Our team has enjoyed a mix of conditions and tight racing at the Oakcliff International 2024 over the last three days
Racing began on Saturday morning with a light breeze that was influenced by thunderstorms in the local area. Seeded into the competition in 10th place, we had a tough first day in the round-robin racing against the top teams.
Skipper Zac West commented, “There was a lot of learning on the first day, understanding how the boats performed in racing compared to the training sessions. As we progressed our boat handling became cleaner and we started to match the speed of the top teams.”
Photo Credit: Peter D Taylor
The team’s improvement was highlighted on day 2 after they won four of their five scheduled races. Their performance pushed them into sixth place overall and secured them a spot in the quarter-finals against the Canadian team led by Peter Wickwire.
Held yesterday afternoon, the quarter-finals began in a strong sea breeze after competitors were held ashore for five hours in the morning waiting for the wind to arrive.
In the first race, the Sail+ Racing team focused on keeping the boat fast and were able to gain control in the pre-start leading back to the line with plenty of time to spare. The team started cleanly and was able to maintain our lead throughout the race winning the first of three races in the quarter-final series.
After the first race, Wickwire increased the intensity dramatically. Entering the pre-start on starboard Zac was able to gain control early on, however, the team misjudged their time back to the start line. Wickwire took advantage of the mistake and pushed our team hard, eventually gaining the lead off the start and around the course, claiming the win for the second race.
Photo Credit: Oakcliff Academy
The final race saw a fierce battle between both teams. In the pre-start, our team was able to gain control on the final approach to the start line, but a wind shift allowed the other team to tack off early into clean air. Trading the lead throughout the race, our team tried hard but Wickwire and his team’s experience in the boats allowed them to sneak ahead on the final downwind, claim the win and knock our team out of contention for the semi-finals.
“It was really good racing”, tactician India Gilbert commented. “Those were some of the toughest and closest races we have had. Whilst it is disappointing to not make the semi-finals, it was great to see we can keep up with the teams that have been racing these boats for several years!”
The team are now competing in the 5th – 8th round robin and has already won two of their three races, securing a top 6 placing overall. The team’s final race for this competition will be held tomorrow morning and be against the French team led by Ian Garreta. The winner of the race will secure 5th place overall.
You can follow the results for the Oakcliff International 2024 here.
You can see daily updates on our Instagram or join our newsletter!
Thank you to our amazing partners!
The Leading Manufacturer of sailboat, safety and rescue tools. Find out more!
Specialists in customer value management, transforming the way brands use customer data. Find out more!
Focused on constructing the most innovative and technical clothing for high-speed sailing. Find out more!
Support our team today! Click Here!
All donations via the ASF page are tax-deductible.
