Defiant gets off to a Strong start
09/28/2003 -
Defiant gets off to a Strong start
Toronto, Canada – The first day of the Canada’s Cup brought a lot of different conditions, breakdowns and postponements. The first race of the Canada’s Cup was postponed for an hour this morning due to big breeze and rain. Once the first storm passed through Team Defiant took an early advantage leading at the first mark and extended when Team Heartbreaker blew up their spinnaker and had to go without a headsail while they switching kites. There were a couple of course changes as the breeze shifted and even a moving mark. Heartbreaker would close the gap but Defiant’s lead after the first leeward mark would be too much to overcome. Heartbreaker asked for a redress due to the moving mark but was denied due to the fact that it didn’t affect the result of the race.
Race two of the day was postponed briefly while Team Heartbreaker did some repairs. The second race of the day would be an exciting one with a good even start with Heartbreaker getting Left first and then a tacking duel would ensue. A few squalls passed through and changed the wind conditions from breezy to shifty which kept the boats tight. Defiant would lead most of the race and was able to hang on for a nail biting two second victory.
The forecast looks better for Sundays racing. Defiant will be looking to extend their lead while Heartbreaker needs to get their first win to keep the Canada’s Cup within reach. Stay tuned to www.canadascup.org for up to the mark rounding coverage.
Ed Furry
Sailhead.com
photocredit "Team Defiant-Jeff Burcher" |
