Artemis win the Practice Race for the TP52 Series today in light winds off Cartagena.

Artemis, winners of last month’s Camper Regatta – Conde de Godó Trophy – Barcelona, suggested today that they might have lost nothing of their momentum when they comfortably won today’s official Practice Race for the TP52 Series at the Caja Mediterráneo Region of Murcia Trophy off Cartagena.

With Cameron Appleton (NZL) calling tactics and Paul Cayard (USA) on the helm, the Artemis crew read the tricky approach to the first turning nearly perfectly to be able to round in first place, ahead of the Portuguese team on Pedro Mendonca’s Bigamist 7.

At the leeward gate Artemis sailed wide and late allowing Bigamist through, but they quickly made good what they had lost, leading around the top mark for the second time to take the winning gun by 41 seconds from Bigamist with Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) finishing third. The best recovery of the day was that staged by Terry Hutchinson (USA) and Quantum
Racing (USA) who worked from 11th at the first turn to finish fourth.

After a delay of over one and a half hours waiting for the sea breeze to fill in sufficiently to allow racing the SW’ly breeze topped no more than eight knots but it was the top corner, calling the layline in to the windward mark in the streaky breeze and strong current which taxed the afterguards most today.

Racing is scheduled to start in earnest for the TP52’s tomorrow at around 1330hrs after the GP42 Series have completed their initial practice starts.

Till regattan...