Race #6 Report - Jamie Gets 4th - Darkness Cancels Racing.
Day 6 of racing took place on Wednesday, Nov. 25. This was the only day of the event that the race was open twice in one day. Surprisingly, the wind came up to above forecast. The strip was opened at 12noon in an attempt to take advantage of the optimum conditions in the trench as the water receded from the 2nd Lagoon. Rob and Jamie were the first sailors out, intent upon getting out early and making the most of the building wind. On the second run, in a wind of around 25-30, Rob hit a 47 and Jamie posted a 46.5 knots. Other sailors were scrambling to get to the water…many arrived late and missed out on the favorable conditions. Water was moving out quickly, the red flag was raised and the course was closed at around 2:00. The event site was vacated during the time of low tide, with most competitors back at their accommodations, resting and waiting for the tide to come back up in the evening. The breeze continued to blow at around 30, building up to 35 strong by the evening. Sailors waited patiently for the trench to fill in and for the course to be re open.
The green flag went up at around 4:30pm and many sailors hit the water for tune up runs in preparation for the ideal conditions in the trench which would follow, as the lagoon began to flood. Gebi got some great video of Rob laying down some runs…passing distance on some of them came within a few feet of distance…or about an arm’s length!!
The green flag went up as the sun began to settle in the west. Would there be enough time for the trench to fill in to provide for adequate water depths of 18cm while there was still enough light? Could this be the evening the Rob would take back the world record? Moments later, Alex Caizergues blasted a 49.28 on the outside. Jamie had kite troubles and barely made it off the beach…disappointed, underpowered and not prepared – a lesson learned. Rob snuck in a 48.48, good enough for second fastest on this day. Rob’s 47 combined with his 48.48 were good enough to claim the highest average of the day, a consolation prize if you will. As the sun settled behind the mountains bordering the 2nd Lagoon, race organizers had to close the course because they could not recognize competitor’s numbers on the back of their race jerseys. Darkness soon fell upon Luderitz..Top speeds on Race #6 were: Alex, Rob, Christophe, and Jamie in 4th.