CANADA’S CUP DEFENDER TRIALS DAY 2 REPORT ~ SAILING UPDATES

A great day in Macatawa Bay today for match racing! Sail22′s Sailing Updates is providing coverage of the Canada’s Cup 2011 Defender Trials racing action with blogging,video and photography. Three races in variable conditions were completed with Team Heritage, skippered by Bob Hughes with tactician, Morgan Larson, winning all of the races. Racing was tight in race one with Convexity, helmed by Don Wilson with Steve Hunt calling tactics, leading until the last windward mark. Team Heritage luffed Convexity prior to the mark rounding and gained the lead. The second race started with Team Convexity gaining a penalty on Team Heritage in the initial dial-up. Team Heritage cleared themselves at the finish with less than ten seconds to spare to win the race. The final race of the day, both teams split shortly after the start, with Team Heritage taking the right side of the course and Team Convexity the left. It was clear when the boats tacked back to meet that Team Heritage had chosen the correct side and they went on to win decisively. More racing is scheduled again tomorrow. The winner of the Defender’s Trials will take on Team Vincere next week in the Canada’s Cup. Photos of today’s racing action by Becky Furry can be found in the Sail22 Photo Gallery. Check the video below for the luffing action at the to mark. Excellent match racing maneuver!