Bella Mente Racing during the Around the Island Race (Photo Credit: Daniel Forster)
Day one of the 162nd Annual Regatta presented by Rolex wrapped up yesterday on Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island Sound with the Around The Island Race. The 19-mile race around Conanicut Island in R.I. started on an incredibly strong note for Bella Mente Racing, with the team (led by owner/driver Hap Fauth) crushing the first half of the race, with about a one-mile lead over the other three Maxi 72s competing. However, the breeze evaporated just as the boat was making it toward the finish and Bella Mente found itself struggling against a strong ebb tide.
Mike Sanderson:
Bella Mente Racing was “launched” for three quarters of the race, but then upon re-entering Newport Harbor it all turned to custard as we were going against the tide and transitioning between two breezes. We had survived an earlier transition like this during the race but this time we weren’t so lucky and had to watch as two of our competitors went around either side of us.
However, we had a great start and a great upwind beat in tricky conditions. We then had a solid downwind run that had us with a nice lead on the three other boats we had been fighting against up until that point.
Today is another day and the start of the Maxi 72 North American Championships at the NYYC Annual Regatta. Bella is feeling great and the team is looking forward to some tight competition in windward leeward racing.”
Terry Hutchinson:
Tough day yesterday. Bella got launched early on, with Hap, Doogie, and Soapy executing a good start. We were balancing the current and shifts up the first beat to the corner of Conanicut Island, and our challenges were staying between the other 3 Maxi 72s and managing traffic. The same philosophy applied down the backside of the island and all went reasonably well.
However, the race took a turn for the worse as we rounded Beavertail on the southern corner of the island for a short reach home back into Newport Harbor. The transition zone that we did well on the beat out on engulfed us on the way to the finish. We stuck to our guns on the left-hand side of the track, trying to stay out of the current and push back into the northerly but to no avail.Today starts windward leeward racing and we look forward to lining up with the other 3 Maxi 72s. It’s going to be a great challenge.
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