Puerto Portals 52 Super Series Sailing Week - Day 2
by 52 Super Series 22 Aug 2018 19:52 BST
21-25 August 2018
Puerto Portals 52 Super Series Sailing Week day 2 © Nico Martinez
After a breezy, spectacular Rolex TP52 World Championship in Cascais last month, the Bay of Palma served up a typical Pandora's Box of sea breeze delights for the first three races of the Puerto Portals 52 SUPER SERIES Sailing Week.
Although the general trend was for the gains to be made on the right side of the upwinds on the three windward-leeward races contested, it was never that simple and straightforward and there were small gains and losses to be made all the way through each race. ??Three different teams won races today: Platoon, Provezza and Azzurra, but it is the 2018 circuit leaders Quantum Racing that top the regatta leaderboard. After a second, fourth and a second, the crew, which is led by owner-driver Doug DeVos is four points ahead of a logjam of four boats that all accumulated 12 points over today's first three races of this, the fourth regatta of the five that constitute the 2018 52 SUPER SERIES.
Quantum Racing were on typically consistent form, their predatory instincts prevailing right to the finish line of each of the three races. At no point did they lead a race today but they were always going forwards, taking places and twice they pipped Alegre in the closing stages to steal second places from under the noses of Andy Soriano's crew.
Platoon won the first race conclusively, Harm Müller-Spreer's German team seeming to atone for a disappointing showing in Cascais. But in the following race they had to take not one, but two penalties on consecutive rounds for crosses with Alegre.
"We need to take the good things from the first race, learn from what we did wrong in the second and third races and keep strong," Victor Marino from the Platoon crew said. "We thought the first cross was an easy one, port-starboard, but the jury thought otherwise, but you just have to take that as it comes. And then the second time we were judged to have tacked too close to them. It is what it is. These were 50:50 calls, but it is down to the umpires, but we need to not take those kind of risks and learn."
Provezza, popular winners here in 2017, were back on top form for the second race, tactician Tony Rey (USA) and navigator Nacho Postigo reading the streaky, split breeze to perfection. They led out to the early right, into the better pressure and shift to be first around the windward mark with Luna Rossa second. On the second upwind the two leaders traded tacks, but it was Provezza that went on to win with Luna Rossa second and Tina Plattner's Phoenix taking third.
And in the third race it was all about Azzurra. Santi Lange recognised an early dividend off the pin as the breeze stayed in the left this time and they were able to lead the fleet around the first turn. They were the only crew of the ten racing to gybe set and that seemed to net a significant gain. But that was largely annulled on the next upwind when the right came back and Alegre almost got back on terms. But it was Azzurra's win with Quantum Racing coming in with the speed to the finish line to, again, pinch a good second and with that the overall lead.
"It was a long, intense day really but great, great racing. It is very shifty, very puffy and I think our guys read it well. Finding the pressure and the angles in to the finish was key for us and our guys did a great job at that," smiled Doug DeVos owner-driver of Quantum Racing.
Standings after Day 2: (three races)
1. Quantum Racing (USA) (Doug DeVos) (2,4,2) 8pts
2. Provezza (TUR) (Ergin Imre) (4,1,7) 12pts
3. Azzurra (ARG/ITA) (Alberto Roemmers) (6,5,1) 12pts
4. Alegre (USA/GBR) (Andrés Soriano) (3,6,3) 12pts
5. Phoenix (RSA) (Hasso/Tina Plattner) (5,3,4) 12pts
?6. Luna Rossa (ITA) (Patrizio Bertelli) (7,2,6) 15pts
7. Platoon (GER) (Harm Müller-Spreer) (1,10,8) 19pts
8. Sled (USA) (Takashi Okura) (8,9,5) 22pts
?9. Gladiator (GBR) (Tony Langley) (10,7,9) 26pts
?10. Onda (BRA) (Eduardo de Souza Ramos) (8,9,DNF) 28pts
Azzurra wins a race at the Puerto Portals 52 Super Series (from Azzurra)
After racing was abandoned yesterday due to lack of wind, today thermal breeze from the southwest at 9 to 15 knots kicked in punctually over the Palm Bay. Racing got underway as scheduled and three races were run to make up in part for yesterday's loss. The breeze was unstable and hard to read and each of the day's three races saw a different team in first place. A case in point is Platoon who, after winning the first race, ended the second at the back of the fleet.
Azzurra placed sixth and fifth in the day's first two races. In the first race she didn't manage to get away from the fleet after the start and was in her adversary's dirty air. Luna Rossa in particular covered Azzurra until the two teams had a spectacular and close battle just before the finish where Azzurra managed to hold off Luna Rossa. The second race saw Azzurra drop back from the top positions of the fleet in the second half of the first beat due to the shifty and unstable breeze and her adversary's dirty air. Along the run and the second beat she recovered positions up to fourth place but was passed by Quantum towards the end of the race.
The third and last race was run as storm clouds were gathering over the landmass. Azzurra made a winning move by starting on the pin and sailing on the left hand side of the course while the rest of the fleet chose the right. When the wind began to turn left Azzurra was in the perfect place but still had to fight off Alegre, the other team that had chosen the left, before she could capture the lead and round the mark in first place. The remainder of the race saw Azzurra using radical tactics and sailing differently from the rest of the fleet, like doing a gybe set at the beginning of the first downwind leg while the rest of the fleet sailed on starboard tack. Azzurra lengthened her lead and controlled the fleet finishing first ahead of Quantum, who nevertheless had consistent performance today, and Alegre.
The scoreboard is close with Quantum in the lead of the event by 8 points followed by four teams in the range of just 12 points. After today's performance Azzurra is in third place but tied for points for second.
Guillermo Parada, skipper: "Overall it was a pretty good day. In the first race we didn't get a very good start and we really couldn't have placed better than sixth. The second race was kind of frustrating. We weren't lucky along the first upwind leg then we recovered but slipped back again to fifth place. We didn't manage to defend ourselves and lost some precious points. In the third race we chose the left and just had to wait until the wind came to us by turning to the left and allowing us to round the mark in first place. We did a gybe set at the top of the first run while the rest of the fleet sailed on starboard tack. We felt a little lonely but it paid off and we controlled the fleet on the way back. We still have to improve in some small details but we can fight back for the win at this event."