Tag Archive for 'couple'

BMW ORACLE Racing takes an early lead in the Cagliari RC 44 fleet regatta Friday, April 24, 2009 Thanks to a third and a first, the American team - with Larry Ellison at the helm and Russell Coutts calling the shots - takes the lead of the fleet regatta ahead of Islas Canarias Puerto Calero and Team Aqua. For most RC 44 team owners, the first fleet regatta of an event coincides with their return at the helm for the first time since the last regatta. The transition is usually sharp, and some of them need a couple of regattas to get their feeling back. Larry Ellison didnt need such an adaptation as he already steered the match race earlier in the week. He showed from the first race that he was well in the game, taking a very good start and finishing third of the first race before winning the second regatta, grabbing an early lead in the tournament. The conditions were once again light and the wind unstable in direction today. The first race started at lunch time, with 5-7 knots of wind. Both Torbjorn Tornqvist (Artemis) and Maciej Nawrocki (Organika) went over the line too early and had to cross the line again, whilst Chris Bake (Team Aqua) and José Maria Ponce (Puerto Calero Islas Canarias) started perfectly, taking an early lead and reaching the windward mark ahead of the pack. Controlling the situation perfectly, Bake cruised to an easy victory whilst the Spaniards struggled to contain the attacks of BMW Oracle Racing and Ceeref, wiping the sweat out of their foreheads ...