52 SUPER SERIES Saint-Tropez Sailing Week – DAY 5
Saint-Tropez in the South of France produced yet more frustration with next-to-no wind for the penultimate day of the 52 SUPER SERIES Saint-Tropez Trophy regatta. The forecast for Sunday is for breezes of around 10 knots which could allow up to three races to be contested. The possible start time has been advanced to 1130hrs local time.
With just two races completed since Wednesday Tony Langley’s world champions Gladiator lead Sunday by three points ahead of the Hong Kong boat Alpha Plus of Shawn and Tina Kang. Takashi Okura’s US flagged Sled and Jean-Luc Petithuguenin’s Paprec of France are one point behind.
A race was started today in a gentle 6-7kts of NE’ly wind but by the approach to the leeward gate it had evaporated and the contest had to be abandoned. The 11 boat fleet from nine nations then waited until 1600hrs before the day was called off.
Gladiator may lead but America’s Cup winning strategist Ray Davies says the team want to contest as many races as possible, “We certainly had no expectation to be going into the least day in the lead so we will take it. It has been a strange regatta, a bit disappointing the way the weather has been and so we have not got much racing in. But the team has been going well, we kind of battled through the fleet in the race today (which was abandoned) we had a good beat and run after being deep and then got right back into it. We are happy with the way the boat is going.
We are expecting a sailable breeze around 10 knots, still a bit dynamic and a bit related to the clouds around. We could get three if we get started early, three max but two would be great. We just want to go racing, regardless, that is what we are here for. We want to get back out there and race!”
52 SUPER SERIES SAINT-TROPEZ SAILING WEEK PROVISIONAL LEADERBOARD
1.- GLADIATOR (GBR), Tony Langley, 1+2 = 3
2.- ALPHA+ (HKG), Shawn & Tina Kang, 5+1 = 6
3.- SLED (USA), Takashi Okura, 4+3 = 7
4.- PAPREC (FRA), Jean-Luc Pethuguenin, 3+4 = 7
5.- VAYU (THA), Whitcraft Family, 6+5 = 11
6.- AMERICAN MAGIC QUANTUM RACING (USA), Doug DeVos, 2+10 = 12
7.- PLATOON AVIATION (GER), Harm Müller-Spreer, 7+8 = 15
8.- ALEGRE (GBR), Andy Soriano, 10+6 = 16
9.- CRIOULA (BRA), Eduardo & Renato Plass, 8+9 = 17
10.- PROVEZZA (TUR), Ergin Imre, UFD (12)+7 = 19
11.- ALKEDO (ITA), Andrea Lacorte, 9+11 = 20
