Volvo Extreme 40 Grand Prix Series at Baltimore - Day 4
by Volvo Extreme 40 class 3 May 2006 06:50 BST
28 April - 3 May 2006
Action from day four of the Volvo Extreme 40 Grand Prix Series at Baltimore © Andy Herbick
All change at the top on day four
The penultimate day of the Volvo Extreme 40 grand prix series saw a dramatic lead change as American Randy Smyth sailing Tommy Hilfiger overtook Team Holmatro skippered by Mitch Booth.
The wind challenged the five teams on the fourth day of racing as the sailors had to contend with 3-8 knots of wind which flickered around Baltimore’s Inner Harbour.
America’s Cup legend John Bertrand was the guest of honour for the day, sailing with Cam Lewis on Team Volvo Ocean Race for the first two races and then helping to lead Tommy Hilfiger to victory in the final and longest race of the day.
Pirates of the Caribbean sailor Anthony Merrington can not keep away for the exciting new class and stepped back onboard Team Holmatro for the day. Unfortunately the team could not quite match the results from his last outing, and they forfeited their overall lead which they had held since day two.
With a one-two-one score line, Randy Smyth on Tommy Hilfiger and his team comprising of Stan Schreyer, Jonathan Farrar and Richard Feeney, have a nine point lead going into the final day of racing.
Smyth commented: “I had a good day and really enjoyed it out there – until I got thrown in by Conrad (Humphreys). I guess that is what happens when you’re leading the regatta.”
Mitch Booth and Team Holmatro are currently placed second overall, eleven points in front of the all British boat, Team Basilica.
Conrad Humphrey’s Motorola had Brunel skipper Grant Wharington onboard as a guest but unfortunately could not move up from fourth place overall.
Leigh McMillan, helm of Motorola-CHR commented: “It is always good fun when you are racing on a 100m width course - it is close and exciting with the potential of many position changes and protests.”
Despite sitting at the bottom of the leader board, Cam Lewis and his team of Greg Homann, Doug Deaver and Larry Harteck finally started enjoying the racing and even pulled off their best result so far in the regatta – their first race win.
Lewis said: “We had a wonderful days racing today and Team Volvo Ocean Race are really happy to have two near podium finished and a first place.”
The Volvo Extreme 40 grand prix series concludes tomorrow and then the boats get packed up and shipped to Portsmouth, England for the penultimate grand prix venue of Portsmouth.
Results after day 4:
1st Tommy Hilfiger, USA (1,1,1,1,2,4,5,3,1,1,4,4,1,2,1) 121 pts
2nd Team Holmatro, NED (2,3,3,2,1,1,1,2,3,3,1,2,3,5,3) 112 pts
3rd Team Basilica, GBR (4,4,2,5,5,2,2,1,2,2,3,1,4,4,2) 101 pts
4th Motorola – CHR, GBR (5,2,4,3,3,3,3,4,4,5,5,3,2,3,4) 84 pts
5th Volvo Ocean Race, USA (3,5,5,4,4,5,4,5,5,4,2,5,5,1,5) 77 pts
Report from Vikki Cheung, Team Motorola, CHR
Tommy Hilfiger Reclaims Pole Position in the VX40 Grand Prix
Very light winds delayed the first of the VX40 Grand Prix races today, and when the breeze finally came in from the east, it barely reached 8 knots and the VX40s were finally able to start their race. As the series here in Baltimore will be an 18-race series, only three races had been set for today and tomorrow.
In the first race Volvo Ocean Race were protested leading up to the second mark in a port-starboard incident and were penalised with a 360 degree turn, a penalty from which they never recovered. In contrast, at the start of the second race there was a minor collision when Tommy Hilfiger’s bow came into contact with MOTOROLA-CHR’s stern – they had to make a 360 degree turn yet managed to catch up the fleet and take 2nd place. Once again Randy Smyth and his team on Tommy Hilfiger showed their skill and won two of the three races and come 2nd in another which means that they take back the pole position from Holmatro. MOTOROLA-CHR had a better day on the water coming 2nd and 3rd in the first two races of the day, and then taking a 4th place in the third race.
This afternoon Will Oxley, navigator on the Volvo 70 Brunel joined the MOTOROLA-CHR crew to take the 5th crew position during the racing. Will was previously a rival skipper of Conrad’s when they raced in the 2000-01 BT Global Challenge. Will commented that it was great to catch up with Conrad and sail with the team. The only experience he had of multi-hull sailing was one lap around the planet on the Onyx Cup, and this was very different.
Report from Ben Faber, Basilica
An up and down day for Team Basilica on fourth day of Baltimore Volvo Extreme 40 Grand Prix
Basilica encountered a difficult day in Baltimore Harbour on Tuesday on the fourth day of racing in the Volvo Extreme 40 Grand Prix. Two fourth places and a second means that the British crew have made up ground on second placed Holmatro but have conceded further points to leg leaders Tommy Hilfiger. The all-British boat remains in third position in the Baltimore Grand Prix standings on 101 points, 11 behind Holmatro and 20 behind Hilfiger.
Slow starts to races one and two meant that Basilica was always chasing the leaders and despite a photo finish on the line with Hilfiger and Motorola in the second, the Hayling Islanders could only finish a disappointing fourth. A longer third race, for which the course was extended by over a kilometre, saw Basilica open up a commanding lead on the chasing pack, only for the experienced Hilfiger skipper Randy Smythe to claw back the water and claim his team’s second win of the day.
Basilica skipper James Grant was frustrated by the team’s inconsistency in the Baltimore waters but remains upbeat:
“We are all finding it difficult to be consistent over a day on this course which is understandable given the tricky conditions. With the constant variation in the wind, the results of each race are always balanced on a knife edge with any one of the five crews in with a chance. We got extremely close in race two to finishing second, missing out by only a couple of seconds. It was disappointing not to finish the day with a win but Randy sailed exceptionally well again today and deserved the two wins.”
Team Basilica lies second in the overall series standings on 15 points, only one behind Tommy Hilfiger. With one more day of racing still to take place in the Baltimore Grand Prix, there are plenty of points still on offer when the fight for top spot continues on Wednesday 3rd May.