Team « Archambault » Shows Strength during Chester Race Week 2010
Chester NS, Canada (August 11-14, 2010) - The four days of racing were smooth sailing for the A31 and A40rc at Chester Race Week, the largest keel boat regatta in Canada. This year edition attracted more than 143 boats and the superb weather was greatly appreciated by all competitors on the water as well as ashore after racing.
Excepting the second day, most fleets were able to start on time in a 8-15 knot breeze. The A1 class, with the A40rc « Ciao Bella ! » was able to complete six races without a hitch. In the A3 class, the beautifull A31 « Anticipation » ran a total of five races for the delight of its crew. Team Archambault North America kicked off the week with some solid scores across the fleets :
Ann Acland and her new Archambault A31 « Anticipation » finished with two bullets and constant second places to win the regatta in front of the J92 « Poohstick » - “We were racing in beautifull Mahone Bay surrounded by many islands. It makes for a slightly challenging race course because of the wind shifting around the various obstructions, but my tactician did a great job at putting us in the right place, and we came out on top.” Said Acland after her great victory. The boat is just magic she said, grinning from ear to ear. “ I have been third and second skippering other boats in Chester but this is our first 1st”. Despite the fact that it took them a little time to tune properly their new Archambault A31, the victory was at the rendez-vous !
On the A1 circle - where the largest boats were competing, Philippe Paturel (Saint-Pierre, France.) christened his new A40rc « Ciao Bella ! » together with a full crew this time and finished a nice first in the regatta. In race one, he lost the start by crossing the line last but accomplished a major comeback to pass ten boats and finish second. “The new A40rc feels good, and my crew together with Sylvain Barrielle and Jeff Brock at the back was fantastic,” said Paturel as Skipper and Helm. “The whole team was a mix of canadian, american and french but the language barrier was not an obstacle, it was even more fun !” added Paturel.
Both Archambault were racing in PHRF-NS handicap system and in the shifty and challenging conditions on the course, both teams made some solid decisions upwind, which helped put them in strong positions downwind.
Congratulations to « Anticipation » and « Ciao Bella ! » for their great results !
