On a windy day that saw four boats retire with gear problems, Stars and Stripes won over top ranked America One. The final lead of 2:46 does not illustrate the exciting race.
"I've sailed thousands of races in my lifetime, but I surely can't remember a race more fun than this one," said a very happy Ken Read, helmsman for Stars & Stripes. "This one was a super race from start to finish."
The following is a blow by blow account from the Louis Vuitton Media Center:
The start was even, with Stars & Stripes (USA-55) to weather and AmericaOne (USA-49) two boat lengths to leeward. The pair sailed on starboard for five minutes with Paul Cayard on AmericaOne using his leeward position to keep the pressure on whilst sailing in the choppy water. Ken Read, steering Stars & Stripes, was forced to tack away but the pair remained close and in touch, tacking 11 times on the first beat. The last approach to the top mark saw Stars & Stripes ahead and to leeward and unable to tack until AmericaOne tacked on the layline. When they did, Stars & Stripes was on the outside on the simultaneous approach. On passing the buoy AmericaOne luffed head to wind, taking Stars & Stripes far beyond the mark. AmericaOne bore away safely with clear air, unaffected by the other boat’s proximity.
On the first run AmericaOne proved a little faster, taking 15 seconds out of the veteran Stars & Stripes team. The second weather leg saw the game stay close with a further eight tacks Cayard swapping sides frequently. With the wind building, the seas got bigger too and the second run started to get exciting.
Cayard rounded the last bottom mark with just 14 seconds in hand. Both boats stood on starboard tack before Stars & Stripes made a break for the right. It appeared that AmericaOne had a non-overlapping genoa set whilst Stars & Stripes still had a Code Two maximum sail. Half way up the last weather leg, AmericaOne were forced to do a quick headsail change to a smaller sail (code six) as their previous sail (code five) had started to tear on a spreader. Stars & Stripes had the left and had managed to nibble back into contention. There was a slight bear-away from Stars & Stripes in anticipation of dipping behind at the next cross but Cayard had other ideas and tacked in front forcing Stars & Stripes away again. The pair was as good as level at this point and AmericaOne’s tack to keep the right was a mistake. Stars & Stripes headed out a bit further and tacked back on a good shift to take the lead in to the last mark and round 17 seconds ahead.
The wind was up near 22 knots at this stage and the boats were hurtling downwind in two to three metre seas. Cayard must have had memories of the last Whitbread race as he managed to get up onto a surf and cut Ken Read’s lead down to just a length. But as the surf ended and the load increased on everything, another gust came through, Cayard’s fluorescent green spinnaker blew out, and Stars & Stripes blew up its boom vang. The blue boat sailed away to what seemed like a comfortable lead. But no! Cayard’s crew had a new spinnaker set in just over 60 seconds and started to pick up the waves again. Minutes later the gunmetal grey boat was again all over Stars & Stripes and its broken boom vang as both boats surfed down the waves.
It was a couple of difficult gybes later when Cayard picked up a big wave and was almost alongside Stars & Stripes and on its wind. Read gybed away but Cayard couldn’t decide which side of Stars & Stripes he wanted to put his bow. At the last minute he decided to go to the right, his bow missed the stern of Stars & Stripes by feet, but the spinnaker touched the leading boat’s runners, and Cayard collected a penalty.
Worse, Cayard’s crew lost control of the spinnaker in this wild manoeuvre and Stars & Stripes on port gybe was safe to proceed to the line and take the gun. Cayard finished without a spinnaker and executed a penalty turn to artificially increase the final delta.
Team Dennis Conner has one more tough race in this second round robin. If helmsman Ken Read with the V.I.'s Peter Holmberg in the after guard can win against Young America, Stars and Stripes will have won against all three of the pre regatta favorites. This will give them a well deserved boost of confidence, and a third place ranking, going into the third round robin.
