Wight Shipyard One Ton Cup 2018 - FAST40+ Race Circuit Round 5 - Day 2
by Louay Habib 14 Sep 2018 22:16 BST
13-16 September 2018
The breeze was on for the second day of the Wight Shipyard One Ton Cup with over 20 knots pumping from the west. Three windward leeward races created some epic FAST40+ action in the Solent combat zone. Peter Morton's Girls on Film came out with all guns blazing to win the first race of the day. Niklas Zennstrom's Rán answered with two victories to lead the challenge for the One Ton Cup by six points at the half way stage.
Bas de Voogd's Hitchhiker had a sterling day, scoring a 3-2-2 to place third for the series, just three points behind Girls on Film. There was rip-roaring action right through the FAST40+ fleet with battles a plenty.
Peter Morton commented after racing: "We got off the line well in the first race of the day, and got into a tacking duel with Rán. We handled the tacks better than them and got to the top mark first, and held on. It was great to race today in some proper breeze, apart from the last day of Cowes Week, this has been a light airs season. There is no doubt that Rán is a quicker boat but she doesn't seem to have any more advantage when the breeze gets up, so hopefully more of the same tomorrow."
Mike Bartholomew's Tokoloshe II, Christian Zugel's Tschüss and Steve Cowie's Zephyr had a cracking battle on the water today. "It was nice to get into some good wind," commented Zephyr's Steve Cowie. "We struggled a bit downwind, but we were better upwind, so Zephyr was swapping places with boats around us all the time."
Mike Bartholomew has been racing Tokoloshe II for five years. "Good solid breeze and exhilarating racing. It's fun because you are going fast; adrenalin is big time, you are mixing it up with the boats, and it can be hair-raising getting to a mark with eight other boats at the same time, fast is fun!"
Nicholas O'Leary was driving Tschüss for the early part of the regatta. The owner Christian Zugel, arrives tomorrow to get his first taste of One Ton Cup action. "We know it is a fast boat, and we found a few of the gears today." commented O'Leary. "It's so close on the water; a boat length off and you are dipping four boats. It is really great racing, and very enjoyable. All the crew are looking forward to our owner taking charge tomorrow. It's hard not to have fun when you are doing 18 knots downwind consistently, and touching 20 - everyone had a smile on their face today."
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