LIGHT AIR RACING IN KOREA CUP

Monday
May 20
2013 Leave a Comment Written by XS Editor 2

KOREA CUP – After two days of inshore races on 16 and 17 May, the first offshore leg of the 2013 Korea Cup International Yacht Race got underway on Saturday 18 May from the city of Uljin.

This first of two offshore legs, took the 25 teams on a challenging 86 nautical mile race track offshore to the volcanic island of Ulleung, with light conditions dominating the early stage of the race and really testing the crews as the boats inched forward in the easterly swell and southerly waves.

The race got underway at 1400 hours local time, with separate starts for the ORC fleet and Open Class, under the watchful eyes of the team on the Koreana, a 42 metre four masted schooner which must be one of the most impressive Race Committee boats.

As the fleet headed offshore, away from the eastern coastline of South Korea and out to the East Sea, they were bunched closely together, with no team able to find an advantage as they headed downwind in the light breeze. Fortunately, the breeze increased further offshore and first to seize an advantage were the all Korean crew on the race favourite Linda Vista, an Open 60 who broke free of the pack and increased their lead as they heading off on a northerly track. Behind them, the majority of the fleet opted for a more southerly route, including the other likely contender for line honours, Team Bare Essentials, a 56 foot custom build with a crew from Korea, New Zealand and the USA on board. Equipment damage in the increasing breeze for the crew of Diva, who ripped their spinnaker and were quickly forced into a sail change to stay in the game.

The breeze continued to build further offshore, with the yachts fully powered up and driving downwind with the prospect of faster leg times and an earlier arrival on the volcanic island of Ulleung. As night set in,

more teams joined the tussle at the front of the pack, including Team Bare Essentials whose option to take the more southerly route had rewarded them with the lead at the halfway stage of the race. As expected though, the game changes increased under cover of darkness, and after a long night of racing by morning Linda Vista had reclaimed the lead and went on to take the race line honours.

The teams will race an inshore series on Monday 20 May, before heading to the next stop of the race, Dokdo island, from where the second offshore leg back to the city of Uljin gets underway on Tuesday 21 May.

About the Korea Cup International Yacht Race

The Korea Cup International Yacht Race takes place off the eastern coastline of Korea from 16-22 May. 2013 marks the 6th edition of this week long event, which is Korea’s largest and most renowned yachting event, attracting sailors all over the world, including Asia, Europe, Americas and Oceania, to race in a series of inshore and offshore races.

Event Website: www.koreacup.org

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IAN WILLIAMS WINS IN GERMANY

Monday
May 20
2013 Leave a Comment Written by XS Editor 2

AWMRT –  Lake Constance left it right until the last moment to get uncooperative at Match Race Germany. An ominous-looking rain cloud was on its way across the third largest lake in Europe from Switzerland, sucking all the wind out of the vicinity and causing PRO Rudi Magg to draw proceedings to a close. 
 
This handed victory at Match Race Germany to British helm Ian Williams and his American/Australian crew of Mal Parker and Bill Hardesty, supplemented on this occasion by stand-ins Graham Spence and Willem Van Waay. Williams’ GAC Pindar crew won today’s single Finals match against Adam Minoprio and his all-Kiwi Team Alpari FX crew of Nick Blackman, Chris Main, Tom Powrie and David Swete; reigning Alpari World Match Racing Tour champion (Williams), up against the 2009 champion (Minoprio).
 
A little slow out of the blocks in the Semi Finals yesterday, Williams was 1-2 down against Johnie Berntsson’s Stena Sailing Team crew as proceedings came to a close last night. However the GAC Pindar crew fought back this morning to take the next two points, to gain their berth in the final. 
 
In his Semi Final match Minoprio had less to do this morning, scoring a come-from-behind win against France’s experienced Mathieu Richard and his GEFCO Match Racing Team to take him through on a 3-1 scoreline.
 
“We had a nice lead, maybe 8-10 boatlengths during the first run,” explained Richard after a long team de-brief. “But then we ran out of wind, and completely stopped while they had a little breeze coming from behind. Often in those conditions it is not too bad to be behind and they showed us that today as they were able to overtake us. It is very disappointing and a bit frustrating, but that is how it is.”
Otherwise the Frenchman, who heralds from La Baule on the Atlantic coast, was pleased with the performance of his GEFCO Match Racing Team in what is their first Tour event since St Moritz last year. Richard will be back for Korea Match Cup next week followed by Stena Match Cup Sweden at the beginning of July. 
 
In this afternoon’s only Finals race, held once again in very light winds, Minoprio held up his hand, acknowledging that he had made a meal of the pre-start. “I forgot how long these boats take to gybe and I wasted a minute doing two gybes so we were late for the line. It was my mistake, I was kicking myself at the start of the race.”
 
From there all he could do was chase the GAC Pindar crew around the course, who in turn did an immaculate job of covering their Kiwi opponents. 
 
Minoprio felt the Race Committee was correct to draw racing to a close prematurely and was gracious in defeat. “There is no wind at the moment,” he observed. “Ian sailed better than us in the one race we had and he won Qualifying – he deserves the win here. We sailed very poorly in that final race against him and we didn’t deserve it.”
However Minoprio reckoned it was a solid start to his come-back season. “Second is good points for the overall Championship and puts the pressure on everyone else.”
 
Williams was pleased with victory, a first in his lengthy match racing career at Match Race Germany, even if the last part of the event was curtailed. He felt he sailed the last race well. 
 
“It was really light which meant manoeuvres were really costly. We did a nice job of keeping Adam down – he had to do a couple of gybes in the last minute before the start and that cost him a bit of speed which allowed us to be faster and closer to the line at start time. Then we did two less tacks on both beats and that is what allowed us to draw away by the finish.”
Victory at Match Race Germany, makes for a solid start to Williams and the GAC Pindar team’s campaign to win the Alpari World Match Racing Tour for a record setting fifth time. 
 
“I haven’t been here in Langenargen for a couple of years,” admitted Williams. “They put on a great show here. The conditions are often difficult, but I like the big boats, they are impressive. Plus there is a good crowd turn-out here and the event works well for the local economy, so long may it continue.” 
 
James Pleasance, Executive Director of the Alpari World Match Racing Tour felt that the beginning of the 2013 season had gone well: “It has been a fantastic week for the first stage of the 2013 Alpari World Match Racing Tour, and a good shakedown event for all the teams. The boats here are bigger and heavier and the teams have really had to find their stride in the variable lake conditions. But a great win for Ian and GAC Pindar, and against a former Tour Champion in the final as well. This Tour season is going be very close indeed.”
FINAL RESULTS
Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar vs Adam Minoprio (NZL) Team Alpari FX 1-0
 
PETIT FINAL RESULTS
Mathieu Richard (FRA) GEFCO Match Racing Team vs Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Stena Sailing Team 1-0
 
FINAL SEMI FINAL RESULTS
Mathieu Richard (FRA) GEFCO Match Racing Team vs Adam Minoprio (NZL) Team Alpari FX 1-3
Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar v Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Stena Sailing Team 2-2
 
LEADERBOARD AFTER STAGE 1 – MATCH RACE GERMANY
1 Ian Williams (GBR) – Team GAC Pindar 25
2 Adam Minoprio (NZL) – Team Alpari FX 22
3 Mathieu Richard (FRA) – GEFCO Match Racing Team 19
4 Johnie Berntsson (SWE)- Stena Sailing Team 16
5 Taylor Canfield (ISV) – USone 14
6 Björn Hansen (SWE) – Mekonomen Sailing Team 12
7 Karol Jablonski (POL) – Jablonski Sailing Team 10
8 Pierre-Antoine Morvan (FRA) – Vannes Agglo Sailing Team 8
9 Phil Robertson (NZL) – WAKA Racing 4
10 Keith Swinton (AUS) – Black Swan Racing 2
11 Philip Buhl (GER) – STG/NRV Youth Team 0
12 Sven Erick-Horsch (GER) – NRV Match Race Team 0
 
For more high resolution images of the day: http://wmrt.photoshelter.com/
Password: awmrt
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ITALIANS WIN PORTO ERCOLE EDITION

Monday
May 20
2013 Leave a Comment Written by XS Editor 2

MELGES 20 RACING – Porto Ercole, Italy – Congratulations to Achille Onorato, tactician Lorenzo Bressani and crew Stefano Ciampalini aboard Mascalzone Latino Jr. as he has won the Porto Ercole edition of the 2013 Audi Melges 20 Sailing Series. Onorato now leads the overall Series after two events by a slim margin also. Celebrating second overall is American Russell Lucas on Shimmer, and Rob Wilber’s Cinghiale finished third.

Saturday was void of racing, but the twenty-nine Audi Melges 20 teams lived it up on Sunday squeezing in four races after an early 09.00 start. With a perfect 10-15 knots of breeze, Wilber was the first out of the gate with a big win in Race One. Claudio Dutto’s Asante Sana took second, followed by a photo finish between Marco Zaoli on Shadow, Alessandro Rombelli’s STIGand Guido Miani’s Out of Reach placing third, fourth and fifth respectively.

Race Two saw Lucas up front early but lost his winning edge to Vincenzo Adessi on Raffichetta and Federico Albano’s3Menda. Adessi went on to take the win, followed by Rombelli in second and Lucas in third.

By the time Race Three rolled around, Rombelli was on an obvious upswing and in a heated duel with Albano. Rombelli eventually overtook for the official lead and win, Albano was second and Onorato improved his scoreline to take third place.

The final race of the day delivered more great turns, twists and plenty of fun downwind planing conditions. At this point, Rombelli appeared to have a solid grasp on the top position, but a disappointing thirteenth place finish forced him to settle for fourth overall. Miani was his next best rival, he too found it impossible to finish better than tenth. Once again, Onorato proved to be the team to beat with an impressive second place finish behind Mirko de Falco’s Peccere, moving him into the overall lead position to win. Wilber finished strong in third.

As the season progresses, everyone is reminded to download the Audi Sailing Series App for free at Apple’s App Store and Google Play. Download it today to receive reports in Italian, German and English, photos, videos and much, much more!

Now that Porto Ercole is complete at Circolo Nautico e della Vela dell’Argentario, the 2013 Audi Sailing Series season moves ahead to Portoferraio on 8-9 June and Torbole on 6-7 July. Fleet numbers will be on the rise as it pushes onward to Porto Rotondo on 29 August – September 1 for the first ever European Championship since the classes inception as an ISAF International Recognized Class. Many of the teams are looking forward to competing at the 2013 Audi Melges 20 World Championship taking place in Key Largo, FL at Ocean Reef Club on December 11-14.

TOP TEN RESULTS (After four races)
1.) Achille Onorato/Lorenzo Bressani, Mascalzone Latino, Jr.; 7-7-3-2 = 19
2.) Russell Lucas/Harry Melges III, Shimmer; 6-3-8-6 = 23
3.) Robert Wilber/Anthony Kotoun, Cinghiale; 1-16-4-3 = 24
4.) Alessandro Rombelli/Paul Goodison, STIG; 4-2-1-13/ZULU = 26
5.) Guido Miani/Gabriele Benussi, Out of Reach; 5-6-5-10 = 26
6.) Saverio Bifulco/Paolo Scutellaro, Noi di Notte; 10-9-9-5 = 33
7.) Claudio Dutto/Fabio Zeni, Asante Sana; 2-10-18-4 = 34
8.) Federico Albano/Giulio Desiderato, 3Menda; 16-4-2-18 = 40
9.) Marco Zaoli/Gabrio Zandona, Shadow; 3-13-17-7 = 40
10.) Francesco Farneti/Alberto Bolzan, ITA-157; 13-5-10-12 = 40
View Full Results

TOP FIVE SERIES RESULTS (After two events, ten races)
1.) Achille Onorato, Mascalzone Latino Jr. = 36 pts.
2.) Guido Miani, Out of Reach = 38 pts.
3.) Alessandro Rombelli, STIG = 55 pts.
4.) Federico Albano, 3Menda = 63 pts.
5.) Francesco Farneti, ITA-157 = 64 pts
View Full Series Results

View Full Entry List
View Full Photo Gallery – Stefano Gattini (BPSE)

 

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GC32 AND MISS SWITZERLAND MAKES LONG DISTANCE RACE DEBUT

Monday
May 20
2013 Leave a Comment Written by XS Editor 2

GC32 RACING - With Flavio Marazzi at the helm, Marwin Sailing Team’s high-tech GC32 catamaran dominated a fleet of more than 120 boats in one of Switzerland’s iconic and traditional races, after spectacular boat christening with former Miss Switzerland Jenny Ann Gerber (pictured above).

Thanks to a combination of clever tactics and remarkable boat speed, it took 3 hours and 22 minutes for the spectacular catamaran to sail from Zurich to Rapperswil despite the extremely light and challenging conditions.

Organized by the Zürcher Segel Club, the lake race from Zurich to Rapperswil, or Züri-Rappi as the locals call it, is more than a simple regatta. It’s one of Switzerland’s most popular long-distance races.

The 2013 sailing season for Marwin Sailing Team got off to a great start on Lake Traunsee in Austria, and this weekend the GC32 catamaran clearly dominated the fleet and took line honors. The victory was the result of excellent tactical calls and the GC32′s notable speed in different conditions. The start of the race was given under a complete lull and the fleet struggled to find even the smallest puff. Crews were constantly on the hunt for that elusive dark patch on the lake’s surface.

Marwin Sailing Team got the upper hand by sticking close to the shore as dozens of boats got stuck in the dying breeze in the middle of the lake. In the final stretch to the finish line, the GC32 reached its top speed of 19 knots, more than 2 times the true wind speed. Despite this being the team’s second regatta, crew coordination and boat handling improve by leaps and bounds, setting the foundations for a season that will include a number of record-breaking attempts.

The next challenge for Marwin Sailing Team is coming up shortly, from May 30th to June 2nd in Lindau, Germany. Flavio Marazzi and his team will compete at the Rund um Bodensee on Lake Constance and Marwin Sailing Team will aim at taking line honors once again and, if conditions are favorable, breaking the current race record.

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TORNADOS HIT THE WATER!

Monday
May 20
2013 Leave a Comment Written by XS Editor 2

TORNADO 2013

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>

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CLOSE FINISH TIMES AT ATLANTIC CUP

Monday
May 20
2013 Leave a Comment Written by XS Editor 2

THE ATLANTIC CUP – NEWPORT, R.I. –The Atlantic Cup presented by 11th Hour Racing completed its second leg of offshore racing with #118 Bodacious Dream, skippered by Dave Rearick and Matt Scharl, crossing the Jamestown FiSH Finish line first with an elapsed time of 30 hours 9 minutes 39 seconds on Sunday, May 19, to complete the 231 nautical mile leg from New York Harbor to Newport, R.I. The race, featuring an international fleet of Class 40s competing in the only carbon neutral sailing race held in the United States, saw Bodacious Dream beat out#121 Lecoq Cuisine (30:14:38) by 4 minutes 59 seconds, followed 5 minutes and 12 seconds later by #106 Gryphon Solo 2 (30:19:50).

The second leg of the Atlantic Cup set sail at 2:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, May 19th from New York Harbor en route to Newport Shipyard with international competitors from the USA, France, Great Britain and New Zealand. After starting in a light southerly, the teams raced the entire way down the Jersey Shore in short course fleet racing mode. After the turning mark, the teams were within sight of each other through to the finish. The major decision of the race came at determining which way to round Block Island deciding on wind (to the east) or current (to the west). Those choosing to round Block Island to the west saw that decision pay off. The last five miles to the finish were incredibly tense as the first three teams to cross the finish line were separated by 10 minutes and 11 seconds.

Bodacious Dream skipper Matt Scharl: “We’re pleased with our performance, but it was a very tough race. Halfway through the second leg all the boats were within a half a mile. There’s just no let up, you just can’t take any breaks during the entire thing.”

Bodacious Dream skipper Dave Rearick: “It was a lot of hard work, we hung in there until the end and it turned out we came out on top”

Scharl added, “We wanted to go right from a historical point of view around the Island, but once we found that they (Gryphon Solo 2) were passing us going to the right, we threw up a spinnaker that we probably shouldn’t have that forced us all the way to the left and they (Gryphon Solo 2) let us go which is the miracle of the race.”

Photos of the first teams to finish can be found here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/od4ekruvl3ghnu7/Xe-CFALGng with comprehensive results available here: http://atlanticcup.org/race/2013-results/

Photo by Billy Black

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LIGHT AIR RACING IN 59TH STAR TROPHY URNERSEE

Friday
May 17
2013 1 Comment Written by XS Editor 2

STAR RACING – Daily Sailing News - The first two days of the 59th Star Trophy Urnersee delivers some very close racing. Check out the video action above

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HOW TO DRAW A SAILBOAT

Friday
May 17
2013 Leave a Comment Written by XS Editor 2

THE ART OF SAILING - Leonardo Pereznieto shows us how to draw a sailboat and the sea in under 4 minutes. Check it out!

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GREAT START FOR LUCY

Friday
May 17
2013 Leave a Comment Written by XS Editor 2

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

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TI PUNCH WITH A ‘PUNCH’

Friday
May 17
2013 Leave a Comment Written by XS Editor 2

HAPPY HOUR FRIDAY – In this episode, Martin Cate, of Smuggler’s Cove in San Francisco, explains the culture of the Ti Punch from Martinique. If you order it on the Caribbean island, you might actually be in charge of making this cocktail yourself! Learn how to make a new cocktail while famed SF bartender Martin Cate.

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AC REVIEW COMMITTEE SUSPENDS SAILING

Friday
May 17
2013 Leave a Comment Written by XS Editor 2

AMERICA’S CUP – Following the first meeting of the America’s Cup Review Committee on Thursday in San Francisco, teams have been asked to suspend all sailing in AC72 and AC45 catamarans until the middle of next week. The Review Committee is scheduled to meet with the teams for the first time on Friday morning.

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THE 49ER EUROPEAN IS COMING!

Friday
May 17
2013 Leave a Comment Written by XS Editor 2

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-…

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TEN RACES…TWO LEADERS

Friday
May 17
2013 Leave a Comment Written by XS Editor 2

AWMRT – Langenargen, Germany (17 May 2013):  A lengthy day on Lake Constance marked the start of Match Race Germany and the opening round of the 2013 Alpari World Match Racing Tour. With the wind off Langenargen just strong enough to sail but rarely getting above 10 knots, the organizers ripped through ten flights of the qualifying round, bringing all of the 12 international teams up to five races sailed.

With the sun getting low in the sky, at the end of play GAC Pindar skipper Ian Williams and his long term French rival Mathieu Richard of GEFCO Match Racing Team hold a 4-1 scoreline, along with Pierre Antoine Morvan’s Vannes Agglo Sailing Team. The three teams’ single losses were respectively to Adam Minoprio, Bjorn Hansen and Ian Williams.

“We were a little nervous because a lot of teams have sailed these boats before and we haven’t,” said Williams. “It is an unusual situation for us to be the less experienced team, but our upwind boat speed was really good.” The GAC Pindar crew narrowly won their match against Morvan after there was a big luff at the top mark and the Frenchman ended up picking up a penalty for going past head to wind.

US Virgin Islander Taylor Canfield and his USone team ended the day on three wins along with Keith Swinton’s Black Swan Racing, Bjorn Hansen’s Mekonomen Sailing Team and the Adam Minoprio-skippered Team Alpari FX.

Canfield won against Hansen, Robertson and Jablonski, but lost to Berntsson and Richard. “Light conditions in big heavy slow boats is always challenging and I don’t think we are totally comfortable with all of our manoeuvres and timing in these boats just yet,” admitted the 24-year-old. “As the day went on we started to figure it out a bit and got the boat going well.”

In Canfield’s match against Richard there was a long dial up and then, with 1 minute 30 to go, both boats were still a long way over the line but the Frenchman won the favoured committee boat end and it was game over from there.

USone had more success against Karol Jablonski when, after they had roundly dispatched the Polish former America’s Cup helmsman pushing him behind the committee boat, Jablonski retired, switched on his engine resulting in his receipt of a black flag from the umpires. Jablonski admitted that they had had a major communication breakdown on board. “We basically just retired and used the time to do a debrief. We are a new team and we don’t sail enough to get everything done the way I like to do it. When you do two events per year it is tough to compete with the best teams here.”

Adam Minoprio’s Team Alpari FX was initially docked a half point for a collision with Pierre Antoine Morvan during a tacking duel in Flight 2, when the stern quarters of the two teams’ boats touched as they attempted to separate. “In my mind it was a port-starboard and he didn’t start avoiding early enough and we had to avoid him and our sterns touched,” said Minoprio, providing his viewpoint of the incident. At the time the umpires took a different view and red flagged Team Alpari FX requiring them to carry out a penalty turn immediately, docking the Kiwi team the half point for causing damage. But at a hearing after racing neither Minoprio nor Morvan were found to have broken the avoiding contact rule (rule 14) and the half point penalty was removed from Minoprio’s scoreline.

The two German teams of leading Laser sailor Philipp Buhl and German National Match Racing Champion Sven Erik Horsch have yet to get off the bottom of the leaderboard, with Horsch on no wins and newbie match racer Buhl’s only victory taken off his fellow countryman. Johnie Berntsson is also on a single win as is Karol Jablonski.

Match Race Germany defending champion New Zealand’s Phil Robertson and his WAKA Racing team has also got off to a slow start on just two wins against Berntsson and Jablonski. “It was tough,” said Robertson. “We led around the top mark in four out of five but we lost it downwind. So we are just ironing out the creases.”

The qualifying series continues tomorrow with the start time scheduled for 0900.

For more high resolution images of the day:
http://wmrt.photoshelter.com/
Password: awmrt

STAGE 1: Match Race Germany – Qualifying Round
Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar 4-1
Mathieu Richard (FRA) GEFCO Match Racing Team 4-1
Pierre-Antoine Morvan (FRA) Vannes Agglo Sailing Team 4-1
Taylor Canfield (ISV) USone 3-2
Keith Swinton (AUS) Black Swan Racing 3-2
Adam Minoprio (NZL) Team Alpari FX 3-2
Björn Hansen (SWE) Mekonomen Sailing Team 3-2
Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing 2-3
Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Stena Sailing Team 2-3
Philip Buhl (GER) Deutsches Youth America’s Cup Team 1-4
Karol Jablonski (GER) Jablonski Sailing Team 1-4
Sven Erick-Horsch (GER) NRV Match Race Team 0-5

Watch the VODCAST from today

Posted in News, Racing, Sailing - Tagged , ,



VOLCANO RACING

Friday
May 17
2013 Leave a Comment Written by XS Editor 2

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

Posted in Article



ITALIANS TAKE EARLY LEAD

Thursday
May 16
2013 Leave a Comment Written by XS Editor 2

FARR 40 RACING – It was a typically fluky day on the Chesapeake Bay, and surprisingly one of the European teams figured things out the best on the opening day of the 2013 Farr 40 East Coast Championship.

Four of the eight boats featured Annapolis sailors with extensive local knowledge of the Chesapeake and its shifty winds and unpredictable tidal currents. However, it was the Italian team aboard Enfant Terrible that most successfully avoided getting caught on the wrong side of the course and therefore put forth the most consistent performance.

Skipper Alberto Rossi steered Enfant Terrible to a couple of second place finishes as the Italian contingent took the early overall lead in the four-day regatta, being hosted by Annapolis Yacht Club. America’s Cup veteran Vasco Vascotto called tactics for Rossi, who was relieved to escape the unpredictable day with a point advantage over Barking Mad.

Skipper Alberto Rossi and the Enfant Terrible team posted a pair of seconds on Day 1 of the Farr 40 East Coast Championship, being held on the Chesapeake Bay.

“We sailed here for three days before the regatta to get a feel for the conditions. Today, the wind was very shifty so it was a challenge,” Rossi said. “Fortunately, we chose the right rig setup and the boat was fast, especially in the strong wind. We enjoyed the sailing today and are very happy about the results.”

Owner-driver Jim Richardson and the Barking Mad crew also had a solid day, winning Race 1 then placing fourth in Race 2 to total five points. Tactician Terry Hutchinson grew up sailing on the Chesapeake Bay and made a couple decisions that worked out well for the boat based out of Newport, RI.

Barking Mad and Enfant Terrible traded the lead twice in Race 1 with the latter rounding the second weather mark in first. However, Barking Mad retook the lead on the final downwind leg, crossing the finish line about a boat length ahead of Enfant Terrible.

“I thought the boat was moving fairly well and the crew work was good,” said Richardson, who was just as pleased with the fourth as he was with the bullet. That’s because Barking Mad rounded the first weather mark in last place and managed to pass three boats over the final three legs.

“That was a good comeback. We caught a few boats on the run and turned an eighth into a fourth. Those are the races that can make a difference in the end,” Richardson said.

Skipper John Demourkas also sported a smile on the dock after racing since Groovederci posted a pair of third place results. Demourkas and tactician Cameron Appleton weren’t pleased with the boat’s performance in the first two regattas of this year so they decided to return to the rig setup and sail inventory that Groovederci used last year when it captured the East Coast Championship off Annapolis.

“I think we’re getting our mojo back. Based on today, I’d say we’ve definitely made an improvement in speed and that helps build confidence,” Demourkas said. “We were able to come back today, which is something we haven’t been able to do.”

Race 1 started in a due southerly breeze of about 12-14 knots, but principal race officer Wayne Bretsch had to reset the top mark for the second upwind leg due to a shift of 35 degrees. By the time Race 2 got underway, the wind had come all the way back to the southeast at a heading of 175 degrees. The Annapolis Yacht Club race committee had to move the top mark again in the second race after the wind shifted 10 more degrees to the left.

Those shifty winds, along with a strong ebb tide and changes in wind velocity led to numerous lead changes. By the end of the second race, the wind had piped up to 18 knots with gusts over 20.

“It was left and right, up and down. You throw in the current and tide and it is very tricky,” Demourkas said. “I think the tide is the toughest thing to figure out because you don’t know how it affects the middle and the edges.”

Skipper Rod Jabin, tactician Gavin Brady and several other members of the Ramrod crew are longtime Annapolis residents who know the fickle nature of the Chesapeake Bay as well as anybody. However, that didn’t prevent Ramrod from experiencing both ends of wind shifts on Wednesday, finishing last in Race 1 and first in Race 2.

“It was very shifty and very challenging out there today. We got forced to the left on the first beat of the day and wound up buried,” Jabin said. “In the second race, we took everyone’s transom at the start so we bailed out and went hard right and it paid off. We got unlucky in one race and lucky in the other.”

Action continues Thursday with the early forecasts calling for light and shifty winds. Organizers with Annapolis-based Stagg Yachts, which manages the Farr 40 class, are hoping to complete 10 races by Saturday afternoon.

For the second straight year, skipper Hasip Gencer and the Asterisk-UNO team have traveled all the way from Istanbul, Turkey to Annapolis for the Farr 40 East Coast Championship.

2013 Farr 40 East Coast Championship (eight entries)

1. Enfant Terrible, Alberto Rossi, Ancona, Italy, 2-2=4
2. Barking Mad, Jim Richardson, Newport, RI, 1-4=5
3. Groovederci, John Demourkas, Santa Barbara, CA, 3-3=6
4. Ramrod, Rod Jabin, Annapolis, MD, 8-1=9
5. Plenty, Alex Roepers, New York City, 4-5=9
6. Struntje Light, Wolfgang Schaefer, Lueneberg, Germany, 5-7=12
7. Nightshift, Kevin McNeil, Annapolis, MD, 7-6=13
8. Asterisk-UNO, Hasip Gencer, Instanbul, Turkey, 6-8=14

Posted in News, Racing, Sailing - Tagged , ,



EXTREME SINGAPORE

Thursday
May 16
2013 Leave a Comment Written by XS Editor 2

MORE EXTREME SAILING – Double Olympic gold medallist Shirley Robertson brings you program 2 of the official 2013 Extreme Sailing Series TV series from the Act 2 Singapore. One of the most spectacular urban settings the global tour has ever visited saw the local entry Team Aberdeen Singapore line up with the seven full Series teams over fours days of tense, challenging competition from the 11-14 April. The Swiss team Alinghi had all the rights moves on Marina Bay, dominating from the first start gun and never relinquishing their lead.

The programme also includes an exclusive interview with Austria’s most decorated summer sports stars Roman Hagara and Hans Peter Steiancher from Red Bull Sailing Team on their journey from Olympic champions to the Extreme Sailing Series, and SAP Extreme Sailing Team’s tactician Rasmus Kostner looks at the SAP data analysis of his teams performance as they deliver their first ever podium finish.

Posted in News, Racing, Sailing - Tagged , ,



EXTREME MEETS EXTREME

Thursday
May 16
2013 Leave a Comment Written by XS Editor 2

EXTREME BOATS  - SpeedDream teams up with the Extreme Sailing Series - SpeedDream to be publicly exhibited for the first time at the Extreme Sailing Series™ Act 4 in Istanbul, June 2013.

SpeedDream, the quest to build the world’s fastest monohull, has formed two strategic alliances to achieve this ambitious goal. First, recognizing that record setting is as much about radical design ideas as it is about pushing technology barriers, the SpeedDream team have strengthened their technological partnership with the Russian hi-tech giant Yandex and will be utilizing their enormous computing power to further refine the design concept.

Record setting is also about attracting the very best sailors and many of them compete at the highest levels of international competition in the Extreme Sailing Series, the original and global stadium racing circuit. To bring all forces together Yandex- SpeedDream will be exhibiting as part of Act 4 of the 2013 Extreme Sailing Series in Istanbul, Turkey from June 20-23, 2013.

Having expanded its presence to Turkey in 2011, Yandex is Russia’s leading internet company whose search portal alone attracts over 55 million unique users. “As a company on the leading edge of technology we look forward to associating with innovative projects that push the boundaries and hosting SpeedDream here in Istanbul” said Yandex. Turkey Chairman Mehmet Ali Yalçındağ. “We will all benefit from an exchange of ideas with the common goal of being the best and fastest in the world; SpeedDream on the water, Yandex in search and browsing the web.”

Last October the SpeedDream team launched and tested a 27-foot prototype of what will form the basis of a larger record setter. While continuing to test the first prototype, the SpeedDream team have already started research and development for a second stage 50–footer that will enable them to test their design ideas in real ocean conditions.  A core of this program is Computative Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Research and Finite Element Analysis, which will be performed as a cooperative effort between SpeedDream designers and Yandex engineers.

“This is a giant step forward for the project,” said Vlad Murnikov, Lead Designer and project coordinator. “There is nothing like being able to simulate a design in a multitude of conditions and our team plans extensive CFD and FEA analysis using the incredible computing power and expertise that Yandex and their engineers can offer. We will take the empirical data collected from our prototype, extrapolate it into a larger design, and then run a variety of simulations over the next few months.”

The Extreme Sailing Series is now in it’s seventh season and has set new standards, both in terms of high-level competition and sporting entertainment. The award-winning Series has attracted some of the very best sailors from around the world and has been on the cutting edge of corporate sporting hospitality and sailing innovation. “Part of the Extreme Sailing Series philosophy is to welcome other interesting and innovative concepts in to our Stadium – the SpeedDream project will create some interest for sure, and if they develop a class of these in the future we could imagine having them as one of the additional classes racing at the event,” commented Mark Turner, Executive Chairman of OC Sport, the Series organisers. “So we agreed to test it out in Istanbul, the meeting point for Asian and European cultures, and now the meeting point for innovation in sailing!”

Yandex-SpeedDream will remain in Europe for the summer with plans to exhibit the boat in various locations where high performance, along with style and innovation are appreciated and celebrated.

Check out SpeedDream at http://www.speeddream27.com/main.html

Posted in News, Racing, Sailing - Tagged , , ,



TILT TO THE EXTREME

Thursday
May 16
2013 Leave a Comment Written by XS Editor 2

EXTREME SAILING – Team Tilt, the Swiss team selected for the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup has announced their participation at the next two Acts of the Extreme Sailing Series to be staged in Istanbul, Turkey (20-23 June) and Porto, Portugal (25-28 July) as the global tour heads back to Europe for the summer months. Also new to the Series is SpeedDream, an ambitious project that aims to build the worlds fastest monohull, and will join the NeilPryde Windsurf Racing Series as warm-up acts.

Since Team Tilt’s qualification for the Youth America’s Cup, the team of young sailors have embarked on a demanding training programme which includes racing on different high-performance multihull classes including the Decision 35, M2 and the Extreme 40. Just last weekend, the team competed in the first Vulcain Trophy event of the season where they came up against the Extreme 40 crews and their Swiss countrymen onboard Alinghi and Realteam for the first time. Lucien Cujean, the teams skipper, who started sailing multihulls in 2007 alongside offshore legend Alain Gautier, himself a former Extreme 40 helm, commented: “The forthcoming Extreme Sailing Series Acts in Istanbul and Porto are a great opportunity for us and perfect to prepare ourselves as best as possible for our ultimate objective, winning The Red Bull Youth America’s Cup. The Extreme sailing Series has some of the best multihull sailors in the world and for us it will be a great opportunity to compete alongside these very talented sailors. It’s also a new racing format that we will have to quickly adapt to. So, we have a huge learning curve ahead of us.”


Team Tilt racing on the high-performance D35 © Loris von Siebenthal-myimage.ch

Cujean will be joined by Jocelyn Keller as tactician, Jeremy Bachelin mainsail trimmer, Thomas Mermod headsail trimmer, with the bowman’s position still to be decided between Mikis Psarosfaghis and Jonas Schagen. As well as giving Team Tilt the chance for some valuable multihull training, joining the Extreme Sailing Series will also give them the chance to size up the competition from the Kiwi Youth America’s Cup contingent onboard GAC Pindar, led by William Tiller.

Posted in News, Racing, Sailing - Tagged , ,



ON STANDBY

Thursday
May 16
2013 Leave a Comment Written by XS Editor 2

RECORD BREAKERS – Francis Joyon is in North Cove Marina in New York taking care of his maxi trimaran IDEC. On Thursday 16th May, the official stand-by began as he awaits a weather opportunity to tackle the North Atlantic record between Ambrose Light and the Lizard. A legendary record.

Francis Joyon is in the thick of it. From Thursday 16th May, in association with his faithful router, Jean-Yves Bernot, the helmsman of the maxi-trimaran IDEC has been watching the weather closely. The goal is to find the right low-pressure area – or preferably one which strengthens off the Gulf of Saint Lawrence – to be able to sail straignt across the North Atlantic in under 5 days 19 hours and 29 minutes. Or in other words keeping up an average speed of 21 knots… These figures may appear beyond belief and out of reach of ordinary sailors.  But Francis Joyon is not just anyone and the maxi-trimaran IDEC is not just any old boat. Fortunately, as when sailing solo, the task is truly reserved for an elite. We can remember how Ellen MacArthur just missed out on it,  and indeed only five solo sailors have managed to improve on the record launched by Bruno Peyron back in 1987. A time beaten by Florence Arthaud, before Bruno Peyron grabbed the record back. Then, there was Laurent Bourgnon and yes, already up there, Francis Joyon. It was in 2005 aboard the first IDEC trimaran (6 days and 4 hours). In 2008, Thomas Coville bettered that time with the record that is still his today after completing the voyage in 5 days 19 hours and 29 minutes.

Heading for an unprecedented Grand Slam?

“This is not an easy record,” Francis Joyon warned us. “To keep up such a high average speed, you need to find the right weather and work hard at it all the time without any easing off.”  So that is the real difficulty from a mathematical perspective… while in terms of sailing, he will also have to deal with the legendary mists, marine animals, shipping… and maybe also the wind dropping off as he approaches the coast of SW England.

For Francis Joyon and IDEC, this is a huge challenge. If he pulls this off, Joyon will become the only sailor ever to claim the Grand Slam of outright records. The skipper of IDEC already holds three other record times: the solo round the world record, the 24-hour distance record and the Columbus Route record. It will also be a way for him to gain his revenge after a failed attempt in 2011, when IDEC capsized at the start in New York. An incident that shows just how tricky the task of sailing this incredible wind-making machine can be, and indeed how scary it can be for a solo yachtsman. The North Atlantic record requires an all-out effort. However, that is something that attracts Joyon, who enjoys taking it to the limit, while making it all look so easy, giving the impression that he is just doing a normal sailor’s job.  Two things that are far from being the case in reality.

The 5 record times so far set on solo crossings of the North Atlantic:

1987 : Bruno Peyron, catamaran, Explorer, in 11 days, 11 hours 46 minutes and 36 seconds
1990 : Florence Arthaud, trimaran, Pierre 1er, in 9 days, 21 hours and 42 minutes
1992 : Bruno Peyron, catamaran, Explorer, in 9 days, 19 hours and 22 minutes
1994 : Laurent Bourgnon, trimaran, Primagaz, in 7 days, 2 hours, 34 minutes and 42 seconds
2005 : Francis Joyon, trimaran, IDEC 1, in 6 days, 4 hours, 01 minute and 37 seconds
2008 : Thomas Coville, trimaran, Sodebo, in 5 days, 19 hours, 29 minutes and 20 seconds

Posted in News, Racing, Sailing - Tagged , , ,



NEW FORCE ENTERS OFFSHORE RACING

Thursday
May 16
2013 Leave a Comment Written by XS Editor 2

GLOBAL OCEAN RACE – One of motor racing’s engineering and design geniuses is to become an entrant in next year’s Global Ocean Race joining the eight teams already preparing for the start. Mike Gascoyne, famous for his work with several Formula One racing teams and now CEO of Caterham Technology and Caterham Composites, will be at the PSP Southampton Boat Show for the start of the round-the-world race in September 2014 with a new Class40 boat, Caterham Challenge, to be launched this summer.

Since the late 1980s, Mike Gascoyne has been at the highest level of F1 design and Caterham Challenge will bring the sport’s standards of technology, innovation and logistics to offshore yacht racing. Gascoyne’s team – which includes the UK’s most experienced round-the-world sailor, Brian Thompson – is building an Akilaria RC3 Class40 and their high-powered racing yacht will be launched on the South Coast in early August 2013 with sailing and training in The Solent and English Channel.

A press conference was held on Wednesday at the Caterham F1 Team’s HQ in Oxfordshire: “It is a very proud day for me with the announcement of the Caterham Challenge sailing project,” said Gascoyne. “Sailing has always been an important part of my life and the opportunity to combine my love of sailing with my experience of 24 years at the top of F1 motorsports is very unique.”

Mike Gascoyne is an experienced shorthanded and single-handed sailor and completed a solo transatlantic passage on a Class40 last year. Ahead of the round-the-world Global Ocean Race 2014-15, the racing programme for Caterham Challenge includes the double-handed Transat Jacques Vabre in November 2013. “With the launch of our new Class40 boat, the Global Ocean Race was a natural target for the project with the ultimate challenge of racing around the world,” Gascoyne continued.

Mike Gascoyne International (MGI) – Gascoyne’s engineering consultancy firm – will bring his team’s experience in F1, R&D and competitive sport marketing to yacht racing: “I am also very happy that MGI joins with the GOR as a Race Partner, which clearly demonstrates the commitment of MGI to the offshore sailing world.”

Britain’s most capped round-the-world sailor, Brian Thompson, joins Caterham Challenge as Sailing Director: “I’m very excited to be on board for the launch of the Caterham Challengeproject,” said Thomson, holder of  27 sailing world records and the only person to have circumnavigated the globe four times non-stop. “I will be combining sailing duties with Mike and also looking at the development of the whole sailing and racing program for the team. Class40 and the GOR are a great challenge, but just the start of the story for Caterham Challenge and the whole team.”

The Caterham Challenge entry brings the current total of GOR teams to nine. “Having Mike’sCaterham Challenge campaign alongside our other entries for the event next year shows the attraction of the Global Ocean Race to sailors from different countries,” comments Mark Howell, Media Director of the GOR. “This project brings F1 know-how, thinking and management to an offshore racing campaign adding another dimension to this international event.”

Josh Hall, GOR Race Director, has been working closely with the Caterham team: “Mike Gascoyne has augmented his already talented team with some impressive sailors,” says Hall. “He is a skilled and driven individual who creates a culture for success in whatever he does. This is what is making the race next year so exciting already. I am sure that Caterham Challenge will be in the fast lane in every respect. Welcome to the GOR.”

The GOR starts from the PSP Southampton Boat Show on Sunday 21st September 2014 and finishes in Gunwharf Quays Portsmouth in early May 2015 with the racing fleet making stopovers in Cape Town, South Africa; in Charleston, USA, before returning to Europe. The Australasian and South American stopovers have been confirmed and will shortly be announced officially.

Posted in News, Racing, Sailing - Tagged , ,



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