MedCup

Coutts, who won the 2007 title as tactician with Artemis, proved his excellence in the very shifty and gusty conditions as USA-17 finished fourth in the first race of Friday, they lost their lead on the final downwind, and won the second race which was the windiest the MedCup Circuit has seen for a long time. while USA-17’s crew work was strong, their hand strengthened by astute tactics in the big wind shifts, their prudence on the ‘corners’, especially approaching the leeward mark at speeds in excess of 22 knots at times, paid an equally valuable dividend. Early, safe gennaker drops ensured that they were well settled for the 2.2 miles beat back upwind. In the second race USA-17 lead at the first turning mark of the longer course of three windward-legs and two downwind legs, but it was only on the blustery final beat that USA-17 managed to slip through Quantum to take their third winning gun of the week.

RC44

Despite local advice, Race Director Peter "Luigi" Regio sent the six strong RC 44 fleet out on the water for the second Round Robin of the Dubai RC 44 Cup. A wise choice as the teams could sail six matches, allowing the Committee to establish a final ranking based on 21 matches. "You won't get anything if you don't try", he commented with a smile at the end of the day.

The winner of the event is Igor Lah's Team Ceeref, with James Spithill at the helm. "It's a great start to our season", he commented. "Yesterday, we were not happy with our sailing. We made a lot of little mistakes and lost matches that we could have won. We all wanted to do better today and that's what we did."

Equally happy with his performance was Team Hiroshi - Citta di Milano's pro helmsman Sebastien Col: "It all goes down to a couple of meters at the right moment", he explained. Yesterday, we could have won all our matches but we lost two of them because of tiny mistakes. We had a thorough de-brief in the evening and the difference was clear today. All the guys on board realised how important every single meter is. They were hiking better, our tacks were better, we focused well on what we were doing and the result is there: we had two excellent matches."

Russell Coutts' Team ES Bankers completes the podium with victories against Cro-A-Sail and Team Sea Dubai this afternoon.

Four teams were sharing the lead after the first round robin. Team Sea Dubai, leader of the provisional ranking after day one, lost its advantage today, regressing to the fourth place. As for Team Aqua (Cameron Appleton), penalised by a collision yesterday and sailing below its usual level, it finishes fifth, ahead of Cro-A-Sail who only won one match.

The team owners will be back at the helm tomorrow for the fleet racing event. The weather forecast is good, with North-Westerly winds of up to 20 knots expected.

Dubai RC44 Cup

The day couldn't have started better for the local team Sea Dubai, representing the organising club Dubai International Marine Club (DIMC). Sea Dubai dominated its match against Team Ceeref - with James Spithill at the helm - to take a first victory that was going to be followed by two more and result in victory in the first round robin.

A former Flying Dutchman and Dragon sailor (amongst others), Marcus Wiser, the team's helmsman, was obviously satisfied with his debuts in the RC 44 Class. "We were helped by the light winds", he explains modestly. "But we are obviously very happy. A lot of credit goes to our tactician Michael Hestbek, who was strategist on board the German entry during the last America's Cup."

The light (6 to 8 kts of wind) but fairly stable conditions allowed for fifteen matches to be sailed today, under a nice sunshine and on flat water. Most races were very close, and the overall results confirm that the teams are becoming closer from each other by the day.

Breitling MedCup

A day of consistency, consolidation and concentration was enough for Russell Coutts and the crew of Torbjorn Tornqvist's Artemis to increase their grip on the overall Breitling MedCup Circuit title in brisk easterly winds on the Bay of Hyères. Although the Swedish flagged Judel-Vrolijk design has not won a regatta yet this season, their main focus was on building their margin over Caixa Galicia, their nearest rivals for the overall 2007 title. Once again there was little that Roberto Bermudez de Castro and his team aboard the black hulled Botin & Carkeek design Caixa Galicia could do to puncture the supremacy of Artemis in the 15-21 knot, onshore breeze which kicks up a nasty choppy swell over the shallow waters of the bay, the day belonged to the English and the Irish. Stuart Robinson's British boat Stay Calm was the top scorer for the day with a second and first, to Eamon Conneely's Patches which won the first race and then took fourth in the second windward-leeward.

MedCup Hyeres

In what promises to be an engaging duel for the overall 2007 Breitling MedCup title it was Russell Coutts and the crew of Torbjorn Tornqvist's Artemis which seized the upper hand after the first two races of the Hyères Trophy. Tied with Vicente Tirado's Caixa Galicia going into this regatta Coutts and his crew eased four points clear thanks to their first and second places from today's two races on the Bay of Hyères. A long wait for the breeze to fill in and settle was finally rewarded with 7-10 knots of SE'ly wind which saw the first race start at just after 1600hrs and the second windward-leeward contest at 1735hrs.