It was a really very ”Good Friday” for South Africa’s Team Shosholoza who showed superb form in tight tactical racing to keep up with the big guns of the America’s Cup by posting a seventh and a fifth place on the fourth day of the Louis Vuitton Act 13-fleet racing regatta.
”You super duper kids. Yippee! For novices, you’re superb. Keep going and they’ll know they are in for a fight. Sterkte, Amandla! Viva Shosholoza! God’s richest blessings,” was the response from the team’s patron, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, writing from Penang, Malaysia.
The South Africans are now lying seventh overall (33 points) after five races, having relegated their regatta rivals the French Areva Challenge and Italian +39 to 10th place (20) and 11th place (17) respectively. +39 did not race on Friday as they were desperately trying to sort out a new mast after theirs came crashing down following a collision with United Internet Germany on Wednesday.
Shosholoza had supporters at the edge of their seats when in the fourth race of the regatta earlier on Friday afternoon they held second place behind the Cup defenders, Team Alinghi, for the first two legs.
The boys from the South fired up early for a starboard start to take the pin end behind the Italian Mascalzone Latino and American BMW Oracle Racing teams. From there it was magnificent first leg for the South Africans who showed good boat speed crossing ahead of Emirates Team New Zealand and ultimately moving into a power struggle with the Swiss Cup defenders all the way to the first windward mark.
”The South Africans have all their horses firing. They might even cross ahead of Alinghi! They are showing that their thoroughbred race horse Shosholoza RSA 83 is going super fast. They are really smoking!” said official race commentator Andy Green.
It was Alinghi that ultimately tacked on the face of Shosholoza a boat length ahead, but the South African’s got the best out of it by quickly climbing on to the hip of Alinghi and rounding the first mark in second place.
Alinghi led the procession of challengers down the run with Shosholoza and Mascalzone a boat length behind. Once again the South Africans showed their mettle by rounding the leeward gate in second place after a downwind tussle with BMW Oracle, who came up behind ”like a stalking tiger” waiting to pounce.
”Amazing here we have the South Africans gybing on top of BMW Oracle at the top of the fleet. A year ago you would never have seen this and especially with a team whose budget for a year is probably more than the South Africans’ is for the entire Cup,” said Green.
But the fight was on and despite another magnificent moment that saw Shosholoza punching back up to the top mark between BMW Oracle and Emirates Team New Zealand, opposition boats took every opportunity to lee bow and tack on top of each other. A decision to go left also didn’t work to the advantage of the South Africans, who dropped to sixth place at the second mark.
In the final run to the finish they lost another place after being pushed off the lay line during a mini-match race with the Swedish Victory Challenge. The wind was up to 17 knots and temperatures dropped to a chilly 15 degrees later in the afternoon for the start of the fifth race of the regatta and second of the day.
All the teams fired up for a perfect start with Shosholoza starting in the middle of the fleet to take the right side behind Emirates Team New Zealand.
The South Africans sailed a steady tactical race keeping up behind the leading Italian team Luna Rossa, Emirates Team New Zealand and Alinghi to round the first mark in an impressive fourth place. Despite attacks from the Spanish they held their fourth spot down the run and came into the leeward gate breathing down the neck of the Kiwis.
”The South African boat is absolutely hanging on to the top boats. Their boat is keeping well into the hunt and their tactics and crew work is not letting them down either,” said a race commentator.
But Shosholoza lost a place to the Italian Mascalzone-Latino team by picking the wrong side of the leeward mark and once again had to fight off further attacks from the Spanish and Swedish Victory Challenge. It was a relief when they crossed the finish a hair’s breadth of the Spanish to take fifth place.
Alinghi leads Act 13, followed by Emirates Team New Zealand, Luna Rossa and Mascalzone-Latino in fourth place. A disastrous fifth race that saw BMW Oracle lose three jibs and a spinnaker going into the leeward gate resulted in the Americans dropping to fifth place overall. The Spanish are sixth. — Sapa