J Class Barcelona Regatta 2024 – Day 2
by J Class Association 8 Oct 12:46 PDT
7-11 October 2024
J Class Barcelona Regatta 2024 Day 2 © Sailing Energy
After an incredible first day of racing at the J Class Barcelona Regatta, featuring the stunning and awe-inspiring yachts from the America’s Cup in thrilling action, the trophies were evenly split between the fleet’s newest vessel, Svea, and its oldest, Velsheda.
Each boat claimed a victory, while Rainbow secured a third-place finish in the initial race but had to miss the second due to a damaged jumper spreader that they hope to repair overnight after suffering a spinnaker tear.
With bright skies and wind speeds exceeding 20 knots at times, coupled with a rough choppy sea, the J Class made its debut on the America’s Cup waters, delivering all that was expected, right down to an intense match race during the second start. Velsheda took an early lead which they expanded, replicating the winning margin earned by the Swedish-registered Svea in Race 1.
The teams faced a challenging, gusty cross-offshore breeze throughout both windward-leeward races, with wind shifts providing ample opportunities for the afterguards. Though starting between Rainbow and Velsheda, Svea managed to push Velsheda aside and gradually pull ahead of Rainbow, taking the lead around the first mark.
They extended their lead down the run and at the leeward gate, where Velsheda and Rainbow rounded opposite marks. With six-time America’s Cup champion Murray Jones calling tactics, Rainbow gained valuable ground on the second leg by staying to the right. However, upon hoisting their spinnaker, the drop line snagged, tearing the sail before part of it fell into the water. Meanwhile, Velsheda capitalized on the situation to finish second behind Svea.
With only two boats at the start for the second race, Velsheda opted to engage Svea early. They circled each other twice before Velsheda made the start with a slight advantage. By the end of the first round, Velsheda, using the smaller number 3 headsail, led by 55 seconds, which increased on the next upwind leg as a windshift to the right allowed them to extend their lead over their Swedish competitors who had chosen the larger, overlapping number 2 headsail.
“It was a fantastic day on the water,” said Svea’s tactician Bouwe Bekking. “It was unfortunate that Rainbow missed the second race. We had a lot of fun, and ending the first day with equal honors is just wonderful. In the first race, we found ourselves in an unfavorable position in the middle, but we managed to push Velsheda out and then focus on holding off Rainbow. So, we had a comfortable lead at the first mark and extended that, but Rainbow came back on the second beat. On the second start, we were using a bigger overlapping jib, which made us less maneuverable than Velsheda. They got away from the start and sailed a flawless race from there, so hats off to them.”
Velsheda’s strategist Andy Beadsworth was equally satisfied with their first day. He reflected, “At the start, with only two boats, we were concerned about Svea engaging us, so we decided to take the initiative. We positioned ourselves strongly, but it was still quite loose as we circled each other. We executed a good start to the left and managed to squeeze them out. It was pretty exhilarating; these are large boats to be spinning around in circles.”
As anticipated, the Rainbow team, on their first appearance at a J Class regatta, showcased tremendous promise but faced unfortunate mishaps. Their project manager Mat Sweetman explained, “We had a mistake during the hoist; the drop line got caught, ripping the spinnaker and dragging it behind the boat. We also caused a bit of damage to our jumper spreader, but we hope to make an overnight repair and return to the water tomorrow.”
Two races are planned for tomorrow, Wednesday, 9 October, with the first warning signal set for approximately 1130hrs CET.
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