Good start for de Ridder
Tuesday August 22nd 2006, Author: Andy Robertson, Location: Mediterranean
Holding off their arch-rivals
Warpath, Peter de Ridder’s
Mutua Madrilena earned the best available points from the first stage of the 84-mile Offshore race at the Breitling MedCup TP52 series’ Athens Trophy on the Saronic Gulf. It was a fitting midway bounty for De Ridder and his mainly Emirates Team New Zealand crewed Judel Vrolijk design.
After rounding the first mark in seventh and the second buoy in sixth, Mutua struck the lead when the modest breeze died the first of many deaths. They stayed low on the close reach back across the Gulf, at one stage flying a gennaker, and found better breeze to lead from the third mark to the points gate.
By contrast the boats which strayed left, towards the mainland shore suffered a localised shut down, some for many minutes. While the track was still riddled with holes there were few opportunities for early casualties of this sticky spot to get back among the front runners.
With the light breeze building by mid afternoon, the first part of the Offshore taxed tacticians and navigators, trying to stay one step ahead of the next change, while the single track racing thereafter was more of a test of sheer boat speed and concentration with few passing opportunities.
Best starts off the line were those of Caixa Galicia and Warpath and this pair were never out of the top three places all the way round the first 40 miles, with Warpath passing the points gate off the island of Flevis just 13 seconds behind, with Caixa taking the points for third just under one minute behind.
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