Practice day a little on the light side

Practice day for the Cartagena regatta of the Audi MedCup circuit ... and for the Emirates Team New Zealand TP52 crew it was back to reality, just as it was for the rest of the fleet.

It was light, it was tricky and at times a two-knot current called the shots.

Skipper Dean Barker summed it up: “Success here, assuming it’s light and tricky, will be all about being in the right place at the right time.

“We have good memories of Cartagena. We wrapped up the MedCup season championship here last year ... it was a great finish to a great year for the team.”

Last year at Cartagena, only six of the scheduled 11 races were sailed. Racing was abandoned on the first two days because there was not enough breeze. On the third day the breeze arrived with a vengeance – hitting the high 20s and creating a short, steep, nasty seaway.

With the conditions eliminating any element of luck that day, Emirates Team New Zealand hit its straps and won both races sailed and went on to win the regatta and the MedCup Season championships.

But that was last year. Practice day 2010 demonstrated very clearly that in light, tricky conditions, Cartagena can be every bit as treacherous as any of the MedCup venues.

Should the light conditions continue until Sunday, tension levels throughout the fleet will go right off the scale as afterguards and trimmers struggle for every fraction of a knot of boat speed.

Today, crews waited patiently for two hours as the breeze slowly developed. It hovered around six to seven knots and occasionally reached eight to nine. The right side of the course was favoured.

Dean Barker said: “The race was won and lost at the start. We were to the right of fleet and the right paid reasonably well. We were fourth at the top mark, picked up Origin on the run, and were third at the second top mark and that’s how we finished.

“We are happy with a top-three finish in conditions that do not exactly suit NZL 380. If we get a few more top-threes this week we’ll be happy.”

Tomorrow’s forecast is better – eight to 14 knots from the east to south-east.

Principal race officer María Torrijo said: “This week will be difficult, not only for tacticians and crews. The light wind and the strong current will complicate things on the course area and it will be tricky too for us in race management."

Emirates Team New Zealand goes into the Cartagene regatta leading the season championship. NZL 380 is on 97.5, 28.5 points clear of Quantum Racing on 126 and 45.5 ahead of Artemis on 143.

2010 season overall points after three regattas

1. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL), 31.5+31+35= 97.5 points
2. Quantum Racing (USA), 59.5+22.5+44 = 126
3. Artemis (SWE), 57+53+33 = 143
4. TeamOrigin (GBR), 59.5+31+63 = 153.5
5. Matador (ARG), 60+27+67= 154
6. Audi A1 powered by ALL4ONE (FRA/GER), 51.5+29.5+84= 165
7. Cristabella (GBR), 65+43.5+62= 170.5
8. Synergy (RUS), 64+35.5+73= 172.5
9. Bribón (ESP), 82.5+41+58 = 181.5
10.Luna Rossa (ITA), 77.5+44.5+73= 195