Skilful tacticians and light wind rockets were in high demand on Wednesday in the fourth race of the Admiral's Cup in the Central Solent. Principal Race Officer Stuart Childerley laid out a windward-leeward course for both classes: 1.6 nautical miles for the big boats in Class AC 1 and 1.4 nautical miles for AC 2. With winds from the north at five to eleven knots and a strong westerly current across the race course, strategy and boat speed were the key factors.
The Admiral's Cup course was far off the coast of Hill Head. Karl Kwok's TP52 Beau Geste (Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club) won AC 1 by a narrow margin. Taavet Hinrikus' Mat 1220 "Nola" (Kungliga Svenska Segel Sällskapet) won AC 2. In the afternoon the wind became unstable. Despite all the efforts of the race organisers, no more Admiral's Cup races could take place.
After a total of four races - the Channel Race and three shorter races - the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club now leads the team ranking by one point ahead of the Yacht Club de Monaco. The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron follows in third place, 14 points behind, with a two-point lead over the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda.
"Jolt 3" and "Beau Geste" neck and neck
Stefan Jentzsch's Botin 56 "Black Pearl", sailing for Team New York Yacht Club - Black Magic, was able to pull away early with a strong start in the only race of the day, while Peter Harrison's "Jolt 3" (YCM) and "Beau Geste" started from the centre. Meanwhile, Giovanni Lombardi Stronati's Wally Rocket 51 "Django WR51" from Yacht Club Costa Smeralda and Jon Desmond's TP52 "Final Final" (RORC White) were both recalled with early starts. They had to restart and fell far behind.
"X-Day" skipper Lars Hückstädt, whose crew was only then called upon to start for the AC-2 fleet, was later impressed: "The Wally Rocket must have taken three minutes to return to the starting line. And finished fourth in the end. You can imagine where she would have been without the early start." The co-favourite "Beau Geste" took the lead at the first buoy, closely followed by "Black Pearl".
On the downwind leg, "Beau Geste" extended her lead, followed by "Jolt 3". Gordon Ketelby's "Zen" (Crusing Yacht Club of Australia) put the pedal to the metal and moved into the leading group, while Maximilian Klink's Botin 52 "Caro" and "Black Pearl", sailing for the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, led the midfield. In the exciting final phase, "Beau Geste" brought her lead to the finish line just ahead of Peter Harrison's "Jolt 3".
After the IRC correction, however, "Jolt 3" snatched the class victory with a lead of just three seconds over "Beau Geste". "Zen" came third, just ahead of the comeback crew on "Django WR51". Holger and Felix Streckenbach's TP52 "Imagine" and Daniel Baum's Tison 48 "Elida" sailed to 12th and 13th place. Click here for the intermediate results in the AC 1 class.
"Nola's" coup in AC 2
The AC2 fleet also experienced an exciting start, in which both Per Roman's JPK 11.80 "Garm" (RORC Red) and Thomas Reinecke's "Edelweiss" (Hamburg Sailing Team) were too early. Both restarted correctly. Taavet Hinrikus' Mat 1220 "Nola" (KSSS) and Philippe Frantz' NMD 43 "Albator" (Yacht Club de France) started the race from the pin end, while Donald Thinschmidt's Sydney GTS 43 "Abracadabra" (NYYC - Black Magic) soon catapulted to the front with remarkably good upwind speed.
"Abracadabra" rounded the first buoy ahead of Karl Kwok's smaller Botin 41 "Beau Ideal" (RHKYC), Pierre Casiraghi's Carkeek 40 "Jolt 6" (YCM) and Chris Frost's Carkeek 40+ "AMP-lifi" (RORC White). "Beau Ideal" took the lead downwind. The leading quartet pulled away from the rest of the field. On the final downwind course, "Beau Ideal" then clearly pulled away, taking the line honours ahead of "AMP-lifi" and "Jolt 6".
The big surprise came with the IRC time correction. After an excellent start and hard work, the "Nola" crew competing for the KSSS took victory with a lead of over a minute. "Beau Ideal" came a calculated second, while "AMP-lifi" held on to third place, just 13 seconds ahead of "Abracadabra". Walter Watermann's GP 42 "X-Day" sailed to eighth place, Dirk Clasen's Humphreys 39 "Ginkgo" ninth. Thomas Reinecke's Millenium 40 "Edelweiss" did not recover from the early start - 15th place. Click here for the interim results in the Admiral's Cup class AC 2.
We have to outsmart them, not outdo them." Aksel Magdahl
"Nola's" tactician Aksel Magdahl said after the race win: "We gave it our all and it paid off. Looking at boats like 'Callisto' and 'AMP-lifi', we know that we are competing against boats that are better rated and have faster acceleration. Victory is based on planning and precision. We are proud to fly the flags of Estonia, Norway, Finland and Sweden - it's a special mix. It's a long regatta and we've made a good start. So far we are exactly where we want to be." Where are all the teams right now? Here are the intermediate results of the Admiral's Cup team ranking.
Having only just begun, the 24th Admiral's Cup has already reached its halfway point. Following the cancellation of racing on Wednesday, three races are planned for Thursday before the series heads towards the start of the decisive Rolex Fastnet Race on 26 July after another rest day. For the short races on Thursday, the race committee had initially considered moving to Christchurch Bay due to the light winds forecast again.
However, the proposal was taken off the table again on Wednesday evening following feedback from many crews. "The bottom line is that Christchurch Bay doesn't offer enough advantages to give us the best racing tomorrow. I have therefore decided that we will sail in the Central Solent. The first announcement signal will be at 10.30am," announced Pricipal Race Officer Stuart Childerly via WhatsApp group for all participants.
The next Admiral's Cup already in sight
"Decisions are made and communicated well and clearly in favour of the sailors here," said a delighted Lars Hückstädt, whose crew has formed a team duo for the Admiral's Cup with "Imagine" under the umbrella of Regatta Verein Greifswald. Even though the team is not at the front of the pack, they are enthusiastic about the revival of the major regatta series in British waters. "We feel good and probably want to do it again," said Lars Hückstädt in Cowes.
It's about who really has the best concept for all conditions. We won't know how it turns out until after the Fastnet." Lars Hückstädt
Lars Hückstädt studied and lived here for five years almost two decades ago, has many old acquaintances and good contacts in and around Cowes and is a fan of the area. His interim assessment: "The Admiral's Cup is very well organised, offers a good social programme and is very sailor-friendly. And the sailing conditions are simply great!"
Hückstädt also likes the versatility of the Admiral's Cup: "You have to be able to do both here: Inshore and offshore. Our navigator Nick Cherry is a good inshore man, but has also sailed Figaro for five years. He can do both."
Inshore race day two - what the sailors said after the only race of the day:
