Lagos Cup Sees GC 32 Back At Full Strength

[Photoboy]

While Ernesto Bertarelli’s Alinghi Red Bull Racing team has topped GC32 competition for many years, they are now focused on 37th America’s Cup training and so are fielding two teams on the GC32 Racing Tour: SUI 8, which emphatically won last month on Riva del Garda and their development team SUI 15. For the GC32 Lagos Cup their skippers - Arnaud Psarofaghis and Maxime Bachelin - have swapped boats, begging the question: “Does a helmsman or the crew make the most difference on a GC32? Today Psarofaghis left no doubt to this, leading the young crew on SUI 15 to victory in three out of five races.

“We did some really good stuff with the tactics and boat handling,” explained Psarofaghis. “We were on the same page on board. We made two mistakes - one during the second race when we didn’t control enough the yellow boat (SUI 8) and in the last race when we should have pushed more to stay ahead of Team Tilt. But we made some great comebacks and the guys did a good job.”








In race two it was the turn of Psarofaghis’ regular SUI 8 crew, including Nicolas Charbonnier and Yves Detrey to get the upper hand, winning the race in an Alinghi Red Bull Racing 1-2. However it was SUI 15 that ended the day leading by 3 points.

Looking most likely to upset the Swiss party are the determined-looking Danes on board Team Rockwool Racing whose consistent 2-4-2-2-2 has left them second overall. “I am happy,” said skipper Nicolai Sehested. “It was probably the lightest day here which we were nervous about because we are not a ‘light wind team’. We just needed to survive the day but we did that pretty well…It was about managing the risk around the course – when to push and when to stay conservative. Downwind we were not superfast today and we were struggling to get up in the foils in the light stuff.”

In race two it was the turn of Psarofaghis’ regular SUI 8 crew, including Nicolas Charbonnier and Yves Detrey to get the upper hand, winning the race in an Alinghi Red Bull Racing 1-2. However it was SUI 15 that ended the day leading by 3 points.

Looking most likely to upset the Swiss party are the determined-looking Danes on board Team Rockwool Racing whose consistent 2-4-2-2-2 has left them second overall. “I am happy,” said skipper Nicolai Sehested. “It was probably the lightest day here which we were nervous about because we are not a ‘light wind team’. We just needed to survive the day but we did that pretty well…It was about managing the risk around the course – when to push and when to stay conservative. Downwind we were not superfast today and we were struggling to get up in the foils in the light stuff.”

The light marginal foiling conditions to start with also showed up the huge variation in skill across the fleet from immaculate Alinghi who seem able to foil downwind in the slightest zephyr to the new teams struggling to fly a hull, let alone pop up onto their foils. But as Nicolai Sehested advised: “They have to take time to get used to the boats. We were the same last year when we were new. By the end of this event they’ll be competing and putting in good results. And at the Worlds you will see them doing better.”

http://www.gc32racingtour.com

[Photoboy]

The GC32 Lagos Cup, the pre-Worlds for next month’s GC32 World Championship, concluded in big breeze. Despite the flying catamaran fleet heading out an hour early, by the end of the first race, the sea state was still relatively flat but with the wind averaging 22 knots and gusting to 27 it was ‘survival’ for some of the 10 teams, so PRO Stuart Childerley made the welcome decision to abandon racing.

Otherwise the historic maritime port on Portugal’s Algarve has laid it on, as Lagos has always done since the GC32 Racing Tour first brought its world class sailors here in 2018. Over four days 16 races were held in flat water across the full wind range.

Once again Alinghi Red Bull Racing won, as they did at last month’s GC32 Riva Cup, but on this occasion of their two GC32s it was their development crew on SUI 15 that prevailed, only with a winning margin of ‘just’ 10 points. For this event the Swiss America’s Cup challenger had swapped helms and the common ingredient of their two victories was helmsman Arnaud Psarofaghis.

“The crew sailed really well this week,” said Psarofaghis. “We missed a few tactical calls and made a few mistakes, which was frustrating, but overall it was fine because we won by a good margin. We came into this week with no pressure - we just want to do things better and we push ourselves.”








In today’s race Team Rockwool Racing won as SUI 15 finished fourth. In trying to recover points the second placed Danes had been pushing harder. “We were playing it safe - we needed to sail the boat well and as fast as we could,” continued Psarofaghis. “In the end the race committee made a good call to end the day because we saw 27 knots. If three or four boats can’t sail safely then there is no point in racing.”

Heavy weather specialists Team Rockwool Racing enjoyed today’s conditions as they did when they won yesterday’s breezy final race. However the race was close with Team Tilt pulling ahead at the final top mark, rounding only for a favourable shift on the last run putting the Danes back in front and Alinghi Red Bull Racing – SUI 8 pipping Team Tilt to second.

“The last race was awesome – the best, most fun racing,” said Team Rockwool Racing skipper Nicolai Sehested. “We sailed pretty well - very stable, the boat locked in and everything under control. We decided to stay with the jib to keep it simple and we were plenty fast enough: We were sitting on 35 knots the whole way down the last downwind.”





Doing an excellent job in the varied conditions was Erik Maris’ Zoulou, not only topping the Owner-Driver Championship but also claiming third overall. “As always on the GC32, and especially here, it was great fun, wonderful conditions, a great fleet,” said Maris. “Third is something given how many professional teams we are ahead of. That is testament to what the guys are doing on board. We had our ups and downs, but all-in-all we had good speed and manoeuvres. Where we are missing is on the starts,” concluded Maris, who next week swaps foul weather gear for fireproof suit to compete in the Le Mans Classic.

The teams that joined the GC32 Racing Tour for the first time this week remain on a steep learning curve. “For us it was learning, learning, learning – like power school!” said Piotr Harasimowicz, the beaming Polish owner-driver of HRM Racing Team. “We are happy. The wind was strong today but we found a good balance downwind. I have absolutely enjoyed it. We want more!”

Graeme Sutherland, skipper of Team Canada, agreed. “It was great. The whole week we’ve built really well. It has taken time to adjust to the boat and get used to the racing and making steady improvements. We have had three great days of sailing.”

Simon Delzoppo and his .film AUS Racing team showed moments of brilliance this week and enjoyed today’s racing. “It was very exciting, with lots of breeze, but everyone handled it well with some fast speeds downwind. We did 34 knots downwind but it was controllable. We went with the gennaker which was a bit daring, but it worked well.”

As GC32 Class President, Delzoppo added: “Sailing doesn’t get better than this - the sun shining, the venue, good breeze - but not too predictable - and an amazing level of competition which everyone rises up to. When I joined the class in 2017 it was easier to win races. Now you are happy if you can get up near the front! It was an awesome sight to see ten boats at this new dock, with all their country flags up. Out on the water it was amazing on the start line. Everyone enjoyed the great sailing and we got plenty of races in. Lagos delivered…”






Lagos, the port on Portugal’s Algarve the GC32 Racing Tour has been bringing its world class sailors to since 2018, laid on flat water, despite a 20+ knot offshore northwesterly in the final race, demonstrating again why this is such an exceptional venue for foiling catamaran racing. Wind and flat water are the perfect recipe for GC32s to hit top speeds and in the last race competitors got to sail their nimble flying catamarans at 35+ knots.

Today’s final race was a classic with the Danes on Team Rockwool Racing and Christian Zuerrer’s Black Star Sailing Team pulling the trigger seconds before the gun, crossing the line at 30 knots then accelerating towards the reaching mark. Nicolai Sehested’s team led down the run ahead of Alinghi Red Bull Racing - SUI 15. Thanks to a big left shift, both rounded the right hand gate and headed up the favoured right side as Team Tilt, .film AUS Racing and Black Star Racing split left before tacking. The former group got headed severely but were then in good shape when they tacked, but the separation to the left saw the latter group not headed, ultimately enabling Team Tilt to lead the Danes around the top gate. After a brief period on port, both foiling gybed onto starboard and remained fully cranked for the remainder of the run. Team Rockwool Racing edged ahead of Team Tilt up the second beat, but the Swiss recovered, leading into the final top mark. Sadly just after rounding they nearly capsized in a gust, enabling the Danes to take their second consecutive bullet.





“We were close at the last mark and then they got caught - there was a lot of trimming in that last race. You felt you were fighting your way into the lead,” recounted Team Rockwool Racing’s Rasmus K?stner, pleased with their 2-1-1. “It is great racing and you really get punished when you make a mistake. It’s fantastic to be sailing in breeze, doing 35 knots on the reach.” Going into the final day, the Danes hold second, 14 points behind Alinghi Red Bull Racing – SUI 15.

“We were close at the last mark and then they got caught - there was a lot of trimming in that last race. You felt you were fighting your way into the lead,” recounted Team Rockwool Racing’s Rasmus K?stner, pleased with their 2-1-1. “It is great racing and you really get punished when you make a mistake. It’s fantastic to be sailing in breeze, doing 35 knots on the reach.” Going into the final day, the Danes hold second, 14 points behind Alinghi Red Bull Racing – SUI 15.









http://www.gc32racingtour.com/results/

http://www.gc32racingtour.com