-
China Team - Source: Photosport -
Watch Video
-
Related
China Team have picked up their first win of the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series by 55 seconds with Shosholoza having a major gear failure.
The pre-start was tentative compared to the early tussles of the races so far.
Shosholoza started slightly behind but had the right-hand side while China looked too early but hit the line perfectly.
By the first mark China Team had a 20 second lead but Shosholoza fought back and were very close at the second mark.
The crucial moment was the rounding of the third mark.
The boats were close with China around first but producing a poor hoist.
Shosholoza looked ready to pounce but tore their gennaker and and then compounded their problems by failing to react quickly.
The Chinese boat stayed calm and headed away in 10 to 12 knot winds while the South Africans struggled to get the tore gennaker down and the spare one up.
They failed to get the big sail under control and eventually ended up dropping it and trailing it behind them.
They got their spare gennaker up, had the mainsail full and dropped the genoa but with the torn gennaker still being towed they seemingly could not cut the halyard to get free of it
The chase boat eventually cut the line and picked up the sail but by then China Team were over 200 metres ahead and the race was effectively won.
The Chinese boat, helmed by Britain's Ian Williams, sailed calmly throughout the last beat and picked up their first win of this regatta by a margin of 55 seconds.
