Day 5

Sorry for the Thursday post on Friday, but the night race last night made for a long night.

Day 5 started out with a W/Lx2 and an inshore race, followed by a 2 hour break and the night race.
Race 11 was started in a 6-10kt northerly. Off the start, we leveraged to the right, with more pressure and angle than boats on the left. Halfway up the beat, the left filled in with a huge left angle. We were hung out to dry on the right, and had to claw our way back to the mark. We rounded in 8th, close behind Ireland. Down the run, we were able to pass the Irish and close on the 6 boats ahead. In the first half of the second beat, we picked off 3 more boats, but were forced to the left, with right pressure. We lost 5 boats in the second half of the beat, and rounded the windward mark in 10th, and held that position to the finish.

Race 12 was a 20 mile inshore race, which had us racing south, down the coast of Marseille. We won the start at the boat, hitting the line at full pace, while the other boats were caught downspeed in a left shift. We rounded the short windward mark in first, 30 yards ahead of the Italians. We then broad reached Cape Croisette, gybed around the cape, and headed to Ile de Riou, surfing waves in 15kts of breeze. We held our lead around Riou, and all the way upwind back towards Marseille. In the last 2 miles to the finish, the breeze dropped from 15kts to 4-8kts, slowing the entire fleet. On the long port tack to the finish, the French team from Audencia caught pressure and went from 5th to first. We held onto 2nd.

Going into the night race, we were tied for 3rd with Ireland (Cork) with 40 points, 2 points from the Czechs in 2nd. Only 6 points seperated 2nd place from 6th, so the racing was very close

Race 13 was the night race, and the course had us rounding the Frioul Island twice, first to starboard, then back around to port. Off the start, we were slow, and had to bail to the right, and were 7th around the windward mark. We had a poor spinnaker set, and dropped a lane on the tight right to the cardinal marks Carnoubier and Sourdaras. We were rolled by 2 teams, dropping us to 9th. Up the beat along the Frioul islands, we caught 1 boat, but lost 2 at the top end of the island, due to the massive wind shadows of the island. On the run along the north side of the islands, we caught 1 boat, and we held on to 8th as we rounded Carnoubier and Souradas to go back around the islands to port. On the beat, we passed the Irish team from Limerick, and held 7th around the islands, back to the finish at Carnoubier. However, soon after we thought we had finished, the Race Committee came over the radio and said that they were in the wrong position for the finish. This meant that we would be scored for our position rounding Carnoubier and Sourdaras, which was an 8th, instead of 7th.

Student Yachting World Cup, Results through Day 5 (13 races)

1. Italy -- 21pts
2. Czech Republic -- 39pts
3. Ireland (Cork) -- 45pts
4. France (Audencia) -- 46pts
5. Switzerland -- 47pts
6. USA -- 48pts
7. England -- 58
8. Scotland -- 73pts
9. Wales -- 82pts
10. Ireland (Limerick) -- 96pts
11. France (Ecole Polytechnique) -- 102pts
12. Japan -- 112pts

Friday's forecast is very light out of the east. The regatta is capped at 15 races, so only two races tomorrow.