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TEAM ORACLE – Definetely different! Go to www.americascup.com for more!
Monthly archives for August, 2012
FONCIA ON THE MOVE!
MOD 70 SAILING – After the first three Betfair City Races of the MOD70 European Tour raced in a light breeze from the north Michel Desjoyeaux and the crew of FONCIA lead after winning the first two short races on the Kiel Fjord in pleasant sunshine.
The tight, compact courses – just 600 metres wide at the windward mark – proved to be just the challenge expected, but each of the races was closely contested whether the wind was at its maximum, around 10kts in the first race or when it dropped away to a gentle five knots in the third.
FONCIA laid down their marker with two back to back wins. In the first race Desjoyeaux and his crew were required to take a penalty at the approach to the windward turn for impeding Sidney Gavignet’s Musandam-Oman Sail. But in turn Desjoyeaux and his team were ready to pounce when the breeze faltered near the finish and they found themselves a clear lane to take the first winning gun of the regatta.
The first race was the most spectacular with the lead changing several times. Teams had to be doubly aware of the chains of events which would happen in the tight situations and thinking well ahead and, often, staying clear of the pack paid a dividend. Stève Ravussin’s Race for Water, with Volvo Ocean Race winning duo Franck Cammas and Thomas Coville on board, lead until close to the finish line.
Sidney Gavignet’s Musandam-Oman Sail was forced to retire after an injury to their local ace, Kiel’s Michi Mueller who will now not take any further part in races here.
With the wind dying for the third race on a more reaching orientated course Race for Water were able to hold on to take their first winning gun.
City Race Betfair after three rounds
1-Michel Desjoyeaux (Foncia): 12 +12 +10 = 34 points
2-Sébastien Josse (Groupe Edmond de Rothschild): 11 +8 +11 = 30 points
3-Steve Ravussin (Race for Water): 9 +9 +12 = 30 points
4-Yann Guichard (Spindrift racing): 10 +11 +8 = 29 points
5-Sidney Gavignet (Musandam, Oman Sail): 8 +10 +9 = 27 points
Michel Desjoyeaux, skipper FONCIA: “It is a good welcome for us to Kiel. In fact we had a good feeling for the starts today, which is not my common performance. But today I was inspired and there was good feeling with the crew. It is a bit like the Clairefontaine Trophy in France but with bigger and more expensive boats and so you have to be careful. Sometimes you can make mistakes but we are lucky today to have jury on the water.
In fact the starts were important especially when it was reaching like the last race but during the two first races the wind was much more up and down the axis of the course, so there were more opportunities to win and lose places, and you can be lucky if the wind dies a little bit ahead. But we did it correctly today.”
Check latest results at:
http://www.mod70-europeantour.com/en/city-races.html
NAVIGATE THROUGH THE FLEET WITH VENTUS
A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR’s – Ventus Navigator Release 1.2 is now available at the iTunes APP Store. If you use Expedition Navigation Software this is the “Must Have” iPhone / iPad APP. The Ventus Navigator is now being used by sailors in 8 countries! Only $99 for a limited time. Hear what some of them have to say.
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“Anything that makes the boat faster is all good. This App in the cockpit would make for quicker decisions thus a quicker boat.” – Rob Wallace – Navigator
And if you read Swedish here is a very nice review from Peter Gustafsson. If you don’t it’s still worth a look for the pictures of his installations. Click HERE
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FOR MORE INFO go to: VentusNavigation.com
SKIFFS ON THE BAY
NESPRESSO 18 FOOT SKIFF REGATTA IN SAN FRANCISCO - Thursday was a layday at the Nespresso International 18 Skiff Regatta hosted by the St. Francis Yacht Club this week. Out of the official press release: One feature of this week’s races seems to be the fortunes change as fast as the little boats sail. But, Grant Rollerson said after Wednesday’s three races on unstable San Francisco Bay, “It’s not bad luck. You make your own luck.”
The Australian veteran finished first and second in the first two races and was leading the third—a make-up of Tuesday’s second race that was canceled because of strong winds—when his Mounts Bay W.A. (Western Australia) craft flipped moments after rounding the first windward mark. By the time he and crew Justin Healey and Marco Schurmann managed to right the boat in the churning waters near the Golden Gate Bridge, well . . .
“By the time we got up everyone else was at the bottom mark,” Healey said.
So they sailed back to the beach and settled for discarding the last place as a throwout, which kicked in after five races.
Overall, Rollerson moved up from fifth to third in the 18-boat battle, a point behind the USA’s Howie Hamlin, whose 3-3-4 day left him seven points behind pacesetting Alex Vallings. The C-Tech team has won three of the six races so far while tossing Wednesday’s sixth-place finish.
“We could have done a bit better,” Vallings said, “but that’s all right. It’s quite pretty where we are.”
Jonny Goldsberry’s CT Sailbattens, a local team with Jody McCormack and Nick Catley as crew, won the day’s last race to move from seventh up to fourth.
“The second race we were late at the start,” McCormack said, “but we stayed in the pressure and out of other boats’ way, and when we had a chance to roll a boat we did it.
Remarkably, he added, “This was our third day together as a team.”
Goldsberry, runnerup in the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 49er class, said, “Altogether, I’ve had about six hours driving the boat.”
McCormack also is a member of the Chinese team competing on AC45s in the local America’s Cup World Series, not to mention crewing on a more conventional boat in St. Francis YC’s traditional Big Boat Series next week.
Wednesday’s winds were 15 to 20 knots, relatively mild compared to Tuesday’s boat-flipping 25 to 30 which, McCormack said, “would have been a lot more carnage with the AC45s.”
Thursday will be a lay day, then racing continues Friday with an 18 race at 4 p.m. PDT followed by the traditional 7 1/2-mile Ronstan Bridge to Bridge Race from the Golden Gate to the Oakland Bay at 5:30. The last two of 10 races will be Saturday.
The Leaders
(18 boats; after 6 of 10 races; one discard)
1. C-Tech, Alex Vallings/Chris Kitchen/Josh McCormack, New Zealand, 1-1-3-(6)-1-2, 8 points.
2. CST Composites, Howard Hamlin/Matt Noble/Matt McKinlay, USA, 4-(5)-1-3-3-4, 15.
3. Mounts Bay W.A., Grant Rollerson/Justin Healey/Marco Schurman, Australia, 3-4-6-1-2-(19/DNF), 16.
4. CT Sailbattens, Jonny Goldsberry/Jody McCormack/Nick Catley, Australia, (14)-8-2-2-5-1, 18.
5. Lumix, Jonathan Witty/James Hozack/ Marcus Ashley-Jones, Australia, 2-2-7-(8)-7-3, 21.
Thanks to
MEDIA CONTACT
Rich Roberts
RUM ROLLOVER
Written by 
HAPPY HOUR FRIDAY – Ingredients
1 (1.5 fluid ounce) jigger coconut flavored rum
1 (1.5 fluid ounce) jigger orange juice
3 fluid ounces pineapple juice
1 dash grenadine syrup
1/2 cup crushed ice
Directions
In a mixing glass, combine coconut rum, orange juice and pineapple juice. Mix well and pour into an ice filled glass. Top with a splash of grenadine.
DESTOP NEWS
DESTOP NEWS – From Korea to the US visiting Italy along the way, your weekly sailing updates program bringing you the latest from international regattas.
In this week’s agenda
1. The Multi 50s in St Quay
2. The América’s Cup World Series in San Francisco
3. Back to Les Sables d’Olonnes for the Transat 650s
4. The Yellow Sea International Yacht Race in Korea
5. And the Moth Word Championships in Italy
KIEL GETS READY
EUROPEAN TOUR – Six points scoring Betfair City Races in the compact confines of the Kiel Fjord are expected to draw large, vociferous crowds as the perfect, high intensity prelude to Sunday’s send off for the MOD70 European Tour’s 1200 miles first leg to Dùn Laoghaire, Dublin.
Thursday was a light winds dress rehearsal, an important Media Day to introduce the MOD70 concept of high speed, evenly matched one design offshore trimarans to an enthusiastic German media. Honours were shared between Musandam-Oman Sail and FONCIA over the two practice races, which proved a useful introduction to the very tight boundaries of the race course.
The fjord is only 750 metres at the widest part of the course narrows to about 350 metres.
Close action is assured and local organisers are confident the sailing-mad citizens of Kiel Sailing City will turn out in their tens of thousands between Friday and Saturday’s package of six City Races – three per afternoon – and for Sunday afternoon’s start to Leg 1.
The short course City Race series are scheduled in Kiel, Dublin, Cascais and Marseille comprising about 20% of the points available on MOD70 European Tour which links Kiel, Dublin, Cascais, Marseille and will finish in Genoa, Italy on 2nd October.
Over the next five weeks the five MOD70’s will take on some 5000 miles of offshore racing on legs of between 550 and 1200 miles in length. The longest, and what looks likely to be the toughest is the first leg. Two course options are available – round the rugged north of Scotland, down the west of the Hebrides through the North Channel to Dùn Laoghaire, Dublin, or through the Channel and the Celtic Sea. Already forecasts are predicting a low pressure system in the north with more than 35 kts of wind.
The mix of tough offshore legs and short course intense racing and the fact there is just one rest day at each stop, with the exception of Marseille where there are more, places a premium on offshore skills and experience – especially weather and routing, but also physical strength, focus and stamina sustained over the next five weeks. In that mix there needs to be changes of top level helms and trimmers as well as the hardware skills to keep the boats in top racing condition offshore. So crew choices have been varied.
New to the MOD70 and the Multi One Championship is the recent Volvo Ocean Race round the world winners Franck Cammas who sails as navigator on Stève Ravussin ‘s Race for Water, with his hugely accomplished Groupama crew-mate Thomas Coville who sails as a helm-trimmer. Also from the Volvo winning Groupama team is Charles Caudrelier who will be navigator on FONCIA.
Others with a strong background in the Volvo round the world race are Kiel’s Michi Mueller who joins his former Puma crew mate Sidney Gavignet on Musandam-Oman Sail for the inshore races, while Groupe Edmond de Rothschild’s skipper Sébastien Josse led ABN AMRO 2 in the 2005-6 Volvo Ocean Race.
Many will know Kiel from the Olympic circuit. There are a good cross section of Olympic class sailors, mainly from the Tornado such as Yann Guichard (Spindrift racing) who was fourth in Sydney in 2000, (behind Germany’s bronze medal winning Roland Gaebler who is colour commentator here), but also Xavier Revil (FONCIA) Christophe Espagnon (Groupe Edmond de Rothschild) and Olivier Douillard (Groupe Edmond de Rothschild). Tanguy Cariou (Race for Water) sailed the 470 in Sydney and was 1998 world champion. From Musandam-Oman Sail Jeff Curzon sailed in the 470 class and Thomas Le Breton narrowly missed Olympic selection for the Finn class for 2008.
There are match racers like Francois Morvan (Race for Water) and Julien Falxa (FONCIA) and America’s Cup winner Nicolas Texier (FONCIA), whilst with a background on the solo Solitaire du Figaro there are Yann Eliès, the 2012 winner who joins Spindrift racing, Thierry Chabagny (FONCIA) and Thomas Rouxel (Groupe Edmond de Rothschild) ;
Round the world Jules Verne Record holders present and past include Emmanuel Leborgne (FONCIA), Texier, Jean-Baptiste Levaillant (Spindrift racing), Florent Chastel (Groupe Edmond de Rothschild), Kevin Escoffier (Spindrift racing), Britain’s Brian Thompson (Musandam-Oman Sail).
And sailors who have passed from the ORMA 60 to the MOD70 include Stève Ravussin (Race for Water), Michel Desjoyeaux (FONCIA), Guichard, Cammas, Coville, Antoine Koch (Groupe Edmond de Rothschild) and Pascal Bidégorry (Spindrift racing).
Past alumni of the solo round the world Vendée Globe include double winner Desjoyeaux, Eliès, Josse, Thompson and Coville.
ROBERTSON FINDS WINNING FORMULA
MATCH RACING – On a day when a lack of wind eventually stopped racing at the St. Moritz Match Race, Phil Robertson profited from a return to the form which has seen him climb to fourth in the Alpari Match Racing Tour leaderboard after four stages.
Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing finished yesterday’s opening qualifying session with a disappointing three losses from three but showed no signs of repeating those results, beating Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing and current Tour leader Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Mekonomen Sailing Team before the wind became too light for sailing to continue.
Laurie Jury (NZL) Kiwi Match Sailing remains at the head of the qualifying table on five points, without having taken to the water on the second day of competition. Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team remains in second despite losing his unbeaten record to compatriot Bjorn Hansen (SWE) in his first match of the day. Berntsson, said: “We picked up a penalty in the pre-start against Bjorn but the outcome of that didn‘t affect the overall race, i don’t think. It was very much about starting well and getting the left side.We didn‘t manage to close the gap and he was in a controlling position for most of the way around. He did a good job in keeping us behind.”
Berntsson went on to beat Jerome Clerc (SUI) Team CER to take his tally to 4 points but is hopeful that conditions will allow a full qualifying stage to be completed: “We’re pleased to be 4-1 which puts us in a good positionafter two days but we would prefer to be back out on the water completing Qualifying. We’re here as dedicated sailors and want to race as much as we can, perform well, and win because we are the best on the day.”
Despite the loss to Berntsson, Clerc still feels that his team are in with a chance of qualifying for the Quarter Finals, having earlier beat rival Eric Monnin (SUI) Okalys Corum in their national battle on home water. Clerc, said: “We were very happy to beat Eric because it’s our third time at this regatta in St. Moritz and we haven’t beaten him before. He had a better start than us and was in front from the start but we got a good shift which allowed us to overtake and hold on for the win.
“We’re from Geneva, which is 6 hours away so it doesn‘t feel like a home event for us here. There isn’t a lot of pressure on us because we aren’t really one of the favourites so we’re here to learn and improve our match racing.
“So far i think we’ve done well because we have a new crew member for this event and if we can continue taking each match as it comes, we have a chance for the Quarter Finals.”
The St. Moritz Match Race will take to the water for the third qualifying session tomorrow, starting from 1000AM CET.
NZ AC72 SAILING OR FLYING?
AC NEWS – Yep…Is this a Foiler or Photoshop? Let us know at [email protected]
SPLASHED!
TEAM ORACLE NEWS - ORACLE TEAM USA’s first AC72 is wheeled from the build shed into the light. After a day of testing and a brief but all-important christening, she touches San Francisco Bay for her very first journey. Notice the J-foil daggerboards and the T-foil rudders…looks like the new AC72′s won’t just be catamarans…they will be foiling cats!
But if you are superstitious check out the christening…you can see why Team NZ put so much effort into the christening…it was flawless. Team Oracle took two takes…that means bad luck…if you are superstitious.
ACT 5 AND BROKEN MASTS…
EXTREME SAILING SERIES – Breezy and gusty conditions on Cardiff Bay ensured that the opening day of Act 5 of the Extreme Sailing Series in Cardiff, Wales delivered an action-packed day for the nine Extreme 40s. Austria’s Red Bull Sailing Team blasted round the tight courses, reaching speeds of 29mph (25.4 knots) relishing the conditions that put Roman Hagara’s men at the top of the rankings at the end of day one. “This was racing on the edge up to 25 knots of wind but we never lost control of the boat. It’s nice to be in first place but there are still three days to go. We have to focus and to concentrate and we can win,” said Hagara.
For local entry, Team Wales, skippered by young Welsh talent Dave Evans and with Team GB 470 Olympic silver medallist Hannah Mills calling tactics, the day ended in drama when the 62ft mast came crashing down. A component failure in the rig caused the mast to fall but it remained intact and the team expects to be back on the water tomorrow – after what is sure to be a long night for their shore team.
Today was about supreme boat handling and minimizing mistakes and both Oman Air and GAC Pindar in the main did just that to end the day in second and third respectively. “It was a wild day, things happened quick and it was some of the tightest courses and some of the strongest wind we’ve had and that made it pretty exciting,” said US skipper Morgan Larson. “It was kind of hectic, there were tight corners, it was gusty, shifty, and basically we’re happy to have got through that day without any damage. The racing today was tactical, but boat handling was really the key today, that is really what got us through, sharp boat handling by all the guys.”
Eight short and sharp races were staged today, that saw the nine-boat Extreme 40 fleet power reach off the start, flying to the top mark. As always the start was key and The Wave Muscat skipper, Britain’s Leigh McMillan will be kicking himself for his false starts today. But the Omani team may be down but they are certainly not out as they are determined to make Act 5 their fourth straight win: “We’ve had lots of bad days and always bounced back. Sometimes you need a back day to sort yourself out,” said McMillan. “We’re going to make sure we’re on top again, particularly after today. It makes me more determined to come back and try to get back to the top.”
The fleet of Extreme 40s make waves on Cardiff Bay © Lloyd Images
The nine strong Extreme 40 fleet were joined by a host of sports stars today that turned their hands to Extreme 40 racing for the first time. Ex-England cricket captain Michael Vaughan got extreme joining Andrew Walsh’s team on GAC Pindar, while some of Britain’s top sailing talent including Team Volvo sailors and Olympic silver medallists Luke Patience and Saskia Clark, 2008 Olympic gold medallist Paul Goodison and Team GB match racer Kate MacGregor traded in their dinghies for Extreme 40s!
The event officially opens to the public tomorrow with thousands expected to descend on Cardiff Bay to witness the stadium style racing for the first time. All the action will be streamed live on the official event website with expert commentary from sailing expert Richard Simmonds from 1500 local time.
Extreme Sailing Series 2012 Act 5, Cardiff, Wales, UK standings after Day 1, 8 races (30.8.12)
Position / Team / Points
1.Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT), Roman Hagara, Hans Peter Steinacher, Matthew Adams, Pierre Le Clainche, Graeme Spencer 55 points
2. Oman Air (OMA), Morgan Larson, Will Howden, Charlie Ogletree, Andy Maloney, Nasser Al Mashari 50 points
3. GAC Pindar (GBR), Andrew Walsh, Anna Tunnicliffe, Mark Bulkeley, Adam Piggot, Richard Peacock 50 points
4. SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN), Jes Gram-Hansen, Rasmus Køstner, Pete Cumming, Mikkel Røssberg, Jonas Hviid 44 points
5. The Wave, Muscat (OMA), Leigh McMillan, Ed Smyth, Pete Greenhalgh, Bleddyn Mon, Hashim Al Rashdi 43 points
6. Alinghi (SUI), Ernesto Bertarelli, Jean-Christophe Mourniac, Pierre-Yves Jorand, Nils Frei, Yves Detrey 39 points
7. Groupe Edmond de Rothschild (FRA), Pierre Pennec, Arnaud Psarofaghis, Christophe André, Romain Petit, Romain Motteau 36 points
8. ZouLou (FRA), Erik Maris, Philip Mourniac, Jean-Sébastien Ponce, Patrick Aucour, Bruno Jeanjean 22 points
9. Team Wales, Dave Evans, Torvar Mirsky, Tudur Owen, Hannah Mills, Ed Powys 20 points
BAD CATS
COOL CRASHES – If you have not seen this video…hang on! The best of the best crashes racing the X40.
WRECKED HULL OF THE AEGEAN FOUND
BOATING NEWS – Two San Diegans trying to solve a maritime mystery found the wrecked hull of the Aegean yacht four months after the 37-foot sailboat crashed and killed the four people on board.
Sailors and boaters have speculated since April about the vessel’s end, which occurred at the north tip of the northernmost of Mexico’s Coronado Islands during the Newport to Ensenada Yacht Race.
An independent review board for the United States Sailing Association investigated and concluded that the boat ran aground, but some in the boating community have continued to speculate that it collided with a larger vessel.
San Diego lifeguard Ed Harris and boater Russell Moore, who owns La Jolla-based Xplore Offshore, made three visits to the crash site, beginning on May 2. This month, they turned over to the Coast Guard about an hour of underwater video footage from the site, along with a navigation panel, laptop computer and controls that they hope will shed light on what happened the night of the crash.
Petty Officer Henry Dunphy said Coast Guard investigators have written a report about the new evidence. The investigation remains open, he said, and the report about the new findings won’t become public until Coast Guard officials in Washington, D.C., approve it.
Moore and his buddy, Harris, did not find the remains of the sailboat until their second visit on Aug. 9.
“It’s all mangled and broken up like it’s been in a Cuisinart for four months,” Moore said of the boat.
They waited until this week to share their findings with the public because they have no definitive answers.
“We were really just trying to conclude a mystery that has intrigued a lot of sailors and boaters here and nationwide,” Moore said.
He said he will leave it to the Coast Guard and sailing association to draw conclusions from the new information that he and Harris collected, but he suspects the Aegean did not collide with a larger vessel.
“Clearly there was a tragic error made, or something that will never be known,” Moore said.
Killed in the boating accident were William Reed Johnson Jr., 57, of Torrance; Joseph Lester Stewart, 64, of Bradenton, Fla.; Kevin Rudolph, 53, of Manhattan Beach; and Theo Mavromatis, 49, of Redondo Beach
AN EXHILARATING DAY ON NZ’S AC72
TEAM EMIRATES – Back from the ACWS and on the water at home already. Just another big, long, exhilarating day on the water for the NZ team with the AC72. Check out the foils on the daggerboards.
NORMANDY CHANNEL RACE
CLASS 40- From the last winner. Ruyant Thomas, skipper of “Destination Dunkerque” Tanguy Leglatin winner with the first edition of the Normandy Channel Race and the same year of the Route du Rhum Class 40.
“I wish good luck to the second edition of the Normandy Channel Race. I have very good memories of this competition. The Normandy Channel Race is a race for his intense course meets all geographic points that we take regularly as Barfleur, Wright Island, the Fastnet, the Raz Blanchard … This is really a super interesting plot strategically and tactically. This event is intense to the end with twists at every moment possible. Last year, Halvard Mabire and Peter Harding came second only fifteen minutes away from us! “
SIXTEEN BOATS TAKE OFF SUNDAY
CLASS 40 – Sixteen boats take off Sunday at 17:00 Ouistreham the start of the third edition of the Normandy Channel Race. Boats of this competition Norman, departure and arrival of the city of Caen (1000000) will be led by two sailors and are Class 40. The entire fleet is now moored Basin St. Peter teams with the port of Caen – Ouistreham and service of lighthouses and beacons.
Launched in 2004 by a handful of enthusiasts whose circuit-browser and journalist Patrice Carpentier, skipper Michel Mirabel, Christian Bourroulec, head of construction at Sainte-Marine Structures or Pascal Jamet, the Class 40 was born from the desire to allow any browser satisfy his thirst wide open without necessarily having to go through the purchase of an expensive boat and purely dedicated to the competition. After several months of reflection, many round tables of a rule of construction and design, the famous gauge, the Class 40 was born.
12.19 meters long, 4.50 meters wide at maximum, a draft of three meters, a vertical clearance of 19 meters, a displacement of 4500 kg sail area up to a maximum of 115m2, a keel and a mast fixed here for the main characteristics of Class 40 which leaves some scope for individual architects. Because very soon this format boats knows a great success in France but also abroad, the Class 40 is the perfect compromise between a Mini and a 6.50 60 foot monohull and to navigate safely through the atlantic between three buoys and even around the world. Masters of design sailboats lean so quickly on this case, the Class 40 is not a monotype, but which later became a prototype for a few yards of a sailing series. So the site launches Structures Pogo 40 Pogo 40 S2 now plans to Jean-Marie Finot, Jumbo Jumbo Composites 40, the Guillaume Verdier Tyker 40, Akilaria based in Tunisia, and now Akilaria 40 RC 2 designed by Marc Lombard, JPS Composites Mach 40, Sam Manuard design, the latest evolution of Class 40.
At the start of the Normandy Channel Race, Class 40 will be found sixteen complying strictly with the gauge but with different abilities according gaits, different finishes … to the delight of connoisseurs and obviously browsers that are often involved in the design of their sailboat … The Mach 40 “Mare” of the German Jorg Riechers is a swift plan that showed a lot of quality from the beginning of the season especially during the Solidaire du Chocolat, victory, Pogo S2 Halvard Mabire, victory over Transat Quebec Saint-Malo, and Stéphane Le Diraison are formidable. A monitor also Akilaria RC 2 British Ned Collier and Marc Lepesqueux.
Another boat, much older this time, will be honored during the Normandy Channel Race as the three-masted, Belem, built in 1896, operated by the Foundation Belem and his patron history, the Caisses d’Epargne, Class will visit 40 this weekend, he will present tomorrow at 9:00 in the harbor of Caen.
ALMOST IN THE WATER…
AC UPDATE – Here is a BAMA post (The Bay Area Multihull Association is one of the most active multihull organizations in the USA) with the first sneak preview of the Defenders first boat. Check out the chatter on this great multihull forum:
“Thanks BAMA for being a conduit of all things multi hull. to see it here first forum. Last weeks comments by members concerning L’Hdroptere and the SF World Cup made going to the event that much better. I was fortunate to spectate at (the 50 yard line) the finish pole on the spit of the harbor entrance on Thursday. Listening to VHF Channel 20, seeing L’hydroptere flying by was magnificent. San Francisco Bay has now become an epicenter for speed sailing in the world. Is the best yet to come? Please correct me if I am wrong. The 2013 americas cup 72′s will have to be built in the countries they represent. Expect to see radical differences in the designs of the 72′s. Also the Course will be much larger from the SF World Cup the boundaries for the 72′s will extend from Saucalito to around Alcatraz.
The picture below was taken by Chris Harvey
SPINDRIFT READY TO RACE
MOD 70 RACING – The MOD70 Spindrift racing completed last night the voyage between La Trinité sur Mer and Kiel. It took the crew only two days to reach the big German Harbour on the Baltic Sea. With the shore team travelling by road also in Germany, Spindrift racing has two full days to ready the boat for Friday opening matches of this new MOD70 event, the European Tour. This brand new concept will take the 5 boats strong MOD 70 fleet over 5.000 kilometers around Europe, from Kiel and the Baltic Sea, to Genoa in the Mediterranean, with stopovers in Dublin, Cascais and Marseille. Each of these cities will host spectacular inshore races as well as one v. one speed contests. A fantastic opportunity for Yann Guichard and his Krys Ocean Race winning crew to improve his knowledge of the boat and perform in totally different formats.
The trip from La Trinité sur Mer to Kiel has been a non-eventful affair. With mostly downwind conditions, all on starboard gybe, Spindrift racing has sailed a perfect course across the Channel and on to the Baltic Sea. An ideal training session for the crew, and a great opportunity for a couple of newcomers to fit in; Figaro specialist Erwan Tabarly is an experienced sailor with many talents. He is joined by Guichard‘s long time friend, Figaro Winner and twice round the world multihull record holder Yann Eliès. Says Léo Lucet, Spindrift racing Executive director and crew member, “Yann Guichard has teamed up a great bunch of experienced sailors, with perfectly matching qualities.”
Speed matches and inshore fleet races will require each MOD70 to use a 8 men crew ; Sébastien Marsset and Devan Le Bihan will therefore complete the “load manifest” for Spindrift racing.
Follow Spindrift racing during the European Tour on the Spindrift
THE JURY IS IN!
St. Moritz, Switzerland – 29 August, 2012: Laurie Jury made an early statement of his intentions at the St. Moritz Match Race in Switzerland today as he took five wins from five in shifty winds on Lake St. Moritz and put himself in a good position ahead of the second day of qualifying tomorrow.
Jury (NZL) Kiwi Match Sailing was in excellent form, taking victories against reigning Tour Champion Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar and two-time St. Moritz Match Race winner, Mathieu Richard (FRA) Loire Atlantique Sailing Team who gained a wildcard entry to the event. Jury finished the day by beating compatriot Josh Junior (NZL) Wellington Spirit, leaving himself on the brink of Quarter Final qualification.
Jury, said: We’ve come away with five wins which is really good for us as a lot of them were really tight today. We had a race against Keith [Swinton] which we just won right on the finish line and a close one with Morvan and Ian [Williams] which came out of penalties so it feels like we’re sailing well but we’ve sailed the same way before, not had decisions going our way and lost all five. The level we are sailing at on the Tour, a good day and a bad day haven’t got much between them so we just need to keep focused and carry on doing what we’re doing.
We had a really good training sesison yesterday in a bit of breeze, put some pressure on ourselves and the guys did a really good job with the boat speed and the boat handling. I’d say that was what did it for us today.
When commenting on his plans for the remainder of the qualification round, Jury said:We’ve got to keep pushing ourselves and trying to learn as much as we can. It’s great to get a jump on the lead, especially as we missed out on the Quarters in the last two events. Ideal situation now is to take the first place and go straight through to the Semi’s.“
Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team also made the most of the first day’s sailing, taking three commanding victories from three against Swiss crowd favourite Eric Monnin (SUI) Okalys Corum, who competes in his tenth St. Moritz Match Race, former Tour Champion Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing and young Kiwi Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing, who was condemned to a third defeat of the day.
Berntsson, said: “It was a perfect start for us, especially here at a venue which we know can have some of the trickier conditions. I think here you have to be prepared that you won‘t win all your races at this regatta, so it’s especially pleasing to come in unbeaten.”
Lining up against local skippers on the first day of racing is often seen as a disadvantage but Berntsson was confident ahead of his first match against Monnin, following their practice day on Lake St. Moritz, saying: “In the practice session yesterday we were on the water with Eric Monnin and we felt really good. We thought that there was an opportunity to take an advantage out of the start, which we saw today as his timing was slightly off and that helped us a lot. In that first match we got to choose our positioning and that was important for the win.
“Today overall it was that early control in the starts which was key, managing to get ahead or at least to an area where we got the first puff of wind. It was a bit shifty out there and in our second race we changed the decision on which side to take just 40 seconds before the start and managed to get a big puff out on the right, which made all the difference. That one could have gone either way.”
Mathieu Richard and Ian Williams also finished the day on three wins with two losses to sit third and fourth respectively in the qualification table after day one. Ian Williams carries 2.5 points through after having been deducted a half point for a collision between the two skippers in a match that Williams ultimately won.
Of the Swiss skippers, Eric Monnin secured good wins against Robertson and Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Mekonomen Sailing Team, to leave himself on two wins from three after the first day’s sailing. He said: “We have two wins already but we’re very aware that it doesn’t change a lot and it will take more than that to make it to the quarters. I think the totals needed will be quite high to progress, maybe five or six points from qualification. We hope to go through to the next round but we’ll continue tomorrow as one of the underdogs and try to win the matches we need to go through.
“It’s great for us to compete in our home regatta but we try every year to keep the pressure off ourselves because everyone is looking to us as a Swiss team. We’ve approached the event well this year, just aiming to enjoy each victory or take each loss one at a time.”
Phil Robertson knows that his team need to perform well in St. Moritz to keep the pressure on the top three going into the second half of the season. A disappointing session saw his team slump to three defeats from three, Robertson commenting: “We just couldn’t get anything right today. There wasn’t that much specifically that we need to change. We did a lot of things wrong but it was just standard sailing really.
“It was very, very shifty and quite hard to pick as well. We got two of the three starts we wanted but just couldn’t capitalize in the end.”
With everything still to play for, the St. Moritz Match Race continues with a second qualifying round tomorrow, starting from 11:00AM CET.
Follow the St. Moritz Match Race action online with regular updates at http://www.wmrt.com/live.html.
St. Moritz Match Race – Competing Teams:
Laurie Jury (NZ) Kiwi Match 5 – 0
Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team 3 – 0
Mathieu Richard (FRA) Loire Atlantique Sailing Team 3 – 2
Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar 2.5* – 2 (0.5 point deduction for boat collision)
Pierre-Antoine Morvan (FRA) Vannes Agglo Sailing Team 2 – 3
Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing 2 – 1
Eric Monnin (SUI) Okalys Corum 2 – 1
Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Mekonomen Sailing Team 1 – 2
Jerome Clerc (SUI) Team CER 1 – 2
Josh Junior (NZL) Wellington Spirit 1 – 4
Keith Swinton (AUS) Black Swan Racing 1 – 4
Phil Robertson (NZ) WAKA Racing 0 – 3
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