Day 1, Student Yachting World Cup

Day 1 of the 2009 Student Yachting World Cup brought clear, sunny skies, and warm temperatures around 70. The team was eager to finally get on the water and compete, as we all wanted to see how we would fair against the best collegiate keelboat teams in the world. With 3 windward/leeward races (with offsets and single leeward mark) and one inshore race scheduled, the 12 teams from 10 countries docked out and headed to the racing area located about outside of Marseille's Vieux (Old) Port.

After a short postponement, Race 1 (W/L twice around) was started in a 5 to 8 knot SSW breeze. The Rhody Rams started at the pin, blasting off to the left side of the course. After catching a slight left-hand shift with pressure, we rounded the windward mark 60 yards ahead of the defending World Champions, the Cork Institute of Technology (Ireland). We chose to gybe quickly after the set, as we felt there was more breeze on the right, and the Irish chose to hold on starboard. We gybed above layline to the leeward mark, in pressure, which enabled us to soak to layline, still holding on to first. The breeze on the left totally shutoff, enabling the Swiss and English to climb into the top three. Race Committee shortened the course and the race was finished at the leeward mark, where we found out that we had been over early and scored OCS, along with Team Switzerland. After the initial disappointment of the 13 point OCS, we shook the first race, as we were very happy with our boat speed compared to the other teams.

Before Race 2 (W/L twice around) could be started, there was another short postponement, with the breeze dying, shifting hard left to ESE, and picking back up to 4-6kts. Just before the gun, the breeze shifted significantly to the right, causing the fleet to stack up at the boat end of the line. Because of this stack up, we were 15 seconds late to the line, but still in the top 8 off the line. The first beat was very right favored, and we were able to hold our lane and boat-speed past teams, rounding the windward mark in fifth place. We again chose to gybe quickly after the offset mark and head to the right side of the course, where we found more pressure than those who went left. After gybing back onto starboard, we caught a slight left hand shift, and with the boats on the left coming back on starboard, we made gains, vying with Team Italy for first place. The Race Committee again chose to shorten the course, finishing at the leeward mark. We gybed for the finish, on top of Team Italy, who came out of the left. Team Italy crossed the line mere feet ahead of us, giving us a hard earned 2nd.

Race 3 (W/L once around) was started in the same light SE breeze as Race 2. We started on the pin third of the line, as we felt the left side had better pressure. After being pinched off by the French team from Audencia, we bailed to the right, where we found a right shift and pressure, allowing us to round the windward mark in a very close 7th place. We chose to gybe quickly, heading left. After catching a slight pressure, we gybed, heading back towards the middle of the course, back in the top three. We were gybed on by the Irish team from the University of Limerick, and we gybed back on to port for clear air, gybing back on layline to the leeward mark. Fate did not smile on us, as the breeze lifted, shifting right, which dropped us back to 7th place for the finish.

Despite the "alphabet soup" finish in the first race, and a disappointing finish in the last race, we are still happy with the day. We know what our strengths are (boat-speed and boat-handling) and we know what our weakness are (starts), so we are looking to improve. The results are very tight, and with 5 more days of racing, we are confident that we can move up the scoreboard.


Student Yachting World Cup - Results, Day 1

1. Czech Republic 5 - 6 - 1 = 12
2. Ireland (Cork) 7 - 5 - 2 = 14
3. France (Audencia) 2 - 10 - 3 = 15
4. Ireland (Limerick) 9 - 3 - 5 = 17
5. England 1 - 11 - 6 = 18
6. Italy 8 - 1 - 9 = 18
7. Scotland 3 - 8 - 10 = 21
8. Switzerland OCS(13) - 4 - 4 = 21
9. USA OCS (13) - 2 - 7 = 22
10. France (EP) 6 - 7 - 11 = 24
11. Wales 10 - 9 - 8 = 27
12. Japan 4 - 12 - 12 = 28

Tomorrow's forecast is light again, out of the N-NW, between 0 and 10 knots.


Goodnight,

Team URI/USA