Yachting News 17th May 2010
15-May-2010
Jessica celebrating her amazing voyage with fellow solo circumnavigators from left to right:
Mike Perham, Jesse Martin, Brian Caldwell, David Dicks, Jon Sanders and of course the star of the show, our inspirational Jessica Watson!
Hi everyone just a really quick update to let you know I’m across the line and have had the most amazing day (mega mega under exaggeration!). I ended up crossing the line a few hours late, to a totally overwhelming welcome, way way beyond anything I’d ever imagined. It would take a very long time to tell you all about it, so I’ll save that for another time. Seeing everyone again and finally getting those hugs was really something special!
I’ll keep writing this blog for a little while, to tell you all about how I’m finding life back on land, but I have a feeling that there’s going to be just too much to tell so you’re going to have to wait for the book!
Thanks again to everyone who’s sent me a message and was thinking of Ella’s Pink Lady and I out there, It made all the difference.
Well that’s it from me because there’s fresh food to eat, more hands to shake and pretty soon a big non-rolling bed to sink into. What a day!
Jesse
Greetings yachties,
In this issue:
Team G3 – Vodafone
The Wing
E Scow News
Melges 32 European Champion
Maxi Banque Populaire V
Edwin Delaat
Abby Sunderland
Laura Dekker
Jessica Watson – home
5 more NZL’s for America’s Cup Hall of Fame
Audi Med Cup – ETNZ
more later – I need to visit the Rum God and collect some samples for the next tasting 
Vodafone sponsors the fastest sailing boat in the southern hemisphere
Vodafone has taken naming sponsorship of the ORMA trimaran previously Team G3, to launch ‘TeamVodafone Sailing’ with the boat’s major rebranding about to start. Vodafone’s Director of Sales Grant Hopkins says they wanted the ability to showcase their extensive marine coverage and felt that the trimaran demonstrated both their commitment to reliable marine network performance and the delivery of fast 3G data speeds to boaties throughout NZ.
“We have invested heavily in our Extended 3G network to cover 97% of where kiwis live, work and play – and a whole lot of kiwis play on the water. Whether you want to send a PXT of your award-winning snapper to a mate, keep the emails at bay or in the case of TeamVodafone check the weather to be in the best position for the wind, this partnership is about showing boaties you can still use all of our great data services at fast speeds on the water.”
Capable of a top speed in excess of 40 knots, 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.
Moored just 100 metres from the Vodafone HQ at the Viaduct in Auckland harbour, TeamVodafone is the fastest mobile billboard in town. As well as racing in Auckland, TeamVodafone intends to compete in numerous regattas and races in Oceania – Coastal Classic, Sydney- Hobart, Auckland – Fiji to name a few…and will challenge a few records getting there and back. Watch out for it overtaking the Waiheke ferry in the Auckland harbour.
In August next year TeamVodafone will also enter the ‘Round Australia Race’ – the last time it was raced it was won was by kiwi’s Sir Peter Blake and Mike Quilter in Steinlager 1, back in 1988. TeamVodafone Sailing is owned and skippered by Simon Hull with an experienced professional crew. Simon has owned and campaigned a succession of race boats, the most recent the Transpac 52, V5 – recent wins include the Coastal Classic yacht race in 2007 and 2008, and the Bay of Islands Race Week in 2009.
Simon commented “It is fantastic to have a brand as strong as Vodafone to back the team. Bringing one of the fastest sailing boats on the planet all the way down here from France has been a dream of mine for some time. It takes sailing here to a new level, and Vodafone’ support enables us to go for the records that we know she is capable of”. “Of course this partnership is not just about coverage, let’s face it this boat is fast, it’s innovative and it will push the boundaries to break records – you can’t get more Vodafone than that” says Hopkins.
In the June issue of Yachting World UK, performance editor Matthew Sheahan teams up with Andy Claughton of the Wolfson Unit in Southampton (and ex-Team New Zealand designer), to look at how the wing sail helped power USA to victory as well as examining the development of wing sails in other classes.
Geneva Spring Regatta – Day-1 Report
Jim Gluek was strong off the line in all the races and jumped on top the fleet quickly. And from where I was sitting the Gluek team looked fast and smart. Mostly playing the right side of the course up wind but not pushing hard to the shore. The winds were out of the NE 5-10 mph swinging to the E during the day. We completed three races each about an hour long. Mike Sherin is the PRO and he was relaxed and not overly anxious to change courses he set to a good average across all the shifting that was going on.
In the first race, the lightest of the three races, boats from each side converged pretty equally from the right and left side with Barkow (V-37) leading and Gluek (V-751), Bill Wyman (J-5) , Sugar (H8), Schoor (H7) following. I got some sound advice from Hugh Sugar after the race, it went something like “if you put your asymmetrical up and its upside down, take it down immediately to save yourself the embarrassment” I can tell you that trying to fly it upside down for a whole leg will put you from 5th the 30th. Vincent Porter made a steady climb on each leg moving from 11, 6, 3 on successive weather mark rounding. Kevin Jewett (V-123) went from 18th , then dropped some places for a lap and finally made his move up and the last two laps with a 13th and finish of 4th. Peter Strothman (I-9) was another boat the had a great recovery going from 29, 16, 11, 10 and the finish. Equally impressive was Toby Southerland (GL-7)who went from 28, 12, 12, 9 at the finish. The leader finished the race in 82 minutes.
Joe Woods Crowned Melges 32 European Champion
Cagliari, Italy; 16 May 2010 – Joe Woods on Red, with Paul Goodison on tactics wins the 2010 Audi Melges 32 European Championship.
On the final day, in mistral conditions that had no boundaries, Woods hit the fleet hard resisting fierce attacks from those, who at the end of the Championship accompanied him on the podium, Lanfranco Cirillo and tactician Michele Paoletti on Fantastica and Luca Lalli on B.LinSailing.com with Lorenzo Bressani on tactics.
The sixth race, presented by Yacht Club Cagliari, proved useful to those looking to close gaps in the standings such as American John Kilroy on Samba Pa Ti, which in today’s conditions found himself in the lead at the first windward mark. Kilroy hesitated then hoisted the spinnaker, Cirillo was second around, hoisting the chute looking more relaxed than anyone else on the water. Downwind, Kilroy kept a close eye on Cirillo and Lalli looking for a comeback. Kilroy took the win, Cirillo across in second, Lalli third. With Cirillo’s result, he knew that he had at least a second overall finish for the championship. The title was yet to be determined though, as the arrival of Woods across the line was yet to come. In order to take the championship he had to do seventh or better.
La Méditerranée en 14 heures 20 minutes et 34 secondes* !
dimanche 16 mai 2010 – 13h40
Ils ont « rétréci » la mer méditerranée en franchissant la ligne d’arrivée à Carthage à 20h 17mn 34s heure française (18h 13mn 30s TU) ! Moins de deux ans après la mise à l’eau du Maxi Banque Populaire V, Pascal Bidégorry et ses hommes viennent de signer leur troisième record grâce à un nouveau temps de référence sur la traversée de la Méditerranée.
Congrats Jesse and Still Working!
Work is going well here today. We had planned to go for a test sail today but ran into a few small problems, should be able to get those fixed up soon and maybe get out on the water this afternoon.
Before I go into everything we’ve done today, I’d just like to send a BIG congratulations to Jesse Watson! She has done an absolutely amazing job and while to be perfectly honest, I am a little envious, she deserves the record. She sailed around the world, alone, non-stop, and unassisted. I know how difficult that is to achieve. I can understand that you need to be fair to the last person to break the record and respect the fact that they followed certain guide lines. But in my book, Jessica Watson is the youngest person to ever sail around the world, and she should be given the credit she is due. It is hard to watch someone else accomplish what you have dreamed of for years and to be thinking, if I had only done this or that things may have turned out differently. But things are the way they are. Records, whether they are on paper or not, are made to be broken and it most likely will be one day, but Jesse is amazing, what she did is amazing, and that will never change no matter who holds the record.
Ik ben lekker bezig op mijn boot, Het begint echt al ergens op te lijken. Vooral nu het zonnetje er weer bij komt. De nieuwe vallen en landvasten zitten er op en ook de fenders heb ik opgepompt. Ik ben ook tot de ontdekking gekomen dat je vanaf de top van de hoofdmast heel goed de ondiepe plekken van de Grevelingen ziet. Ik was even in beide masten geklommen voor inspectie. Ik had de fotocamera meegenomen en heb een paar foto’s van het bovenaanzicht van mijn boot gemaakt.
Vandaag is ook Jessica Watson binnengelopen in Sydney. Welcome home Jessica
Velen zeggen dat ze het record niet gehaald zou hebben omdat ze te weinig gezeild heeft. Maar het gaat niet om het aantal mijlen. Volgens het Guinness book of world records moet je alle meridianen over gezeild zijn en de evenaar overgevaren hebben. En volgens mij heeft Jessica daar allemaal volledig aan voldaan. Anyway ze is non-stop de wereld rond gezeild, dat is een feit en een behoorlijke prestatie. Als ik vorige zomer was vertokken was ik nu mischien wel in Sydney geweest. Had ik haar samen met al die andere duizenden mensen kunnen verwelkomen.
Accompanied by a flotilla of supporters’ boats, Jessica Watson, 16, sailed through the harbour entrance around 2pm (4pm NZT), at the end of a controversial seven-month journey.
Watson is the youngest person to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around the world. She returned home three days short of her 17th birthday.
However, her voyage is not expected to qualify officially as a record because of issues about her route and young age. Her backers, including her family, have also come in for harsh criticism, with some experienced yachtsmen opposing the voyage.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd proclaimed her “Australia’s newest hero” after thousands watched her yacht Ella’s Pink Lady dock at the Sydney Opera House. Her arrival was delayed by choppy seas and a torn sail.
Watson said she was just an “ordinary girl who believed in her dream”
On arrival in Sydney back in Sydney on Saturday Jessica Watson stated her desire to do some ocean racing.
Don McIntyre the owner of the S&S 34, Ella’s Pink Lady, which Jessica Watson just sailed into Sydney Harbour after 210 days at sea, has proposed that the boat should be sailed in the 2010 Sydney Hobart race by an all girl crew.
Naturally discussion was who might go with Jessica in a very high profile entry, but there is one stumbling block, Jessica who turns 17 years old on Tuesday 18th May 2010 is too young to sail the 628 nautical mile race this December.
Simon Daubney, Warwick Fleury, Murray Jones and Dean Phipps are to be inducted into the America’s Cup Hall of Fame on 17 September along with Mike Drummond, currently design director for BMW Oracle, and the AC Hall of Fame founder himself, Halsey Herreshoff, who was one of the most active AC sailors during the 12-Metre era.
Daubney (headsail trimmer) and Fleury (mainsail trimmer) have trimmed America’s Cup yachts together since 1987. Phipps (runner/pitman) has competed in eight America’s Cup campaigns, starting in 1983 and has an offshore pedigree second to few and Murray Jones (strategist) joined Team New Zealand in 1995 fresh from the Olympics. All have won four America’s Cups consecutively, starting with Team New Zealand in 1995 and 2000 and then for Switzerland’s Alinghi in 2003 and 2007. The four join their long time crew mate, tactician, Brad Butterworth, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004.
The 17th induction ceremony will be hosted at the New York Yacht Club’s Harbour Court in Newport, Rhode Island, in conjunction with the America’s Cup 12-Metre Era Reunion weekend.
Simon Daubney (New Zealand)
Daubney has three decades of racing experience, beginning in dinghies on his home waters of Auckland before moving into the match racing scene. He is an eight-time world champion, has competed in three Olympic Games in the Soling, and has taken part in seven America’s Cup campaigns.
Warwick Fleury (New Zealand)
Having participated in eight America’s Cup campaigns, three with Alinghi and five with New Zealand teams, mainsail trimmer Warwick Fleury is also an experienced match racer. He was a three-time world champion with Team Magic, a Bermuda Gold Cup winner six times, and has also won world championships in Farr 40s and the Mumm 36.
Murray Jones (New Zealand)
Murray Jones is one of the most respected keelboat sailors in the world. Although well-known for his five America’s Cup campaigns, Jones had a long and illustrious sailing career before his belated move into the America’s Cup arena. He represented New Zealand at three world youth sailing Championships in the mid-1970s, before getting into Olympic campaigning in the 1980s.
Dean Phipps (New Zealand)
Beginning with 1983’s Victory ’83 challenge, Phipps has participated in eight Cup campaigns. He is also a storied offshore racer, with two Whitbreads under his belt, four Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Races, four Rolex Fastnet Races, and two Newport Bermuda Race campaigns.
Mike Drummond (New Zealand)
Mike Drummond has over 20 years America’s Cup experience as a design engineer, principal designer and navigator. He has been a part of four America’s Cup winning teams and continues to serve as BMW Oracle Racing’s Design Director following victory with the American team in the 33rd America’s Cup.
Halsey Herreshoff (United States)
Distinguished as the most active America’s Cup sailor during the 12 Meter era, Halsey Herreshoff was a crewman as bowman, crew boss, or navigator in six campaigns and sailed in four America’s Cup matches. A naval architect and marine engineer, Herreshoff has also contributed to the support of technology and management of many campaigns. He is also the founder of the America’s Cup Hall of Fame with the late Edward du Moulin.
ETNZ at the Audi MedCup Portugal. Photo:©2010 Chris Cameron/ETNZ
Photo © Nico Martinez/Audi MedCup
Emirates Team New Zealand took firm control of the Portugal Trophy Cascais regatta today when they convincingly won the 40 miles coastal race.
Winning by one and a half minutes, the current champions extended their overall lead to a solid 14 points at the head of the regatta leaderboard as TeamOrigin, slipped from second place overall to fourth after they could only make a frustrating ninth place today.
The Kiwi team’s only minor hiccup was blowing out a gennaker at the Cabo Raso turn, but they very quickly regrouped and were able to dominate on the long and very spectacular full speed run downwind in the strong northerly wind which gusted over 25 knots.
It was a demanding coastal race in every respect, finishing only 100 metres off the Marina of Cascais breakwater, where the wind carried the imprint of the buildings behind and so there was some place changing and interest until the end.
Matador (ARG) steered by Guilermo Parada (ARG) with Francesco Bruni (ITA) calling tactics made their biggest gains on this long run from the Cape and held on to second place all way round to the finish line, helping their climb back up the table to lie sixth overall.
But the frustration for TeamOrigin (GBR) will be to investigate why they slipped progressively down the fleet. They sailed a good race from a tactical point of view and lead early in the race, chasing Emirates Team New Zealand around the westernmost turn. But by the time they passed Cascais again they has already slipped three places, passed on both sides.
A ninth place finish does not do justice to their sailing as a crew today. TeamOrigin’s team director Mike Sanderson (NZL) admitted later ‘we just fell off the planet’ but that they felt they were slow before that turn, on the top of the upwind leg as well as on the long downwind, but they are looking at all options.
Third place across the finish line today elevates the Franco-German Audi A1 powered by All4ONE, skippered by Germany’s Jochen Schuemann, up to second overall but they are only half a point ahead of Sweden’s Aretmis, with TeamOrigin another half point behind them. Emirates Team New Zealand just need a solid day, a contrast to their opening here last Wednesday, to secure their fifth Audi MedCup Circuit Regatta in a row.
more from Valencia Sailing here
Louis Vuitton Trophy teams lead Audi MedCup
While BMW ORACLE Racing has been sailing on site in preparation for La Maddalena, six other Louis Vuitton Trophy teams are competing in Cascais, Portugal in the MedCup opener.
And the Louis Vuitton Trophy teams are dominating the leaderboard after three days of racing. In fact, the top five crews are LVT teams.
Defending champion – in both the MedCup and the Louis Vuitton Trophy – Emirates Team New Zealand leads TeamOrigin and Synergy, with Artemis and All4One close behind. Luna Rossa is currently eighth in the 11 boat fleet.
The Audi MedCup will have six Louis Vuitton Trophy teams competing across its five events this summer, with the fleet racing circuit proving to be a demanding proving ground for top sailing teams.
“The standard is much higher than last year,” said ETNZ skipper Dean Barker. “The teams have put in more time preparing. The boats are all in very good condition and certainly the fleet seems to be cruising along pretty much the same speed, so it’s all about small gains here and there.”
