34th Student Yachting World Cup at La Rochelle - Day 2
by SYWoC Press Office 20 Oct 2014 02:23 PDT
15-22 October 2014
Today's wind was so low that only two windward/leeward races were run, one in the morning and the other in the late afternoon. It enabled the competitors to escape from the pressure of the race, chilling a little bit, waiting for the wind to rise again. France knew today its best day since the beginning of the competition. They spent the two races at the very first positions, even rivalling with the ultra-dominant English team. They showed today an astounding panache, and can now hope to improve their ranking before the end of the SYWoC.
The first race (race 7 overall, three laps and 0.7 nm) started with a shining sun but a lazy wind... Technique was essential today. No OCS were reported. All the boats left on starboard tack. Who could have expected that France and Japan would lead the race at first ? (In particular thanks to a good tactical choice from the Japanese crew at the second buoy, taking a longer tack) Unfortunately for them, Japan got passed during the last leeward leg finishing at the fifth seed. Eventually, France won the race, followed by England and Italy.
Due to the lack of wind, the race committee decided to wait before launching the second race, and the crews had some time to relax and practice their diving and swimming skills! (We even saw the Swiss diving from their mast, shortly followed by the French crew from Polytechnique.) As the situation did not evolve, everyone came back to land, to the race village where they could enjoy some fresh beers, crêpes, and even play cards.
Around 4'o clock all crews went back sailing for a second race. Not every crew in fact as the Japanese team missed the call and didn't compete for that race. That's a shame as they had done a really good first race! After a general recall under black flag, the race began. England won the race (once more!), followed by France and Ireland.
England is clearly dominating this competition, their sailing skills are incredible: they never make any mistake and show complete mastery at sea. Ireland maintains a good level and reaches the 3rd and 4th places of today's races: they now rank 2nd overall. Italy is 3rd of the general ranking, but the USA are only two points behind.
England has a solid first place but the race is still open to complete the podium!
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