Le Defi Areva - Victory ChallengeThe race began for mastman Tim Kröger on the French boat in a similar way to the other duels against the Swedes:
with weaknesses in the dial up, the classic start opening, in which an attempt is made to keep the ship in the wind for as long as possible in order to block the opponent.
This shows good crew work, but also how manoeuvrable the designer has made the boat. In any case, despite the favourable right of way position when entering the water (yellow), the French sailors were again unable to pin their opponents to the left. Jesper Bank, who has taken over the helm of the Orm again after his colleague Magnus Holmberg lost the race, passes in front of the bow of Le Defi and escapes into the fleet of spectator boats. After a gybe around his own team motor yacht "Black Knight", he can easily head for the starting line and avoid the attacks of opposing helmsman Philippe Presti. He does a good job by placing his boat upwind of the Swedes on the right-hand side of the starting line, which gives him an advantage, and then he crosses the line five metres ahead of his opponent.
The first wind shift to the right results in a lead of 17 metres, but then the French dominance is over. Jesper Bank accelerates downwind and is able to pass in front of the French shortly before the windward mark. He is 35 seconds ahead at the first mark and permanently extends his lead to 2:34 minutes. One of the reasons for this was that Le Defi had problems with the spinnaker halyard and had to make do without a spinnaker pole toppnant for the second spinnaker course.
Conclusion: After the French rebelled, the Swedes showed the full potential of their design. They didn't need to sail particularly well or take any great risks to win. They were simply faster. But the French did better than many had expected after the preliminary round. They go home with their heads held high after the 1:4.
GBR Challenge - Team Dennis ConnerIn search of the missing speed, the designers of the British team have made extreme changes. However, the result is sobering, as the only effect seems to be a lack of manoeuvrability. In the first pre-start sequence, the Brits are so badly outmanoeuvred by the Americans that they have to set off with a penalty at the starting signal without any speed in the boat. But the ensuing drama does not take place because the race committee postpones the start shortly before the gun because of a mistake of their own in the start sequence.
Skipper Ian Walker, once again at the helm of the Wight Lightning, gets a second chance. But this time, too, he only gets his boat across the line one boat length behind. Ken Read on the Conner boat immediately takes control, as the Brits do not show the hoped-for increase in speed. At the windward mark, the lead is 42 seconds. The Brits gain hope when they catch up to 22 seconds on the first spike course, but then they fall back continuously to 1:42 minutes.
Conclusion: a clear win for Team Dennis Conner, which has proven its much-cited comeback skills. The new ship has made clear progress and recently showed clear speed advantages.
What happens next: OneWorld chooses its opponent from the three teams Prada, Victory Challenge and Team Dennis Conner. The mode: Whoever wins four times first wins. The hopeful round begins on Saturday.
