Grade 2 Womens Match Racing at Quinta do Lorde Yacht Club

Gemma Farrell, and her team of Fleur Oswald, Rachel Larman and Rachel Howe at the Grade 2 Women’s Match Racing, Madeira © Team Sail 4 Cancer

Team Sail 4 Cancer take Great Britain to the Semi-finals in Madeira

The Quinta do Lorde Yacht Club, a venue as captivating as the match racing that took place there, was the location for the Grade 2 Women’s Match Racing Qualifier for the Nations Cup. Following their victory at the Ladies National Championships in September, Gemma Farrell, and her team of Fleur Oswald, Rachel Larman and Rachel Howe, flew out to the Pacific island to represent Great Britain in the Women’s regional qualifier for the Nations Cup.

Up against the highest ranked teams in the Nations Cup competition; Finland, Denmark, Portugal, Netherlands, and Spain, the GB Team Sail 4 Cancer were in for some tough racing from the outset. The event was held in the Yacht Club’s J-22s, a boat that the British girls lacked experience in relative to their opponents. Unfazed by the competition and the boats, however, Team Sail 4 Cancer quickly got up to speed under the guidance of their coach, David Campbell-James.

After a morning of waiting for wind, the 6 nations headed out onto the race course, set in the only shallow water, under the volcanic cliffs that were the shoreline of most of the island. Light and shifty winds therefore dominated the early stages of the tournament, conditions that seemed to suit the GB team. They began the event strongly, leading the round robin after the 1st day, notching up wins against top 5 in the World ranked Nina Braestrup (DEN) and Klaartje Zuiderbaan (NED).

As the nations became used to the late starts and shifty conditions, the matches became closer and there was no clear leader going into the final day of round robins. Only 2 points behind the leading Danish team, Team sail 4 Cancer had high expectations of qualifying for the semi-finals. The place was secured in an incredibly close match against the scoreboard leaders. Off the start line, the GB team were in front, retaining their starboard end advantage from the outset. Tricky shift and pressure patterns allowed the Danish to lose the cover of their opponents upwind and saw the GB team round the windward mark in a close second. On the final upwind leg, Rachel Howe, strategist on Team Sail 4 Cancer, turned the order around, bringing the team back into the lead with the aid of some great tacking work by jib and mainsail trimmers, Rachel Larman and Fleur Oswald. Rounding the last mark of the match, the Danish team were half a boatlength behind, snapping at the heels of the British girls. Downwind saw the Danish almost overtake as a pressure band allowed them to soak inside the other boat after rounding the top mark. Unfazed, however, Farrell gybed onto starboard, luffing Braestrup’s team out of their threatening position, and securing a penalty on them that determined the win. Speaking about the move after the match, mainsail trimmer Fleur Oswald commented to the press, “We had practised our reach to reach gybing a lot the practice day out here and the strong crew work between the two Rachels allowed us to carry out the move without sacrificing any speed”.

That win placed Team Sail 4 Cancer 3rd and safely in the semi-finals with the Danish, Dutch and, popular locals, the Portuguese. Up against Denmark, Great Britain had to win 3 to make the Finals of the event in what were becoming incredibly windy conditions. After two matches, involving exciting downwind legs with gusts of up to 25 knots, the teams were tied at one-all. Aggressive and strong in the pre-starts, Team Sail 4 Cancer led off 3 of the 4 the starts. Experience in the boats as the wind got up, however, turned out to be key. The Danish team, realising their advantage, avoided incidents with the British boat and used their speed and practised boathandling to overtake and stay there in the remainder of the races.

A Danish and Dutch final was held in the end and, although disappointed that they did not make the finals, GB Team Sail 4 Cancer were not disappointed with the way that they sailed. Commended by the umpires and their opponents for their competitive racing, despite relative inexperience, the team were encouraged by their performance. As skipper Nina Braestrup commented “For such a young team, they were very hard to beat. Their inexperience in the boats and final stages showed but I think that after a few years on the circuit, they will be very good.”

Usually preoccupied with their Yngling campaign for the 2012 Olympics, Gemma and the two Rachels are keen to join Fleur at more International Match Racing events. With the new medal race format introduced at Olympic Class Regattas this year, it is a discipline that will undoubtedly improve their medalling hopes in 6 years time.