After half an hour the boat under number 5 “Aquashelf- racing”
team has stopped and was towed off in camp: the bolts of fastening of the motor
to adjustable transom cut off, motor has not suffered and within one and a half
hour again was established on a boat. However to this moment the team was rolled
away on last place in the class and has lagged behind us on 37 circles. However,
taking into account that the most part of race was ahead, to delete the
“Aquashelf- racing” team from the list of the applicants on prize-winning
places was early.
With approach of darkness the boats of all teams had switched on the
running fires, fixed by the rules. Here the next problem waited us: as was found
out subsequently, in the electrical circuit of distributing of a ramp one of
wires has come off due to the constant vibration, there was a short circuit,
part of forward headlights was off. To repair electrical line for short period
of time was not represented possible), it was only to hope, that the rest of
lights will hold on till morning.
By 1:00 AM the team YAMARAN
has passed 218 circles, on 3 circles the “Stringer” team has lagged behind,
on the third place there was a team “Team captain” with backlog from the
leader in 13 circles. Within night a team “Aquashelf racing” finally has
left from a distance: the stirred elements of the suspension bracket damaged the
vertical shaft of the gear box. Closer by morning the boat of the Francardi team
has stopped at technical boom: the hull of the boat, produced by “Brig”
company has not sustained load and began to leak, inter bottom space was filled
with water. The position of the participants in leading group was kept till 7:OO
AM. In steering control of our boat the play has increased a little, that has
caused difficulties at pass under bridges and advancing circular in Kronverk
channel. This became the reason of leading on one of the buoy, for which the
team has received the penalty in one circle. It was necessary to observe care at
pass of dangerous places, that has had an effect on speed of movement on a line.
All this, and also the windless pre-dawn time has allowed a “Stringer” team
appreciably to be tightened to us. During five hours the break between boats of
teams made one - two circle. It was perhaps the heaviest moment of the race. The
pilots of both teams moved with the greatest possible speed. In this period the
referee board fixed the minimal time of passage of a circle in race: the boat
YAMARAN has passed a circle for 1 min.38 sec., the average speed of a circle was
98 km /h. This record was not broken up to the end of the race.
The rivalry of two teams was finished by the accident with “Stringer”
boat. On the large speed the pilot has not coped with control and hooked the
pier of Ioann bridge. The boat has received significant damages, and, in spite
of the fact that after repair of the hull the team has returned to race, it
could expect for prize-winning places only in a case of quit from the distance
of other participants.
By 8:00 AM the team YAMARAN outstripped the nearest contenders - boat
¹9, team “Mnev and Co” left on the second place, on 24 circles. On the
third place there was a team “Team captain”, left behind us on 27 circles.
With such break our main goal for the last third of the race was arrival up to
finish without undue incident, however it was impossible to dump the speed: the
teams conducting struggle for the second places, went on a line very quickly. A
little relax we could pay only last hours of race, when it became clear, that
the boats, pursuing our team, have not time to reduce the break up to finish.
On the second place in a class PR 1500 was the boat of “Team captain”
having 19 circles behind us, third place was for the “Mnev and Co” team.
Among the participants, acting in other classes, it is necessary to note a
victory of a team of a magazine “Power & Sail Boats” in a class PR 1000,
(boat “Mnev and Co” with the motor YAMAHA F50), and also victory in a class
PR 700 of a team “Favorite” (boat “Mnev and Co” and motor MERCURY 40).
Pilots
Team YAMARAN consisted mainly of the employees of the PETROSET Ltd. - official dealer of YAMAHA in St.-Petersburg. In the basic structure the team was represented by five pilots, which replaced each other behind a rudder of a boat during 24 hours conducting the team to the victory:
1. Dmitry R. Sandler
2. Andrey V. Gerashchenko
3. Nikolay N. Pitukhin
4. Konstantin A. Dmitriev
5. Aleksandr Y. Smirnov
Technical and moral support was carried out also by employees of the firm, and members of their
families.
The prize-winning pilots of a team will tell about a course of race and sensations.