Candle
The Swiss flying catamaran, which yesterday achieved two partial victories, scores 9 points from the ‘Black Star’ and the ‘Red Bull’, second and third, respectively
The spectacle of the flying catamarans had a stellar episode yesterday. After the complicated day on Friday, in which only one heat could be played due to the instability of the wind, this Saturday it remained between 13 and 15 knots, which greatly favored the participants in the third day of competition. The sun finally rose to cheer on the competitors and the large fleet of spectators who had gathered outside the security perimeter to enjoy the spectacle of the GC32 Racing Tour.
The day began with a surprising victory for the Danish ‘Team Rockwool Racing’, who knew how to read the field and beat the ‘Red Bull Sailing Team’ in the sprint, skippered in the waters of the Mar Menor by the double Olympic Tornado champion, Roman Hagara.
“In that regatta we had more wind and we were able to sail with two sails at the stern. We sailed quite fast and clean, ”Nicolai Sehested, skipper of the Danish catamaran, said at the end of the day. “We could have won more races, but we have made some painful mistakes due to wrong decisions. That is something we can improve. In particular, in the third race, the Danes were forced to give space to Erik Maris’ ‘Zoulou’ at the last mark, which in a matter of seconds saw them fall from third to last place.
After losing the GC32 World Championship in the final beat of the last race, the Swiss team does not want to claim victory
Power to the right
In the second and third regatta, the victory corresponded to the current world champion, the ‘Team Red Bull Racing’. In the second, the start reissued the duel between ‘Rockwool’ and ‘Red Bull’, with the former leading the start and the latter taking advantage of the power of the right to get ahead by reaching the next higher mark and maintaining their advantage until the end. “The right side was more favored,” admitted Roman Hagara later.
The leader of the circuit, Ernesto Bertarelli’s ‘Alinghi’, who left Club Náutico Lo Pagán with two points ahead of the provisional, had a difficult start, scoring a third, a fourth and a second. But the Swiss team would regain its pulse in the last two heats of the day with two solid victories that reaffirm their leadership for the final day that takes place today.
In the last race, it was again ‘Team Rockwool Racing’ that took the lead, but ‘Alinghi’ took the lead at the leeward gate. The Swiss team benefited from being on the right on the first beat and the wind veering to the right, and from there they no longer looked back.
Thanks to his two partial victories and the discreet performance of the ‘Black Star Sailing Team’ (5-2-4-5-2), ‘Alinghi’ has a nine-point advantage heading into the last day, with ‘Red Bull Sailing Team ‘now tied with the team led by Christian Zuerrer.
Strong position
The ‘Alinghi’ may be in a strong position heading into the last day, but after losing the GC32 World Championship last September in the last beat of the last regatta, his crew know that they should not slacken the throttle to avoid unpleasant surprises.
“They have sailed very well,” Swiss crew chief Pierre-Yves Jorand said of the crew. “We have had our ups and downs, but it was a really good day. ‘Red Bull’ started very well in all three tests, but we managed to change our mode during the day and found some extra speed upwind and we had a good day at the end.
And for the last day? We’ll check everything again. We have a good margin of points. We know what to do and how to comply, and we will consider all aspects. But it doesn’t end until the finish line is crossed. We already experienced it in Villasimius! ».
For his part, Roman Hagara acknowledged that “it will be difficult to reach them [al ‘Alinghi’] because they are very regular. We lost some points in the first two days and it will be difficult, but we will try. The forecast for tomorrow – for today – is for a lighter wind, but we will accept what comes.
The competition returns today with the fourth and last day of the GC32 Mar Menor Cup. At its conclusion the champion of the GC32 Racing Tour 2021 will be crowned. The first start of the day is scheduled for 10.30 am.
The GC32 Mar Menor Cup is part of the commemorative events of the V Centenary of the first round the world and has the support of the Murcia Region Tourism, the Cartagena Port Authority and the municipalities of San Pedro del Pinatar, Cartagena, San Javier and Los Alcazares.
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