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Charlotte Amalie
Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesUNBEATEN ITALIANS FALL TO STARS AND STRIPES!

UNBEATEN ITALIANS FALL TO STARS AND STRIPES!

"This was a great day for Team Dennis Conner," said an exuberant Ken Read in the team's press release. The helmsman for Stars & Stripes, after a convincing one minute and 51 second win over the previously unbeaten Prada syndicate said, "Our support team, our sail makers, our office staff, our wives and kids — all of us really enjoyed this one." On a day of changing blustery winds, breaking masts, and big wind shifts, the crew aboard Stars and Stripes, including the V.I.'s Peter Holmberg, choose the right positions on the course to hand Luna Rossa (ITA-45) its first defeat in fourteen races.
"We had a very good discussion at our crew meeting this morning," Read continued. "We knew everyone expected Prada to beat us, so we had nothing to lose. The pressure was on them – not us – and that worked to our advantage."
The conditions for today's race were quite bizarre. The wind ranged from nine knots to 22+, and there were at least three 50-degree wind shifts. "It was a day when you had to keep your head out of the boat, and our after guard did a flawless job of it," Read explained
"While it would be impossible to not feel good about being the first challenger to beat Prada, the race showed us we still have some work to do," Read continued. "Prada had just a bit more speed than we did upwind in 18-20 knots of wind. All of us know, there is more potential in this boat, and we're going to be trying some things in the next few races that we think will help deliver more upwind pace."
Team Dennis Conner was scheduled to meet the Nippon Syndicate on Friday. However, strong winds caused postponement of that race. It may work to the advantage of the Japanese as they suffered a mast failure during the Thursday racing. Observers on the race course have noted a definite increase in speed by the Japanese, so expect a tough race for Team Dennis Conner.

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