It was an exciting day one at the RC44 Calero Marinas Cup as the top eight boat racing teams ended up being separated by just six points. The competition has possibly been stiffer as the racing season nears its end while another plausible reason is the tricky tests the team faced in the three races.
The nine competing sides moored at Canary Island, just south of Arrecife’s Marina Lanzarote. As the first race got underway, Team Aqua edged the others to emerge winners. Skipper Chris Bake later admitted that the strong finish in the first race put them “in good wind” and was “the breaker.”
Bake’s tactician Cameron Appleton added that after the break, the team just sailed free as being entangled with the rest of the bunch could affect sailing plans. He stressed that consistency was a target for the racing teams due to the state of the sea. The venue is known for powerful north east trade winds but the direction was largely southeastern and onshore today.
In the second race, the defending champs CEEREF dominated. Igor Lah said they raced normally and were happy with the result even though the final race “was a bit of a casino.”
In the final race, Team Bronenosec won. Team Artenis started very well while Team Nika pursued, leaving Bronenosec in third. As the wind dropped at the second weather mark, Team Nika took the lead while Bronenosec moved into the second spot. Team Nika preferred port tack but Bronenosec held on starboard and maintained their push to defeat Team Nika.
Overall, Team Acqua finished in first place but they lead by just a point. Team CEEREF claimed second while Team Nika placed third overall.