Saturday, March 05, 2011
Commodores Cup
Our team aboard Hydrocarbon have taken day one by storm and stated their intent very clearly by taking a bullet in the first race. Tim Thubron was helming and executed a perfect start at the committee boat end of the line, on port tack. What a start to the regatta and spirits were certainly high!
As race two progressed the breeze started to gradually build (but fear not, the sun still shone and shorts were still the order of the day!). Racing in the Caribbean is an amazing experience and must be tried, but beware it will become addictive! The team worked hard and secured a 4th place, which put them in equal first place with one race remaining for the Commodores Cup.
A late call was made to change down to the code 3rd for the start of race three; this sadly resulted in a hectic start routine and a subsequent poor start. Hydrocarbon never recovered from it and race three became a classic example as to how one small issue can result in an accumulation of errors ending up in a disastrous race! The team only managed a 7th place in the highly competitive fleet and there were certainly some despondent looking faces on board!
After a constructive debrief everyone felt much better about the day and news that we had come 4th in the Commodores Cup boosted morale significantly. Wining the first race was certainly the highlight of the day and it proven to everyone that the team has potential! The next highlight of the day was to come later as the team partied into the small hours at the first big Heineken party, which makes the St Maarten regatta legendary!
