Valencia Sailing: April 2006

ESP-88 transfered from boatyard to Desafio Espanol 2007 base

As we wrote on Thursday, ESP-88, the brand new boat of the Spanish America's Cup challenger Desafio Espanol 2007 - and Valencia's home team - left the King Marine boatyard at 10am on Saturday morning and was transfered through some of Valencia's main avenues and sights before reaching the team base in Port America's Cup at noon.

After 25,000 hours of intese work, King Marine's team of 22 expert boatbuilders delivered the hull of the Spanish syndicate's brand new "rocket" and it is now up to the team's shore crew to fit her out in order to have her ready to sail at the beginning of June. As the team have indicated, their intention is to race with ESP-88 in Louis Vuitton Act 12, in about two months from today.

The hull of ESP-88 leaving the boatyard, in Alginet, around 20km from Valencia. Valencia, 29 April 2006. Photo copyright: Desafio Espanol 2007

The hull of ESP-88 in front of Valencia's futuristic opera house. Valencia, 29 April 2006. Photo copyright: Desafio Espanol 2007

The hull of ESP-88 entering the Desafio Espanol 2007 base in Port America's Cup. Valencia, 29 April 2006. Photo copyright: Desafio Espanol 2007

ESP-88 on parade through Valencia

Saturday, April 29, will be a milestone in the history of the America's Cup and Valencia. ESP-88, the brand new boat of the Spanish America's Cup challenger Desafio Espanol 2007, will leave the King Marine boatyard in Alginet and head to the team's base in Port America's Cup.

Unlike most of the other America's Cup teams that chose to bring their new boats under absolute secrecy and with hardly any previous notice, the first ever America's Cup yacht built in Valencia will parade in part of the city's important thoroughfares before entering the boat shed in Port America's Cup.

During the two hours that lasts the trip and escorted by police cars, the hull of ESP-88 will cross some of Valencia's main avenues giving Valencians and tourists the chance to get a glimpse of a brand new America's Cup yacht, even if she's wrapped in plastic.

It could even be the first ever boat arrival to be seen live online through the Desafio Espanol 2007 webcam, if of course the team gives us that opportunity.

Note: Being marooned in Athens, Greece, I unfortunately cannot guarantee the usual extensive coverage that Valencia Sailing provides of all events related to the America's Cup in Valencia.

Less is more in America's Cup rigging technology!!!

Alinghi opened the way and the Challenger of Record of the 32nd America's Cup followed suit.

A few weeks after sporting the first jumper-less mast in an America's Cup yacht, the Swiss America's Cup Defender has now company in Valencia.

BMW Oracle Racing have also a new jumper-less mast but unfortunately Valencia Sailing cannot provide the high-quality photos you have come to expect. I'm paying the price of being a Greek citizen, writing these lines from Barcelona's airport on my way to Athens in order to deal with what must be Europe's worst bureaucratic state.

Pierre Orphanidis
Editor
Valencia Sailing

Stay Calm wins TP52 class race in Hublot-PalmaVela regatta

It was a great weekend of racing under excellent conditions for the more than 240 boats that participated in the third edition of the Hublot-PalmaVela regatta in the port city of Palma de Mallorca in Spain.

For the first time ever, the TP52 class took part in this annual sailing congregation with a total of six boats. Two teams (Platoon and Mean Machine) were absolute beginners in the TP52 class, two had already participated in last year's Breitling Medcup (Stay Calm and Bambakou) but premiered in Mediterranean waters their recently launched yachts while the remaining two (Aifos and Bribón) used the boats that had already competed in last summer's TP52 circuit in Europe.

Stay Calm was the clear winner of the exhibitional regatta with three bullets, one second place and one third.

TP52 Score table at Hublot-Palmavela

My apologies for not keeping the usual "near real-time" reporting but it was very difficult to carry out shooting, photo editing, researching and writing simultaneously. Enjoy Valencia Sailing's dozens of exclusive photos from the first "training camp" of the TP52 class in Europe this year, focusing on the four brand new boats.

Stay Calm

British boat Stay Calm, owned by Stuart Robinson and with Adrian Stead as tactician in the Hublot-PalmaVela, arrived in Palma from the US where it had won the Key West Race Week in January, although she was launched just a week before the races. This boat, designed by Bruce Farr, will participate in the 2006 Breitling Medcup sponsored by the Spanish real estate group Santa Ana and Natalia Via-Dufresne, 470 women silver medallist at the Athens Olympics will be one of the crew members.

In addition to tactician Adrian Stead, six other crew members come from GBR Challenge, the former British America's Cup team.

Stay Calm, winner of the TP52 class racing in Hublot-PalmaVela. Palma de Mallorca, 22 April 2006. Photo by Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Platoon

This was the first brand-new boat designed by the Judel/Vrolijk to start her racing career in the Hublot-PalmaVela. Owned by Harm Muller-Spreer of Germany, she was built in the US at Goetz Custom Boats and launched in Rhode Island last March.

Platoon on her maiden race in Hublot-PalmaVela. Palma de Mallorca, 22 April 2006. Photo by Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Mean Machine

This was the second brand-new boat designed by the Judel/Vrolijk to start her racing career in the Hublot-PalmaVela. The boat belongs to Dutch Peter de Ridder and was built by Hakes Marine in New Zealand. She was launched three months ago in Auckland and after making a brief stop at Valencia's yacht club last month, she arived in Palma two weeks ago, just in time to train for the regatta. Mean Machine will participate in the 2006 Breitling Medcup as "Mutua Madrileña" (a large Spanish insurance group) and part of the crew will come from Emirates Team New Zealand, the America's Cup challenger.

She finished fourth in the races but as the team states, "a win transformed into OCS, 2 minor but decisive breakages and a few boat handling mishaps prevented the Team from winning races and shining through out the whole event".

Mean Machine on her maiden race in Hublot-PalmaVela. Palma de Mallorca, 22 April 2006. Photo by Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Bambakou

Bambakou, owned by US yachtsman John Coumantaros, competed already in 2005 in this class as well as the 2005 Breitling MedCup, but this was a brand new boat that marked the entry of Argentinian designer Mani Frers in the TP 52 class.

Bambakou racing in Hublot-PalmaVela. Palma de Mallorca, 22 April 2006. Photo by Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

2010 World Match Racing Championship
	Skipper	Points
1	Ben Ainslie	126
2	Mathieu Richard	111
3	Torvar Mirsky	106
4	Adam Minoprio	90
5	Ian Williams	87
6	Jesper Radich	82
7	Francesco Bruni	65
8	Peter Gilmour	60
9	Bjorn Hansen	51
10	Magnus Holmberg	29

Race Sailing

Saturday, April 29, 2006

ESP-88 transfered from boatyard to Desafio Espanol 2007 base

Thursday, April 27, 2006

ESP-88 on parade through Valencia

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Less is more in America's Cup rigging technology!!!

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Stay Calm wins TP52 class race in Hublot-PalmaVela regatta

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