Expectations for the second day of racing at the first Preliminary Regatta of the AC38 were for more crash and burn conditions on the Mediterranean waters of Cagliari. The weather gods had a different plan – but the racing amongst the eight boat fleet was still hugely entertaining nevertheless.
Disaster struck the British GB1 team while Dylan Fletcher’s crew were warming up prior to racing, when a problem with the hydraulic system controlling one of the foil flaps developed a serious malfunction. Despite the best efforts of the shore crew, the problem could not be resolved on the water and the team returned to the dock never to return.
In competitive sailing’s brave new world, where ultra-fast foiling boats grab the majority of the headlines, the evergreen TP52 fleet and its 52 Super Series regattas stand out as a bastion of the gold standard of ‘conventional’ yacht racing. The '26 worlds in Porto Cervo look set to be a thriller.
