze faded slightly as the afternoon wore on and the final shorter windward leg was more tactical, leading into a long, final code sails fetch to the finish just off the entrance to the Marina Portals.
The strength of the Artemis sail programme directed by Ross Halcrow and the Judel-Vrolijk design was perhaps most envied on the long westwards reach when they opened distance on Mean Machine.
Caixa Galicia made a modest start but fought hard throughout. "Considering how badly we sailed I have to pretty happy. We had to a back down with a minute to go before the start because we had a big bit of plastic on the keel, so we had a really bad start. But we recovered pretty good but we had a few tactical and a few crewing problems that could have gone better. It doesn't feel like we sailed well enough to get a fifth and a sixth (elevated subsequently to fifth and fourth), and come out still ahead." Explained Caixa Galicia's tactician John Kostecki.
"We had a really good first beat. It is so important to get the off the start line well and we did, with a clean lane and the opportunity to tack if we wanted to. We did not want to be dictated to and so we started mid line, really clean, with good speed and good height. The boat is going really well. I think the boat is going well upwind, Torbjorn is doing a really good job steering the boat, Russell is the best in the business and we have a good sail programme going with Ross Halcrow. We have pretty standard set up in that long port leg to the island, just a Code Zero and a genoa staysail. We did notice that Mean Machine had a more reaching orientated Code Zero high clew, deeper sail, and for sure we extended on them on that leg." Explained Artemis Chris Hosking, Artemis Boat Captain reported.
There was drama for the crew of Cam, Fernando Leon and Kiki Sanchez's Botin & Carkeek design when their port side pushpit support gave way early on the first long port tack reach. They had to quickly roll away the Code Zero and turn back to rescue their seven crew who fell into the water. Lying seventh, they lost more than ten minutes in the manoeuvring and, although they finished 17th then 14th, two crew have been taken to hospital for X-rays on rib injuries.
Valle Romano Mean Machine's misfortune elevates Doug de Vos' Windquest to score a pair of sixth places today giving them third place overall going into the final day.