Yachting: Team NZ wins two out of two

Team New Zealand in action in the Mediterranean. Photo / Chris Cameron

CARTAGENA, Spain - Emirates Team New Zealand powered away in heavy conditions to win two out of two on the first day of racing in the Audi MedCup regatta here today.

Having lost two race days through shifty wind conditions, the fleet was greeted today with a wind in the high 20s and a nasty, short, steep seaway.

Conditions were, Grant Dalton said, just like a Volvo Ocean race.

"Downwind as the boat thundered down the face of the waves we hit speeds in the high 20s at times. The boat would then bury the bow into the back of the next wave and a metre of white water would wash down the deck."

Dalton said: "We went from one extreme to another. For two days there wasn't enough wind to get racing away and today it cut loose.

It was a good day for us while all hell broke loose behind us with blown spinnakers, broaches and boat damage.

"These were difficult conditions and Dean Barker had the boat on the edge, particularly downwind. That's not easy to do - you only had to look at the mess that was occurring behind us. The communication between helm and trimmers was great."

With two wins, NZL 380 is on two points, and is leading the Region of Murcia Trophy regatta ahead of the Italian entry Audi Q8 on five points and the Spanish Bribon third on eight points.

Dalton said: "So two firsts not only gets us away in this regatta, I am also told that it is now mathematically impossible for us to lose the season."

(The two wins increased NZL380's series lead to 64.5 points -120.5 points with Artemis second on 184.5 - prompting the race organisers to describe Emirates Team New Zealand as the champions in waiting.)

Tactician Ray Davies said: "It was a great day... even more fun than it looked. Our biggest worry was breaking something and you do all you can to prevent that, but on the other hand you can't sail slowly."

He revealed that in the high-speed, wet, bumpy, surfing conditions he had to keep Dean Barker wedged inside the boat as they ploughed through the white water.

"I had to adopt a position I have never had to do before - facing aft with my feet wedged against the runner winch with my back to Dean to stop him sliding aft. I was the human wedge."

"We had a few moments where we were all sliding aft because of the amount of white water coming across the deck."

Davies said of the first race: "The crew work was flawless. We had a good start and went to the left which was really favoured. From there downwind was about crew-work, time on the boat sailing together as a team really helps.

"On the second race we had to pass Artemis and we did that on the run when we picked a very good lay-line. It was just one gybe and into the bottom mark."

"We covered them up the second beat and they wiped out a couple of times on the run. And we kept NZL380 upright, it was pretty much survival out there."

A sequence of mishaps and breakages conspired to drop the Argentinean boat Matador from second to fourth overall on the circuit. Their problems started with a broken aft stanchion and went on to include a broken spinnaker pole, jockey pole, slipping halyard clutches, a shredded gennaker and another broken stanchion.

While Artemis (Sweden added a second place to their seventh in the first race and promoted themselves to second on the circuit, rivals Quantum Racing (USA) tore three spinnakers and caught Bigamist 7's discarded kite around their rudder and keel, which required them to stop for several minutes to disentangle themselves.

RESULTS

Audi MedCup Circuit 2009

Overall Day 1

1. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL), 1+1= 2 points
2. Audi TP52 Powered by Q8 (ITA), 2+3= 5 points
3. Bribón (ESP), 3+5= 8 points
4. Artemis (SWE), 7+2= 9 points
5. Bigamist 7 (POR), 6+4= 10 points

Overall season points after four regattas

1. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL), 38+27,5+28+25+2= 120,5 points
2. Artemis (SWE), 37+62,5+49,5+26,5+9= 184,5 points
3. Quantum Racing (USA), 40+41,5+65+29+14= 189,5 points
4. Matador (ARG), 36+47,5+42,5+44,5+20= 190,5 points
5. Bigamist (POR), 46+55,5+57+30,5+10= 199 points