Extreme 40s deliver on opening day of the iShares Cup at Skandia Cowes Week
Day One of the iShares Cup at Skandia Cowes Week brought glamorous sailing conditions to the Solent with the drama and action of Extreme 40 racing unfolding in a series of soaring hulls, damaged boats and heartbroken sailors. The eight-boat fleet kept the crowds basking in the British sunshine along the shore fully entertained throughout the five high-octane races. British team Basilica indextained their domination of the fleet in the 10-15 knots of wind but the rest of the fleet are hungry for good results and BT were hot on the heels of the leaders.
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Day One iShares Cup, Skandia Cowes Week: full-on racing for BT
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Regular BT skipper Nick Moloney stepped aside to let fellow Australian Olympic Tornado silver medallist Darren Bundock take the reigns for the first day of racing in the three-day series, a switch that produced excellent sailing and consistent results from the predominately Australian crew that includes Glenn Ashby (Tornado crew to Bundock) and Briton Hugh Styles. The team proved consistency pays by nailing four second place finishes and one third, and finished the day on equal points with Basilica, yet just off pole position on count back. "We're really stoked with our results today," said Moloney. "We're exhausting, it was really hard work today, it was windy, it was rough so difficult to have nice technique. But today is the best we have sailed on the Extreme 40 scene so far. We've gained from Basilica's breakage but they handle the boat really well and they are really hard to keep up with. Tomorrow we are hoping to make further gains."
While BT have had an encouraging start to the penultimate iShares Cup Extreme 40 Sailing Series favourites Basilica, who have unearthed the secret formula to crossing the line first, are still the index contender to win the iShares Cup at Skandia Cowes Week. Hampered only by a broken rudder during race two which resulted in a DNF (Did Not Finish), the team found a replacement part and got back to business banging out a further three wins. Boat captain, James Grant, explained that while the team had a good day, it's not all smooth sailing as their troubles are far from over. "During race two at the first windward mark we bore away and our rudder broke. We borrowed a rudder from another boat so that we could keep racing but that rudder is now needed tomorrow. Tonight will be a long one as we attempt to repair the damage so that we can be back in the competition tomorrow morning."
Back in the top rankings in third place are American team Tommy Hilfiger who after a disappointing event at the iShares Cup, Marseille (7-9 July) are back in good form and producing the results that the American crew are used to including a first in race 2 celebrating by a series of US-style high-fives.
Shirley Robertson, helming JPMorgan Asset Management, took it on, living life on the very edge of two hulls securing fourth place by the end of the day - not bad for a first timer! The double Olympic Gold Medallist and mother of two spent most of the day teetering on one hull - a fine line of being upright or upside down - not only proving that she can play with the boys, but also that she has nerves of steel. The team hit trouble during the first race when bowman Nick Hutton was knocked over the side during a gennaker drop but he was quickly plucked from the water before they rounded the mark without losing any ground.
"Sailing on an Extreme 40 is the most fun I have ever had sailing!" Robertson enthused. "I have never sailed so fast on a boat like this before and I have absolutely loved every second of today. It was hard work and we had a few scary moments but I will learn more and more about the boat each day. The Extreme 40 is a physical boat and hard work for the crew who did an excellent job."
Kiwi skipper, Aaron McIntosh, driving Volvo Ocean Race kept his head amongst the mayhem and avoiding any major disasters scored to fourth places and his crew are now fifth place at the end of play today.
There was heartbreak for top female Tornado sailor Carolijn Brouwer and her crew on Holmatro, who were forced to retire following the first race of the day after hooking an anchor-line and slicing off a chunk of their rudder. Unable to steer their boat the crew limped to shore to try and replace the broken parts. Two races later the team surprised the fleet by making the start of the fourth race but were unable to recover from two DNS (Did Not Start) marks on their scorecard finishing sixth overall at the close of the day.
ABN AMRO also had a run of bad luck with their gennaker-furler malfunctioning during race two. The team made a quick on the water repair only to have to retire before race four dropping them into the bottom position. The team will be back to compete tomorrow.
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CURRENT STANDINGS FOR THE iSHARES CUP AT SKANDIA COWES WEEEK
Place/ Team/ Points
1. Basilica 44pts
2. BT 44pts
3. Tommy Hilfiger 39pts
4. JPMorgan Asset Management 37pts
5. Volvo Ocean Race 30pts
6. Holmatro 26pts
7. Team SLAM Denmark 22pts
8. ABN AMRO 20pts
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