Mean Machine flies in big conditions

A report from the penultimate day of racing at the Rolex TP52 Global Championship

Only one race today at the Rolex TP52 Global Championship. But what a race. No huge change in the leaderboard, but when you get to see TP52s screaming downwind in 20+ knots, that seems a minor detail. Peter de Ridder's Mean Machine (MON) gave a heavy-air sailing demonstration to lead the fleet around the course and finish some way ahead of Stay Calm (GBR). Artemis (SWE) kept her championship aspirations on target with a fourth, while Windquest (USA) might be forgiven for keeping their heads down after an unfortunate incident with HRH King Harald of Norway's Fram XVI (NOR) at the second windward mark. Going into the final day Artemis has a 15 point lead.

It took until 4.15pm for the wind to abate sufficiently for Peter Craig and the Race Committee of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda to get a race away. The single windward-leeward course was held inside the channel between the Maddalena Islands and Sardinia - Bomb Alley to the crews. The 2.4 nautical mile leg saw crews racing past some stunning scenery bathed on late afternoon sunshine; not that they had too much time to gaze on that with the race starting in 24-25knots.

The start was almost overshadowed by CAM (ESP) splitting her mainsail in half just before the warning signal. Eventually, she cleared the start area and watched with the rest of the spectator fleet as the TP52s jostled for position in the choppy seas and blustery wind, before they hardened up for the gun. No one was over early on this start.



Mean Machine hit the pin end of the line like a steam-train, with Patches (IRL) on her hip. Stay Calm was caught in the slipstream and had a distinctly second row start after stalling just beneath Valars. Mid-line, Windquest, Anonimo Q8 (ITA) and Mutua Madrilena (CHI) were tight together with Artemis tucked in behind. The beat was one of hitting shifts and keeping clean. Patches went further left than most, but that did not appear to hurt her too much as she rounded the windward mark in second behind Mean Machine. That said she was a good 30 seconds behind.

De Ridder was understandably pleased with the performance, particularly the start: "we felt the wind conditions favoured the newer boats, but even though Mean Machine is a 2006 TP52 she is very fast in the breeze and we have been quicker than our targets. The keystone of the race was the start; we made a really good start, really good; in fact I think it has been the best start for us all season!"

Windquest was third around the mark, Mutua Madrilena in fourth and with Stay Calm in sixth the five boats immediately behind Artemis in the overall standings had rounded ahead of her. Tornqvist's grey arrow went round in tenth after appearing to over stand the port layline and having to duck behind two or three boats coming in on starboard.

Mean Machine sped off downwind with her crew crammed towards the stern, clearly relishing the sleigh ride in 25 knots. Patches headed to the opposite side of the course in an attempt to bridge the gap, but De Ridder's crew proceeded to take more time out of the fleet on the run to the leeward gate, arriving 50 seconds ahead of Eamon Conneely and crew. Mean Machine executed the perfect, early, float drop benefitting from the space and time afforded by their big lead. When Mutua Madrilena attempted the same manoeuvre it all went wrong and the Chilean boat ended up with her spinnaker all but covering the left hand gate mark and she lost several places in the ensuing penalty turn. Stay Calm rounded in fourth.

De Ridder commented that he and the crew "had talked prior to the start about the manoeuvres and decided to prepare for them with plenty of time in advance." Adding that, "in any event we've been sailing together for a lot of years and the whole team knows what's going on and how to get it done." Ominously, for those hoping she was about to have a bad day, Artemis had picked up a couple of spots and now lay in seventh.

The second windward leg was again about reading and picking the shifts. Mean Machine stuck to the middle with Patches and Stay Calm tracking her the whole way. Meanwhile Artemis was picking off stray dogs and had levered her way up to fourth - adding some credence to the suggestion that the conditions might suit the newer boats.

This mark rounding was far more dramatic that the first. The first six or so TP52s rounding unscathed, but as Windquest and Mutua Madrilena approached it became apparent that they were underlaying the mark. Both bore off to have another go. But by now more boats were steaming in, some also struggling to make the layline. Mutua took a conservative route to find a slot. Windquest tried to make a tight turn back. Unfortunately for the American boat she misjudged the amount of room available and ended up being pranged by Fram XVI - the Norwegians having no space or time to avoid the collision.

After an inspection of the damage, the Norwegians returned to the windward mark and in a display of great sportsmanship, rounded the buoy hoisted their spinnaker and finished the race, in last place, but by no means disgraced. The crew were pretty confident that they could have the damage repaired overnight and be back on the race course tomorrow, "after all, it's why we are here," they remarked.

At the front, nothing disturbed the progress of Mean Machine in her drive to the finish. The battle between Patches and Stay Calm went the way of the British boat, which posted her best result of the series to date, finishing second just ahead of the Irish. Tactician Adrian Stead was happy with the way the race had gone despite the start: "we are really pleased that we got a race in today and to get back to second. We didn't get the best of starts, but one thing about racing up in the channel is that there are always plenty of opportunities to get back because it is very shifty up there and gusty. We rounded the first windward in about seventh, and then rolled a couple on the run. There were some opportunities at the gate, which we took. Vasco touched the mark and honourably did his turns; we also got Windquest there. We then set our sights on Patches and keeping Artemis behind us.

"We had a good last run. We closed up on Patches and she dummy gybed us away, but we came back on a good shift and got her on a port-starboard. We managed to hold her back into the finish."

With latest time for starting a race limited to 3.00pm tomorrow, the weather forecast is not promising for any of the chasing pack hoping to snare Artemis. Having had a week of too much wind, the expected strength tomorrow morning is around 4-7 knots from the southeast until lunchtime, when it should increase gradually to 9-13 knots while moving further east.

Racing is scheduled to start at noon.

Provisional overall results (top 10)

1. ARTEMIS Torbjörn Törnqvist, SWE, 6-1-1-2-4-1.25-4-19.25
2. MEAN MACHINE Peter de Ridder, MON, 7-4-6-3-6-7.50-1-34.50
3. STAY CALM Stuart Robinson, GBR, 12-7-2-4-3-8.75-2-38.75
4. PATCHES Eamon Conneely IRL, 1-5-9-8-1-15-3-42.00
5. WINDQUEST Doug DeVos, USA, 8-6-5-1-11-2.50-12-45.50
6. MUTUA MADRILENA Bablio S.P., CHI, 9-2-13-7-5-3.75-7-46.75
7. GLORY John Buchan, USA, 3-13-3-10-7-5-9-50.00
8. SIEMENS Alberto Roemmers, ESP, 11-8-10-5-2-6.25-8-50.25
9. CRISTABELLA John Cook, GBR, 2-DSQ-4-11-10-13.75-5-61.75
10. ANONIMO Q8 Ricardo Simoneschi, 4-3-7-DNF-DNF-11.25-6-63.25

More photos on the following pages....