Santander World 2014 – Darren Bundock reflects on frustrating regatta

Darren Bundock and Nina Curtis - 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships Santander Thom Touw http://www.thomtouw.com

Nina Curtis and Darren Bundock © Sail-World.com http://www.sail-world.com

After a great season so far, the duo have only missed the podium once all season, Santander is proving challenging.

We spoke to Bundy in the Santander boat park a few minutes ago

‘It’s been a bit frustrating. So far it has been a windy regatta for us which is what we weren’t expecting.

‘Unfortunately on the light days it has been too light and we haven’t got any racing in. We just barely got four races in ranging from 25 knots. It was always 25 knots at the top of the course and sometimes when we got probably 10 to 12 knots. We had very shifty conditions yesterday. Very tricky and we got it wrong a couple of times. Got caught on the wrong side. Ended up with an 18th which ended up getting changed to a 17th which hasn’t helped our results at all.

ISAF Sailing World Championships 2014 © Sail-World.com http://www.sail-world.com

‘A little bit frustrating because we were expecting lighter breezes for the event with nice sea breezes and stuff and it just hasn’t eventuated. Today the forecast is for light sea breezes but now the land breeze is persisting at the moment and we are postponed.

‘We have three races scheduled today but the forecast is quite light for sea breezes and unfortunately we have also got thunderstorms late afternoon as well. It is narrowing the window down a bit.

‘However on the bright side between Jason Waterhouse and Lisa Darmanin and ourselves one of us should qualify Australia for Rio in the Nacra 17.

‘Jason is in fifth and we are in eighth so one of us has to hang in the top ten and hopefully we can both go forward a little bit from there. Yes I think between us we should be able to pull that off.

‘Jason and Lisa had a really good day yesterday. They had a one and a two and a couple of tens. Considering the conditions that we had yesterday they should be really pleased with that. I think just to survive the day they did really well out of it.

‘If we can get three races in today we will be really happy. Especially in the light sea breeze. 4 to 8 knots they have got forecast. Hopefully it will be a little bit more consistent that what we had in the land breeze we had yesterday.

‘A decent sea breeze will usually around to the North East so it is very similar to being off Sydney really. We are having sou’westers so it is completely the opposite direction.

‘It’s been challenging so far. Yesterday the breeze was coming straight out of the harbour, where we are here. There are big valleys and stuff where it rolls down and funnels down out of the harbour and then disperses and starts to go off shore a little bit and there is quite big cliffs along the coast line as well.

‘Yesterday we had the breeze coming off the top of the cliffs and then dropping down to the top mark so there were big gusts and big shifts coming through sometimes. I think predominantly the right hand side was paying yesterday but often the left hand side would come through as you got towards the top mark.

‘Actually each race yesterday we did have some moments of glory especially on the first upwind. We always seemed to have it right half way up there and then as we got towards the top then we found ourselves being stuck on the wrong side of something.

‘At the moment we are just postponed and the land breeze was meant to die out by midday and it’s still in so it’s hurry up and wait.

‘Ahead of us in the fleet the regatta leader Billy Besson (FRA) is sailing great. He is not making any errors. He is quick. He is sailing well. Obviously the score sheet is showing that. He got unstuck a couple of times yesterday but he got a 12th and a seventh which is a bad one for him at the moment.

‘Billy has dominated most of the year. The Italians were giving him a bit of a hurry up in a few regattas but I think when Billy doesn’t make a major error or something he is generally up the front.

‘For us today we have some work to do today and hoping for the opportunity to do it. That’s the main thing, just getting the opportunity. In all the training we had pretty good pace in the light so if we can get out there and get a few races in we will be happy.’