Although the very focused Admiral's Cup campaign by current overall leaders YC Costa Smeralda for Italy is a forceful reminder of that nation's rising star in international sailing, the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron's performance in the opening Channel Race at the weekend was very encouraging for the Kiwis, as James Murray's B&C 42 Callisto, their Class 2 boat, was overall individual winner of the inaugural tournament.
One of the ingredients in Callisto's success was the presence of ace international navigator Ian Moore, now Cowes resident but originally from Carrickfergus on Belfast Lough, and Newcastle County Down before that. It's said that Ian "Soapy" Moore's beneficial presence as navigator on a Transatlantic racer is "as good as making the Atlantic Ocean 150 miles narrower", and his insight into Callisto's win gives us some idea of the pace being set at the front of the fleet.
CHANNEL RACE TACTICS
"The Channel Race pretty much followed the forecast. Up the beat it felt like the boats were synchronized — just tiny gains and losses from tacking at just the right time. What really defined the race though was how you managed the run. The breeze built fast—faster than I expected—up to 25 knots. It was a boat-handling frenzy, and credit to our team—they nailed it. That's where we made big gains and ultimately won the race.
RACING PROSPECTS
Looking ahead, the inshore racing is going to be incredibly tight. Every boat in our division has strengths in different conditions—some are better upwind, some down. You need to make the most of your moments when the conditions suit your boat, and then be ready to defend when it's someone else's turn.
Callisto has been optimized to be more versatile, especially offshore, but we're up against some very quick inshore boats like Beau Ideal and Jolt. Nothing is guaranteed, and IRC corrected time can flip everything. One thing's for sure—this is going to be a tough regatta, but an exciting one. I'm looking forward to the next few days"
Competition resumes tomorrow (Tuesday) with the first inshore race from a Solent start.
On the nail and in the lead – Callisto making her purposeful way to her successful finish of the Channel Race
