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MOD 70- The first head-to-head between the five MOD 70s offered a glimpse of things to come in offshore multihull racing as Musandam-Oman Sail proved a worthy contender in the KRYS OCEAN RACE prologue from Newport to New York.
In a soft start to the MOD 70 circuit, marked by light winds and slow progress, Sidney Gavignet’s mixed crew of Omani and international sailors finished fifth in New York having covered the 120 nm course in 14 hours, four minutes and one second. Until the final few miles when the fleet passed Coney Island and the Statue of Liberty on the spectacular approach to the finish, Musandam-Oman Sail were second behind eventual winners Steve Ravussin on MOD70 Race for Water before the wind died on them to leave them becalmed.
After a tricky start on Monday, Musandam-Oman Sail had risen through the fleet to take the lead, holding onto it until just a few miles from the finish, according to British helmsman and 27 world record holder Brian Thompson.
“We didn’t have a great start because we were fixing our winch system but we got away and within an hour we were in second place and within two hours we were in first. All night it was us and Spindrift battling for the lead, with the others up to ten miles behind.
“They went in shore and we decided to cover them but the wind died so we were both becalmed. But that is yacht racing for you. We had a really good race and learned that as a contender, we had good speed and good tactics. It was very encouraging.”
A weary skipper Sidney Gavignet (FRA) said there were many positives to take from the race but spoke of his disappointment in finishing last after making good progress among such a high class fleet. MORE STORY
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