Despite threats of thunderstorms, the final day of training in Valencia for the five Extreme 40s went off with a bang as the teams were put through their paces in preparation for the first iShares Cup in Lugano on 30 May. The day began with a Parade of Sail down the canal that links the Darsena to the open water, and then out to sea to move straight into the first of five start sequences planned for the afternoon. Four windward/leeward courses were set in addition to a triangular course to take the boats close in to shore. Initi! al winds of 5 knots steadily increased throughout the day into perfect hull-flying conditions for the final two races giving the spectators on the beach an impressive display. The racing was tight, particularly around the windward marks, with the boats jostling for space, resulting in a few missed mark roundings, close shaves and penalty turns.
Alinghi White proved their dominance over the fleet taking three firsts with Alinghi Black beating them to the top spot twice. Skipper Ed Baird was rightly pleased with his team's progress, "This weekend has been great and it has been really exciting to race against these other boats. Today was tricky because we started in very light conditions and right off the bat our team mate Murray Jones on Alinghi Black came after us, so it went from racing all five boats in the fleet to just racing one other. In the second race we got the point back on them and then again in the third, so we were starting to feel better on board! Later in the day the breeze came up and there was a bit more excitement on t he race course. Lugano is next in the series and it was good to get some light air practice in this morning because we don't expect a lot of wind in Lugano."
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