It started with intense excitement and ended with a whimper, but even though the winds were light, the action was frenetic on day 3 of the SSL Gold Cup 1/32 Finals in Gran Canaria.
We saw comebacks, surprises, intrigue, and tension in abundance, with the four-boat format providing edge-of-the-seat, nail-biting viewing for the live-stream spectators.
In very light winds the Bermuda 'Privateers' held their nerve to take the win, with Malaysia second. Antigua & Barbuda moved up to third briefly, but Ukraine took the initiative on the final gybe to sneak back in front and take third.
Rockal Evans, Captain of the 'Privateers', was elated as he stepped back ashore:
"We had two really frustrating first days. I mean, we had some really good moments of brilliance, but our mistakes outweighed our good moments. Today was like a textbook; we nailed our tactics around the race course, we had good boat speed, in phase with the shifts and a few different tweaks that we debriefed about yesterday, what the other teams were doing.
Going into Monday's double-point race things couldn't be tighter with Antigua & Barbuda, Ukraine, and Malaysia all tied on eight points, and Bermuda just two points behind, but with all the momentum after their win today. It's wide open as to who will qualify for the 1/16 Round from Fleet 3!
