Builder: MFG Boat Company (USA)
Designer: J.R. (Rod) Macalpine-Downie
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Clean Marine IC 45 Winter Series - Day One
Author: Sue Warden-Owen
Adrian Stead and his team aboard Barlo Plastics, began their Admiral's Cup campaign in style with emphatic wins in both the opening races of the Clean Marine Winter series regatta in Palma, Mallorca. Olympic Silver medallist, Ian Walker has stepped in as guest helmsman in place of Olympic Gold medallist, Ben Ainslie who has America's Cup commitments elsewhere this weekend. Barlo Plastics came clean out of the start in both races and with superior boat handling and good speed, never once fell behind.
Following a breezy practice session on Thursday, Friday dawned bright, clear and windless. With what wind there was filling in from the north a day of testing racing in the long southerly swell still running into the bay looked to be in prospect as the seven boats ventured out onto the course for the first real test of the season. With just half an hour to go to the scheduled start time, the wind piped up almost instantly and swung to the west to give almost perfect racing conditions. With the breeze continuing to shift around before steadying in the west at about twenty knots, the first start was delayed until 1PM.
With Stead in command of an all-star crew and Walker at the helm, Barlo Plastics was perfectly positioned a few boat lengths down from the committee boat and right on the line as the gun fired. Protecting the left, Barlo Plastics pulled ahead of her rivals as each in turn tacked away. Once Stead called the tack back to the middle of the course it was clear that Barlo Plastics would be ahead and only the question of how far remained to be answered. In the end it was nearly ten boat lengths, a distance which remained constant to the windward mark.
Downwind, surfing in big swells, Stead called a series of gybes which were perfectly executed by Walker and the crew to pull out a few more lengths by the bottom mark. Taking a conservative route around the second lap, Barlo Plastics pulled out just a couple more boat lengths before taking the
winner's gun at the finish.
The strategy for race two was similar, though different in one vital respect. With the wind now more settled Stead elected to call an early tack to the right on the first beat. Conscious of the gains made on the left in the previous race, most of the fleet continued on starboard tack but once
again it was Barlo Plastic making the right decisions. "We were about five boat lengths ahead at the first cross" said Stead, "and we never looked back from there". Again, Barlo Plastics worked the shifts well upwind and surfed the swells effectively downwind to pull slowly away for another victory.
Together with a world class crew and a superb boat, Stead and his team have the added advantage of several year's campaigning in the IC45. "lots of the other boats have new people onboard", commented Stead, "but we came out with pretty much the same set up as we had used at the World Championships last year and we won the last two races there".
Racing continues today Saturday and Sunday, with two further three-day series scheduled in Palma before the fleet moves north in preparation for the Admiral's Cup.
More Information:
- YachtsandYachting.com IC45 Class Page
- Event Website
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