Race two for ACC boats

Ed Gorman was there for GBR Challenge's second foray into the competitive area this afternoon

After their win in the first race of the day, the GBR Challenge crew in GBR 52 (aka Idaten) hit the startline in the second race right on the money and with great positioning. While the New Zealand team skippered by Dean Barker in NZL 32, got pushed over with the strong tide and had to go back, Ian Walker on GBR 52 won the pin and started with Andy Beadsworth in the 1995-vintage GBR 41 alongside him. At this stage ITA 45 (aka Luna Rossa) with Francesco de Angelis at the wheel was about two boatlengths behind, also at the pin.

In moderate conditions it looked as though a second consecutive win for the British team was on the cards, with GBR 52 holding position ahead of ITA 45, as tactician Ado Stead took her up to the starboard layline. At the weather mark first time round, the British crew were 14 seconds to the good and went into an excellent hoist as they rounded the spreader mark. Behind them Beadsworth was in third place, 52 seconds off the pace.

During the first part of the first run, there was drama on GBR 41 when bowman Nick Pearson took a blow from the spinnaker pole in the face and instinctively stepped back off the boat. Bloodied but not seriously hurt, Pearson was picked up by one of the syndicate's chase boats and rejoined his crew later in the race (see photo).

Ahead, Walker and Stead were battling against the slightly superior pace of ITA 45 - a function perhaps of superior hull design and or more advanced sails and appendages. At one stage the two boats were sailing on opposite gybes a mere boatlength apart. However at the first leeward mark came the key moment in the contest when the Italians got inside the British boat and managed to round ahead, though Walker was not entirely happy that they had rights to do so.

"We had a bit of an incident at the mark because we didn't think they necessarily had water on us. They were claiming water, so we decided to let them in. We did fly a flag, but these things happen so we let it go," Walker explained afterwards.

The leeward mark rounding was notable also for the way the British held their kite well after the Italians and managed to tidy it away without incident. But it was effectively race over at that stage as the boats split tacks up the second beat and the Italians emerged at the top mark for the second time 27 seconds to the good. At the death ITA 45 crossed the line a reasonably comfortable winner, 31 seconds ahead of GBR 52.

Though beaten in that race, the overall impression of GBR 52 was of a well-sailed boat that was perhaps only marginally slower than Prada. It was a polished performance from which the British team, after only three months of work-up and only one new set of sails to play with, can take real encouragement.