Quantum Key West is the 52 SUPER SERIES’ Tie Break City

Top scoring boat across a great two-race day for the 52 SUPER SERIES at Quantum Key West, Azzurra have edged to the top of the leader board. But just as Quantum Racing and Rán Racing have done before them, their overall lead is only by virtue of tie break.

Azzurra’s two second places in fantastic, puffy, shifty 14-20kts winds accompanied by improving warm sunshine, overturned the previous tie break that they had been in with Rán Racing. After six races of the ten which are scheduled for the 52 SUPER SERIES at this showcase North American regatta, the top duo have a 16pts aggregate, two better than Quantum Racing whose 1,4 for the day could not improve their third place overall.
So three of the six 52 SUPER SERIES teams have now lead the regatta, each time only on tie break, and after Austin and Gwen Fragomen’s Interlodge won Race 6 today, now five different boats have won races. Only Doug DeVos’s Quantum Racing has won two races so far.
 Rán Racing’s navigator Jules Salter, a past MedCup winning champion with Emirates Team NewZealandcame ashore with the prediction that this regatta looks set to go to the final day:

 “ It is such good racing it is great fun. This regatta is going to be about hanging in there until the last day. I don’t think anyone will be clear until the end of the last day.”

 Azzurra’s costly mistakes which has troubled them variously during both of the first two days appeared to be in the past. They started well in both races and just stayed solid and focused, tactician Vasco Vascotto doing an excellent job of keeping the team which are the current 52 SUPER SERIES champions in phase with the shifting breeze and most of the time in the best of the gusty, puffy breeze.

 In the first race the blue hulled Azzurra was absolutely alongside Quantum Racing at the first windward mark but as soon as Quantum Racing were able to make a small gain, they very quickly extended with an excellent reading of the breeze downwind by Andy Horton and Ed Baird for Doug DeVos. From there the race leaders’ advantage was mostly in having free rein to sail the shifts and pressure. But the never-say-die attitude which characterizes the Azzurra team spirit was obvious when they made more than 100 metres back to Quantum Racing on the exciting final run, only just running out of race track.

 The second race, with the breeze up to 20kts in the puffs, had Interlodge’s signature all over it after they made a beautiful start with good, clean positioning with perfect timing and good speed. That was enough for Austin and Gwen Fragomen’s team to get their bow in front early in the five leg race. With good speed and power upwind especially, they were able to lead all the way around the course, beating Azzurra across the finish by a decent margin, recording their first win of the regatta.

 Marty Kullman, Interlodge’s tactician remarked:

 “ Getting to the first mark first then there were big gains. But we were always under pressure in that second race. The Italians on Azzurra are fast and always fight back hard. You cannot give anything away.

 The boat is pretty nice and you can see that. We get off the line and then we can hold our lane and go fast.

We decided we did not want to start in the favoured spot on the line, if we can get off the line then the boat is going to work for itself and then the boat is going to work for itself.”

After six races there is still only three points separating the top four boats in the fleet, Interlodge’s win leaving them very much in touch with the overall regatta leaders.

Andy Horton, Quantum Racing’s strategist rounded up:

 “ The level of competition is high and so you need to have everything right. It is an amazing level. Essentially three of the boats are from the same mould, one is a slight variation of that and the others are sped up a little under IRC modifications and so it is anybody’s day out there.  It has never been closer for the group. It was awesome today. You can go fast, there were puffs and shifts, I like that. It was just great.”

 52 SUPER SERIES at Quantum Key West 2013

 Race 5: 1 Quantum Racing (USA), 2 Azzurra (ITA), 3 Rán Racing (SWE), 4 Interlodge (USA), 5 Gladiator (GBR), 6 Rio (USA).

 Race 6: 1 Interlodge, 2 Azzurra, 3 Rán Racing, 4 Quantum Racing, 5 Gladiator, 6Rio

 Overall after 6 races:
 1 Azzurra 16pts, 2 Rán Racing 16pts, 3 Quantum Racing 18pts, 4 Interlodge 19pts, 5 Gladiator 24pts, 6Rio33pts