Sail-World.com : Emirates Team NZ struggle to cover all their options in MedCup final
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Emirates Team NZ struggle to cover all their options in MedCup final |
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'Emirates Team New Zealand first to the bottom mark in race eight. Trofeo Ciudad de Alicante. Audi MedCup.'
Emirates Team New Zealand / Photo Chris Cameron ETNZ ©
Click Here to view large photo
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Going into the last race of the Audi MedCup, Emirates Team New Zealand looked to have the first round of the series in the bag.
They got away to an excellent start at the leeward end of the line with three boats to leeward {Pisco Sour, Quantum racing and Synergy) and one, Bigamist 7, to windward. Artemis was mid-line with Matador toward the windward end, with most of the fleet electing to start in the pin-half of the line. The Kiwis were in clear air, headed for the left hand layline.
As they worked to the left, Emirates TNZ hit the lead for a time and provided they could cross the fleet on the return tack, life was looking good for Dean Barker and his crew.
However they dropped three boats coming back across the fleet on port and when they had hit the right hand layline for the approach to the first mark, were in fourth place.
Close rivals, Artemis and Matador made up the top three, with just over a boatlength separating the top four boats, stretching to 50 metres just short of the mark.
 | Looking upwind a few minutes later on Leg 2, Emirates has started to drop boats, and the series lead as the merge with the yachts on starboard gybe in the final race, Race 9. - ARL Media Click Here to view large photo |
 | Around the leeward mark at the end of Leg 2 on race 9, the leaders have split tacks and Emirates Team NZ has dropped from fourth at the top to sixth, and with Qunatum racing close behind. - ARL Media Click Here to view large photo |
In the early stages of the run, Emirates Team NZ still looked to be well on target for a series win, holding on starboard gybe longer than most. Matador was the first of the lead bunch to gybe back into the middle of the course, followed by Artemis.
Although one of the last to gybe, Emirates Team NZ still looked good coming back, moving up into third place. However it all unravelled for the Kiwis as they began to merge with a group sailing down the starboard (looking up the course) layline.
By the bottom mark, Emirates TNZ had dropped back to sixth, and could not get clear of the ruck to catch Matador and Artemis who were first and third respectively. The other top four boat on the leaderboard, Quantum Racing, was one place behind in seventh, however on the final run, close to the finish, last years champions managed to slip through the Kiwis dropping them back to seventh place and third overall for the regatta.
Race 8: It was a different story in the first race of the day. Emirates Team NZ, started at the pin end of the line, and while not looking so goo initially, soon got into a very good left hand shift, leading Quantum Racing in third, with Matador fourth and Artemis fifth. All were in the left hand group, sailing boat for boat, with less than 10metres separating the first three.
They came back across the fleet, with Emirates Team NZ droppong back to second behind Matador before taking the most leeward course on the approach to the top mark, and rounding ahead of the boats stacked to windward. Matador was second and Artemis third, 9 and 15 secs respectively astern.
By the leeward mark, the two leaders remained with Artemis dropping back to fifth, with Quantum Racing, pulling up into third. Around the windward mark for the last time the positions remained the same, with the margins extending, and then shrinking slightly at the finish.
 | Emirates Team New Zealand lead the fleet all the way in race eight. Trofeo Ciudad de Alicante. Audi MedCup. - Emirates Team New Zealand / Photo Chris Cameron ETNZ © Click Here to view large photo |
by Richard Gladwell
8:59 PM Sun 17 May 2009 GMT
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