First day of Alinghi's "UBS Dubai Defender Trials": Holmberg beats Baird 2-0

[Source: Alinghi] Round 1 of the "UBS Dubai Defender Trials" begins: Holmberg (SUI-91) 2 - Baird (SUI-64) 0

Ernesto Bertarelli, Alinghi syndicate head, and Brad Butterworth, team skipper, kicked off Round 1 of the UBS Dubai Defender Trials this morning at a press conference in Dubai. Both helmsmen, Ed Baird and Peter Holmberg, attended the event.

Race results:

* Race 1, with just one windward-leeward, got away with a slight delay in 9knots, Holmberg, helming SUI91, won the first start against Baird on SUI-64, held the lead to the first mark and extended downwind to finish four boat lengths ahead. It was a light air race and the boat coming in from the right had an advantage that they kept.

* Race 2, started in 10-12 knots with the boats starting together on starboard tack. SUI64 had to tack away as the wind split between the two boats, lifted them both and took them to opposite sides of the course. SUI-91 came out ahead and finished 1 minute ahead of SUI-64.

Peter Holmberg, SUI-91, comments on the first day: “With very little practice I think both crews did a great job today. We had some intensive racing and both teams sailed pretty smart and clean and well so it was good quality racing.”

Don't forget to check the America's Cup Defender's website for complete coverage of the races. Click here

Alinghi's SUI-64 and SUI-91 at the start line of the first race of the "UBS Dubai Defender Trails". Dubai, 31 January 2007. Photo copyright Ivo Rovira / Alinghi

ITA-99 launched in Valencia

Here are the first pictures of ITA-99, launched two hours ago. The first impression, even if it is difficult to judge, is that she looks quite similar to ITA-90, the first new boat of Mascalzone Latino Capitalia Team. We will certainly keep an eye on these two Italian rockets..

According to Vicenzo Onorato, head of the Italian syndicate, “when we started to race here, back in June 2005, I said that our job was to be competitive. Now I can confirm that we have created a team that can and will do well. I promised then, that we would throw our hearts into it, and that is exactly what we have done, every single one of us.

“The team is here, determined and ready. We have the boats and the technical support necessary to compete. Many, in these days, ask me what my predictions are as to where we expect to arrive…but as a good Neopolitan citizen, I prefer not to say. I can only say that the job has been done, and is complete. We have built two new boats, we have never stopped sailing, and our team is formed of people with great value. In short, we are aiming high…”

Launch of ITA-99. Valencia, 30 January 2007. Photo copyright Mascalzone Latino Capitalia Team

Launch of ITA-99. Valencia, 30 January 2007. Photo copyright Mascalzone Latino Capitalia Team

Launch of ITA-99. Valencia, 30 January 2007. Photo copyright Mascalzone Latino Capitalia Team

Launch of ITA-99. Valencia, 30 January 2007. Photo copyright Mascalzone Latino Capitalia Team

Who said you can only have 17 sailors and a guest aboard an America's Cup yacht. I count more than 30 team members on the deck of ITA-99, let alone the good looking blonde and the beautiful smiling brunette! Valencia, 30 January 2007. Photo copyright Mascalzone Latino Capitalia Team

Launch of ITA-99. Valencia, 30 January 2007. Photo copyright Mascalzone Latino Capitalia Team

Launch of ITA-99. Valencia, 30 January 2007. Photo copyright Mascalzone Latino Capitalia Team

Launch of ITA-99. By the way, ITA-99 is the boat on the foreground, whose stern is on the right. The boat in the background is ITA-90. Valencia, 30 January 2007. Photo copyright Mascalzone Latino Capitalia Team

Mascalzone Latino Capitalia Team to launch ITA-99 today

ITA-99, the brand new boat of Italian America's Cup challenger Mascalzone Latino Capitalia Team, will be launched later today, exactly one week after her arrival in Valencia.

Unfortunately, the press will not be invited to this launch and as a result, I doubt we'll be able to have our own pictures. Still, stay tuned for the pictures the team will send us, published as soon as we get them.

After this launch, three America's Cup boats remain to be launched, CHN-95 of China Team, SWE-96 of Victory Challenge and, of course, Alinghi's SUI-100 that reached Valencia just a few days ago.

ITA-99 the night of her arrival at the Mascalzone Latino Capitalia Team base. Valencia, 22 January 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

In the meantime Victory Challenge continue their training in Dubai

[Source: Victory Challenge] Victory Challenge have now carried out three and a half weeks of winter training in Dubai. This totals 19 days of sailing, three days of maintenance and three days off.
“It has not been difficult to motivate the sailing team since there has been so much racing,” says Magnus Holmberg, skipper and helmsman.

It is Sunday at Victory Challenge’s temporary base in Dubai but also a working day for everybody in the team. It is the third day for maintenance of boat and equipment. According to Magnus Holmberg, skipper and helmsman, the experience has still far exceeded his high expectations: “The sailing has been superb, and we have had really excellent racing with the two boats. As they are very similar in speed the competition is very fierce.”

Örn (SWE 63) and Orm (SWE 73) have coped well under the strain.

“There is a frightful amount of wear on the boats when they are raced this much. We have of course been a bit nervous but we have some extremely good boat-builders who have patched them up every time something has broken. Luckily nothing serious has happened.

Video: Victory Challenge in Dubai (Note: We think Victory Challenge is the America's Cup team that produces the best multimedia content, by far. Obviously, part of it is pure PR but it there is always interesting footage).

Magnus Holmberg said last Friday: “We have been able to sail whenever we want, and give it our all. We have had 8 -15 knots every day, sea breeze and a variety of sea conditions. The only thing we have been missing is a day with a slightly stronger breeze, up to 20 knots. But I am sure we will get days with really strong winds too.”

The strong wind came during the week. Although the team took out the boats every day, training had to be interrupted one of the days due to too strong winds.

The hard training – combined with the fact that some of the sailors went to Valencia for short periods to finish off SWE-96 – has taken its toll on the sailing team. Even Magnus Holmberg has had injuries.

“There have been some minor injuries, some have taken ill, which is natural enough when pushed this hard. We used temporary sailors, who did a terrific job”.

The wind conditions are the reason Victory Challenge - just like Alinghi, the America’s Cup Defender – has sited its winter training in the United Arab Emirates. They are more or less like the winds expected in Valencia when the Louis Vuitton Cup starts on 16 April and the eleven challengers compete for the place to meet Alinghi in the America’s Cup Match.

“Sailing conditions in Valencia are very poor at this time of the year. We therefore decided to have our winter training here; we felt we needed to have as many sailing days as possible since the Louis Vuitton Cup starts soon.”

While the two-boat training during September to December in Valencia with Örn (SWE 63) and Orm (SWE 73) was more focused on tests and development for building the new boat SWE 96, the training in Dubai is regular sailing training, from starts, to manoeuvrings to tactics, and tough situations which may arise in match racing duels during the Louis Vuitton Cup.

“The sailing is completely different from when you carry out tests and mainly sail straight ahead,” says Magnus Holmberg. This is also a way of testing the crew. “Therefore winter training in Dubai is also an important part of the process of identifying who will be sailing when it is time for the Louis Vuitton Cup,” says Magnus Holmberg.

There will be a more complex team selection process now than for the pre-regattas within the 32nd America’s Cup in which Victory Challenge participated during 2005 and 2006.

At that time the team consisted of around 20 people. Everybody was needed in at least one race as the boat had a crew of 17, and strains and injuries are common. Now, after extensive supplementary recruitment carried out for the two-boat training, the team has grown to 39 people of 11 different nationalities.

“Through the training we are doing at the moment, it becomes more and more clear who should be selected for the onboard team in the Louis Vuitton Cup”, says Magnus Holmberg.

Peter Gilmour to coach Alinghi !!

[Source: Alinghi] Peter Gilmour, Australian match racing veteran, will be sailing with Alinghi periodically over the next few months to sharpen Alinghi’s match racing edge in the lead up to the America’s Cup Match that starts on 23 June in Valencia, Spain.

Brad Butterworth, team skipper, has raced against him on the match racing circuit for years: “We look forward to having Peter Gilmour on board as a consultant to provide us with a fresh, objective analysis of our performance,” he says, adding: “when you race in-house as regularly as we do, it is vital to measure yourself against outside competitors and as there is just a fleet race left before the Match, we won’t have this opportunity. Therefore we are seeking an objective point of view and bringing in an outsider of Peter’s calibre will hopefully bring some new ideas and a critical analysis of our match race skills.”

Helmsmen Ed Baird and Peter Holmberg are both familiar competitors of Gilmour and value his match racing expertise. Baird comments: “It will be great to have Gilly with us to help train. I've had some great matches against him over the last 15 years, and I know he'll spice up our preparation for the Cup." Holmberg adds his view: “This is another step in our preparation to the Cup. We hope that having Peter on board will bring some fresh ideas to our match race game.”

Gilmour comments on being a consultant to the Defender: “I am really looking forward to this role with Alinghi in preparation for their first defence of the America’s Cup. There is a formidable line up of challengers vying to get themselves into the Match. As a team, Alinghi was the most admired and complete group in the 2003 Cup and has maintained this pre-eminent position in the world of sailing. Hopefully I should be able to add one or two new items to the repertoire of the team.”

Shosholoza unveils overhauled RSA-83

Shosholoza, the first ever America's Challenger from South Africa, unveiled this morning in cold and windy Valencia their overhauled yacht, RSA-83. Despite being the oldest of the America's Cup yachts competing now in Valencia, it has undergone such a major modification that one could very well consider it as a "new" yacht, sporting a new bow, stern, appendages, mast as well as new sails.

According to Captain Sarno, head of the South African challenger, the team is very satisfied with the performance of the modified yacht. Despite this being her public presentation, Shosholoza's crew has been testing RSA-83 for a few days. Shosholoza decided in September 2006 to modify their existing boat instead of building a new one and after months of design, testing 23 models of 7.5 meters and more than 250 appendage combinations, the overhauled boat made her public debut this morning.

It is worth mentioning that all modifications were carried out right inside the team's base in Valencia, the only exception being the mold of the bow. An oven was installed in the boat shed and while sailors were enjoying their Christmas holidays boatbuilders built the new parts, cut the old and reassembled the yacht.

In order to achieve optimum design for all details of a boat, as many different scenarios as possible must be simulated and the boat’s maximum loads have to be computed. For example: How does the load distribution in the sails change at different wind conditions? To what extent do the forces affect the mast, and how must it be fixed to the hull under these conditions? The development of the force in the sails and the width of the hull require a certain weight and design of the keel bulb in order to stabilize the boat.

Extremely-fast computers are required in order to simulate all these details with thousands upon thousands of influential factors and millions of possible models in order to gradually move towards a boat design which is as close to optimum as possible. In conjunction with other companies and institutions, T-Systems runs one of the ten most powerful computers anywhere on earth, and is therefore in the position to offer Team Shosholoza ideal support. This Supercomputer for Research and Businesss uses simulation programs which are used mainly for aircraft such as the Airbus A380. With the hww supercomputer’s computation ability of around 25 teraflops (one teraflop is a unit of computing power equal to a trillion floating point operations per second), each and every detail – irrespective of how tiny it may be – can be included in the simulation and can be taken into consideration in the design process.

The new bow of RSA-83The most visible change in the yacht was obviously of the bow because of the extent of the modifications and the presence of a bowsprit (unlike Desafío Español this is a real one).

The new bow of Shosholoza's modified RSA-83. Valencia, 28 January 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

The new bow of Shosholoza's modified RSA-83. Valencia, 28 January 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

The extent of the modification on the bow is considerable. The modified bow starts more or less over the letter T. Valencia, 28 January 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Closeup of new bow and bowsprit of Shosholoza's modified RSA-83. Valencia, 28 January 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

The old bow of RSA-83In order to grasp the extent of the modifications it was interesting to check the old bow.

The original bow of RSA-83. Valencia, 28 January 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

The modified stern of RSA-83The stern of the boat was also modified but the changes were significantly smaller than the bow.

The modified stern of Shosholoza's RSA-83. Valencia, 28 January 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Closeup of the modified stern of Shosholoza's RSA-83. Valencia, 28 January 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Modified RSA-83 sails outAfter a short speach by Captain Sarno and a brief photo session in the base, the team docked out and went on with their usual daily training activities. A small calibration took place inside the harbor and after sails were hoisted, RSA-83 sailed off to a day of testing and training with excellent wind conditions. Due to the very low temperatures and unsuitable clothing, most photographers couldn't stand the cold and the tender boat had to return ashore. We promise we will have more photos of the South African rocket soon.

Shosholoza's crew calibrating instruments inside the main harbor before sailing. Valencia, 28 January 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Shosholoza's modified RSA-83 sailing with brand new sails as well. Valencia, 28 January 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Shosholoza's modified RSA-83 sailing with brand new sails as well. Valencia, 28 January 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Shosholoza's modified RSA-83 sailing with brand new sails as well. Valencia, 28 January 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Shosholoza's modified RSA-83 sailing with brand new sails as well. Valencia, 28 January 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Shosholoza's modified RSA-83 sailing with brand new sails as well. Valencia, 28 January 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Dean Barker wins Auckland Match Racing Cup

Dean Barker won his second Auckland Match Racing Cup title today amid fierce competition from some of the world’s top skippers.

His back-to-back successes in the Auckland Match Racing Cup framed a win in the New Zealand Match Racing nationals late last year. He won the inaugural Auckland Match Racing Cup this time last year.

“It makes a nice start to our year, defending this title,” Barker said after he had beaten British challenger Ian Williams 2-1 in the final. “It is nice to know that when it gets tough we can come out on the right side with a win.”

Event organiser Dave Stewart said the event had been a success and it was a great achievement for so many of the world’s best skippers to be in Auckland. He thanked the many people who have supported this year’s Auckland Match Racing Cup. “Planning is already underway for next year’s Auckland Match Racing Cup, which looks set to be held in the last week of February, 2008.”

It was a tough final day of racing with Barker and his Emirates Team New Zealand crew of Terry Hutchinson, Don Cowie, James Dagg and Jeremy Lomas first having to dispatch Adam Minoprio and his crew of young guns in the best-of-five semi-final.

Minoprio proved a worthy contender, taking the first match from start to finish and then shutting Barker out of the start in their third encounter. But small mistakes proved costly and Barker clinched his place in the final with a 3-1 win over Minoprio.

Dean Barker and his Emirates Team New Zealand team, winners of the 2007 Auckland Match Racing Cup. Auckland, 28 January 2007. Photo copyright Ivor Wilkins / Auckland Match Racing Cup

The 21-year-old mechanical engineering student was disappointed, but philosophical. “We were pleased to make it this far,” he said. “This is only the second Grade One event we have done and to make it to the semi-final is quite satisfying. It gives us confidence going forward because we know we have beaten some of the big guns and can do it again.”

In the other semi-final, the world’s second and third ranked match race skippers went head to head as Williams and Frenchman Mathieu Richard slugged it out in a series that went all the way to five matches before it was decided.

Richard was 2-1 up and needing just one more win to advance to the final, when Williams and his crew staged a remarkable come-back. The British skipper won the next two in a row and took a come-from-behind win in a series of matches that had the umpires busy dishing out more penalties than they had for the entire regatta.

The day began with light airs and then a lengthy delay as the wind settled into a building north easterly, rising to 20 knots by the end of the afternoon.

In the final, Williams took first blood. The British skipper led around the top mark and then Barker attacked from behind on the downwind run, establishing an overlap and looking set to overtake. However, as the yachts charged into the leeward mark, Williams luffed hard, forcing Barker away. Barker was unable to mount another attack and Williams took the win.

However, Barker and his crew were not to be denied. They came back with guns blazing to win the next two encounters, both of which featured spirited tacking duels, and take the title.

“We had a great final,” said Williams, who sailed with a pick-up crew of local New Zealand sailors. “It was great to get one match under our belt. Dean was smoother through the tacks than we were and a little bit faster, but we threw plenty of tacks at them and never gave up.

“We were close all the way round the track, but couldn’t quite get the jump on Barker.”

In the petite final, Richard secured 3rd place with a 2-0 win over Minoprio, who finished 4th.

King Marine Newsletter January 2007

Access the complete January 2007 newsletter here
Starting this month and once a month we will be publishing the newsletter of our advertizer King Marine, one of the world's most advanced boatyards, based in Buenos Aires and Valencia.

January has been a busy month for the boatyard with plenty of activity in the three major racing classes. In the America's Cup class, Desafío Español launched their latest yacht ESP-97, in record time after her arrival from King Marine's boatyard in Valencia. In the TP52 class, January saw the start of construction of the new BRIBON yacht while in the up and coming GP42 class King Marine is involved in 5 projects. The first unit, for MOVISTAR, will be finished shortly and when the second one is ready as well, both will set out of Buenos Aires by the end of March.

ESP-97 started her first sailing tests and her fine-tuning is moved ahead of schedule


ESP-97, Desafío Español’ s new boat, started a few days ago her first sailing tests. After setting out from KING MARINE shipyard last December 20, Desafío Español’ s technical department and shore crew carried out the fitout of the appendages and deck of the boat.

On January 17 at 10:30 a.m. ESP-97 docked out of Desafío Español headquarters to embark on a test sail that lasted four hours, during which the members of the technical department, together with the sailing crew, carried out the first structural tests.

As technical coordinator of ESP-97 Iñigo Toledo said “today we were able to considerably move ahead in our schedule the tests of the boat structure that were initially planned for Thursday and Friday.”

Toledo has highlighted the satisfaction “of all the members of the technical department, of the shipyard, and of the team’ s general manager, Agustín Zulueta, who were all aboard the boat on this first test.”

During the next weeks, the technical and sports department of Desafío Español 2007 will carry out the fine-tuning of the new boat, “so that she is in full operating conditions by January 31, if everything goes according to schedule,” said the coordinator of ESP-97.

According to Zulueta, technical and sports general manager, “the second boat of Desafío Español 2007 that was built in Valencia is the evidence of the applied technology and know-how of both shipbuilders and the members of the technical department.”

The first sail of ESP-97 was scheduled for January 22. However, it was possible to move the date earlier due to the extraordinary work of the construction team, of the members of King Marine shipyard and of the shore crew of the Spanish team.”

In Zulueta’ s opinion, it was a perfect sailing day under excellent conditions for its premiere. “We were able to heel up to 32 degrees and the crew of Desafío Español 2007 pushed the boat to the limits allowed by the meteorological conditions.”

“In Valencia Desafío Español 2007 has made another giant step toward its firm commitment to making 2007 the best year ever for the Spanish team in the America’s Cup,” concluded the syndicate's leader.

The new TP52 BRIBON is already under construction at King Marine Valencia


It is known that in the last months Valencia has become the summit of worldwide sailing.

This is a further sign which reflects the high technical level that has been achieved by this community since the beginning of the new season of the America's Cup.

A few days after the news was announced at Valencia shipyard, the first steps towards the construction of the new Bribón were taken.

It is a latest-generation TP 52 class boat, designed by Judel&Vrolijk and bound for making her debut under the steering of King Juan Carlos during the first regatta of the Breitling Med Cup in June, 2007.

Within the Transpac 52 Box Rule, the boat will have a length of 15.85 meters; 4.37 meters of width and a sailing area of approximately 250 square meters.

The Catalan ship owner José Cusi entrusted the project to King Marine and its supervision under Ignacio Triay, designated as Project Manager.

Thus, the use of the most advanced technology in international regattas and the work of expert technicians and engineers is ensured.

Grand Soleil GP 42 under way


As a result of the burst of enthusiasm aroused by this new class, at the Buenos Aires shipyard five units designed by Botin & Carkeek will be built.

The hull mold is ready (see photo) and the first unit is expected to be completed by the end of January.

The deck of the first unit has already been completed and will be used by MOVISTAR.

According to schedule, the first two boats will set out from Buenos Aires in March 2007.

“La Luna” Project advances at King Marine in Buenos Aires


This cruising boat of modern design and 73 feet of length was designed by Dixon Yacht Design and her construction at the shipyard in Buenos Aires is quite advanced.

After Anders Berg (DYD) granted his approval when the boat was already under construction, we were visited by the owner, Scott Burguess, and Project Manager Mike Relling (see photo), who were quite satisfied with the progress achieved, as they were able to see in detail the construction process, with the hull and deck already finished.

Mr. Burguess’ visit was also a good opportunity to define the final details of the boat.

By the end of January the Project Manager, Mike Relling, and Engineer Douglas Black will also come to Buenos Aires to provide additional support and supervise the boat engineering.

According to schedule, La Luna will be ready by September, 2007 and the shipyard has already started the construction of Dixon 73’, a “twin sister” of La Luna, awaiting for candidates to! decide who will be the owner of a cruising boat which, due to her length and style, will not go unnoticed.

Racing cancelled due to lack of wind at Auckland Match Racing Cup

Racing in the Auckland Match Racing Cup was cancelled on Saturday due to lack of wind on the Waitemata Harbour.

The teams were due to complete the semi-finals and best-of-three matches for the minor places from 5-10.

The teams never made it onto the water, however, as a glassy calm settled over the race area. After re-assembling twice during the morning and early afternoon to reassess the situation, regatta organizers pulled the plug and sent the teams home.

On Sunday, the top four teams led by Dean Barker (NZL), Ian Williams (GBR), Mathieu Richard (FRA) and Adam Minoprio (NZL) respectively will race in the semi finals, finals and petite finals.

Race officer Ross Markwick said the forecast for Sunday is a good breeze from the north-east direction with 15-20 knots. He said racing should be underway by 10am.

"With the current forecast, sailing will start and finish immediately outside the Squadron, which means it's a great opportunity for people to come down to Westhaven and see the sailing up close."

The remaining places have been settled according to the finishing order after the double round robin as follows:

5. Eugeny Neugodnikov (RUS)
6. James Spithill (AUS)
7. Simon Minoprio (NZL)
8. Brian Angel (USA)
9. Simon Dickey (NZL)
10. Takumi Nakamura (JPN)

Alinghi's SUI-100 already in Valencia

SUI-100, Alinghi's brand new boat and last of the yachts built for the 32nd America's Cup, is already inside the team's boat shed in Valencia. It took just two and a half days for the hull to be trucked from the Décision boatyard in Switzerland.

Now it's up to the shore crew to fit out the the boat to go sailing as soon as the sailing team is back from the Dubai winter training in early March.

Alinghi's SUI-100 enters the boat shed. Valencia, 26 January 2007. Photo copyright Ivo Rovira / Alinghi

Spithill out of the semifinals at Auckland Match Racing Cup

Defending champion Dean Barker and his Emirates Team New Zealand crew continued their march through the Auckland Match Racing Cup by winning the double round robin and earning top place in the final four.

But, it was a close run thing with three teams completing the 18 matches with 13 wins each. It took race officials some time to work out the countback and declare Barker the round robin winner, which gives him the right to choose his semi-final opponent.

Englishman Ian Williams and Frenchman Mathieu Richard also completed the round robin phase of the regatta on 13 wins, while local young gun, Adam Minoprio and his Blackmatch crew took the fourth slot on 10 wins.

Barker said the plan for today was just to keep solid results going. “It is tough to be consistent in the conditions we have had. We have not had our best day, but we have done enough to get through to the semis.”

He will decide who to race against before the start of the semi-finals tomorrow. “It is a tough decision,” he said. “All of them have their moments. There are definitely no easy choices.”

The Kiwi young gun Adam Minoprio finished fourth in the round robins and secured his spot in the semifinals of the Auckland Match Racing Cup. Auckland, 26 January 2007. Photo copyright Ivor Wilkins / Auckland Match Racing Cup

At the conclusion of three days of intense racing on Auckland’s tide-dominated Waitemata Harbour, the four semi-finalists in the Auckland Match Racing Cup regatta had one surprising absence.

Coming into the regatta, the form guide probably favoured the two America’s Cup works teams, Dean Barker and James Spithill with his Luna Rossa team. In the event, it was Spithill who was the surprise omission from the top four.

Halfway through the second of two round robins, Spithill was still in with a chance, but an uncharacteristic run of losses today put him out of the hunt.

Williams, ranked no. 2 in the world, usually sails with a crew of English sailors plus one American, but he came to Auckland alone and raced with a pick-up crew of New Zealanders. “We struggled a bit a first,” he said.

“We have been working on our communications and we had a much better day today.” In fact, the Williams team put together the only perfect score of the day, winning six out of six matches.

“There are five or six teams here that have had very tight battles with each other, all slugging it out for a place in the semis,” he said.

Richard, who is ranked no. 3 in the world, attributed their success in the round robins to good starts, good crew work and good boatspeed, all vital match racing ingredients. “We expected the racing to be very close,” he said. “I was sure it would be tight with so many good teams competing here.

Frenchman Mathieu Richard secured his spot in the semifinals of the Auckland Match Racing Cup. Auckland, 26 January 2007. Photo copyright Ivor Wilkins / Auckland Match Racing Cup

“It is obviously satisfying to get through to the semis, but it is not going to be easy. Our plan is to continue as we have in the opening days and hopefully keep our momentum.”

Minoprio’s result proved his top-four finish behind three top America’s Cup crews in the New Zealand match race nationals last year was no flash in the pan. However, he did not like today’s performance with three losses.

“We were pretty upset with ourselves. A whole lot of little mistakes cost us races,” said the young skipper, who with a team of Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron Youth Programme sailors embarked on a professional match racing career a year ago.

But, even if the day started badly, it ended with a place in the semis, which was always the first objective. “We just have to hope for a better day tomorrow than we had today,” he said.

Ten teams from seven nations are competing in the Auckland Match Racing Cup, which is hosted by the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.

Tomorrow’s racing will see the two semi-final pairs racing off in best-of-five matches to decide the two finalists. The rest of the fleet will sail best-of-three matches, 5 vs 6, 7 vs 8 and 9 vs 10 to decide the minor placings.

The final and petite final are scheduled to be raced on Sunday.

POINTS TABLE
1. Dean Barker 13 wins / 5 losses
2. Ian Williams 13 / 5
3. Mathieu Richard 13 / 5
4. Adam Minoprio 10 / 8
5. Eugeny Neugodnikov 9 / 9
6. James Spithill 9 / 9
7. Simon Minoprio 6 / 12
8. Brian Angel 6 / 12
9. Simon Dickey 6 / 12
10. Takumi Nakamura 5 / 13

Dean Barker leads Auckland Match Racing Cup

Defending champion Dean Barker and his Emirates Team New Zealand crew topped the leaderboard of the Auckland Match Racing Cup after the second day of racing was completed on the Waitemata Harbour today.

“We are happy with the day’s results,” said Barker, who notched up five victories in six matches today. “We managed to win a couple of close ones and we felt we were sailing well.”

Very powerful tides continued to play a major role in the racing today, but a stronger and more steady breeze “took some of the random factor out of it,” Barker noted. In contrast, the opening day yesterday was marked by very light, shifty breezes, which, combined with the tides, turned some of the matches into a lottery.

Dean Barker leading the Auckland Match Racing Cup at the second day of racing. Auckland, 25 January 2007. Photo copyright Ivor Wilkins / Auckland Match Racing Cup

With Barker’s crew clear ahead on a 9-3 win-loss record, the race to make the semi-finals is still wide open. Local young gun, Adam Minoprio and his Blackmatch team is tied with Frenchman Mathieu Richard on 8-4. Minoprio gave notice of his giant-killer abilities at the recent New Zealand Match Race Championships, where he finished 4th behind a trio of hot America’s Cup crews.

“Getting to the semi-finals is the first objective,” he said. Minoprio recorded two wins against James Spithill and his Luna Rossa America’s Cup team today, but was still berating himself for losses through lapses in concentration. “We don’t want to lose races through silly mistakes and we have made two of those so far,” he said.

Richard, who is ranked No. 3 in the world, said the racing was very close and was taking nothing for granted at this stage. He said the strong tides were definitely a factor. “But, it is part of the game here in Auckland. We knew that. It changes a lot of things about how you approach the starts and in the general tactics. It makes it interesting.”

The up and coming Kiwi sailing star Adam Minorpio is tied second at the Auckland Match Racing Cup at the second day of racing. Auckland, 25 January 2007. Photo copyright Ivor Wilkins / Auckland Match Racing Cup

Spithill carved his formidable reputation on the world match racing scene as a young firebrand and gave a wry smile at finding the tables turned with a younger generation now coming after him. “It’s not so good,” he said of his double defeats to Minoprio’s crew. “Those guys are doing really well. They have been sailing together a long time.

With a score of 7-5 (equal with British world No. 2, Ian Williams), Spithill is still very much in contention for a semi-final slot. “We have made a few mistakes, but I am fairly happy with where we are,” he said. “We are still learning all the time and there is still a lot of sailing to go.”

Frecnh match racer Mathieu Richard is tied second at the Auckland Match Racing Cup at the second day of racing. Auckland, 25 January 2007. Photo copyright Ivor Wilkins / Auckland Match Racing Cup

POINTS TABLE
Dean Barker 9 wins / 3 losses
Mathieu Richard 8 / 4
Adam Minoprio 8 / 4
Ian Williams 7 / 5
James Spithill 7 / 5
Takumi Nakamura 5 / 7
Simon Dickey 5 / 7
Eugeny Neugodnikov 4 / 8
Simon Minoprio 4 / 8
Brian Angel 3 / 9

Alinghi's SUI-100 sets sail for Valencia

[Source: Alinghi] This morning as the snow fell, Switzerland bid fair winds to SUI100, Alinghi’s latest America’s Cup Class yacht. The 25m carbon fibre racing machine, cloaked in secrecy, was rolled out of the Décision boatshed and loaded onto a Planzer truck for a five day 1,250km overland trip to Valencia.

Over 20,000 hours of work have gone into the second of Alinghi’s new builds with boatbuilders from Décision and Alinghi working around the clock. The Swiss yard in Vevey has an established relationship with Alinghi, having built SUI64, the 2003 America’s Cup winning yacht, SUI75 and SUI91. Michel Marie, shore crew coordinator for Alinghi looks back over the path to SUI100: “At the beginning of this campaign, we created a ‘master plan’ with a series of events that would take us all the way to the Cup. This included of course two new builds. Back in 2003, Boat 4’s estimated departure from Switzerland was the 26 January 2007. Today, it is leaving for Valencia and we are the 24 January. This shows how well the project has been executed and demonstrates the excellent coordination between the two teams at Alinghi and Décision SA.”

SUI-100 leaving snowy Switzerland and heading to sunny Valencia. Photo copyright Ivo Rovira / Alinghi

Ernesto Bertarelli, team syndicate head, led celebrations at a private get-together at the boatyard the evening before, attended by Alinghi sponsors, EPFL project leaders, the boatbuilders and their suppliers. “SUI100 is the culmination of much work from many different people: the designers, the boatbuilders – both Alinghi’s own and those at the Décision boatyard – and the sailing team of course. I am very proud to see SUI100 finished and on its way to the 32nd America’s Cup. With this boat, we are taking another step towards fighting to win the Cup again.”

Bertrand Cardis, yard director at Décision SA comments on another successful build: “At Décision boatyard, we are mostly sailors and so we are very well aware of the challenges and potential pitfalls of boatbuilding. The aim at Décision is to lead in the field of innovative composite construction, and this attitude fits well with the requirements of the America’s Cup and Alinghi. I also believe that we are one of the fastest build teams.”

When SUI100 arrives in Valencia, the shore crew at Alinghi headquarters will start readying the boat to go sailing as soon as the sailing team is back from the Dubai winter training in early March.

SUI-100 on her way to Valencia

This is hot off the press!!!

SUI-100, the brand new Alinghi boat, left the Décision boatyard this Wednesday morning and is on her way to Valencia.

SUI-100 leaving snowy Switzerland and heading to sunny Valencia. Photo from www.decision.ch

Two upsets in lights winds and powerful tides at Auckland Match Racing Cup

On a day made challenging by light winds and powerful tides, the Auckland Match Racing Cup saw two major upsets as the regatta got under way in Auckland, New Zealand today.

Before racing began, Japanese skipper Takumi Nakamura declared his one ambition was to beat defending champion Dean Barker and his Emirates Team New Zealand crew on their home waters.

In their first encounter of the regatta, Nakamura and his crew achieved their goal, leading from start to finish on a track full of pitfalls with patchy winds and a very strong outgoing tide.

“We are very happy,” said Nakamura, who has raced Barker twice before in match race events but never beaten him. “However, we know it is just one win and we must keep going.”

After a good start, Nakamura and his crew adopted unconventional tactics to score their victory. “We are not so good at tacking and gybing, so we did not try to cover Barker. We just sailed our own race.”

Eugeny Neugodnikov on his way to beat James Spithill in the opening day of Auckland Match Racing Cup. Auckland, 24 January 2007. Photo copyright Ivor Wilkins / Auckland Match Racing Cup

The other major upset of the day came when the Russian team led by Eugeny Neugodnikov took another America’s Cup scalp by beating James Spithill and his Luna Rossa crew.

Spithill and his crew travelled direct from Valencia, Spain, where they have been in winter training for the America’s Cup, while Neugodnikov took time out from playing ice-hockey in -25°C conditions to compete in the Grade One regatta hosted by the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron.

“We arrived here a week ago and we did some training with the Squadron’s Youth Programme,” said Neugodnikov. “That was very good. We have raced against Spithill five or six times before, but that was our first win,” added the Russian, who is ranked 7 on the ISAF World Match Racing order.

Racing took place on Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour in light, fickle south-westerly breezes that seldom got above 6-7 knots. “There are no easy races in these conditions,” commented Barker. “It is not going to be an easy race track for the next few days, if it stays like this.”

By the end of the day, six flights of the first round robin had been completed. Barker was one of four skippers sharing the top of the leaderboard with four wins and two losses. Spithill was also in that group along with Frenchman Mathieu Richard and Englishman Ian Williams.

Just behind them on a 3-3 record were the Russian team and the Minoprio brothers, Simon and Adam, both leading New Zealand crews. US skipper Brian Angel and New Zealander Simon Dickey were on 2-4, while Nakamura had to content himself with his sole victory over Barker at 1-5.

Ten teams from seven nations are competing in the Auckland Match Racing Cup. The regatta format features two round robins, followed by a semi-final and final on the weekend.

The current situation of the TP52 class in Europe

Since the last regatta in Ibiza last September and the end of the 2006 Breitling Medcup season, there hasn't been any remarkable news on the TP52 class, despite its importance on the professional sailing scene, at least in Europe. This class of fast and exciting boats had a meteoric rise in popularity and in its second year was able to attract a great number of top professional sailors, with two boats crewed by a total of 13 members from Emirates Team New Zealand.

The end of an admittedly remarkable season saw many ebullient insiders predicting 30 entries for 2007 and jammed starting lines. Nevertheless, since then we haven't seen any major announcements or spectacular incorporations (the exception being the enry of CAM) and on the contrary some boat owners decided to drop out of the circuit.

What is the current situation of the TP52 Med fleet? What are its prospects? Who better to talk about this than someone who was directly involved last year. We reproduce here the article written by Pedro Perelló, manager of the Siemens Sailing Team, that appeared on his website, Promorace:

Now that the seemingly endless Christmas break is well behind us and we are back to work, I would like to comment on the current situation of the TP52 class. As most of you will probably know, the TP52 has been through a spectacular start and just at its second year it was established as one of the leading classes worldwide on the top professional sailing level. This is an irrefutable fact and upon this we enter the third consecutive season of the TP52’s in Europe.

The most optimist were forecasting a growth rate equal to the one in 2006, that is 10-12 new entries. But the analysis of the current situation puts in evidence some signs of fatigue that should make us ponder upon. At the end of the previous season, some of the existing teams made public their intention to change their boat for one of newer design. Some of them dated from 2005, such as the Caixa Galicia that has now been sold to a Russian owner. Anoher one was the Bribón, Caixa Galicia’s “twin”, that after the poor results of the 2006 season and the unfortunate collision that took place in Ibiza, decided to commission a new boat, this time to Rollf Vrolijk, and is being built in Valencia at the King Marine boatyard (that also built Desafío Español’s two America’s Cup yachts, ESP-88 and ESP-97). This new Bribón is also “twin” of Alexia, a recent addition to the TP52 class. The Patches, the highly successful Siemens in 2006, is building a new Reichel Puigh yacht in China, but still hasn’t been able to sell the old boat, despite her impressive list of accomplishments. The Stay Calm that raced under the sponsorship of Spanish group "Santa Ana", and caused the unfortunate collision with Bribón, decided to build a new boat, one of the reasons being the damages from the collision. The old boat is still on sale, as is the old Farr-designed Bribón.

The TP52 fleet at the start of one of last season's races. Castellón, 5 July 2006. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

The Italian Orlanda of the Italian boat owner Alessandro Pirera, has also decided to put an end to the TP52 project. Unfortunately, health reasons will not allow its participation in the 2007 circuit. The Bambakou of Jonh Coumantaros will not be present either in the 2007 regattas. The Greek boat owner stated the boat would be available for charter. Pinta, Rush and Atalanti are another three major absents from the 2007 fleet.

Warpath has been sold and is now called Windquest, owned by Doug de Voss. The new entries to the fleet are lead by CAM that finally abandons the now-defunct IMS 500, Alexia of the Argentinian Alberto Roemmers, Artemis of the Swedish Torbjorn Tornqvist and Mutua Madrileña of the Chilean Bernardo Matte. Other boats whose participation in our circuit looks less likely are the new Glory, the Samba pa ti of John Kilroy, or the Red, a yacht designed by Javier Jaudenes for a British owner, that hasn’t raced yet in the TP52 circuit. As a result, the final number of yachts that will take part in this year’s Breitling Medcup seems to be around 22, a significant number, just as significant is the level of all participating sailors.

Nevertheless, the desire of having 30 yachts competing in 2007 proves to be just an illusion. It is normal that in a first-class sporting event participation isn’t massive. It wouldn’t make sense to have a Formula 1 circuit with 40 teams. The very high level of competition implies some form of selection.

Dean Barker at the helm of Warpath, a yacht with 7 Emirates Team New Zealand crew. Castellón, 4 July 2006. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

The sailing costs of the TP52 class have shot up. Few boat owners are willing to bear the cost of a campaign, which lead to the curious phenomenon of strong boat owners getting into a form of association, followed by a major sponsor. It looks like an interesting solution: Boat owners invest their capital in the construction of a boat, a considerable part of which will be recovered by the sale of the yacht. Sponsors pay the costs of the sailing campaign, an expense they will never recover, getting in turn the right to use the boat as an advertizing vehicle. It seems to be a convenient solution for both sides, allowing boat owners to have a top-notch sailing team and considerably lowering the budget the sponsor has to bear during the season.

In any case, the fleet’s growth might have stalled for other reasons, such as the late decision on the season’s calendar, making it difficult to sell it to a sponsor or the lack of a reliable media analysis that could convince sponsors of the returns on their investments in a short period of time.

Finally, it is worth pointing out that an important part of the fleet with a Spanish sponsor considers the possibility of not participating in foreign events, mainly due to the poor media coverage in Spain of these events during the 2006 season. My opinion today is that we can have a viable "Medcup" with a fleet of 20 units on average, peaking to a participation of 28 in the Copa del Rey.

In any case, I still consider it a success.

ITA-99 of Mascalzone Latino Capitalia arrives in Valencia

Having left the Green Marine boatyard in Lymington, UK last Wednesday, the brand new Italian rocket arrived in cold and windy Valencia on Monday evening, at around 7pm. After crossing France and northern Spain and escaping the Kyrill storm that wreaked havoc in northern Europe, ITA-99 is now sound and safe inside the Mascalzone Latino Capitalia base. She is also the last boat of an America's Cup challenger to arrive at her home. All other challenging yachts are already here, with the exception of course of NZL-92 (Emirates Team New Zealand) and USA-98 (BMW Oracle) who are in Auckland.

The Italian team's shore crew will start working on the new yacht as soon as tomorrow morning and it won't be long before ITA-99 joins her sistership ITA-90 for two-boat testing and training. The Italian challenger's crew has been training on a daily basis aboard ITA-90, often match racing the other challengers that preferred to carry out their winter training here in Valencia. So far, January has been a very good month, with good winds from inland, although this has forced all teams to change their daily schedules and start training as early as 8am. It is remarkable that no sailing day has been wasted and all teams have been able to carry out their schedule exactly as planned.

ITA-99 of Mascalzone Latino Capitalia Team arrives in the team base. Valencia, 22 January 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

ITA-99 of Mascalzone Latino Capitalia Team arrives in the team base. Valencia, 22 January 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

ITA-99 of Mascalzone Latino Capitalia Team arrives in the team base. Valencia, 22 January 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Who's the man that defied the cold night weather and came out in shorts to see the arrival of the brand new Italian rocket? It's Harry Dunning, principal designer of Mascalzone Latino Capitalia Team. Valencia, 22 January 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

ITA-99 of Mascalzone Latino Capitalia Team arrives in the team base. Valencia, 22 January 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Smiling faces in front of the base of Mascalzone Latino Capitalia Team as their brand new ITA-99 just arrived. Valencia, 22 January 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

ITA-99 of Mascalzone Latino Capitalia Team arrives in the team base. Valencia, 22 January 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

ITA-99 of Mascalzone Latino Capitalia Team arrives in the team base. Valencia, 22 January 2007. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing