Hi Mary,
I don't see anything wrong with it either. What stands out so large to me is the difference in the race situation/environment between the two. Texel is the largest catamaran race in the world. The race is held with typically 500 to 1000 boats on the starting line at the same time. The onlooker crowd is at least a few thousand people. Sailors come from all over the world to participate. There are four different skippers meetings held in different places and using different languages all at the same time. There are race entry qualifications. Many entries/boats are turned away. With this as a starting point and getting a good start in a several hundred boat fleet on one starting line is quite a feat and something to see. Then setting the low ET record for the race; this acheivement has some true grit to it. Compare this to a couple of teams that come along and wait until the wind is just the right strength and is in just the right direction so that the long front side and back side of the island are reaches with very little upwind/downwind work across the ends of the island is very different situation from the real race. To me setting a low ET record in this environment has got alot of fluff in it.
Bill