Ben Ainslie and Damien Iehl to meet in Match Race Germany final

[Source: World Match Racing Tour] As the battle of Britain continued this morning in the quarter final rounds it was Ben Ainslie (GBR) Team Origin that secured his spot in the semi finals. With Ian Williams winning the third match and the scores tied it came to the final match to decide who would advance to the semi final. The match wasn’t decided until the finish line where Ainslie had an outstanding penalty to complete. It was a very close finish.

The other quarter final match saw reigning Match Race Germany champion Damien Iehl (FRA) French Team defeat Francesco Bruni (ITA) 3-1.

The semi finals pitted a fascinating mix of talents against each other, with four time world match racing champion Peter Gilmour (AUS) Yanmar Racing facing three time Olympic gold medallist Ben Ainslie (GBR) Team Origin. Where as in the other semi final pairing it was a case of ‘de ja vous’ Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Team found him self in familiar territory as it was to be a repeat of last years all French affair when he chose fellow country man Damien Iehl (FRA) French Team as his opponent.

Highlights from the fourth day of Match Race Germany 2009. Langenargen, 31 May 2009. Video copyright 1080 Media

Ben Ainslie took the first two races in his semi final match, even after clearly losing the start in the first race against Peter Gilmour, only for Gilmour to comeback and tie the score going in to the final fifth match. The racing was tight and Gilmour and his Yanmar Racing crew never gave up they just kept coming back. “The stakes are high and we wanted to win,” Gilmour stated after the racing finished.

The final race was a good reflection of the pair’s whole semi final with multiple lead changes and whenever either team was behind, they seemed to have the tenacious ability to get right back into the race. The two teams were overlapped at both the first windward mark and then overlapped again as they rounded at the final bottom mark, leaving the match wide open until the final windward leg, where Gilmour split to the right side of the course with Ainslie headed to the left. The wind gradually shifted to the right and when they converged Ainslie had a tidy lead which he was able to hang to until the finish.

When asked to reflect on today’s racing Peter Gilmour said “Ben and his crew sailed really well. I think the end result comes down to us messing up a couple of starts. In their first couple of races they sailed really confidently however we were able to pull a couple back and it came down the last race. In the final race they were able to get ahead and stay ahead as simple as that.”

Ben Ainslie beat Peter Gilmour in the semifinals. Langenargen, 31 May 2009. Video copyright Richard Walsh / Match Race Germany

“It’s been a long 10 hours out on the water today. We had some intense racing with Ian Williams this morning and some further full on racing with Peter Gilmour this afternoon.” Reflecting upon why his semi final win came down to the last match Ainslie put it down to two things “We sailed really well in our first two races however this momentum was disrupted when there was a short break for a corporate fleet race. This gave Peter the opportunity to regroup and take the next couple of races. The second issue was exhaustion. In the final match we won the start and Iain Percy did a fantastic job at calling tactics and we just held the lead the whole way round.”

The second semi final, the tasty all French match up of Richard versus Iehl, was also a five match nail biter with neither team willing to lie down and concede defeat. When asked about how he felt about choosing Damien Iehl, Richard said “To be the one to choose is not an advantage. I would not like to race Peter Gilmour but I do not see much of a difference between Damien and Ben.” After four feisty encounters the score was two wins a piece with the two teams swapping wins and the semi final looking to go into a fifth match decider. However the umpires handed a ½ point deduction to Richard’s team as he was adjudged to have fouled Iehl in collision which resulted in damaged to the boats. This meant Richard would have to win two more races to reach the final, as it was first to three points wins, which undoubtedly put a little more pressure onto his team. Although the fifth match was a tense affair, Iehl was able to put Richard away and secure his place in tomorrows final against Ainslie.

Team Aqua wins RC44 Austria Cup

[Source: RC44] It went down to the last hurdle between No Way Back, Artemis and Team Aqua, separated by two points only before the ninth and last regatta of the event. No Way Back wins the fleet race ranking – on a tie with Artemis – whilst Team Aqua conquers the overall title thanks to its victory in the match race.

The sun was finally shining today and the wind blowing like it should in a sailboat race, allowing the Race Committee to launch four races and reshuffle the cards in the overall ranking of the RC 44 Austria Cup.

After a last race sailed this morning in this week’s typical gray, cold and unstable weather, the sun and the breeze came back for the final showdown, allowing the Race Committee to launch three fantastic races in Ebensee, at the other end of the lake.

Pieter Heerema and his team No Way Back were looking good at this stage thanks to their victory in the day’s first race. But the racing in Ebensee is all different, with the boats sailing as closely as possible to the cliffs in order to benefit from the land effect.

Closing day of the RC44 Austria Cup. Traunsee,31 May 2009. Photo copyright GEPA pictures / Marie Rambauske / RC 44 Class Association

Torbjorn Tornqvist’s Artemis was the best at adapting to those conditions, starting race 6 at the pin end of the line, going as closely as possible to the land in order to benefit from a good lift and tack ahead of the pack to take the lead. Alternating the worse and the best throughout the week, Team Sea Dubai also had an excellent regatta, finishing second just a couple of seconds behind Artemis after a fantastic dual. Other teams had ups and downs, with BMW ORACLE Racing finishing third despite sailing without their bowsprit, Team Austria ripping a spinnaker and Organika incurring a penalty at the windward mark. Team Aqua finished 4th and No Way Back 7th, closing the gap dramatically at the top of the leaderboard before the last races.

The next regatta turned out to be the most exciting one of the week, with a pre-start collision between Team Sea Dubai and Ceeref and further penalties for the same Ceeref as well as Organika and Team Austria in a hairy leeward mark rounding. Team Aqua benefited from this chaos to grab the lead and win ahead of No way Back and Organika.

The scenario couldn’t have been any better before the start of the last race of the event, with No Way Back sitting just two points ahead of Team Aqua and Artemis. The three teams knew the situation, and said after the regatta that they sailed “their own race”, without looking too much at the others.

No Way Back twisted a sheet in a winch one minute before the gun and was forced to start at the Committee end of the line when the middle and pin end were clearly favoured. Artemis started as usual at the pin end, but a touch too late. As for Aqua, it took an average start in the middle of the line, momentarily taking the lead of the “race in the race” despite sailing in BMW ORACLE Racing and Team Sea Dubai’s wake. The Team from the UAE seemed to have the regatta under control until Artemis – on great form today – made the best of the land effect to grab the temporary third place, just ahead of Aqua and No Way Back. The three teams sailed the last run in each other’s wake, trying to attack ahead without taking too much risk behind. BMW ORACLE Racing’s beautiful win and Team Sea Dubai’s second place were anecdotic compared to this fight for the overall victory. Artemis finally crossed third, Aqua fourth and No way Back – threatened until the last meters by the brave Austrians – in fifth, grabbing the fleet race ranking title on a tie with Artemis. Team Aqua concludes the fleet regatta in third but grabs the overall RC 44 Austria Cup title ahead of Artemis and No way Back, and increases its lead in the Championship Tour.

The next regatta will take place on July 8-12 in Malcesine, Lake Garda.

Closing day of the RC44 Austria Cup. Traunsee,31 May 2009. Photo copyright GEPA pictures / Marie Rambauske / RC 44 Class Association

They said:

Pieter Heerema, owner, No Way Back: “We had a fantastic first race this morning; all worked out perfectly for us. We had such a lead that we had to stop before crossing the line to make sure that there was not too much time between us and the others. The other races this afternoon at Ebensee were fantastic. The last race was very close. We had technical problems that prevented us from starting where we wanted but ended up with our direct competitors and had a very close race.”

Torbjorn Tornqvist, owner, Artemis: “We deliberately chose to start all races at the pin end of the line because we thought it was favoured and it usually proved to be the case. Of course this sent us right to the mountainside with other boats just behind and to windward as we had to tack, but I wasn’t scared to sail so close from the cliffs; I am used to sail in the archipelago and we do this all the time. During the downwind legs we didn’t use the coastal effect enough and lost some ground. We should probably have protected our position better. All in all, it was a great and very interesting regatta.”

Cameron Appleton, tactician, Team Aqua: “I am very proud of our result. We fought until the last race and it was amazing to see the top three boats sailing so close from each other in this last regatta. We had control over the situation half way through, but then I didn’t manage to prevent Artemis’ come back.”

Russell Coutts, BMW ORACLE Racing: ”This was a great event, and a huge success. We had our moments as a team, but I am quite happy with our fourth place. It wasn’t easy for our new helmsman to fit in, but he did a good job. It is great that No Way Back had such a good regatta; they worked very hard and sailed very consistently. It is interesting to note that the winning boat’s average place is approximately fourth and that five different teams have managed to win races. It says a lot about this Class.”

Christian Feichtinger, event organiser: Last year was our premiere and this year is our break through. We have clearly promoted our sailing event in a new dimension, by proving that we can run an entire match race round robin, eight fleet races and the DHL Trophy on our lake. We are very happy that the Class committed to come back next year.”

RC 44 Austria Cup overall ranking
(Ranking, team, owner, match race, fleet race, points)

1) Team Aqua, Chris Bake, 1, 3 - 4 points
2) Artemis, Torbjorn Tornqvist, 3, 2 – 5 points
3) No Way Back, Pieter Heerema, 6, 1 - 7 points
4) BMW ORACLE Racing, Russell Coutts, 5, 4 - 9 points
5) Team Organika, Maciej Navrocki 2, 7 – 9 points
6) Ceeref, Igor Lah, 4, 6 – 10 points
7) Team Sea Dubai, DIMC Markus Wieser, 7, 5 - 12 points
8) Team Austria, René Mangold, 9, 8 – 17 points
9) Puerto Calero Islas Canarias, Daniel Calero, 8, 9 – 17 points

Further rule changes for the 2011 Volvo Ocean Race

[Source: Volvo Ocean Race] With 62,000 people in the race village and nearly 60,000 more taking in the racing from the sea wall between Salthill and Barna along the Northern shores of Galway Bay, Saturday’s In-Port Race in Galway was a great success. On Sunday morning the Volvo Ocean Race looked again to the future and particularly the next race which is due to start in 2011.

The occasion was the third in a series of ‘round table’ meetings where future plans for the race are presented and explained. The Galway sessions follows similar presentations held in Rio de Janeiro and in Boston. In Ireland, special guests invited to attend included, amongst others, French multihull ace Franck Cammas, solo sailors Rolans Jourdain and Jean-Luc Nelias and noted French America’s Cup sailor Luc Gelluseau.

Volvo Ocean Race CEO Knut Frostad opened his presentation by explaining again why and how the race must embrace changes so as to become more successful in the future.

“Just like any sailing project the more time we have to prepare ourselves, the better the chances are we have of doing a good job,” he said. “Our number one objective is to increase the number of competitors in the next race. We know that we need a larger fleet in the future for the race to be able to reach its full potential.”

According to Frostad there are three pillars to work on to get more teams on the water in the future. The first element is a technical cost containment and reduction programme, the second an increase on the value to teams, sponsors and ports involved in the race, and the third is to keep the race seriously attractive to the best sailors in the world.

“An important element in achieving more boats on the start line in Alicante in 2011 is a reduction of costs and an increase in value for the teams. In the short term, whilst the race is going on and whilst everyone has it fresh in their minds and is focused we have to work on the cost reduction side of the equation. To that end, changes already announced include a reduction in crew members, from 11 to 10, and nearly a 40% reduction in race sails,” Frostad outlined.

Today, Frostad and his team which includes renowned racing class technical expert Ken McAlpine and rules expert Bill Edgerton, explained further elements of change.

They included the crew make-up for the next race. In an effort to encourage female participation, the new rule will allow ‘female’ teams to carry 12 sailors, including the media crew, two of whom may be men. This represents two extra crew members over an all male crew.

In terms of the Volvo Open 70 Class Rule, the maximum weight for the keel fin and bulb will be set at 7,400 kgs in the future. There will also be a minimum keel fin weight to be defined at a later date. The fin will be required to be solid, with no fairings permitted.

The weight of the yacht is to be increased so that it may fit into the range between 14,000 kilograms and 14,500 kilograms, compared to a range of 13,860 to 14,000 in the current edition of the race.

The combination of these two adjustments is an attempt to create a common righting moment for the whole fleet which will yield closer racing between the existing and future fleets of Volvo Open 70s and stop the expensive research and long slow builds that result in maximized bulb weights. Teams with less time and funding have been compromised with the stability of their boats and hence competitiveness.

Headfoils will be banned, headsails will either be set on furlers or with hanks. Stacking of the boats, the movement of sails and loose stores, spares and equipment inside the boat, will be limited to the centre section of the hull.

On the energy side the overall weight of each yacht’s batteries will be reduced by 100kgs. This reduction will allow design and build teams to put the same 100 kgs into the primary and secondary structure of the hull without increasing the weight of the boat. Currently very few of the fleet carry any solar panels so each Volvo Open 70 will also be required to carry a renewable energy source capable of generating 80 Watts of electrical power.

Further discussion centred around two-boat testing. The organisers are seeking to ensure that a team needn’t build two boats to be competitive in the next edition of the race. With that in mind, no two-boat testing will be permitted until after the ‘race’ boat has been launched, or after a yet to be defined date, which may be as late as the race start. There will be more information on this at a later date.

The next ‘round table’ session is scheduled for 22 June in Stockholm.

Ian Williams leads Match Race Germany quarterfinals in chaotic day

[Source: World Match Racing Tour] In contrast to yesterday’s shifty conditions, today’s match racing action was fast and furious in a 20+ knot breeze. The amazing sailing conditions have been the hot topic of conversation on everyone’s lips this week. The sailors are in their element and the spectators are enjoying the show they are providing for them. The Round Robin was completed allowing the Quarter Finals to begin at Match Race Germany, Stage 2 of the 2009 World Match racing Tour.

The sixth quarter finalist was not known until the very last match of the last flight. Reigning Match Race Germany champion Damien Iehl (FRA) of French Match Racing Team sailed through to the next round when he defeated Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing. Both teams needed the win but it was the French man that sealed his advancement.

Highlights from the third day of Match Race Germany 2009. Langenargen, 30 May 2009. Video copyright 1080 Media

Iehl was joined in the last six by Ian Williams (GBR) Bahrain Team Pindar, Francesco Bruni (ITA) Team Joe Fly, Ben Ainslie (GBR) Team Origin, Mathieu Richard (FRA) French match racing Team and Peter Gilmour (AUS) Yanmar Racing. As Richard and Gilmour finished first and second respectively, they advanced straight to the semi finals, leaving the remaining four to race against each other in the quarter finals for the last two spots in the semis.

The Quarter Finals got underway this afternoon with Francesco Bruni choosing Damien Iehl as his opponent which left British rivals Ben Ainslie and Ian Williams to go head to head.

The all British encounter between Ainslie and Williams looked likely to be a feisty encounter and the two sailing heavy weights didn’t disappoint. The two matches they completed saw 5 penalties awarded, multiple collisions, a man overboard and a black flag disqualification for one of the teams. The first match was a tight encounter with multiple lead changes and the teams were neck and neck until the final lap when Ainslie’s crew were undone by sailing to the wrong weather mark when in the lead. Unfortunately for Williams he was docked ¾ of a point for damaged caused during a port and starboard collision to which he was deemed to be in the wrong.

In the second race Williams edged the start but Ainslie was right on his tail all the way up the first beat. As both boats rounded the weather mark, Williams was hanging on to a slender lead. Half way down the run disaster struck for Ainslie again when hit by one of the bigger gusts of the day, resulting in a spectacular wipe out which laid the rig horizontal. To compound the ensuing chaos, during the broach Ainslie’s tactician, Iain Percy fell overboard and, although he was picked up by the umpires and put back onboard, this signalled race over for the team as they were awarded a black flag disqualification.

Tough times aboard Bahrain Pindar team. Langenargen, 30 May 2009. Photo copyright Richard Walsh

“It may have looked spectacular but it didn’t feel good. Iain Percy went overboard and the water certainly was warm enough for a swim,” Ben Ainslie commented after the incident. Ian Williams, on the other hand, was worried about being hit by Ainslie’s mast. “All I remember was Ben’s spinnaker all over me and my initial concern was where his mast was. We all hit the deck for cover,” he said.

The second quarter final pairing of Bruni against Iehl was a much tamer affair but still not free from drama. In a carbon copy situation to Ainslie’s team, Bruni sailed around the wrong weather mark on the second and final lap of the first race whilst in the lead which handed the win to Iehl. In the second race Bruni took the lead early on and was able to put enough distance between him and the pursuing French team to comfortably sail home in first place.

There will be more excitement to look forward to tomorrow as the four quarter finalist take to the water again to fight for their place in the semi finals. Then we will see the start of the semi finals themselves in the afternoon and with the vastly experienced crews of Richard and Gilmour already through to that round, there promises to be some mouth watering encounters.

Ian Williams leads Ben Ainslie in the Match Race Germany quarterfinals. Langenargen, 30 May 2009. Photo copyright Richard Walsh

Quarter Final Results
(after 4 matches)
Damien Iehl (FRA) French Team 1-1
Francesco Bruni (ITA) Team Joe Fly 1-1
Ian Williams (GBR) Bahrain Team Pindar 1.25 - 0
Ben Ainslie (GBR) Team Origin 0- 2

Round Robin Results
1st Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Team
2nd Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing
3rd Francesco Bruni (ITA) Team Joe Fly
4th Ian Williams (GBR) Bahrain Team Pindar
5th Ben Ainslie (GBR) Team Origin
6th Damien Iehl (FRA) French Team
7th Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing
8th Sébastien Col (FRA) French Team/K-Challenge
9th Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Team Onboard
10th Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team
11th Eric Monnin (SUI) Team Search.ch
12th Carsten Kemmling (GER)

Puma overall winner in Galway in-port races

[Source: Volvo Ocean Race] PUMA won the in-port race series in Galway today after two thrilling races were held on Galway Bay. This is the first time that PUMA has been on top of the podium for the Volvo Ocean Race and it brings her closer to second place in the overall standings. Telefónica Blue, second today, maintains second place overall, but only by one point and Ericsson 4’s slightly disappointing performance shaves her overall lead from 14.5 points to 13 points.

In race one, Team Telefónica clearly dominated in what started out as perfect conditions, with blue skies and a building breeze. While local heroes, Green Dragon, opted for a committee-boat start followed by Delta Lloyd, Athens Olympic Gold Medallist Iker Martinez (49-er) quickly steered Telefónica Blue to the left of the course and into a clear lead, which he held until the finish gun. Telefónica Black, with America’s Cup helmsman and syndicate head Pedro Campos in charge, made it a one-two for the Spanish team in conditions that clearly suited the two Farr Yacht Design boats.

PUMA put in a good performance to take third, from Ericsson 4, just as the wind began to die and seriously shift. A big cloudbank swept across the racecourse sucking the breeze with it and causing a headache for the race committee who had to reposition the windward and leeward marks several times during the course of the race.

Ericsson 3, Delta Lloyd and Green Dragon all had their problems during the race and found themselves trailing the leaders on the procession to the finish line after the windshift.

After a short postponement, race two got underway and the clouds parted to allow the blue sky and sun to shine through. A new westerly breeze of around 10 knots meant a new course was set, slightly closer to the shore.

Delta Lloyd made a blinding start at the pin end of the start line and led the fleet early. Telefónica Black was on course side and had to dip back behind the line and re-start, but made quick recovery. Green Dragon tacked, dipping behind the whole fleet and headed out to the right hand of the course.

Good work from Kenny Read and his men onboard PUMA meant they rounded the first mark in the lead from Telefónica Blue and Ericsson 4. The order at the front of the fleet remained unchanged at end of the first downwind leg, while, further back, Telefónica Black overtook Delta Lloyd and Green Dragon, who was struggling in the lighter conditions.

On the second beat, Telefónica Black came right back into contention and followed Telefónica Blue through the mid course gate to the right hand side of the course. Green Dragon also chose the right hand side, nearest the beach.

The fleet converged on the windward mark for the last time with PUMA leading the fleet safely round. Second place was very close with Ericsson 3 coming in from the left hand side and the two Telefónica boats approaching from the right. Ericsson 3 got the better of the two Spanish boats and rose up through the fleet from fourth place to round the mark in second place, from Telefónica Blue, Ericsson 4 and Telefónica Black.

On the final spinnaker leg, PUMA remained in control to complete the second race in first place, confirming her win today on a tiebreak, which takes the results of the second race as the decider. Ericsson 3 remained in second place and Telefónica Blue finished third in front of Telefónica Black.

Overall, it was a team affair, with PUMA taking maximum points today, followed by Telefónica Blue and Telefónica Black, Ericsson 3 and Ericsson 4, Delta Lloyd and Green Dragon.

The final in-port race will be held in Stockholm, Sweden on 21 June, and leg eight from Galway to Marstrand, Sweden will start at 1300 local time (1200 GMT) next Saturday.

Galway In-Port Race Results (Provisional)
1. PUMA: 4.0 points
2. Telefónica Blue: 3.5 points
3. Telefónica Black: 3.0 points
4. Ericsson 3: 2.5 points
5. Ericsson 4 : 2.0 points
6. Delta Lloyd: 1.5 points
7. Green Dragon: 1.0 points

Overall Leaderboard
1. Ericsson 4 (Torben Grael/BRA): 94.0 points
2. Telefónica Blue (Bouwe Bekking/NED): 81.0 points
3. PUMA (Ken Read/USA): 80.0 points
4. Ericsson 3 (Magnus Olsson/SWE): 62.5 points
5. Green Dragon (Ian Walker/GBR): 53.0 points
6. Telefónica Black (Fernando Echávarri/ESP): 39.0
7. Delta Lloyd (Roberto Bermudez/ESP): 31.0 points
8. Team Russia (Andreas Hanakamp/AUT): 10.5 points

Richard romps through to Match Race Germany Quarterfinals

[Source: World Match Racing Tour] The weather gods sent beautiful sunshine and a testing, shifty 8-10 knot breeze which enabled the race committee to complete a further 8 flights of the round robin on Day 2 of Match Race Germany.

The morning began with Francesco Bruni maintaining his winning form by taking his first two matches from the only German competitor Carsten Kemmling and the Swiss entry Eric Monnin. It was not until his next match that Bruni failed to maintain his clean scorecard. It was Frenchman Mathieu Richard who managed to skilfully take a win from the consistent Italian. Bruni was also deemed responsible for a collision during the match which resulted in damage to Richard’s boat and so the umpires inflicted a further 0.5 point deduction to his score line. However Bruni was not deterred by this defeat and went on to win a further two matches against current Tour leader Adam Minoprio and defending Tour Champion Ian Williams.

“We were not expecting so many points in the first two days of racing, for sure we are happy. It was a challenging match against Richard but a good start and winning the right side was key for winning in today’s conditions.”

Mathieu Richard had a successful day winning all three of his matches taking his winning tally to seven and solidifying his position as the leader on the scoreboard. The French man was rightly pleased with the days results.

Highlights from the second day of Match Race Germany 2009. Langenargen, 29 May 2009. Video copyright 1080 Media

“Today was a good day although I feel we were a little bit lucky with the shifty conditions. We were behind Monnin and Bruni but a combination of the wind shifts and some luck enabled us to get ahead. The team is doing a great job and we feel good with our performance. A good performance increases our confidence and our motivation to win. I hope it will last until the end of the week but we will have to see. ”

Old master Peter Gilmour of Yanmar Racing team put on a typically aggressive display in all three of his matches today, securing three wins in the process and edging him closer to the Quarter Finals. However he was deducted 1/3 of a point after the umpires decided that he shared some of the responsibility for a collision with Damien Iehl which resulted in damage and for which Iehl himself was deducted 2/3’s of a point.

Mathieu Richard leads Match Race Germany. Langenargen, 29 May 2009. Photo copyright Tobias Stoerkle

When asked to reflect about the jury’s decision to deduct a 1/3 of a point, Gilmour was very diplomatic “Any decision that goes to the jury we as sailors know anything can happen and the only guarantee is an outcome. The jury can see things differently and I may not agree. I respect the jury and the umpires have a difficult job and I appreciate what they do.”

While Bruni’s and Richards impeccable scores today assure them a place in the Quarter Finals, no one else in the field have yet secured such a certain outcome.

So the pressure is on for all teams to perform in every match and, with three races remaining for each team, the final six is still unclear at this stage.

The umpire team were kept busy all day, adjudicating on levels of aggressiveness not seen thus far in the competition. Whereas penalties yesterday were relatively few and far between, with half being for benign infractions like hitting marks, today the intense boat-on-boat action resulted in numerous penalties.

Tomorrow should provide a further spectacle for all the visitors that greet the shores of beautiful Lake Constance.

Current World Tour leader, Adam Minoprio and BlackMatch will have to race flawlessly in order to make it to the quarterfinals. Langenargen, 29 May 2009. Photo copyright Tobias Stoerkle

Results
Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Team 7-1
Francesco Bruni (ITA) Team Joe Fly 6.5-1
Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing 5.66-2
Ian Williams (GBR) Bahrain Team Pindar 5-3
Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing 4-4
Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Team Onboard 4-4
Sébastien Col (FRA) French Team/K-Challenge 4-4
Ben Ainslie (GBR) Team Origin 3-5
Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team 3-5
Damien Iehl (FRA) French Team 2.33-5
Eric Monnin (SUI) Team Search.ch 2-6
Carsten Kemmling (GER) 0-8

Crazy conditions on day one of the RC 44 Austria Cup fleet regatta

[Source: RC44] The Slovenian team Ceeref, with Igor Lah at the helm and Paul Cayard at the tactics, makes the best of the massive shifts, strong gusts and rain and hailstones showers on day one of the fleet race event of the RC 44 Austria Cup.

The Austrian weather carries on playing tricks with the sailors on Lake Traunsee, resulting in exciting, surprising and eventful regattas.

The sky was blue for the start of the first race and the wind moderate. BMW ORACLE Racing, with boat captain Ian Vickers at the helm and Russell Coutts calling the shots started at the pin end of the line and carried on to the left of the course with Team Puerto Calero and No Way Back. Led by the local team Austria, the other teams went to the right and benefited from a big right hand shift.

However, the best strategy proved to be the middle one. Playing every shift with a great vista, Torbjorn Tornqvist and Dean Barker reached the windward mark ahead of the pack, leading Organika, Team Sea Dubai and team Austria. Winner of the match race event yesterday, Chris Bake’s Team Aqua was trailing at the back of the fleet, proving once again that everything is possible in this Class thanks to its strict one-design concept.

Highlights from day 3 of the RC 44 Austria Cup. Traunsee, 29 May 2009. Video copyright RC44

On great form, Dean Barker carried on calling perfect shots, allowing Tornqvist to extend its lead and win the race with a huge margin. The situation was more complicated behind the leader. Indeed, the pursuers were separated by a few boat lengths and engaged in a very tight battle, exchanging positions at each mark rounding. The wind increased to 20 knots during the last spinnaker ride, allowing Team Austria to gain four places just before crossing the arrival line whilst Team Sea Dubai broached and had to cut their spinnaker halyard, abandon the race and go back to the harbour to fit in a new halyard, hence also missing the next race. Ceeref finished second, ahead of Organika and Team Austria, only too happy to cross the line in the first half of the pack.

Big black clouds started to build up over the nearby mountains before the start of race two. Most boats decided to start at the Committee Boat, resulting in a jam that forced Organika to turn back and restart after everyone. Ceeref and Artemis came out best in the middle of the line. Paul Cayard ordered a tack as soon as possible whilst Dean Barker opted for the left. Cayard’s choice proved to be the right one and the Slovenian team reached the windward mark before its opponents. The first strong gusts of wind came down the mountain soon after the mark rounding, propelling the RC 44 fleet towards the leeward mark at great speed. The wind increased to 30+ knots, resulting in the entire fleet blasting towards the other side of the lake, with some boats broaching and others urgently taking their kites down.

Ceeref, Team Aqua and No Way Back excelled in those conditions, sailing hard and very well and building up a comfortable lead over the opposition during the last beat. Nobody put the kite up during the last run because of the strength of the wind and the close angle, Ceeref crossing the line a few boat lengths ahead of Team Aqua and No Way Back. Artemis came back a long way to cross the line in fourth, just ahead of Team Austria, excellent once again.

The sun then came back and the wind dropped, forcing Race Officer Peter Reggio to postpone the next start during two hours before sending the fleet back home just before another massive storm hit lake Traunsee, with thunder, hailstones and massive gusts of wind.

First day of fleet racing at the RC44 Austria Cup. Traunsee, 29 May 2009. Photo copyright GEPA pictures / Marie Rambauske / RC 44 Class Association

They said:

René Mangold, owner, Team Austria: “We all come from Austria but this doesn’t mean that we are used to those conditions. This was actually very unusual, even for us. We had up to 32 knots at the top of our mast, and the spinnaker ride was just fantastic. We are happy with our result and it was great to see the public supporting us so much.”

Igor Lah, owner, Ceeref: “The second race was crazy. I never sailed with so much wind in my life, and I felt like on a rollercoaster. I was really concentrated on driving the boat and couldn’t look out much, but it was fantastic.”

Davies, tactician, No Way Back:“We were clearly in survival mode in the second race, but Pieter (Heerema) did a great job at the helm. There were big lead changes throughout the regattas and it was extremely shifty. Good fun.”

Tornqvist, owner, Artemis:“This is the first time I sail on a lake and it is an interesting experience. It is very shifty and the steering is challenging. We have been pretty lucky with the shifts in the first race, and Dean did a great job. We were always in the right place at the right time. “

Navrocki, owner, Organika:“The first race was great but then we suffered during the second one. We broached and had to stop because the spinnaker was stuck under the boat. I have enjoyed today a lot and these are the conditions that we like most even if it is very cold. This place is great and we appreciate Lake Traunsee as a sailing destination. I am also very happy with the team; they have done a great match race and I am proud of Karol.”

First day of fleet racing at the RC44 Austria Cup. Traunsee, 29 May 2009. Photo copyright GEPA pictures / Marie Rambauske / RC 44 Class Association

Fleet race, provisional results after two races:
(Ranking, name of team, helmsman, results, points)

1) Ceeref, Igor Lah, 2, 1 – 3 points
2) Artemis, Torbjorn Tornqvist, 1, 4 – 5 points
3) No Way Back, Pieter Heerema, 5, 3 - 8 points
4) Team Austria, René Mangold, 4, 5 - 9 points
5) Team Aqua, Chris Bake 8, 2 - 10 points
6) Team Organika, Maciej Navrocki 3, 8 - 11 points
7) BMW ORACLE Racing, Ian Vickers, 6, 6 - 12 points
8) Puerto Calero Islas Canarias, Daniel Calero, 7, 7 - 14 points
9) Team Sea Dubai, Stefan Linder, 11 (DNF), 11 (DNS) - 22 points

Team Aqua grabs the match race title in the RC 44 Austria Cup

[Source: RC44] Despite leading the tournament since the onset, Cameron Appleton and his team remained under threat until the very last race. Karol Jablonski’s Organika finishes a magnificent second ahead of Dean Barker’s Artemis and Paul Cayard’s Ceeref.

May 28, 2009 – When asked what the key to his success was, Team Aqua’s pro skipper Cameron Appleton was humble enough to answer “a huge amount of luck”. But luck doesn’t explain all and it is fair to say that Team Aqua sailed very well and that the team grabbed all the opportunities available – and there were many.

Following a successful ride against Team No Way Back, Aqua won the match that would be the decisive one in Flight 8, against Paul Cayard’s Ceeref. Despite loosing the start and incurring a penalty, Aqua managed to come back during the first downwind leg, taking advantage of a massive right shift to grab the lead. Appleton and his team then perfectly executed their penalty on the arrival line, finishing a couple of seconds ahead of Ceeref.

Highlights from day 2 of the RC 44 Austria Cup. Traunsee, 28 May 2009. Video copyright RC44

Two teams were still in a position to beat Aqua at this stage: BMW ORACLE Racing and Organika. The Americans blew their last opportunity during the pre-start of Flight 9 against Organika, incurring a penalty and crossing the line prematurely.

With one last race to go, Karol Jablonski’s Polish team was the only one still in a position to beat Aqua. In order to achieve this, Jablonski had to win its last race against No Way Back and Team Aqua to be beaten by BMW ORACLE Racing. Cameron Appleton made it very clear in the pre-start sequence that the event was his, taking an early lead over the Americans and extending throughout the race to win the match and the event. No Way Back, with Ray Davies at the helm for the starting sequence and owner Pieter Heerema taking over for the rest of the race managed to beat Organika “for the honour”, as the result had no influence on the final outcome. The two teams had an interesting windward mark rounding, carrying on for at least two hundred meters after the mark, looking at each other like cat and dog and waiting for the opportunity to make the break. A fantastic match racing moment.

Cameron Appleton wins the match race title with 7 victories in 8 races. Traunsee, 28 May 2009. Photo copyright Nico Martinez

There were many other exciting matches today, including a superb dual between Team Sea Dubai and BMW ORACLE Racing in the seventh flight. The team from the UAE had successfully inflicted a penalty to its opponent and dominated most of the match but could not prevent one of those come backs that only Lake Traunsee seems to allow.

Not used to sail on a lake, the Spanish team Puerto Calero had some good moments too, beating Organika, BMW ORACLE Racing and Team Austria but this was not enough to finish any better than eighth overall.

As for Team Austria, still learning the subtleties of match racing, they had some very good and close matches but haven’t managed to win a race. A tough result that certainly doesn’t reflect their talent.

The fleet racing event starts tomorrow. The strict one-design concept of the RC 44 Class and the shifty weather will open up more opportunities to the less experienced teams. It will with no doubt be a very interesting regatta.

Paul Cayard finishes 4th in his first ever RC44 regatta. Traunsee, 28 May 2009. Photo copyright Nico Martinez

They said:

Cameron Appleton, helmsman, Team Aqua: “We’ve had a huge amount of luck. We sailed very well in those races that we won fair & square. But I confess that we were lucky at times. I don’t know any other place that offers such opportunities to come back. The qualities that were necessary to win today are: patience, focus and belief.”

Dean Barker, helmsman, Artemis: “I am not very happy with our day. The conditions don’t make for great matches. You think you are doing things right and five minutes later you’ve been overtaken by your opponent without having done any mistake. This lake is really hard to read.”

René Mangold, owner, Team Austria: “I am not surprised by the result and we are not unhappy. These guys sail match races 200 days / year; it’s just normal that they beat us. But I have the feeling that we are getting closer and closer. Hopefully we will be able to win some races next time, in Malcesine.”

Karol Jablonski, helmsman, Organika: “It was complicated, exciting and intense. We’ve had lots of ups and downs throughout the day, but the crew has done a fantastic job and I am very happy. Rod Dawson, from New Zealand, is our new mainsail trimmer and he is doing a great job; it is very helpful. I didn’t know that we could have won the event when we started the last race. But it wouldn’t have changed anything.”

Match-race, final results after nine flights:

(Name of team, helmsman, No of victories / defeats, points)

1) Team Aqua, Cameron Appleton 7/1, 7 points
2) Team Organika, Karol Jablonski 5/3, 5 points
3) Artemis, Dean Barker, 5/3, 5 points
4) Ceeref, Paul Cayard, 5/3, 5 points
5) BMW ORACLE Racing, Rod Davis, 4/4, 4 points
6) No Way Back, Pieter heerema, 4/4, 4 points
7) Team Sea Dubai, Markus Wieser, 3/5, 3 points
8) Puerto Calero Islas Canarias, José Maria Ponce, 3/5, 3 points
9) Team Austria, Christian Binder, 0/8, 0 point

Mathieu Richard leads Match Race Germany

[Source: World Match Racing Tour] The teams competing in the 12th annual Match Race Germany, stage 2 of the World Match Racing Tour, were greeted with glorious conditions today as Lake Constance delivered a beautiful 12 knot north westerly morning breeze for racing to get underway.

Although the breeze steadily eased throughout the day, all 12 of the competing teams at this years event saw action on the water as 24 match races were completed in all.

Making his debut on the Tour was Italy’s Francesco Bruni who was keen to make an impression against the well polished Tour regulars but with an undefeated scorecard and a smile on his face it was clear the first day had made a good impression on him.

Adam Minoprio and Björn Hansen race in the opening day of Match Race Germany. Langenargen, 28 May 2009. Photo copyright Match Race Germany

“We are very happy and surprised after day one to do so well. However we appreciate there is a long way to go in the round robin and our feet are firmly on the ground. We will take each match as it happens. This is a very positive period in my life at the moment. I have had a succession of good results. I have just come from the Med Cup where I was tactician on Matador and we won, coming second at the Congressional Cup and fourth at the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series with Team Italia. In addition to this I was blessed with a baby girl five days ago and I am a very proud father. Life is good.”

Bruni was able to extend his lead against two of his competitors today which secured him the wins, however a tight race with the current world number one ISAF ranked match racer, Seb Col, put his skills to the test and he didn’t disappoint, using a combination of good strategy and boat on boat tactics to over come his opponent.

Mathieu Richard currently number two on the Tour standings and ISAF rankings also faired exceptionally well in today’s conditions, winning four of his five matches. The tenacious Frenchman, who looked solid on the race course all day, will no doubt be looking forward to seeing what tomorrow brings for the racing on Lake Constance.

It was a tough day for Sweden’s Bjorn Hansen, who after winning four of his five starts, no mean feat in the assembled fleet, could only convert two of these in to wins. “It was a frustrating and disappointing day and we need to be more switched on for tomorrow” said Hansen.

After the days racing was finished, an upbeat chief umpire Philippe Gomez was pleased with the successful start to the regatta. “Today was a good day and we are expecting similar conditions for tomorrows racing,” he stated.

Results

Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Team 4-1
Ian Williams (GBR) Bahrain Team Pindar 3-2
Peter Gilmour (AUS) Yanmar Racing Team 3-2
Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing 2-3
Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Team Onboard 2-3
Francesco Bruni (ITA) Team Joe Fly 3-0
Sebastien Col (FRA) French Team/K-Challenge 2-1
Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team 2-1
Damien Iehl (FRA) French Team 1-2
Eric Monnin (SUI) Team Search.ch 1-2
Ben Ainslie (GBR) Team Origin 1-4
Carsten Kemmling (GER) 0-3

Desafío's TP52 is the new Cristabella

[Source: AUDI Medcup] After being unable to race in Alicante, John Cook's Cristabella (GBR) team will return to compete on the 2009 Audi MedCup Circuit with their new boat and some additional key crew members.

The British team will race in the City of Marseille Trophy (June 9-14) with the 2008 TP52 of El Desafío.

Cristabella have recently secured the TP52 which was previously El Desafío which finished seventh on the 2008 Audi MedCup Circuit and raced her final regatta in Spanish colours at the 2009 City of Alicante Trophy, finishing seventh.

The new Cristabella is a 2007-8 Judel Vrolijk design built in Valencia by the Spanish America's Cup Challenge.

The hull sister to Bribón is now being prepared to be raced in Marseille as Cristabella. "Now we have a bit on to be ready, to get the boat sorted and on our way to Marseille”, explains Brendan Darrer (IRL), Cristabella's boat captain. “Now we just want to get there and to enjoy our sailing again. It was very disappointing to miss out in Alicante. We have only missed four MedCup regattas since we started in 2005 so we really are looking forward to being back."

Limited time means that the boat will be green and silver, with the sponsors' logos removed. "It looks pretty good in green and silver," Darrer notes. "I am not remotely superstitious and green, of course, is my national colour!"

The British team is happy about racing again with a Judel/Vrolijk design, as Barren highlights: "I'm really happy with the boat. The thing about the Judel Vrolijk boats is they are all so similar, just very small differences, and we are great believers in it being the way you sail them. We had already bought some new sails for this season and have some good, later ones from the 'old boat' so I feel we'll be OK in that area to start with."

Cristabella’s crew will include Desafio's Olympic Finn bronze medal winning John Cutler (NZL). The Manchester, England born Kiwi sailed as tactician last year when the El Desafío team finished seventh overall, including a third overall in Cartagena, Murcia. World No 1 match racer Ian Williams (GBR) joins the crew, which is otherwise largely unchanged from the usual core including navigator Nat Ives (GBR) and owner/skipper John Cook (GBR).

Report: Desafío to quit the America's Cup, move to the Volvo Ocean Race

As it has been widely reported in the Spanish press, Iberdrola, the Spanish utilities group, bought out the shares of Desafío held by Real Federación Española de Vela (13%), Caja Madrid (8%), Pedro Campos (6%) and Josep Cusí (6%) and is now in total control of the former America's Cup Spanish team.

According to Spain's most influential sailing journalist, Jaume Soler, a meeting will take place in the team base in Valencia, where Agustín Zulueta will explain the new owner's decisions and the future plans in store.

Although it is not yet official, Desafío sold its TP52 yacht to John Cook's Cristabella. Still, the most important aspect of Iberdrola's plans is to quit the America's Cup and, reportedly, focus on the Volvo Ocean Race.

In fact, the current base in Valencia will be transformed and according to an internal Iberdrola document we have, "the base will accommodate a wide range of activities, going from nautical events to outreach programs in the world of sailing as well as the management of different national and international sailing projects."

As Soler reports the green team will most probably set a new base in Alicante in order to enter the Volvo Ocean Race. As per the recent agreement signed between the Regional Government of Valencia and the round-the-world race organizers, the next three editions (2011, 2014 and 2017) will depart from Alicante. In addition, the Valencian government has to guarantee the presence of at least two Spanish teams, independent from each other.

Since Telefonica has expressed its will to continue in the race, Soler writes that Iberdrola will most probably be that second team. That is also the reason Pedro Campos sold his stake in the green team, being the owner of the Telefonica VOR team. It seems that the sports activity will be in Alicante and Valencia will become, in a way, the headquarters of the group's sailing activities.

Team Aqua leads RC 44 Austria Cup in very tricky conditions

[Source: RC44] The RC 44 Austria Cup match race event started today in light to moderate and very shifty conditions. Team Aqua leads the contest after five flights, ahead of Organika, Artemis and Ceeref.

The teams involved in the RC 44 Austria Cup faced difficult conditions on day one of the Austria Cup, with shifty and irregular winds that tested the tactician’s nerves and generated some unexpected come backs and upsets. At the end of the day, the most popular words that could be heard on the pontoons were “we should” and “we could”.

The first flight of the day immediately set the tone, with an unexpected come back from Team Puerto Calero against Organika in a situation that would have been desperate in normal conditions.

Team Aqua leads the RC44 Austria Cup. Traunsee, 27 May 2009. Photo copyright Nico Martinez

The same fate hit Paul Cayard’s Ceeref on flight two: the American was fairly easily controlling the situation against Team No Way Back - with owner Pieter Heerema at the helm – when the dutch boat executed a complicated – and pretty poorly executed - jibe set at the last windward mark, catching a nice puff right after to grab the lead.

The second flight also coincided with Dean Barker and Artemis’ first defeat since March in a tense match against Karol Jablonski’s Organika.

The local Austrian team fought with all its heart throughout the day, putting up a good show and gaining valuable experience despite missing victories through the accumulation of little mistakes; the often mentioned lack of experience. The closest call was in flight three when Christian Binder and his team managed to sail in Ceeref’s wake throughout the match, crossing the arrival line just behind Paul Cayard. Equally unlucky, Team Sea Dubai only managed to grab a point against Puerto Calero in the second flight and had a painful incident in their third match when they ripped their spinnaker and had to take their mainsail down to untangle bits of tissue wrapped around the battens.

Paul Cayard helms Team CEEREF to second place at the RC44 Austria Cup. Traunsee, 27 May 2009. Photo copyright Nico Martinez

The “match of the day” took place in the fourth flight, between Organika and Ceeref. The two teams reached the starboard layline together and engaged a brutal luffing dual. Surprised by the action, Organika’s bowman fell in the water and the jury raised a first penalty flag against the Polish team for responding too late. The second flag came up seconds later, during the mark rounding, when Karol Jablonski tried to squeeze in between the mark and his opponent in a forbidden way. The Polish executed a perfect penalty turn and bravely carried on chasing Cayard until the arrival line, loosing a great regatta by a few boat lengths.

The last flight of the day took place in a dying breeze that didn’t deliver much action, except for a very close match between Ceeref and BMW ORACLE Racing. Cayard just managed to cross the arrival line ahead of Davis before the breeze completely disappeared.

Team Aqua leads the contest with 4 points, ahead of Ceeref, Artemis and Organika (3 points). The last three flights (or four for some boats) will take place tomorrow.

Islas Canarias Puerto Calero beats BMW Oracle. Traunsee, 27 May 2009. Photo copyright Nico Martinez
They said:

Cameron Appleton, helmsman, Team Aqua: “We’ve had our share of bad luck on lakes until now but it’s over and today was our day. We sailed well and the combination with Andy (Estcourt) and I worked well. The conditions are certainly difficult but you need to create luck and opportunities; that’s what we did.”

Dean Barker, helmsman, Artemis: “I don’t think we were very lucky today. For example in our match against Aqua, we had a huge lead but they came back from behind with a gust and passed us. The conditions were quite typical of lake sailing and I sometimes had the feeling that we were not really match racing. We often had to play the weather rather than the opponent. But it was good fun.”

Rod Davis, helmsman, BMW ORACLE Racing: “It was definitely a difficult day wind wise and sometimes a bit of a lottery but we had a lot of fun. I just had one hour to practice before the start, so I am still learning a lot. I think most of our races were good, except the one against Paul Cayard. We should have won that one.”

Karol Jablonski, helmsman, Organika: “I am happy with our day but I really believe that we could have finished with the perfect score. It was very close all along. We should never have lost the first race against the Spaniards; they were a long way behind a came back with a puff. Then we had a close situation against Cayard and my bowman fell in the water; I didn’t really agree with the Jury but that’s match racing!”

Match-race, provisional results after 4 or 5 flights depending on the teams (out of 9):

(Name of team, helmsman, No of victories / defeats, points)

1) Team Aqua, Cameron Appleton 4/1, 4 points
2) CEEREF, Paul Cayard, 3/1, 3 points
2) Artemis, Dean Barker, 3/2, 3 points
2) Team Organika, Karol Jablonski 3/2, 3 points
5) BMW ORACLE Racing, Rod Davis, 2/2, 2 points
5) No Way Back, Pieter heerema, 2/2, 2 points
5) Puerto Calero Islas Canarias, José Juan Calero, 2/3, 2 points
8) Team Sea Dubai, Markus Wieser, 1/3, 1 point
9) Team Austria, Christian Binder, 0/4, 0 point

Circolo Vela Gargnano sends another letter to GGYC

Related PDF files

- Circolo Vela Gargnano writes to GGYC, 27 May 2009

Marcus Young Commodore
Golden Gate Yacht Club 1 Yacht Road
San Francisco, California 94123
May 27, 2009

Dear Mr. Young,
Thank you for your letter of May 26.

We have duly noted its content and the reasons which, in your opinion, do not allow a multiple challenger event to take place, namely, the purported lack of the Defender’s interest and your worries about further delays.

For the sake of clarity let us first state that we never claimed that you have “an obligation” to consider other challengers under the Deed of Gift.

Actually we only stated that, in your capacity as the Challenger of Record, it is within the fiduciary duties of your role to address the issue of how to organize the Challengers’ selection and that we would therefore expect you to protect our interests by doing so.

As to the merits, it would be improper for us to discuss the grounds of your litigation with SNG which has not involved our Yacht Club.

We are however very pleased to acknowledge that the issue of the Defender’s interest and consent to a multiple challenger Cup in multi-hulls, which you have qualified in your letter, as being a “prerequisite for having multiple challengers” has, beyond any doubt, now been successfully overcome.

In fact in its letter of May 26 addressed to the Golden Gate Yacht Club, SNG actually indicates that: “SNG continues to urge you to allow other interested challengers to compete in a challenger selection series prior to the Match which at this stage will be held under the terms of the Deed… if for your own competitive reasons, you wish to maintain the present match schedule, the challenger series can be held beforehand. SNG remains happy to continue with the present scheduled date of the Match. SNG has been advised by several interested challengers they will be ready to compete in a challenger series with the Match as presently scheduled”.

Moreover, in its letter of May 26 addressed to our Yacht Club, SNG plainly represents that: ” SNG is continuing to encourage GGYC to accept SNG’s offer to give you and any ohter interested challenger, the opportunity to compete in the 33 America’s Cup”.

The above is quite self explanatory, and we believe it fully satisfies the prerequisite argument which you have correctly raised.

As to the second issue you raised, it is quite clear from our previous correspondence that we were and still are perfectly happy to meet the February deadline so as to keep the present match schedule you have set for the challenge with the Defender. It would actually be improper for us to seek to delay this match which, according to your own words “should have taken place in July 2008″.

Challengers series can indeed be held beforehand at your convenience.

We assume and trust that all of the above removes the conditions, the prerequisite, the objections and the worries you raised in your letter and that, consistently with your previous attitude, you would now be prepared to discuss the organization of the multiple challenger event without further delay.

On this regard we are prepared to meet at your earliest convenience.

We look forward to hearing from you

Sincerely

Lorenzo Rizzardi
President
Circolo Vela Gargnano

Valencia Sailing talks to Francesco de Leo, CEO of Green Comm

Valencia Sailing talked on Tuesday afternoon to Francesco de Leo, CEO of Green Comm, the Italian team that filed a challenge for the 33rd America's Cup, representing the Cirvolo Vela Gargnano. Our talk took place in the base of the 32nd America's Cup challenger +39 and covered a wide spectrum of questions such as Green Comm's agenda, its aim, its relation to Alinghi, its finances, its ability to design, build and race a 90ft trimaran in such a short time, or even its legitimacy.

Valencia Sailing: I have a lot of questions and I will start with the most direct one, asked by several of our readers. Are you a pawn of Alinghi, used in their quest to buy time in order to better prepare for the inevitable one-on-one race with BMW Oracle?

Francesco de Leo: No, we are absolutely not their pawns. This is a challenge that started with completely different objectives and has its own global agenda. It isn't a coincidence that we are called Green Comm and this has to do with my personal background. Probably your readers don't know it but I won the third mobile phone license in Spain when I was managing director of Telecom Italia, the youngest managing director of a listed company in Italy because at the age of 35 I was the managing director of M&A, of international operations, of business development as well as manager of our affiliates abroad. I was in charge of 12,000 employees and 9 billion euros of business.

Valencia Sailing: Let me rephrase the question. Is Green Comm's challenge a delaying tactic used by Alinghi?

Francesco de Leo: No. Look, I have no connection whatsoever with Ernesto Bertarelli...

Valencia Sailing: That was my following question. Are Ernesto Bertarelli or Alinghi, directly or indirectly, financing Green Comm?

Francesco de Leo: The answer is again no. I have to admit I'm also very surprised with these questions that your readers posted on your website. Let me clarify it once and for all. The reason I am talking to you today is to clarify that this is an independent, unrelated challenge and I am myself, Francesco de Leo, organizing it. Everything that is written regarding our association with any other person or entity has to be proven in court or otherwise it is false. I can assure you that tonight, I can call my lawyers in Madrid. In fact, yesterday I had a meeting with Niccoló Bastianini, head of our legal advisory team and one of the best lawyers in Italy. Bastianini is in constant contact with my lawyers in Lausanne and one has to be aware that if one decides to make affirmations not substantiated by evidence, they will have to be accountable.

Valencia Sailing: Still, is it a coincidence that the world headquarters of Simtone, the first sponsor you publicly announced, are in Vevey, Switzerland, close to Serono's facilities and the Décision boatyard?

Francesco de Leo: I will tell you everything about Simtone. If you go to the company's website, www.simtone.net, you'll see that I form part of its advisory board. Simtone is the creation of Mario Dal Canto, one of the initial managers of Sun Microsystems, together with founders Scott McNealy and Bill Joy. One of my dearest friends and mentor, Sol Trujillo, CEO of US West, then Orange and now Telstra, was one of Dal Canto's financial backers. I know Mario since a very long time. He's an Italian with a very strong presence in the US and creator of what is probably the world's most powerful cloud computing platform. This technology will also be of use to me for our challenge.

Valencia Sailing: Yes, but let's consider the following fact. You are the only team or yacht club to have officially challenged, after BMW Oracle, for an America's Cup that will definitely be sailed in huge multihulls. I haven't seen, at least publicly, a challenge from any of the French multihull legends, that, undoubtedly, have the expertise and knowhow to be competitive in such a race. You have to admit this creates serious doubts about your ability to be competitive in such a short time.

Francesco de Leo: I understand your question because I was the first one to ask it myself but we have to take things into perspective. When I was managing different businesses, I was handling investments worth 2-3 billion euros and making acquisitions worth 7-8 billion euros. When now you ask me how difficult it is to have a 28-million euro budget I realize it is a big number in sailing but it's only a day's revenue for a telecom operator like Wind. As a result, you have to take into consideration one's background. Secondly, in order to make this a successful challenge it's not only necessary to have a design team or winning design ideas. It's even more important to come from a country that has a high-level aeronautical industry...

Valencia Sailing: I will interrupt you again, but there is no multihull experience in Italy, unlike France where you have legends such as Franck Cammas, Loïck Peyron or Pascal Bidégorry, just to name a few.

Francesco de Leo: You are absolutely right, but if you go to Google and type "multihulls" you will have much more information than what I had myself 20 years ago when I was doing my PhD in California. The world has changed and people still don't understand it. They think we are in the 1980's. If you have the right contacts and the right people, you can build any challenge you want. Let me give you an example. Sol Trujillo, with whom I'll dine on Friday in Venice, covered the entire Australian territory, 98% of its population with a broadband wireless network in 10 months. You are obviously aware that Australia is as big as Continental Europe.

How did he achieve it? Certainly not by doing the things the usual way in the telecom sector. He reviewed all processes, the roles of each person, saw where time savings could be made and carried out his plan. People now ask me, "How can you build a catamaran before February?", my answer is simple. Trujillo covered the entire Australian territory in 10 months and we will not able to build a multihull in 3 months? It depends a lot on your starting point. I come with a different background and a managerial experience. I'm sorry to see people are very surprised but they shouldn't be surprised at all.

Lorenzo Rizzardi (left), president of Circolo Vela Gargnano, and Francesco de Leo, CEO of Green Comm Challenge. Valencia, 26 May 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Valencia Sailing: But even Alinghi and BMW Oracle, two high-level professional sailing teams, had to use the expertise of French multihull specialists and you can't deny there are dozens of years of racing yacht design experience in both of them. In addition, Green Comm being, let's say, the continuation of +39...

Francesco de Leo: Wait, stop here. Lets make things clear. There is no relation between +39 Challenge and Green Comm Challenge. I understand that +39 has been a complicated and difficult situation but in 2007 I was NOT in Valencia, I was in another part of the world doing something completely different. If anyone still claims we are a continuation of +39 makes a big mistake. The only contact point is the fact we are representing the Circolo Vela Gargnano.

Valencia Sailing: Why did you choose to represent that yacht club?

Francesco de Leo: I come from Bergamo and the Circolo Vela Gargnano is just an hour away from home. As a result, I have the ability to be there as long as necessary. Secondly, we are building a WiMax network in that area that will enable us to connect the sensors we have installed on some yachts, monitoring their speed and performance. That was an important factor. In order to be able to carry out these innovative tests with telecom technology we needed a basin of that nature.

In addition the Circolo Vela Gargnano is one of Italy's most prestigious yacht clubs and this year, next September, will hold the World Tornado Championship. This will be a great experience for us and we'll be able to see all these young multihull sailors. That's yet another reason for me to be there.

Last but not least, the people I have met in that yacht club have understood that this has to be a challenge completely different from the past.

Valencia Sailing: Nevertheless, right now we are in what is, or at least was, the base of +39 Challenge, right here in Valencia. There must be some relation.

Francesco de Leo: We are talking with the president of the Consorcio Valencia in order to enter in this base and use it in full right. We have chosen this particular base because we consider it to be the most appropriate for our activities.

Valencia Sailing: What about the alleged debts +39 Challenge has or had with its employees or the Spanish state?

Francesco de Leo: [Laughs] Lorenzo Rizzardi, a very serious person, has to close the chapter of the 32nd America's Cup but Francesco de Leo of Green Comm has nothing to do with that. Honestly, I don't understand why we keep talking about these things.

Valencia Sailing: Let's then move back to the yacht and her designer. You haven't announced any name.

Francesco de Leo: Look, our approach this time is very different from the past. There has always been a lead designer that from the start gave the guidelines regarding what the boat would look like. I have a different experience. I come from a business environment and what counts is the team. We have Professor Nani Lombardi from the University of Pisa, the biggest calculation center in Italy, who is in charge of CFD. We also have the Polytechnic of Turin, one of Europe's most important centers for ICT studies. Microsoft has 400 researchers there in charge of developing broadband mobile access technologies. We also have UCLA, where I am a visiting scholar of the Computer Science Department. As you see we have a very powerful team. This is a different challenge that requires knowhow and components very different from the past because nobody before has designed catamarans such as Oracle's or Alinghi's.

As a result, the innovation margin is very high to do things that apparently look very difficult but are performing very well on the water.

Valencia Sailing: So, you claim there is no need to have a lead designer with long and solid experience in multihulls.

Francesco de Leo: Some people might choose to have a lead designer in charge of the entire process while in this case we have chosen a different path with a team of highly-experienced people that come from aerospace or Formula 1, put together to design a boat that is different from what we have known so far.

Valencia Sailing: But that's exactly my point, you are designing a sailing yacht, not an airplane or an F1 car. You never mention an expert in yacht design.

Francesco de Leo: We do have that expert. It seems you don't know who Nani Lombardi is. He's one of the biggest experts in naval design. He's never been the lead designer of a team because he'd rather be doing research.

I'll make it clear that I'm in a position to call anyone I want who can give me an insight on how to design such a yacht. In addition, don't forget that this is not a reality show, as some people think, and some of our choices remain unrevealed. We aren't here to come every day and talk about something.

Valencia Sailing: Let's assume you design a 90ft multihull. This yacht must be built in Italy as per the Deed of Gift. Is there such a knowhow? Where would you build it?

Francesco de Leo: Of course there is the knowhow in Italy. In Italy there are companies like Finnmecanica, Finncantieri or Alenia Spazzio that not only are leaders in aerospace or defense but have also made acquisitions throughout the world. Let's not forget there are boatyards that, starting with the Moro di Venezia, have built a number of America's Cup yachts. We have extraordinary knowhow in carbon fiber and it's only 50km away from my home.

Valencia Sailing: Let's again, hypothetically, assume that BMW Oracle agrees and accepts you challenge. That would mean you would have to race a Challenger Selection Series some time in January. Your time window is even smaller. Would you still have the time to develop realistically something competitive?

Francesco de Leo: It's clear that we are not doing something that is absolutely normal. In fact, the management's mentality is to manage a "mission impossible". We know we have until the end of July before we definitely freeze the boat design. We also know we can accelerate the construction process, within certain limits. We will certainly not have the time we would have wished for to test her in order to optimize her. We will substitute this with the wireless electronic sensors and the sensor networks that will allow us to process data that today we are not even able to collect.

We just have to wait and see what are the decisions taken by others.

Valencia Sailing: On May 11th you sent a press release announcing exactly the starts of these sensoring tests...

Francesco de Leo: No, the tests started much earlier than that. In fact they continue as we speak and one of my tasks this summer will be to put in place the WiMax network I told you about. This network will allow us to have a real wind tunnel not a virtual one. You can always do as much simulation as you want but at the end of the day the boat will have to go on the water and sail. Water is very noisy as far as the information is concerned and for that reason yo have to be very selective.

Valencia Sailing: You are carrying out these tests on a small and antiquated C-Class catamaran built in the 1970's. This is also a source of doubts about your seriousness.

Francesco de Leo: Look, I'll explain. Do you know what I consider the important for me as head of the team? To challenge the rest of it to go beyond conventional wisdom. The reason we chose that yacht was to prove that in the 1970's someone was able to design a yacht ahead of its time. As a result, I told the people working for me that if such a yacht was built in the 1970's, what we'll see in February has to be far more sophisticated.

There is also another important factor. BMW Oracle has shown a trimaran. It might not be the one they race with but at least we are clearly able to see what they have been working on, what evolutions they have made. Similarly, regardless of what they are building now, we will also see Alignhi's yacht in July. We will study both yachts and some times it's better to be a late comer, you have an advantage over your adversaries.

Valencia Sailing: These yachts are also very expensive. Tom Ehman, last December here in Valencia, publicly stated that the cost of building BOR90 was "more than 10 million euros". This is very vague and it could be 20 or 50 million and doesn't include the current modifications. Let's hypothetically say it's 20 million. They have a well-oiled machine that has been working for years while you start from scratch and will probably need more than that. Do you have these 20-30 million euros available?

Francesco de Leo: Absolutely. I'm amazed each time somebody asks me whether it's difficult for us to find a budget of 30 million.

Valencia Sailing: It might be peanuts for a multinational telecom group, but in sailing, especially under the current tough environment, it's difficult to find such an amount. Don't forget that in the best-case scenario you might be only racing for 10-15 days.

Francesco de Leo: Your question is legitimate but I think that the major error you commit is that you can't manage the America's Cup thinking it's just a sailing event. The America's Cup is a business. The choice we have made since the beginning is to have a green agenda, our statement that this will become the cornerstone of the new economy whose aim is to save the environment. It's true we are going through a crisis but we don't come to Valencia saying we are going to a regatta. It has to become a public agenda, a global media platform where we say, "Yes we are in Valencia because we want to sponsor a multihull team" but a the same time we talk about our company, about what we do, our technologies, how we satisfy the needs of our clients. The America's Cup is by far the most appropriate event but if I run the event without such a global agenda, it then becomes more difficult.

Valencia Sailing: So, if I understand well, for you the actual race or the sport of sailing is secondary, a side dish. The America's Cup for you is a show rather than a sport event.

Francesco de Leo: No, maybe I din't express myself correctly. The things we are doing will help a sector face a problem whose solution will require a lot of time. Sailing is undoubtedly the sport that best embraces the same ideals. Our mission is much more complicated and the people that work with us are aware that we have an additional task; to work in a green low carbon-emission manner.

Valencia Sailing: All these ideas are indeed appealing but you still depend on whether BMW Oracle accepts you. Have you officially received a reply?

Francesco de Leo: No, we still haven't received a reply [Note: The interview was conducted before the letter from GGYC was sent].

Valencia Sailing: Have you set a deadline? You certainly can't wait too long.

Francesco de Leo: This is an issue we are taking into consideration with great attention, both in the design process as well as legally. It isn't, let's say, nice to send letters and then wait for a reply for days. Having said that, this is a problem of BMW Oracle. When they decide what their position is we will accordingly set ours. We, unlike others, respect entirely the rules of the game.

Valencia Sailing: Russell Coutts stated last Thursday during his press conference that holding a Challenger Selection Series in multihulls early next year wasn't "practical". If the final official answer from GGYC is negative how will you react?

Francesco de Leo: Green Comm will hold its steering committee and talk to its legal advisors in Los Angeles, Madrid and Milan in order to take a decision. That decision will then be made public through our official communication channels. I can't tell you right now what our position will be. We will certainly take into consideration the results of such a delay.

Valencia Sailing: If I'm not mistaken they have no obligation whatsoever to accept a second challenger. It's a privilege they have under the rules.

Francesco de Leo: I'm not an expert on that issue and I will rely on what my lawyers tell me.

Valencia Sailing: In your latest letter to GGYC, dated May 22nd, you indicate that the statements made by Coutts and Ehman are "under scrutiny" by your legal team. Do you consider bringing them to justice?

Francesco de Leo: No later than tomorrow [Wednesday] morning I will have a meeting with our legal team in Madrid. Niccoló Bastianini, our chief legal advisor, is preparing a report and as always I will follow their advice because I show esteem for all the work they have done. I will only repeat one thing: When one makes affirmations and is not able to substantiate them with evidence, they have to imagine that at some point they might be held accountable.

SNG replies to the GGYC letter of 23 May

Related PDF files

- SNG writes to GGYC on 26 May 2009 in response to a letter of 23 May - Part 1
- SNG writes to GGYC on 26 May 2009 in response to a letter of 23 May - Part 2

[Source: Alinghi] SNG, the America's Cup defending yacht club, replies to a letter from the challenging Golden Gate club reiterating its expectation and anticipation that both clubs adhere to the clear terms of the orders issued by the Court of Appeals and the orders recently issued by Justice Kornreich. The SNG again declares that with regards the venue of the 33rd America's Cup, the Defender will either select Valencia or any other Northern or Southern Hemisphere location it wishes to choose.

GGYC sends letter to Circolo Vela Gargnano

Related PDF files

- Letter from GGYC to Circolo Vela Gargnano, 26 May 2009

The communication between GGYC, SNG and CVG on the 33rd America's Cup continues unabated. Here's the latest letter, sent from Golden Gate Yacht Club to Circolo Vela Gargnano, replying to the Italian club's previous letter.

Stay tuned for our interview with Francesco de Leo, CEO of Green Comm. It is quite long and it will be published later on. The aforementioned letter was sent after the interview took place.

Time for action for the RC 44 Class on Lake Traunsee

[Source: RC44] The third event of the RC 44 Championship Tour 2009 starts tomorrow in Austria on the picturesque Lake Traunsee. A fairly strong wind is forecast, with temperatures dropping after today’s record temperatures.

Representing eight nations, the nine RC 44’s involved in the RC 44 Austria Cup did two practice starts in a very light breeze today, preparing for the beginning of the competition scheduled tomorrow at 11:30 AM.

Last year Gmunden (Austria) hosted the Championship Tour for the first time and it proved one of the Circuit’s most memorable regattas. The world’s best sailors involved in the Tour were unanimously impressed by the scenery, the greenness of the forests that overlook the lake and the highness of the surrounding mountains.

Start of the RC44 practice race. Traunsee, 26 May 2009. Photo copyright Nico Martinez / RC44

One year later the RC 44 fleet is back with a highly competitive fleet that includes some new names such as Paul Cayard (Ceeref), Ray Davies (No Way Back) and Rod Davis (BMW ORACLE Racing). The Class’ other “usual suspects” such as Dean Barker, Cameron Appleton, Daniel Calero or Markus Wieser have also been spotted walking up & down the pontoons over the past few days, preparing for another exciting regatta in this challenging circuit.

Speaking this morning during the event’s opening press conference - held at the stunning Seeschloss Orth (Lake Traunsee’s emblematic castle) - both Dean Barker and Ray Davies mentioned how refreshing it is for them to sail on a mountain lake. “Usually when I go to this sort of resort it is in New Zealand’s southern Island and I am going skiing”, said Barker. “It is a nice change.” Paul Cayard went as far as saying that “this is such a beautiful place that I could very well consider living here”.

Islas Canarias Puerto Calero during the RC44 practice race. Traunsee, 26 May 2009. Photo copyright Nico Martinez / RC44

Unbeaten in match race in Cagliari last month, Dean Barker and Artemis are the favourites of the series although Ceeref still leads the overall ranking. Paul Cayard replaces Sébastien Col for this event, and he clearly hopes to maintain his team on top of the leader board. “I haven’t competed in a match since almost two years, and this is a welcome “refreshing course” for me. The fleet is obviously highly competitive, but I am definitely here to try to win.”

Christian Binder, skipper of the local team Austria, explained that his team is still fairly new. “We are learning every day”, he said. “But we have been working hard and we had some good training sessions over the past weeks. We definitely hope to get a good result”.

The weather forecast for the coming days is not good and a low pressure from the West is expected.

Paul Cayard at the helm of Igor Lah's Team Ceeref. Traunsee, 26 May 2009. Photo copyright Nico Martinez / RC44

The teams involved:
(Name of team, owner, pro sailor)

1. Team Aqua, Chris Bake / Cameron Appleton
2. Team Ceeref, Igor Lah / Paul Cayard
3. Sea Dubai, DIMC, Markus Wieser
4. BMW ORACLE Racing, Russell Coutts / Rod Davies
5. Team Organika, Maciej Nawrocki / Karol Jablonski
6. Islas Canarias Puerto Calero, Daniel Calero / Jose Maria Ponce
7. Artemis, Torbjorn Tornqvist / Dean Barker
8. No Way Back, Pieter Heerema / Ray Davies
9. Team Austria, René Mangold / Christian Binder