Mumm 36 Worlds Day Two

Kiel 19 - 24 June 1999

In a day of phenomenally close racing, a consistent performance by 'Moby Lines' allowed her to increase her lead over second placed Barlo Plastics to four points. An erratic performance from 'Thomas I Punkt' with a sixth and first place sees her moving up to third.

With an approaching frontal system due to arrive during the day, conditions were more robust than on the opening day with grey skies and winds rising through 15 knots greeting the crews as they prepared for the first start. While the majority elected to stick with heavy number one genoas, there were some dissenters with both number twos and a sole number three hoisted aboard 'New Yorker' as the start approached.

In what looked like a brave strategy, both 'Breeze 1' and 'Thomas I Punkt' approached to start on port, only baling out and tacking in under Barlo Plastics, the most leeward of the main group with fifteen seconds to go. While this late change of plan certainly worked for 'Breeze 1', 'Thomas I Punkt' was sharply spat out the back leaving 'Breeze 1' to drag race away from the start with Barlo Plastics. 'Mean Machine' was over early and forced to go back.

While Barlo Plastics, 'Breeze1' and 'Moby Lines' initially worked the shifts up the middle, both Barlo Plastics and 'Moby Lines' eventually went hard left, with Barlo Plastics if anything marginally over stood on the final approach to the buoy. Squeezed out by 'Moby Lines', Barlo Plastics had to settle for second at the mark, followed by 'New Yorker'.

An awful spinnaker hoist by 'Moby Lines' was mirrored by Barlo Plastics who was forced to sail the first few hundred metres of the run with the spinnaker pole hanging limply from the topping lift while the bow crew sorted out several tangles. "We got the pole tangled up in the jib sheet," said Adrian Stead ruefully afterwards, "and it took Guy Salter, the bowman a bit of a while to sort it out."

'New Yorker' needed no encouragement to seize her opportunity and surged through into the lead. The excitement was not over yet for Tim Powell, Helmsman aboard Barlo Plastics as 'Moby Lines' now with her kite full, broached alarmingly just in front of him, forcing some wild avoiding action. In the best wind of the day, rising at times through 20 knots, a powerful surfing run by 'Breeze1' allowed her to closely follow the untroubled 'New Yorker' as the fleet rounded the leeward gate, with Barlo Plastics hard on her heels.

On the second beat, yet more wind saw the fleet all changing to smaller non-overlapping headsails. Though they managed to hang on well enough, Stead reckoned this was Barlo Plastics slowest rig. "We are a little bit slow with the number three up so we were always on the back foot upwind," said Stead. The smaller jib and an excursion out to the right proved painful for Barlo Plastics who, having switched back to the left was forced to duck both 'Resco' and 'Thomas I Punkt' on her final approach to the mark. As quickly as she had lost places, Barlo Plastics gained them back again, with a swift and this time well executed gybe-set seeing them once again in a clear lane with better pressure and a favourable shift.

By now there was no catching the leading group of 'New Yorker', 'Moby Lines' and 'Breeze1' who's frantic pumping battle to the downwind finish was only halted by the rapid arrival of the jury boat. Though no penalties were given the message was clearly understood by all concerned.

Race two found crews with a difficult choice regarding headsails. Though the sky was darkening quickly the wind had actually decreased and most crews opted for heavy number ones. A close start saw 'Elbe III' called back while all the main contenders settled down for a drag race to the left. Eventually Barlo Plastics found herself the furthest left, crossing in behind 'Mean Machine' and 'Moby Lines'. With the exception of 'Thomas I Punkt' whos excursion to the right had given her a three boat length lead by the mark, the next four boats were lined up as perfectly as they had been at the start with the rounding order at the top mark established only by positioning in the final few metres.

With 'Thomas I Punkt' just clear, 'Mean Machine', 'Moby Lines', 'Rusco' and Barlo Plastics were forced to trail round. Mean machine then messed it all up, making what Adrian Stead so eloquently described as a "gybe-set- broach". Once again Barlo Plastics was forced to take avoiding action and again Tim Powell responded well to keep the British boat clear of trouble. Down wind it was very much a repeat of the windward leg with the group of four seemingly tied together with an invisible string and no one boat able to gain any major advantage. Barlo Plastics gained just enough to round third behind 'Thomas I Punkt' and 'Mean Machine'.

By the next windward mark, Barlo Plastics having dropped back managed to switch out to the favoured right to at least secure fourth at the top of the second run. Picking up a place to secure third at the bottom of the run, the fleet was still so close everything would hinge on the final beat to the finish, this time at the windward mark. No one could predict quite how close it would be, with places changing each time two boats crossed and with the exception of 'Thomas I Punkt' who just managed to pull clear all the main contenders were overlapped approaching the line.

With Barlo Plastics and 'Mean Machine' approaching on port, both were forced to tack to avoid 'Pro Sail 3' coming in on starboard. 'Mean Machine' fluffed the tack, coming to a near standstill with her jib flapping as first Barlo Plastics and then 'Pro Sail 3' crossed the line. Even having crossed the line, Barlo Plastics troubles were not over and as she pulled clear of the finish mark, a very concerned looking Adrian Stead was forced to dive across the cockpit to flick the dangling port runner tail clear of the mark with just seconds to spare.

Though it seemed certain that Barlo Plastics had cleared the mark, 'Breeze 1' lodged a protest claiming that they did not. After a long hearing and statements from many witnesses, the protest was dismissed.

As a result of the same incident there was also a protest between 'Mean Machine' and 'Pro Sail 3'. In a somewhat acrimonious hearing, this protest was found in favour of 'Pro Sail 3'.

Results:

 1 Moby Lines      E Cheffi     1,3,2,2     8pts
 2 Barlo Plastics  A Stead      3,2,4,3    12pts
 3 Thomas I Punkt  K Jablinski  6,1,6,1    14pts
 4 Breeze 1        T Hutchinson 2,4,3,7    16pts
 5 New Yorker      C Larson     5,6,1,6    18pts
 6 Pro Sail 3      A Willim     4,8,7,4    23pts
 7 Resco           W Sunesson   9,7,5,8    29pts
 8 Mean Machine    B Beeking    7,5,8,DSQ  31pts
 9 Elbe III        J Diesch     8,10,9,9   36pts 
10 The Next        H Bloemers   10,9,10,10 39pts