All the boats, bar one, have scored bullets at the RC44 Portorož Cup after two new teams added their names to the list of race winners here in Slovenia. So far in eight races six teams have scored bullets.
Having been briefly held ashore, the RC44 fleet ventured out of Marina Portorož into a 6-8 knot on shore westerly and an almost lake-like sea.
Video: Onboard CEEREF:
In the first race, Chris Bake’s Team Aqua successfully repeated yesterday’s tactic of winning the pin and ‘owning the left’ side of the course. Once again this helped them round the top mark in first place but with Hugues Lepic’s Aleph Racing hanging on to their coattails in second. The team of the London-based Frenchman, which seems to enjoy the flat water on offer on Piran Bay, split from Team Aqua at the leeward gate and sneaked ahead up the second beat. From there they hung on to secure the first race of the day for themselves.
John Bassadone and the crew of Peninsula Petroleum have been getting to know their new tactician American Ed Baird, who is standing in for the ebullient Italian Vasco Vascotto this week. In race two the Gibraltar-based team managed to find a clear lane coming into the top to lead around ahead of Team Aqua and proceeded to extend from there.
Anticipating the wind lightening, PRO Peter Reggio went to shorten the final run of this race. All appeared to be going well until the wind disappeared altogether leaving kites hanging limply. Eventually the front runners had to drop their kites and beat back upwind to get to the finish line. Peninsula Petroleum managed to hang to her lead, and crept across the finish line just ahead of Team Aqua.
Ultimately Team Aqua posted today’s best results with a 2-2, while yesterday’s leader, Igor Lah’s Team CEEREF, managed a 3-4. This has left Chris Bake’s team on equal points with the local heroes – two of the oldest RC44 team - going into the final day.
