This Friday marked the beginning of the second part of the Puerto Calero Gold Cup RC 44 in the waters of Lanzarote. After the first two days of match race, with an undeniable victory for the Slovenian boat Ceeref by James Spithill, this time and in the fleet races, the Ceeref, skippered by its owner Igor Lah, has once again impressed and is the clear leader in the overall standings.
The wind once again accompanied us and four windward-leeward races were held, on a race course set up in front of Playa Canaria.
Ceeref has won three of the four races held and was second in the other, so it comfortably leads the overall standings with a five-point advantage over the second-placed BMW-Oracle, skippered by Larry Ellison, who after the breakage suffered on Thursday that prevented him from competing in the second Round Robin, today returned to the competition and did so strongly with a fourth, a third, a first and a second, which consolidate him in second place overall.
Team Aqua from Dubai, skippered by Chris Blake, is third overall after achieving two seconds and two fourths.
From there, and just three points from the podium, is the Banco Espirito Santo of the Portuguese Patrick Monteiro de Barros, which has incorporated Russell Coutts into the tactics, who has exchanged places with Mark Mendelblatt, who has moved to BMW-Oracle. The Portuguese boat, which will fight tomorrow to win the DHL Trophy, for the winner of the long races, has gone from strength to strength with a fifth, a fourth and two thirds.
For its part, the only Spanish boat in competition, the Islas Canarias Puerto Calero, skippered by Daniel Calero, although it has had moments in which it has fought for the lead, has finally ended up giving way and has achieved four fifth places. The Canarian boat suffered the breakage of a spinnaker in the third race, which left it without options.
The Artemis of the Swede Torbjorn Tornqvist started well in the first race being third, but at the beginning of the second it suffered a breakage in one of the pieces that hold the mast with the boom -similar to that suffered by BMW-Oracle the day before- and had to retire.
For tomorrow, the celebration of two new windward-leeward races and the coastal race, which will be about fifteen miles long, is planned.
FLEET CLASSIFICATION (First day)
1 Ceeref (SLO), Igor Lah/James Spithill, 1-1-2-1, 5 points
2 BMW-Oracle (USA), Larry Ellison/Mark Mendelblatt, 4-3-1-2, 10 points
3 Aqua (UAE), Chris Bake/Cameron Appleton, 2-2-4-4, 12 points
4 Banco Espirito Santo (POR), Patrick de Barros/Russell Coutts, 5-4-3-3, 15 points
5 Islas Canarias Puerto Calero (ESP), Daniel Calero/José María Ponce, 6-5-5-5, 21 points
6 Artemis (SWE), Torjorn Tornqvist, 3-(DNC)-(DNC)-(DNC), 24 points