A light air lottery in Lugano

Quotes from the race course in Lugano: Ed Baird, helmsman, comments on a light day that champions all light days, on sailing with the new mast and on having an impromptu visit from the local Optimist fleet!

“We have had a max wind speed of about three and a half and it has been regularly shifting through 180 degrees, so it has been a challenging day, not just for the competitors but for the race management team. We had three races today, all reaching off the start line – it’s a little different to some of the other racing we do!”

“Nobody promised perfect conditions on an Alpine lake in springtime in Switzerland, but it’s not fair to say that it isn’t what we expected – it is exactly what we expected!”

“We have found ourselves a little bit in trouble off the starting line each time for a variety of reasons, but we have been able to catch up as the race went on, but at some point you run out of time. At some point we need to get off the line better!”

“It’s been a long time since we did a reaching start in 0-3 knots, so we’re learning about that and every race we go and try to make the best decisions we can – they’ll fall our way before long.”

“The boys had a short night last night and we got the rig back in this morning. We went for a look before racing, but we haven’t had much wind to check it out. It definitely sets up differently to our previous mast and it makes our mainsail a different shape, so we’re trying to fix that. We really just need some time at the dock where we have all the tools and have a bit of time to make it right.”

“It’s always fun to have the kids onboard. I think it was actually the most wind we had all day with a top boat speed of 8 knots with one of them driving!”
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Race 7, day 2
17:40: Alinghi 5th, Team Origin wins race 7
17:20: And they're off...
17:15: The fleet of nine is in a starting sequence
17:00: Race committee is moving the course
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Race 6, day 2
16:00: Alinghi 5th, JP Morgan wins race 6
15:50: Very light conditions again - 3 knots perhaps...
15:45: Alinghi starts quite far back in the fleet
15:40: All boats are in a starting sequence
15:30: Race committee is re-setting the course

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Race 5, day 2
15:15: Finish - Alinghi 4th, JP Morgan wins race 5
14:55: The course is a triangle, all marks rounded to starboard
14:50: Alinghi starts at the committee boat end of the line, gets away in clean air
14:45: The fleet is in sequence for a start
14:40: The breeze is filling in and the race committee is getting ready for a start
13:55: Still no wind in Lugano! The X40 fleet is milling around waiting for the wind gods to smile...
12:56: Race committee is moving the course trying to get the next race in as quickly as possible. IShares are trying for up to nine races today

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Race 4, day 2:
12:50: Finish - Alinghi 4th, JPMorgan wins race 4
12:40: Very shifty conditions make racing today a bit of a lottery with plenty of lead changes at the front of the fleet
12:35: The first race of the day is underway in Lugano in very light and shifty airs and a smattering of rain. Alinghi had a clean start at the pin end...

10:30: Alinghi is off dock and sailing again with two hours to the first start...