The first coastal race of the season is set to be a light winds affair and the key challenge for the race officers will be trying to accurately match a course distance and duration to the tiny window of weather which is forecast. The dilemma is that the better, steadier breeze is offshore but it will be lighter and so the race inherently longer and slower, whilst a shorter course –closer to the island – will encounter more unstable breezes, more up and down around the high, rocky cliffs.
It will be very light and tough. The problem is that we will only have two or three hours of wind so it will be very hard to get a good coastal race done. The short course the wind is climbing over the island and so there would be no wind. It is a very simple course with the same challenges as a windward leeward in a tight, compact fleet. We need to work on our dynamics – how to make the go fast quickly.
Francesco Mongelli, navigator, B2
Summarises Francesco Mongelli, the Italian navigator from B2. His counterpart on Azzurra, Bruno Zirilli concurs:
It will be very light. Close to the island you get the acceleration of the wind but also the lee of the island. The long course sees more stable wind but less strong wind. Today the rule is key, everything can happen until the very last minutes, with a puff you can get 50 metres in front or you can find a calm and get stuck for minutes but the situation can change continuously.
Bruno Zirilli, navigator, Azzurra
The Barclays 52 SUPER SERIES fleet go afloat with Vesper leading only on countback from Azzurra, with Quantum Racing just one point behind.
