Atoning for a less than perfect race on Thursday when they finished a distant fourth, Velsheda and her crew won today’s 22 nautical mile coastal round-the-buoys course, an upwind/downwind that spanned the full width of the Bay of Palma.
However, taking second place behind Velsheda at the Superyacht Cup, the Swedish flagged Svea now leads the J Class regatta overall at Superyacht Cup Palma with just one race left to sail.
Velsheda became the third different boat to win a race at the event and her hard-earned victory, leading at every mark today, could not have come at a better moment. Thursday’s race for her was more or less over after the crew made a wrong call on the first leg. The course thereafter was a pedestrian paced procession.
In contrast, today’s contest, raced in a testing offshore north-easterly of 6-12 knots, proved much more engaging from start to finish, even if the breeze was finally failing as the leaders crossed the finish.
With the wind blowing at 13-14kts, the windward mark was set relatively close to the shore in front of the Arenal-C’an Pastilla waterfront. The four boats split in half off the line, Svea on the pin, with Velsheda starting best just above and slightly quicker. They stayed left inshore, while Topaz and Ranger stayed out to approach the first turn from the right. Velsheda led round the mark from Svea with regatta leader, Topaz, in third and Ranger fourth.
On the long run down across the Bay of Palma to the Sech mark, at the extreme west side, Velsheda stayed out, whilst Svea gybed right, which allowed a small gain again to Velsheda. The leading pair then stayed inshore , lifting nicely. Topaz and Ranger went right and lost significantly.
Velsheda, which has Tom Dodson calling tactics, backed up by Andy Beadsworth, stayed ahead all the way to the finish, making another nice gain at near the top of the long second beat. Meanwhile, Ranger passed Topaz on this same upwind to claim third place.
“This was a good shot in the arm for the team after yesterday,” Velsheda’s navigator, Campbell Field, said. “We did what we wanted to do, get a nice start, stay in front and don’t panic.”
“Today made it good yacht racing rather than a procession round the bay,” Field said. “It was more fun. We got away from Svea at the bottom, we threw a little dummy gybe at them and they took it, they gybed away and overlaid the bottom mark. It was a good race.”
The stage is set for an engaging final day. Svea lead by one point from Topaz, which is now only two points up on today’s winner, Velsheda.
All three top boats have won at least one race, but all have also been fourth at least once, whilst Ranger has finished third in all four races so far.
Racing concludes Saturday.
Results Race 4:
1 Velsheda corrected time 2hrs 38 mins 54 secs
2 Svea 2hrs 42mins 57 secs3 Ranger 3hrs 04mins 36secs
4 Topaz 3hrs 07 mins 27 secs
Standings after four races
1 Svea 1,4,1,2 8pts
2 Topaz 2,1,2,4 9pts
3 Velsheda 4,2,4,1 11pts
4 Ranger 3,3,3,3 12pts
