Greetings yachties,

Just got back form another great White Island Race, more later, in the meantime a little video I filmed as we past by.

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my story here

Meanwhile in other yachting news:

Volvo Drama – Spanish Castle to White Night

Brads update

Auckland gets an Open 60 Tri

BMWOracle – winging it

RC44 – Dubai

Where is Jessica Watson now?

Alinghi – long prod

Mirsky – wins

String Bikinis – from the beginning

SolOceans

Enjoy

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Wind Getting Up Again

Today started off with a passing squall giving me a very wet wake-up while reefing down and trying to catch it on camera (see pic below). I’d have thought it was pretty clear that I was wide awake after the first wave but apparently not. To think that some people start their day with a quiet coffee!
As usual the squall was far more bark than bite, looking very dramatic asit approached as a great big dark cloud, but not coming to much more than 30knots of wind and some rain. Although I was a little surprised at how fast a messy chop built up on top of the swell. It’s been overcast and drizzly ever since, but at least the wind settled into a steady 18knots this afternoon. Ella’s Pink Lady is hard on the wind again but it’s life as normal, passing the time reading, doing a little schoolwork or my all time favourite, just standing behind the dodger, wind and spray in my face watching us blast along. I can’t see myself ever getting bored of that one!

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Australasia welcomes Open 60 speed machine

One of the world’s most successful record beating sailing machines has arrived in Auckland. The Open 60 now named Team G3, and formerly known as Geant is one of a breed of Open 60 trimarans built to excel at one thing: sailing fast. Measuring 18m (60 foot) in length and 18m (60 foot) wide, with a mast height of 30m (100 feet), the Open 60 was imported by New Zealand sailor Simon Hull.

Hull has been a regular in domestic racing aboard his 52 foot keelboat V5. The boat, designed to excel in downwind conditions favoured by the famous Transpac race, arrived in New Zealand four years ago and has, with other members of the 50 foot fleet, continued to optimise and search for that elusive additional speed and great rides. Prior to that Hull campaigned the well known offshore racer, M1.

But the Open 60 multihull takes performance to a new league all together and despite being tried and tested in Europe for many years, for both New Zealand and Australia, it’s a first proper look at the world of high intensity, giant trimaran sailing. “We chose this boat because despite being a challenge to sail, it has the power to weight ratio and seaworthiness to achieve things like nothing else in New Zealand and Australia,” says Owner and Skipper Hull.

Average speed targets in the Open 60 class are 18 knots to windward in 25 knots of breeze, or 30 knots on a broad reach.  Open 60s have averaged 25 knots for 24 hours, which means there are very few boats in Australasia capable of racing it for line honours. G3 was launched in France in 2002, and underwent a significant rebuild in 2005 – but has spent nearly two years in storage since then.

Now her Southern Hemisphere campaign will include rebranding for corporate sponsorship, and attendance at major events including the Round North Island Race (February 2010), Bay of Islands Regatta (January 2010) and most major offshore and coastal events, culminating in the epic Around Australia event at the end of 2011. The only other Round Australia race ever held, was won by the two handed duo of Peter Blake and Mike Quilter, who were severely tested in their similar wing masted trimaran Steinlager 1.

“We were excited to hear that this race is being revived. It’s the biggest challenge open to us, and will be an amazing opportunity” says Hull.

Hull’s crew at the commencement of the boat’s two-year campaign will include Paul ‘Casper’ Murray and Ryan Parkin, who are both experienced big-trimaran sailors, as well as boat manager Kevin Peet, and the members of the original V5 team.

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Rodney’s other toy

Paul Cayard
Saturday, November 28, 2009

A decent day for Katusha today. Actually apart from one incident, it was a great day. The wind came in around 1330 and we had 8-9 knots in the first race, then up to 12 knots at a moment between races, then 11-8 knots for the second race and 7-8 knots for the “DHL Coastal Race” (as DHL is one of the sponsors of the RC 44 circuit).

We got third in the first race in a very tight race all the way around with Artemis and No Way Back. At the finish line, the three of us were overlapped and we came out of it third with Artemis fourth. I honestly can’t even remember who won that race. Maybe TeamAqua.

Then in the second race, we had a nice start and decent windward leg to round 4th. Down the run we made some good choices, passed third and second, and got to the gate at the same time as Cereef who had been leading. Cereef was on starboard and we were on port as we approached. As we were laying the left gate mark, we slowed to let them go ahead. We were not sure which mark they were intending to go to but when they crossed our line and kept going, so we assumed they were going to the other mark. So we went behind them and toward the mark Just then they gybed just to leeward of us. We were instantly overlapped on the inside with no way to get out. They protested us for taking room at the mark. The umpires ruled that we fouled Cereef so we had to take a penalty turn. Then while completing that penalty turn, as we were winding back up onto the wind, Artemis was approaching, yelling and screaming, and they protested us for making them tack before we were finished with the penalty (totally on the wind). Both penalties were probably correct. So we went from 2nd to last, but hung tough on the second lap and passed three boats to finish seventh.

Then in the DHL race, we had a good start and worked the middle left of the course initially. A lot of the fleet really wanted to go to the right next to The Palm. We felt there was more pressure out to the left but the wind would eventually go right. Tricky. All these races have been tricky. Anyway, we were about 7th and then we got a break and ducked through a small hole in the traffic and popped out in a strong position for fourth. We defended that position as the course wound right around The Palm and up to the Atlantis Hotel. We set spinnakers up there and reached and then ran back to the harbor. The race was shortened as the sun was going down so we finished in 4th. And that race counted double.

So we now sit in 4th place for the fleet racing, 3 points out of 3rd and 3 points ahead of 5th. Still plenty of points to be had out there as racing continues tomorrow.

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Pieter Heerema, his tactician Ray Davies and their team on board No Way Back scored a good third and fourth before winning the double points DHL Trophy today. They conquer the coastal race season title and look good in the fleet race ranking.

The sea breeze is slowly establishing itself in Dubai, allowing three good races including the coastal race DHL Trophy to take place today.
On great form, Pieter Heerema’s No Way Back managed to remain in the top four since the beginning of the event; a feat that no other team managed to achieve and that places them in a good position ahead of the last day, eleven points ahead of Artemis and sixteen over third placed Team Aqua.

The first race of the day saw the long expected come back of Ceeref, very unfortunate since the beginning of the event. More at ease in today’s stronger breeze, Igor Lah managed to overtake both No Way Back and Artemis, winning the regatta and putting an end to a long series of way below average results.

The breeze increased to ten knots during the second regatta, prompting some of the teams to switch to smaller jibs. René Mangold’s Team Austria and several others kept their genoas and they were right: the wind soon dropped back to eight knots, giving them a little edge over the rest of the fleet. Ceeref and Katusha, who were leading the race alongside the Austrians, got involved in an incident at the leeward mark that cost Paul Cayard’s team a penalty turn and helped Team Austria to sail away and conquer their second victory in two days. A fantastic achievement for this team made of amateur sailors.

Chief race Officer Peter Reggio then changed the race course and sent the ten strong RC 44 fleet towards the famous Atlantis hotel, off the Dubai Palm, for the DHL long distance race.

Neville Crichton and his team BMW ORACLE Racing took an excellent start at the pin end of the line and managed to tack and cross ahead of the pack. Heading towards the Palm, the team suddenly slowed down and needed a little while to realise that a plastic bag was stuck in their rudder. Both No Way Back and Team Aqua benefited from this incident and sailed past the American boat. The event then turned into a drag race, with no passing opportunities and the distance between the boats increasing throughout the day.

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Team No Way Back is crowned RC 44 Champion 2009

Pieter Heerema and his team No Way Back have conquered the Sea Dubai RC 44 Gold Cup. Winners of the fleet regatta and the DHL Trophy, they also grab the RC 44 Championship Tour 2009 ahead of Artemis, who retains the overall fleet race title.
November 29, 2009 – The scenario couldn’t have been better ahead of the last racing day of the RC 44 Championship Tour 2009, with four boats in a position to win the overall title. Following the match race event earlier in the week, Pieter Heerema’s No Way Back was leading the provisional ranking with 15 points ahead of Artemis (17), Team Aqua (18) and Ceeref (19). Needless to say that there was a huge pressure on the teams.

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Pieter Heerema, owner, No Way Back: “I am absolutely thrilled with this week and with the entire season. It is absolutely incredible to get such results for our first participation. The key to our success is that we have been training hard and efficiently. We also decided that mistakes were not acceptable. At the beginning of the season, people were saying that it will take two to three years to get there and that it is normal to make mistakes, but I didn’t accept this. Now looking back at it I am very happy that I joined this Class. It has been a lot of fun all year round.”

Dean Barker, tactician, Artemis: “We’ve done five regattas this year with twelve races in each, and probably something like 45 matches. It’s tough to play it all in four matches and one fleet series that counts for so much… Having said this, No Way Back sailed extremely well and they deserve their win. We are quite happy with where we are; we’ve won the fleet race title and are second overall. It’s not too bad.”

Paul Cayard, tactician, Katusha: “There were big shifts today, and they were pretty hard to predict. I am not really pleased with our result; it has been a difficult week and we have been too inconsistent. Full credit to No Way Back, who sailed really well. They have been fast and smart throughout the week. The key to winning is clearly to keep the same crew and to train hard between the events, which they do.”

Noel Drennan, BMW ORACLE Racing: “The entire fleet has had many ups and downs except No Way Back. They have sailed extremely well and been consistent. That’s what all the other teams were missing. Basically, the key to succeed is to keep the same crew and helmsman throughout the year and train hard.”

Chris Bake, owner, Team Aqua: “The fleet has got more competitive and the racing is incredibly close. Everyone is getting better and as a result we need to be more focused and to train more. I haven’t defined yet my objectives for next year but I am 100% committed to the Class, it is great fun.”

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Another Day

Mostly just the usual out here today, still flying along really nicely, any tips on avoiding speed cameras?! A few squalls have kept me busy reefing in and out and I spent a lot of my down time today catching up on a little sleep after being kept awake last night with a passing boat and a few little squalls.

You’ve probably noticed on the tracker that we’ve been passing the odd island but nothing compared to what’s coming up next week as we reach French Polynesia, I’m enjoying the sea room while it lasts!

I’m not sure how best to put this but a lot of people have been wondering and asking so here goes; yes, it’s definitely me writing these blogs! Having someone blog under my name is a big no go for me. Can you imagine letting your Mum or anyone else describe your feelings to the world under your name? Ouch! Well maybe it’s just a teenage thing! But I do have to confess, my updates have to be spell checked before being published. My spelling is, can we just say a little notorious!

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After a few long days and late nights for the shore crew and some of the sailors and designers Alinghi 5, the Defender’s giant catamaran, emerged from the boat shed at the team base in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, on Friday. If you look closely you’ll see the difference!
And in case you can’t spot the modifications, Alinghi.com catches up with Grant Simmer, Alinghi design team coordinator:

What’s been happening in the shed over the last few days?

Grant Simmer: Since we started sailing in Ras Al Khaimah six weeks ago we have been out on the water almost every day and subsequently developed a long job list of things to develop and things to do. These last few days the shore team and sailors have been working really hard on getting those jobs done. The big ticket item was replacing the forward spine; we now have a longer forward spine tube, with all the rigging associated to that. Fitting the new spine and making sure that the rigging is tensioned correctly is a big part of the job which is happening today. The spine took approximately 4,000 man-hours to build in Villeneuve, Switzerland, and arrived in Ras Al Khaimah last weekend. The boat came out of the shed this morning and we are doing some structural checks before sailing again on the weekend.

What affect will this longer bowsprit have on Alinghi 5’s performance?
Grant Simmer: The longer bowsprit gives us the opportunity to add more sail area and change the balance of the boat downwind. It won’t have any affect on the upwind sailing; only on the downwind performance of the boat.

How – logistically – does a development step like this come about?
Grant Simmer: All these projects start off with the sailors and designers defining the development areas; then it goes to the engineers to design the components; then it goes to the shore team and boat builders base in Villeneuve, Switzerland, where they manufacture the part and finally it comes here under the supervision of people like Tim Gurr who runs the shore crew here in Ras Al Khaimah. Once it arrived at the base, Piet van Nieuwenhuijzen, the boat captain, organised the installation, always under the watchful eyes of the engineers who make sure that everything goes together properly so that we can get out sailing safely over the weekend!

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Valencia Sailing

Great Britain’s most celebrated sailor Ben Ainslie faced Australian favourite and Perth local, Torvar Mirsky in the finals showdown at the 2009 Sunseeker Australia Cup.

Pride was on the line to return the Cup to Australian waters, after it was won by Peter Gilmore (an Australian skipper) for team USA when the Australia Cup was last contested in 2001.

Ainslie was part of Gilmore’s winning crew in 2001 and had every confidence of repeating the win – this time as the skipper. “I was looking forward to defending my title but failed and am extremely disappointed,” Ainslie said.

Torvar Mirsky sails to victory against Ben ainslie in the 2009 Sunseeker Australia Cup. Perth, 29 November 2009. Photo copyright Sail World Australia

The final was the best of three races with Mirsky overpowering the Great Britain team from the beginning winning the first two matches.

Mirsky led the first match and had good control throughout, playing the wind shifts like a true master and created a comfortable initial win.

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Photo Jean-Marie Liot – SailingOne

At 01.00pm sharp (1200UT), by force 7 wind, Liz Wardley crossed the start line off Caen – Ouistreham (France) of the Around-the-world Reference Tour of the SolOceans – OceanoScientific® Campaign 2009-2010. She rounded Cabourg / Dives-sur-mer (Normandy – France) buoy before heading towards Wellington, the Capital of New Zealand.
The young sailor left in the exact conditions of the SolOceans – the start of the first edition is scheduled on 23 October 2011 – i.e. solo onboard a SolOceans One-design, a 16-Meter (52.5-foot) all-carbon high-tech sailing yacht Made In Normandy. This one-design is at the same time a real scientific vessel and a bold oceanic racing vessel with performances worthy of an 18-metre prototype. The SolOceans One-design proudly sails the colours of the Lower Norman Region (France), Wellington, Caen la mer urban area (France) and Cherbourg (France) – who have supported the creation and development of the SolOceans and the OceanoScientific® Campaign since its creation.

The French Ministry of Higher Education and Research is a patron of this campaign. It will give new scientific data to researchers in order for them to better understand the climate of our planet and precisely determine the causes and consequences of Global warming.

Jean-Louis Borloo, French Minister of Marine Affairs: “is delighted with this initiative allowing us to better understand the oceans and the effect of Climate Change on our seas. That’s why I would like this OceanoScientific® Campaign to be part of the Oceans Round Table actions (Grenelle de la Mer) and to receive very soon an official labelling”

Liz Wardley plans to be back in Lower Normandy in mid-March, at the end of the second leg between Wellington and Cherbourg i.e. two 50 to 55-day single-handed navigations raced against the clock.

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This post is tagged alinghi, Bikinis, bmworacle racing, Brad Butterwoth, Jessica Watson, mirsky, rc44, Simon Hull, soloceans, Spanish Castle to White Night, Team G3, Volvo Ocean Race Race, yachtyakka yacht club