While the breeze may have dropped for day two of the 44Cup Cartagena, a large lumpy swell remained, adding an extra challenge for teams on their high-performance RC44 one designs. The racing is incredibly close, with Chris Bake’s Team Aqua emerging as the top scorer today with nine points, while Peninsula Racing, yesterday’s leader, scored five points.
The first race showcased classic 44Cup dynamics, with initial gains made on the left. John Bassadone’s Peninsula Racing led, followed closely by Christian Zuerrer’s Black Star Sailing Team and Mehmet Taki’s Wow! Sailing Team. However, Wow! Sailing Team managed to maintain its lead until the second top mark, where a tight finish saw Nico Poons’ Charisma clinch victory, with the top six boats finishing within just 11 seconds.
In the second race, Peninsula Racing and Torbjörn Törnqvist’s Artemis Racing faced setbacks, being OCS at the pin. Despite initial struggles, Team Nika, led by Vladimir Prosikhin, took the lead into the top mark, with Team Aqua and Aleph Racing trailing closely. Team Nika maintained its lead until Team Aqua executed a well-timed gybe to win by seven seconds.
The third race was equally competitive, with early overzealous starts leading to penalties for Charisma and Wow! Sailing Team. Nonetheless, Peninsula Racing made a strong comeback, but Team Nika once again asserted dominance to lead the race, only for Team Aqua to surge ahead at the finish line by just two seconds.
Strong results today have elevated Team Aqua to a tied second place overall, with Chris Bake commenting on the tricky conditions, highlighting the varied wind speeds and wave challenges. He expressed excitement about competing in Cartagena and looks forward to the upcoming races.
The forecast for tomorrow indicates a continuation of the southwesterlies, with winds expected to build to 18 knots in the afternoon.
#44Cup #the44cup #Cartagena #sailing #TeamAqua #RC44
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