Ted Sawyer rolled back the years as he masterly helmed USA 310 to first place on day 1 of the 2011 Gold Cup, thus winning the coveted trophy presented by the late, but legendary Borge Borrensen. It was truly a magnificent victory for Sawyer and his crew of Jamie Lea and Martin Payne, as they only took control of the race at the final gate. Indeed it was Guus de Groot from Holland, NED 309 who got the jump on the fleet from the Pin end together with GBR 633 Ron James, after the PRO Henry Antoine got the fleet away first go on an excellently placed starting line on time at 12.00 yesterday. With the wind blowing, as forecast from south/southwest, at around 8 kts and an increasing ebb tide it was quite remarkable that the 69 boat fleet stayed obediently behind the line as the current was pushing the boats up all the time. But I think the strength of the tide was misjudged by many and so the race got away exactly on time…… GBR 633 rounded the windward mark 1st and sailed low after hoisting her yellow and white spinnaker, however NED 309 and USA 310 now in 3rd place, hoisted their kites but kept high knowing that the strong ebb tide would eventually helped them down to the leeward gate………
On the second beat Ned 309 maintained her lead but many boats from the closing pack started to work their way to the front, one such boat was GER 10 Marcus Brenneke, who actually may have been joint first on more than one occasion as the race drew to an exciting climax….. The long second run had everyone guessing the exact location of the leeward gate, the change of course signaled a 350 bearing but most of the leaders held onto a 20 degree heading, so when USA310 gybed away Sawyer and his team made a small gain which was to see them lead going into the final beat. GER 10 opted for the lefthand buoy whilst RUS 27 Anatoly Loginov follwed Sawyer around the right buoy. With last weeks winning boat GBR 744 Tim Tavinor also in the mix, it all rested on the small windhsifts as the boats made their way south towards the finish line. GER 10 did cross USA 310 halfway up the final beat but in doing so Brenneke took his boat to the lefthand side of the course, so when a 10 degree windshift came in from the right, Sawyer and his team seized their chance to win the race keeping a loose cover on RUS 27 who was now in 2nd place. GBR 744 also gained on the right side of the course to finished with the last podium spot in 3rd place much to the delight of the Tigger Team…. 🙂
At the prize giving a very happy Ted Sawyer was informed that at 78yrs young, he was the oldest winner of a Gold Cup race, to which he replied “You ain’t seen nothing yet”……………
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
USA 310 Wins BB Trophy on Day1, Gold Cup…..
Ted Sawyer rolled back the years as he masterly helmed USA 310 to first place on day 1 of the 2011 Gold Cup, thus winning the coveted trophy presented by the late, but legendary Borge Borrensen. It was truly a magnificent victory for Sawyer and his crew of Jamie Lea and Martin Payne, as they only took control of the race at the final gate. Indeed it was Guus de Groot from Holland, NED 309 who got the jump on the fleet from the Pin end together with GBR 633 Ron James, after the PRO Henry Antoine got the fleet away first go on an excellently placed starting line on time at 12.00 yesterday. With the wind blowing, as forecast from south/southwest, at around 8 kts and an increasing ebb tide it was quite remarkable that the 69 boat fleet stayed obediently behind the line as the current was pushing the boats up all the time. But I think the strength of the tide was misjudged by many and so the race got away exactly on time…… GBR 633 rounded the windward mark 1st and sailed low after hoisting her yellow and white spinnaker, however NED 309 and USA 310 now in 3rd place, hoisted their kites but kept high knowing that the strong ebb tide would eventually helped them down to the leeward gate………
On the second beat Ned 309 maintained her lead but many boats from the closing pack started to work their way to the front, one such boat was GER 10 Marcus Brenneke, who actually may have been joint first on more than one occasion as the race drew to an exciting climax….. The long second run had everyone guessing the exact location of the leeward gate, the change of course signaled a 350 bearing but most of the leaders held onto a 20 degree heading, so when USA310 gybed away Sawyer and his team made a small gain which was to see them lead going into the final beat. GER 10 opted for the lefthand buoy whilst RUS 27 Anatoly Loginov follwed Sawyer around the right buoy. With last weeks winning boat GBR 744 Tim Tavinor also in the mix, it all rested on the small windhsifts as the boats made their way south towards the finish line. GER 10 did cross USA 310 halfway up the final beat but in doing so Brenneke took his boat to the lefthand side of the course, so when a 10 degree windshift came in from the right, Sawyer and his team seized their chance to win the race keeping a loose cover on RUS 27 who was now in 2nd place. GBR 744 also gained on the right side of the course to finished with the last podium spot in 3rd place much to the delight of the Tigger Team…. 🙂
At the prize giving a very happy Ted Sawyer was informed that at 78yrs young, he was the oldest winner of a Gold Cup race, to which he replied “You ain’t seen nothing yet”……………
5 replies to “USA 310 Wins BB Trophy on Day1, Gold Cup…..”
Dominic
Well done boys! Must have been a great feeling!!
Gianni Murzi
Bravissimi!! well-done!
Måns Mårtensson
What a great story, what a great start to the Gold Cup – well done USA 310. Keep it up!
Lars Stenfeldt Hansen
Well done Ted, go high and fast….
Ted Sawyer
Many thanks for the kind words,Lars. It was indeed a thrill.