The fleet gathered at Puerto Calero this week for what looks set to be a far tamer regatta than last month's edge-of-control affair 20 kilometres further west along Lanzarote's south coast. Practice racing today produced moderate to fresh conditions, though the forecast turns muscular for Friday and Saturday, setting up a top-end finale for the Royal Cup.
Two short, sharp practice races were sailed today, both single laps of a windward-leeward course in 15-22 knots of offshore breeze. Different winners emerged in each: Pieter Heerema's No Way Back took the first, Andrea Lacorte's rapid Alkedo Cetilar the second.
No Way Back sat out that second test. Harm Müller-Spreer's Platoon Aviation, three-times winner of the Royal Cup, was right in the mix both times, chasing down No Way Back at the finish before doing just as well again in the next warm-up circuit.
"I think we are sailing well. I look back at the last regatta and consider we won the last two races including one coming back from being over the start line and I feel we can do well here. And for me racing for a trophy which has a history, a legacy is a great, additional reward," said owner-driver Harm Müller-Spreer.
Heerema knows these waters better than most. The Dutch owner-driver has clocked countless hours out of Puerto Calero marina, first in the RC44, then the Dragon, and later keeping his IMOCA here while training for the 2016 Vendée Globe. He has a house overlooking the race area.
Even so, he is cautious about his chances.
"I think we are still missing a little in terms of communication. I feel like we are good in a straight line in terms of speed but maybe in the high pressure situations we can improve our communication. There are a number of boats which could win here, I think we maybe have a five to ten per cent chance," said Heerema.
Ergin Imre's Turkish-flagged Provezza looked sharp in the second race. Like several other boats last month, Provezza's results were compromised by torn spinnakers in the heavy, gusty breeze.
Spanish navigator Nacho Postigo put the change in conditions down to a low pressure system over the Iberian peninsula disrupting the trade winds. "When it moves in a couple of days we will see the trade winds re-establish themselves. As it moves the wind will fill over the race area. But today we were not expecting more than 16 knots. We sailed with 20-22kts which was very much today. We had a good second race and were going well in the first race until we tore a kite and went backwards from there. We had good pace, we made good starts, I think we can do much better than we have so far, we are more consistent in our starts and the speed is good."
Sled leads the circuit standings after three of five regattas on 120 points, with Platoon Aviation second on 137 and Alkedo Vitamina third on 140. Paprec sits fourth on 157, No Way Back fifth on 165.
Thirteen boats make up the fleet at Puerto Calero: Alegre, Alpha +, Alkedo Vitamina, Crioula, Gladiator, No Way Back, Paprec, Platoon Aviation, Provezza, Sled, Teasing Machine, Trinity Racing and Vayu.
