MOVING DAY AT THE SSL GOLD CUP FINAL SERIES IN GRAN CANARIA

It started with intense excitement, and ended with a whimper, but even though the winds were light, the action was frenetic on day 3 of the SSL Gold Cup 1/32 Finals in Gran Canaria.

We saw comebacks, surprises, intrigue and tension in abundance, with the four boat format providing edge-of-the-seat, nail-biting viewing for the livestream spectators.

Fleet 3 – Race 3

The first leg saw the four teams ranked in the opposite order of the overall leaderboard after day two, with Bermuda leading, Malaysia second, Ukraine third and Antigua & Barbuda last after a problem at the start left them languishing behind the fleet.

In very light winds the Bermuda ‘Privateers’ held their nerve to take the win, with Malaysia second. Antigua & Barbuda moved up to third briefly, but Ukraine took the initiative on the final gybe to sneak back in front and take third.

Ukrainian team ‘Haydamaky’ managed to catch a layline finish to streak past Antigua & Barbuda on the final stretch, putting ‘The Rum Runners’ in last place after their previous two wins.

Tactician for Malaysian team ‘The Monsoon’ was reluctant to reveal tactics before the final day

Going into Monday’s double point race things couldn’t be tighter with Antigua & Barbuda, Ukraine and Malaysia all tied on eight points, and Bermuda just two points behind, but with all the momentum after their win today. It’s wide open as to who will qualify to the 1/16 Round from Fleet 3!

Fleet 4 – Race 3

South Africa dominated the start of the race. With the other three teams hanging at the back of the fleet, Lithuania surged ahead towards the end of Leg 1 but didn’t manage to close the gap with South Africa, still lagging behind by a minute and a half. The Czech Republic and Oman were neck-and-neck as they passed the first mark.

Lithuania took the lead on the second upwind when South Africa failed to follow the golden rule of staying between your opponent and the next mark. ‘Team Ubuntu’ could only watch in horror as in a big right hand wind shift ‘The Ambers’ turned a 600 metre deficit into a 200 metre lead in a couple of minutes. It went from bad to worse with ‘The Czechs!’ also catching right up to the South African team.

The South Africans are nothing if not determined though, and an early gybe on the downwind leg saw them come back right onto the tail of the Lithuanian ‘Ambers’. The umpires were watching closely as the two engaged in the final metres of the race, with both gybing in synchronization. Rokas Milevičius and team though held their nerve to take the win, celebrating cheerfully as they crossed the finish line, 7 seconds ahead of Ian Ainslie’s South African team.

There was fighting talk from South Africa trimmer Arin Long

‘The Czechs!’ looked deflated as they crossed the finish line, but Captain Ondra Teply still holds out hope for the final race.

South Africa and Lithuania go into the double points race both in a powerful position, tied on 10 points, while Czech Republic have it all to do on 6 points. Barring a minor miracle, Oman are out of the running for a place in the 1/16 Round on 4 points.

Fleet 1 – Race 3

The wind had dropped significantly for Fleet 1 – still enough to race, but it was a game of snakes and ladders. The tension was visible on the yachts, with rapid communication between the team and smooth coordination needed to keep the boats moving.

Tahiti’s 360 degree penalty, while having to avoid the Slovenian and Peruvian boats, cost them greatly, dropping from first into third place, just a few metres ahead of Bulgaria.

By gate 2, Tahiti was 2 minutes behind Slovenia and 1 minute behind Peru, with questions of whether the race would continue. After another slow leg, Slovenia rounded mark 3 in first place, followed by Peru and Tahiti with just 5 seconds between them.

As the SSL47s slowed to a crawl in the light winds on the final stretch, it was like pulling teeth, as Tahiti, Slovenia and Peru vied for first position. At one point, with absolutely zero wind, it appeared that Tahiti was doomed, but they clawed it back in one of the most exciting snail races for a long time.

Tactician Teiki Hacheche of the impressive Tahiti ‘Black Pearls’ was elated afterwards:

At over an hour, it was the longest race of the competition so far

Going into Day 4, Tahiti and Slovenia are looking like a safe bet for the 1/16 Finals, but as this competition has already shown in its opening days, anything can happen.

Fleet 2 – Race 3

With the Teams transferred into the boats, the Race Committee decided there wasn’t enough wind for Fleet 2 to hold a race, leaving them on two races, and the job of taking the SSL47 yachts into the harbour, taking down the sails and tidying up the boats without even having had a sail.