In an incredible comeback Gladiator won the first race on day three of the Royal Cup on Friday, less than 24-hours after they were forced to retire from racing with bow damage following a collision.
Before hitting the water to race on the superstitious Friday the 13th the team were hopeful all of their bad luck was behind them, and it certainly seemed the case.
Gladiator won by 18 seconds over Audi Sailing Team powered by All4One, followed by Quantum Racing, Rán Racing, Audi Azzurra Sailing Team, PowerPlay, Provezza and Aquila.
It was a tough start for Aquila who were recalled for jumping the gun, while Rán again proved to be the team to beat making a clean start and taking an early lead, followed closely by All4One.
Racing remained tight on the opening 1.9 nautical mile beat in a 10 knot sea breeze in Palma Bay, with the top five rounding the mark within about 50 seconds of each other.
All4One rounded first, followed by Gladiator, Rán, Quantum, PowerPlay, Azzurra, Provezza and Aquila. Gladiator and PowerPlay made swift returns to the racetrack after successfully repairing damage sustained in yesterday’s collision.
The fleet split into two packs downwind causing a major reshuffle, with Gladiator coming out on top followed by All4One, PowerPlay, Quantum, Azzurra, Rán, Provezza and Aquila.
In a bid to turn their luck around Rán made a bold solo break to the far right of the course and gained one place, but Gladiator proved too strong and held their hard fought lead to claim their first victory of the regatta.
