 |
 |
  Spring's still-reluctant arrival - Sailing from North America & beyond
 | | J/70s at Charleston Race Week Tim Wilkes / Charleston Race Week |
Spring maybe be arriving to my Pacific Northwest homeport in a much tardier fashion than I would prefer, but I'm happy to report two observations-one based on empirical evidence, the other based on my calendar-that are sure-fire signs of spring's eventual arrival in North America. The first noted occurrence was the fact that it was 50 degrees Fahrenheit on my 0515 hours run today, making today the first time that I've experienced balmy enough temps to shed my fleece gloves since October. The second, which is of course of far, far greater significance to sailors nationwide, is the fact that the starting guns begin to sound for the much anticipated Sperry Charleston Race Week (April 20-23) this Thursday.
While I've not yet had the pleasure of participating in Charleston Race Week, it's on my Bucket List for a few simple reasons. For starters, this highly competitive regatta is the first large-scale spring event to unfurl on waters outside of Florida or the Caribbean each year, and it has a fantastic reputation for being a fun, well-run event that takes place just off of a beautiful and historic Southern city.
 | | 2015 Sperry Charleston Race Week - Day 1 Sander Van Der Borch |
Stir in some of the hottest One Design and handicap fleets afloat, including J/70s (76 entries), VX Ones (16 entries), Viper 640s (10 entries), and Melges 24s (21 entries), as well as more venerable designs such as the classic J/22s (four entries) J/24s (20 entries), and you've quickly got a red-hot One Design regatta that also runs handicap races (PHRF and ORC) for some of the bigger keelboats.
Next, factor in some great racecourse management, as well as a city that offers a wealth of charming restaurants, cafes and bars, 65 public parks, plenty of golf courses, as well as an enticing and relaxed vibe that famously welcomes first-time visitors and returning racecourse aces alike.
 | | Steve Lesniak's Charleston-based Beneteau 510 Celadon is among the biggest boats at the event and even it's crew found the massive waves offshore to be a challenge on Day 2 of Sperry Charleston Race Week. Tim Wilkes |
While long-term weather forecasts are oftentimes slippery slopes (at best), NOAA is calling for 10-15 knots and two to three foot waves, as of the time of this writing, with partly sunny skies overhead and temperatures in the high-70s/low-80s...potentially chilly for anyone fresh off of the Caribbean circuit, but did I mention that I was thrilled to take off my gloves for the uphill/downwind section of my run this morning?
Meanwhile, on sailing's international stage, the sailing temps appear to be just about perfect on Bermuda's Great Sound, where all six teams that are competing in the 35th America's Cup are now based. Emirates Team New Zealand (ETNZ) had been making the most of the summertime conditions on the Hauraki Gulf, off of Auckland, to train in “relative” secrecy (minus Oracle Team USA's “eyes”, of course), but their ACC yacht, which features its distinctive “bicycle” style grinding arrangement, arrived on the island nation via a Boeing 747 last week, bringing the total count of ACCs on Bermuda to a half-dozen.
 | | Emirates Sky Cargo 747 arrives in Bermuda and unloads Emirates Team NZ's AC50 Hamish Hooper/Emirates Team NZ |
ETNZ may be new to the party on Bermudian waters, but the other teams have been there for some time and have been engaging in “friendly practice” sessions that are designed to bolster each teams' ability to engage in close-quarters maneuvering prior to next month's racing, and to also give teams an opportunity to speed check against their rivals.
Interestingly, some teams are showing more promise than expected, at least in these early days of competition.
 | | Artemis Racing - Practice Session 3, - April 10-12, 2017 Austin Wong | ACEA |
“Artemis Racing are head and shoulders ahead in terms of consistency of maneuvers and how they manage their racing tactically,” reported Sir Russell Coutts, Oracle Team USA's CEO and a five-time Cup winner, in a report card from the practice races. “They've made a massive jump in the last two or three weeks. [Skipper] Nathan Outteridge has improved his positioning in the starts to the point that he won two of three starts against Oracle Team USA. Artemis also looked strong in defending their leads and managed to stay tack for tack with Oracle Team USA, extending a two boat length lead at the bottom gate to a seven boat length advantage by the top gate.”
 | | Sir Russell Coutts, CEO of the America's Cup Event Authority America's Cup |
As for his own team, Coutts did not mince words. “Oracle Team USA didn't have a great series,” continued Coutts. “Jimmy Spithill and Tom Slingsby will be looking to improve their consistency in maneuvers and figure out better strategies to keep themselves in the race when they get behind.”
 | | Oracle Team USA against Artemis Racing - Practice Session 3, Day 2 - April 11, 2017 Austin Wong | ACEA |
Given the levels of secrecy, subterfuge and espionage that have long cloaked Cup circles, it's unclear as to if each team was showcasing their best moves (or their fastest foils) during these practice races. So while it's tempting to carefully analyze the tea leaves to try and glean any useful information as to who might have a performance edge come AC35 (June), never forget that when it comes to the Cup and world affairs, things are far different from how they appear on the surface.
May the four winds blow you safely home,
David Schmidt, Sail-World USA Editor
|