Ranger looks hard to beat in The Superyacht Cup as the fleet prepares to do battle for the Yachting World Performance Trophy
Superyacht racing got about as good as it gets in Palma Bay yesterday when the weather served up a peach of a day on the water and the New Zealand superyacht industry entertained owners and crews with one of the more enjoyable dockside parties – laid back and sophisticated with some top quality Kiwi fare.
Ranger pulled off another convincing win over Open Season and Senso One in the IRC fleet race on day two of The Superyacht Cup Ulysse Nardin and with a 10 minute margin on corrected time over her nearest rival it’s difficult to see how she’s going to be beaten. She even survived a spinnaker hoist foul up as she headed off on the tight reach from Isla del Sech but then stretched away from the opposition on corrected.
GWM Racing set the same course as day one providing the 11 yacht fleet (six yachts in IRC and five in the pursuit division) with a tricky beat to the western extremity of the Bay of Palma. The shifts close to the turning mark had to be seen to be believed but those lucky enough to identify the lifting wind lanes did well, caught up and made a real race of it.
Aboard Simon Lambert’s Nimrod, race skipper Jamie Collins and helmsman Richard Power skilfully threaded the 80-footer through the shifts and ‘soft’ patches bringing us to the turning mark within feet of the transom of Gliss (104ft). We hung on for a fourth place in division finishing just behind Senso One (137ft) which wasn’t a bad performance for the smallest yacht in the fleet and, in this instance, demonstrated the success of the use of IRC in this regatta.
A spinnaker reach followed by a plain sail leg to the finish brought the fleet home in around three hours leaving time for a wash and brush up for the Kiwi barbecue on the dock.
Today Ranger will undoubtedly have her eye on the Yachting World trophy (pictured above) which will be awarded this evening to the winner of today’s performance division in the Abu Dhabi Race. Watch this space for the result. For a full round up of The Superyacht Cup Ulysse Nardin and race results go to www.thesuperyachtcup.com