GALICIA 52 SUPER SERIES ROYAL CUP – DAY 4
The 2024 overall circuit champions, Doug DeVos’ American Magic Quantum Racing, lead the GALICIA 52 SUPER SERIES ROYAL CUP after two good races on the beautiful but challenging race area off Baiona on the NW corner. With Terry Hutchinson calling tactics and Harry Melges steering, Sara Stone navigating and Victor Diaz de Leon strategist, American Magic pieced together two excellent, well earned second places today to lead Andy Soriano’s Alegre by one point. After comfortably winning the first race of the regatta Alegre placed fourth in the next one whilst Andrea Lacorte’s Alkedo Vitamina – newcomers to the series this season – took the winning gun in the second race to lie third overall.
Whilst American Magic Quantum Racing showed all the hallmarks of championship winners – good boatspeed, reliable boat handling, solid starting and excellent positioning, the crews of Alegre and Alkedo can both be proud of their respective recoveries, pulling back places through the fleet, to ensure their second score was a ‘counter’ and not a weighty one.
In NW’ly winds of 9-13kts the subtleties of the race course were many, and seemed to change through the day. Alegre recognised the growing strength of the right side of the first upwind to establish a small lead by the first top mark which the team did will to build to win by over 200 metres from American Magic which made a good, two place gain on the second upwind to record their first second place.
The second windward leeward, in the same wind direction, this time saw the left gain and Alkedo profited from a good pin end start. They were pushed initially by American Magic Quantum Racing but the champions had their hands full at times working to fend off Paprec’s advances and in the end Alkedo’s victory margin was also over 200 metres.
Lucas Calabrese, American Magic’s 2012 Olympic bronze medal winning mainsheet trimmer, summarised, “It was pretty hard out there and so the afterguard did a good job to ensure we come back with the points we got. It was about keeping us in pressure, being patient when we needed to be patient and getting out of places we needed to get out of. So all that combined with good starts and good boat speed helped the consistency.”
After finishing 10th in Saint-Tropez, last in the last race there, Alegre are back in the frame. Navigator Francesco Mongelli observes, “We were also happy with the second race today as we were almost last on the first beat as that was a nice comeback. In Saint-Tropez I think our result did not really reflect the level we were sailing and maybe here now it is a little above. But overall after today we are very happy, we did a very good job, we keep learning, we keep training and that is very important.”
“I think we had a very good interpretation of the racing area which is not easy, the wind is mixing a lot up and down, there is a lot of shear. Even the current, when you think it is there it is not and on another area you think there is no current and there is some, so this is not an easy race area. But Nic (Asher) and Will (Ryan) did a very good job as did all the guys on board as the boat is fast and that makes it easier for the tactician.”
Alkedo led at every mark, but owner-driver Lacorte asserted humbly, “I could not feel better right now. The conditions are easier than yesterday (ed note, practice day) and so they were well adapted to a less experienced driver like myself. So we did well. In the first race we were last and recovered to fifth.”
GALICIA 52 SUPER SERIES ROYAL CUP
After Day 1, 2 races
1. American Magic Quantum Racing, USA, Doug DeVos, 2+2 = 4pts
2. Alegre, GBR, Andy Soriano, 1+4 = 5
3. Alkedo, ITA, Andrea Lacorte, 5+1 = 6
4. Provezza, TUR, Ergin Imre, 3+5 = 8
5. Paprec, FRA, Jean-Luc Petithuguenin, 7+3 = 10
6. Vayu, THA, Whitcraft Family, 6+6 = 12
7. Platoon Aviation, GER, Harm Müller-Spreer, 4+10 = 14
8. Sled, USA, Takashi Okura, 10+7 = 17
9. Phoenix, RSA, Tina & Hasso Plattner, 9+9 = 18
10. Alpha+, HKG, Shawn & Tina Kang, 11+8 = 19
11. Teasing Machine, FRA, Eric de Turckheim, 8+11 = 19
