AMERICAS CUP – On Thursday, less than 10 hours after a no-sailing recommendation period expired, three America’s Cup teams resumed training on San Francisco Bay.
For ORACLE TEAM USA and Luna Rossa, sailing again meant a return to their
training programs on the Bay. For Emirates Team New Zealand it was their first
sail on the Bay since arriving en masse as a team earlier this month.
Check out the photos for the day HERE
Photo credit: Storm Trysail Club
STORM TRYSAIL - Ushered in with snow and rain, a messy spring in the Northeast looks to be giving way to more acceptable conditions for Memorial Day Weekend and the Storm Trysail Club’s 68th Block Island Race that coincides with it. Scheduled to start Friday, May 24 at 1400, the 186 nautical mile race (from Stamford, Conn., down Long Island Sound, around Block Island, R.I. and back to Stamford) is an annual rite of passage for sailors from New York and New England and is notorious for a “fork in the road” decision that must be made upon leaving and returning to Long Island Sound.
“The natural obstruction of Plum Island, which lies about 60 miles off the start, forces navigators to decide whether to take the passage of Plum Gut or The Race (or in some rare instances, Fishers Island Sound), and the decision often determines the outcome of the race,” said Event Chair Ray Redniss. He added that Long Island Sound, an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, is situated between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south and that with eight million people living within its watershed, it’s no wonder that the Connecticut cities of Darien, Fairfield, Greenwich, Southport and Stamford as well as the New York cities of Bay Shore, Brooklyn, Larchmont and New York City are well represented by the 63 boats signed up, thus far, in six IRC and two PHRF classes as well as a one-design class for J/109s.
The largest boat in the fleet will be George David’s (Hartford, Conn.) 90’ Reichel/Pugh design Rambler, which took line honors last year and will be sailing in the event for the 7th time in a row. “We have won it twice on corrected time overall and have broken the course record once,” said Rambler’s Project Manager Mick Harvey, adding that the race is extremely challenging for a number of reasons. “Firstly it is very early in the season, late spring really, so the race is subject to cooler seawater temperature and relatively fast passage of weather systems across the course. The land mass in Connecticut is relatively cool this time of the year; however, in the right weather conditions, it can become quite warm during daylight hours. You can have situations where there are two sea breezes fighting each other, one on the Connecticut shore and one on the Long Island shore.”
Harvey also mentioned the “big tidal features” at Plum Gut and The Race as contributing to an “interesting, tricky race.”
“Every time we do this race it is different, and no doubt you will learn something new, however, what you learn most likely will not be applicable to the next edition of the race,” said Harvey. “It’s like a long day race where you have a basic plan based on forecasting and tides, but then you have to be able to change you plan and adapt quickly to changing conditions during the course of the race.”
Coming from farther afield is Arthur Santry (Arlington, Va.), who sailed the Ker 50 Temptation–Oakcliff to second last year in one of the IRC classes. He foresees a “dog fight” once again with Larry Huntington’s (New York, N.Y.) Snow Lion, another Ker 50 that finished third last year; James Sykes’ (New York, N.Y.) Santa Cruz 52 Bombardino; and Steve and Heidi Benjamin’s (Norwalk, Conn.) new entrant Spookie, a Carkeek 40. “Yes, sailing against Spookie will be scary stuff,” said Santry with a chuckle. “I haven’t sailed against her, but I know Steve and Heidi really well; they are incredible sailors and that boat just screams off wind. Who knows how the weather system will finally set up, but if it is a northwest breeze behind us leaving the Sound, Spookie could be as much as 10 miles ahead of us by the time we get to Block Island. Beating back, Temptation’s speed would be better than Spookie’s so it’s a question of whether we have enough runway to catch her. It should be a lot of fun.”
Temptation is one of four boats entered in the competition by Oakcliff Sailing Center, a non-profit training center based in Oyster Bay, N.Y. dedicated to raising the level of sailors and sailing in the United States. Santry “sponsors” the boat and sails regularly with a core team that is rounded out with Oakcliff students and often times his own teenage kids. (14-year-old Richie Santry will sail with his father in this Block Island Race.)
The Block Island Race was first held in 1946 and is a qualifier for the North Ocean Racing Trophy (IRC), the Double Handed Ocean Racing Trophy (IRC), the New England Lighthouse Series (PHRF), and the Gulf Stream Series (IRC). The Block Island Race is also a qualifier for the Caper, Sagola, and Windigo trophies awarded by the YRA of Long Island Sound and the ‘Tuna” Trophy for the best combined IRC scores in the Edlu (40%) and the Block Island Race (60%).
For more information on the Storm Trysail Club Block Island Race, visit www.stormtrysail.org or contact The Storm Trysail Club (914) 834-8857.
AMERICAS CUP – Structural reviews of AC72 boats and wings, a 10-knot lower wind limit (23 knots maximum) and enhanced sailor safety equipment are among the 37 recommendations issued today to increase safety during the Summer of Racing at the 2013 America’s Cup.
Many of the recommendations are intended to increase the personal safety of the sailors and they include buoyancy aids, body armor, crew locator devices, hands-free breathing apparatus and high visibility helmets. Other recommendations are specific to the AC72 yachts, additional support equipment and race management.
A full list of the recommendations can be found here.
Regatta Director Iain Murray, progressing the work of the Review Committee, presented his “2013 America’s Cup Regatta Director Recommendations” at a meeting with the four competing teams and the America’s Cup Event Authority on Wednesday afternoon in San Francisco.
For reasons of insurance and liability, the Review Committee stopped short of making its own recommendations. Regatta Director Iain Murray has formulated the specific safety recommendations.
These additional recommendations have been incorporated into the safety plan produced by the America’s Cup, which was forwarded to the U.S. Coast Guard today.
“Producing and implementing the safety plan is within the scope of the America’s Cup, as the sponsoring organization for this summer’s racing,” said Stephen Barclay, the CEO of the America’s Cup. “This America’s Cup safety plan is a necessary component of the permit application submitted to the Coast Guard for their consideration.”
The Regatta Director will now form a number of task forces to bring in experts to define additional technical recommendations for specific safety items such as protective gear for sailors.
Since its first meeting on May 16, the Review Committee has worked diligently interviewing 25 team members including team heads, skippers, designers, engineers, sailors and support boat operators.
“All four competing America’s Cup teams have cooperated in an open, helpful and constructive way,” Murray said, “and the Review Committee noted there is a clear desire on the part of the teams to ensure the safety of the America’s Cup as much as possible.”
“I want to thank the members of the Review Committee for their exceptional and efficient work,” Murray concluded.
NEW PRODUCTS – Sheaveless “Shock” Blocks - The Ultra-Light, Ultra-Compact Line Purchase and Deflection Solution.
Understanding that some small line rigging applications do not require ball bearing blocks, Ronstan has just introduced its new Shocks SHeaveless compact blOCKS. Designed to fit a wide array of small diameter rigging uses, the new Shocks are perfect for moderate load uses where minimal purchase is required.
Extremely compact, Shocks are carefully engineered to work well even if the load alignment is not straight. Made from anodized aluminum they weigh only 2.5g (.01oz), yet can carry up to 350kg (770lb) of break-load force. Highly versatile, the Shocks soft attachment compatibility make them perfect for use in numerous high-performance dinghy and small sailboat rigging applications including tweakers, vangs, trapezes, cunninghams, barber haulers and kite bridles. They are also handy on larger boats for uses such as ladder and motor hoists, lazy jacks, sail covers, and tie-downs.
Shocks accept 1.4 to 5mm (1/16” – 3/16”) line diameters for running rigging and can be used with up to 8mm (5/16”) webbing attachments. They are available in four color choices to help keep complicated rigging configurations more organized.
MELGES 20 CLASS – Get your boats ready to rock in Detroit. MORE INFOMATION
US SAILING – The U.S. Olympic Sailing Program released “Vision 2024,” its plan to reshape the pathways to the Olympic podium. The plan represents phase one (2013-2016) with a 10-step action plan. With a mission of creating sustainable performance in all aspects of Olympic class sailing and reshaping our Olympic pathways, Vision 2024 activates many of the recommendations made by the Olympic Pathways Committee, a subcommittee to the Olympic Sailing Committee (OSC) that recently reported to the OSC a comprehensive evaluation of youth development in the U.S.
“Vision 2024 is a road map to long-term success in U.S. Olympic sailing,” said Josh Adams, Managing Director of U.S. Olympic Sailing. “It defines the concepts that will build the base of high-performance sailors in this country. We are mindful that there is no one path to Olympic success. By building a strong foundation in high-performance boats, for both skippers and crews, the U.S. can earn successful and sustainable results in Olympic class racing.”
Vision 2024 is aligned with the U.S. Olympic Sailing Program’s three fundamental success factors: lead a culture of technical excellence, make domestic training a strength and build the base of sailors. The plan shows how the U.S. Olympic Sailing Program intends to work within the existing frameworks of U.S. youth sailing, including clinics, championships, and organizations. It focuses on three key stages, beginning with “skill builders”, the many junior classes and organizations across US Sailing that successfully draw thousands of young Americans into sailboat racing. The next critical stage features the six Olympic Development Classes endorsed by the Olympic Sailing Committee. The third stage is Olympic class training and racing at the level of US Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider.
In December, 2012, Olympic Sailing Committee (OSC) Chairman Ben Richardson and Managing Director of U.S. Olympic Sailing Josh Adams appointed an Olympic Pathways Committee to assess youth development in the U.S., define Olympic pathways and form recommendations. Serving on the panel were Andrew Campbell (San Diego, Calif.), Cory Sertl (Rochester, N.Y.), Leandro Spina (Miami, Fla.), Zack Leonard (E. Haven, Conn.), Jay Kehoe (Oyster Bay, N.Y.), Greg Wilkinson (Rockport, Mass.), Charlie McKee (Coronado, Calif.) and Jerelyn Biehl (San Diego, Calif.). The OPC’s report was submitted to and accepted by the Olympic Sailing Committee in March 2013.
GO TO US SAILING FOR ALL THE DETAILS
GLOBLA OCEAN RACE – Haslar Marina is the new Head Quarters for the Global Ocean Race. With the Global Ocean Race 2014-15 starting and finishing in the Solent – the traditional home of round-the-world racing – the natural Head Quarters for the Race Organisation is Haslar Marina in Gosport, Portsmouth. The GOR’s offices are within metres of Haslar’s sheltered, 600-berth marina which will also form the base for the event’s corporate and sponsor sailing on Class40s throughout 2013 until the start of the race on September 21st 2014.
Already a base for inshore and offshore racing teams, Haslar Marina’s location close to the mouth of Portsmouth Harbour permits quick access to the Solent for the GOR’s teams to train and boat test in the run-up to the start of the 30,000-mile circumnavigation in 2014. “Haslar Marina is at the hub of South Coast sailing and the marine services in the area are world class,” says Josh Hall, Race Director of the GOR. “I’m certain that many of our European entries will choose Gosport and Haslar Marina as a base prior to the start in September next year and our international teams will find the practical and social attractions of the location and the proximity of the GOR’s start in Southampton a strong incentive to base here,” he adds.
“The management and staff at Haslar Marina have immense experience in dealing with racing yachts and have a deep understanding of the needs and requirements of the skippers and crews,” says Hall. “It’s a great pleasure to welcome Richard Reddyhoff, Ben Lippiett and their team at Haslar Marina as Race Partners in the GOR.”
“We are delighted to welcome Global Ocean Race to Haslar Marina,” says Ben Lippiett, Marina Manager. “This confirms our belief that we are attracting top quality tenants not only to our marina, but to Gosport as a whole. Gosport is increasingly being viewed as the home of ocean racing, with a choice of quality deep water marinas, easy access to the Solent and convenient transport links to London,” Lippiett continues. “Together with Alex Thomson Racing on site and Brian Thompson running a short-handed sailing academy out of Haslar, we are quickly becoming recognised as the location of choice for serious ocean racing.”
52 SUPER SERIES – Quantum Racing look to return to winning ways with Terry Hutchinson and Jordi Calafat set to sail in the 52 SUPER SERIES European regattas. “We want to win the European 52 SUPER SERIES.”
That is the stark, keynote objective for the coming months, as stated by Ed Reynolds (USA) director of the Quantum Racing 52 programme, and as the American flagged team complete their final days of training off Barcelona this week in preparation for Thursday’s start to the Trofeo de Vela Conde de Godo, it is clear the highly motivated crew are ready to rise to this challenge.
Two significant changes bolster the team line up. Terry Hutchinson (USA), who skippered Quantum Racing to win the MedCup title in 2008 and lead the crew through until 2011, returns to the line up, this time in the role of tactician.
He will be joined by 1992 Barcelona Olympic gold medallist and America’s Cup winner Jordi Calafat (ESP) who sails as Quantum Racing’s strategist.
Even as experienced and honoured as they both are, integrating the two new afterguard members has been one of the primary goals of the pre-regatta training period. Although of course Baird (USA) and Calafat sailed together as America’s Cup winners with Alinghi, Hutchinson and Baird are new to each other and so have been putting in some racing hours to optimise their partnership.
In mid April Baird and Hutchinson sailed together at the Congressional Cup off Long Beach finishing second. In fact that was Ed Baird’s first monohull match racing event since July 3rd 2007 when he drove Alinghi to win the 32rd America’s Cup against Emirates Team New Zealand on which Hutchinson was tactician.
“This is going to be really fun to be back with the guys on Quantum Racing,” Hutchinson smiles, “I was a little bit involved at the end of the World Championships in Miami when I watched them racing there. There are some very high quality teams as we saw there, like Azzurra and Rán Racing as examples which for the most part have shown they are capable of winning, and so I cannot wait to get out there and get racing in the fleet again.”
“I am looking to just help along the great work that Ed Baird has been doing. We jump started things by doing the Congressional Cup together and that was really good. We were mainly looking at developing our communications, getting to know how Ed likes things to be communicated as things unfold. My impression is that he is very comfortable with the boat and the way things are going, but the biggest challenge will be integrating us into the sailing team. The new appendages on the boat seemed to be working and for us it will be about not upsetting the applecart. This is a great team with a good track record and my role is to help and support where I can, maybe making sure eyes are guided where they should be if I see particular things I think can help.”
“I have the impression from Miami that Ed drives the boat very well, keeping it fast all the time. That may sound simplistic but it is very easy to get bogged down from time to time in this fleet. We worked on our communication and I understand more clearly what he wants, narrowing down 10 or 12 words to two or three words, short quick conversations is the big thing for us.”
Although Quantum Racing have not won a 52 regatta since Sardinia last year, Hutchinson says he does not feel any additional pressure coming back into the team to find a win.
“I always want to win, I always crack the whip to win and want no more or less.”
“The thing that stood out for me in Miami was that at certain times the boat could sail out of bad situations. It looked like the boat is going really well.”
Meanwhile team director Ed Reynolds is delighted with the strength of the afterguard that they have for the four European regattas of the 52 SUPER SERIES :
“I just could not be more excited, I am thrilled with the team we have. There were some conflicts which necessitated changes and so we took advantage of the opportunities to do so. Terry, Ed Baird and Jordi as an afterguard should be fantastic. Jordi grew up in Palma, sailed to a gold medal here in Barcelona and probably has sailed as much as anyone in the fleet has in Ibiza so I am sure he will bring a lot of local knowledge input.” Said Reynolds,
“We are very happy with the changes we made to the boat, boatspeed is just not an issue. After the last few events we feel we have eliminated some more variables, now I will be surprised if we are not going the right way most of the time. We don’t think we have to win regattas to win the 52 SUPER SERIES, but what we want is to show absolutely top level consistency. Now, with this fleet, you have to win races and that is a change and we have changed the mode of the boat to make more sure we can do that.”
Racing starts for the 52 SUPER SERIES in Barcelona from Thursday 23rd May and runs through to Sunday 26th. Follow the racing with live tracking, commentary and comment on www.52superseries.com
Photo by Martina Barnetova.
TORNADO CLASS – With light winds early in the morning the postponement flag went up for the Tornado Class and the sailors remained on shore watching the A Class’ float out to their racing area. Around 1 hour later the race officer removed the postponement and the sailors got ready and went out onto the water.
It was Roland and Nahid Gaebler who held the lead going into the last day and they were hoping there would be no racing because the Greek team of Iordanis and Kostas could discard a 5th if there was further racing in the championship.
Soon after there were 32 Tornado’s drifting toward the start boat waiting for the race officers instructions, it didn’t look good with the postponement flag on the front of the committee boat struggling to fly in the light airs.
One hour later the wind had disappeared and two hoots were what the sailors were waiting for after a challenging series of racing. It was time to head home and pack up ready for the road home.
Roland and Nahid Gaebler are the new Tornado European Champions, knocking the Greek Red Bull sailors off the podium they have held since 2008. Roland’s last European Championships victory came in the 1990’s.
A big thank you to the Yacht Club Rheindelta and everyone involved in organising the Championships, it has been a great few days for the sailors with a good mixture of social and sailing.
The next major Championships for the Tornado Class is the World Championships being held in Ibiza in late September, the planning is already well underway. Before that there are a variety of races being held around the World which also include the Austrian Championships in Attersee next week.
Full results can be found on the Tornado Championships website www.tornadochampionships.com
SAILING NEWS – For the 25 teams competing in the 2013 Korea Cup International Yacht Race, today was all about the inshore race series.
The inshore race course was set as a downwind upwind course starting in front of Ulleung port and going around Juk-do island, to the north, before returning upwind to Ulleung.
TORNADO EUROPEANS – When it was time to hit the water the wind was building with choppy water and big waves. The race officer got the fleet off to a quick start for the first race, another clean start. It was Iordanis Paschalidis and Kostas Trigonis who led the fleet all the way round the race course to take victory. They were followed by the Gaeblers in 2nd and Nikos and Alex (GRE 11) in 3rd position.
During the race there was plenty of action on the water with a couple of capsizes, some interesting bare aways at the top mark and some minor breakages in the strong conditions.
The second race was started in the same conditions with only 15 boats starting the race and 11 finishing. Again the strong wind specialists Iordanis and Kostas took the victory followed by Roland and Nahid, then the Swiss pairing of Marcel and Jorg Steiner. A consistent series puts them into 6th place moving into the last day of racing.
The fleet were then sent back into shore to wait and see what the wind did. The race officer decided to delay for 1 hour 30 minutes, after that period at 2pm the wind had died off to nothing with the sailors left waiting.
At 5pm the race officer took the postponement flag down and the fleet were back out onto the water for more racing. It was like another location from the mornings sailing, beautiful sunshine and around 6 knots of breeze.
The boats were then drifting back to shore less than 30 minutes later because the wind had disappeared. An interesting and varied day of racing for the competitors of the European Championships.
Further down the fleet 20 points separate 7th and 11th place and the rest of the fleet spread out below that in the table. In 12th place are Sepp and David Gunkel who are sailing the Gold Medal winning boat from Beijing. Below them in 13th are the Australian pairing of Allan Gamble and Damien McAlinden.
There is a local battle between 19th and 20th place with Dietmar having the advantage over Roland by one point leading into the last day.
The race for 1st place is currently lead by The Gaeblers who lead the Greek Red Bull team by 3 points. Roland and Nahid will be hoping for a light wind day to knock the Greeks off the podium they’ve held since 2008.
Top 10 Results
1. Roland and Nahid Gaebler
2. Iordanis Paschalidis & Kostas Trigonis
3. Nikolaos Mavros & Alexandros Tagaropoulos
4. Veit Hemmeter & Nico Lutz
5. Martin and Julia Rusterholz
6. Marcel and Jorg Steiner
7. Jean-Marc Cuanillon & Gregor Schmucki
8. Jurgen Jentsch & Manuel Sciarra
9. Michael Schonleitner & Philipp Rukuschan
10. Wilfried Jodorf & Michael Hinz
For more information on the Tornado Class please have a look at our website www.tornado-class.org <http://www.tornado-class.org> .
More photos from the day can be found on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/tornadoclass <http://www.facebook.com/tornadoclass>
WOMENS RACING – The inaugural Women’s International Match Racing Series kicked off today with the first event in St Quay-Portrieux, France. Lucy Macgregor of Great Britain summed up seven straight victories, shining alone undefeated at the top of the scoreboard. But her day wasn’t at all as relaxed as the results may imply:
– No, we had a few close matches, also coming from behind, she comments.
One of them was the last match of the day, against fellow London Olympian Anna Kjellberg of Sweden:
– We started very badly in that match, and were left behind for a while. But good upwind speed got us back into the match, and on the last downwind leg we managed to do a couple of excellent gybes to get ahead of Anna and her crew, Macgregor says.
– We made a great start but then some things got stuck in the boat on the first downwind, slowing us down. And on the last leg we didn’t observe a major wind shift coming, when at the same time making a few bad gybes. Of course Lucy took the advantage of that, Anna explains, not too disappointed with her 2 – 5 score and eighth place so far.
Veteran Klaartje Zuiderbaan of The Netherlands is back in match racing after a few years break as a successful Paralympics coach (gold in London), now leading her international crew from France, Slovenia and Great Britain to second place so far in Saint Quay, with a 6 – 2 score:
– I’m so happy to be here! Today we really learned how to work together in the boat, she smiles.
In her match against young Stephanie Roble, both boats got penalized in the prestart. After a close match almost all the way around the course, Zuiderbaan managed to leave the American crew behind at the last top mark:
– My brain can still recall a few useful tricks, she admits, smiling again.
Stephanie Roble and her experienced crew from Chicago Match Race Center missed a plane and came in late to the event, without any time to do their practise session before racing. In their first match of the day they crossed the starting line too early, and had to turn back for a proper start:
– We clearly underestimated the current that pushed us over the line, Roble comments, happy with their 5 – 2 score and third place so far in the regatta.
Event standings after the first day of racing in Saint Quay Women’s Match Racing, the first event of the inaugural 2013 Women’s Match Racing Series. Place/name/nationality/victories/lost matches:
1. Lucy Macgregor, GBR, 7 – 0
2. Klaartje Zuiderbaan, NED, 6 – 2
3. Stephanie Roble, USA, 5 – 2
4. Julie Bossard, FRA, 5 – 3
5. Alexa Bezel, SUI, 3 – 4
5. Claudia Pierce, NZL, 3 – 4
5. Caroline Sylvan, SWE, 3 – 4
8. Anna Kjellberg, SWE, 2 – 5
8. Milly Bennett, AUS, 2 – 5
10. Morgane Dreau, FRA, 0 – 7
The inaugural 2013 Women’s International Match Racing Series is a professional sailing circuit, hosted by the Women’s International Match Racing Association for the world’s leading women match racing sailors. In match racing the crews meet two by two in exciting duels that can easily be followed and understood by the spectators.
An overall prize purse of 50 000 USD will be distributed by the WIMRSeries at the final event in Lysekil, Sweden, in addition to the prize money at each of the five events included in the WIMRSeries (date, event name, location, boat type):
* May 15-19 – Saint Quay Women’s Match Racing – St Quay-Portrieux, France – Elliott 6m.
* June 6-9 – Busan Cup International Women’s Match Race – Busan, Korea – K 30.
* June 20-23 – Danish Open Ladies Cup – Copenhagen, Denmark – J/80.
* July 11-14 – New York Women’s Invitational – Oakcliff, New York, USA – SM 40.
* August 5-10 – Lysekil Women’s Match – Lysekil, Sweden – DS 37.
Images: A number of hi-res images are available for download on www.wimrs.com
More information about the Women’s International Match Racing Series:
WIMR Series Press Officer Joakim Hermansson, [email protected], +46 70 604 25 04
WIMR Series Manager Liz Baylis, [email protected], +1 415 691 6202
www.wimrs.com
http://www.facebook.com/WIMRSeries
http://www.twitter.com/WIMRSeries
49′er PROMO VIDEO – The 2013 European Championship of 49er sailing is from July 2-7, 2013. Join us on 49er.org to catch all the action, including live streaming of the final 3 days of racing.
Both the men’s and women’s classes will compete for the crowns. The 49er battle should be a great one, with home country sailors Jonas Warrer and Allan Norregaard both competing to come out on top in their home waters. For the 49erFX fleet, this is the first major championship ever, and a chance for crews from around the world to size each other up on their paths to Rio.
Get all the viewing details here: http://49er.org/mobile-news/327-49er-…
ROLEX RACING – The final preparations are underway for tomorrow’s race start at the 2013 Rolex Capri Sailing Week Volcano Race. Running until 24 May, the event welcomes an international fleet of Maxi yachts to the Tyrrhenian Sea for nine days of challenging racing, complemented by an impressive social programme.
Composed of four segments, the Rolex Capri Sailing Week Volcano Race promises challenging conditions for the 14 participating Maxi yachts. Representing Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States, the fleet eagerly awaits the alluring combination of inshore and offshore racing, set against some of Italy’s most iconic destinations.
“Capri is one of the most beautiful places in the world,” confirmed Sir Peter Ogden, owner of the Mini MaxiJethou, overall winner of the 2012 event and likely to be one of the frontrunners in 2013. “For sailors it combines onshore glamour and Rolex hospitality with challenging sailing conditions. In particular, the offshore Volcano Race presents a host of tactical issues, depending on wind speed and variability in direction.”
Thomas Jungblut, permanent tactician aboard Y3K, agreed with Ogden that capricious wind conditions in the area are known to upset the formbook. In 2012, Y3K was the second fastest boat on the water, a result the crew is aiming to better in 2013. “Due to varied winds and sailing conditions, sometimes the smaller or bigger yachts will have a big advantage or disadvantage,” said Jungblut. “Certainly there is no lack of tension among the fleet.”
In an effort to outperform this season’s competition, Y3K was optimised over the winter, configured with a more powerful mainsail, and, a deeper keel for increased stability and speed on the water. The crew has also undergone a four-day training session in La Ciotat, France to prepare for the challenges ahead. “The mix of races requires a variety of tasks, especially extremely good crew handling,” added Jungblut, emphasising the spirited contest expected within the fleet.
Ogden also confirmed the race’s reputation as being competitive and capable of surprises: “You can never prepare for everything and you have to adapt as the race develops.” He does offer some useful advice to newcomers; “The winning formula is easy: you just have to sail better than everybody else.”
Organised by the International Maxi Association, in collaboration with the Yacht Club Gaeta EVS and the Yacht Club Capri, racing officially begins tomorrow, Saturday 18 May, with a 100 nautical-mile offshore circuit that leads participants from Gaeta, past Ponza and Ventotene, to a finish on the iconic island of Capri. Two days of inshore racing will follow off Capri before the start of the fourth and final race, the Rolex Volcano Race, on 22 May. The Rolex Volcano Race is composed of a 300 nautical-mile journey around the UNESCO-protected Aeolian islands north of Sicily, with a start and finish in Capri.
Title Sponsor Rolex’s involvement in the Capri Sailing Week dates back almost a decade, while this is the third running of the Rolex Volcano Race.
How to Follow the Event
Further information on the Rolex Capri Sailing Week Volcano Race may be found at www.internationalmaxiassociation.com
AMERICAS CUP – Organizers have confirmed that this summer’s events remain on track.
In parallel with completing the final arrangements for the America’s Cup, a highly experienced panel of sailing and safety at sea experts has been appointed and charged with reviewing the training and racing of AC72 yachts in the 2013 America’s Cup.
The Review Committee will make its recommendations following the loss of Artemis Racing crew member Andrew ‘Bart’ Simpson (GBR) in a training accident on San Francisco Bay on Thursday of last week.
Members of the Committee – download bios here – have strong backgrounds in the sport at its highest levels as well as involvement in other reviews where an incident at sea has claimed the life of a competitor.
Iain Murray, the Regatta Director, will chair and lead the Review Committee comprised of:
The U.S. Coast Guard supports this approach and will assist as appropriate. Lt. Jon Lane, with 26 years in the Coast Guard and 10 years experience as a marine casualty investigator will serve as liaison.
Tom Ehman, the Vice Commodore of the Golden Gate Yacht Club (the America’s Cup Trustee), said, “The America’s Cup will go ahead this summer. We will see the world’s best sailors racing at the highest level on one of the most iconic race tracks in sport.”
With regard to the Review, Ehman added: “The Committee brings immense experience and expertise to this Review. At a meeting in San Francisco this morning, the teams expressed unanimous support for this Committee and this process.”
The Review Committee will report as soon as possible, given that racing starts in seven weeks.
RACE NEWS – The McConaghy MC38 Autumn Cup held on Pittwater, Sydney, crowned John Bacon, Dark Star, as the winner this weekend. This is the second MC38 class victory for John Bacon after winning the Sevenstar MC38 Australian Championships.
Saturday offered some light and shifty breezes, but this did not dampen the spirits of the five boats competing. Howard Spencer and the Menace crew brought their boat over from New Zealand to compete in the MC38 events over the winter including Hamilton Island Race Week. Menace made sure that they showed the rest that they meant business winning the first race, a fantastic result for the newest boat of the fleet. “It was great racing” said Tom Faire from Menace ”we are really pleased with the boat and we are already looking forward to coming to the next event in June“.
Dark Star went on to win the rest of day one’s races and were the overnight leaders, however Chris Hancock’s Vino kept the pressure on securing two second places and only trailing behind Dark Star by three points going into day two.
Dark Star came into the second day in fighting form securing their third consecutive win for the series, however the tables soon turned “One thing we do know is you make one mistake and you are in last place” said Bacon and that is exactly what happened.
The sea breezes filled in and it was then Vino‘s turn taking first in the 5th race which moved them in to second place.
It was down to the last race with no one safe in their ranking, Menace and Leslie Green’s Ginger had a close series competing for third place. Conditions were very different for Ginger this weekend to the 30 knots that they raced in at Port Stephens last month. The Cone of Silence showed their potential in the sixth winning their first race of the series with Jono Morris at the helm.
There was some really close and exciting racing by the whole fleet which is evident from the results and if the results were just based on the last day then the rankings would be very different as 5th and 4th would have come in 1st and 2nd.
All owners were unanimous about how much fun they had on the weekend, and expressed their to thanks the RPAYC and the Volunteers.
The next class event will be in Sydney Harbour June 29th and 30th.
For more information on the MC38 and joining this fun and exciting class please contact McConaghy Boats.
ALPARI MATCH RACING – The Tour this year comprises six events, starting with Match Race Germany from this Thursday until Monday, before moving to Korea, back to Europe with the Stena Match Cup Sweden in July, then Chicago Match Cup, the Argo Group Gold Cup in Bermuda, the season concluding in December with the Monsoon Cup, held in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia.
For this, its 16th year, Match Race Germany is being held in Langenargen, located close to the Austrian border on Europe’s third largest lake, where the event sailed in Bavaria 40S.
As ever the Alpari World Match Racing Tour attracts the cream of the match racing world, all of whom are present in Langenargen ready for tomorrow’s practice sessions.
The line-up going to all the events – the Tour card holders – this year numbers eight rather than nine. Tour Director Craig Mitchell says the reduction is for reasons of simplicity. “It allows each event to have two qualifying invites and two wild cards. The last thing you want is a closed shop and it keeps the local interest up, which is vital.”
The 2013 Tour Card holders are reigning world champion Team GAC Pindar skipper Ian Williams and Swedes Johnie Berntsson (Stena Sailing Team) and Bjorn Hansen (Hansen Sailing Team), runner-up to Williams in 2012. From New Zealand are Phil Robertson, winner of Match Race Germany last year and Adam Minoprio, the 2009 ISAF Match Racing World Champion. France is represented by Pierre-Antoine Morvan and his Vannes Agglo Sailing Team while with the retirement of Peter Gilmour last year, Keith Swinton and his Black Swan Racing team are flying the flag for Australia. A highly anticipated new tour card holder this year is Taylor Canfield from the US Virgin, whose USone team impressively won the final two events last season.
One of the strongest contenders this year is likely to be Adam Minoprio, making his return to the Tour after taking two years off to compete with an Emirates Team New Zealand crew aboard Camper in the Volvo Ocean Race. After competing at the Bermuda Gold Cup and the Monsoon Cup last season the 27 year old has felt inspired to make his return this season and has been fortunate enough to get backing for from Alpari, his team now called Team Alpari FX.
“I am really excited,” said Minoprio. “I’m looking forward to this first event and getting back into the match racing this year. Last year I had a taste of it in Bermuda and at the Monsoon Cup and wanted to do some more this year. I am lucky to have Alpari help me get back on to the Tour.”
Minoprio has also managed to get the majority of his crew back including Tom Powrie, Dave Swete and Nick Blackman, with Chris Main join as trimmer, having last competed on the Tour a decade ago with GBR Challenge.
But Ian Williams and his Team GAC Pindar crew remain the benchmark. If Williams wins the Tour this year he will be only person in the 25 year history of the World Championship to have done so for a fifth time. Williams has the same crew as previous years, including Bill Hardesty and Mal Parker, but has lost Matt Cassidy and Gerry Mitchell for Match Race Germany, replaced by Willem van Waay and Graham Spence.
Both Minoprio and Williams have been attempting to fire up their campaigns prior to the Tour kicking off this week. Both had their full teams competing at the Congressional Cup in Long Beach in April where Williams came home third to Minoprio’s fifth.
“We’ve never won it before,” admits Williams of his record at Match Race Germany. “It is one of the few that we haven’t. In fact I think third is our best result there, so it is one we’d like to win at some point.”
Keith Swinton is back with his same crew as he’s had for the last couple of years, including trimmers Olof Lundgren (SWE) and Ted Hackney (AUS), pitman Jakob Gustafsson (SWE) and bowman Ricky McGarvie (AUS). Swinton’s north European home is Sweden, where he spent three years up until London 2012 coaching the Sweden women’s match racing team.
“Competition on the tour this year is going to be really tough – more difficult than last year,” says the skipper, who heralds from Perth, Western Austria. “There is one less tour card, which thickens the competition up and some of the wild cards are going to be strong,” he adds referring to Mathieu Richard.
As to Match Race Germany, Swinton says: “It is an interesting event. The boats are very big and quite slow. But it is the first Tour event of the season and we’ll take it as it comes. I’m sure we’ll improve during the week and if that happens, we’ll have the possibility of doing a really good result.”
Tomorrow crews get to practice before racing off Langenargen starts on Thursday.
TEAM OMAN – Oman Sail was racing three boats in the North of France last week as part of the national initiative to use the power of sport to contribute to the development of young Omanis: the M34 team competed in the Iroise Cup while the MOD70 raced the Ar Men race finishing second in class and the pioneering all-women team on the J80 Al Thuraya Bank Muscat raced the GP Ecole Navale de Brest, their second ever competition in Europe.
Consistency was the name of the game onboard the M34, Team Oman Sail, skippered by Frenchman Cedric Pouligny during the nine-day event between Douarnenez and Lanveoc that grouped together the Grand Prix Guyader and the Grand Prix Ecole Navale.
Over 15 legs, Team Oman Sail won one, finished on the podium five times and ranked in the top five eleven times. With Groupama and Sodeb’O competing on the circuit, the bar has been significantly raised and the crew-training team onboard the Oman Sail M34 has raised its game to punch well above its weight. The team, which is made up of international offshore professionals and Omani trainee sailors, has shown that it can compete with the very best.
Conditions were tough for the fleet, particularly during the 35nm coastal race from Douarnenez to Camaret-sur-Mer, which saw the Oman Sail crew snatch a second place just minutes from the line.
“The crew progressed consistently throughout the week,” said skipper Cedric Pouligny. “Our whole purpose is to train our Omani team mates and they are coming along well. As a team we have managed to achieve some good results during this event which shows that we are on the right track towards the event of the year, the Tour de France a la Voile.”
Team Oman Sail tactician, Aymeric Chappellier was similarly positive about the progress of the group: “Our Omani team mates are doing a very good job, they work hard, they are very focussed. As a rule we explain each manoeuvre and talk them through each race step by step so that there is constant knowledge transfer. This result is very encouraging,” he said.
One of the Omani crew members, Abdulaziz Al Obaidani, pitman onboard, sailed for the first time in February of this year during EFG Bank Sailing Arabia-The Tour, an event organised by Oman Sail largely based on France’s Tour de France a la Voile that has become Arabia’s no.1 offshore race.
He admitted that the Iroise Cup was tough but super motivating. “It was amazing to be able to do battle against some of France’s greatest sailors during this event, an incredible experience! And even better to discover that we can also be competitive.”
His teammate Mohammed Al Mageini is racing his second season on the M34 and has made good progress in his chosen career. His ability is a source of inspiration for the newcomers onboard. “Compared to Spi Ouest France [the team’s first event of the season] we have really improved as a crew, we are in the game and properly competing with boats like Sodeb’O. We won a leg as well which means anything is possible!”
Normandy Race Week from 2-9 June is the next event for Team Oman Sail on the M34. They will be joined by the pioneering all-women crew from Oman, Team Al Thuraya Bank Muscat who will be racing their J80.
The girls have very humble ambitions, as they are racing their first ever European season, but Oman Sail’s young apprentices were delighted with their progress at the Grand Prix Ecole Navale, their second competitive event in Europe in the J80 class.
Eight races in blustery conditions in Brest, Northern France, saw the girls led by Rajaa Al Owaisi achieve more than one middle fleet position in a strong class of more than 60 boats including a 23rd place, their best result.
There were marked improvements in boat handling skills and their confidence was growing said Al Owaisi. “It was really good. I’m so proud of our team. We were more comfortable with the boat and the weather and got over that fear of going fast and using the spinnaker in winds of 15-20 knots. We are very happy and can’t wait for the next event, Normandy Week in June.
“We were thanked for participating and the organisers said they felt that having a women’s team from Oman made it a special event.”
Rendezvous at Normandy Week from 6-9 June for Team Oman Sail and Team Al Thuraya Bank Muscat, while Oman Sail’s MOD70 Oman Air-Musandam will be limbering up in Valencia, Spain for the start of the Route des Princes.
18FT SKIFFS – Sydney Amateur Sailing Club (SASC) was the perfect setting for a tribute to skiff and yachting legend Billy Barnett and a fundraiser to help build a replica of his ‘18’, Myra Too, held on the weekend.
Personalities from the 18’s, America’s Cup and yachting attended what was also a heritage day at the Club, which is nestled away in Mosman Bay and prides itself on racing heritage boats such as the Ranger class and old gaff-rigged yachts.
Ninety-seven year old Barnett and his lively wife Glory (Gloria) arrived by boat to ‘The Amateurs’, where over 100 people were waiting to greet them.
Barnett won the 1951 JJ Giltinan Championship (unofficial Worlds) with Myra Too, which he designed and built. He captured the Australian, NSW and international 18-footer titles the same year.
Born in Sydney, Barnett built his home and Barnett’s boatshed at McMahon’s Point, next door to where he grew up. He built many boats, including Dragons, at his shed. Probably his most famous build was the 1967 12 metre America’s Cup challenger, Dame Pattie, on which he formed part of the afterguard for Jock Sturrock.
Barnett later claimed: “Being asked to build the Dame was the most momentous thing, with regard to boatbuilding, that had happened to me.”
Fellow Dame Pattie crew members, Tony Ellis and Bob Thornton were there to support Barnett, as were Hugh Treharne and Colin Beashel (winning crew from our 1983 America’s Cup winner) Col’s Dad Ken, who like his father before him (father Alf had the 18 footers Beashel Buoy named for him) sailed 18’s, and Rob Brown, both members of the 1983 AC team.
All, except Col Beashel were winning skippers of the JJ Giltinan Championship during their respective heydays. Other Giltinan winners included Dave Porter, Peter Sorensen, John Winning, Michael Coxon and Seve Jarvin, the reigning four-time winner.
Winning crews included Andrew Buckland, (Iain Murray’s Color 7 which won an unprecedented six Giltinans), two-time winner ‘Cub’ Barnett (a fourth generation 18’s sailing son of Don ‘Bear’ Barnett), Adam South, Ian ‘Bomber’ Treharne and Ian ‘Super’ Souter.
Others who came to pay homage to support the build of the Myra Too replica were Mr Clean-Up Australia, Ian Kiernan, Syd Fischer, Dragon maestro Norman Longworth, Carl Ryves and Mark Bethwaite.
Historical 18’s disciples, Bob Killick (who previously sailed a more modern 18), Steamer Stanley, Bob Chapman, and John Winning (who continues to sail the old and modern 18’s at 60 years age), along with the very welcoming members of the SASC, gave us a day to remember, with the added attraction of a seafood lunch and some great wines from Mojo.
Winning, Kenny Beashel, Dave Porter and Dame Pattie’s designer, Warwick Hood, were among those who spoke about Barnett, our heritage 18’s fleet and the people who sailed them.
Winning reminded us, “It was a lot more difficult to sail those old 18’s. We have it very easy today by those standards. The boats are lighter and the systems used to sail them don’t require the strength and tenacity the old boats used to take.”
My own father, now 82, tells stories of capsizes on Sydney Harbour in these heavy old, boats that were then towed to the nearest beach by launches, usually those owned by diehard spectators. There they were often left for the night till they could be relaunched in the following days.
Inside the SASC there was a two-wall memorabilia display of 18 foot skiff sailing and of America’s Cup 12 metre Challengers, Gretel and Dame Pattie, the latter being designed by Warwick Hood and named for the wife of twice Australian Prime Minister, Sir Robert Menzies.
Adding to the colour of the day, a past Australian America’s Cup Challenger, Gretel, sporting a relatively new makeover, and three Dragons were moored up the Club’s wharf.
The historical skiffs, or ‘histericals’, as they are known by those who sail them,, race on Sydney Harbour each Saturday out of the Sydney Flying Squadron at Kirribilli in summer. Anyone can come and sail them with some of the legends of our sport. More information and to put your hand up, go to the SFS link below or email Bob Killick: [email protected]
As John Winning, the driving force behind the historical 18’s said, “We’ve even lifted blokes out of wheelchairs to come and sail them.” People of all ages and various degrees of experience can sail on these boats.”
I gave it a go myself last summer and it was a lot of fun. Both my father (now 82) and uncle (78), former skiff sailors who enjoyed the odd day as baler boys’ in the original historical skiffs when they were children, got to race them a couple of seasons back and enjoyed every moment. .
ALPARI MATCH RACING – IMG Media, a division of IMG Worldwide, the global sports, fashion and media company, has signed a long-term partnership with the Alpari World Match Racing Tour to increase global viewing of the leading professional sailing series.
The engagement will see IMG Media distribute a series of highlights programmes from each event, as well as a daily video news release (VNR) to all forms of media, including digital, throughout the series which begins with the first event in Langenargen, Germany, from May 15-20.
Sanctioned by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) with ‘Special Event’ status, the series awards over US$1.5 million in prize money with points awarded at each event culminating in the crowning of the “ISAF Match Racing World Champion”. The prize fund includes a US$500,000 overall Tour Bonus for the top teams in the Championship.
James Pleasance, Executive Director of the Alpari World Match Racing Tour commented, “This is a very exciting partnership for us. IMG is a global player in television programming and has a solid track record in distributing some of the best known sporting events all over the world. The Tour is a growing series and to have the expertise and resource of IMG behind us will be a great asset for us.”
Melissa Payne, Director of Event Coordination IMG Media, said: “Match racing is fast, competitive and highly strategic with in-shore racing engaging and exciting sailing fans of all ages . The Alpari World Match Racing Tour is ideally suited to all forms of media and we are confident with our expertise and worldwide network that we will be able to increase exposure and drive awareness of the Tour and its events globally.“
Eight tour card holders will be competing against one another on the 2013 season for the ISAF Match Racing World Cahmpionship . The skippers include four time World Champion British skipper Ian Williams (GAC Pindar), Swedish favourites Björn Hansen (Hansen Sailing Team) and Johnie Berntsson (Stena Sailing Team), Phil Robertson (WAKA Racing) and Adam Minoprio (Team Alpari FX) from New Zealand, Australian skipper Keith Swinton (Black Swan Racing), Pierre-Antoine Morvan (Vannes Agglo Sailing Team) from France and the youngest skipper Taylor Canfield (USone Sailing Team) from the US Virgin Islands.
The World Match Racing Tour was formed as an annual circuit in 2000 and has grown in stature with Alpari signing a five-year title sponsorship agreement last year. The Tour has featured some of the world’s greatest sailors including multiple Olympic medallist Sir Ben Ainslie, Russell Coutts, Peter Gilmour, Magnus Holmberg and Jamie Spithill, skipper of the Oracle America’s Cup team.
About IMG
IMG Worldwide is a global sports, fashion and media business, with nearly 3,000 employees operating in more than 30 countries around the globe. IMG’s areas of expertise are diverse and wide ranging: IMG College; IMG’s Joint Ventures in India, China, Brazil and Turkey; IMG Media; IMG Events and Federations; IMG Fashion; IMG Models; IMG Art+Commerce; IMG Clients; IMG Academy; IMG Consulting and IMG Licensing.
EvoLve theme by Theme4Press • Powered by WordPress XS Sailing
Where Sailing Lives
Written by 
Written by 
Follow Us!