Green Dragon gets the port tack start at the committee boat on the second of the In-Port races in Boston. Image copyright Rick Tomlinson/Volvo Ocean Race.
by Lucy Harwood
The In Port race in Boston was full of challenges today as the fleet managed to get through two races. The first race kicked off in a light breeze. The Dragon, Ericsson 4 and PUMA stuck to the pin end of the line with a strong start, and soon there was a left-right split across the fleet. The Telefonica twins and Delta Lloyd on the right, and the gang of four on the left, which was led by Green Dragon, PUMA and the Ericsson sisters. At the mid-course gate Telefonica Blue led Delta Lloyd and Green Dragon through, followed in close order by the Ericsson twins, PUMA and Telefonica Black. At the top mark, Telefonica Blue maintained her lead, with Delta Lloyd sailing a great upwind leg holding onto second.
Approaching the top mark, Green Dragon were holding third place, but trouble on their final tack to the mark resulted in bowman Justin Slattery being lifted off the deck after he got tangled up in the sheet, the boat slowed, which saw Ericsson 4 and PUMA sail past. As they rounded the top mark an infringement by Green Dragon on Ericsson 3, left both boats nearly still in the water, a penalty from the race committee on Green Dragon forced a 360 turn allowing the Nordic crew to move in front. This cost the Dragon dearly which saw them move down to sixth as they headed downwind. Telefonica Blue sailed a fantastic race, and show that their inshore performance hasn’t wavered, they held the lead for the remainder of the race taking pole position and gaining valuable points over PUMA on the overall scoreboard. Delta Lloyd sailed a solid race to take second with Ericsson 4 taking third. Reports from onboard Green Dragon after race one, confirmed that Justin Slattery has not received any injury from his tussle with the Code 0 sheet.
The breeze built for the second race, as did the fog which engulfed the fleet. At the mid-course gate it was a tight battle between Delta Lloyd, the Telefonica pair and Green Dragon. The shifts on the course proved challenging for the fleet, Green Dragon stuck to the right hand side of the course, the breeze shifted and they found themselves pulled back with Ericsson 3 and PUMA. Telefonica Blue held onto an impressive lead, with sistership Telefonica Black in second, whilst the battle for third continued between Delta Lloyd and Ericsson 4. Green Dragon had a good downwind leg chasing hard on the tail or Ericsson 4, their sistership Ericsson 3 followed in fifth, followed by Telefonica Black and PUMA. Through the gate, Telefonica Blue and Ericsson 4 peeled off to the right on port tack. The rest of the fleet followed - apart from Delta Lloyd who took the high-risk road left. This didn’t prove to be a winning move for Delta Lloyd who lost ground on the second beat, slipping from second to sixth place at the windward mark. The blue boat held her advantage on the downwind leg, with Telefonica Black making up ground to take second just ahead of Ericsson 4. Ericsson 3 is fourth from PUMA, Delta Lloyd and Green Dragon.
Sunday sees the fleet take to the water for the Pro Am race, current forecasts suggest squally weather with winds mainly out to the west in the harbour, expecting gusts in excess of 25 knots.
BOSTON IN-PORT RACE SERIES: OVERALL POSITIONS:
1. Telefonica Blue
2. Ericsson 4
3. Delta Lloyd
4. Ericsson 3
5. Telefonica Black
6. PUMA
7. Green Dragon
Green Dragon Racing
Volvo Ocean Race
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