Audi MedCup Region of Sardinia Trophy 2011 day 2 preview

by Sabina Mollart-Rogerson on 21 Jul 2011 Audi MedCup Region of Sardinia Trophy 2011, being held between 19th and 24th July, is the third regatta out of five events in the Audi MedCup Circuit.

After an opening day to the Region of Sardinia Trophy regatta which was bruising both physically and mentally, the second day of racing for the 52 Series and the first races in Sardinia sees more modest wind conditions.

There is still a Mistral type NW’ly gradient wind over the morning but it is lighter and the maximum wind pressure for today is forecast to be under 20kts.

Two races are scheduled for both fleets. Around start time for the 52 Series the breeze is likely to be between 310 and 340 degrees, moving right by about ten degrees through the afternoon. There is the expectation that the sea breeze, which will be blowing from the SW, might build enough to influence the gradient in the middle to late afternoon, but that is open to questions: how much and when?

For the 52 Series the impetus is very much with Container after their 1, 2 finishes yesterday. Significantly for them, the team skippered by Markus Wieser (GER) were always going forward through each race.

So too the Franco-German crew on Jochen Schuemann’s Audi Sailing Team powered by All4One have a good platform to build on, lying in second place with a race win under their belts already.

And for the Circuit leaders Quantum Racing (USA) they need to regroup after yesterday’s pair of sixes and get right back into their winning groove.

The Soto 40’s are in pursuit of the dominant Iberdrola Sailing Team (ESP), but yesterday’s practice race saw Tony Buckingham’s Ngoni lead the Valencia based team around the track until an ill timed broach on the final run. There is an added challenge for the British skipper-helm. Ngoni has switched to tiller steering which is all new to Buckingham. It will be the first day of points racing for the local team on XXII-Sardinia.

All races can be followed live online.

Nat Ives (GBR) navigator Ngoni (GBR):
'I think the gradient Mistral will be OK until about three o’clock-ish when the sea breeze will start to come in around the corner (SW). The sea breeze wraps around the point and so the first race of the day we should get around fine in the Mistral and then the second might be more of a challenge.

Some of the weather models have the Mistral gradient just hanging in there for more of the day and then the others. The key is how strong the background gradient remains but we are always going to have enough heating here for the sea breeze. But today it is just how the Mistral fades, it is definitely trending down.

Yesterday I think we were quite open minded in the Mistral when it blows off the land. It really is a question of sailing the shifts, it was fairly shifty and so we tended yesterday to do a few more tacks but that worked well for us.'

Marc Lagesse (RSA), Navigator, Container (GER):
'The forecast says we´ll have lighter conditions here today which is probably a good thing since we took quite a pounding yesterday, so hopefully more of the same. Our boat has proved to be very reliable, we´re doing a great job so far and we are very happy. The keys to our consistency are a reliable boat - we seem to be able to throw anything at her - decent starts and been able to hang there going upwind. The crew is working well together, we are doing an excellent job, but at the end it all comes back to the boat.'

Iñaki Castañer (ESP), Skipper, Noticia IV (ESP):
'Yesterday we saw the classic Mistral conditions, but we expect less wind for today. We are happy because we think that these conditions fit the way we´ve prepared our boat, so we hope to sail well from the start. Our goal is to be among the top three teams every day, this way we´ll have a chance to win the championship. Our crew is encouraged to perform well. Yesterday we didn´t finish the practice race because we don´t have that much material, we sailed with old sails in order to keep the new ones for today. I think we´ll do well with these conditions because our crew´s working really well together.'

Region of Sardinia Trophy 52 Series
Results after two races:
1. Container (GER), 1+2= 3 points
2. Audi Sailing Team Powered by All4One (EUR), 4+1= 5 points
3. RÀN (SWE), 2+5= 7 points
4. Audi Azzurra Sailing Team (ITA), 5+3= 8 points
5. Synergy Russian Sailing Team (RUS), 3+7= 10 points
6. Bribón (ESP), 7+4= 11 points
7. Quantum Racing (USA), 6+6= 12 points
8. Gladiator (GBR), 9(DNC)+9(DNC)= 18 Audi MedCup website