SAILING:Yesterday's second day of racing at the Breitling Trophy off Palma provided the Irish yacht Patches with the proverbial 'tough day at the office' in the parlance of the professional sailors that comprise the bulk of the 360 crew competing in this circuit.
Having ended day one in second place overall thanks to a 2-4-3 scoreline for the day, a result that boosted them to third overall in the season-long MedCup series, yesterday saw a complete reversal in fortune.
Light and shifting winds proved to be the bane of Eamon Conneely's team's fortunes and while issues regarding consistent starts appeared to be coming under control thanks to intensive practice, yesterday saw the Galway boat place ninth and 22nd in the two races and dropped to fifth overall.
The principal problem in both races occurred at the approach to the first windward mark. That initial leg was identified by skipper Ian Walker as being essential to mix with the leading boats for clear air and stay competitive.
However, although starting well, Patches fought to find a place in the line of TP52-footers converging on the first mark on the preferred starboard hand layline as she arrived on port and was obliged to duck below until an opening emerged.
In the second race, arriving at the windward mark with British entry Cristabella in 15th place, both boats immediately gybed to hunt for a better approach to the leeward mark in an effort to pick up places. But as luck had it, the breeze started to die on their side of the course and Patches finished almost 10 minutes behind the leaders.
With today's high-scoring offshore race and two windward-leeward courses tomorrow, a recovery to a podium result is still possible but John Kostecki's Caixa Gallicia, the overall leader, has proven hugely consistent in the mostly light to moderate airs.
Russell Coutts on Artemis has also gained ground after a shaky start and is now in second place.
