British ‘Louise Racing’ moves into the lead of the Yanmar Dragon Gold Cup in Puerto Portals

A southwesterly wind of between 8 and 12 knots made it possible to complete one race, lasting just over two and a half hours, in the Bay of Palma. The British team Louise Racing, helmed by Grant Gordon, now leads outright.

The overall standings are extremely close after the second day of the Yanmar Dragon Gold Cup Puerto Portals, sailed yesterday, March 17th, in the waters of the Bay of Palma. The British team Louise Racing, of Grant Gordon, holds on to the lead, but by only half a point over Switzerland’s Ginkgo Racing, of Jan Eckert, and Transbunker, of Yevgen Braslavets.

The fleet of 65 competing boats completed a race that proved very difficult to get underway. Five attempts were needed, the last two under black flag, before a valid start could finally be made.

The race was sailed in a southwesterly thermal breeze (220º) with frequent shifts in direction. At the start of the race, the anemometer recorded eight knots of wind, and the pressure gradually built to 12, although it dropped again to eight knots in the final leg of the course. Faced with this drop in breeze, the race committee chose to shorten the planned course, and the race lasted just over two and a half hours.

It was not an easy race either for the committee or for the competitors because of the numerous wind shifts, which forced the marks to be moved and the course to be altered on each leg, first to the left and then to the right.

Yesterday’s race winner was the British boat Bluebottle, helmed by Graham Bailey. It is a beautiful classic wooden Dragon built in 1958, and it beat much more modern boats, crossing the finish line just ahead of Ginkgo Racing, of Jan Eckert, and Transbunker, of Yevgen Braslavets.

Graham Bailey, winner of the day’s race, said: “It was a magical race for us, in beautiful conditions. We managed to make a good start and place ourselves among the leading group. From there, we were able to move into the lead and hold first place all the way to the finish.”

The Bluebottle skipper pointed out that the Yanmar Dragon Gold Cup is a very demanding competition because there are no discard scores. “You cannot afford to be over the line or make a big mistake, so it’s about finding the balance between being a little conservative and knowing how hard to push; staying safe, but aggressive,” he said.

The overall standings changed significantly after yesterday’s results, with the top five boats separated by just 4.5 points. The British boat Louise Racing, of Grant Gordon, leads outright, with only half a point over Ginkgo Racing, of Jan Eckert, which is tied for second place with Transbunker, of Yevgen Braslavets. Still in the Making, of Benjamin Hub, is fourth, and Bluebottle has climbed to fifth place thanks to its victory.

Puerto Portals harbour master Álvaro Irala expressed his satisfaction with the first two days of racing: “They have been exceptional, and today the bay looked beautiful. We must recognize the work of the technical race team, made up of Ariane Mainemare and Marta Reynés, who do an excellent job. Then ashore, the way Puerto Portals does things makes people very happy and, fortunately, the weather has been on our side.”

The Yanmar Dragon Gold Cup Puerto Portals continues today, Wednesday, March 18, with the third day of competition. The warning signal for the start of racing is scheduled for 1:00 p.m., and the weather forecast predicts light southerly winds.