Marmaris International Race Week 2015 - Day 2
by Icarus Sailing Media 28 Oct 2015 09:13 UTC
26-30 October 2015
We join day 2 at Marmaris International Race Week, where teams were keen to return to the track, after yesterday's forced race abandonment due to no wind. Today's 30 mile coastal race would be a real test of strategy and tactics. A focus on finding a clean lane to sail clear of the packed fleet would give the early advantage.
In a bold move from the Race Committee, the expected race start inside the Marmaris Gulf was re-set out on the Aegean Sea – which altered the starting strategy for teams. Starts got underway on schedule and the fleets headed off on the coastal challenge.
A quick reaching leg, before rounding cape Kkadirga, soon had the fleet out on the open sea, where the tactics took over. Hugging the shoreline or venturing further out into the Aegean, would decide the winners of the day. As the race unfolded, teams need to think analytically, anticipate how a threat can be dealt with or a change made – how their team can win. The advantage today went to those who stayed close to the shore.
Papili2 skippered by Mustafa Koc led the fleet to the turning mark at bozukkale. From there, it was a slow paced downwind back to Kkardiga. The wind picked up as boats entered the final straight to the finish line, making it hard for the bigger boats in front to maintain their leaderboard position.
The fate of tomorrow's inshore race rests on teams' finish time in today's offshore race. All eyes were on the finish line to see who would win. Hoping for a good breeze tomorrow - until then stay tuned.
www.marmarisraceweek.com