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8:18 PM Fri 7 Nov 2008 GMT
Team Origin won the first 'Cup' race in the CNEV regatta in Valencia and took third place in race two to share the overnight leaderboard with Alinghi who finished third and first.
The first start was delayed by one and a half hours due to lack of wind and the first race finally got underway at 14:45 in 8 knots of breeze. The four boats approached the line on port tack with TEAMORIGIN winning the start with a great pin end position.
Desafio Espa?ol tacked off to the right side of the course and seemed to lose wind and pace out that side. Luna Rossa kept to the middle of the beat and Team Origin hugged the left hand side with Alinghi close at hand. TEAMORIGIN managed to pull ahead reaching the windward mark in first place, Alinghi in second, Luna Rossa in third and the Spanish in four.
On the first downwind, Team Origin held off Alinghi who experienced their first ripped spinnaker of the day on their first gybe. The sail ripped along the leech tape which appeared to get caught on the jumper strut. TEAMORIGIN pulled ahead at the leeward mark rounding first, Luna Rossa still in third place closing the gap to Alinghi slightly.
The second beat was light and shifty, Team Origin maintained cover but appeared to have to do a double tack near the top end of the beat which allowed Alinghi to close right up to them. TEAMORIGIN rounded in first with Alinghi hot on their heels.
Alinghi's spinnaker ripped again on the next gybe where the sail appeared to get caught yet again. A new spinnaker (now on number 3!) was hoisted quickly but Luna Rossa was closing in. On approaching the finish line, all four boats put up staysails and on the final gybe in to the mark, Alinghi spinnaker rip number three happened and Luna Rossa managed to overtake Alinghi to take second place. The Spanish also closed right in to take fourth place.
Results race one:
1st Team Origin
2nd Luna Rossa
3rd Alinghi
4th Desafio Espa?ol
Race two:
Race two started pretty quickly after the end of race one with a very similar start line-up with Team Origin taking the leeward pin end, squeezing the Spanish out and causing them to tack away. Team Origin and Alinghi stayed on the left hand side of course on port. Alinghi looked higher and faster, and pulled ahead leading into the first windward mark with ease. Desafio Espa?ol, Luna Rossa and Team Origin were pretty close up the first beat. The Spanish rounded second, then Team Origin and finally Luna Rossa.
Team Origin stayed right without gybing for longer than the others and lost out on distance slightly. Alinghi stretched their first place and led comfortably at the leeward gate. Team Origin retained third position but with Luna Rossa hot on their heels, the only team to select the left hand gate mark.
The second beat saw the Spanish covering Team Origin and Luna Rossa so that the pack of three stayed close together, all rounding the second windward mark in the same positions.
On the final downwind leg, Alinghi stayed ahead with the final positions remaining unchanged: Second Desafio, third Team Origin and fourth Luna Rossa.
Results race two:
1st Alinghi
2nd Desafio Espa?ol
3rd Team Origin
4th Luna Rossa
Results after day one:
=1st Team Origin
=1st Alinghi
= 3rd Luna Rossa
= 3rd Desafio Espa?ol
Racing resumes tomorrow, Saturday 8 November, at 13:00 hrs.
by Annabel Merrison
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Rundle Island, QLD
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