Trofeo SAR Princesa Sofia day 4 update from Andrew Campbell
by Andrew Campbell on 8 Apr 2011
Team USA Lineup - 2011 Trofeo SAR Princesa Sofia Leandro Spina
Trofeo SAR Princesa Sofia day 4 update from Andrew Campbell.
It was a long day at the RCNP today, but well worth the time for us as we scored three big races in a light seabreeze. The day set up very similar to our training days with nearly flat calm upon our arrival to the yacht club, clear skies and cool temperatures in the morning. After diving on the boat at 830am, we sat and waited under a postponement until the thermal started working and a seabreeze pulsed across the bay. We left the dock around 1pm and headed to the sailing area for three hour-and-a-half long races. We finished our last race at around 6pm and hit the dock around 630pm. Luckily all three races turned out to be good ones for us.
The first race had a wild right shift in the start and we were able to get around in about sixth, but the Ukrainian team on #8119 had to have been 250 yards ahead of the fleet as they had pounded the right hand side of the course on leg 1. We chipped away at the boats ahead of us and rounded about 10 lengths behind the leader at the next windward mark. The assault on the run took every bit of our patience, but I have to admit that the match racing I just finished sailing with Dave Perry and our team at the Congressional Cup set Ian and I up for a significant advantage in the close quarters racing into the finish. We finally got to the leader’s breeze and drew him back into the center of the course. We traded three gybes with him and at the last moment we gybed and split for the pin end of the finish line and won the race by a quarter length or less.
The next two races were far less exciting but just as intense. The breeze faded as the sun cooled off, but the Race Committee just kept pressing until we got back on schedule. Two more races in similar conditions tomorrow will hopefully set us up for the medal race Saturday. We did move up the leaderboard from our original sixth position to second in the standings. We’ll have to don the blue jerseys
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