The day couldn’t have started better for the company. The wind sock danced to the tune of a pathetic eight knots, bad news for Juan K's ABN AMRO boats, ditto Don Jones’ Brunel yacht, but crack out the champagne time for those of the narrow beam. It would be movistar’s day, the king of light weather.
But it was Pirates who got off to a flyer at the committee boat end, cheered on by a spectator fleet of 1,000 boats. It was a short lived celebration though, Ericsson sneaking in at the top mark to take first place. The battle raged downwind when Ericsson, consumed by their battle with Paul Cayard’s Pirates, took their eye off movistar and Brasil 1 creeping, allowing the third and fourth placed yachts to take first and second respectively.
They held position on a shortened course, ravaged by currents which transformed the circuit into a one-way track with limited overtaking opportunities, to claim a win for Bouwe Bekking and his designers.