RMW Marine move ahead

After day one of International 14's Riva Cup, reports Andy Rice

Alister Richardson and Dan Johnson sailed their International 14 RMW Marine superbly on Day 1 of the Riva Cup at Lake Garda. In Race 1, defending champions and yesterday’s winners of the Adolfo Bastardo Trophy, Martin Jones and Andy Rice, made a perfect port tack start and launched Gill Marine out to the right hand side of the course. Close on their tail were Mike Lennon and John McKenna in Hyde Sails and Tim Robinson and Zeb Elliott aboard Selden Masts.

The RMW boys made a slow start but picked their way well up the shifts and were showing a good turn of pace in the Force 4 breeze. They rounded the windward mark close on the tail of Gill Marine, and by the leeward mark had moved into a boat length’s lead on Jones and Rice who left their kite drop a little late in the fresh conditions. Meanwhile Selden Masts had moved up close on to Jones’s tail and there was little to choose in speed terms between any of the front pack.

With freedom to sail their own race, however, the RMW team put the hammer down and were never challenged after that. A close battle was developing between Gill and Selden, and down the final run there was nothing to choose between them. This time at the final leeward mark before the short dash to the finish, it was the Selden team’s turn to leave the gybe drop a little too late. In they fell, leaving Gill clear to take second across the line, and allowing Hyde Sails to scoot past into third place. Robinson and Elliott still salvaged a fourth place before the rapidly closing pack could make things any worse for them.

Race 2 started in slightly lighter but still very challenging conditions. While the wind had moderated the direction was a good deal less predictable. A number of boats went for the port tack option towards the towering cliffs of Garda, but this time Gill Marine fell foul of a starboard tacker and had to take penalty turns. Up at the front, Ian Pinnell and Tim Hancock were duelling with the usual suspects of RMW, Hyde and Selden.

Lennon and McKenna rounded first followed by RMW and Selden. However, at the leeward mark it all went wrong again for Selden as they capsized again, this time caused by a snapped trapeze T-terminal. This left RMW and Hyde Sails locked in a duel for victory with a clear gap to the pack behind. Gill Marine were working some good shifts in the middle of the lake to move ahead of the German and Swiss teams, to take third across the line with Pinnell and Hancock in fourth.

The third race started but was soon abandoned as the wind went squiffy, and the race officer sent the fleet home for an early bath. With two days still to race, RMW leads by a point from Hyde Sails with Gill Marine a further point behind in third.

Results after two races – Top Three only

Pos Boat Team Scores Overall Points

1. RMW Marine – Alister Richardson/ Dan Johnson 1,2 3
2. Hyde Sails - Mike Lennon/ John McKenna 3,1 4
3. Gill Marine - Martin Jones/ Andy Rice 2,3 5