Scheveningen, the first venue in the Netherlands to host the 44Cup, continued to present challenging conditions on day two of the RC44 World Championship. Unlike the previous day, which began with overcast skies and light winds, today featured bright summer sun and a solid breeze that was shifty and fickle, complicating the racing as the ebb tide increased throughout the afternoon.
Swedish team GeMera, led by Marcus Törnqvist, achieved a double victory today. Their first race saw them start mid-line and tactically manage the shifts to secure a solid lead. Tactician Francesco Bruni noted, “We just picked the right shift,” indicating their successful navigation through the tricky conditions. The team finished ahead of Charisma, which rounded the top mark second, closely followed by Aleph Racing.
In the second race, Lanzarote Calero Sailing led initially but encountered difficulties when they broached while hoisting their spinnaker, resulting in a crew member going overboard. This incident allowed Artemis Racing and Charisma to take the lead and maintain their positions to the finish line.
The day concluded with a dramatic third race that was interrupted by a squall bringing gusts over 30 knots, causing several boats to capsize and crew members to fall overboard. Despite the chaos, Team Aqua managed to maintain their lead, with Chris Bake reflecting on the challenging conditions as they attempted to navigate with a significant amount of water on board.
As the halfway point of the championship approaches, the top four teams are tightly contested, with only two points separating them. Racing will resume tomorrow, starting an hour earlier at 11:00 AM.
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Photo credit MartinezStudio.es
About the 44Cup:
Five-time America’s Cup winner Russell Coutts conceived the design of the light-displacement, high-performance one-design RC44 with naval architect Andrej Justin in 2005. Created for top level one design racing in international regattas under strictly controlled Class Rules, the concept and design features of the RC44 are aimed at the amateur helmsmen with professional crews.
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