Photo Credit: Jesús Renedo
Bella Mente Racing took the win in today’s coastal race at the 33rd Copa del Rey MAPFRE. The sailing team of 20, led by owner/driver Hap Fauth, is tied for second place with fellow mini maxi team onboard Robertissima III.
“It was a better day for us,” said Fauth adding that Bella Mente had slipped down to fourth place on Tuesday after taking third and fourth place finishes in the two windward leeward races of the day. “We had great boat speed and the crew execution was impeccable and very in sync with the wind shifts.”
Photo Credit: Jesús Renedo
Bella Mente Racing’s Boat Captain Peter Henderson added that today’s coastal race was approximately 30 miles in total and the team experienced a nice southwesterly sea breeze, maxing out at 13 knots, off the coast of Mallorca in the afternoon. “We had a good start, but it was pretty tight with the rest of the fleet up the first beat and we rounded just behind Shockwave,” said Henderson. “We passed Shockwave on the first run and were able to capitalize and build on our lead, but the competition was super close throughout the track so it was a nail-biter up until the finish. I’m looking forward to what the rest of the week brings.”
Tomorrow, the team will transition back into buoy-to-buoy racing against competitors in IRC 0. “We still have six more races to complete in this regatta so there is a lot of opportunity for us to win,” added John Cutler who joins Fauth and Mike Sanderson in the afterguard.
Photo Credit: Jesús Renedo
Tune in through Saturday (August 9) for more nightly reports featuring Hap Fauth, Mike Sanderson, John Cutler and Peter Henderson. For more updates, follow the team on Facebook and Twitter.
For more information on the 33rd Copa del Rey MAPFRE, visit http://bit.ly/ULAhwj
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