Report from Team Leader Anthony Bailey

20 July 2012    

In the first race Rory started at the pin end of the line. His start was reasonable but he had to try to work himself into the fleet. From his starting position Rory was not able to find enough clean air to keep touch with the rest of the fleet. As a result he found himself finishing near the back end of the fleet.

Antonio started mid fleet but dropped the line of the fleet when he tacked to the right as he searched for clean air. This move would turnout to be a good move has Antonio found himself in a competitive position. Unfortunately as he was gaining on the fleet the race was abandoned. In the second start, of the same race, Antonio’s start was not as good as his first but he was able to get clean air as he headed to the right. This allowed him to stay with the fleet but unfortunately he started to drop boats and end mid fleet.

Makai had a good start in the first race however he too was impacted by the cancellation of the first race, Makai was sitting in the top 15 when the race was cancelled.  In the second start Makai fell back early in the race but managed to cross the fleet in a good position from the left. In the second up wind he started to play the right of the course and managed to pick-up boats as a result. This move enabled Makai to finish in the top twenty.

Peter had an excellent start and was able to sail with the fleet. However, when the knock came this proved to be his undoing as the people below him started to tack and when Peter tacked he found himself below the fleet. From that point on Peter’s boat speed started to slow and caused him to lose places as boats from the right and left started to cross him. Peter finished back of the fleet..

Chase started close the Race Committee (R/C) and found himself in the first row of the start. Chase decided to play the left side of the course and was doing Ok. What proved to be an issue for him was the fact that the first mark started to drift. The R/C decided to substitute a R/C boat  for the mark, however, Chase was not able to discern what flag was being flown from the R/C boat and instead of heading for the R/C boat he headed towards the drifting mark, which at this time was under tow. In the end Chase ended up near the back of the fleet.

In Chase’s second race he started in the same position as his first but instead of a first row start he was second row. This forced Chase to tack and sail on the right side of the course. He experienced a left wind shift which prevented him from having a good crossing. A storm started to approach the race area just as Chase was sailing the downwind stage of the race. With the onset of the storm came the first of two wind shifts each of which would have different affect on the rest of Chase’s race. The first enabled Chase to catch a few boats but with the second wind shift caused him to lose the boats he had gained.

Team Racing 21 July 2012

In the first race Bermuda faced the Swiss (SUI). Bermuda started slow and the Swidd took control. As a result the team decided to go for positions where SUI could be pushed back to 7 and 8 positions. At the first mark Bermuda was still trying to gain control by implementing the mark drops. As a result Team Bermuda was able to force the SUI team back and Bermuda was able to prevail as they (Bermuda) pushed the SUI back to 7 and 8.

In race two Bermuda faced Turkey. Bermuda started the race with penalties. These penalties put the team at an immediate disadvantage causing them to employ the same tactics as the pervious race, however, when approaching the top mark Bermuda suffered yet another penalty forcing the team back into 8. On the reach and downwind the team tried to recover and was gaining ground however once again the jury penalized the team thereby ending any hopes of winning. Albeit the race did not turn out as hoped, the team fought right to the end leaving no room for a Turkey mistake.

In the last race against Portugal, the team got off to a slow start and once more had to employ the 7 and 8 mode in an effort to win. The team had one sailor trapped in the 8 position, and was gunning for the other Portugal sailor who they needed to pin into 7. During the last upwind Team Bermuda’s plan looked to be working as they pinned two of the Portugal sailors into 7 and 8 position. However, a missed opportunity by the on water jury ended any hopes of a Bermuda win. Instead of awarding Team Bermuda a call, they assessed a call against Bermuda and there was no time to recover. Once more the team went down fighting but in this last race, the Team was really sat back by an error.

Although the team did not progress to the final rounds, the fighting spirit and never say never attitude was evident and put on display at every opportunity.