FAST40+ Race Circuit Round 4 at Lendy Cowes Week - Day 3
by Louay Habib 6 Aug 2018 13:30 PDT
4-7 August 2018
After a four hour delay for wind, the FAST40+ Class sprung into action on the third day of Lendy Cowes Week. Niklas Zennstrom's Rán took the gun for Race 5, but a second place for Peter Morton's Girl's on Film keeps the Isle of Wight team on top of the leaderboard by a single point. Bas de Voogd's Hitchhiker kept up their consistent form, finishing the day in third, for both the race and the series.
The sweltering heat was fanned by a solid westerly sea breeze, creating 10-15 knots of wind, which combined with a full tide, producing a tactically challenging combat zone for the grand prix class at Lendy Cowes Week. PRO Stuart Childerley chose to race the fleet on a round the cans course, starting on the main land shore in the central Solent, then into the Western Solent, with a Squadron Line finish.
"Worth the wait." commented Rán's Niklas Zennstrom. "Stuart (Childerley) made the right call keeping us ashore and when we finally got out there, we had no delay. It is great to have Peter Morton back from injury as it really has put the pressure on us, but you can't make any mistakes, as all of the boats will punish you if you do. The last time we did Cowes Week was in 2013 with the Maxi72, and it is great to be back, especially in a boat that is really suited to the Solent. It is fantastic to mix it up with other classes at Cowes Week, you don't get that at a fully professional regatta. The FAST40+ rule, which limits the number of professionals, is one of the reasons we joined the class. We have young sailors with us, learning from the best, and for myself and the professionals, we get energy, excitement and fun from sailing with them. Watching them learn and improve is very satisfying."
"Consistency is our trade mark." commented Hitchhiker's Bas de Voogd. "We got a good start today but Elvis and Rebellion were above us, which was a small problem. However, we got into a real fight with Rán and Girls on Film. We must have put in over 20 tacks inshore, which was a real work out for the team. Cowes Week holds a special place for me, I first came here racing a One Tonner when I was 18. Those memories combined with racing in the FAST40+ Class is perfect. I also love racing in tide, as a small boy I grew up sailing in the South of Holland with lots of current. Tomorrow, we will go out to win every race, we will have to sail well just to hold our position.
Racing for Round Four of the 2018 FAST40+ Race Circuit will conclude tomorrow Tuesday 07 August. Up to three races can be sailed by the class on the last day of the series.
Stay up to date with all the action through the FAST40+ Class Facebook page, www.facebook.com/FAST40UK and the official web site, www.fast40class.com