Day 2 preview: Four matches on schedule
Day 2 of the Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Côte d’Azur gets underway early today with the first warning signal scheduled for 0845. That’s due in part to the yachts being on the water early in honour of the Marathon des Alpes-Maritimes, which runs from Nice to Cannes.
The first match sees ALL4ONE taking on Emirates Team New Zealand. Team New Zealand, led by skipper Dean Barker, won its first match of the series yesterday when it defeated TFS – Pages Jaunes. ALL4ONE, the combined French/German team led by skipper Jochen Schuemann and helmsman Seb Col, is racing its first match. Team New Zealand picked GBR-75 as its stead while ALL4ONE has the starboard advantage entering the start box.
Match 2 pits Artemis against TFS. Artemis, with Americans Paul Cayard and Terry Hutchinson in the afterguard, didn’t race yesterday while TFS and skipper Bertrand Pace look to rebound from a 1 minute, 36 second loss. Artemis will race in GBR-75 while TFS will enter the start box on starboard tack.
Match 3 has BMW ORACLE Racing going against Russia Synergy. BMW Oracle Racing is being helmed by Gavin Brady of New Zealand, who’s filling in for team CEO and skipper Russell Coutts until he returns on Monday. Russia Synergy helmsman Karol Jablonski looks to shake off the rust shown yesterday in his debut. He was penalized in his first pre-start action since the 2007 Louis Vuitton Cup in Valencia, Spain. Synergy will race GBR-75 while BMW Oracle enters on starboard tack.
Match 4 might be the most intriguing of the day with TeamOrigin taking on Azzurra of Italy. TeamOrigin and skipper Ben Ainslie opened the series yesterday with a victory, while Azzurra was denied a victory. The Italians and skipper Francesco Bruni sailed a masterful race against BMW Oracle only to have the 20-minute leg time limit expire on them 200 metres from the finish. Azzurra gets to sail GBR-75 while TeamOrigin will have the starboard advantage.
The wind conditions are forecast to be light and shifty again. An offshore flow in the morning will give way to an onshore flow in the afternoon, with the strength forecast no more than 8 knots.
