For the seven young and mostly inexperienced sailors from Sailing Team Germany and the Norddeutscher Regatta-Verein, yesterday was the big day: finally on the water, finally on the bay and finally on an AC45 catamaran. Forgotten were the drudgery in the gym and the panting during the fitness test in the Oracle hangar, the Extreme 40 in France and the uncertainty of what it would be like. "Totally cool," was the short but clear judgement of tactician Philipp Buhl. And he was speaking on behalf of his colleagues from the STG/NRV Youth Team. And Justus Schmidt was able to get over his role as a substitute with a view of the panorama: "It's fantastic to see AC45 sailing against this backdrop and in these conditions."
The Germans were on the late shift together with the South Africans and the New Zealanders, which started in calm conditions in the South Bay. Drifting along on an AC45 with an economy sail (small jib and no wing extension in the top) is not so exciting, but that was only the leisurely start. The sea breeze soon came through from the west and the scene was shifted to the vicinity of Alcatraz and the so-called Berkeley Circle, where the men around helmsman Erik Heil quickly found their groove. On board: Roman Hagara and Darren Bundock, two of the world's best cat sailors as observer and instructor respectively.
"The boats are surprisingly stable compared to the Extreme, but they accelerate better," said Buhl. They took it easy to learn how to go straight ahead. The wing still takes some getting used to and there will be a lot to learn in the coming days, especially how to adjust the twist. The commands also need to become clearer and some processes still need to be optimised. But even so, a speed of 23 knots was possible with a room sheet. Short, but quite respectable for the first attempt at sailing.
"It all looked pretty good," said team manager Markus Koy, who watched the performance from the rib. He helps the sailors to work out and optimise the sequence of manoeuvres, the routes and the choreography during the manoeuvres with the help of videos and a kind of "manoeuvre script" provided by the organisers. "There's still room for improvement," said Koy.
The individual teams are assessed by the observers on board, who not only evaluate the sailing performance at the end, but also factors such as communication and coordination. The overall impression is important, says Hagara. The decision will only be made at the end of the second viewing week, to which another six teams have been invited. Four to five starting places are reportedly still up for grabs.
