Can the Strange Little Girl catch the “Bear”………..

34 Dragon’s had a very “tough day in the office” yesterday during the second day of the November Cascais Winter series…. With a 35kt wind stopping all chances of racing on Friday, crews had to battle with difficult sea’s to complete two races yesterday in 25 kts !!

Large rolling 5 to 6 metre Atlantic waves from the west, were met with a strong northerly wind blowing from the Iberian shore to give a mixed bag of deep and some breaking waves. This sea state was not for the faint hearted and saw many boats retire during race two.  However, those sailors that decided to test their skills and the boats durability against such harsh conditions were rewarded with some amazing surfing….(and spill’s!)

In race one it was the “Bear” GBR 767 who got the jump on the fleet whose initial leaders had tacked to the right for flatter water. Martin Payne, with Dominic and Olivier Bakker held on longer out to sea and had a comfortable lead at the top mark, followed by “Strange Little Girl” RUS 76 helmed by Dmitry Samokin. Also making gains from the left was “Pow-Wow” GER 1123 with Michael Zankel at the helm, who managed to hold on to finish 3rd.

In race two, last series winner POR 55 “Drago” helmed by Jose’ Matoso was first to the top mark, followed by Mon 2 “Jeanie” Jens Rathsack and again the “Bear” in third place.. Despite some serious spinnaker spills and broaching by many boats, these three top boats held onto their respective positions… to finish 1, 2 and 3.

So overall the “Bear” leads on 4pts. “Strange Little Girl” has 11pts and “Jeanie” is on 13pts. But with three more races today, many things can change…  The forecast is for less wind so hopefully all 34 boats will make the early 10am start today…

Higher, Faster, Longer………..    Stavros.  (GBR 767).