Leading up to the Cascais Cup we as a team had realistic expectations. We knew the 52 Super Series fleet had evolved considerably during the 2015 Season and we knew that the new boats were exceptionally fast in the breeze. We also knew that Cascais tends to be a very windy place and since we had the oldest boat in the fleet and certainly the most narrow we were realistically cautious about our results
But occasionally a bit of luck falls your way and in the first race of the event we won the pin in the moderate 12 knot breeze hit the first left shift and were launched into first place. Certainly this was not quite what we expected but we would certainly take it. The next race brought us back to reality with a few mistakes and a 6th place. Still at the end of the first day we were sitting in third behind Spookie and Quantum. The rest of the event was a fight from top to bottom all of the teams battling at the first top mark in some very close racing and then the more refined teams stepping out from there on. Certainly Azzurra and Quantum Racing were in a league of their own in both consistency and speed. For us the two windy days were difficult both in downwind speed as well as maneuvers. We struggled with the newer wider boats whenever it was necessary to heat it up and sail higher angles. With that said we mitigate disaster and only blew up one of our A4 Kites on the windy day. As the event continued and the breeze and enormous seas moderated we again found our rhythm and were able to finish strong ahead of the blazing fast Provezza.
One of the new additions to the Super Series is the partnership with 11th Hour Racing. In my work with 11th Hour I head heard a lot about the partnership and some of the ideas but it was grew to see first hand the steps the Series is taking to increase their focus on Sustainability. We as a team were able to test out a new filtration system by MAGIC a company out of Spain and while it wasn't exactly what we wanted it was great to compare it with the custom setup by Quantum Racing. Overall I think there is a lot of progress that can be made within the Series but I think it will happen and from that the trickle down to other events and classes will continue.
Cascais is definitely a dream spot to sail in and it is obvious why so many great teams and sailors choose to train there. The food is excellent, the prices reasonable and there is constantly great wind and swell only minutes from the harbor entrance. I look forward to going back in the coming years and exploring a bit more of the coastline north up past Guincho Beach. Next time I am bringing kite gear too!
After a quick stop off at the Monaco Yacht Show its now on to Les Voiles de Saint Tropez where we will be Racing under IRC. It should be good fun with two other IRC modified 52's as well as the new swing keel 56' Varuna. Boat is launched and rig goes in today so it should be a great event in another gorgeous venue.
But occasionally a bit of luck falls your way and in the first race of the event we won the pin in the moderate 12 knot breeze hit the first left shift and were launched into first place. Certainly this was not quite what we expected but we would certainly take it. The next race brought us back to reality with a few mistakes and a 6th place. Still at the end of the first day we were sitting in third behind Spookie and Quantum. The rest of the event was a fight from top to bottom all of the teams battling at the first top mark in some very close racing and then the more refined teams stepping out from there on. Certainly Azzurra and Quantum Racing were in a league of their own in both consistency and speed. For us the two windy days were difficult both in downwind speed as well as maneuvers. We struggled with the newer wider boats whenever it was necessary to heat it up and sail higher angles. With that said we mitigate disaster and only blew up one of our A4 Kites on the windy day. As the event continued and the breeze and enormous seas moderated we again found our rhythm and were able to finish strong ahead of the blazing fast Provezza.
One of the new additions to the Super Series is the partnership with 11th Hour Racing. In my work with 11th Hour I head heard a lot about the partnership and some of the ideas but it was grew to see first hand the steps the Series is taking to increase their focus on Sustainability. We as a team were able to test out a new filtration system by MAGIC a company out of Spain and while it wasn't exactly what we wanted it was great to compare it with the custom setup by Quantum Racing. Overall I think there is a lot of progress that can be made within the Series but I think it will happen and from that the trickle down to other events and classes will continue.
Cascais is definitely a dream spot to sail in and it is obvious why so many great teams and sailors choose to train there. The food is excellent, the prices reasonable and there is constantly great wind and swell only minutes from the harbor entrance. I look forward to going back in the coming years and exploring a bit more of the coastline north up past Guincho Beach. Next time I am bringing kite gear too!
After a quick stop off at the Monaco Yacht Show its now on to Les Voiles de Saint Tropez where we will be Racing under IRC. It should be good fun with two other IRC modified 52's as well as the new swing keel 56' Varuna. Boat is launched and rig goes in today so it should be a great event in another gorgeous venue.
RSS Feed