MEAN MACHINE MAKE PORTIMAO THEIR OWN Mean Machine Valle Romano and the rest of the mighty TP 52 Med fleet were forced to endure a two-hour delay this morning before setting off on the eagerly awaited Portimao coastal race. Peter de Ridder, Ray Davies and co. are taking part in the fourth and penultimate event in this year’s Breitling MedCup Circuit, the first ever in Portuguese waters, and it hasn’t been without a thrill or two…
Possibly the most eagerly awaited event in the Breitling Medcup so far, Portimao promised big waves and a dose of decent breeze for the 19 TP 52’s on the start line on Tuesday; and it didn’t disappoint. On day one North Westerly winds gusted at up to 25 knots, giving the box rule class some big breeze to play with.

Tactician Ray Davies, navigator Jules Salter and mainsail trimmer Dirk de Ridder, who’d just travelled down to Portimao after breaking a Fastnet record, were relishing a fresh challenge after their outstanding achievement. Trimmer Jono Swain had previously docked at the port onboard a broken Movistar during the 2005-06 Volvo Ocean Race, so it was time to rewrite the Portimao story for him. Owner and skipper Peter de Ridder was eager to show what the team were made of, and was looking for that elusive good start or perhaps it was the return of the pink flames, rising up the side of the black hull, that made Mean Machine that extra bit “mean” out on the water on day one of the competition.

The team stormed home with a seventh and two wins, in a display of masterful tactics and aggressive sailing. The team sponsored by the Spanish Golf Resort Valle Romano finished the day one point ahead of Russell Coutts and the crew of Torbjorn Tornqvist's Artemis.

Owner and Skipper Peter de Ridder at the end of day one: "It was down to a bit of everything today. It was down to good starts, and our afterguard Ray Davies, Tom Dodson and Jules Salter did a great job of positioning us well on the race course, and our trimmers did an excellent job ensuring the boat really stayed well balanced and felt excellent."

He added: "The new boats are definitely a little bit quicker but I think we proved that if you sail smart you can still win."
Day two produced a fifth in the first race followed by yet another victory for the Mean Machine Valle Romano team, now clutching 3 victories out of a possible 5…it seems they really are on fire in this regatta. At the end of day two de Ridder’s crew had widened their score margin to a ten-point lead, as the fleet headed into today’s first Atlantic coastal race.

Speaking after yesterday’s racing tactician Ray Davies put the team’s success down to the sail research and development preparation: "A ten point lead is nice, and it’s good that we are pulling back points to catch up on the leaders. I think we’re sailing better than at Palma and Breitling. We have made some changes to the keel and have refined the way we sheet the jibs a bit, more like the new boats and I think that has all helped."
THE MEAN MACHINE RACE TODAY
Today’s coastal race in the bay of La Lagoa was about 20 miles long, and every inch of it belonged to Mean Machine Valle Romano.

After a two hour postponement, Navigator Jules Salter, tactician Ray Davies, Tom Dodson, Peter de Ridder and the rest of the Mean Machine boys showed the fleet what a Breitling MedCup winning team looks like, as they set the racecourse alight with their characteristic pink flames.

However the breeze didn’t accompany the boats on day 3 of the race, and weak and shifty winds meant the job for trimmers, such as Jono Swain, Dirk de Ridder, Jon Gundersen and Liam Newman was especially tough. Today’s success had a lot to do with choosing the right sail for the job.

The team certainly made the right calls, as they finished this first ever day of coastal racing in Portugal for the MedCup 4 minutes in front of Patches and Rusal, and over seven minutes ahead of fourth place Artemis.

In this highly competitive and equal sailing arena, the team aren’t taking anything for granted in this competition. They know that once they’re out there, anything could happen, and it’s important to keep on top of your game and remain focussed.

Tactician Ray Davies is impressed with the boat’s performance in this event:“We are struggling a little bit in comparison to last year, we feel the new boats are going better but as a team we feel we are getting more and more out of our boat. We did some work to the keel between this and the last regatta and that has definitely made a big difference, so we are working extremely hard to get the best out of our boat”

1 MON 52 VALLE ROMANO - MEAN MACHINE 7, 1,1,5,1,1, 1= 17
2 SWE 11152 ARTEMIS 2,3, 5, 2, 13 , 4, 3 = 32
3 IRL 5200 PATCHES 6, 5, 9, 11,7, 2, 2 = 42
4 ESP 7452 CxG CORPORACIÓN CAIXAGALICIA 3 ,4, 10,1,11 , 8, 7D
5 USA 52698 WINDQUEST 10,7,8 6,8,5,5 = 49
6 ESP 7552 BRIBON 5,2,14,8,2,13,10 = 54
7 GBR 93R STAY CALM 1,21, DNF, 4,14,6,6,6 X
8 ESP 52 SIEMENS 9,13,2 ,4,5,14,14= 61
9 GBR5206L CRISTABELLA 8,6,11,17,3 ,12 ,12= 69
10 ESP 8110 ONO 11,11,15,15,4,7,8= 71
For more info about Mean Machine contact to: Helena de la Gándara. Mean Machine PR mail: helena@mean-machine.nl Telephone: +34 609481394 Photos: FREE USE FOR EDITORIAL PURPOSES. SANDER VAN DER BORCH/MEAN MACHINE--