Weather guru of sailonline, Brainaid
For your next adventure offshore and you want to know the weather
go here
With the Portimão Global Ocean Race fleet stalled by light breeze, the event’s Race Director, Josh Hall, draws on his immense ocean racing experience to describe the frustration and fatigue that the teams may be feeling:
The Portimão Race fleet are enjoying some exceptionally close-quarters racing, albeit in very light winds as they struggle through a ridge of very weak pressure. The challenge of cajoling just an ounce of boat speed from any yacht in such conditions is a tough one, made all the more compelling by the proximity of the competition. The guys will be hand-steering and gently trimming their sails as the vagaries of the wind zephyrs are too great to rely on their electronic autopilots. Every movement of the sails or indeed the crews will be done slowly as anything else could kill the speed that has been coaxed for some hours.
Racing a yacht around the world is an intense experience and one of the overriding qualities the skippers will either have, or must learn to have, is patience. The days when the wind and sea conditions are of perfect strength and direction can be counted on two hands in the course of a circumnavigation – generally there is too much wind or not enough, too large a waves or too small and the common plea will be for the wind to just come around another 10 degrees. Dealing with these issues requires mental fortitude as much, if not more, than physical strength.
SPIRIT OF MYSTERY NEWS UPDATE -
1930 Hours GMT 04/03/09
Wednesday 4th March 2009
At about 23.30 hours GMT on Tuesday 3rd March (0930 hours boat time Wednesday 4th March), Spirit of Mystery was sailing in strong winds and high seas about 300 Nautical Miles South South-West of Kangaroo Island off Adelaide, South Australia, when she was struck by a large wave.
The vessel was knocked over and an injury sustained by one of the crew, Mark Maidment, who has broken his right leg between knee and ankle. Mark was taken below and treated by the crew who administered morphine and applied a splint. He is in a stable condition on board and in good spirits.
The crew were able to contact their support team in Melbourne via the satellite telephone who alerted the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA).
Communications with the vessel have since been sporadic, but they have intimated that the remainder of the crew are fine and at present the boat is sound and seaworthy and making good progress in improved conditions towards Australia.
AMSA’s dedicated Dornier Search and Rescue aircraft has over flown the vessel and a doctor has been able to establish two-way communications to offer advice.
AMSA is now coordinating communications and assessing the best way to deal with the casualty and the situation.
Further news will be given as and when it becomes available via the team’s website: www.petegoss.com.
Sensation Yachts loses appeal on superyachts case
By IBI Magazine
A New Zealand court of appeals has dismissed an appeal by Ivan Erceg, owner of Sensation Yachts, regarding the payment for three superyachts. According to a story on Stuff.co.nz, the appeals court upheld a lower court’s ruling and ordered Erceg to pay Balenia, a Cayman Islands-registered company controlled by a Russian group, US$21.5m.
The case began in 2004 when Balenia contracted Sensation to build five superyachts. After the agreement broke down in 2007, Erceg agreed to buy the three partially completed yachts for US$21.5m. In September, the High Court at Auckland ordered Erceg to pay the amount. But Erceg later appealed the case, arguing that Balenia had not provided enough proof of clear title to the yachts, a condition of purchase. The Court of Appeal yesterday ruled in favour of Balenia.
Sensation has been in the news in New Zealand recently as different parties demand payment for outstanding debts. Last month, its former solicitors, Garry Pollak and Co, tried to force the company into receivership for an outstanding legal bill of NZ$10,000. The case was resolved when a representative of Erceg turned up at the proceedings with a check in hand.
New Zealand Customs and Tranzcar Heavy Haulage have also applied to put the company into liquidation. The case has been adjourned until March 13.
Sensation’s Henderson base is scheduled to be sold in a mortgage sale after its Hong Kong bank foreclosed on it.
Sensation Yachts began building boats in the 1970s. Its showcase yacht, MY Sensation, was launched in 2007, with an estimated valued of NZ$50m. The company maintains a website, but with no contact information.
03.03.2009 CET
Successful conclusion to latest sea trials session in San Diego.
BMW ORACLE Racing today concluded the third phase of sea trials for the team’s state-of-the-art racing trimaran following another five weeks of testing on the Pacific Ocean off San Diego, California.
The yacht, dubbed the “BOR 90”, is still in the design development phase. It continues to be modified, based on the experience the designers and sailors have gained since the yacht was launched last August, and will now undergo significant new modifications.
James Spithill (AUS), BMW ORACLE Racing helmsman said, “Today we completed another very good test session. We have some new ideas on how to make this amazing machine even more powerful and responsive over a wider range of conditions.”
Russell Coutts (NZL), BMW ORACLE Racing’s CEO, echoed Spithill’s satisfaction with the latest sea trials, “We are pleased with our progress, and are confident that the yacht will be even faster and more versatile with these modifications.”
Coutts added, “Regardless, if Golden Gate Yacht Club is reinstated as Challenger of Record by the upcoming ruling from the New York Court of Appeals, we will immediately seek to negotiate with the Defender for a conventional, multi-challenger America’s Cup in monohulls. However, if Alinghi decides not to negotiate for a conventional Cup, we have to be prepared with a competitive 90-foot yacht for a Deed of Gift match. In this case, the team would resume testing in San Diego later this Spring.”
Sailor Chicks in action….more here
A great debate about building club racing numbers here
AMY IRONMONGER INTERVIEW
IM24CA: Tell us what the secret is to being a good bow person on a Melges 24? Describe the key moments for a bow person during a race? What would be your three tips for people wanting to get better at doing the bow role?
AI: One of the biggest misconceptions about the bow role is that you’re really only involved during the roundings. A bow person should be involved at all times during the race, even if being involved means hiking as hard as you can to hold a lane. There is a lot that goes into doing bow well and most of it comes from time in the boat, but there are a few simple techniques I’ve learned along the way that have helped me tremendously.
1. Keep your mind three steps ahead of your body and expect the unexpected. As a bow person you should always be anticipating your next move while continuing to focus on the present state of the boat, i.e. your weight placement, vang tension, etc. Heading into a rounding I am listening to the tactician and driver discuss an entrance and exit plan around the mark and running through the maneuver in my head, while concentrating on boat speed into and out of the mark. Inevitably in sailboat racing, plans are often changed at the last minute. Good communication between a crew and lots of practice go a long way in these situations, but there will always be the occasional scramble to get the kite down. When this happens, stay open-minded and make sure you continue to prioritize depending on where you are in the race. If it is the last mark rounding, consider a starboard side drop to save time, get the kite to where it will stay in the boat, do a two second clean-up sweep on your way to the rail, and hike!
2. “Cross-train.” I really believe this is the most vital tool in sailing. Don’t devote 100% of your time to doing bow on a Melges 24. Get out there and sail everything you can in all positions. With only 4-5 people on a Melges 24 it is critical that everyone has an understanding of what goes on in every role on the boat. Knowing that Brian or George can back me up or that I can back them up if any of us get pulled in a different direction makes a huge difference in tense situations. And it will make you a better and more valuable sailor overall. For example, spending time driving a boat will improve your feel for the boat’s reactivity, which will help tremendously when you’re on the rail. And it provides a perfect opportunity to get back at all the people who yell at you to hike!
3. Hike, hike, and … hike! It makes such a huge difference and, I’ll be honest, I hate that it does. There have definitely been a few times while hanging off the side of a Melges soaking wet on a 35 degree day that I wondered why I wasn’t spending my “vacation” time on some beach with a mojito in hand; but once your competitive edge emerges from the tropical haze and you remember how sweet the words “higher, faster” are, you realize that the end result is so worth it.
Very close racing last knight with the Stewarts Sprints and some “new” trimming ideas
a closer look
seems to be catching on 
photos by Sean ellis barrister
Centreboard Regatta
Maraetai Sailing Club
Sunday 5th April 2009
Exclusive Interview with Professional Race Officer Peter Reggio….
When it comes to running the races at major yachting events across the globe, one name is consistently at the top of the list of people to call. Peter ‘Luigi’ Reggio has ticked the boxes on all of the big regattas – America’s Cup, Olympics, TP52 MedCup, RC44 European Circuit, Farr 40 Worlds, Melges 24 Worlds….and so the list goes on. His unique expertise reputation for fairness and open dialogue with the competitors makes him a popular choice with regatta organisers and sailors alike.
We caught up with him last month in Key West, where he was on a busman’s holiday having been roped into some mark boat duties. Last year he spent just seven weeks at home and when we sat down with him to find out more about what makes him tick he was just hours away from a flight to Auckland, New Zealand where he was due to run the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series.
OR: Is it fair to describe you as the most high profile PRO on the major regatta scene right now?
PR: Unfortunately. [LAUGHS] To be honest with you I really don’t pay much attention to that sort of stuff. The reputation, if you can call it that, is based on the fact that some people made some nice comments about the job I have done in the past. But the truth is that can all fall apart in one race.
OR: Given the obvious pressure and stress associated with running the racing at events like the America’s Cup and the other events you run, we wondered why you want to put yourself through all that? How did you get to be where you are now?
PR: Well you know I have sailed and raced all my life and I was a sail maker for a short while at North and I spent a good deal of time at Sobstad in the seventies and early eighties. The race officer thing just really evolved from me doing some local stuff and because I was actually a sailor I just did things a little differently.
There are 2 old chestnuts of debate on fire on crew.org at the moment.
when should the weather forecast get in the way of an iconic race? and here
and our other hot topic
PRESS RELEASE – RC 44 Championship Tour – Puerto Calero Islas Canarias RC 44 Cup – Day 5
Chris Bake’s Team Aqua wins the Puerto Calero Islas Canarias RC 44 Cup
Chris Bake and his Team Aqua have confirmed their leadership today, winning the fleet regatta ahead of Torbjorn Tornqvist’ Artemis and “lucky” Ceeref. Also winner of the DHL Trophy and second of the match race event earlier in the week, Aqua has received the Championship Tour leader’s gold wheels.
Puerto Calero, March 1, 2009 – The last day of the Puerto Calero Islas Canarias RC 44 Cup was a punch-up between Team Aqua and Artemis, separated by only four points before the last three races of the event.
The conditions were once again light this morning, with 5 knots of breeze and a flat sea. At the helm of Puerto Calero Islas Canarias 1, José Juan Calero took the best start of race one. Ideally positioned at the Committee boat, the Spaniard tacked rapidly, heading to the right of the course and benefiting from a nice shift to increase its lead. Sailing well and fast, Team Aqua reached the windward mark in second, whilst Artemis was struggling in the middle of the fleet. Involved in a fierce battle for third overall against Organika and ESP 1, Ceeref managed to reach the mark in third despite a disastrous start.
Following a procession during the downwind leg, the teams headed back up to the windward mark, with the Spaniards leading the show ahead of Aqua. The right of the course was once again favourable and most teams headed there. Not very inspired this week, BMW ORACLE Racing chose the left and kept loosing ground and positions, ending up last at the windward mark. The Spaniards soon after brilliantly won their second race of the event, just ahead of Team Aqua and Ceeref. Artemis crossed the line in fifth, loosing precious ground to Bake’s team as the end of the event was nearing.
The seventh fleet race took place under grey clouds and the first drops of rain. Determined to maintain the pressure on Aqua, Torbjorn Tornqvist’s crew sailed a beautiful beat to lead handsomely around the windward mark, ahead of Pieter Heerema’s No Way Back – who was finally showing its full potential. Struggling to make sense of the wind shifts, Team Aqua was way behind, rounding the mark in seventh position, on a virtual tie with Artemis… The suspense was on for the rest of the regatta. The team from the UAE sailed an excellent downwind leg and benefited from its competitors’ mistakes to climb back up to fourth – and overall leader again. Controlling the fleet, Artemis remained untouchable during the last lap. As for Bake, he gained one more place whilst Ceeref saved its provisional third place on the podium by going from last to fifth, maintaining a 1 point lead over Organika, fourth for the second time in a row.
The third and last race started soon after under a cold rain. Taking risks in order to try to win the championship, Artemis took a premature start and seemed to have lost all hopes to win the race. While the other seven boats tacked immediately to port, Torbjorn Tornqvist kept on driving out to the left of the course. When he finally tacked back to converge with the fleet, he was back in the game, trailing Aqua by a few boat lengths and keeping the suspense on. As for Igor Lah’s Ceeref, it was once again last, letting the lead – and virtual third overall – to an excellent Organika. That’s when the wind definitely collapsed, forcing Peter Reggio to cancel the race, confirming Team Aqua’s victory ahead of Artemis and Ceeref.
Six out of eight boats have won races this week, whilst both Team Aqua and the local team ESP 1 have managed to win two of them. Winner of the DHL Trophy, the fleet race ranking and second of the match race event, Chris Bake’s Team Aqua takes the lead of the Championship Tour 2009, ahead of Ceeref and Artemis.
They said:
Chris Bake, helmsman, Team Aqua: “We didn’t put too much pressure on ourselves this morning, and decided to sail like we had sailed all races this week, putting our focus on sailing a race rather than on one specific opponent. We did very well, and managed to come back from difficult situations, for example when we were seventh of the first race and finally finished second. I am very pleased with the way the Class is growing. New teams have joined, others are expected and I think the Class is looking good.”
Dean Barker, tactician, Artemis: “We weren’t too worried about them (Aqua) this morning. We chose to race the conditions rather than them. Unfortunately, we went the wrong way in the first race, and then had a good second regatta. It’s still early days for our team. Torbjorn did a good job at the helm but he is still discovering the boats. The RC 44’s are very different to sail compared to a TP 52. They are much more lively and challenging.”
Russell Coutts, tactician, BMW ORACLE Racing: “This has been a very successful Series and I am very happy with it although our final result is disappointing. The venue is absolutely fantastic and the Calero brothers have been great hosts. The racing was interesting. We have seen six out of eight boats win a race, which says a lot about the level of the competition. I am also pleased to see that the “old” boats can win races; it proves a point. I believe that the life span of an RC 44 must be around ten years.”
Martin Kirketerp, 49er Olympic champion, grinder onboard No way Back: “These boats are comparable to 49ers in many ways. The downwind tactics are the same, you need to trust the other members of the crew, it’s fast… my goal is to progress my sailing and learn new things. My dream is to move to the America’s Cup or Volvo Ocean Race and I hope that the RC 44 can be a good platform for this. But one thing at the time: first of all I want to become good on this boat.”
Karol Jablonski, tactician, Organika: “We have improved a lot, but there is clearly also still a long way to go. We arrived here one day before the start of the event. It’s obvious that we need more time. But I’m very happy with our progress. It’s also nice to sail with this team. They were my old match-race team, four years ago. But we haven’t sailed together since.”
José Calero, father of Daniel and José Juan: “We feel like we are part of the event and we are proud to be able to help the Class by bringing the support of our people and our Island, and also by bringing in new possible owners. This is definitely the best Class we have seen since we are involved in sailing. I also want to say that I am very proud of my two sons. They have been sailing very well this week. And it is just the beginning.”
Philippe Presti, tactician, No way Back: “I am very pleased that we finished on a positive note. We have improved a lot throughout the week, and debriefed our races every evening in order to understand what our problems were. We have identified many things, and are clearly much better than we were at the beginning of the week. We will leave our boat here for a while in order to train later on in the Month. We will then take it to Cagliari by truck.”
Fleet-race, final results after 8 races including the DHL Trophy (double points):
(Ranking, name of team, helmsman, results, points)
1) Team Aqua, Chris Bake, 3, 6, 1, 3, 2, 1, 2, 3 – 20 points
2) Artemis, Torbjorn Tornqvist, 4, 2, 2, 2, 4, 3, 5, 1 – 24 points
3) Ceeref, Igor Lah, 2,3, 6, 4, 6, 5, 3, 5 – 37 points
4) Team Organika, Maciej Navrocki, 8, 5, 7, 7, 1, 2, 4, 4 – 38 points
5) Puerto Calero Islas Canarias 1, José Juan Calero, 5, 1, 4, 5, 8, 6, 1, 6 – 40 points
6) BMW ORACLE Racing, Daniel Calero, 1, 4, 5, 8, 7, 4, 8, 7 – 46 points
7) No Way Back, Pieter Heerema, 7, 7, 8, 1, 5, 8, 7, 2 – 51 points
Puerto Calero Islas Canarias 2, Carlo Morales, 6, 8, 3, 6, 3, 7, 6, 8 – 53 points
Bavaria find a new home, well the sign has.
Earthrace Promotional Tour
Earthrace is currently running promotions in New Zealand (Feb – Jun 2009). The aim of these tours is to connect with people , and encourage debate and understanding about biofuels, carbon footprints, and the many other aspcts that affect our environmental footprint. They are also a chance for people to check out the coolest boat in thew world, and to chat with us about our adventures, some of them amazing, and some absolutely terrifying.
volunteer crew wanted
Earthrace is looking for volunteer crew to join the boat for the New Zealand promotional tour February – June 2009. Good communication skills required. Contact emily@earthrace.net
latest tour dates
28th Feb – 1st Mar 10am – 7pm Matiatia Wharf, Waiheke OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
3rd Mar 10am – 7pm West Park Marina OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
5th – 8th Mar 10am – 6pm Auckland Boat Show, Viaduct Harbour OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
9th Mar 10am – 6pm Bayswater Marina OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
10th Mar 10am – 6pm Beach Haven Wharf OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
11th Mar 10am – 7pm Panmure Yacht and Boating Club OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
12th Mar 10am – 7pm Half Moon Bay Marina OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Seen here on Waiheke Island
The Portimão Global Ocean Race fleet are continuing to keep the racing tight as the four boats stream east 50 miles above the mandatory, Pacific Ocean ice gate at 45°S with an unavoidable area of light wind blocking their route. In the latest position poll at 0920 GMT (01/03), Felipe Cubillos and José Muñoz on Desafio Cabo de Hornos hold the lead with Jeremy Salvesen and David Thomson on Team Mowgli in second with the British boat manoeuvring to take over the fleet’s southern position on Saturday afternoon from Boris Herrmann and Felix Oehme who trail the double-handed leader by 29 on Beluga Racer. The fleet’s only solo sailor, Michel Kleinjans, has dropped in speed slightly having suffered minor gear damage on Open 40, Roaring Forty, but the Belgian single-hander is still keeping pace with the Class 40s and is now 27 miles behind Herrmann and Oehme.
The leading pair of Class 40s, Desafio Cabo de Hornos and Team Mowgli have been in close contact throughout the weekend trading the lead consistently. “Those Chileans are hot on our heels and were visible right behind us for most of Saturday,” reports the British skipper. “So much so that we had to speak to Felipe on the phone and ask him to stop following us!” However, Herrmann and Oehme are also becoming a threat: “Those Germans on Beluga Racer have steadily made their way northwards to join with us,” confirms Salvesen. “This is now going to be a drag race to the scoring gate some 1,100 miles to our east and then for a further 1,200 miles to the eastern end of the ice gate before tactics will once again come into play before Cape Horn.”
ISAF Publish New Edition Of The Case Book
The Case Book for 2009-2012 is now available to download
©ISAF
The Racing Rules of Sailing
The Case Book for 2009-2012, which contains interpretations of The Racing Rules of Sailing, has been released and published on the ISAF website.
The new edition of The Case Book is a revision of the previous edition which reflects changes in The Racing Rules of Sailing for 2009-2012 (RRS), which came into force on 1 January 2009. In line with one of ISAF’s key stated objectives, to “establish, supervise, interpret and amend the rules regulating sailboat racing”, the RRS are revised and published every four years. In order to maximize the understanding of the rules, ISAF has been publishing interpretations of the RRS for over 40 years in The Case Book, which provides details on the application of the rules to around 100 scenarios.
Click here to download the The Case Book for 2009-2012.
While the revellers who enjoyed the arrival of Steve White contemplate the typical ‘day after the night before’ effects, three skippers are still on course and making steady progress.
Eléments associés
Skippers
* Rich Wilson
* Norbert Sedlacek
* Raphaël Dinelli
For a skipper who had been at sea for 109 days White prevailed well into the evening, his capacity for porridge and golden syrup replaced by a steady thirst for another golden liquid, enjoying the low key attention and spending time with all the well wishers who were keen to meet the eighth place finisher.
On target for a great ninth place Rich Wilson is trying to make his way round the labyrinthine weather pattern, one which a couple of days ago had the Great American III 400 miles closer to his home in Boston than he was to the finish in Les Sables d’Olonne and nearly 500 miles west of the mean course taken by earlier finishers.
Wilson sounded frustrated last night when contacted by phone, and is now heading nearly east to try and regain some easting, as well as avoid the strong headwinds which were coming his way from a tightly formed low pressure system.
That said, the American skipper can take considerable heart from the fact that he is now into his final week of the race and has to tough it out for another 2000 or so miles. He was making a steady 6.5 to 7 knots this morning.
ERICSSON 3
LEG FIVE DAY 15 QFB: received 28.02.09 2049 GMT
Adrenalin, beards and celebration
It brought my thoughts back to sailing skiffs. With the long bowsprits, huge gennakers and flat hulls, it doesn’t take much wind before you take off and get a thrilling ride. A VO70 is like an enormous skiff with the same feeling that there is no stop to it. But is has a swing keel instead of trapezes and it’s equipped with a galley, bunks and navstation so you can take on any sea.
I just had a moment. One of those moments when you start to think that everything about this race is pretty cool again. Living in this bubble that we do sometimes makes you forget that.
We have been going pretty slowly for a couple of days and it has been really warm. It is very nice to be on deck during the mornings and afternoons when the sun is low. But it gets a bit boring, in the long term. These boats are built for action. And yesterday we got some.
Clouds were surrounding us. They sucked up all the wind and left us lying almost still. But all of a sudden, one cloud started to rain and push gusts of 20 knots on us. At the same time, we got a lift and the boat accelerated in seconds. 10-13- 15- 17-18-19-20-22 knots!
The traveller was released instantly, also some mainsheet.
“Release checkstay and pump more outhaul, Magnus Woxén was calling from windward with the traveller in his hand. Martin Krite was on the project before Woxén finished the sentence. The sail was quickly becoming more flat, releasing more air from the top with a more efficient shape for the higher speed.
It was completely flat water and we were swishing along with the adrenalin- rushing shout from the daggerboards and some nice speed swells behind. Everyone were instantly smiling and on top of the game. At the same time we were crossing our fingers for the wind to stay.
It brought my thoughts back to sailing skiffs. With the long bowsprits, huge gennakers and flat hulls, it doesn’t take much wind before you take off and get a thrilling ride. A VO70 is like an enormous skiff with the same feeling that there is no stop to it. But is has a swing keel instead of trapezes and it’s equipped with a galley, bunks and navstation so you can take on any sea.
The movements in the boat are pretty much the same – very quick and intense –and you have to hold on.
On the housekeeping front Magnus Olsson had a big moment today. He is a true coffee addict and he was very disappointed when there was no ‘real’ coffee in the day bag the first days. Just cappuccinos and small bags with ready mixed coffee. Magnus wants the real stuff, with only coffee in it, ‘no sugar or any other crap’.
I had a look through almost half of our food bags but couldn’t find it. At this stage, 15 days into the race and 18 days at sea for most of us, he has got used to it. But this morning I opened a bag I didn’t look in before. And there it was. Magnus was celebrating.
Since it has been pretty calm and very warm down below, the last couple of days some of the guys have a hard time sleeping during their off watch. There is more emailing to girlfriends, more news reading, and the magazine that Magnus Woxén brought onboard will probably fall in pieces soon. Also Magnus Olsson has had more quizzes going on than usual. In seconds he can come up with a bunch of tricky questions. It can be about mountains, actors, movies, capitals, sports, and today also cars. “Name four brands that start and end with the same letter?” At last something I could answer, joining the club of worthless knowledge.
We also have a beard competition going. We start to look pretty bad out here. Not that anyone cares, but if I send some close ups you will get a good laugh.
Gustav Morin – MCM
18ft Skiffs
Club Championship, Race 13
Sunday, 1 March 2009
Sydney Harbour
After an exciting and successful JJ Giltinan Championship, it was back to club racing today on Sydney Harbour as the fleet lined up for Race 13 of the Club Championship. With two ocean liners on the course and unpredictable winds prevailing, the starter elected to set the same 4-lap windward-return course which was used in the last race of the Giltinan Championship.
For the crew of Yandoo (John Winning, Andrew Hay and Dave Gibson) it made little difference as they repeated their victory of last Sunday. The “veteran” crew was brilliant as they totally dominated the race after grabbing the lead shortly after rounding the first windward mark. At the finish they were 2m33s ahead of Smeg, skippered by James Levy, who was having his first race in an 18ft Skiff.
Third place went to Panasonic (Jonathan Whitty) which finished a further 2m47s behind Smeg. The battle for the lead up the first windward beat was extremely close with the fleet using the complete width of the harbour. Asko Appliances (Evan Walker) and Southern Cross Constructions (Euan Mc Nicol) were prominent on the LHS of the course in the early stages of the leg. Thurlow Fisher (Bruce Savage), Yandoo and Project Racing (Andy Budgen) were also in the leading group. The latter trio elected to go to the right earlier than the two leaders and when both groups met Thurlow Fisher and Yandoo were the new leaders.
Thurlow Fisher held a narrow margin at the mark but Winning (Yandoo) stayed closer to the southern shore on the spinnaker run – a move which set his team up for a 1m45s lead at the bottom mark the first time. Young Levy showed great maturity for a first up performer and, along with the experienced Daniel Phillips and Jim Beck, was quickly placing pressure on the Thurlow Fisher crew. Yandoo was never less than 1m35s ahead of the nearest challenger and obviously never in danger of defeat, but the race for the minor placings held plenty of interest,
Thurlow Fisher was still in second place at the half way mark – 10s ahead of Smeg. The following group was closely bunched and included Southern Cross, Project Racing, Active Air-2UE (Matthew Searle) and Panasonic. The young Panasonic crew continue to show great improvement with another “come from behind” top placing.
Images from today’s race will be published here
PRESS RELEASE – RC 44 Championship Tour – Puerto Calero Islas Canarias RC 44 Cup – Day 4
Team Aqua dominates the day, wins the DHL Trophy and takes the lead of the fleet race event
With two victories, a second and a third place, Chris Bake’s Team Aqua is the winner of the day. Also on great form, with two second and two fourth places, Torbjorn Tornqvist remains in Bakes’ wake in the overall ranking, whilst Maciej Nawrocki’s team Organika – with Karol Jablonski at the tactics – shows great signs of improvement.
Puerto Calero, February 28, 2009 – It was another challenging day off Puerto Calero, with a changing weather and shifty wind that gave gray hairs to some of the tacticians. On great form, Chris Bake and his tactician Cameron Appleton got it all right, winning two races (including the DHL Trophy coastal race) and adding a second and a third to conclude the day with a small lead over Torbjorn Tornqvist’s Artemis.
The wind was blowing from the shore at 5-7 knots when Race Officer Peter Reggio launched the first race of the day, allowing the RC 44’s to glide on flat water. Starting in the middle of the line at full speed, Team Aqua rapidly took the lead, ahead of the local team Islas Canarias Puerto Calero 2. Just behind them, Torbjorn Tornqvist’s Artemis kept pushing hard, making no mistakes whatsoever and getting closer to the Canaries crew after each manoeuvre before finally overtaking them during the second beat.
Penalised by a premature start, BMW ORACLE Racing and Ceeref slowly improved their positions, reaching the fifth and sixth spot respectively whilst Pieter Heerema’s No Way Back and Maciej Nawrocki’s Organika regularly lost ground to close the fleet.
Having dominated proceedings throughout the race, Chris Bake nearly let victory slip from his grasp when Artemis made the best of the shifts during the last downwind leg, only finishing a couple of meters behind Aqua. The two Spanish teams took the third and fourth spots, confirming their good results from the previous day.
The second race coincided with a change of weather that would influence the rest of the day. Big black clouds were starting to grow on the north of the Island, whilst the wind was increasing, inciting most teams – except Ceeref and Artemis – to opt for a jib no 2.
Recalled at the start, Pieter Heerema’s No Way Back tried to find some clear air on the right of the course and benefited from favourable wind strength to reach the windward mark in the lead, just ahead of the two Spanish boats. ESP 1 even briefly took the lead at the leeward mark, but got penalised for not respecting the two boats length priority rule and letting enough space to Artemis. A massive shift to the right then completely reshuffled the cards. Struggling to anticipate it, Russell Coutts and Karol Jablonski ended up trailing on the left of the course whilst the rest of the fleet was reaching at full speed towards the windward mark. Team Aqua even raised its spinnaker briefly, jibing the mark and heading for the arrival line behind No Way Back and Artemis, who remained untouchable.
The configuration of race three was completely different, with the teams beating alongside the rugged coastline of Lanzarote, hesitating between potential land effects and a stronger offshore breeze. Choosing the latter option, team Organika reached the windward mark in front of Ceeref and Aqua, who had decided to follow the coast for as long as possible. The Polish team hang on to its lead throughout the race, resisting to Team Aqua’s come back to win its first regatta in the RC 44 Championship Tour, ahead of Aqua and Puerto Calero Islas Canarias 2, often inspired today thanks to Luis Doreste’s calls.
Rain jackets were out for the DHL long distance trophy, which consisted in three windward – leeward legs followed by a beat to the entrance of the harbour. The wind shifted to the right seconds before the start, pushing the boats over the line and leading to a general recall. The DHL regatta counts for double points and nobody wanted to be late on the line…
The second attempt proved to be the right one. Sailing a beautiful beat, Chris Bake’s Team Aqua led handsomely around the windward mark, ahead of Ceeref and Organika, definitely on great form. The Polish team then managed to overtake Ceeref, and to threaten Aqua until the last beat. But the team from the UAE remained untouchable, winning with a comfortable margin ahead of Organika. Sailing slightly over the lay line, BMW ORACLE Racing let Artemis slip below them, to grab the third place by no more than a few centimetres.
With one more day of fleet racing ahead, Team Aqua leads the overall ranking with 15 points, ahead of Artemis (18) and Ceeref (29).
They said:
Chris Bake, helmsman, Team Aqua: “This is a good day; the team is on great form and we have managed to deal with some issues very well. We took excellent starts in all races, and tried to sail fast & smart. It was difficult to read the course. But our positioning and good speed made it easier.”
Kevin Kelble, pitman, Team Aqua: “Our on-board communication is good, and we talk a lot. Andrew Estcourt also plays a big role in our strategy; he is constantly exchanging views with Cam. We took great starts today, and had a good speed, which has helped us to keep all our options open.”
Maciej Nawrocki, helmsman, Organika: “This is our first victory in a fleet regatta, and we are very happy; it is definitely our best day since we joined the Class. Karol (Jablonski) did a great job, and he is definitely the key to our success. He made the right calls, and helps us to keep positive even when we have a hard time. I am also improving at the helm.
Pieter Heerema, helmsman, No Way Back: “We won a race today, but this was mainly through luck. In reality, we are still struggling for speed and we don’t seem to have the right setup. Our boat handling is good and I am happy with the boys. But altogether we are not doing well.”
Torbjorn Tornqvist, helmsman, Artemis: “We had ups and downs, but overall I think it was a good day. I am very impressed with the way Team Aqua sailed today, they did a great job. Personally, I am getting more confident at the helm. At the beginning, I was struggling to find the right angles downwind, but I am getting there.”
Fleet-race, provisional results after 6 races including the DHL Trophy (double points):
(Ranking, name of team, helmsman, results, points)
1) Team Aqua, Chris Bake, 3, 6, 1, 3, 2, 1 – 15 points
2) Artemis, Torbjorn Tornqvist, 4, 2, 2, 2, 4, 3 – 18 points
3) Ceeref, Igor Lah, 2,3, 6, 4, 6, 5 – 29 points
4) Team Organika, Maciej Navrocki, 8, 5, 7, 7, 1, 2 – 30 points
5) BMW ORACLE Racing, Daniel Calero, 1, 4, 5, 8, 7, 4 – 31 points
6) Puerto Calero Islas Canarias 1, José Juan Calero, 5, 1,4, 5, 8, 6 – 33 points
7) Puerto Calero Islas Canarias 2, Carlo Morales, 6, 8, 3, 6, 3, 7 – 37 points
No Way Back, Pieter Heerema, 7, 7, 8, 1, 5, 8 – 42 points
Photos from Nico Martinez / RC 44.
Venice Announced as First Stop for iShares Cup
The historic city of Venice has been announced as the first stop on the award winning European iShares Cup Extreme 40 Sailing Series. The Italian city will host the ‘show opener’ from 15-17 May 2009 at Bacino San Marco – Riva Sette Martiri.
“We have spent the past six months touring Italy to find an ideal venue for the regatta and Venice came top in all our research.” said Gilles Chiorri, the Events Director at OC Events. “The Bacino San Marco provides a perfect grandstand for the general public to watch these amazing catamarans as well as providing good shoreside VIP facilities for our guests and sponsors. It will be the most stunning backdrop to a thrilling spectacle; modern hi-tech racing machines competing in the historic venue of Venice.”
Created and managed by OC Events, the iShares Cup rolls into the city on Monday 11 May when the teams start to construct their boats and the VIP and media facilities are built on the banks of the waterway. The boats are highly portable, packed into a 40 foot container, and can be transported anywhere in the world and built in less than a day. Each boat races with a core crew of four professional sailors along with a “fifth man”, a VIP guest or member of the media, who is onboard, racing in the heart of the action.
The iShares Cup Venice is strongly supported by Compagnia della Vela, the Venice yacht club.
The iShares Cup Venice will be watched around the world as part of a six-part global TV series which is being produced by host broadcaster Sunset&Vine|APP.
The iShares Cup Extreme 40 Sailing Series 2009:
Event 1 – Venice, Italy, 15th to 17th May
Event 2 – France, 3rd to 5th July
Event 3 – United Kingdom, 1st to 3rd August
Event 4 – Kiel, Germany, 28th to 30th August
Event 5 – The Netherlands, 25th to 27th September
The remaining venues in France, the UK and the Netherlands will be announced in the coming weeks.
US boatbuilders continue layoffs
By IBI Magazine
The US boatbuilding industry continues to lay off workers as demand for new boats falls. Tiara Yachts, Cobalt and Beneteau USA have all announced worker layoffs in the last week.
Holland, Michigan-based Tiara Yachts is temporarily laying off 300 workers of its 400-strong workforce for at least a month. “This is not permanent, but it is a 30-day layoff or it possibly might go longer,” said Dave Walsh of Tiara. “We will call people back as things change.”
Walsh said that, like the rest of the marine industry, demand has fallen off for its products. Two years ago, Tiara employed about 800 workers. Last year, as new boat sales continued to slump, the company laid off several hundred workers.
PUMA
LEG FIVE DAY 15 QFB: received 28.02.09 1404 GMT
It is decisions like these that make racing fun and also makes the hair fallout in clumps. The ‘Fiji’ decision, as we called it on the boat was not made in haste or without an amazing amount of thought. Capey (Andrew Cape – navigator) was essentially analysing it for days. First goal was to get to the east of the islands by sailing tight to the wind for literally four or five days. That was our own personal drag race with Ericsson 3.
But once we decided that getting up and over the island wasn’t to be without a couple painful tacks, the emergence of plan B and plan C came into effect. Plan B, go through the middle as we did and Plan C was to go to the west of both islands.
Plan C never really got much traction because the western island of Fiji is huge and very high and we were really concerned about a huge wind shadow under the island.
Plan B started to take shape when the weather routing for the next week began to unfold. Essentially we liked being to the west of the group after Fiji, so the plan to get around Fiji wasn’t really that big a deal – it was where we wanted to be after the fact. And at this point in time we like where we are and we came out with a 20 mile lead or so. What’s not to like?
As I sit here writing, I can rationalise to myself that ‘Plan B’ could have been a lot better for us, and a lot worse. First of all, we had wind all the way through. We had no idea really what to expect in that channel although we did have good current information. We expected some common sense geographic changes to the wind and directions and strengths and it really played out almost to plan. Pretty fortunate really. So for this reason it could have been a lot worse
On the other hand, the guys that went east got much better shifts and the breeze stayed stronger than we were anticipating, based on the weather analysis onboard. They got out of there about three to four hours better than we thought. To be honest, if we had thought it would have been that close, we probably would have stuck with our Plan A.
But that is why it is called ancient history. We are done with Fiji for this day. Gorgeous sail. We certainly won the ‘scenic beauty while sailing’ award for our route. Really deep water with about a million living reefs growing to the surface everywhere. That is why it was so tough. We had to sail a lot of extra distance to get through the minefield of reefs. Amazing green mountainous terrain, at least on the western island. It was cool to smell land again.
When it is all said and done, I really don’t think that Fiji will have been the deciding factor in this race, but it did bring a bit of added stress to this young man for about 24 hours. I hope to come back to Fiji some day. But next time with an umbrella in my rum drink, enjoying those reefs, and not trying to dodge them.
Off to the races heading south towards New Zealand. The Kiwi’s aboard have already started the banter about God’s country and the ‘Land of the Long White Cloud’. One thing is for sure, if NZ can be as friendly to il Mostro as Fiji was, it will be God’s country in my mind.
We live to play another day.
Kenny Read – skipper
ERICSSON 4
LEG FIVE DAY 15 QFB: received 0656 GMT
Hello from Ericsson 4.
Well, it has been two weeks since the start in China and here we are in Fiji!!!
We are passing beautiful little atoll after atoll on the eastern side of the Fiji islands. Each one has an idyllic little sandy beach all the way around. Looks like a great place to come to have a holiday. We haven’t seen one cruising boat yet, which seems strange, maybe it is out of season.
Highlights of life on board today consist of firstly seeing Fiji. Seeing Ericsson 3 (first boat for nine days) Joca (Signorini) AKA ‘THE DOCTOR’ servicing the winches although, by the sound of one going right now, he is back in business! Running out of train smash other wise known as tomato sauce or Ketchup if you prefer. Finding out we might be short of toilet paper. Oh, and losing the lead to Puma and Telefónica Blue while we re-position further east.
This last thing is just temporary…..Fingers crossed. I also rang home to NZ and caught up with what’s going on with my wife and kids this week.
Now it is time for three hours sleep, good night.
Tony Mutter – trimmer
TELEFÓNICA BLUE
LEG FIVE DAY 14 QFB:
We had the made the choice yesterday to sail in between the Fiji islands. To our big surprise, Puma followed us, which we hadn’t expected.
We think we will lose out against the boats out in the east, and most likely we have to play catch up after this passage, not much we can do about it.
The sky has been extremely clear tonight. OK, we still had our occasional shower, but mainly a view on billions of stars.
So the game has started, we are short tacking, and soon we will enter the Kalou passage (round the island passage). One thing for sure, it will be a beautiful sight, as the sun will come up soon. Of course we have been looking a bit ahead as well, and the southern ocean doesn’t look vey promising yet as there are westerlies, hopefully the models are not correct, but if this is the case, than this leg might take well over 40 days.
Food wise we are ok, fuel we think we have enough, but the stop in Rio becomes way to short.
Cheers,
Bouwe Bekking – skipper
After six days of racing, the Portimão Global Ocean Race fleet are bunching as they approach the western end of the Pacific Ocean ice gate barrier at 45°S with the British Class 40, Team Mowgli, leading the charge with a slender 5.6 mile lead over the Chilean team on Desafio Cabo de Hornos in second place. The fleet’s only solo sailor, Michel Kleinjans on Roaring Forty, continues to punch well above his weight, trailing the leading double-handed boat by just 10 miles, while the German duo on Beluga Racer are back in the hunt, closing down on the leading pack from the south, consistently polling the highest speed averages over the past 24 hours and now trailing the leader by just 11.9 miles in the latest poll (1520 GMT).
“Life is sweet aboard the good ship Mowgli,” reported Jeremy Salvesen early this morning. “Not only are we finally back at the front of the fleet, but with all the confusion of time zones my birthday just seems to go on and on!” For Salvesen and his co-skipper, David Thomson, the option to head north of the fleet has paid off and the duo sped into the lead at 2120 GMT on Thursday: “We have had 24 hours of the most fantastic sailing with winds steady at around 18-22 knots and sailing at a pretty steady 10-12 knots with occasional bursts of speed over 16 knots,” the British skipper confirms. “We have the big, masthead spinnaker up and full main meaning we are pretty over powered some of the time and have the odd broach, but nothing too serious,” he continues with characteristic understatement.
This post is tagged 18ft skiffs, amy, aqua, barber, beneteau, bmw, brainaid, coutts, dean, earthrace, ericsson, ibi, ironmonger, isaf, ishares, james spitill, jj giltinan, maraetai, ocean, ocean photography, oracle, pete goss, peter, portimao, puma, racing rules, rc44, reggio, russell, spirit of mystery, stewart 34, team, telefonica, volvo
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