Second leg of Martinique Cata Raid drove competitors from Anses d’Arlet to Le Carbet. If the regatta game looked simple at first, it quickly played with the nerves of the competitors…
Racing started pretty fast, with crazy speeds registered until the first mark laid in Fort de France Bay but, after the passage ahead Carbet, the wind decided to play with competitors nerves, crushing from 15 to 0 knots… The competitors tried various options to join Saint Pierre mark, some passing close to the shore, others preferring to reach off coast, but in the end both options could turn out paying at times, then being uncertain, racing actually turning to Russian roulette…
English pair Simon Northrop and Simon Farren winners
Tenacity rewarded English team Simon Northrop and Simon Farren. Being unlucky on day one after board dammage, they got the win in F18 Class, sailing ahead the whole fleet (including Flying Phantoms…) even, as most of the other competitors, they had to step back sometimes.
” It was a good day for us, interesting with many options being offered. It was necessary to remain focused, to make right choices because sometimes the wind could blow on the shore, when we were hoping that it would return off the coast with more pressure. Thus it was sometimes necessary to wait just a little but that paid over time. We broke one board yesterday while we were in the lead, so it is a beautiful reward for us to gain the win today. The boat is not still completely in a good shape, taking water by board case since the break on yesterday, but if light winds continue to last, we shall hold as we are. “
