Three races were completed today in Cartagena. That is a lot of laps. I can’t remember it all. I know we had three very good starts. The first race was tricky with the two winds, the 040 and the 090 fighting right in the middle of the race track. The wind speed was 14-16 knots all day with decent size waves which were good for surfing downwind.

In the first race, we got a bit too far to the right in the first windward leg and struggled to get to the windward mark which was still in the left (050) wind direction at that point. At the end of the first run the wind went to 095 which made things pretty interesting. We got 7th out of that.

In the second race, we managed a 4th and in the third race a 5th. We did have a problem in the last race with the jib up the leeward mark. The jib sheets both came off and we tried to use the jib as a flag for about three minutes. It also got one wrap around the headstay. After we got the sheets on, we were about 7th. We managed to pass Quantum and Synergy before the windward mark. In the end we finished 5th but will score a 4th as Mutua was disqualified.

Mutua Madrilena had a horrible day. Last in the first race, second in the second race and then disqualified in the last race for hitting Tao at the first windward mark. Quantum did not have a stellar day. Bribon and Matador had the best day with 13 points each. Everyone was up and down. No one stood out with consistently a strong performance.

Bribon has a protest against Synergy in race number two which may improve their 8th place in that race.

So the scores as of 2030 local time are:

1. Matador 35
2. Bribon 37
3. Quantum 44
4. El Desafio 44
5. Platoon 48
6. Mutua Madrilena 50

What a difference a day makes in this fleet!

Tomorrow, three races are scheduled. No start can occur after 1600. Forecast is a bit less wind that today.

For complete results go to www.audimedcup.org

We onboard El Desafio won the day today with a 3, 1. Mutua Madrilena had a 2, 2 for equal points and now leads the Series. El Desafio moves up to third place, just two points out of first.

Same wind, sky and waves as Tuesday. The race committee still had some trouble anchoring in the deep water but we eventually got two good races off. Very shifty conditions made it a challenge for the tacticians. John Cutler onboard El Desafio did a great job for us. The big waves and puffy wind made it a challenge for the trimmers and the helmsman. It was a day where you had to keep adjusting things to keep the boat in the grove upwind and downwind. It was never easy on any boat.

Quantum Racing had a bit of a bad day with a 4, 8 and Bribon a bit better but not what they would have preferred with a 9, 3. It just goes to show how competitive this fleet is. Just a couple of mistakes and you go from having a good race to finishing 9th. The scores are now very tight with the top 6 teams almost swapping positions each race.

There was one breakdown today, Platoon. On the first windward leg of the second race, after winning the first race of the day today, their headstay broke and they had to withdraw. They were well positioned at the time. The helmsman of the Platoon is three time gold medalist Jochan Schumann.

The light Trans Pac 52’s were hitting speeds of 17 knots down wind with the big waves and 20 knots of wind.

Tomorrow is the “Coastal Race”. In this race, you have one start but two scoring points, the midpoint and the finish. So getting a good start and being in front at the first windward mark is doubly important in this race.

The series resumes with 4 windward leeward races schedules for Friday and Saturday.

For complete results go to www.audimedcup.org