Cream Rising at GC32 Championship

Muscat, Oman (March 1, 2017) – Conditions became lighter, but this managed to heighten the intensity of the racing between the 11 teams on day two of the GC32 Championship in Muscat, Oman.

With the wind dropping from nine knots to five, general recalls became the norm, as crews jockeyed to get the best starts. This forced Principle Race Officer John Craig to start races under a ‘black flag’, disqualifying premature starters. However this is indicative of the high level of competition in this GC32 inaugural championship, being run by the GC32 International Class Association in association with OC Sport.

The black flag claimed the scalps of two favourites in race two – Team Tilt and SAP Extreme Sailing Team, which were penalised with maximum points. However, as the wind dropped, SAP Extreme Sailing Team came into its own, winning the third and fourth races comfortably. Despite this Oman Air, winner of today’s second race, continues to lead at the end of day two. Ernesto Bertarelli and the Alinghi crew had another consistent day elevating them to second.

Once again the day started badly for Jes Gram-Hansen and Rasmus Køstner’s SAP Extreme Sailing Team, when a halyard lock jammed just before the start of race one. As helmsman Adam Minoprio explained: “We had to lash it up there and we only managed to get our shore guy off just in time before the start.”

Minoprio was furious with himself for their black flag start. “We had a good half an hour to think about it and be angry with ourselves, but what’s done is done: You just have to get out there and do the best you can, otherwise you won’t catch up with the leaders.”

He went on to explain the importance today of hitting the line right on the button: “If you are on the line at the start gun, then you are generally top three at the reaching mark and it is usually plain sailing from there. If you are individual recalled, you will be last at the reaching mark. If you get rolled by the guy above you, you will be last at the reaching mark. So you have to make sure you are on the money at the start.”

Fortunately SAP Extreme Sailing Team was on the money at the start of the final two races and, with neither side of the course being advantaged, managed to hang on, undoing the leaderboard damage they had done in race two. “We could foil comfortably downwind, whereas others getting a bit of gas from other boats took their time to get on the foils. The rich get richer when you get clear air,” concluded Minoprio.

If SAP Extreme Sailing Team was a case of ‘zero to hero’, the opposite was true for Sébastien Schneiter’s young Swiss crew on Team Tilt. They won the opening race of the day, as they did on day one, and despite conditions turning similar to their native Lake Geneva for the last two races, they finished the last race in a disappointing seventh.

“We are used to sailing on a lake, but not with foiling boats,” admitted Schneiter. “It is hard to get the boat going well and you have to be smooth and not aggressive. In the last race we were too impatient and we ran across the boat, which was not good. So we still have work to do and improve our consistency, but overall we are happy.” Team Tilt ended the day fourth overall.

As conditions became lighter, new faces began appearing higher up the leaderboard. Aside from Team Tilt, Land Rover BAR Academy was another team heading for the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup starting to show some of its potential, posting a third in race two and a second in the final race.

Skipper Rob Bunce explained: “In a big fleet like this, if you can get a good start and get to the first mark in a good position, then that often becomes a chain reaction for the whole race. We have been working on our starting, so we are happy to get those two results. In the last race, we were as close as you could have been without being over – it is pretty high tariff, but if you are a couple of seconds late, everyone will pass you, so you have to take the risk.”

Tomorrow is a layday for the GC32 Championship. Many crews will be taking part in safety training laid on by the GC32 Class Association. In this they will learn about how to use emergency oxygen cylinders underwater. This is mandatory equipment that all of the GC32s are obliged to carry.

Tour Website – Entry list – Scoreboard – Facebook

2017 GC32 Racing Tour
11-14 May – GC32 Riva Cup / Riva del Garda, Italy
28 June-1 July – TBA
2-5 August – 36 Copa del Rey / Palma de Mallorca, Spain
13-16 September – TBA
12-15 October – Marseille One Design / Marseille, France

About the GC32 Racing Tour:
2017 will be the fifth year of the GC32 Racing Tour and its fourth since the GC32 was transformed into a foiler over the winter of 2013-14. The GC32 Racing Tour seeks to attract both private owner-driven boats and commercially-backed teams with a circuit aimed at providing the best foiling catamaran experience for participants. This remit includes choosing venues known to provide optimum wind conditions for foiling and race courses large enough to enable the boats to hit maximum speeds.

About the GC32
The GC32 is a 10m long (12m including bowsprit) by 6m wide foiling catamaran conceived by Laurent Lenne and designed by Dr Martin Fischer, now part of the Groupama Team France design team. It is built in carbon fibre by Premier Composite Technologies in Dubai.

The GC32 is fitted with T-foil rudders and J-shaped daggerboards/foils, conceptually similar to those used on the America’s Cup catamarans, with adjustable rake on all appendages. However relative to the boat’s size, the foils are substantially larger, allowing the GC32 to foil even in low wind speeds and with much great stability and ease. Despite having big foils, GC32s are fast! Alinghi holds the record with a peak speed of 39.21 knots.

Unlike the AC catamarans, the GC32 features a more manageable soft-sail rig and has one design sails. It is demountable with a two piece mast for easy transportation.

Source: Sailing Intelligence