How do you say in Arabic “roll the dice”? This is probably how one should describe Saturday, third of fleet racing at the RC44 Oman Cup. The breeze was so light and so unstable in direction that tacticians certainly needed a bit of luck to help them solve the riddle weather conditions presented them with. In a similar fashion to Friday, the westerly gradient and the struggling northerly sea breeze fought, the overcast skies only making it worse. There weren’t more than 7 knots of breeze and the wild shifts from one leg to another could quickly turn somebody from zero to hero.
The race committee was able to only run two of the three scheduled races and Katusha disappointed with a comfortable victory in the first one and an inexplicable last position in the second one, as they slipped further back in every mark rounding. The day’s winner was definitely Synergy with Valentin Zavadnikov on the helm and Ed Baird calling tactics. The Russian team scored a third and a second and is now fifth overall. Another Russian team, Nika, had a consistent day and is now sitting fourth, separated from third-placed Artemis by just one point. Three of the top-five teams are Russian!
The RC44 Oman Cup 2013 will come to an end on Sunday with another two or three fleet races, weather allowing. The weather forecast calls for the Shamal coming over Muscat either on Saturday night or early Sunday. The Shamal is a very strong westerly wind coming from the Arabian peninsula that brings gusts of 40 knots, sand storm and eventually rain. That could put in jeopardy the day’s races, so hopefully the forecast will prove wrong.
RC44 Oman Cup – Fleet racing standings after five races
1. Katusha (RUS 007) / 28 points
2. Team Aqua (GBR 2041) / 38 points
3. Artemis Racing (SWE44) / 40 points
4. Team Nika (RUS 10) / 41 points
5. Synergy Russian Sailing Team (RUS 13) / 53 points
6. RC44 TEAM CEEREF (SLO 11) / 57 points
7. Ironbound (USA 1) / 60 points
8. Aegir Racing (GBR22) / 61 points
9. RUS-7 Sail Racing Team powered by AnyWayAnyDay.com (RUS7) 62
10. Lunajets Aleph Racing (FRA17) / 63 points
11. Peninsula Petroleum Sailing Team (GBR 1) / 67 points
12. Team Italia (ITA 7) / 77 points
13. MAG Racing (POL44) / 83 points
Race 1
The day’s first got off with overcast skies and very light breeze, probably no more than 6-7 knots. Given yesterday’s experience we expected that one or the other side of the course would turn out to be heavily favored and in this first beat it was the right. That’s what Andy Horton on Katusha, Tomislav Basic on Nika and Morgan Larson on Artemis did. Katusha stuck to the right for most of the beat and was ahead in the first weather mark, miles ahead of the others. From there on they stretched their lead ahead of Nika, while slipped back to fourth in the last run after being overtaken by Synergy. The first three boats of the race were Russian!
Start of the day’s first race. Muscat, 2 February 2013. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / www.vsail.info
Start of the day’s first race. Muscat, 2 February 2013. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / www.vsail.info
Katusha take the lead very early in the first beat. Muscat, 2 February 2013. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / www.vsail.info
Morgan Larson on Artemis checks the opponents in the race course. Muscat, 2 February 2013. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / www.vsail.info
Team Aqua had quite an average race. Muscat, 2 February 2013. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / www.vsail.info
Katusha round the first weather mark comfortably in the lead. Muscat, 2 February 2013. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / www.vsail.info
Nika has a very good first beat and finds itself in second place at the first weather mark. Muscat, 2 February 2013. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / www.vsail.info
The fleet in the first run. Muscat, 2 February 2013. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / www.vsail.info
Katusha leads at the bottom gate. Muscat, 2 February 2013. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / www.vsail.info
Artemis rounds the last weather mark in third place. Muscat, 2 February 2013. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / www.vsail.info
Synergy rounds the last weather mark in fourth place. Muscat, 2 February 2013. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / www.vsail.info
RUS7 rounds the last weather mark in fifth place. Muscat, 2 February 2013. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / www.vsail.info
Katusha scores a comfortable victory. Muscat, 2 February 2013. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / www.vsail.info
Race 2
With the clouds becoming darker over the Omani skies it was clear that there were very little chances of the sea breeze building up. In fact the day’s second, and last, race took place under excruciatingly light and shifty conditions that forced the race committee to shorten the course. The outcome of the race was decided by the tactical choice each team made in the first beat. There was a clear split of the fleet, with half of it going left, Katusha in the middle and the rest on the right. Team Aqua, Synergy and Artemis made the right decision and led, in that order, from start to finish. However, the most intriguing story was Katusha. They opted for the middle of the course, rounded the first mark in 10th place and not only failed to recover, they seemed to be stepping on every mine there was on the race area, crossing the finish line dead last!
Start of the day’s second race. Muscat, 2 February 2013. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / www.vsail.info
Excellent start for Synergy. Muscat, 2 February 2013. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / www.vsail.info
Katusha stays in the middle of the course in the first beat. Muscat, 2 February 2013. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / www.vsail.info
The right pays and Team Aqua crosses ahead of Katusha. Muscat, 2 February 2013. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / www.vsail.info
Team Aqua rounds the first mark with a comfortable advantage. Muscat, 2 February 2013. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / www.vsail.info
Katusha struggles, rounding the first mark in tenth place. Muscat, 2 February 2013. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / www.vsail.info
Team Aqua leads at the bottom gate. Muscat, 2 February 2013. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / www.vsail.info
Newcomers Aegir Racing had a tough day. Muscat, 2 February 2013. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / www.vsail.info
It’s not the world’s most exciting photo but it tells the story. Katusha are dead last at the second top mark. Muscat, 2 February 2013. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / www.vsail.info
Artemis Racing cross the finish line in third place. Muscat, 2 February 2013. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / www.vsail.info