Meanwhile in Valencia...

A few days before the start of the 2nd Desafío Trophy, Desafío's shore crew are putting night shifts in order to have the team's two America's Cup yachts ready for racing. According to their press release, the newest green boat, ESP-97, will be used by the Spanish challenger, while the older one, ESP-88, will be chartered by Team Origin. ESP-88 should be launched by Monday and on Wednesday Team Origin will carry out their first test sail on Valencia's waters.

Unfortunately, it was already dark to take any decent shots of the Luna Rossa and Alinghi bases, both closed and with most lights turned off. Most probably, SUI-100 is tucked up in the warm inside the Alinghi base but it must come out soon since the Swiss defender will race it next week.

As for the Italian boat, we have heard they will be sailing ITA-94 but there was no visible activity and the shed's door was closed. Still, according to the Italian website Sailing Revolution, Luna Rossa's crew will consist of Robert Scheidt, Flavio Favini, Peter Holmberg, Nacho Postigo, Ciccio Celon, Manuel Modena, Daniele Bresciano, Marco Montis, Paolo Bassani, Giovanni Cassinari and Lele Marino.

Last but certainly not least, a personal comment. While I was shooting the photos from outside Desafío's boatshed, the usual schmuck from the team's shore crew saw the flash and got out of the base, yelling and threatening they would call the police because it was illegal taking pictures. The America's Cup (or at least activity related to it) is in Valencia for almost 5 years now and there is still this idiotic mentality that team bases are some sort of secret nuclear missile silo. I hope that the next time Competitors meet in Geneva, Agustín Zulueta, Desafío's general manager, doesn't suggest teams installed a 20,000-volt wire around the bases so that any evil tourist or journalist that dares to come close gets electrocuted on the spot.

The Desafío base, on Friday early evening. ESP-88, left, is masted and apparently ready to be launched, while ESP-97 is still in the shed. Valencia, 31 October 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Letter from eleven America's Cup teams to BMW Oracle Racing

[Source: Alinghi] The following teams entered in the 33rd America’s Cup, gathered at the Société Nautique de Genève on Thursday 30 October, formally ask BMW Oracle Racing and the Golden Gate Yacht Club to drop their law suit and join the fair and constructive process of reviewing the applicable documents and schedule that will allow the America’s Cup to return to the water as soon as possible, along with the challengers and the Defender:

Terry Hutchinson leads Melges 24 North American Championship

[Source: International Melges 24 Class Association] The Race Committee stepped up the pace today at the 2008 Melges 24 North American Championship, running four excellent races (race four to seven in the 12 race series) in winds ranging from 10 – 15 knots. Terry Hutchinson on USA 751 Quantum Racing made his intentions clear for this regatta by moving into a seven point overall lead. Gabrio Zandona on ITA 777 Joe Fly had a mixed day on the water but won the first and last races to sit in second place tonight. Chris Larson on USA 655 West Marine Rigging / New England Ropes put in a steady performance to claim the final podium place, eight points behind Zandona.

Zandona came out punching in race four, winning the start and rounding the first mark well in the lead. His charge faltered a little down wind when he got out of phase with the shifts and dropped to third at the gate behind Bruce Ayres USA 747 Monsoon and Othmar von Blumencron USA 679 Gannet. Zandona hit the afterburners on the next beat however and scorched back into a lead he was able to hold to the end of the race. David Dabney USA-626 Wireless also made the best of the conditions to move from sixth to second. Ayres initially looked to have suffered badly on this leg but recovered to round third.

Down the final run, nobody’s place was secure with the premium on keeping heads out of the boat and staying in the veins of pressure. With Zandona securely across the line with a win under his belt, the chasing pack were involved in a gybing frenzy which resulted in Flavio Favini SUI 521 Blu Moon catapulting himself from fourth to second. Simon Strauss on also pulled up to take third ahead of a disappointed Ayres, whilst Dabney had to be content with fifth.

Race five was all about Chris Larson who led around every mark to take a convincing win. Behind him a tight knot of boats including Shane Vowels GER 624 I'm with Stupid, Hutchinson, von Blumencron and Ayres, were involved in a prolonged fight for second place. This was only eventually resolved close to the finish, with Hutchinson taking second and von Blumencron third. Yesterday’s overnight leader Dave Ullman kept his title hopes alive with a fourth.

Race six was also dominated by a single boat. Simon Strauss USA 757 Simplicity found some of his true form for the first time this regatta, winning the start and taking control of the race from the off. In shifty conditions he played an excellent tactical game, gaining leverage on the fleet with every tack and gybe. Stuart McNay on USA 620 had his work cut out holding off a sustained challenge from Favini throughout the whole race but eventually prevailed to take second. On the final run Favini had to break off his attack to close off an advancing Jamie Lea GBR 569 Team Barbarians who crossed the line on Favini’s transom to take fourth. Corinthian David Dabney clocked up a solid fifth.

With light airs forecast for tomorrow, the race team wisely opted to put one in the bag by running a five leg fourth race. Perhaps it was fatigue or enthusiasm, but no less than twenty boats were called OCS at the start of race seven. Significantly, several boats failed to return to exonerate themselves, including Morgan Reeser USA 750 M-fatic, Ullman and Favini. Zandona had no such worries and having rounded ten lengths clear at the windward mark he went on to give the fleet an absolute sailing master class. Hutchinson had a difficult job on his hands getting past Kristen Lane, but finally wrested second from her at the start of the final beat. With Zandona and Hutchinson finished, a couple of big shifts at the end of this leg upset the running order, allowing Peter Lane USA 539 Brickhouse 539 to move up into third and Argyle Campbell USA 630 Rock n' Roll to take fourth ahead of Ayres.

The new championship leader, Terry Hutchinson, is understandably happy to be leading but was critical of his own performance. "Everyone on this boat is sailing really, really well. That being said, I feel like the weakest link as I'm struggling a little with my time and distance. We set a goal that if we could come out with a fifth and above we would be happy. We had a tough first race, but had a great come back to ninth." He also had this to say about the conditions in store for tomorrow "Tomorrow will be a hard day, really hard. Third day of an event like this with a cold front, we can expect light and shift conditions. Very interesting conditions are definitely on the way."

Corinthian division leader Othmar von Blumencron is also pleased to have extended his lead on second placed David Dabney. "We are an amateur team and so don’t get much time to practice. That usually results in us getting better as the regattas go on but this time we have made a good start so our challenge is maintaining our performance."

Racing at the 2008 Melges 24 North American Championship continues tomorrow and runs through to Saturday with five more races scheduled. To follow the racing live as it happens visit the IMCA’s from the race course blog at http://blog.melges24.com.

TOP TEN RESULTS (Preliminary, After seven races)
1.) Terry Hutchinson, Quantum Racing - 4, 2, 4, [9], 2, 6, 1 = 20
2.) Gabrio Zandona/Giovanni Maspero, Joe Fly - 9, 6, 2, 1, [12], 8, 1 = 27
3.) Chris Larson, West Marine Rigging/NE Ropes - 8, 8, 7, 6, 1, 7, 6 = 35
4.) Dave Ullman, Pegasus 505 - 1, 3, 3, 12, 4, 17, [50/DCS] = 40
5.) Bruce Ayres, Monsoon - 5, 9, 8, 4, 10, [15], 5 = 41
6.) Flavio Favini/Franco Rossini, Blu Moon - 2, 7, 1,2, 29, 3, [50/DNF] = 10
7.) Othmar Blumencron, Gannett - 13, 12, 9, 7, 3, [14], 10 = 54
8.) Stu McNay, USA-620 - 11, 5, 10, 14, [16], 2, 14 = 56
9.) Brian Porter, Full Throttle - 6, 10, 6, 10, 5, 24, [25] = 61
10.) Jamie Lea, Team Barbarians - 7, 11, 14, 11, [18], 4, 17 = 64

BMW Oracle replies to Alinghi statement

Statement of Tom Ehman, Jr.
Spokesperson, Golden Gate Yacht Club
10-30-08
We have offered repeatedly to drop our lawsuit if Alinghi commits to fair rules, and our offer still stands. We would like nothing better than to have a fully competitive multi-challenger America’s Cup on the water by 2010. We stand ready and willing to meet with Alinghi and all of the other competitors to discuss the future of the Cup, but without unreasonable pre-conditions.

Eleven challengers attend meeting called by Alinghi and ask BMW Oracle to drop its law suit and join the process

[Source: Alinghi] Eleven challengers entered in the 33rd America’s Cup and the Defender, Alinghi, met today at the Société Nautique de Genève, for the first of several Competitor Meetings to discuss returning the competition to the water as soon as possible. The meeting was called for by the Defender’s event organising entity AC Management and chaired by Alinghi skipper Brad Butterworth.

This initial get together follows a series of individual discussions between Alinghi and the challengers. At the top of the agenda was the need for a financially sustainable model that includes cost-containment measures, such as a one-boat campaign and the creation of a new class of race yacht; faster and more spectacular than the Version 5.0 used for the 32nd America’s Cup, but cheaper than the AC90 originally intended for the 33rd edition.

33rd America's Cup Competitor Meeting. Geneva, 30 October 2008. Photo copyright Chris Schmid / Alinghi

The new class will mean affordable participation for all existing teams, including the most recent entries, and will provide motivation for potential new challengers to join the 33rd America’s Cup, expected to take place in 2010.

At the end of the meeting, the eleven challengers present and the Defender signed a joint request addressed to BMW Oracle Racing and the Golden Gate Yacht Club asking them to withdraw their law suit and join the fair and constructive process of reviewing the applicable documents and schedule that will allow the America’s Cup to return to the water as soon as possible.

The entered teams and their yacht clubs, present at the Competitor Meeting were:

- Alinghi, Société Nautique de Genève, Switzerland – Defender of the 33rd America’s Cup
- Desafío Español, Club Náutico Español de Vela, Spain – Challenger of Record
- Shosholoza, Royal Cape Yacht Club, South Africa
- TeamOrigin, Royal Thames Yacht Club, United Kingdom
- Emirates Team New Zealand, Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, New Zealand
- Team Germany, Deutscher Challenger Yacht Club, Germany
- Green Comm, Challenge Circolo di Vela Gargano, Italy
- Ayre, Real Club Náutico de Dénia, Spain
- Victory Challenge, Gamla Stans Yacht Sällskap, Sweden
- Argo Challenge, Club Náutico di Gaeta, Italy
- French Spirit, Yacht Club de St Tropez, France
- Carbon Challenge, Royal Belgian Sailing Club, Belgium

Brad Butterworth comments on the Competitors Meeting. Geneva, 30 October 2008. Video copyright Alinghi

33rd America's Cup Competitor Meeting. Geneva, 30 October 2008. Video copyright Alinghi

Ericsson 4 breaks 600-mile barrier

[Source: Volvo Ocean Race] Ericsson 4 broke through the 600-mile barrier as their historic run continued with the log reaching 602.66 nautical miles at 18:54 GMT.

The new mark established by Torben Grael’s men translates into an average speed of 25.11 knots, according to the telemetry received from the boat at Race Headquarters.

The record eclipsed the previous best 24-hour benchmark for a racing monohull of 562.96 miles set by Sebastian Josse and the crew of ABN AMRO TWO on the second leg of the 2005-06 race from Cape Town to Melbourne. Ericsson 4 added nearly 40 miles to that figure.

It must now be ratified by ISAF and the World Sailing Speed Record Council. That is likely to happen a week after the fleet’s arrival in Cape Town, which, at the going rate, is predicted as Monday 3rd November.

Grael and his crew had been pushing the boat hard for well over 24 hours, first toppling the previous mark at 03:55 GMT with a run of 566.57 miles. They raised the bar repeatedly and by 13:00 GMT, 593 miles were on the board as the magical 600-mark grew nearer. By 14:25, they had clocked 594.23 as they moved onwards and upwards. Then came Grael's holy grail.

The achievement is all the more credible given that Ericsson 4 have been sailing a man down since dropping off Tony Mutter, one of their drivers, at the Cape Verde Islands.

Drained by the experience, Grael is not about to get too carried away with the record when the serious business of being first to Cape Town remains top of the to-do list.

The conditions were not ideal given the sea state overnight. Winds approaching 40 knots are one thing, boisterous seas of eight metres in pitch darkness quite another. Shattered records, shattered bodies it seems.

’We have been on the edge’

Torben Grael interview

“The record is a great achievement,” an audibly spent Grael said in an interview with Amanda Blackley earlier in the day (Check box above). “To be honest we were not really looking for records we were looking for a good ride on this weather system for as long as possible.

“Conditions were marginal, especially during the night. It was no fun at all. The problem was the waves, especially during the middle of the night as there is no moon and it is very difficult to read them so the boat has been jumping about.

“We have been very much on the edge, if we had an easier sea state we could have gone faster.”

Guy Salter, the Media Crew Member on board added: "It's not everyday you get to have a ride as we have had over the past day or so, and to get a new 24-hour record has been superb.

"The reality of that feat out here hasn't really sunk in, we know we have a record but what is more on our minds is getting to Cape Town and hopefully at the front of the pack, avoiding damage to ourselves and the yacht.

"All the boys look really drained - sleep is not the easiest on E4, I can only describe the motion as I would imagine re-entry on the Space shuttle is like. Everything is bouncing - including every cell in our bodies and the mundane tasks are near impossible."

The Volvo Ocean Race mutual admiration society issued statements as news of Ericsson 4’s achievement went out on the bush telegraph.

Green Dragon’s Ian Walker said: “Hats off to ERT 4 for a storming 24 hours. We have just about been able to match them when we have had a steady three hours but sail changes, reefing and backing off at night has kept our 24 hour mileage in check.”

“The news of the day has been the new 24-hour new record established by Ericsson 4. Congratulations from Telefonica Negro. Good boat good sailors,” wrote Media Crew Member Mikel Pasabant.

“It has been a hard night, with rough seas and winds which exceeded 40 knots. In a pitch dark night, imagine the conditions to steer.”

Telefonica Blue’s Simon Fisher, the navigator on ABN AMRO TWO in 2005-06, said: “It has been hard not to smile a little when you see the pace that Ericsson 4 has laid down. Deeply, deeply impressive to say the least. It is a shame to see our old record from ABN AMRO TWO go but at the same time these things are made to be broken and those boys are certainly doing it with style.”

’They have been blasting’

Fisher’s skipper, Bouwe Bekking, was the first owner of the record for a Volvo Open 70 when his movistar clocked a relatively pedestrian 530 miles on the boat’s delivery run from Melbourne to Sanxenxo, Spain ahead of the previous race.

The Dutchman said: “Well done to the guys. They have been blasting. It’s really the first time that a lot of our guys have been sailing in big, big breeze so we’ve been taking it a bit easy and keeping the boat in one piece.

“But what Ericsson have done is impressive, congratulations to them. Its pretty hard to control the boats right now.”

Juan Kouyoumdjian, the designer of both Ericsson boats – and previous record holder ABN AMRO TWO, said: "I am very happy to receive this kind of satisfaction. As designers we provide the instrument that the crews have to play, but only that. This record belongs to the crew.”

Ericsson 4’s mighty effort has created breathing space to second-placed PUMA. By the 19:00 GMT Position Report, Ken Read’s men trailed by a Distance to Leader (DTL) of +46 despite getting to within a mile of ABN AMRO TWO’s record with a run of 561 miles.

Elsewhere, the pursuers are leaking miles to the leading pair. Green Dragon, following the tracks of the duo are +105 but peering over their shoulders as they prepare to fall out of the low pressure system.

“We are starting to see the effect of 'stepping off the train' on Delta Lloyd and Team Russia and we want to delay that as long as we can. Sooner or later it will happen to us but the faster we go the later it will be. We are now directly East of our closest competitors for third place so they should suffer first.”

Ericsson 3, chasing the Dragon, are at (+138) while Bekking’s Telefonica Blue (+174) hold sway over sister ship Telefonica Black (+200). The black boat, who conceded nine miles to Bekking's men since the last Position report, have had a torrid night which includes ripping two sails. Their first albatross sighting raised spirits only briefly.

At the tail, Delta Lloyd (+355) and Team Russia (+376) continue to scrap over the crumbs.

Alinghi welcomes Team New Zealand halt to legal proceedings

[Source: Alinghi] Alinghi, Defender of the 33rd America’s Cup, confirms that Emirates Team New Zealand has withdrawn its law suit against the team, Ernesto Bertarelli, AC Management and the Société Nautique de Genève and will now join all the other entered challengers in the process of getting the 33rd America’s Cup back on the water as soon as possible; starting tomorrow at the Competitor Meeting in Geneva.

Alinghi skipper Brad Butterworth welcomes this new development: “It is good news that Grant Dalton and Team New Zealand (TNZ) have at last stopped legal proceedings. It is great that they have seen that the legal route leads nowhere and are returning to the sport with all the other teams. We look forward to the Competitor Meetings in Geneva and to further progressing – as a group that includes the Defender and the challengers – towards getting the competition back on the water.”

“Having TNZ join the Competitor Meetings and push forward with constructive discussions alongside many other entered challengers for a 2010 event in a new class of more affordable boats is progress indeed. We welcome them back,” concludes Butterworth.

Ericsson 4 breaks 24-hour record

[Source: Volvo Ocean Race] Subject to ratification, Torben Grael and his men on Ericsson 4 have shattered the 24-hour record set in the last race by ABN AMRO TWO.

At 03:55 GMT, Ericsson 4 had sailed 565 miles over the past day, to break the record. But in the hours since, Grael and his crew have kept pushing and have been adding to the total. At 07:10 GMT, the number was up to 585 miles. It had grown to 589 by 07:55.

At present, no other boats in the fleet have surpassed the old record.

The run has vaulted Ericsson 4 to the head of the pack with a lead of 27 miles over PUMA on the 07:00 GMT position report. What’s meaningful this morning is not just that the fleet is spreading out again in terms of distance to finish.

But of more significance, the boats immediately behind Ericsson 4 – PUMA and Green Dragon – are falling in line, sailing in the track of the lead boat. Green Dragon, for example, is just four miles south of Ericsson 4. That means the lead Ericsson 4 has built is more solid. The boats behind don’t have any leverage of them.

Ian Walker, skipper of Green Dragon, promised broken records, plenty of drama, or more likely a bit of both, in an email yesterday. Overnight, he was just as forceful in describing the conditions.

Happy faces aboard Ericsson 4 as they break the monohull 24-hour record. South Atlantic, 29 October 2008. Photo copyright Guy Salter / Ericsson 4 / Volvo Ocean Race

“This is insane - 35 knots of wind, pitch black, 1500 miles from land and we are desperately trying to squeeze more speed from a boat that feels and sounds like it is going to self destruct any second. We have to push hard to stay ahead of the (cold) front.”

The entire fleet is churning up the miles. At the 07:00 GMT report, everyone had posted 24 hour runs of over 450 miles, and both Ericsson boats, PUMA and Green Dragon have all breached the 500 miles barrier.

It’s interesting to note that on the 07:00 report, the Data Centre is showing average wind speeds in the 30 knot range, with gusts over 40 knots for all of the leading boats. And maximum wave height is now above 7-metres. That was recorded by Telefonica Blue.

Before the day is out, it’s likely the record number will rise further. Be sure to check Mark Chisnell’s TEN ZULU report for more information on the weather the fleet can expect to see over the coming day, and further ahead into Cape Town.

Team Origin to race in the II Desafío Trophy

Related PDF Documents

NoR of the ACC yacht race during the II Trofeo Desafío

[Source: Team Origin] TEAMORIGIN, the British America’s Cup team, confirmed today that it will enter two forthcoming America’s Cup version 5 regattas. The first of these will be the Club Náutico Espanol de Vela 2nd annual regatta that is taking place in Valencia, Spain, next week (7-9th November) and the second event being the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series to be held in Auckland, New Zealand, in Jan/Feb 2009.

Following the positive news received this morning where Alinghi announced that it would compete in the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series early next year, TEAMORIGIN confirmed today that it is indeed one of the two as yet unnamed teams that have already entered this event and is committed to being on the startline.

The Louis Vuitton Pacific Series, which will be contested by both former and potential America's Cup teams will be staged by Emirates Team New Zealand, the America’s Cup finalists who lost out to Alinghi last year.

Sir Keith Mills, Team Principal of TEAMORIGIN, stated: “This is indeed great news for TEAMORIGIN. After considerable delays and frustrations we finally get to go racing!! Desafio Espanol have kindly offered to lend us one of their AC V5 boats, ESP 88, instead of having to transport our own GBR 75 from the UK, and so the CNEV regatta provides us with an ideal opportunity to get our team back together and get out on the water against some top teams, including Alinghi and Desafio Espanol with possibly a fourth team to be added.”

TEAMORIGIN will travel to Valencia early next week and start sailing on ESP 88 on Wed 5th November. The CNEV regatta format includes a practice race on Thurs 6th, then fleet racing on Fri 7th and Sat 8th Nov and finally match racing on Sun 9th November. The team will then have a few months to prepare for the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series in Auckland which starts on Jan 31st 2009.

Mike Sanderson, Team Director, commented “There have been many positive conversations going on over the last few weeks regarding the future of the America’s Cup event and so it is great news that we can finally announce today that we get to go racing!! The CNEV regatta has come about with very short notice but we have always kept our team together and so it means we are ready to go racing at any time.

I am certainly looking forward to next week’s sailing and also to the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series early next year. It seems like it has been a long time coming!”

Ben Ainslie, Skipper and Helmsman of TEAMORIGIN added: “Next week’s regatta in Valencia gives us a prime opportunity to get our team together and go racing against some top teams. It will certainly sharpen us up and probably throw us in at the deep end, competing against prolific names such as Ed Baird steering for Alinghi and Paul Cayard for Desafio Espanol. I am raring to go, as are all of the TEAMORIGIN sailing team!”

Meanwhile in Valencia...

It's been a long time we haven't reported from Port America's Cup and in view of the upcoming 2nd edition of the Desafío Trophy, Valencia Sailing visited the basin in order to check up on the latest activity. Two teams have publicly announced their participation, Desafío and Alinghi, and it is rumored Luna Rossa could also join.

AlinghiThe Defender of the 33rd America's Cup has made public its participation in the Desafío Trophy and according to their website, they are preparing SUI-100 for that purpose. We couldn't see anything from outside today but this could also be due to the rainy weather. The boatshed door was three quarters down.

The Alinghi base. According to the Swiss team their shore crew is preparing SUI-100 to race in the Desafío Trophy. Valencia, 28 October 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

DesafíoDesafío's was the only base with some considerable activity. In fact the Spanish team's shore crew took one the 2 ACC boats, obviously to fit her out for the Trophy that bears their name. According to their press release, Desafío will race ESP-97.

Desafío's shore crew preparing the yachts for the II Desafío Trophy. Valencia, 28 October 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Luna RossaThe Italian team hasn't made any public announcement concerning their involvement in the Trophy but we have heard rumors about Peter Holmberg helming the yacht and Andy Horton calling tactics, at least for the 2 days the event lasts here in Valencia. One thing is for sure though, there is some activity going on in the base, following a hiatus of almost a year. One of the team's ACC yachts was visible but there wasn't any sign of shore crew working on her. Still, the base could have been reopened in order to prepare for the arrival of Patrizio Bertelli's brand new STP-65 Luna Rossa, expected in Valencia during the first week of December.

The Luna Rossa base, open and with some activity after a very long time. Valencia, 28 October 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Team NZ to withdraw legal action against Alinghi

[Source: Emirates Team New Zealand] Emirates Team New Zealand says it will withdraw its legal action against Alinghi to ensure the success of the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series.

ETNZ managing director Grant Dalton said today that Alinghi has committed to sending a competitive team to Auckland if the legal proceedings were withdrawn.

“I have talked to Brad Butterworth tonight and have confirmed our position in writing.

“It is our view that this regatta - and Alinghi’s participation in it – is an important initiative towards repairing the harm that recent events have done to yacht racing at this level.

“For that reason we are prepared to respond positively to Alinghi’s commitment to the regatta by meeting its condition of discontinuing our proceedings.”

Dalton said the regatta promised to be a big event for New Zealand. Louis Vuitton and team are well down the track in organising it. We have an obligation to the many organizations and individuals who are now working with us to do anything we can to ensure its total success.

“For obvious reasons the regatta would not be the same without Alinghi’s participation. For a start our sailing team would like nothing more than meeting Butterworth and his team on Auckland Harbour in January-February.

“Entries close on October 31 and we needed to give Alinghi time to get their entry in.”

The Louis Vuitton Pacific Series will be sailed from January 30 to February 14 2009.

Twenty three sailing teams have expressed an interest in competing and up to 12 teams can be accommodated.

Some of the most spectacular photos from the TP52 World Championship in Puerto Calero

Hi from Puerto Calero. The TP52 World Championship ended yesterday and I thought I would take the opportunity to post some of the most interesting and spectacular racing pictures taken by Nico Martínez and his son Pedro Martínez, the event's two official photographers. For more high resolution photos go to gate.puertocalero.com/eventos.

Meanwhile in Valencia, it appears that Peter Holmberg will be helming the Luna Rossa America's Cup boat in a couple of weeks in the II Troféo Desafío Español. Peter Holmberg shared helmsman duties with Ed Baird on Alinghi in Valencia during the 32nd America's Cup. Holmberg first came to prominence in the 1988 Olympic Games, when he won a silver medal in the Finn singlehander, the only sailing medal ever won by a US Virgin Islander.

We will be back in full action from Tuesday.

Terry Hutchinson unveils secret of TP52 dominance

The spectacular TP52 World Championship Islas Canarias Puerto Calero has come to an end and Terry Hutchinson's Quantum Racing was the undisputed winner. After docking, Terry unveiled his secret.

Check the official photo gallery of the event at gate.puertocalero.com/eventos for dozens of high resolution pictures.

Valencia Sailing will be back in full action from Tuesday morning, reporting on all the latest news from the America's Cup scene.

TP52 World Championship: Quantum consolidates leadership

- Quantum increases overall advantage to 15 points with a 1st and 3rd

- Mutua Madrileña will have a hard final day after a 6th and 5th today

- Artemis grabs 3rd spot overall with one bullet and one 11th

Puerto Calero, 24 October 2008: Two more windward/leeward races were sailed today and two more opportunities for Terry Hutchinson and Quantum Racing to show their excellent tactics, crew work and boat speed. Showing great consistency, the American boat has consolidated its leadership, building a healthy 15-point advantage over second-placed Mutua Madrileña. In fact, Quantum has won two races out of 9 but has never finished worse than 6 th. With two more races scheduled for the final day, Vasco Vascotto will have to race to perfection in order to have a chance in winning the championship.

The first race started after a 30-minute postponement, the time necessary for the breeze to get as stable as possible. Quantum had a clean start and opted for the left side of course, together with AUDI Q8, Platoon, Bigamist and Matador. The first beat finished with Quantum in the lead, while AUDIQ8 and Platoon rounded 2 nd and 3 rd respectively. At the leeward gate Platoon was now in front of AUDI Q8 and the shifty conditions forced the race committee to do a 15-degree change course. The left had once again paid and the leading three would keep their spots till the 2 nd top mark. The last leg was a great one for Bigamist, the oldest boat in Puerto Calero. Showing no nerves and full confidence, Hugo Rocha called tactics in a spotless way and after having climbed several spots, overtook AUDI Q8 and finished 3 rd, behind Quantum and Platoon.

Start of the 8th race of the TP52 World Championship. Puerto Calero, 24 October 2008. Photo copyright Pedro Martínez / TP52 World Championship

In the 5-leg second race, Artemis, the reigning champion prevailed from start to finish. Russell Coutts was spot on in his calls and played the shifts correctly, unlike the previous race where they finished 11 th. The real movement and action was taking place right behind them for second and third place. It could have been a straightforward issue between Bribón and Mutua Madrileña, both trading places on and off, but once again the American steam-train “Quantum Express” spoiled the party for Vasco Vascotto. After missing the first couple of shifts and rounding the first leeward gate 6 th, good calls and boatspeed allowed Quantum to start the last leg in 4 th place. That’s where Francesco Bruni probably made the worst call with the fleet opting for the right and Mutua Madrileña for the left. The hoped-for left shift didn’t materialize and Quantum grabbed 3 rd place, behind Artemis and Bribón, while Cristabella stole 4 th place from the Italians.

Quantum, overall leader of the TP52 World Championship. Puerto Calero, 24 October 2008. Photo copyright Pedro Martínez / TP52 World Championship

Quotes of the day

Sean Clarkson, mainsail trimmer on Quantum

It was a fantastic day for Quantum. In the first race it was really fun being part of the boat’s afterguard. They just sailed a fantastic race. In the second one we missed the first couple of shifts after a perfect start. We were patient and waited for the shifts to come our way through, we passed Vascotto and had a great race. The left paid today but the boat was really fast; the trimmers did an excellent job. Compared to the MedCup, downwind we are going much faster with the new sails and the designers have done a great job with the sails. We used to feel weak downwind but now we are clearly faster. So, a perfect combination of a great afterguard, sail trimming and boatspeed resulted in an impressive day.

Pedro Mendonça, owner of Bigamist

Today was a very good day for Bigamist and before its end we knew we would have achieved a good spot. Tactics in the first race were excellent and as everybody knows, this boat is not as fast as the rest, so tactics have to be very good, and this is what happened. We chose the left side on the start and downwind as well, we sailed the best we could. The level in this Championship is extremely high and I have to admit our crew is giving its best carrying out manoeuvres in the best way since a long time. We have found the best crew possible to optimize the boat’s performance.

Mutua Madrileña, second overall in the TP52 World Championship. Puerto Calero, 24 October 2008. Photo copyright Pedro Martínez / TP52 World Championship

Tim Kröger, mainsail grinder of Platoon

The first race was quite good. We positioned ourselves well on the start and throughout the race in this very shifty and tricky course. We were third in the top mark and managed to gain one spot and finish second. The left shift played well today even if sometimes you could see the boats from the right gaining.

In the second race we had an incident with Desafío. We were on port and Desafío tacked rightfully on starboard in front of us. We had a very short time to react on that, either tack or veer off and pass behind them. We didn’t quite make it and passed behind them touching their stern. Luckily there was very slight damage and that was encouraging given the fact we were hit yesterday by the Russians. We immediately realized it was our fault, we were wrong and exonerated ourselves. From there on it was very difficult to recover, although in these very shifty conditions one should never give up because sometimes the opportunity what come for you to just walk through the fleet. At least we managed to pass AUDI Q8 and TAU Andalucia.

Ross Macdonald, tactician on Bribón

It was one bad and one good for today. We had two good starts and in the first race we played the right side a little bit and when the wind got light we had trouble getting out of there once the wind filled in on the left. In these really short courses there is no chance of getting back once you are stuck. In the second race we started on the port end and that worked out really good for us. We went to the left side and played the shifts on the left side. We were third in the first mark; we managed to pass Mutua Madrileña in the second beat and finished second. It was a good race.

Artemis breaks jib in TP52 World Championship in Puerto Calero

Hi from Puerto Calero. The TP52 World Championship is taking a toll on Valencia Sailing but there is hardly any time left after the day is over.

Yesterday, Thursday, the 14 TP52 yachts sailed the long coastal race, approximately 55 miles, under spectacular conditions. Desafío, helmed by Paul Cayard, won and with a second place Terry Hutchinson is leading overall, 8 points ahead of second-placed Mutua Madrileña that also had an average race yesterday, after being over the line. Artemis broke their jib while Bribón got disqualified after failing to give room to Synergy in the first top mark. The Russian boat went on to hit Platoon's stern but fortunately the two boats didn't suffer any serious damage.

Please check the official website for all the news, photos and videos at www.tp52worldchampionship.com.

Here's the exclusive sequence of Artemis breaking their jib after hitting a wave, courtesy of Spanish photographer Luis Fernández.

Artemis break their jib in the long coastal race of the TP52 World Championship. Puerto Calero, 23 October 2008. Photo copyright Luis Fernández

Artemis break their jib in the long coastal race of the TP52 World Championship. Puerto Calero, 23 October 2008. Photo copyright Luis Fernández

Artemis break their jib in the long coastal race of the TP52 World Championship. Puerto Calero, 23 October 2008. Photo copyright Luis Fernández

Artemis break their jib in the long coastal race of the TP52 World Championship. Puerto Calero, 23 October 2008. Photo copyright Luis Fernández

Artemis break their jib in the long coastal race of the TP52 World Championship. Puerto Calero, 23 October 2008. Photo copyright Luis Fernández

Artemis break their jib in the long coastal race of the TP52 World Championship. Puerto Calero, 23 October 2008. Photo copyright Luis Fernández

Artemis break their jib in the long coastal race of the TP52 World Championship. Puerto Calero, 23 October 2008. Photo copyright Luis Fernández

Impressive Mutua Madrileña leaps to leadership in TP52 World Championship

Mutua Madrileña undisputed leader with two bullets in as many races; 7 points ahead of Quantum

Platoon shows consistency and scores two thirds

Bribón get their act together while Artemis disappoints

It was another tricky day on the Lanzarotean waters for the 14 crews taking part in the TP52 World Championship – Islas Canarias Puerto Calero. The race committee had to move the starting line a mile further offshore, trying to get a better breeze but had to fire the gun with no more than 7 knots of a northeasterly. There was no shortage of challenges for the tacticians today, albeit less than yesterday, but for Mutua Madrileña it was another day in the office. Vasco Vascotto’s team with 3 victories in 5 races is now leading the championship, 7 points clear of second placed Quantum Racing. Artemis is still third overall but their performance today was far from what one would have expected, scoring an 11th and a 13th.

The day’s first race was a one way victory for Vasco Vascotto’s Mutua Madrileña that sailed as close to perfection as possible. Favini, in concert with Bruni on tactics and Vascotto, took control of the situation with a clean start at the pin end and from there on stayed on top of the fleet until they crossed the finish line. Together with Bribón and Synergy they opted for the left side of the course and stuck to it. Dean Barker on the helm of Bribón was constantly putting pressure on the Italians but was unable to make them relinquish leadership.


It was another tricky day on the Lanzarotean waters for the 14 crews taking part in the TP52 World Championship – Islas Canarias Puerto Calero. The race committee had to move the starting line a mile further offshore, trying to get a better breeze but had to fire the gun with no more than 7 knots of a northeasterly. There was no shortage of challenges for the tacticians today, albeit less than yesterday, but for Mutua Madrileña it was another day in the office. Vasco Vascotto’s team with 3 victories in 5 races is now leading the championship, 7 points clear of second placed Quantum Racing. Artemis is still third overall but their performance today was far from what one would have expected, scoring an 11 th and a 13 th.

The other story of the race was the great recovery by Platoon, despite the penalty for being early over the starting line. Jochen Schuemann’s boat made the right tactic calls and got the shifts right and by the leeward gate they had already stolen third place from Synergy. Quantum as well recovered in the second beat but the race’s real surprise was Artemis. Not only were they early over the line, they were unable to close the gap and finished 11 th.

The second race, fifth of the event, was another victory for Mutua Madrileña, but definitely harder than the first one. Flavio Favini got another perfect start, opting again for the left side, but the race didn’t turn out to be as easy, given the Italians constantly had to fight with Platoon for leadership. In fact the top spot switched between the two a couple of times but the Germans were finally third after Desafío sailed a much better race, especially in the last leg. John Cutler on the Spanish America’s Cup challenger’s boat made better calls after a mediocre first race. Third place was again for the German Platoon whose crew was evidently better than yesterday.


Quotes of the day

Francesco Bruni, tactician on Mutua Madrileña
We are very happy, very satisfied with our performance today. Everything worked perfectly aboard Mutua Madrileña, boat speed, tactics, and crew work. It is obviously a great start for this championship and an eventual victory will close a great 2008 campaign. Nevertheless, it is still too early to open the champaign bottle; this is going to be a tough event and we have to remain concentrated. Although it was shifty today, the breeze was more stable than yesterday and the left side of the course was even more favourable, almost throughout the day. In addition, our starts turned out perfectly and we were able to position ourselves exactly where we wanted and get the side we wanted.

Jochen Schuemann, helmsman of Platoon
Today we were luckier, we survived a premature start and we had to recross together with Russell, otherwise we would have been in the leading group. The boat is performing well even if it’s not a new boat. Nevertheless, it was undoubtedly a good day after yesterday’s poor performance when we dropped from 4 th to 12 th in the last race. It hurts to lose 10 points. Today we showed we are fast and good enough to be among the leaders and I hope we get at least a medal in this Championship.


Dean Barker, helmsman of Bribón
We had quite a difficult start but we still managed to sail well both in the first and the second race. We are satisfied because things didn’t go so well yesterday. Today we did much better, we had the ideal conditions to start the way we wanted to and stay clear from the rest of the fleet. Still, wind conditions are very tough and complicated.

Russell Coutts, tactician of Artemis
Today we had a light and complicated breeze, we were early over the line and had to go back and if you stay back in this fleet it’s really tough to climb back, it’s a real battle. Under these wind conditions you don’t try to win, you try to avoid losing and you have to be quite conservative. We had a couple of opportunities to separate from the fleet but some stupid errors made us slip back. You can say we didn’t have our best day, let’s hope tomorrow we sail better.

John Cuttler, tactician of Desafío
Conditions were really tough today but the race committee moved the course slightly east and that made things a little bit better. The first race was very tough, in the start we were pushed back, we were then able to slowly recover but in the last leg we sailed badly and fell back two places. In the second race we had a good start and despite the very light conditions we clearly showed it was possible to climb through the fleet.

Alinghi, Desafío and Luna Rossa to race in Valencia

Good morning from Puerto Calero, where the world's elite is racing in the TP52 World Championship Islas Canarias - Puerto Calero. Check the official website at www.tp52worldchampionship.com for all the news, photos and, of course, the live stream using the Virtual Eye technology.

The news today comes from Valencia, where it will be shortly announced that Alinghi, Desafío and Luna Rossa will take part in the 2nd Desafío Trophy with their V5 America's Cup yachts. All three teams will race with 2 yachts, at least according to the latest information we have.

The Desafío Trophy is of course the annual regatta organized by the Club Náutico Español de Vela (CNEV) in Valencia and will be held on November 8 and 9. It also appears that some other team, probably Team Origin, will join the other three in the regatta.

Unfortunately, my obligations in Puerto Calero don't allow me to take pictures from the America's Cup Port and the team bases. After many months of inactivity, the Luna Rossa base is busy once again, with the shore crew preparing the yachts.

Last but certainly not least, I hope to have another exclusive photo (just like the good old times) of Luna Rossa's brand new STP65 that is expected to arrive in the team's base in Valencia, during the first week of December. Patrizio Bertelli's yacht will be the 5th in this class

Maximum level in the TP52 World Championship, racing to be streamed live through Virtual Eye

Russell Coutts, Paul Cayard, Dean Barker, Vasco Vascotto, Terry Hutchinson, Jochen Schuemann, Cameron Dunn, Magnus Holmberg, a few of the rock stars in Puerto Calero

Torbjon Tornqvist’s Artemis is defending the title won last year in Porto Cervo

Terry Hutchinson’s Quantum, current MedCup champion, has world dominance in sight

Starting tomorrow Monday and until next Saturday the Puerto Calero TP 52' World Championship Islas Canarias will take place on the waters of the Atlantic Spanish island, with the participation the world’s top boats and crews. Fourteen teams representing eleven countries will race in the most international TP52 world cup so far. This will also be the first time the TP52 world championship is held in Spain, after visiting Miami in 2006 (USA) and Porto Cervo (Italy) in 2007.

Torbjorn Tornqvist’s Artemis from Sweden will be defending the title won on Sardinian waters last year and with three-time America’s Cup winner Russell Coutts calling tactics, she will undoubtedly be on the starting line as one of the favorites.

After being crowned European TP52 champions in the MedCup circuit, Quantum has world dominance in sight. Terry Hutchinson doesn’t need introduction and the season’s most consistent team has all it takes to threaten Artemis.


Three-time Olympic medallist Jochen Schuemann will again lead Platoon, hoping to capitalize on their second place in the Trofeo César Manrique. The German boat’s shore crew is putting 24-hour shifts in order to repair the damage it suffered after being hit by another yacht inside the marina.

The Spanish fleet will have three boats racing off the Puerto Calero coast. José Cusí’s Bribón, helmed by New Zealander star sailor Dean Barker is the most well known and one of the TP52 class founders. The yacht also helmed by HM the King of Spain must always be taken into account and is one of the favorites for a podium spot. Desafío, fresh from a decisive victory in last week’s Trofeo César Manrique Puerto Calero, is another of the powerhouses, helmed by American legend Paul Cayard and entirely crewed by the Spanish America's Cup challenger. Last but certainly not least TAU Andalucía, jointly owned by Javier Banderas and Rafael Díaz from Malaga, is the third Spanish entry.

Alberto Roemmers’ Matador will now be helmed by Roemmers Jr while Guillermo Parada will switch to tactics, in a similar fashion to the 2007 Global Championship.

Audi Sailing Team Powered by Q8 of Italian Riccardo Simoneschi will count on the addition of Swedish match-race champion Magnus Holmberg in the role of tactician.

Vasco Vascotto will race in the TP52 World Championship with his Mutua Madrileña from Chile while John Cook’s Cristabella will rely on Spaniard Roberto Bermúdez de Castro to drive her. Portuguese Bigamist 6 of Pedro Mendoça will also be steered by an Olympic champion, Portugese Alfonso Domingos. The most important novelty will be Fram XVI of Norway’s King Harald. This will be the first time the Norwegian yacht races this year.



Last but certainly least the two Russian entries Sergey Pichugin Synergy and Kirill Podolsky’s Valars are the emerging powers of the TP52 class. Both have brand new 2008 boats; Valars will be racing with the former Mean Machine, Peter de Ridder’s Med champion, while Synergy now owns the BMW Oracle’s TP52 yacht and has kiwi sailor Cameron Dunn calling tactics.

The schedule for Monday and Tuesday calls for the usual leeward/windward races, starting at 12pm local time. On Wednesday, the coastal regatta of between 35 and 40 miles will take place, followed by the long regatta of about 60 miles on Thursday. Both coastal races will start at 11am. The fleet will then resume its leeward-windward races on Friday and Saturday, again starting at 12pm.

All races will be streamed live using the Virtual eye technology through the event’s official website, www.tp52worldchampionship.com

Live GP42 races from Puerto Calero

Good morning from Lanzarote. Today is the last day of Trofeo César Manrique in Puerto Calero. It is also the last day of the QUEBRAMAR GP42 Cup.

You can watch online on the event's official website www.trofeopuertocalero.com the GP42 races live through Virtual Eye.

Racing starts at noon local time (1pm Valencia time)

Green Dragon Team enters into StealthPlay

[Source: Volvo Ocean Race] Ian Walker's Green Dragon team has become the first boat to enter into 'StealthPlay', a move that hides its position from the other teams – and us – for 12 hours.

The race organisers introduced the SteathPlay concept as a way to give the skippers and navigators a way to express their creativity allowing a team to make a move without the others knowing what they are doing.

With position reports being issued to the fleet every three hours, there is very little time for a team to make a break from the others.

Green Dragon entered StealthPlay at 0400 and will not re-emerge onto the radar screens of the opposition until 1600 today.

Teams are allowed to make one StealthPlay on each of the long offshore legs.

Meanwhile, out on the race course, Ericsson 4 and PUMA appear to have made the correct choice by sailing around the east of the Canary Islands. They've leapt out to a 29 mile lead over the (presumed) third place Ericsson 3.

And how about Delta Lloyd? The last-minute entry is up to fourth place on the leaderboard, also benefitting from better conditions to the East of the Canary Islands.

GP42 and TP52 races online on Virtual Eye

I'm in Puerto Calero, Lanzarote right now for the organization of the upcoming GP42 races and the TP52 World Championship and as a result Valencia Sailing will have less frequent updates in the following 2 weeks.

As our friends in Sailing Anarchy say, I'll also do some pimping for the organization of these 2 events. Starting Thursday, all races will be online, real-time thanks to the Virtual Eye technology. You can watch them on www.puertocalero.com and of course right here, through a link I'll be putting before the start.

Brad Butterworth talks about the America's Cup

This is a little bit delayed but it's better than never. Our friends at Zero Gradi Nord published an interesting, and exclusive, video interview of Brad Butterowrth, given in Trieste during the weekend, when Butterworth was racing in the Barcolana on Alfa Romeo.

Click here to watch the interview.

Brad Butterworth talks to the media. Trieste, 12 October 2008. Photo copyright Gianni Armiraglio / Zero Gradi Nord

Lots of problems for Team Russia

[Source: Team Russia] The departure from Alicante was an unforgettable experience with all the fans of the Volvo Ocean Race and the spectator yachts giving the fleet a fantastic farewell. Alicante was a great place to be and the Spanish enthusiasm for sailing is not only because the King likes the sport. If Alicante wants to host the fleet again for the next race, I will have no objections.

As expected, the level in this race is incredibly high, no easy point to be made. We all will have to fight for every boat length, all around the world. If the fleet stays tight together like in the first 30 hours, the stage is set for a great race the fans should love.

We believed too strongly in our forecast and hoisted the wrong sails at the top mark, seeing the two ERT’s storming away and losing two places on the downwind back to the harbour. After the bottom mark we started to feel more comfortable gaining back lost distance.

Between Tabarca Island and the mainland we hoisted our new Cuben mast top kite for the first time, immediately getting sucked into the lee of the fleet and the bearing to Green Dragon, Delta Lloyd and Telefonica nicely increasing. With the wind in the upper 20s, the speed kept following, lots of spray in the air, mood high, lots of joy.

It was then Nick (Bubb) bringing bad news from down inside. One of our ram boots, the seals that separate the Mediterranean from the inside of the boat had been torn, looking like being chewed up by some huge animal. We had problems with the boots all along, but different kind and believed them to be solved. So not again.

The problem doesn’t mean imminent danger, as the boat is built in a way that the water ingress is manageable in the short term. Just the compartments around the wetbox get flooded and the rams with some electronic bits are flooded. For sure we couldn’t sail like this to Cape Town.

At Cabo de Palos we had to come up a few degrees to avoid a reef and make the Cape. Pressure was building in the huge kite, obviously a bit too much and the great sail gave in right in the middle, one half flying off the top of the mast, the other one just above the water, connected by the leach line only.

All pieces retrieved, nothing lost, even not too wet to start the repair job. Ben (Costello) and Jeremy (Elliott) dug out the sewing machine and got on with the job. Jeremy, who designed the sail, had brought laminated construction charts to facilitate orientation on the sail. It was constant gluing.

K-Challenge presents 2009 program; to enter the RC44 circuit

After the announcement of K-Challenge 2’s strategy in March, based on the continuity of the 32nd America’s Cup experience, and on the new generation, K-Challenge prepares for action on water in 2009 with the support of the French Ministry of Sports and the French Sailing Federation.

The team will take part to several international high level circuits, with a first stage at the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series, in Auckland from 1st to 14th February 2009.

K-Challenge can also count on additional partners, in particular an innovative media partnership that will enable regular media exposure all year round.

THE 2009 SEASON

The objective of the season will be to gather the people that have been identified in 2008 on several projects, in order to finalize the future crew.

K-Challenge will participate to the RC44 circuit, created by Russell Coutts (triple America’s Cup winner). Based on the America’s Cup model, the RC44 is one of the toughest sailing circuits, because it is raced on boats that are similar to America’s Cup Class boats, it mixes fleet and match racing, and it gathers the big names of the America’s Cup (Russell Coutts, James Spithill, Ben Ainslie, Sébastien Col, etc.).

Russell Coutts, Founder and co-designer of the RC44 Class, triple America’s Cup winner: “The RC 44 Class is very pleased to welcome Stephane Kandler and K-Challenge. The Championship Tour already unites top level sailing teams from all over the world and it is great to welcome a French team. K-Challenge is a serious America’s Cup team and the RC 44 Championship Tour will be a great platform for them.”

On the other hand, Sébastien Col will participate, amongst others, to the World Match Racing Tour with the support of the French Sailing Federation, with the goal to win the World Title. The World Match Racing Tour unites the 10 majors match racing events on 3 continents.

Last but not least, the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series will be the launch of the 2009 season.

For the first time, the public will be able to follow up regularly the results and discover what is behind the scenes of a sailing team preparing the America’s Cup.

A FIRST MEDIA PARTNER : THE CANAL+ GROUP

As in the last America’s Cup, the Canal+ Group renews its partnership with K-Challenge. It will help the team to raise awareness through the regular broadcast of the season’s images, as well as special programs dedicated to K-Challenge and its sponsors.

Bertrand Meheut, CEO of Canal+: « The CANAL+ GROUP is proud to have followed K-Challenge during the 32nd America’s Cup. There for it was natural to continue our partnership with the team who is the most qualified to lead a competitive French project in the next edition. »

3 NEW TECHNOLOGICAL PARTNERS

Dimitri Nicolopoulos, K-Challenge’s Technical Director: “We are proud to have established a set of partnership with leading technology companies worldwide. Discussions with our partner’s experts are helping us develop tools and methods that will allow us, once time will come, to focus on design rather than ask ourselves useless questions. Dassault Systemes help us develop a CATIA based environment from the drawing board to structural composite numerical simulations and production. CD-ADAPCO Star-ccm+ is able to predict very accurately hull and appendages performances. Frienship Consulting tools are useful to combine aero and hydro results and choose the most efficient solutions. Oxalya with its virtual nodes® solution allows us to access the hardware resources needed to run all these numerical simulations.”

THE SUPPORT OF THE FRENCH INSTITUTIONS

Bernard Laporte, Secrétaire d'Etat chargé des Sports, de la Jeunesse et de la Vie Associative: « K-Challenge was the French National Team in the 32nd America's Cup, and chose the continuity since the end of the last edition in order to capitalize on its experience to prepare the future. K-Challenge « 2 » relies now on the new generation. It counts members of the French Match Racing Team, and in particular Sébastien Col who is a reference in the disciplin. This is why, like the French Sailing Federation, I support this effort and this great team. »

Jean-Pierre Champion, President of the French Sailing Federation: « The French Sailing Federation is pleased with the effort of K-Challenge to participate to the next America’s Cup, which is one the major events of our sport.

The French Sailing Federation supports Stéphane KANDLER and its team in order to achieve such a challenge. It will follow with interest the implication of K-Challenge on the RC44 circuit, which ensures a French representation on this international circuit.”

Stephane Kandler, CEO of K-Challenge concludes: «K-Challenge gets stronger with the arrival of new partners and the support of the French institutions, which I wish to thank for their trust.

The results achieved on the water and by our design team confirm our potential.

We are going a step further with the 2009 program that we present today. Our objectives are ambitious and thanks to the innovative media partnerships we are offering, our future sponsors will have a guaranteed permanent and qualitative media exposure. »

Telefonica Blue sets sail after stop in Algeciras

[Source: Volvo Ocean Race] Bouwe Bekking’s men have completed repairs to their damaged steering system are back on the race track, where overnight, the fleet compressed heading into the Atlantic.

The Telefonica Blue crew raised their mainsail at 06:17 GMT and the team proceeded to their last racing position where they resumed racing at 06:53 after serving their minimum 12 hour pit stop penalty.

"The problem is absolutely fixed, we’re back up and running," said skipper Bouwe Bekking as his boat eased back towards the race course. "The rest of the boats are maybe about 100 miles ahead of us, but we’re looking forward to getting out there and trying to catch them up.

"How do I feel? Not very happy, but we have to carry on and see if we can claw back all the lost miles. Still a long way to go, and we know we can sail now optimal again.

Telefonica Blue in the Algeciras port in order to carry out the necessary repairs. Algeciras, 12 October 2008. Photo copyright Dave Kneale / Volvo Ocean Race

"We were moored overnight in between all the big container ships, as the marina was closed, because of all the damage a big storm caused two days ago over here. The shore crew have done an excellent job.

"They set up a temporary workshop, and had a car full of tools with them. Just after arrival we had a short chat with them, and their wish was to do all the work themselves, and they send us off to a local hotel for a couple of hours of sleep.

Back at the boat at 0630, and they shore crew was just washing the decks off. Well done everybody. We can imagine that the Ericsson boys are feeling sick, as they had an excellent first day, but now got caught up again by the rest."

Conditions are light, with the wind just 4 to 6 knots and the sea flat. The team still has to negotiate the tricky Strait of Gibraltar before reaching the Atlantic where Bouwe and his crew will have their work cut out for them as they attempt the long crawl up the leaderboard.

Meanwhile, the rest of the fleet has passed through the Straight of Gibralter and out into the Atlantic Ocean. Overnight, the fleet compressed dramatically, with the two Ericsson squads seeing their hard-won lead slowly evaporate.

Telefonica Blue to stop in Algeciras

Telefonica Blue, the boat skippered by Bouwe Bekking and Iker Martínez, will finally make a stop in the Spanish port of Algeciras, after suffering rudder damages a mere 20 miles after the race start in Alicante.

While they kept sailing, the crew was able to identify and fix the problem, but given the drop in wind intensity as the fleet crossed the Straits of Gibraltar, they decided this afternoon to stop in order to check and control the situation. The team wants to make sure they have all damages fully repaired before embarking onto the Atlantic and minimize as much as possible the miles lost to the current leaders, Ericsson 3 and 4.

If everything goes according to schedule, and after carrying out the corresponding penalty, Telefonica Blue will resume racing in the early hours of Monday (local Spanish time).

Bouwe Bekking watches over Xábi Fernández and Pepe Ribes while the two try to repair the rudder. Southern Spain, 12 October 2008. Photo copyright Gabriele Olivo / Equipo Telefonica

Ericsson 3 and Ericsson 4 first to cross the Straits of Gibraltar

Some 25 hours after the start Ericsson 3 and Ericsson 4 are currently leading the Volvo Ocean Race fleet and were the first to straits of Gibraltar. Both boats had chosen to stay close to the Spanish coastline in order to take advantage of stronger wind conditions. Once out of the Mediterranean, Aksel Magdahl and Jules Salter, the navigators on Ericsson 3 and Ericsson 4 respectively will then have to choose between a westerly option, one through the Canary Islands, or one closer to the African coast. This will depend on where the North Atlantic high pressure is situated, and where the trades are strongest.

Ericsson 3 and Ericsson 4 first to cross the Straits of Gibraltar. Gibraltar, 12 October 2008. Photo copyright Dave Kneale / Volvo Ocean Race

Ericsson 3 and Ericsson 4 first to cross the Straits of Gibraltar. Gibraltar, 12 October 2008. Photo copyright Dave Kneale / Volvo Ocean Race

Telefonica Blue suffers rudder problems

[Source: Volvo Ocena Race] Telefonica Blue is hugging the coast of Spain after being slowed by steering damage on their Volvo Open 70 soon after the start of the 2008-09 race.

Skipper Bouwe Bekking had been jostling for the lead with PUMA and the Ericsson duo as the eight boats left the start line in Alicante Bay in 20-25 knots.

Just 20 miles into the first leg to Cape Town as the fleet drag raced to the Straits of Gibraltar, Bekking reported to race headquarters in Portsmouth that they had broken a tiller arm and were down to one rudder.

Bekking has yet to decide whether they will have to stop for repairs and a decidion is likely as they approach Gibraltar in the next few hours.

In a despatch to race headquarters, Bekking said: "What a day to start in, plenty of breeze, fast sailing with the spinnaker up, and we were neck on neck with Ericsson 4, not bad at all. We had great speed but all of a sudden a sickening crack.

"It turned out that a part of our steering broke, only 20 miles out from the start. Only one rudder was working so we made a beauty wipe-out. We had to take the spinnaker down and have been sailing slow for nearly 6 hours, when in the meantime Pepe (Ribes) and Xabier (Fernandez) were working on the repair.

"At one stage we tried to put up a big spinnaker, but we were totally out of control so quickly changed back to a small jib. Of course an option was to stop, but since the breeze is going to die, this would mean a long and painful sail out of the Med.

"Still not sure if we are going to stop and take the 12-hour penalty, we know it will be expensive, as the boats ahead will always sail in more pressure and will strech away from us.

"We have to shorecrew on standby, and have until Gibraltar to make my mind up. How do we feel, just gutted. The good thing is that we crawled back on some of the other boats, but the Ericsson guys are in fat city."

Some good did emerge from Telefonica Blue's misfortune as their enforced decision to head inland allowed them to gain on the pack as the wind eased during the night. They currently hold fifth place just behind of stablemates Telefonica Black and ahead of PUMA, Team Russia and Delta Lloyd.

At the sharp end, Ericsson 4 and Ericsson 3 are staging their onw private battle for the lead with a 30-mile gap back to Green Dragon in third place.

Adam Minoprio reaches final of Bermuda Gold Cup

Hello from BlackMatch during the semi final stage of the Bermuda Gold Cup,

There were many surprises today on and off the water today, the first was the realization that our semi final opponent was not in fact Johnnie Berntsson from Sweden, but three times Olympic Gold Medalist and America's Cup Helmsman Ben Ainslie. After last nights press conference it was announced that we were to take Johnnie on in the semi final, it was not until this morning when Team Origins Coach spied a change in the notice of race that indicated we were to take on the British team, which also included Olympic Star Gold medalist Ian Percy. It was an unenviable position to be in taking on a team with such talent but when facing a 2-1 deficit that saw Ben on match point, we really stepped our game up to take out the next two pressure matches and qualify for the 2008 King Edward VII Gold Cup final.

Adam Minoprio beats Olympic gold medalist Ben Ainslie in the Bermuda Gold Cup semifinals. Hamilton, 11 October 2008. Photo copyright World Match Racing Tour

In our first match we forced a penalty on the Brits when they attempted to swing below our stern but crashed straight into us on port, their fleet racing skills showed through in the end though and they sailed away to have a big enough advantage to do their penalty turn on the finish line. We took the next race out comfortably when they misjudged the start and were over the start line when the gun went, we sailed very well tactically in this race and defended our lead well to level the scores. In our third match we had an even start but they again showed excellent speed and won by a narrow margin to go to match point. The fourth match saw a split tack start, we were extremely confident in the right hand side of the course during our pre-start manoeuvres so Adam fought hard for the committee boat end of the line, we won the boat and backed our call against the Olympians to make huge gains in better pressure on the first upwind. They fought back hard and on the second upwind we were 'tack for tack' but still maintained a 2 boat length lead by the top mark to take the victory and again level the scores. The deciding match saw a very heated pre-start, we were in total control of the start and had the Team Origin Crew on the ropes, locked out above the committee boat end of the start line. They bailed out and attempted to gybe around to start, instead of bearing away and going for a conservative start we went for the kill and tacked to follow them. Both of us were bearing away to gybe for the start and they gybed straight in front of us, our only avenue was to continue with our gybe inside them but the British team kept altering their course at us and there was a collision. There were protest flags from both boats but the penalty went against them while we also had better speed off the line that gave us the advantage we needed to take out the semi final 3-2 and progress through to the final tomorrow.

An all Swedish affair in the other semi final saw the inform Johnnie Berntsson defeat Mattias Rahm convincingly 3-0. We are absolutely ecstatic to have beaten such a respectable competitor in Ben Ainslie here in Bermuda, but we very weary of the form that Johnnie Berntsson has discovered and are looking forward to the challenge of winning our first World Tour Event tomorrow. We would like to congratulate all of the semi finalists as it is such a huge achievement to make it through to the final 4 of 24 competing teams.

BlackMatch would like to thank their sponsors FedEx Express and Ross Munro from Line 7 New Zealand, we are very proud to have the support of such world renowned companies. We would also like to thank our yacht club the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and also our friends and family for their great support this year, we hope we can go one better and take out the final tomorrow.

FINALISTS

Adam Minoprio (NZL) vs Johnie Berntsson (SWE)

SEMI FINAL RESULTS
Adam Minoprio (NZL) vs Ben Ainslie( GBR), 3-2
Johnie Berntsson (SWE) vs Mattias Rahm (SWE), 3-0