Quantum Racing go into the final day of racing at the 52 US Championship in Miami with a lead of two points after rescuing a valuable third place from what proved to be one of the most tactically testing races yet. They took places down the final fluky run of Saturday's only contest to establish slender advantage over rivals Azzurra as they contemplate a finale of up to three races Sunday.
A long, hot wait – drifting aimlessly off Miami South Beach for over two and half hours – was rewarded by a very taxing NE'ly breeze of 7 to 9 knots which contained big windshifts, subtle pressure differences and consequently many place changes through the seven boat US 52 SUPER SERIES fleet.
Gunther Buermann's Hooligan crew proved true to a late night pledge to themselves, that they would win today, seeking 'redemption' after a problematic final race Friday. A succession of small mistakes culminated in a gybe in which the running backstay jammed, taking away their aftermost stanchion and dropping three crew into the water.
With Kenny Read calling tactics, aided and abetted by strategist Tony Rey they sailed an accomplished, smart race to win their first race ever on the US 52 SUPER SERIES. Their precise second beat got them through early leaders Sled, and so Taksashi Okura's crew were – for the second successive occasion – denied their own 52 maiden race win.
"It was redemption for us for sure. Yesterday was quite humbling and we just make a bunch of errors as a group and literally paid for it. We broke the boat, we broke some people, and we decided late last night that 'we are winning today, we were pissed at how we performed and we all wanted to do something about it. So I give the whole team a lot of credit. It would have been easy to pack it in, and have nothing to play for. But everybody was really into it. My brother Brad got us a great start and that made it a little easier." Read smiled on the dock at Miami Beach Marina.
Starting the day with a cushion of just one point Azzurra's game plan looked favourite early in the race, working the left inshore lane where there was more pressure. But unfortunately for them it was the opposite side which played out best. Until the second round they were back in seventh, but they too one place on the last run to keep themselves solidly in contention going into the last day.
"We had a plan to go left, there was plenty of breeze on the left, there was less current and I was very confident in it. It was forecast to go left. There were many reasons to go left. We were very very happy after the start. But that is part of the game, you have to trust in your plan but sometimes it does not work out. But tomorrow is another day." Noted Vasco Vascotto, Azzurra's tactician.
It remains close throughout the fleet. Azzurra may be 12 points clear of third placed Interlodge but there are then just two points separating them, Rán Racing in fourth and Sled in fifth.
Results after Day 4: (seven races)
TP52 US Championship
1 Quantum Racing (USA) Doug DeVos (USA) 1,3,2,1,1,4,3, 15pts
2 Azzurra (ITA) Pablo A Roemmers (ARG) 4,1,1,2,2,1,6, 17pts
3 Interlodge (USA) Austin and Gwen Fragomen (USA) 3,5,3,3,5,3,7, 29pts
4 Rán Racing (SWE) Niklas Zennström (SWE) 2,7,4,4,3,6,4, 30pts
5 Sled (USA) Takashi Okura (USA) 6,6,6,5,4,2,2, 31pts
6 Vesper (USA) Jim Swartz (USA) 5,2,5,6,7,5,5, 35pts
7 Hooligan (USA) Gunther Buerman (USA) 7,4,7,7,6,DNF,1, 44pts
IRC
1, Quantum Racing 1,3,2,1,1,4,3, 15pts
2 Azzurra 4,1,1,2,3,1,5, 17pts
3 Rán Racing 2,7,3,4,2,6,4, 28pts
5 Sled 6,6,6,5,4,2,2, 31pts
4 Interlodge 3,5,4,3,6,37, 31 24pts
6 Vesper 5,2,5,6,7,5,6,36, 30pts
7 Hooligan 7,4,7,7,5,DNF,1, 39pts
Quotes:
Vasco Vascotto (ITA) tactician Azzurra (ITA): "We had a plan to go left, there was plenty of breeze on the left, there was less current and I was very confident in it. It was forecast to go left. There were many reasons to go left. We were very very happy after the start. Quantum Racing started badly and we were lifted and then we waited for the lefty but it never came. But that is part of the game, you have to trust in your plan but sometimes it does not work out. But tomorrow is another day."
Gunther Buermann (USA) owner-driver Hooligan (USA): "Nothing could be sweeter, especially after yesterday's disaster when we had three people in the water and we created the new Hooligan swimming team. We lost a couple of guys overboard when the runner did not go off. Today was wonderful and I have to give credit to Kenny. We are going up the weather leg and he said 'This is pretty complicated' but he figured it out.
Kenny Read (USA) tactician Hooligan (USA): "It was redemption for us for sure. Yesterday was quite humbling and we just make a bunch of errors as a group and literally paid for it. We broke the boat, we broke some people, and we decided late last night that 'we are winning today, we were pissed at how we performed and we all wanted to do something about it. So I give the whole team a lot of credit. It would have been easy to pack it in, and have nothing to play for. But everybody was really into it. My brother Brad got us a great start and that made it a little easier.
"It was really shifty. When the breeze comes off the ocean like that, the Gulf Stream kind of stirs up the air and really makes it fluky and shifty. Maybe this is condition that we wish we sailed in a little bit more, this flat out boat speed stuff we have not quite proven ourselves in yet, but in these noce shifty conditions we did feel quite comfortable in. Tony Rey did a really nice job helping out on strategy. The second beat had shifted to the right and so it was learning a whole new group of numbers, when you went on to port tack, and we felt comfortable and I relied a lot on Tony Rey and he was giving a lot of good input, every once in a while you guess right and we finally guessed right!
"I was kind of part of the group that got the 52s going a long time ago and I have sailed around the world twice since I sailed a 52 so it is nice to be here. We have not really bonded as a team compared to other teams who have done this for a long time, so it is a learning experience but at the same time it is a lot laughs and a really good group of guys."
Juan Vila (ESP) navigator Quantum Racing (USA): "For everyone it was a very difficult NE'ly, it was puffy with different pressure and subtle differences in the wind direction, the range went all the way from 35 to 60 and 70 degrees. The trick was not to get too extreme and to get into the top three and so we are happy with that.
"The start was not really what we wanted but we quickly worked out that in this shifty breeze being one boat behind does not matter. Any small change in pressure can quickly make a big difference and at the mark roundings.
"There could potentially be three races tomorrow, which can be a quarter of the points of the championship and so it is still very open.
"In these shifty conditions you cannot focus on one boat, you have to sail the wind. If you looka t one boat you just end up going behind and behind. Terry's main worry was always where was the pressure, the puffs and what was the best way to get to the top mark."
www.52superseries.com
Whimsical breeze slows down Azzurra (from Azzurra Sailing Team)
Azzurra has a tough day and loses its overall lead a day before the Miami regatta comes to a close but still holds on to the top spots of the scoretable.
The weather forecast proved correct and after Friday's strong winds, the TP52 fleet had to wait until 3:40pm before a light, 9-knots northeasterly breeze kicked in.
Hooligan claimed the day's only race, over Sled, thanks to Ken Read's tactical calls. Quantum took third place, followed by Ran that managed to recover a difficult start. Azzurra had a difficult day: despite the excellent start, the left side, chosen for the first tack of the beat, unexpectedly proved to be disadvantageous. The race then focused on the attempt to recover, taking into consideration that Quantum was also sailing at the back of the pack. In the last run, Azzurra managed to overtake Interlodge right on the finish line but, at the same time, Quantum had crawled back two places to third. The overall leaderboard now sees the Americans leading with a two-point advantage over Azzurra.
Racing concludes tomorrow with a wind forecast similar to that of today. The first start scheduled at 12:30pm local time, 16:30 UTC or 17:30 CET. Races are streamed live with Virtual Eye and English commentary on www.azzurra.it while real-time updates directly from the race course are posted on Azzurra's Facebook page and Twitter account.
Quotes:
Guillermo Parada, skipper: "The breeze was light and shifty today and we had a good start on the left. We think the majority of the fleet wanted the left and we got it. Unfortunately, at the end there was a right shift we didn't foresee and that put us in a tough spot since we were the ones better positioned for a wind shift in the opposite direction. From that point on, the race became quite difficult. We managed to close in a lot in the first run but without consolidating that gain. Throughout the second beat we kept seeking various options but at the end we only overtook one boat. Unfortunately, Quantum benefited from their effort to cover us and all in all, it wasn't a good day for us. There is still one day left and we are trailing by just two points. The third-placed team is further behind, so we certainly have a good opportunity tomorrow."
Francesco Bruni, strategist: "Today played out the way we didn't really expect. Nearly everybody wanted the left and we clearly won the start, forcing our direct opponent to the right and off the pace. We were very happy but the breeze then proved us wrong and what seemed to be, by far, the most favoured side before the start, didn't pay out. We were forced to the left, several times, by our adversaries that were defending their position and we rounded the first top mark last. In the first run we were able to make gains as we were back in the race but we also misread the second beat, this time on the right. In the last run we recovered one spot and we were about to pass Vesper for the fifth place when Quantum, coming to the left to cover us, found themselves in the position to overtake two more boats and finish third."