Sail-World.com : Quantum Racing Enjoys Good Opening Day
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Quantum Racing Enjoys Good Opening Day |
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'TP52 Quantum Racing - Region of Murcia Trophy Regatta'
ThMartinez ©
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A first place finish and a fifth in the opening day of racing at the Region of Murcia Trophy Regatta positioned the Botin Carkeek TP52 Quantum Racing second overall at the beginning of the five-day event. At this regatta, part of the Audi MedCup summer-long circuit, Quantum Racing’s consistent performance edged the team ahead on overall championship points.
Competing in fresh and feisty offshore conditions Quantum Racing lost an opportunity in the first race to log double victories when an errant spinnaker sheet snagged around a coaming at the back of the boat.
'It was a freak incident, and very disappointing,' said skipper Terry Hutchinson. 'We handled big seas and big shifts up the first beat really well and we led the pack around the top mark. Then as we hoisted the spinnaker the sheet caught on the coaming and as the kite filled the sheet starting sawing through the back of the boat.
'It required some quick attention. A lead of eight or nine boat lengths dropped to zero. By the time we were fully cleaned up we’d dropped to last place. However it says a lot about this program, the sailors and the sails, that we got back into the game and passed half the fleet and finished fifth.'
Big disorganized seas and a gusty, shifty northeasterly breeze between 14 and 21 knots provided challenging conditions for the ten-boat fleet but Hutchinson and his international crew made the right calls and led from start to finish in the second race. Hutchinson got the start he wanted and the next four legs turned into a match race between the American boat and Platoon Powered by Team Germany skippered by Jochen Schuemann. The Americans led at every mark, closely pressed by the German boat. Surging down the big ocean swells on the final run Quantum Racing took the winning gun by just one second.
Carthegena, on the south side of the Iberian Peninsula, roughly half-way between Barcelona and Gibraltar, hasn’t attracted a lot of world-class sailing competition and like other teams, Quantum Racing had to do some weather research. Climate records for the past 15 years suggested light to moderate condition. After encountering moderate to heavy conditions in practice and fresh weather today, Hutchinson is anticipating plenty of action for the next four days.
'We like to think our boat and our sails represent a good, all-round approach, so we’re ready for whatever the wind gods and the race committee throw at us,' he said. 'Just the same, we’ve only completed 20 percent of this regatta. We expect the sea state and wind conditions to continue to be very challenging. This week will be a good test of sails and equipment. We need to stay focused on the task at hand and look for continuing small improvements.
After Carthagena, the season finale of the Audi MedCup will be the Portugal Trophy Regatta in Portimão, Portugal, September 15-20.
Results:
Region of Murcia Trophy
Regatta standings after two races.
1. Bribón ESP, 1-3, 4
2. Quantum Racing, USA 5-1, 6
3. Matador, ARG, 2-6, 8
4. Mutua Madrileña, ESP, 6-5, 11
5. Artemis, SWE, 3-9, 12
6. Platoon powered by T. Germany, GER, 11-2, 13
7. El Desafio, ESP, 9-4, 13
8. Caixa Galicia, ESP, 4-10, 14
9. Audi Q8, ITA, 8-7, 15
10. Rusal Synergy, RUS, 12-8, 20
Audi MedCup Circuit 2008
Standings after 37 races in Alicante, Marseille, Cagliari, Mallorca and Carthegena
1. Quantum Racing, USA, 167
2. Artemis, SWE, 203
3. Bribón, ESP, 213.2
4. Matador, ARG, 246
5. Platoon by Team Germany, GER, 255
6. Mean Machine, MON, 266
7. Mutua Madrileña, ESP, 279.4
8. El Desafío, ESP, 314
9. CxG Corporación Caixa Galicia, ESP, 342.6
10. Audi Q8, ITA, 372
by Keith Taylor
6:17 AM Fri 29 Aug 2008 GMT
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