BMW Oracle has sights set on sailing new trimaran

[Source: BMW Oracle] The checklist for BMW ORACLE Racing 90 boat captain Bruno Laurent (FRA) is getting shorter as the team enters the final stages of preparation for the first sail early next week in Anacortes, WA.

“The first days we will go very easy,” said Laurent, one of helmsman Franck Cammas’ (FRA) long-time crew from the Groupama multihull program. “The first sail will be just one or two tacks and a check of all the systems.”

Sail trimmer Ross Halcrow (NZL), head of the sail program, is preparing the mainsail of 500 square meters (5,000 square feet) for loading onto the boat, signaling time to sail is getting close. “There is a great sense of excitement and anticipation to start sailing.”

Navigator Matteo Plazzi (ITA) has been working with the electronics and performance team to ensure all on board systems are in place. “We are excited to go and sail this boat,” Plazzi said. “For the first few days we will monitor closely to ensure loads don’t exceed predictions. We will be taking it slowly but it will be great to be sailing.”

The trimaran was launched on Monday from the boatyard where it was built in Anacortes, WA. Since then, the team has conducted an extensive regime of load tests dockside and continued installation of on board systems for sailing. Initial sea trials will take place on Puget Sound.

The brand new BMW Oracle trimaran undergoing structural tests. Anacortes, 26 August 2008. Photo copyright Gilles Martin-Raget / BMW Oracle

QUEBRAMAR GP42 CUP: No racing in a windless and foggy day. Desafío wins Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler; AIRIS second, MADRID third

No racing took place during the closing day of the Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler. Desafío wins comfortably, with 4 bullets in 5 races. AIRIS is second while 3rd-placed MADRID achieves best ever result

Cascais, 30 August 2008: Unfortunately, the dense fog that covered the Cascais bay from the wee hours of the day didn’t dissipate early enough in order to allow racing to be held on the third and closing day of the 8th Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler. The race committee waited till the last second of the 3:30pm deadline but to no avail.

Desafío clearly wins this 5th event of the Quebramar Cup, with four victories in 5 races. To say that the Spanish team was consistent would be an understatement. Even after crossing the line early and making a penalty turn, the boat helmed by Laureano Wizner was able to win races.

Italian AIRIS was second, showing enough consistency reaching also second place in the overall Quebramar Cup leaderboard. On the other hand, MADRID, the Spanish boat skippered by Jose Maria van der Ploeg, achieved its best result ever this season by grabbing 3rd place. Gustavo Lima, the Portuguese sailor that called tactics in this event, proved to be an invaluable addition to the crew.

On the overall QUEBRAMAR Cup score table, Desafío managed to increase its lead and now has an 18-point advantage over 2nd placed AIRIS that is now clear of 3rd placed Near Miss.

The grand final of the Quebramar Cup will be the Trofeo Cesar Manrique, taking place in Puerto Calero, from October 16 to 18.

Video highlights from the Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler

Quotes

Santi López-Vázquez, tactician of Desafío, winner of Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler: Consistency and regularity was the key to winning this regatta. We had 4 victories and we were always within the top five at every mark. We clearly showed that under these light-medium conditions we are sufficiently fast and if we don’t commit errors we can be at the top. On the other hand, our competitors committed mistakes and we took advantage of them, especially in a day like yesterday. We have also further improved crew work and are able to successfully handle all situations, except maybe a couple of starts, but we were then able to recover our way through the race.

Cesare Bressan, team manager of AIRIS, 2nd placed: Desafío deserves its victory in this regatta and the overall leadership in the Quebramar Cup. We are obviously happy with the second place but we still are disappointed we failed to take advantage of our potential both in Valencia as well as in Palma. We will try to defend our overall position and why not win the last event of the season.

José Mª Van der Ploeg, owner of Madrid, 3rd placed: We are very happy with the result we achieved in this event. We get to learn the boat better every day, we are solving the speed problems and this makes us climb positions but we still have one remaining problem, that is consistency, a key for this class. We still have a long way to go, it’s a question of team work and self-confidence and we hope it will be solved when we feel surer about what we can achieve. It’s a gradual process that we hope to finish as soon as possible, as do our sponsors.

Light winds in Cascais, two races and two bullets for Desafío

Desafío consolidates its leadership both in the event and the Quebramar Cup with two bullets in today's races, marked by the very light conditions. AIRIS is two points ahead of Near Miss in the overall score table

Cascais, 29 August 2008: If yesterday it provided ideal sailing conditions, today the Bay of Cascais, has partially betrayed the GP42 fleet participating to the Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler. Since the early morning hours, the Portuguese village was embedded in a grey atmosphere and the sponsors’ and organizer’s flags hung limply from their poles.

Second day of racing at the Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler. Cascais, 29 August 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Quebramar Cup

Desafío starts the day with a victory

After more than two hours waiting and having moved the race area closer to the coast, the Race Committee finally succeeded in firing the starting signal at around 15.30 local time, with a very light breeze of around 5/6 knots on a windward/leeward course, 1.4 miles long.
Despite the conditions the start was very tight, as usual for the Class, so much that the provisional scoreboard leader, Spanish Desafío were over the line. Not a big issue for them, though, because on the first upwind leg they soon could regain almost all the lost ground. At the mark they rounded in second place, just behind Madrid helmed by Olympic medallist José Maria Van der Ploeg helped by local sailor and tactician Gustavo Lima. A few seconds later it was Airis’ turn, then rounded Roma GP42.2 not exactly at ease today, followed by Canarias Puerto Calero, Near Miss, Bodegas Luis Alegre and Caser-Quum.

From the first mark on the race turned into a real nerve war and a stressful event for tacticians and navigators, who were obliged to keep an attentive eye on the slightest variation in wind pressure or direction. The Committee correctly opted for a course change and to shorten the leg to 1.2 miles in order to give them a chance to finish the race. Like yesterday, anyway, it was the right side of the course the favoured one. And Desafío went right to overtake Madrid, while Airis was trailing behind at short distance. On the finish line it was the green hull of Desafio to cross in first for the third consecutive time in two days. Second was Madrid, third Airis and then all the others.

Second day of racing at the Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler. Cascais, 29 August 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Quebramar Cup

Second race for the fleet and second win for Desafío

As the wind has slightly increased to 7/8 knots, the organizers decided to go for a second race. The start was won by Madrid and Near Miss while Caser-Quum was over the line. The fleet sailed in a compact group to the top mark where Desafio stated his supremacy again, rounding first. A good upwind performance was shown by the Italians on Airis, really consistent today, who were distanced only by 23 seconds and by Near Miss at 45”.

Never endangered by their competitors or by the weather conditions, the sailors coming form the Spanish America’s Cup team, finally crossed the line in the lead, putting their signature on the Trofeu, being a healthy seven points ahead of Airis and a huge 13 points on Madrid and Near Miss. In fifth position is Roma GP42.2 (22), in sixth Canarias Puerto Calero (23) and then Caser-Quum and Bodegas Luis Alegre (both at 35).

With today’s double win Desafio also consolidated their leadership in the general provisional results of the QUEBRAMAR Cup circuit. Italian Airis is now second overall, 2 points ahead of 3rd placed Near Miss.

Second day of racing at the Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler. Cascais, 29 August 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Quebramar Cup

Quotes

Cesare Bressan, mainsail on AIRIS: It was yet another nice day but a difficult one because the fleet is very compact and conditions were very variable, making it even tougher. I have to admit that we are impressed by Desafío’s consistency, speed boat and overall preparation, while in the rest of the fleet there is still a lot of irregularity and as a result, the score table is fluctuating. We were able to sail two good races point-wise and get a couple of points of advantage over Near Miss. Nevertheless, Desafío managed to further increase their lead over us. Tomorrow is another day, we hope we will able to sail three races and hopefully reduce Desafío’s advantage.

We still don’t know the boat thoroughly. We came here prepared for a stronger breeze but we actually have more Mediterranean conditions. We had to change the setup of the boat and this obviously made the difference. Without any doubt, the teams that have spent more hours sailing have an advantage over us, but what can we do, this is the way the regattas are made.

Desafío leads opening day in Cascais; AIRIS now tied second with Near Miss in overall Quebramar Cup standings

Desafío clearly leads in opening day of Trofeu Quebramar-Chrsyler; AIRIS now tied second with Near Miss in Quebramar Cup

Cascais, 28 August 2008: Two bullets and a fourth place in three races were enough to put Desafío on top of the Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler and increase its leadership in the overall Quebramar Cup standings. A bad day for Near Miss, 6th in the event, not only helped Desafío but also gave AIRIS the chance to bridge the gap it had and lie now tied in second place.

The GP42 fleet races in the opening day of the Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler. Cascais, 28 August 2008. Photo copyright Nico Martinez / Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler

Canarias Puerto Calero grabs victory in the first race

The opening race of the 8th Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler got under way under lighter conditions but fortunately not as weak as initially forecast. The race committee was able to fire the starting gun right on time under a north western breeze of around 10-12 knots.

The start was very tight and the key to the race was to opt for the right side of the course and go as close to the coast as possible. This is exactly the plan Canarias Puerto Calero and Roma GP42.2 had and they stuck to it. The Italian boat, helmed by match race champion Paolo Cian, led the fleet from the start, closely followed by the Spanish, helmed by José Maria Ponce. The Italians rounded the top mark in first place but the Spaniards read the wind better in the first downwind leg and managed to get ahead.

Canarias Puerto Calero rounded the leeward gate in first place, followed by Roma GP42.2 and Near Miss. The rest of the race turned into a duel between Ponce and Ciàn but the young Spanish crew kept their leadership. Under a breeze that built up to 15 knots, they crossed the finish line half a minute ahead of Roma GP42.2. Airis, the second Italian team, had an excellent run and finished third, ahead of Desafío and Near Miss.

The GP42 fleet races in the opening day of the Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler. Cascais, 28 August 2008. Photo copyright Nico Martinez / Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler

Desafío wins second race, overtaking MADRID in the last 10 meters

With the breeze over 15 knots, the race committee didn’t waste a moment before giving the start for the day’s second race. Once again the fleet got off with a very close and tight start, with MADRID and Near Miss holding a slight advantage. Desafío had a quite average start but was able to work its way up the fleet during the first beat and get positioned in second place.

MADRID rounded the top mark 3 boathlenghts ahead of Desafío, with Near Miss, Airis and Roma GP42.2 close behind them. It seems the local knowledge brought by the team’s Portuguese tactician, Gustavo Lima, bore its fruit. The race turned into a fierce battle between MADRID and Desafío but the team sponsored by the Spanish capital not only stayed on top of the situation but managed to build its advantage. At the same time Near Miss and AIRIS were also holding their duel for third place.

The breeze was picking up and reached 20 knots in the last run, turning the MADRID-Desafío gybing duels into a nail biting photo finish. Finally, Desafío prevailed in the last stretch of the race and with a final push they crossed the finish line a mere second ahead of MADRID. Near Miss was third, half a minute behind the two Spanish yachts.

The GP42 fleet races in the opening day of the Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler. Cascais, 28 August 2008. Photo copyright Nico Martinez / Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler

Second victory for Desafío in the third race

The 10-degree right shift was evident late in the afternoon and the race committee acted accordingly. The start was extremely tight and the whole fleet was packed up at the committee boat end of the starting line. Desafío and Roma GP42.2 had a very good start and led the fleet in the first beat. On the other hand, things were not as rosy for Near Miss that was penalized in an incident with Caser-Quum at the start line and had to perform a 360-degree turn.

Desafío clearly led the race despite the constant pressure by Roma GP42.2 that was also feeling the heat from MADRID and Airis, alternating second and third place in every rounding. The race was judged in its second half when the two leaders, Desafío and Roma GP42.2, managed to escape from the rest of the fleet. Still, Paolo Cian was unable to reach Laureano Wizner whose boat crossed the finish line 23 seconds ahead.

Although the breeze was constant in pressure, a slight left shift in the final beat allowed the boats that saw it to pick up some places. Airis finished third and Madrid 4th. Caser-Quum was able to overtake Near Miss, sending the Swiss to 6th place.

The GP42 fleet races in the opening day of the Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler. Cascais, 28 August 2008. Photo copyright Nico Martinez / Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler

Quotes

Paolo Cian, helmsman on Roma GP42.2: I would say we had a good day. We sailed well, Alvaro Maurinho made good tactic calls but I probably made an error in the start of the second race, I got squeezed by Desafío and we reached the starting line late. Probably, without that error we could have done better in the second race as well. I think that we carried out our manoeuvres quite well and our boat speed is good.

Tactically, the right side pays off in Cascais, generally. Still, in the last leg we were able to recover a lot by going left. I have also noticed there is a lot of difference in wind pressure between the surface and the top of the mast. Wind is quite turbulent and this is not always obvious. We trust Alvaro and it appears it pays off.

Sandro Monefucso, helmsman on AIRIS: We didn’t have a great day today. It’s a pity that we started well in the first race but two boats squeezed in ahead of us because of the current. In the second race we started well but finished fourth. The last race turned bad, we made mistakes but finally managed to finish third. We paid the price of our errors and I hope we work better tomorrow.

In general lines, the right was the favoured side and as a result it wasn’t a difficult race. You had to calculate the correct layline because the current could take you higher. That was the biggest problem but again, both upwind and downwind, the right was the side to be

Santi López-Vázquez, tactician on Desafío: It’s been a good day for two reasons. Firstly, we won two races and that allowed us to grab leadership of the event. Even if it’s going to be difficult we obviously want to win this event. Second, Near Miss had a bad day and that increased our leadership in the overall Quebramar Cup standings. This makes our more confident in winning the championship for a second time, although it will be much more difficult.

The right side was clearly the favoured one and for that reason you had few tactical options to play. You had to go to the right but you also had to know when to tack because the current could make you go over the layline. Still, there was no doubt the right was clearly favoured, especially in the second and third race.

Quebramar GP42 Cup:Near Miss takes practice race in Cascais under excellent conditions

[Source: Quebramar GP42 Cup] The start of the penultimate event of the Quebramar Cup took place under near-perfect conditions. The Swiss Near Miss won the practice race after a tough battle against Roma GP42.2 and Desafío.

Cascais, 27 August 2008: It seemed event organizers came to an agreement with the gods of wind in order to hold the opening practice race in near-perfect conditions. When the starting gun was fired at 3pm a constant western breeze of 15 to 20 knots was blowing over the Lisbon bay. The race committee was able to hold 2 starts and a complete race in a course that stretched from Cascais to the Tajo River.

Four of the 8 yachts of the GP42 fleet were on the starting line, Near Miss, Desafío, Roma GP42.2 and Canarias Puerto Calero, all of them with a guest from the media on board. New comers Bodegas Luis Alegre were making some last-minute changes, Madrid were waiting for a new boom to substitute the one they broke during the delivery, while Caser-Quum were also fine tuning their yacht.

The GP42 carry out their practice ray on the opening day of the 8th Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler. Cascais, 27 August 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Quebramar Cup

All 3 starts were very close and the entire race proved to be a relentless fight between all 4 yachts. Roma GP42.2, helmed by Paolo Cian led from the start but Bertrand Pacé on Near Miss overtook at the second leg. Desafío, helmed by Laureano Wizner, could have come in front of the race but at the approach to the first top mark the Spanish were involved in a port-starboard incident with the young crew from Canarias Puerto Calero and were forced to take a penalty turn.

Despite this disadvantage, Desafío held on and fought till the end, especially after Roma GP42.2 abandoned the race after rounding the leeward gate. The last leg was a true match race between them and Near Miss but the Swiss successfully defended their leadership, crossing the finish line 9 seconds ahead of Desafío.

The GP42 carry out their practice ray on the opening day of the 8th Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler. Cascais, 27 August 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Quebramar Cup

Canarias Puerto Calero was third and the Italians Airis, a yacht designed by Umberto Felci for Roberto Monti and helmed by Sandro Montefusco, crossed the finish line in fourth position. Nevertheless, the result was insignificant as the yacht joined the race halfway through after a last-minute modification in their mast.

Competition at full earnest for the 8th edition of the Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler will start tomorrow Thursday at 1pm local time. Three windward/leeward races are scheduled and the initial weather forecast seems to be quite favorable, albeit slightly lighter than today’s excellent conditions.

The GP42 carry out their practice ray on the opening day of the 8th Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler. Cascais, 27 August 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Quebramar Cup

The GP42 carry out their practice ray on the opening day of the 8th Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler. Cascais, 27 August 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Quebramar Cup

Bribón leads Murcia Trophy after protest win

[Source: AUDI MedCup] In brisk winds and moderate seas off Cartagena nothing could be taken for granted in conditions which exposed strengths and weaknesses in virtually equal measure to produce and exciting pair of races on the second day of the Region of Murcia Trophy, the penultimate Audi MedCup Circuit regatta of the 2008 season.

The day’s biggest misfortune visited Platoon powered by Team Germany and Quantum Racing proved they are entirely fallible. Honours were shared evenly between a consistent Mutua Madrilena scoring a pair of second places to take a share the same points tally as overall regatta leaders Bribón after the Spanish boat went into the protest room and won, ensuring the disqualification of Artemis from Race 3 of the regatta.

Desafio finished third in the first race and went on to win the second race to lie third overall.

With the muscular winds at between 15 and 21 knots the gusty breeze shifted direction regularly up the course to mix the dividends on either side of the track, whilst downwind there were always extra gains to be made in the surfing conditions.

Platoon powered by Team Germany won the tussle for the boat end of the start line in the first race and were able to work right early, going on to win, but they were only just minutes into executing the same game plan in the second race when a forestay fitting failed and they had to retire immediately. While they were unlucky to miss out on the second contest of the day, Platoon were also counting their blessings that there was not a third race.

While Platoon were able to extend, winning from Alberto Roemmers’ Matador (ARG) which has the sprightly veteran owner Rommers on board this week, enjoying the conditions, Bribón had only just battled back from a modest opening round when they were involved in an incident at the second leeward turn with Artemis (SWE). While Bribón sailed clear and did a penalty turn subsequently the two crews went in to the protest room with Bribón winning and Artemis suffering disqualification from race 4.

On the Audi MedCup Circuit the protest result means second placed Artemis lead third placed Bribón by just 2.2 points.

After a 40 minutes delay between Race 3 and Race 4 of the regatta as the breeze settled in at due East, a second good start for El Desafio gave them the chance to work the right as John Cutler (NZL) and Paul Cayard (USA) conspired to give the Spanish America’s Cup team their first Audi MedCup winning gun of the season, following hard on the heels of their recent success winning the class at Copa del Rey.
Desafio were able to get ahead at the first windward mark and the combination of polished crew work and the ability to sail their own race from the front saw Desafio convert their early lead to a win by 57 seconds over Mutua Madrilena.

Quantum Racing struggled off the second start line. At twenty seconds they were tacking up on port to get height up to the line and when the gun wnet the Audi MedCup Circuit leaders were slow and flat footed. Last off the start line they worked hard to get back to third at the top of the second beat, but they lost five places down a thrilling final run to score a weighty eighth.

“I sailed like a lemon.” said a visibly frustrated Terry Hutchinson (USA), “That’s all there is to it.”

Mutua Madrilena were fast in the conditions, confident in their calls and able to sail to their strategy, and eliminated the mistakes that hampered them earlier in the season. Only at the first mark, first time up did they blot their copybook with a twisted kite hoist, but they took three places on the second beat when they were able to gain the right, and then a further five boats on the final run.

At the top of the Region of Murcia Trophy regatta standings it is now Bribón who lead Mutua Madrilena with both on 15 points, with El Desafio third two points behind them on 17 and Quantum Racing fourth on 18pts.


“ We had a plan of what we wanted to do, we toughed it out and our side came through and we sailed a clean race. Today it was nice for us to make it stick. There have been times in the past where we have been in the lead in the past and worked our way back into the pack. Today was nice and everyone did a nice job. We are a bit more relaxed. We have been working very hard on some downwind techniques to get a bit more speed. Just learning a bit more each time. It has taken a bit of while to get one on the board, but it is important to feel that we can win. Paul has had some more time on the boat and things are going well.” said John Cutler. “We are really liking it here. The conditions are interesting, challenging and different and it is a nice City.”

“It was interesting today because the breeze was shifting and you really needed to stay in phase with it, and if you were allowed to do that you did well. There was a very definite pattern to it and staying in phase was the name of the game.” said Nacho Postigo (ESP) Mutua Madrilena’s navigator. “ In general we have been going well since Cagliari but just needed to cut out the stupidmistakes, and I think we did that today.”

Paul Cayard, Skipper/Helmsman of El Desafio
“ We had a decent start and John had a good game plan. He wanted the right in both races and we managed to get over there, and we did a good job of cashing in when it was time or being patient when we had to wait for a shift. Nacho did a great job trimming the main because there were very difficult conditions out there especially on port tack, it was very rough and hard to keep the speed. When it is that rough you have to find the right trim where the boat has the best balance and the guys kept the boat balanced very well both up and downwind, and we didn’t lose our composure.”

Jochen Schuemann (GER), Skipper/Helmsman of Platoon powered by Team Germany:
“I think the superstition came true again, after winning the practice race as today we won the first regatta, and had a good start to the last one, but after just a quarter of the first beat we broke the head stay and had to retire. A little luck with no third race means we only lose one and I think we can make repairs rapidly to be back in it again tomorrow. We are obviously keen to get good results here, it is very bad luck to break a piece which is hard to check – it either hold or it breaks, but these pieces should be solid enough on an offshore boat.”

Region of Murcia Trophy Regatta
Standings after four races. Updated after protest:

(Position, R1, R2, R3, R4, total points.)

1 Bribón ESP (1,3,8,3, 15)
2 Mutua Madrileña ESP (6,5, 2, 2, 15)
3 El Desafio ESP (9,4,3,1, 17)
4 Quantum Racing USA (5,1,4,8, 18)
5 Matador ARG (2,6,5,5, 18)
6 Caixa Galicia ESP (4,10,6,6, 26)
7 Platoon powered by Team Germany GER (11,2,1,15,DNF, 29)
8 Audi Q8 ITA (8,7,7,7, 29)

9 Artemis SWE (3,9,15 DSQ, 4, 31)

10 Synergy RUS (12,8,9,9, 38)

Bribón leads in the first day of Trofeo Murcia

[Source: AUDI MedCup] Bribón made their best start to an Audi MedCup Circuit regatta since the start of the season in Alicante, when they won the first race of the Region of Murcia Trophy Regatta and followed up with a strong third place to take an early two points advantage over the ever consistent Audi MedCup Circuit leaders Quantum Racing.

The waters off Cartagena, a new venue for the MedCup Circuit, have already dealt a new set of challenges for the crews and the regatta organisers. The deep waters shelve sharply to the shore and the adjacent steep mountainsides swirl the breezes. Combined together the choppy, big, disorganised seas and the shifty winds, which ranged from 14-21 knots today, were an invitation to the opportunists and smart, slick sailors. Certainly the opening day of this fifth regatta of the Audi MedCup Circuit did not simply bow down and respect the speeds of the newer boats in the fleet, and there were plenty of chances to use the wind shifts and big waves.

While series leaders Quantum Racing relinquished their early lead in the race when they fouled their spinnaker sheet on the first hoist, Bribón’s winning tactics carried the same hallmarks as previous race victories this season.
After a modest first beat to lie 12th behind leaders ONO (ESP) and Caixa Galicia (ESP) then double Olympic medallist Ross MacDonald (CAN) used the shifts downwind for helm Dean Barker (NZL) to challenge on the second beat and cross the bows of both boats, going on to win by 27 seconds from Matador (ARG) which has Thierry Peponnet (FRA) serving as tactician, with Artemis (SWE) third.

Quantum Racing made no such errors in the second race and went on to win, leading from first mark to the finish, although Platoon powered by Team Germany - also looking to atone for a less than perfect first race - pushed the American boat to the gun, the Audi backed German boat timed across just one second behind and losing out only on one final surge by Terry Hutrchinson on the helm of Quantum.

Platoon lost out at the windward mark, first time up in the first race, when they tried to make a port tack approach and ended up having to duck to the back of a very busy starboard tack line up, skipper Jochen Schuemann (GER) reporting later that they were forced to sail all day with no instruments.

While the two leaders duelled down the final run, so too it was close between Bribón and Spain’s El Desafio which has Paul Cayard (USA) back on the helm. Bribón had to swap spinnakers in a hurry on the final run, but managed to hold off the Spanish America’s Cup team by three seconds to reserve third place and the regatta lead is theirs.

“It was great, good waves and different open race course, nice to get a shifty race course. We took a few boats on the first run of the first race, and Ross did some nice work on the second beat and in the second race we managed to come away with a third, so we are pleased with that. It was shifty and pretty puffy, and so it was really nice racing, and the forecast is for even more tomorrow and so it might even be a bit like Marseille. One of the things today was there was opportunities on both sides of the race course, and then the nice thing is when you do get a bit of an opportunity to mix it up, it works. It was really good for us. We are slowly getting more and more out of this boat, but we are certainly not as quick as the newer boats. In that breeze our speed is OK, but not as good as the newer boats.” said Dean Barker (NZL), Bribon’s helm.

Terry Hutchinson (USA), Skipper-Helmsman of Quantum Racing (USA): “ It was a disappointing first race, we had a great work up the first beat and rounded the top mark in the lead, we set our spinnaker and then the spinnaker sheet got wrapped around the coaming in the back of the boat, and started sawing through the back of the boat – a little bit of a worry! Our eight or nine boat length lead went down to zero and from there we were passed by all, but again the guys did some great work on the last run and we got back into fifth. In the second race we got the end of the line we wanted but I didn’t do such a good last wrap-up, but if today is anything to go by it is going to be full-on this week, and some awesome racing expected. It’s a good feeling to get started again. The race committee did some great work out there holding the marks, because these conditions are pretty tough on everybody.”

Ignati Triay (ESP), jib trimmer on Bribon: “Nobody is used to these kinds of conditions, you get the feeling you are in the middle of the sea, rather than in a bay or gulf, or some kind of protected area like in Marseille, Cagliari or Palma. The shape of the coastline, coupled with a north-easterly wind on a race course set quite far from the shore means that you have a more open-water effect, and with big seas. The wind does its own thing which leaves tactics wide open. What most impressed me today was coming back from a 12th on the first beat to a 3rd on the following run, after choosing the right downwind along with ONO and CXG which put the three of us in the lead at the gate. There are a lot more options than in a normal bay and that makes the competition fantastic.”

Guillermo Parada (ARG) skipper of Matador (ARG): “It was a good Start to the week since we didn’t sail brilliantly and made quite a lot of mistakes, and even then got some decent results. It has been a while since we sailed with this kind of wind and there were a few errors, as well as my starts not being too good either. I am going to have to read the manuals again, but if we can get it all straightened we will be feeling confident.” “ The boat is going well and we still have quite a few new sails both for here and Portimao. We have run our programme well so we still have some good material to use. The race course is tough, and the depth and shifts makes it very hard for the committee to lay the marks, something we have to keep an eye on especially at the start, as they move around quite a lot!”

Steve Hayles (GBR), Navigator of Matador: “It was very tricky out there, big wind and waves and although the breeze was up it was very shifty. Normally when the wind is up it doesn’t move around so much but with the two winds, and big mountains inland it makes it very hard to fathom out. We felt quite confused at times but we have come away with a couple of good results so as an opener that’s not bad!”

If conditions stay like this it certainly is going to make very interesting racing upwind and downwind with lots of place changes. Often in these races things don’t usually alter after the first beat but there was a lot going on out there today; a huge amount at stake which obviously makes it very interesting. When you are in the lead it is hard to maintain and behind there are always good opportunities to get by- an interesting week ahead of us for sure!”

“ Thierry Peponnet and I are a new partnership, I haven’t worked with him before but I’m really enjoying it. Of course every one works in a different way and that takes some time to fit in individually. It is an on-going battle to keep in the top three and look at results overall and not just this regatta.”

Standings, Region of Murcia Trophy
After two races.
(Place, Boat, Nationlaity, R1, R2 Points total)
1. Bribón ESP (1,3, 4)
2. Quantum Racing USA (5,1, 6)
3. Matador ARG (2,6, 8)
4. Mutua Madrileña ESP (6,5, 11)
5. Artemis SWE (3,9, 12)
6. Platoon powered by T. Germany GER (11,2, 13)
7. El Desafio ESP (9,4, 13)
8. Caixa Galicia ESP (4,10, 14)
9. Audi Q8 ITA (8,7, 15)
10. Rusal Synergy RUS (12,8, 20)

BMW Oracle's new trimaran has been commissioned

[Source: BMW Oracle] BMW ORACLE Racing’s new 90-foot multihull yacht touched water for the first time today and the trimaran was commissioned with the traditional bottle of champagne smashed across the bow.

In a team gathering at the water’s edge, the carbon fiber boat was lowered into Fidalgo Bay in front of the boat yard where it was constructed on the Anacortes waterfront. Melinda Erkelens, Golden Gate Yacht Club board member and BMW ORACLE Racing team member, broke a bottle of Moët et Chandon as she commissioned the new BMW ORACLE Racing 90.

BMW Oracle christens new monster trimaran. Anacortes, 25 August 2008. Photo copyright Gilles Martin-Raget/ BMW ORACLE Racing

“We have learned a lot and developed a lot of new technology in building this boat and I’m really looking forward to testing it on the water,” said team CEO and Skipper Russell Coutts. “It is going to be an interesting challenge and we will need to build up slowly and carefully to testing its full potential,” Coutts said.

The team expects sea trials to begin in early September once the fit-out is complete and structural load tests are conducted dockside.

The team partnered with Van Peteghem and Lauriot Prévost (VPLP) of France and one of the most successful skippers in multihull racing, Franck Cammas, to design the innovative trimaran.

BMW Oracle christens new monster trimaran. Anacortes, 25 August 2008. Photo copyright Gilles Martin-Raget/ BMW ORACLE Racing

Led by Mark Turner and Tim Smyth, the BMW ORACLE Racing construction team has worked in a purpose-built composite yacht construction facility housed in a 100-foot x 200-foot, three-story shed. Janicki Industries in nearby Sedro-Woolley provided high-tech precision tooling.

Bringing unique technological competence and setting new standards in the area of intelligent lightweight design, BMW has been a key partner in developing the boat. BMW aeronautical engineers, Christoph Erbelding and Thomas Hahn, have stayed with the design team since the 32nd campaign providing unique expertise in finite element analysis, which is a key tool for fulfilling EfficientDynamics requirements in the automotive industry.

The yacht is a key element of the team’s preparation for the next America’s Cup, representing San Francisco’s Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC), on which a ruling is expected from the New York State Court of Appeals in the next six months.

Lots of smiling faces in front of the freshly-launched BMW Oracle 90ft trimaran. Will they also be smiling next May? Anacortes, 25 August 2008. Photo copyright Gilles Martin-Raget/ BMW ORACLE Racing

BMW Oracle christens new monster trimaran. Anacortes, 25 August 2008. Photo copyright Gilles Martin-Raget/ BMW ORACLE Racing

BMW Oracle is christening the brand new monster trimaran

Technology truly makes the world a small village. It's amazing what you can do with a simple internet-enabled camera phone...

In this blog you can watch and read about, almost real-time, BMW Oracle's christening of the monster trimaran in Anacortes, USA.

I wonder what name she was given.

Platoon takes practice race win in Carthagena

[Source: AUDI MedCup] The fifth venue of the 2008 Audi MedCup, Carthagena in Spain, proved to be just as challenging as expected today, with Platoon powered by Team Germany coming out best to take the practice race win.

With between 9 and 11 knots of wind the Carthagena race course was affected by two wind systems: a gradient breeze from around 180 degrees and, closer inshore, and a more northerly thermal pressure system from around 120 degrees. “It’s actually a very difficult place to go sailing in, there’s two winds – a gradient wind and a sea breeze – and it’s very subtle,” explained Matador’s navigator Steve Hayles. “Thierry [Pepponet, Matador’s tactician] and myself spent quite a lot of time before the start trying to fathom it out, and it wasn’t easy.”

With a port end-favoured line and most tacticians aiming for the left-hand lane going up the first beat, the pin end was a little crowded. El Desafio (ESP) opted to take the right-hand side of the spread-out fleet, whilst Platoon (GER) — who are currently lying sixth overall in the Audi MedCup — led the pack up the left of the beat and around the top mark. Matador (ARG) carried on the longest up the shore side of the course to round in third, just behind Artemis (SWE). German multiple Olympic medalist Jochen Schuemann on Platoon held on to the lead down the run, but Matador came past Artemis into second. At the final top mark Platoon rounded with Matador hot on their heels, the pair matching each other gybe for gybe but Platoon held on to get the first gun. Behind them Bribon (ESP) had a great second run to finish seconds after Matador in third, followed by CxG Corporación Caixa Galicia (ESP), while series leaders Quantum Racing (USA) were back in tenth.

The fleet at the start of the practice race. Carthagena, 25 August 2008. Photo copyright Thierry Martinez / AUDI MedCup

Platoon’s first place was a timely present for Tim Kroger (GER), their mainsail grinder, who is 44 today. “I think if we get our act together this week we can be on the podium again; the boat and team have the potential but you also need that little bit of luck to get the show rolling. We are quite confident but not overly so, as the competition is very tough, but today we had some good practice starts and good speed, so I think we have a good chance. We will certainly work very hard to make it happen.”

Matador’s navigator Steve Hayles (GBR) was also pleased with their team’s second — they are currently lying fifth overall in the 2008 Audi MedCup. “The only shame is having done a half decent job today the whole thing will be very different tomorrow. I think the sea breeze is going to die a bit and the gradient breeze, which here is offshore, is going to be a lot stronger, and that will change it. But it’s good fun trying to fathom it all out, it’s actually interesting to go to a new place.

“We’re one of the most improved boats. We were average to good at the start of the year, and we’ve been getting stronger and stronger as the year’s gone on. We’ve made lots of improvements, including our techniques, we’ve been a lot more active with our coaching – we kind of knew we had to step it up. We’ve got an eye on the regatta; we’d always be looking for a top three at the regatta, and there’s a reasonable chance that we could be a really strong boat in the Audi MedCup Circuit overall as well. Two regattas to go and we’re in fifth spot but Mean Machine have dropped and out and we’re not too far behind.”

“Matador really wants to win this regatta which is tough on me!” added Matador’s tactician Thierry Pepponet (FRA), who joins the team from Audi Q8. “They finished second in the Breitling Regatta, and they want a better result so that just leaves winning! It is a lot of pressure, but I like that and I am sure all the people on board and the boat can do it; we will do all we can to achieve that goal!”

The fleet sailing downwind during the practice race. Carthagena, 25 August 2008. Photo copyright Ian Roman / AUDI MedCup

Ed Reynolds (USA), Project Manager of Quantum, the current Audi MedCup leaders: “This of any of the events had us the most worried since it was such an unknown — trying to get weather data, or any historical perspective has been really tough, but I’m pretty sure everyone has been through the same thing. We came here thinking it would be a light air venue but now it looks like it may well be a breezy regatta right through to Friday which makes us feel a little better, especially in the situation we are in right now. A light fluky racecourse is just so nerve-racking! We would like some nice consistent breeze, see where the shifts fall and take it from there!

“Getting good boatspeed is a never-ending battle, and identifying modes and today the main focus was getting everybody back communicating so we can start the team dynamics again; the afterguard is made up of such diverse personalities so that was our biggest focus. We never use our race sails for the practice race so are always maybe a touch off the pace.”

Racing for the Region de Murcia Trophy starts tomorrow (Tuesday August 25th) at 1300hrs with up to three windward-leeward races scheduled.

Video highlights from the practice race of the Murcia Trophy

The BMW Oracle trimaran taken out of her shed

There is a whole new bunch of pictures of BMW Oracle's monster trimaran being trucked out of her shed in Anacortes. These pictures are provided by the team and are dated August 23rd.

Regardless of what opinion one might have on Larry Ellison, Russell Coutts, GGYC and the team as a whole, this is an impressive, mind-blowing yacht. Just look at the mast!!! Are we going to see it Valencia? I hope so.

BMW Oracle's new trimaran taken out of the shed. Anacortes, 23 August 2008. Photo copyright Neil Rabinowitz / BMW ORACLE Racing

BMW Oracle's new trimaran taken out of the shed. Anacortes, 23 August 2008. Photo copyright Neil Rabinowitz / BMW ORACLE Racing

BMW Oracle's new trimaran taken out of the shed. Anacortes, 23 August 2008. Photo copyright Neil Rabinowitz / BMW ORACLE Racing

BMW Oracle's new trimaran taken out of the shed. Anacortes, 23 August 2008. Photo copyright Neil Rabinowitz / BMW ORACLE Racing

BMW Oracle's new trimaran taken out of the shed. Anacortes, 23 August 2008. Photo copyright Neil Rabinowitz / BMW ORACLE Racing

BMW Oracle's new trimaran taken out of the shed. Anacortes, 23 August 2008. Photo copyright Neil Rabinowitz / BMW ORACLE Racing

BMW Oracle's new trimaran taken out of the shed. Anacortes, 23 August 2008. Photo copyright Neil Rabinowitz / BMW ORACLE Racing

BMW Oracle's new trimaran taken out of the shed. Anacortes, 23 August 2008. Photo copyright Neil Rabinowitz / BMW ORACLE Racing

More photos of the BMW Oracle trimaran

Here's an additional three pictures of the BMW Oracle trimaran that was publicly unveiled yesterday, August 22nd, in Anacortes, a small town in the American state of Washington. According to BMW Oracle's official statement, "the team continues the final fit-out of the boat as it prepares for some preliminary sea trials here next month".

The new BMW Oracle trimaran. Anacortes, 22 August 2008. Photo copyright BMW Oracle

The new BMW Oracle trimaran. Anacortes, 22 August 2008. Photo copyright BMW Oracle

The new BMW Oracle trimaran. Anacortes, 22 August 2008. Photo copyright BMW Oracle

The QUEBRAMAR GP42 Cup goes to Cascais

[Source: Quebramar GP42 Cup] The fifth and penultimate event of the international Quebramar GP42 Cup will take place in the spectacular settings of Cascais, Portugal. Starting Thursday, August 28th and for 3 days, the eight GP42 boats participating in the Trofeu Quebramar Chrysler will provide tight and close races.

Cascais, 22 August 2008: With a red-hot overall score table, the Quebramar GP42 Cup will visit the Portuguese coastal city for the penultimate event of the season. If the venue lives up to its fame of strong and constant winds, racing will not only be exciting but also thrilling as any of the participating boats could very well end up with the trophy.

A mere 11 points separate the three leaders of the overall score table after 4 events. Desafío, helmed by Laureano Wizner, managed to increase its advantage by 1 point to 7, after an extremely tough week and 11 races in the Copa del Rey last month. Second-placed Near Miss, the Swiss boat owned by Frank Nöel and helmed by Bertrand Pacé, had an excellent start in Palma with 4 straight bullets but was unable to maintain the pace till the end. Italian AIRIS, owned by Roberto Monti and helmed by Sandro Montefusco, is a further 4 points behind the Swiss and consolidated its third place.

The GP42 fleet in the 27 Copa del Rey AUDI MAPFRE. Palma de Majorca, 31 July 2008. Photo copyright Iñigo Aznar / Quebramar GP42 Cup

Italian Roma GP42.2, helmed by Italian match race star Paolo Ciàn, might be a further 22 points down but her steady upward path, particularly in Valencia and Palma, makes her a certain candidate to win the event. Further down, Canarias Puerto Calero, Madrid and Caser-Quum, will definitely prove to be tough opponents and will stage a tough fight to climb positions.

Although not a newcomer to the GP42 class, another boat will make in Cascais her debut in this year’s Quebramar Cup. It is Bodegas Luís Alegre, a 2007-generation boat, owned by Alberto Fernández and Oscar Ibáñez that raced last year under the name Totalboats.

Racing will start on Thursday, August 28th but similarly to the Copa del Rey, on Wednesday the 8 boats will carry out their practice race with a corporate or media guest aboard. The starting gun will be fired at 1pm each day and a total of 9 races are scheduled, 3 per day. As a result, no races will be discarded and each and every one will count towards the overall score table.

AIRIS sails in the 27 Copa del Rey AUDI MAPFRE. Palma de Majorca, 31 July 2008. Photo copyright Iñigo Aznar / Quebramar GP42 Cup

The 8th edition of the Cascais Troféu Quebramar-Chrysler is organized by the Clube Naval de Cascais and is sponsored by the Portuguese clothing company Quebramar as well as Chrysler Jeep Dodge Portugal.

The grand finale of the Quebramar GP42 Cup 2008 will take place in Puerto Calero, in the Spanish island of Lanzarote, where the GP42 fleet will race in the Trofeo César Manrique from October 16th to 18th. With all this season’s events being so close and tight, one should expect that the championship will not be decided till the last event is over.

Near Miss sails in the 27 Copa del Rey AUDI MAPFRE. Palma de Majorca, 31 July 2008. Photo copyright Iñigo Aznar / Quebramar GP42 Cup

BMW Oracle unveils new trimaran

[Source: BMW Oracle] BMW ORACLE Racing said today it was very pleased to confirm that after nine months of intense activity its team in Anacortes is in the final stages of preparing its new 90-foot multihull yacht for sailing.

The carbon fiber trimaran emerged from under wraps at its purpose-built construction shed here for the first time today. The trimaran is the third yacht constructed for the team in this waterfront community 100 miles north of Seattle, and is an outstanding achievement by its designers and builders, the team’s CEO and skipper, Russell Coutts said.

“This is a very special boat and represents a special achievement by a hugely committed team who are among the world’s best at what they do,” Coutts said. We have learned a lot in getting to this point and now we are looking forward to testing it on the water.”

BMW Oracle's trimaran. Anacortes, 22 August 2008. Photo copyright Mo Fuzz

BMW Oracle's trimaran. Anacortes, 22 August 2008. Photo copyright Mo Fuzz

BMW Oracle's trimaran. Anacortes, 22 August 2008. Photo copyright Mo Fuzz

The yacht is a key element of the team’s preparation for the next America’s Cup, representing San Francisco’s Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC), on which a ruling is expected from the New York State Court of Appeals in the next six months.

The team partnered with Van Peteghem / Lauriot Prévost (VPLP) of France and one of the most successful skippers in multihull racing, Franck Cammas, to design the innovative trimaran.

Led by Mark Turner and Tim Smyth, the BMW ORACLE Racing construction team has worked in a purpose-built composite yacht construction facility housed in a 100-foot x 200-foot, three-story shed. Janicki Industries in nearby Sedro-Woolley provided high-tech precision tooling.

“Today, everyone is proud to have reached this milestone in the final launch preparations,” Turner said. “Our team has worked hard and we have enjoyed great local support.” Turner said the team is delighted by the expertise available in Anacortes, which has a well developed cluster of marine infrastructure, aerospace-quality tooling and other support operations required for such a high-tech undertaking.

BMW Oracle's trimaran. Anacortes, 22 August 2008. Photo copyright Neil Rabinowitz / BMW Oracle

Bringing unique technological competence and setting new standards in the area of intelligent lightweight design, BMW has been a key partner in developing the boat. BMW aeronautical engineers, Christoph Erbelding and Thomas Hahn, have stayed with the design team since the 32nd campaign providing unique expertise in finite element analysis, which is a key tool for fulfilling EfficientDynamics requirements in the automotive industry.

Erbelding works with the rig team in Valencia and Rhode Island, while Hahn is based with the hull structures team at Anacortes; both are integral team members in ensuring the boat is as stiff and light as possible while delivering maximum performance.

The team continues the final fit-out of the boat as it prepares for some preliminary sea trials here next month.

BMW Oracle's trimaran. Anacortes, 22 August 2008. Photo copyright Neil Rabinowitz / BMW Oracle

Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson win Britain's fourth sailing gold in Star medal race

[Source: ISAF] British crew Iain PERCY and Andrew SIMPSON won the final gold medal of the 2008 Olympic Sailing Competition after a thrilling finish to Thursday's Star Medal Race.

Iain PERCY adds Star success to the gold medal he won in the single-handed Finn dinghy in Sydney eight years ago, whilst Andrew SIMPSON wins gold in his first appearance at the Games. Brazilians Robert SCHEIDT and Bruno PRADA (BRA) won the silver medal with the Swedish crew of Fredrik LOOF and Anders EKSTROM, who held the overall lead going into the Medal Race, taking bronze.

“This win is far more sweet than the gold in the Finn,” said PERCY. “Six months ago, we knew we could do. It’s just that there was so much work involved and there are so many talents in the class. We always knew we were contenders, but only contenders. Every morning we wake up thinking about sailing and nothing else.”

The Star Medal Race was perfectly poised with just two points separating the leading Swedish and British crews and SCHEIDT and PRADA third overall, 14 points back and ready to pounce on any mistakes. With these six crews sharing three gold, one silver and one bronze medal between them, it was a genuine battle of the heavyweights.

Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson sail to Olympic gold in Star. Qingdao, 22 August 2208. Photo copyright Juerg Kaufmann

A southeasterly on 12 knots and big seas set the scene for a thrilling race. PERCY and SIMPSON just had to beat LOOF and EKSTROM and immediately put the pressure on their rivals. After a bout of pre-start manoeuvring, the Brits had the Swedes pinned outside the Committee boat and gained an advantage off the start, but LOOF and EKSTROM fought back strongly up the right of the first beat, rounding the top mark just ahead of the Brits. Meanwhile SCHEIDT and PRADA had got off to a flier at the pin end and pulled out an early lead. Sweden and Britain never strayed far from one another during the battle downwind, with LOOF and EKSTROM initially appearing to hold the advantage. However, PERCY and SIMPSON caught a good puff to surge ahead and rounded mark two in second with the Swedes and France’s ROHART and RAMBEAU just a few seconds further back.

On the second upwind Britain held the advantage over Sweden but these two teams appeared isolated on the left of the course, whilst the rest of the fleet made gains on the right. Could SCHEIDT and PRADA sneak in? If they won and PERCY and SIMPSON finished seventh and LOOF and EKSTROM eighth, gold would go to Brazil.

Halfway through, the race appeared wide open. “Everything was changing. Boat places were switched rapidly and we went from left to right. We just had to keep our eyes on the main guys and just fight, fight and fight,” PERCY said.

At this stage World Champions Mateusz KUSZNIEREWICZ and Dominik ZYCKI (POL) came into the frame, making big gains on the right of the course along with Flavio MARAZZI and Enrico DE MARIA (SUI) . They led into the final run with SCHEIDT and PRADA now down in fifth, PERCY and SIMPSON in seventh whilst the Swedes had dropped to last. The Brazilians and Brits again showed their speed downwind and both made up places on the run, whilst the Swedes continued to struggle at the back. At the front KUSZNIEREWICZ and ZYCKI took the bullet followed by the Swiss, SCHEIDT and PRADA pulled back two places to come in third, with Marc PICKEL and Ingo BORKOWSKI (GER) fourth and then the new Olympic Champions PERCY and SIMPSON in fifth.

“At first tears burst into my eyes. I was just so shocked. After so many years of hardship, to achieve this, here with your best friend is the best feeling in the world,” SIMPSON said.

LOOF and EKSTROM battled with ROHART and RAMBEAU down the final run but the French just held off their challenge, finishing one second ahead of the Swedes to give the silver medal to Brazil.

Spain's Fernando Echavarri and Anton Paz win gold in Tornado class

[Source: ISAF] Fernando ECHAVARRI and Anton PAZ won gold for Spain after a superb performance in today's Tornado Medal Race.

The Spanish duo finished fourth in today’s Medal Race to secure their place on the top step of the podium. Fernando ECHAVARRI and Anton PAZ (ESP) went into the race with a three point lead over Australians Darren BUNDOCK and Glenn ASHBY and quickly took the initiative by blasting off the starting line to establish an early lead. The Spaniards are at their best in moderate to strong wind conditions and were superb in today’s 12-15 knot breeze with big waves. They sailed a near-flawless race and always held the upper hand in the battle against the Aussies, eventually crossing the finishing line one place ahead of them in fourth to win Olympic gold. BUNDOCK and ASHBY won the silver medal with Santiago LANGE and Carlos ESPINOLA taking the bronze.

Since finishing eighth at the Athens ECHAVARRI and PAZ have taken their Tornado sailing to another level. Their breakthrough season was 2005, where they won both World and European titles and went on to be crowned ISAF Rolex World Sailors of the Year that November. The pair won their second World title together last year, although ECHAVARRI admitted Olympic success was what they really craved, “After 10 years of training we finally got our first Olympic medal. We feel like we’re the luckiest ones here. We’ve been performing very well together as a team. We’ve been winning championships and regattas, but this is the most important win of them all.”

BUNDOCK and ASHBY won the silver medal after a poor start and first beat put them at a big disadvantage from which they never really recovered. It is BUNDOCK’s second Olympic silver medal, he also won one in Sydney with John FORBES, and the Aussie admitted to being slightly deflated, “We are a little disappointed. We are here for the gold but we missed it because we stuffed up at the start and we parked. We’re still extremely happy about the silver,” said BUNDOCK.

Santiago LANGE and Carlos ESPINOLA of Argentina finished sixth in the Medal Race, good enough to secure the final podium spot and repeat their bronze medal success of Athens.

Since the very beginning of the Tornado Opening Series the Spanish crew has led at the end of every day, but had the Australian crew of BUNDOCK and ASHBY hard on their tails. It was no surprise to see these two crews dominating at the top of the leaderboard; between them they have won the past four Tornado World Championships and occupy positions #1 (BUNDOCK and ASHBY) and #2 (ECHAVARRI and PAZ) on the ISAF World Sailing Rankings. Ahead of today’s Medal Race the Spaniards held a narrow three-point advantage and ECHAVARRI admitted the nerves were jangling, “The conditions were really difficult today and we were quite nervous when we were out there. We just reminded ourselves to concentrate more on the sailing and treat it like any other race.”

The Spaniards didn’t show any signs of nerves as the blasted off the starting line in today’s race, dominating the first beat to lead at the top mark. In contrast the Aussies fluffed their start and headed off on their own to the left of the course, a costly decision which left them ninth at the top mark. “We could see all the breeze was over there,” explained ASHBY, “but we made up ground. We were really pumped and just keep hanging in.”

The British team of Leigh MCMILLAN and Will HOWDEN hooked into a big puff to surge into the lead on the downwind leg and never looked back from there. Meanwhile the Spaniards looked well in control, sticking to safe lines down the middle of the course and keeping a close eye on their Australian rivals.

BUNDOCK and ASHBY were beginning to make up ground and following a capsize by the Germans Johannes POLGAR and Florian SPALTEHOLZ the Aussies were up into fifth place by the downwind mark. However the Australians were somewhat hampered by a broken mast swivel and in front of them ECHAVARRI and PAZ were controlling the race. Although the British, Canadian and Dutch boats had all pulled ahead of them, it was the Australians the Spanish were racing and they never gave them a hint of a chance down the final run. MCMILLAN and HOWDEN took the gun to win the Medal Race but the cheers of 'ole' were for ECHAVARRI and PAZ as they crossed the line in fourth to win gold. BUNDOCK and ASHBY came in fifth to secure the silver medal, whilst LANGE and ESPINOLA followed in sixth to take bronze.

Team Russia Storm Home In Record Time

[Source: Team Russia] Team Russia completed its qualifier for the Volvo Ocean Race last night, coming into dock at their Portland base after six and a half days at sea, having travelled over 2200 nautical miles in a record breaking trip around Britain and Ireland.

The Russian yacht, named Kosatka, started from Portland (UK) in gale force southwesterly winds - perfect to test the boat and crew. Navigator Wouter Verbraak and skipper Andreas Hanakamp decided the conditions looked good to stage an unofficial attempt on the Round Britain and Ireland non-stop record in a monohull set by Solune in May 2004 of 7 days, 4 hours, 46 minutes and 22 seconds. As it transpired Team Russia shaved 15 hours off that record.

The first 24 hours were challenging with 40 knots winds gusting up to 50 in the English Channel and Straits of Dover. As the boat began its journey into the North Sea the wind eased. From having excess wind to start, Mother Nature moved the low further to the east, requiring the Team to adapt to lighter conditions; the combination was ideal for checking the latest generation of sails, communications and crew work.

Night shift doesn’t change the rhythm of the day. Keep pushing and 300 miles in 14 hours are the reward, in average 20 knots of breeze. Photo copyright Mark Covell / Team Russia

One item that received the thumbs up was the kite board helmets. The radical looking spray rails on the bow lived up to their reputation with noticeable improvement in high speed sailing, but they produce a serious amount of spray! Even at 15 knots of boat speed, everyone was covered in a non-stop salt-water shower. Better than green water over deck, and FAST, so no complaints!

It was a fantastic ride all the way from the Shetlands to the Irish Sea. In beam reaching conditions Kosatka excelled and even though they ran north of Ireland in lighter winds and a nasty swell from several directions, they easily clocked a 420-mile day.

Constantly monitoring a low-pressure system that rolled in from the Atlantic Ocean, they set themselves up to round its centre in the west and ride the back down across the Irish Sea towards the Scillies in 25-30 knots of wind. Conditions remained perfect to blast them home to finish at 18.30 in Portland last night.

The overriding comment as the guys left the boat was “WET”. One thing to improve before the start of the race in October is water ingress. As water is rushing over the boat at fire hose speed, every opportunity to get inside is found, making the inside a wet cave.

Explains Wouter Verbraak, “The Volvo is first of all a race to get the team around the world, then a race to get the boat around the world, and then a real race for points and glory. This qualifier is giving us some great building blocks for the first two, and so we are now preparing ourselves for the real stuff in less then two months.”

Stay tuned the Russians are coming.

Tom Ashley wins the Olympic gold medal in men's RS:X

[Source: ISAF] Tom ASHLEY won the Olympic gold medal for New Zealand in today's Medal Race of the Men's Windsurfer event at the 2008 Olympic Sailing Competition.

Tom ASHLEY, also the reigning World Champion, sailed a near flawless Medal Race, finishing third to win a tight three-way contest for gold. It is the first Olympic gold medal in sailing won by New Zealand since Barbara KENDALL’s victory in the Women’s Windsurfer event at Barcelona 1992. Frenchman Julien BONTEMPS finished one place behind ASHLEY in today’s Medal Race to take silver, whilst Israel’s Shahar ZUBARI edged out Nick DEMPSEY (GBR) to win bronze, winning the first medal for Israel at this Olympic Games.

Since finishing 10th in Athens as a 20 year old, ASHLEY has matured into a world beater on the windsurfing scene, a status he confirmed earlier this year with World Championship success on his home waters in New Zealand. In a fleet in which many competitors have a big performance differential in different wind conditions, his all-round ability has proved crucial this week and brought him the Olympic gold medal.

New Zealand's Tom Ashely wins the gold medal in RS:X. Qingdao, 20 August 2008. Photo copyright Juerg Kaufmann

"I've done it! It's the most incredible feeling and I can't begin to tell you how I feel right now," ASHLEY commented on returning to the boat park. ASHLEY, who is coached by Grant BECK (NZL), an instrumental figure the three previous medal wins of KENDALL, added that his Olympic success is the end of a long road, "I’ve been working toward this for so many years. It was an insanely tough Medal Race," he said. "The weather had a little bit of everything. I tried to sail as consistently as I could."

Yesterday ASHLEY had had his worst race of the regatta after getting caught on the wrong side of a big wind shift and finishing down in the 32nd place. That had dropped him from first to third overall, although he was still just one point off the lead and knew that if he could finish ahead of BONTEMPS and DEMPSEY today and not let ZUBARI get too far ahead, the gold medal would be his.

In a 7 knot southeasterly breeze, Hong Kong’s light wind specialist King Yin CHAN lead around the course with ASHLEY close behind him. ZUBARI didn’t get the best of start but revelled in the lighter shifty airs and flat seas - sailing conditions he loves. The young star, showed why he got the better of Athens gold medallist Gal FRIDMAN (ISR) in the Israeli selection trials for Qingdao, overhauling ASHLEY to finish second in the Medal Race and secure the bronze medal as DEMPSEY struggled further back.

"I feel so happy. I‘m only 20 and I feel like a superstar. I was lucky to have the wind on my side today. When I finished, I counted back and realised I had won bronze. I was crazy with joy," ZUBARI said.

BONTEMPS, who held the overall lead going into the race, didn’t get the best of starts, but unlike ZUBARI failed to pull through the fleet. However by maintaining a steady mid-fleet position and eventually crossing the line in fourth place he ensured the silver medal was his.

DEMPSEY meanwhile never recovered from a poor start and eventually crossing the line in seventh, dropping from second overall to fourth and out of the medals.