Team Dennis Conner extend lead
by GBR Challenge 16 Nov 2002 07:59 GMT
Team Dennis Conner today beat GBR Challenge to take a 3-1 lead in the Quarter-Final series. The result means that Harrison’s men need to win three matches in a row against the seasoned America’s Cup campaigners to progress in the Louis Vuitton Cup. Despite the loss today, Wight Lightning’s increase in speed around the course means that hope remains for the British team. After two days in which the Americans showed superior speed, GBR Challenge continually threatened the four-time
America’s Cup winner’s team around the course.
Despite forecasts of strong winds, the racing got underway on time with
15-17 knots from 275 degrees. GBR Challenge, with skipper Ian Walker on
the helm, started from the right hand side of the box and immediately went
into the dialup. After a minute, the teams tacked off to the right hand
side with USA 77 pursuing GBR70. The American boat pinned Wight
Lightning out to the right hand side of the course, with the British
forced to gybe to escape. The America’s Cup veterans tacked off to lead
back towards the line and cross 14 seconds ahead.
Stars & Stripes took control of the first beat, tacking on top of GBR
Challenge to extend their lead. However, GBR Challenge took 21 seconds
out of Stars & Stripes lead on the first run to round 14 seconds behind to
ensure a closely fought race. A tacking duel ensued on the second upwind
leg, with Stars & Stripes just managing to force the young British team
off.
With the lead at the second windward mark just 22 seconds, GBR Challenge
again sailed lower and managed to soak towards Stars & Stripes. Wight
Lightning closed to just 10 seconds towards the end of the run, but USA 77
found some extra pressure to pull away and gain three seconds on the leg.
Pressure from Harrison’s men on leg five meant another tacking duel
towards the top mark, with the British team throwing in 10 tacks. At the
mark, Wight Lightning had shaved a further two seconds off the Americans
lead and again pressurised Stars & Stripes. The pressure told, as
Conner’s spinnaker filled before it had reached the top of the mast,
meaning that the American boat was harder to control. However, the team
showed their experience to reassert control. A split gybe by GBR
Challenge did not pay off, and the Americans won by 34 seconds.