Monday's Racing
 

October 11, 2004
 

The day started well in the Darsena with the breeze from a South-Westerly direction under blue sky. It was a good day sailing overall except for some fluky sailing in the second round. The wind on the course was perfect, gradually building until it blew itself out and left the fleet scrambling to hold their positions. There was a healthy spectator fleet again because it was a holiday, and as it was such a beautiful day they should have come away content.

The starting overall was much more interesting than usual and the tactics were more pronounced. There was more circling looking for the best position and more than once we saw teams jibe away from their competitors and the line, to end up, for one team, starting as much as one full minute after their competition.

Obviously teams were a little tired from so tough racing and the character of their sailing had changed. It is to be expected after so much wind in the last couple of days, the competition, mental and physical demands, and social obligations.

Light air for the second round turned into wildcards for the matches between Shoshoza and Oracle and twice there seemed to be a upset in the making but Oracle stayed in better wind and closer to the middle of the course to win.

Light air also made teams pay for their boat maneuvers, making it difficult regaining momentum and geting back to the starting line.

After all the sailing was over, media crew lined up for interviews with skippers, tacticians, and other crew.  Catching John Kostecki before he had a chance to leave, we asked a few quick questions.

Because John has participated in winning the Volvo Ocean race, plus an Olympic medal in the Soling, I was curious how he compared those two high-level sailing events to the America's Cup.

After a searching for his answer, he left us with: "I'd like to add this to the list," which seems fair for someone who just wants to win a "well-known" sailboat race.

After cleaning up, the team will head off for a while and come back in the Spring to train here in Valencia.

There was a serious crowd of locals on the quay for the evenings stroll and a good overall feeling to set the mood for tomorrow's events.

--from Lyn Hines ©2004