Yachting News 30th August 2010
Greetings yachties,
Laura Dekker – update from the Canary Islands
C Class,
Dogzilla in high def,
SailKARMA – latest issue here,
Caja Mediterraneo Region of Murcia Trophy,
Little Americas Cup,
Worlds first double back flip in a wheelchair,
Enjoy
Yesterday I went to the beach along with a woman from the island I have just met. She
showed me a lot around the island, and when I said I had never seen a volcano, on the
way back we drove past the volcanoes, some of which she says are still active. The
huge fields with solidified lava surrounding the volcanoes are especially impressive and
beautiful to see. At least 1 / 4 of the island is volcanic rock and you have to stay away
from certain areas where it is better not to go walk because you might sink in the mud
and not be able to come out. It was very nice to see.
She told me more about the island and its inhabitants, and something she said really
struck me. It was about all the houses being white with green windows and green doors
and sea blue frames. Also, the houses are not higher than two floors. Otherwise, she
told me, it would ruin the whole view.
Aussies miss out on championship
BMW ORACLE Racing skipper Jimmy Spithill and sailing team coach Glenn Ashby put up a good fight at the International C Class Catamaran Championship, but couldn’t overcome a newer, faster cat.
Fred Eaton and Magnus Clarke of Toronto, Canada, successfully defended the title they won in 2007 with a 3-1 victory over the Australian duo.
The Final was intended as a first-to-five series, but was cut short with the Canadians leading and the northerly wind losing its battle against the southerly.
Valencia Sailing
Move Over Monohulls, Final Results of C Class Championships
[Source: New York Yacht Club] If wing technology didn’t have everyone’s attention after BMW Oracle Racing’s victorious 33rd America’s Cup, it definitely does now. The high speeds and almost instant acceleration of cambered foils had members of America’s Cup syndicates, top designers, and all sailors in awe.
Canadian C Class Catamaran Team of Fred Eaton, Magnus Clarke, Steve Killing, Rob Paterson, and Rossi Milev have been along for the entire ride, one way or another. Clarke, Paterson, and Milev took six months off from their C Class program to manage wing protection for the largest wingmast ever built for a race-boat: BMW Oracle’s (223 foot) 68 metre-tall wing. Reunited in March, their team brought four wings to the International C Class Catamaran Championship hosted by New York Yacht Club on Narragansett Bay this past week.
“Upwind the camber is moderate, but downwind with the flap set at 40 degrees, the wing will produce almost double the force of an equal area soft sail,” explains Killing.
Eaton and Clarke raced Killing’s latest design, Canaan, to a thrilling victory today in the final day of match racing.
Thrilling for a number of reasons, not the least of which was that they sparred with two of sailing’s most accomplished sailors and proven match-race experts, James Spithill and Glenn Ashby.
RNZYS Youth Program Sailing from Scott Dickson on Vimeo.
America’s Cup from Adam Docker on Vimeo.
Photo by Morris Adant – more images here
Coastal Race – Caja Mediterraneo Region of Murcia Trophy:
Audi MedCup Circuit © Ainhoa Sanchez/Audi MedCup
The Kiwis seemed to have sailed an almost blemish free regatta, consistent across the broad wind range through the event, emerging triumphant at the dockside with a comfortable cushion on second placed Matador, but the jury subsequently disqualified them from the second race of the day for infringing Quantum Racing at the first windward mark.
The protest outcome cut the Kiwi winning margin to 10 points over Matador (ARG) but the reigning Audi MedCup title holders head to next month’s season’s finale in Sardinia with a lead of 46.5 points, just ahead of the target that the Dean Barker skippered crew had considered their realistic target.
After winning in Cascais, Portugal in May this is the New Zealanders second regatta triumph of the season with skipper Dean Barker – who skippered Bribon to win in 2008 – unbeaten in the class at this venue.
The protest decision may have smudged their copybook but on the water the Kiwis maintained their regular scores through the regatta. TeamOrigin (GBR) seemed to have the measure of them at times in the light to moderate wind conditions and flat water, but the British crew were recalled for starting too early in the final race of the day, finishing ninth.
Added to their 11th in Saturday’s coastal race that left TeamOrigin, who lead early in the event, third overall.
Photo © Ainhoa Sanchez/Audi MedCup
Plenty going on on the water today off Cartagena
Dean Barker (NZL), skipper Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL):
“Today we sailed really well, nothing to complain about. The breeze was up, great downwind conditions. It felt like a long race because it was hard work, but all in all it was a great race.”
“It’s fantastic to win here, we have a good history from last year here, and the year before I won on Bribón so it’s nice to win again. The lighter air tends to make things a lot more even that’s for sure, because the boat handling becomes a bit more easier and the speed differences are pretty minimal. TeamOrigin had a great day yesterday and we’ve had a good one today. A little bit more breeze would have been nice in the runs, it’s been pretty lumpy in the upwind, we’ve had a few rough landings in a couple of waves”.
Iain Percy (GBR) TeamOrigin (GBR)
“We still struggled a but for pace again in the lumpy seas for sure, but on the long beat we really missed out on the positive current which was running up the shore. I am not sure who knew it was there, but those who got there and used it really did well. And Matador gained there. I think it was just a real thin strip if current but it made a difference along the shore. They pretty much went from near the back to fist up that shore, we were playing on the wind shifting right which it did do in the end, but the gains did not match those from the current. Which was a shame.
Then we were in seventh or eighth and broke the forestay, when we turned up at the island. That was race over for us.
The boat is very competitive in the flat water. It has always been out weaker conditions when the seas pick up a little, but you can’t take away from we are fast when it is flat, so it’s horses for courses.”
Paul Cayard (USA) skipper Artemis (SWE) on coastal race:
“We have good speed and we had a very good start and we got to the first mark almost first and we were always in the front. Our speed was good but we didn’t sail perfectly up that long beat because the group caught up to us, really we were very close at the windward mark. In fact LunaRossa was ahead of us. Alot of boats were ahead of us but we just stayed strong and then we did a very nice gybe peel and we put a different spi than every body else on the reach and that helped us a bit.”
“ The conditions were difficult to keep the boat going fast, there were big waves, finding the balance was difficult and the trimmers had to do a hard job today”.
Photo © Ian Roman/Audi MedCup
Back-to-back wins in today’s rich diet of one windward-leeward race followed by an exciting 20 miles coastal race sees Emirates Team New Zealand seize the overall lead of the Caja Mediterráneo Region of Murcia Trophy regatta for the TP52 Series.
