Basilica hit the jackpot Day One of iShares Cup

by Emily Caroe on 26 May 2007
Extreme 40 Basilica take the lead after day one of racing at the iShares Cup, Munich. Ending the day with a perfect score card with four wins, the British team, helmed by Robert Greenhalgh, are now the team to beat on Lake Starnberg.

'I'm really pleased with the boat's performance - it's a good start. We knew it would be moderate breeze but the conditions are the same for everyone here. You have to accept that the conditions are tricky but it doesn't always go against you. There are lots of gains to be made downwind,' Greenhalgh reflected when back on shore. 'We've got a long way to go and the regatta is still very open so we're just plugging away at our own results.'

The six-boat Extreme 40 fleet got four races out of five away today in only two-three knots with a maximum of five. Built super-light, these 40ft catamarans can get up speed in light airs, still managing to fly the occasional hull in the stronger gusts during the informal racing this morning.

Race officer Peter Moor took a practical approach to racing in light winds while several teams were hoping luck was on their side. 'If there's just enough wind to start a race, I will get these guys sailing,' Moor explained.

Andreas Hagara, skipper of Holmatro was slightly more sceptical about racing in the light conditions. 'The racing today wasn't just about being able handling your boat well,' Hagara, explained. 'This was a bit about luck.'

If luck was indeed the key to success, then Basilica had buckets of it. The team was met with applause from spectators as they completed their final race of the day, securing their Mumm Champagne moment at the prizegiving. Scoring four straight wins gave them 40-points and a seven point lead ahead of second-place Tommy Hilfiger who also found the benefit of being consistent and continually chased down Basilica out on the racetrack. A great start for the team who only took delivery of their new boat last week.

'For us this event is about learning to work together as a unit,' Tommy Hilfiger skipper Stan Schreyer revealed. 'We've got one new crew member and I'm sailing in a new position [for the 2007 series] so we've got a bit of work on for the next few days.' Schreyer continued, 'We didn't end the day on a strong note [referring to a port/starboard penalty on the last race of the day] so we're a bit disappointed at the moment.'

Right behind in third place were Volvo Ocean Race crewed by an all-French team skippered by Jean-Christophe Mourniac who showed good speed in the light conditions and were obviously pleased with their result.

Offshore Challenges Sailing Team struggled to find their form, ending their day in fourth place. 'We used up all our bad luck today,' Nick Moloney stated. 'In four races we ran aground twice, had a penalty and were slow to accelerate in the light winds. The whole team has agreed that we sailed below our ability today so tomorrow we'll try and turn it around.'

Dutch team Holmatro, also sporting a brand new boat this season, didn't seem to find their form and a hit a mark during a rounding in race three resulting in a penalty. Team 'SLAM' Denmark filled the final spot today finishing in sixth places suffering a DNF [Did Not Finish] in the second race of the day for not finishing within six minutes of the first-placed boat.

Racing resumes tomorrow and more light winds are forecast, although the threat of thunderstorms could add to the drama of the second day of racing in the iShares Cup, Munich. The event wraps up on Sunday, 26th May.

Results
Position/ Boat/ Skipper/ Points
1st / Basilica/ Robert Greenhalgh / 40
2nd/ Tommy Hilfiger/ Stan Schreyer / 33
3rd/ Volvo Ocean Race / Jean-Christophe Mourniac/ 32
4th/ Offshore Challenges Sailing Team / Nick Moloney/ 28
5th/ Holmatro/ Andreas Hagara/ 24
6th/ Team 'SLAM' Denmark/ Erik Filso Pedersen/ 23