The First Ship Home flag for TUI
04.08.07Kirsten Harmstorf and her all-girl crew in the BH-41 TUI took full advantage of the persistently strong SWlies in the Eastern Baltic on Tuesday and Wednesday to lead the Baltic Sprint Cup fleet from Ventspils, Latvia to the destination port for the event at Pärnu, arriving in the early hours off this principal holiday resort the “summer capital” of Estonia.
TUI’s fast passage brings her a coveted yellow flag for first ship home. In a handicap fleet this award is often dominated by one boat but the Baltic Sprint Cup 2007 had already wins by three boats in the first four legs: Frühstücksdirector (Jorn Bock, Hanse 430), Philomena (Eggert Schutt, Grand Soleil 46.3) and the largest boat, Solair (Peter Ufer, 60ft X-yacht).
Solair’s unfortunate retirement from leg 4 due to slight rig damage lay open the fleet leadership, at times taken by Henning Klaus Neumann’s Sun Fast 52 “XXL” but always closely contested. TUI confirmed her yellow flag in a thrilling finish as the sun in the north-east began to lighten the dark Baltic skies at 01.42 when TUI, XXL, Gunvor XL (Karsten Witt, X-46), and Frühstücksdirector crossed the line within 6 minutes of each other.
The Ventspils start saw a determined fleet looking to deliver their best result. In the fresh 16-18 knot SWly windward start two general recalls were followed by a “flag India” round-the-ends-rule which secured a clean start at 1330. The initial course was almost like a conventional Olympic triangle with a 1.5 mlle beat followed by a fast, starboard-gybe spinnaker reach and another gybe at a mark near the Latvian coast before heading north on a port-gybe spinnaker reach.
TUI’s tactics were to follow the rhumb line closely. Others sailed off for higher boat speed and better vmg, or in search of variations in wind speed and direction but in the end the rhumb line course delivered the goods for TUI.
