If Monday was the sailor’s day of nightmares, then Tuesday was their day of dreams
The traumatic events of yesterday, with that swell, that chop and that wind were now but a distant memory. The second day of the A-Cat Worlds dawned bright. Not that that says anything, as everyday has been dawning bright since we all got here. The carbon epoxy sandwich repairs, expertly done by the Scheuer nightshift crew had cured and just needed a bit of sanding. Rudder winglets refitted or replaced, most were able to put to sea again and sail the three scheduled races required to bring the series back on track.
Everyone, as usual now, was waiting on the beach, sails neatly rolled to await the flag message went you the Race Officers to say they were in position, conditions were acceptable, and racing was going to happen. The signal given, the whole beach, and 180 A-Cat sailors, and willing/unwilling helpers sprang into action. Sails pushed up masts – for the uninitiated, the A-Class Cat usually has no sail halyard, and the sail has a stiff plastic boltrope, so are pushed up until their head ring engages the mast head hook with a satisfying click. A quick little tug down proved it was properly engaged. All rigged, checklist completed, harnesses adjusted, gloves and helmets on, time to go racing.
At the race areas, the boats start to assemble. Open Foilers again had the North course, Classics to the South, with a decent separation between, so no stragglers and get lost. Once the Race Officer was happy with this mark positions, it was finally flag waving time.
On the Open course boats cruised or just sat patiently floating. Their warn-ups usually done on the mile trip out to the start area. Into the traditional 5-4-1 Go sequence and a wall of A-Cat sails, nearly half a kilometre long, launched forward at 15 + knots toward the top mark. You can see this nicely on their trackers on https://www.metasail.com/incoming/612/ I really recommend watching, it’s a great education for us mere mortals.
At the top mark, ten minutes later, it was Mischa Heemskerk, NED 007 rounding first, and chased by Darren Bundock, AUS88 and with a little chasing pack of Stevie Brewin AUS 4, Manolo Calavia ESP 11, Ravi Parent USA 76, and tailed by Kuba Surowiec POL 41. Then was a bit of a gap until the second band of sailors arrives. The sea was nice and bumpy, maybe a foot or two of chop, with the winds, now at about 10 kts, adding a little more. Just enough for the sailors to enjoy the way an A-Cat hull knifes through the wave and water with supreme elegance.
The downwind chase was on, 20+ knots, boats fully powered up, steering and sheeting to keep the boats driving forward on their foils. It’s a real workout foiling these boats. They are not like Moths, they have no nice little wand to control the ride height, only the sailor’s skill in board rake settings and their body position, coupled with judicious tiller control and sheet adjustment to balance the whole system.
Mischa was the first to gybe off, but the others stuck with that original line before gybing a few minutes later. Mischa must have seen a patch of better pressure on the right. When he gybed back and blasted down at 25kts to the bottom gate to go back upwind on the left, he rounded a goo 100m ahead of the pack. Back at the top it was still Mischa doggedly followed by Bundy. The Mischa Masterclass finished as he crossed the line with Bundy next, then a very close finish for third with Manolo just pipping Kuba, much to his Catalonian delight. Ravi then beat Stevie with 5th and 6th
In the next band, and it interesting that these ‘bands’ form and clear watching the trackers, Bruce Mahoney USA 311 put in a superb race in a 7th and David Brewer AUS 20 a great 8th.
The next race was readied in good time by the Race officer. The main delay looks to be caused by waiting for the tail enders to finish. Even if they then get timed out, they are still on the course and the Race Officer can’t adjust any course marks until the pass them. Discussion has been had about the Grand Prix finish, whereby everyone ends the lap they are on after the winner crosses the line. The positions for lapped boats calculated on lap times taken on committee boats. Of course, it is important then to accurately record those times, but the sailors would really appreciate this I feel. In the case here, as Mischa finished, many boats were still yet to reach their bottom marks and rounded up on their final laps. At least the GP finish would reduce that extra slower sailor lap time being added to the waiting times.
Open Race 3 got off cleanly, and it’s amazing how a massive 80-boat fleet can be got away cleanly, and it’s a real credit to the sailing discipline of the sailors. Good start for pin end Kuba, Mischa less so being caught further back, Bundy also go good clean wind, but Ravi tacked away early to try and get out of the wall of turbulence (Great name for a band that – Wall Of Turbulence, you can thank me later) caused by being mid line. The pressure looked to be more on the right this race, and many tried that side. Kuba went for the middle and was absolutely blasting upwind as a result, ducking Ravi at the layline before his tack to the top mark. A slight header deprived Ravi of laying the top from his layline tack, so leaving him short and needing another tack to get across. He then joined Kuba at the mark, just in time to see Bundy round it in his usual effortless splayfooted relaxed style and cruise off past the spreader in the lead.
But Kuba and Mischa engaged full reheat and caught him halfway down the leg. Kuba looked particularly fast, sailing as smoothly as ever. Mischa just looks powerful, and it dictates his sailing style. He makes the boat bend to his will. But watching the pair, I’m really reminded of the great Mischa/Ashby races of the 2015 and 2018 World days, and I’m looking forward to seeing more this week!
At the blue flags, it was Kuba, only he was followed by the ever-present spectre of Bundy in second, having caught and passed Mischa at the bottom mark on lap 2. Ravi still haunted Mischa him too and by now Manolo had gotten into the fight as well. The finish was Kuba, Bundy, Ravi, Manolo and Mischa. This is rather fun! And a little further down the fleets, epic battles were being engaged. Lamberto Cesare ITA 13 was having a good battle with Bruce Mahoney, Emmanuel Dode FRA 2, and Abdon Ibanez ESP 74.
However, I am always amazed at how few sailors actually check behind themselves near the finish. If they did, they’d see another competitor rapidly closing in on them. Time after time we witnessed places changing on the finish line, places that could possibly have been defended with a little tactical forthought? But, again, such fun!
Meanwhile over on the Classic course in the beautiful South area, the sailors were having an equally great time in their Prosecco sailing conditions. The previous day had wrought havoc amongst the usual expected positions, with some top sailors well down the field. One such was last year’s silver medallist Gustavo Doreste ESP 72. Being unable/unwilling to cope in that Southern Ocean conditions, he’d retired to fight another day, realising descension and valour are linked. Today he started making amends, gaining all three bullets.
However, his nearest championship rivals hung on yesterday, scoring points in single figures, so unless something happens, breakage, OCS or whatever, all possible scenarios, he does have a struggle. That lovable old Pole, Jacek Noetzel POL1, the wily old wolf Scotty Anderson AUS 31 and that outback beef farmer Andrew Landenberger AUS 308 are all at the top, separated by a point each. This one could also be close.
But I will leave you with the words of that wonderful quiet reflective Scots bard, Hugh MacGregor GBR 18, who is happily sitting in 14th place
He says ‘Now that was fun, slowly building all day from about 10 to 16 knots, water a bit flatter than yesterday but finishing up about where yesterday started. No real pattern to the course, either side or even the middle sometimes paid off, just put the penny in the slot, pull the lever, and see what you get. First race I went right up the second beat and lost about 10 places, but mostly it was pretty even. Today’s third race got a blinding start and ended up coming into the first windward mark third, just behind Gustavo (Second last year) and Landy (2 times world champ), who’d both gone further left, and just in front of Scotty (current world champ), who’d gone right. It was a moment of sheer bliss, could have just peeled of and put my boat on the trailer happy, just glorious to see all the fleet spread out on the beat. Alas, am in pretty good shape upwind, but today was a perfect day for pushing wild downwind, a gear I don’t have with the venerable Tool, so usually lost 4 or 5 places each run.
But damn, what a day to be on the water, can’t think I’ve enjoyed a day of racing more, ever.’
Today, we rinse and repeat.
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