Port race

[Guest]

Well Telefonica have just proved why they are not going to be beaten in this event as they have destroyed the rest of the fleet in the latest race. My view of the race to come shortly. Oh and for you camper fans.......dont bother watching it as they had a shocker and were lucky to claim 4th.

[Guest]

The wind was up (favouring telefonica) and racing was set as the boats entered the last minute of the pre start fighting for position of the line. Abu Dhabi won the pin and the start with camper to windward with puma and groupama choosing a more conservative start as they started mid line with no advantage. Telefonica stuck to being to windward of the fleet which paid of later on in leg one while Sanya had a shocker and started 20 seconds behind the rest of the fleet and heading right on port.

 

Telefonica were the first to tack and head right and were quickly followed by puma and groupama with abu dhabi and EMTNZ tacking a minute later setting the main boats up on a port drag. Camper were the first to jump out of the drag race and it cost them dearly as the wind and pressure was in the right with Telefonica taking advantage and crossed the whole fleet to take a lead that they would never give up. Teleofnica rounded first with a lead of 20 seconds with Puma rounding second followed by Abu Dhabi, Groupama, Sanya of all boats and Camper rounding last after a disastrous starboard tack and last half of the first beat.

 

On the first run the starboard gybe was the best and Telefonica and puma went with it as they extended their lead over their main rivals. Telefonica had a shocker at the bottom mark as they got the jib sheet caught on something and couldn't sheet the jib in for the reach which almost cost them the lead as puma caught up over 20 seconds to only trail by 3 seconds. Abu Dhabi rounded third with groupama fourth and Sanya a very close fifth after they also chose the long starboard gybe while Camper had another shocker and over laid the mark having to drop their gennnaker several hundred meters from the mark just so they could make it around.

 

Telefonica extended on the reach and sailed away from from Puma on the reach to lead by 18 seconds at the end of lap one and the podium places were sealed as the leads the boats had were never going to be erased unless of a major mechanical failure. Sanya had been able to sail over the top of groupama on the third leg moving into fourth while camper still trailed 4-5 boat lengths.

 

One the second beat things got very interesting. Puma caught up to telefonica as they drag raced on starboard but the left paid in the end with more pressure and Telefonica sailed away to lead Puma at the top mark by over 30 seconds. the drama was all happening at the end of the fleet with camper calling all the wind shifts correctly to catch up to Sanya and get into a protest battle. Sanya were coming on on starboard with Camper on port and as Camper dipped to give way, the Chinese boat tacked onto port to try and slam camper and spit them out. This backfired as Sanya did not have the speed out of the tack and camper were able to live there and luff them to create the room to sail under and around them. Sanya now rounded in fifth with groupama bringing up the rear of the fleet. This however changed on the final minutes of the race with groupama being able to get around Sanya to force the home port boat to finish last after putting up a magnificent fight.

 

The boats as they finished

 

Telefonica

Puma

Abu Dhabi

Camper

Groupama

Sanya

[203 0]

I reckon itl be very hard for Telefonica not to win the race overall,The only way I can see them not doing it is if they get put out of atleast 2 legs..

 

Camper had a shocker start in that inport race..

[Guest]

I reckon itl be very hard for Telefonica not to win the race overall,The only way I can see them not doing it is if they get put out of atleast 2 legs..

 

Camper had a shocker start in that inport race..

 

I agree 203 on Telefonica. I dont think Campers start of the line was that bad, however it wasnt a winning start and because of it they tried something different in order to try and win the race. A great fight back by Camper on leg two, but it was to little to late considering they had an even worse run on lap one to follow their crap first beat which will surely leave Grant 'cat kicking' Daltan wondering what the happened to the training they had been doing.

[Guest]

any spare cats to kick at ETNZ should do a runna NOW!

[SloopJohnB 322]

What a statement

 

"There were a few good teams behind us, but just a few more in front of us," said Nicholson.

 

 

 

Just remind me where Camper finished again?

 

 

We should be getting worried if dico oops Nico thinks Sanya is a good team.

[SloopJohnB 322]

After several days training and GD says this

 

Emirates Team New Zealand boss Grant Dalton, two-time winner of the race, said: “There were two huge mistakes up the first beat and another down the first run.

 

 

Says heaps about the coaches then.

[SloopJohnB 322]

Obviously not the rest of the course.

 

“Until today we’ve been a pretty solid in-port boat," he said. "We’ve had a good week of training and practice starts, we’ve been getting off the line well

[SloopJohnB 322]

Might have caused some real arse kicking.

 

“I feel very disappointed, and I’d hate to think how we’d be feeling if we stayed back where we were in last.”

[SloopJohnB 322]

You lot can read the full article.

 

http://www.volvooceanrace.com/en/news/5 ... esult.html

 

CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand had high hopes going into the 10.8 nautical mile, two-lap Sanya Haitang Bay In-Port Race following days of intense training with two of the team's America's Cup coaches.

 

They slipped to last place before clawing their way back to fourth, falling a further three points behind leaders Team Telefónica in the overall standings but actually strengthening their hold on second place, with Groupama sailing team finishing behind them in fifth.

 

“There were a few good teams behind us, but just a few more in front of us," said Nicholson. "The mood is sombre; we wanted to do better than that.”

 

With the start of Leg 4 tomorrow forecast for heavy weather, conditions that have suited CAMPER in previous legs, Nicholson said his team hoped to put today’s disappointment behind them.

 

“I’m looking forward to tomorrow,” he added.

 

Nicholson said the feeling would have been a lot worse had they not managed to win back some ground late on.

 

“We were well back at the top mark," Nicholson said. "From there it was the usual story – we fought our way through but we just ran out of time.

 

“I feel very disappointed, and I’d hate to think how we’d be feeling if we stayed back where we were in last.”

 

Nicholson believes the work with the America's Cup coaches has brought improvement, even if Saturday's performance failed to show it.

 

“Until today we’ve been a pretty solid in-port boat," he said. "We’ve had a good week of training and practice starts, we’ve been getting off the line well.

 

“We all believed that we had improved our communication this week, and that this was a good time to show that improvement. The fact that we didn’t’ show it doesn’t mean the improvement is not there."

 

Emirates Team New Zealand boss Grant Dalton, two-time winner of the race, said: “There were two huge mistakes up the first beat and another down the first run. They did well to get back to fourth frankly. So, more bleeding of points to Telefónica, another gain on Groupama. It’s separating a bit of the top, but the relentless charge of Telefónica continues. Unless it’s arrested soon it’s done.