2009 Audi Melges 32 Sailing Series Event No. 2, Lerici Preview

8 May 2009

Leading the Audi Sailing Series thus far is Lorenzo Santini aboard the famous Uka Uka Racing. Together, with Alessio Marinelli at the helm with Lorenzo Bressani on tactics, they are seated in the top position. In second place, is Calvi Network’s Carlo Alberini with the experienced eye and expertise of Gabriele Benussi as tactician. Another great competitor, Francesco Martino on the helm of Pilot Italia is seated respectively in third.

Another strong contender is Claudio Recchi with none other than America’s Cupper and former 2005 Melges 24 World Champion crew member Jonathan McKee at his side on Team 93, and Luigi Melegari on Matrix with Matteo Ivaldi on tactics are both outstanding teams and expected to excel in Lerici. Previously aboard Andrea Cecchetti’s Bagua, the excellent Vasco Vascotto will join Lanfranco Cirillo’s Team Fantasticaaa at this meeting.

The list of superstars is long and distinguished. Kiwi Kelvin Harrap is sailing with Great Britain’s Peter Rogers on Highlife, Tommaso Chieffi is calling the shots for Savino Formentini on Bitipi, Freddy Loof is on board with Melges 32 Fleet President Filippo Pacinotti’s Brontolo, Pietro D’Ali is assisting Mauro Mocchegiani on Rush Diletta. These are only some of the names that will contend for the Lerici edition of the Audi Melges 32 Sailing Series 2009.

Racing begins on Friday, May 8 and continues until Sunday, May 10.

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America’s Cup sailor to make Olympic bid

By GREG FORD – Sunday Star Times
Last updated 05:00 03/05/2009

In a rare piece of good news for sailing in this country, America’s Cup hero and Olympic medallist Craig Monk has decided to make a surprise comeback to dinghy sailing in a bid to qualify for the London Games in 2012.

Monk, who won a bronze sailing a Finn in Barcelona (1992) in what he says feels like an age ago, will team up with another of New Zealand’s more accomplished sailors Hamish Pepper in a two-handed Star.

The move has caught the sailing community on the hop.

Both men were, and still are, heavily involved in two of the last remaining active America’s Cup syndicates. Pepper is a member of Russell Coutts’ BMW Oracle afterguard while Monk, who sailed for Oracle at the last cup, is now aligned with the Ben Ainslie-led British challenge, Team Origin.

Both men will sail in the various fill-in regattas with their respective syndicates as billionaires Larry Ellison and Ernesto Bertarelli fight it out for the Auld Mug in monolithic multihulls some time next year, if they can settle their latest legal squabble.

Instead of dwelling on the injustice of it all, as many around the sailing world are doing, Monk and Pepper decided to do what they do best and “get back to grassroots” sailing.

“I have sat on the couch watching the last three Olympics all the while wishing I was there,” said Monk. “That never leaves you, I think. Once you have competed in the Olympics, it gets in your blood and never leaves you.

“So when Hamish gave me a call and asked if I wanted to launch a campaign, I didn’t hesitate to say yes.

“I had actually given it some thought already.”

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Mean while in ……land

Berties mob write to Larrys mob

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Larrys mob write back

090506_letter_of_refusal_from_ggyc_to_sng1

THANKS – BUT NO THANKS
In a tersely worded letter, Golden Gate Yacht Club, represented on the water by BMW Oracle Racing has declined the invitation to attend a second Mutual Consent meeting proposed by the Defender, Societe Nautique de Geneve, for 11 May, just three days before the parties are due to make yet another appearance in the New York Supreme Court.

In their letter to Fred Meyer, Vice-Commodore and Chairman, of SNG’s America’s Cup Committee, Golden Gate Yacht Club Commodore, Marcus Young says: “We write in response to your letters of April 23 and May 5, 2009. They contain numerous self- serving factual statements that we believe are entirely inaccurate, and we strongly disagree with many of the positions that you have taken in those letters. Therefore, and regrettably, we find it hard to believe that your invitation to meet before the Court hearing on May 14, 2009 is anything but a litigation tactic. We will respond substantively to your letters after next Thursday’s hearing. In the meantime, and with this letter, we waive no rights and make no admissions, and reserve all rights on all matters.”

in yachtie talk… see you in the protest room

Hobart Departure Take 3 – 06 05 09

The Auto Pilot is back working as it should be. The new processor arrived in the morning and by lunchtime Mike was calibrating and testing in the Derwent river. By mid afternoon Mike called to say he was again all ready to go. However, we decided to come back into the marina as it was blowing close to 30 knots in the river and out in storm bay it would be living up to its name. So another night in port for Totallymoney.com was agreed and looking at the weather forecast this is likely to be two nights. So all being well, Mike is now aiming to depart Friday morning.

Today Mike sent over some video footage of his trip to Sydney and the amazing Don rowing. It made us smile, we hope it does the same for you.

Dad

©Sailmike2009

Montserrat sees increase in yacht arrivals

By IBI Magazine

The island of Montserrat in the Leeward Islands of the Caribbean said that yacht arrivals have increased 62 per cent from 2005 through 2008. The island’s tourist board said there were 219 yacht arrivals in 2005 and three years later, that number had reached 354, with 1,840 sailors visiting the island.

The small Caribbean island, which was devastated by Hurricane Hugo in 1989, and then pummeled six years later when a dormant volcano displaced half of the island’s population, has turned to “niche” tourism to replace what it lost in mainstream tourism. It sees yachts as a viable source of long-term income for the island and has marketed itself at the annual Antigua Boat Show and Sailing week.

“The large increase in yachts visiting Montserrat over the past few years is a clear indication that our marketing strategy targeted to this niche sector is working effectively,” said Ishward Persad, Visit Montserrat’s marketing manager. “We look forward to continue developing this market and expanding our yachting facilities in the future.”

The island
 has been slowly rebuilding itself. Plymouth, the island’s capital, was destroyed by the volcano and buried in 39 feet of mud. All marinas and docks were also lost. A new capital is being built in the Port of Little Bay. A new airport received its first commercial flights in 2005. A full-service marina is being planned in conjunction with the new capital.

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A WARM WELCOME FOR

PORTOFINO ROLEX TROPHY PARTICIPANTS

May 7, 2009

This weekend the Italian port village of Portofino welcomes some very special guests for the first-ever Portofino Rolex Trophy. Created by the Yacht Club Italiano and Rolex to honour some of the classic designs that make up part of the long history of sailing. The event is open by invitation only to a select list of wooden classes. The Portofino Rolex Trophy is an event intended to bring sailing history to life through both racing and on-shore exhibitions in a quintessentially maritime Italian location.

Regatta festivities officially began this evening with the Welcome Cocktail at the Caffè Excelsior in Portofino, where all participants were able to enjoy some fine hospitality at the start of this classic regatta weekend that has a full race and social programme.

Racing is set to begin tomorrow, Friday 8 May, at 11.00, following a 09.30 breakfast and weather briefing at the Yacht Club Italiano (YCI) Clubhouse. All racing will take place in the waters of the Marconi Gulf and nine races have been scheduled, with no more than three races per day. Racing will continue through Sunday 10 May when the final races and the prize-giving ceremony will take place. Along with regatta prizes and trophies, a Rolex Yacht-Master in Rolesium will be awarded to the winners of both the 8 and 12-Metre classes.

The confirmed entry list of the “barca d’epoca” for the Portofino Rolex Trophy 2009 currently includes the 12-Metres CINTRA, VARUNA, EMILIA and eight 8-Metres including MARGARET, BONA and VEGA among others. VARUNA and CINTRA will be celebrating their centenary year, as will ORION, the famous 129’ gaff schooner built by Camper & Nicholson, who will be in attendance as a non-racing Guest of Honour during the regatta.

Over the weekend, participants will be feted with a grand social program organized around the racing. On Saturday night, the social highlight of the weekend will be the Rolex Gala Dinner at La Cevara, formerly a historic abbey (Abbazia di San Girolamo) founded in 1396 in the hills between Portofino and Santa Margherita Ligure.

In addition to the display of classic yacht design on the water, there will also be an exhibition of historic wooden Olympic classes in the main square of Portofino. The boats on show date back as far as 1936 (Dragon) and the exhibition includes boats representing Star, Class A, Finn, Snipe, Flying Dutchman, Contender, Fireball, Flying Junior and 5.5M classes.

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Sailor Lost at Sea

“I went out on deck and there she was, just drifting along. Her mainsail was set but it was in tatters. She had a white hull with white sails. To my mind she was quite small, maybe 30 feet? She was floating high in the water, certainly she was watertight and not sinking. Her hull was very heavily fouled with marine growth; it was obvious she had been out here for a long time.”

There was a fishing pole rigged over the side although no line in the water. There was a line over the side trailing aft. Her hatch from the cockpit into the cabin was open but everything seemed in order, no water in the cockpit or obviously in the cabin. Her name was partially visible on her stern, “Lunatic Pirate”, but no home port or nationality. She was a very sad, melancholy looking craft.

What happened to leave her drifting out here, alone. Where was her crew? Did they abandon her, thinking she was in trouble? Did they get knocked overboard by the boom? Slip and fall overboard and weren’t able to swim fast enough to catch her again?

It made me very sad to see her like that. It was just so emotional to see her, to be faced with what must have been some sort of tragedy at sea. I felt, and still feel, like I did when I saw a man get hit by a car while crossing the street. Sort of overwhelmed by it all. Everyone I talked to seems to feel a lot the same, it hit us all.

The first mate said that he could see a log book in the cabin so a Jacob’s ladder was put over the side and someone went onboard and retrieved the log book and several other items. I was running samples in the lab and had to leave but this was told to me later. According to what I have heard, the last entry in the log book was from January, 2009, she may have been drifting out here since then?

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… he was my fellow countryman, a 72-years old lone wolf, always sailing alone… his name was Jure Sterk, right now I’m holding in my hand his first book, titled “Roulette on Atlantic”, written in 1985, about his first solo attempt to cross the Atlantic … circled the globe many times since then… I had an honour to shake his hand, almost twenty years ago, just after returning from his, as he said, the most important voyage, single-handed around the globe in a tiny, 6-meters long vessel called Slovenia, to celebrate the first anniversary of his country.

… Peter, Pat, you did the right thing to share this with us, thank you… brought tears in my eyes too, Peter… and for you Jure, fair winds and following seas, wherever you are now… as you told me once, you wouldn’t want it any other way….

Matjaz
Ljubljana, Slovenia

May he rest in peace.

Photo credit: Carlo Borlenghi/Alinghi

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Hooked into the Trade Winds express

In the 0620 GMT position poll this morning (07/05), the formation of the Portimão Global Ocean Race front runners has remained unchanged as Beluga Racer, Desafio Cabo de Hornos and Roaring Forty tuck into the Trade Winds for a fast ride north-west to the finish line in Charleston, South Carolina.

Holding second place in the double-handed class, Chilean duo Felipe Cubillos and José Muñoz with Desafio Cabo de Hornos are the windward boat with a deficit of 57 miles to race leaders Boris Herrmann and Felix Oehme on Beluga Racer. Solo sailor Michel Kleinjans on board Roaring Forty remains the leeward boat furthest west – just under 400 miles off the coast of northern Brazil – and is still keeping pace with the double-handed leaders, trailing the Chilean team by 63 miles in terms of Distance To Finish. Meanwhile, furthest south holding third place in the double-handed class, Jeremy Salvesen and David Thomson on Team Mowgli are currently 419 miles behind the fleet leader.

For the British duo of Salvesen and Thomson, the Doldrums gamble failed to deliver. “The wind is now being a little kinder to us as we slowly managed to extricate ourselves from the grip of the Doldrums,” reported Salvesen late yesterday. “As we remember from the first leg of the race, the Doldrums is a fickle and difficult place and not one to let its secrets up easily,” he continues. “Forecast data is largely unreliable and always proved to be a bit of a lottery.” The duo’s decision to break east before crossing the Equator was a brave call. “We had a choice,” recalls Salvesen. “Either follow the leaders, or make our own route through the Doldrums. We all know, however, that in sailing – as in so much in life – you can never win by following.” With just under 3,000 miles of race track remaining and the Trade Winds the dominant feature, Salvesen and Thomson will have to wait for any tactical manoeuvring. “Only when we start getting closer to Charleston do the options start opening up again,” explains the British skipper. “Anyway, so we rolled the tactical dice and looks as if we lost. No regrets.”

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The question of staysails – how to make them work for you

‘Staysail doing a great job on a Havkat 31′    .

Though most modern sloops have a furling headsail and a mainsail, staysails are far from atypical, although those added to boats often appear to be of little use.

The usage is not clear as the majority of cruising boats see this sail as a heavy weather windward sail, but too often the sail is too small and flat to give any drive into a formed sea.

However on a purpose-designed Cutter rig, the Yankee/staysail combination can function very well. Both sails accelerate the wind and, combined with the rest of the rig, make a logical upwind and reaching choice.

In the 16th century we find numerous references to the staysail. It was discovered that you could set a triangular sail on such a stay, and this turned out to be an important breakthrough in the development of sailing ships with respect to balance and performance.

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Here is a graphical presentation,  showing how safe are the seafarers from sea pirates worldwide, during the years 2003 to 2008.hijacking

The graphs show the type of violence committed on seafarers:

* Taken Hostage: Highest in 2008 and lowest in 2004
* Kidnap/Ransom: Highest in 2004 and lowest in 2003
* Crew Threatened: Highest in 2003 and lowest in 2007
* Crew Assaulted: Highest in 2003 and lowest in 2006
* Crew Injured: Highest in 2003 and lowest in 2006
* Crew Killed: Highest in 2004 and lowest in 2005
* Crew Missing: Highest in 2003 and lowest in 2006,2007

Here are the pie charts for each year (2008 to 2003)

This post is tagged alinghi, bmw oracle, craig monk, decision 35, ggyc, hamish pepper, ibi, jure sterk, lerici, lunatic, max ranchi, melges 30, mike perham, montserrat, pirates, portimao, portofino, rolex trophy, sng, staysails