Lipton Challenge Cup Regatta Day 3

by Sophie Thompson on 22 Aug 2012 Lipton Challenge Cup Regatta 2012 third day of racing was held in False Bay. Choppy seas greeted the fleet as they got under way and Greg Davies sailing for Royal Cape Yacht Club claimed his second victory of the regatta.

Slicing through lumpy seas, the 25 yachts tackled four laps of a windward / leeward or sausage course in 16knots of breeze. After a general recall, the boats began making their way on the first beat up towards the weather mark.

From the gun, the yachts scattered across the course, all trying various tactics and at the first rounding Davies had his nose in front. He was followed by defending champions False Bay Yacht Club, Defence Yacht Club Western Province and then the Durban entry, the Royal Natal Yacht Club’s Orion B2G2. The front positions remained the same as the boats dropped their bags, turning around the leeward mark.

On the second beat up to the top mark, the fleet all favoured the starboard tack with gaps opening up between the first five boats. Dominique Proveyeur helming the Langebaan Yacht Club’s entry was under pressure as she tacked early and covered the UCT boat, getting on the inside of them and hanging on to her fifth position.

Davies opted for a port tack on the third beat up to the weather mark, with False Bay heading up the starboard side of the course, the Royal Cape Yacht Club’s tactic worked and they got some distance on the second placed yacht.
On the third sleigh ride down to the bottom mark, False Bay were a few boat lengths behind Davies and not able to maintain the Royal Cape Yacht Club’s speed with their spinnakers up. Defence Yacht Club Western Province were still in third, next Robinson on Orion B2G2, with the winner of race two, UCT rounding in fifth. The second KwaZulu Natal entry, Point Yacht Club’s Choose Life High Performance Team, leap-frogged their way into sixth position and Olympic sailor, Proveyeur was now in seventh.

Turning at the bottom mark, RCYC had a substantial lead on the rest of the fleet, with Andrea Giovanni sailing for False Bay Yacht Club in second and Robinson sailing for Royal Natal Yacht Club, having picked up a place, with Defence Yacht Club Western Province closely chasing them in fourth. UCT remained in fifth, and Proveyeur also picking up a place, just ahead of Richard Weddel on the PYC Choose Life High Performance Team.

Giovanni worked hard catching up to Davies with the two heroes of the L26 sailing fraternity fighting it out as they made their way down to the finish line. Davies claimed his second win of the regatta, as the defending champion Giovanni crossed the line in second, his best position so far.

A big gap had opened up between the first two yachts and the rest of the pack who were all hunting for third place.
Royal Natal Yacht Club’s Orion B2G2 secured a third place, keeping them in second position overall, three points adrift from log leaders, Royal Cape Yacht Club. UCT ended their day in fourth and points points behind on the log. The young team from Cape Town are level on 16 points with defending champions, False Bay Yacht Club.

Defence Yacht Club Western Province was in fifth, PYC Choose Life High Performance Sailing in sixth, both teams sharing 18 points on the log.

Proveyeur on the Langebaan Yacht was in seventh in race three and is seventh on the log with 21 points.
Craig Millar sailing for Henley Midmar Yacht Club finished ninth yesterday (Tuesday) and is on 22 points in eighth position.

Light wind is expected for the next two days of the 121st Lipton Challenge Cup which will make for thrilling tactics as the wind shifts around a lot more, making it more demanding on the teams.

Results:
1 Royal Cape Yacht Club (Greg Davies) 7pts, 2 Royal Natal Yacht Club (Ricky Robinson) 10pts, 3 University Cape Town Yacht Club (Neil Malan / Oliver Hobson) 16pts, 4 False Bay Yacht Club (Andrea Giovanni / Markus Progli) 16pts, 5 Point Yacht Club Choose Life High Performance Sailing (Richard Weddel) 18pts, 6 Defence Yacht Club Western Province (David Shilton), 7 Langebaan Yacht Club (Dominique Proveyeur / Ken Venn), 8 Henley Midmar Yacht Club (Craig Lipton Challenge Cup website