Lennart Burke and Melwin Fink are in fifth place after stage two of the Atlantic Cup and start the Coastal Races in Portland today. The German Class 40 duo have until tomorrow to secure the podium finish they are aiming for. With only three points behind second and third place, this still seems to be a realistic goal for the ambitious youngsters.
The Italian-French duo Alberto Riva and Jean Mare on the "Acrobatica" are still in the overall lead, having won both legs. The team, in a trio with Benjamin Schwartz, has the best time of 433.53 nautical miles. recently set a new 24-hour record. This makes the Guelfi design one of the fastest Class 40s ever. Frenchmen Pierre-Louis Atwell and Maxime Bensa secured second place in extremely challenging conditions on the second leg. The "décuple" of William Mathelin-Moreaux and co-skipper Pietro Luciani finished in third place.
"It was incredibly intense because we were together the whole time. We could see each other the whole race," said "Acrobatica" co-skipper Jean Mare at the finish. Once again, the teams were only separated by a few minutes at the finish line. There were even position changes in the final metres. After 249 nautical miles, there was only one minute and 45 seconds between second and fourth place, and just 25 seconds between third and fourth.
Whale collision stops Melwin Fink and Lennart Burke at the Atlantic Cup
Race Director Hugh Piggin said: "It was a very tactically challenging leg for the teams as a weather system moved across the course. There were periods where the teams were sailing at 15 to 16 knots under spinnaker and then there was a period where they were sailing in very light breeze and struggling to keep moving."
The only US team among the eight Class 40s had already been eliminated before the start in Newport. The Owen Clarke new-build "Scowling Dragon" had already lost on the first stage suffered severe structural damage.
Lennart Burke and Melwin crossed the finish line in sixth place, but also had a tough time during the race and collided with a whale. At a speed of 11 knots, the "Sign for Com" hit the sea creature, which brought the ship to an abrupt halt. "We crashed into one, it was like running aground," says Lennart Burke about the incident on the team's Instagram channel. Even during the first inspection using an underwater camera installed on the boat, clear damage to the paintwork could be seen, and it was initially unclear to what extent the structure had been hit. The team had already narrowly escaped such a collision on the first leg.
Worse prevented: further material damage to the "Sign for Com"
The all-clear was given in Portland harbour: no serious damage! That was the result of the inspection in the harbour of destination. Melwin Fink dived down with a GoPro and examined the keel. Nevertheless, they wanted to reseal the annex at the next opportunity.
The rupture of the water stay lashing, which may have already been damaged by the whale crash, when setting the code 0 was probably also painful for the placement. Major damage was averted just in time. "We are very happy. Actually, that would be the omen that you break your bowsprit afterwards," Burke commented in an Instagram story. Co-skipper Fink then went onto the bowsprit at full speed to repair the waterstay as best he could with the help of the tackline. This allowed the waterstay to be pushed through again, and the actual repair with new SK99 Dyneema was then carried out in Portland.
"We're fine, but of course we're a little disappointed with the result. But it wasn't meant to be, we were a bit unlucky," said the 22-year-old as he approached the finish line, when the result had already been finalised.
On course to make amends at the Coastal Races
The Atlantic Cup was launched in 2011 to promote American sea sailing and is hardly known in this country. With three stages, the regatta offers its participants a varied race. The seventh edition of America's only offshore regatta for Class 40 yachts covers a total of around 1,050 nautical miles from Charleston via Newport along the US east coast to Portland, where the final coastal races will be sailed.
In 2012, Jörg Riechers from Hamburg and his co-skipper Ryan Breymaier won the Atlantic Cup with "Mare". Lennart Burke and Melwin Fink also started with an ambitious goal. Before the start of the first leg, they had set their sights on a place in the top third and thus a podium finish. By finishing third in Newport, they were able to confirm this initially and, after sixth place on the second stage, are now challenged in the coastal races today and tomorrow. Very light wind conditions are expected for the last two days of racing.
Max Gasser
Editor Test & Technology
