GBR Challenge out

Peter Harrison's team go down to Stars and Stripes

Stars & Stripes USA-77 beats Wight Lightning GBR-70
DELTA 01:42 Stars and Stripes wins the best of seven series, 4-1

Team Dennis Conner helmsman Ken Read, showing new life in the pre-start, again took the action to GBR Challenge counterpart Ian Walker. GBR’s Wight Lightning seemed to have problems manoeuvring in the pre-start, as evidenced by the frightened look in Walker’s face. The boat often stalled in the pre-start the last two races, and this gave Read added incentive to attack.

Although Read failed to gain a penalty on Walker and the Brits, he did get a better start at the committee boat end on port tack and a length ahead of Wight Lightning. Stars & Stripes wanted the right side of the beat and it paid off early. The American crew kept tacking on the British. After the first three meetings about 10 minutes into the match and halfway up the beat, they led by five boatlengths.

The Americans led by 42 seconds at the windward mark but the British, flying a full-size symmetric spinnaker on the run to the Americans’ asymmetric, attacked and closed to 22 seconds beginning the second beat. But the Americans kept protecting the right and sailed away to a comfortable series win.