Tough day at the office for BlackMatch in Match Cup Sweden

Hello again from BlackMatch,

Day two of Match Cup Sweden was one to forget for BlackMatch, it has been a long while since we went a day without out a win but today was a disaster and we had 4 straight defeats to finish last in our group. All is not lost however as we still have the chance to win our way through in a repecharge series which will start tomorrow for the bottom 8 teams.

With only a single win from our 6 matches, we have failed to put things together so far in this event and it would appear we are struggling, but the truth is that we are very much in the game and will come out fighting tomorrow for the two remaining quarterfinal berths. All of our matches today were very close and there are just key moments we can pinpoint that contributed to all of our losses, it is these mistakes that we need to eliminate if we are progress further in this event.

Perhaps a good example of this was in our match up against 6 times Match Cup Sweden Champion Peter Gilmour. We absolutely nailed the veteran in the pre-start, managing to lock him out above the committee boat end of the start-line, however the crafty Australian forced his way in between us and the boat end and although he was given a red flag penalty to be taken immediately, he still was only half a boat length behind after undertaking it. ‘Gilly’ then showed his class to stay in touch up the first beat and was hot on our heals going into the first downwind. He did a great job of initiating the gybe to the bottom mark whereas we held for too long and the following luffing situation saw them roll over the top of us to gain the lead, from here he defended well and took the victory.

We are in very good company in the bottom 8 repecharge series which includes the two previous Match Cup Sweden Champions Mattias Rahm and Bjorn Hansen, World number 1 Sebastian Col and current World Champion Ian Williams. Although we have an uphill battle from here, we are looking forward to the challenge ahead.

Mathieu Richard tops Match Cup Sweden round robins

[Source: World Match Racing Tour] Day Two of Match Cup Sweden, stage 5 of the World Match Racing Tour saw more beautiful weather, more spectators and of course more great match racing. Marstrand turned on the weather and entertainment for spectators and sailors alike. With interactive games, boat trips and numerous hospitality stands it was easy to get distracted from the on-water action. But one look out on to Marstrand Fijord and the calibre of world class sailors easily reminded you there is some top class sailing happening.

Today saw Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing, Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team and Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team finish first, second and third respectively from Group A. They were joined by French Match Racing Team members Mathieu Richard (FRA) Philippe Presti (FRA) and Magnus Holmberg (SWE) of Victory Challenge from Group B. All six now qualify for the quarterfinal round which will start on Friday. The remaining teams from both groups will now go through to the repechage which will be a full round robin where each skipper will race against each other team. The top two skippers from the repechage will then go through to join the other quarter finalists.

Second day of Match Cup Sweden. Marstrand, 30 June 2009. Photo copyright Dan Ljungsvik

Day Two was once again dominated by the French with three members of the French Match Racing Team all through to the quarterfinals. Leading the way in Group B with 5 wins was Mathieu Richard, his only loss coming at the hands of countryman Philippe Presti. Richard said “We are very pleased with winning the Round Robin but it is just one part of the regatta, there is much more to go yet. We had a good day and we managed our strategy very well, there was no set thing to do and flexibility was the key. We sailed well in the light and also managed the gear changes as the wind came up. It will be tricky now to have two days off, I think the guys winning the repechage will be in a strong position having have more racing practice.”

In Group A Peter Gilmour showed why he has won this event six times, losing only to the last two winners of Match Cup Sweden, Bjorn Hansen and Mattias Rahm. When asked if he had been particularly aggressive during the round Gilmour said “Not really, that’s just normal,” then he added “Everyone out there was working really hard and there was no easy win. The Round Robin is really just practice for the quarter final and when we get there we’ll see some people under pressure.”

Joining Gilmour direct into the quarter finals was his old rival and local hero Magnus Holmberg, still looking for that elusive victory at the event that he started 15 years ago. “I was very happy with the team today, we haven’t spent much time together as a crew but it seemed to click very well. There was a nice mode on the boat. We’re learning in each race and really enjoying the racing. My kids love this week and with some time off now I get the chance to spend time with my family so everybody is happy.”

At the opening ceremony yesterday there was a fitting tribute to two of the Tour veterans. In its 15th year the organizers of one of the Tours most successful events have created the Match Cup Sweden Hall of Fame in order to honor the great skippers of professional sailing. The first two inductees were Magnus Holmberg and Peter Gilmour who were both very gracious of this recognition and vowed to continue to keep the younger generation coming through the match racing ranks on their toes. “Magnus and I still have some fuel in the tank to stay ahead of the younger guys that we see making their way on the World Match Racing Tour,” said Peter Gilmour “it is genuinely a real honour and I am sure that more will join, there is plenty of potential out there.”

Second day of Match Cup Sweden. Marstrand, 30 June 2009. Photo copyright Dan Ljungsvik

Results from Day 2
Group A
Peter Gilmour, AUS, YANMAR Racing, 4-2
Damien Iehl, FRA, French Match Racing Racing Team, 4-2
Torvar Mirsky, AUS, Mirsky Racing, 4-2
Sebastien Col, FRA, French Match Racing Team/K-Challenge, 3-3
Mattias Rahm, SWE, Stena Bulk Sailing Team, 3-3
Bjorn Hansen, SWE, Team Onico, 2-4
Adam Minoprio, NZL, ETNZ/BlackMatch, 1-5

Group B
Mathieu Richard, FRA, French Match Racing Team, 5-1
Philippe Presti, FRA, French Match Racing Team, 4-2
Magnus Holmburg, SWE, Victory Challenge, 4-2
Ian Williams, GBR, Bahrain Team Pindar, 3-3
Peter Wibroe, DEN, Wibroe Racing Team, 3-3
Johnie Berntsson, SWE, Berntsson Sailing Team, 1-5
Francesco Bruni, Team Joe Fly Match Racing, 1-5

It's time to go back to Alicante

The 2008-9 Volvo Ocean Race has just finished and one by one the teams that took part in it are slowly winding down. Today it was the turn of Telefonica's two boats, the Blue and the Black, to start their trip back home.

The two Spanish yachts set sail from the Russian city of St Petersburg this morning and headed towards Spain. Before reaching their base in Alicante they will make a number of stopovers in various Spanish ports for a series of marketing and hospitality events but also give the local crowds the opportunity to cheer for the team that achieved the best ever Spanish result in the history of the Volvo Ocean Race.

Telefonica Blue and Black will first stop in Bilbao in 10 days and after rounding the Iberian peninsula they are expected to moor in their base on the 29th of July. Although there hasn't been any formal announcement yet, it is believed that Telefonica will most probably be one of the two Spanish entries in the 2011-12 edition of the round-the-world race.

The two Telefonica boats start their trip back home. St Petersburg, 30 June 2009. Photo copyright Maria Muiña / Equipo Telefonica

Wanna have a sneak preview of Alinghi's monster multihull?

No, unfortunately, we don't have any spy photo from the giant multihull Alinghi will race in order to defend the America's Cup. On the contrary, Alinghi is offering 10 people the chance to visit their base in Villeneuve and have an "exclusive" (as they claim) sneak preview of their giant multihull.

Click here to access the offer on their website. Since it appears on the "Alinghi Friends" section, we don't know whether participation in the draw is strictly limited to their friends. The visit is scheduled for next Saturday, July 4th.

There is a catch though, you will have to pay for your trip and you won't even be able to take a photo!! Does it make sense to spend all those euros when the boat will be launched a few days later? You'll be the judge.

Disclaimer: Valencia Sailing is in no way whatsoever related to this offer, solely organized by Alinghi. Please check with Alinghi on the conditions and restrictions of this offer.

Video highlights: Match Cup Sweden - Day 1

Highlights from the opening day of the Match Cup Sweden. Marstrand, 29 June 2009. Video copyright World Match Racing Tour

BlackMatch's opening day in Match Cup Sweden

Hello from BlackMatch in Sweden,

Match Cup Sweden is the 5th leg of the 2009 World Match Racing Tour and is held on the beautiful island of Marstrand, an hour North-west of Gothenburg. It has been busy times here in Marstrand, playing host to a Volvo Ocean Race stopover a fortnight ago, while this week over 140,000 people are expected to stop by and check out the action on the water.

It is our debut here at one of the most renowned events on the World Tour and it is not hard to see why it has such a good reputation. The volunteer support is unbelievable, combined with the amazing scenery and massive spectator turnout this event is one to be rivaled with.

We were only involved in two matches today managing a win over the World number 1 Sebastian Col, but lost to last year's runner up Torvar Mirsky. Torvar has a lot of confidence coming into this regatta following his victory last week in Portugal and sailed extremely well today to yet again get the edge over us, this is something we are not planning on making a habit and will be looking to step up our game tomorrow.

Mirsky Racing Team in fine form after day 1 of Match Cup Sweden

[Source: Mirsky Racing Team] Coming off their win in Portugal last week, MRT got off to a steady start today in Sweden, with 2 wins and 1 loss in glamorous conditions. Holding true to its reputation, the 15th edition of Match Cup Sweden brought in crowds of sailing enthusiasts who lined the rocks to lap up the sunshine and watch the action packed racing.

In a rematch of the Troia Portugal Match Cup finals, MRT faced off against BlackMatch Racing in the last match of the day. The two teams came out firing, with an intensive prestart which saw the Australian team come out on top with a penalty over BlackMatch Racing. Mirsky managed to pin the Kiwis out of the box, and in an attempt to get back to the line, Minoprio tacked right into MRT, earning himself a penalty.

“I was sure there was going to be fibreglass flying everywhere!” said Tudur Owen, “I had to brace myself, but these boats are so quick to turn, so we just managed to avoid them. From there we managed to maintain our lead to finish the day on a high note.”

Tomorrow’s racing kicks off early, with the teams starting at 9.

MRT is proudly supported by Line7, Harken and the Royal Perth Yacht Club.

NZ Herald: Line 7 goes into receivership

[Source: NZ Herald] A famous Kiwi company with links to the America's Cup has gone into receivership, blaming economic hard times and the volatile kiwi dollar.

Line 7, known for its quality sailing and outdoor gear and, in recent years, men's and women's casual wear, made its name on the back of Emirates Team New Zealand's success.

Read the entire article on NZ Herald

French make the early running at Match Cup Sweden

[Source: World Match Racing Tour] The beautiful island of Marstrand located an hour north west of Sweden’s second city, Gothenburg, plays host to Match Cup Sweden, the 5th stage of the 2009 World Match Racing Tour, this week. On the occasion of its 15th anniversary the organisers are expecting 140,000 people to enjoy the sights, sounds and carnival atmosphere. Promoter of Match Cup Sweden Pierre Tinnerholm said “It’s going to be another spectacular week of racing and partying. As one of Sweden’s biggest sporting events we look forward to welcoming everyone to the Island to watch the Match Racing and enjoy all the shore-side festivities too.”

It’s been a busy couple of weeks for Swedish sailing with the Volvo Ocean race pitstop here in Marstrand and the 9th leg finish in Stockholm both of which drew huge crowds to welcome the round the world sailors and see them off on their final leg to St Petersburg.

Torvar Mirsky is unbeaten in the opening day of Match Cup Sweden. Marstrand, 29 June 2009. Photo copyright Dan Ljungsvik

The next seven days will see two events intertwined, the 14 team World Match Racing Tour event and an 8 team women’s Grade 1 event, which is sure to be a build up event to the ISAF Women’s Match Racing World Championship being held in the same boats just up the coast in Lysekil at the end of July. As a result of the expanded program the Tour event started today at 8am with practice sessions between 8 and 12. A short break between 12 and 1pm was taken to allow any issues with the boats to be fixed and at 1pm sharp racing got under way. The format sees the 14 teams split into two groups of 7 for a round robin each, the top three of both groups go to the quarter finals, the rest go into a repechage round to select the final two for the knockouts. From there follows the usual semi finals and finals with the finals scheduled for Sunday afternoon. The ladies will race a double round robin followed by semi finals and culminating in the finals on Saturday afternoon.

It was a good day for the French Teams with all four taking 2 wins. Also starting well was Torvar Mirsky (AUS) and his Mirsky Racing Team, fresh from his victory at Portugal Match Cup and the runner up here last year, Mirsky is clearly happy to be back and wants to go one better than his second place position from '08. Current World Champion Ian Williams (GBR) and the Bahrain Team Pindar crew had a solid start to the event and returned a 2-1 scorecard for the day.

Sebastien Col leads in the opening day of Match Cup Sweden. Marstrand, 29 June 2009. Photo copyright Dan Ljungsvik

Racing will continue tomorrow along with the women’s teams taking to the water for their practice session.

Results from Day 1

Group A
Sebastien Col, FRA, French Match Racing Team/K-Challenge, 2-1
Torvar Mirsky, AUS, Mirsky Racing, 2-0
Adam Minoprio, NZL, ETNZ/BlackMatch, 1-1
Damien Iehl, FRA, French Match Racing Racing Team, 2-1
Bjorn Hansen, SWE, Team Onico, 1-1
Mattias Rahm, SWE, Stena Bulk Sailing Team, 0-1
Peter Gilmour, AUS, YANMAR Racing, 0-1

Group B
Mathieu Richard, FRA, French Match Racing Team, 2-1
Ian Williams, GBR, Bahrain Team Pindar, 2-1
Philippe Presti, FRA, French Match Racing Team, 2-0
Johnie Berntsson, SWE, Berntsson Sailing Team, 0-2
Peter Wibroe, DEN, Wibroe Racing Team, 0-1
Magnus Holmburg, SWE, Victory Challenge, 1-0
Francesco Bruni, Team Joe Fly Match Racing, 0-1

Ernesto Bertarelli’s Alinghi SUI1 leads the D35 championship

[Source: Alinghi] After five regattas on Lake Geneva, Alinghi SUI1, helmed by Ernesto Bertarelli leads the Challenge Julius Baer series. The crew of SUI1 maintained consistant results over the weekend to rank second behind Alain Gautier on Foncia. Ed Baird’s Alinghi SUI6 finished sixth at the Grand Prix Romandie Act II to go into the D35 summer break fifth overall, ahead of experienced lake sailors, in their first D35 season.

QUOTES FROM THE RACE BOAT
Nils Frei, trimmer on board SUI1, gives some insight on how the day went for his team: “We had a good start in the first race but were on the wrong side of the course, so it was difficult to finish earlier. We had good starts in the other three races and managed to sail fast although the conditions were shifty and patchy. The key today was to get the right side of the race course, like Foncia did. They also had good speed so they deserved to win. We tried to be conservative but overall we are happy with the result.”

Ed Baird, helmsman onboard Alinghi SUI6, also comments on this weekend’s regatta: “We are encouraged in some ways because we have been sailing better and the boat handling is improving, but we also feel a little disappointed because we chose incorrectly a couple of times in the lake conditions and ended up dropping down the fleet, so we know our final score could have ended up better this weekend.
The main challenge was that there were a number of races in which one side was heavily favoured but this was not apparent at the start. Nervertheless, we are still behind but we are catching up.”

This is the last regatta of the Challenge Julius Baer before the summer break, but Alinghi sailors have a challenging task ahead of them, as Baird explains: “We now have a tremendous amount of work ahead of us with the new boat: to get it sailing and to learn about it. It’s great to have the chance to race these smaller boats against so many great teams but the real work starts a few weeks from now.”

The next of the three remaining regattas for the Décision 35 championsip is the Open de Nyon from 22-23 August.

The maxi trimaran Banque Populaire arrives in New York

The maxi trimaran Banque Populaire arrived in New York on Friday afternoon and headed to the Brooklyn marina after a 10-day trip across the Atlantic. The French team's shore crew immediately went to work on the giant multihull in order to optimize her for the North Atlantic crossing record Pascal Bidégorry and his crew will attempt as soon as they get a favorable weather window.

The video for sure doesn't contain any extraordinarily amazing footage but it still provides some impressive images of the trimaran sailing in front of Manhattan's skyscrapers and the Statue of Liberty. While Bidégorry was parading in the Hudson river, another giant French yacht was on her way to the Big Apple. Groupama 3 is currently approximately half way through and Franck Cammas and his crew will also try to break the Nort Atlantic record, from New York to Point Lizard, the southernmost tip of Great Britain.

The maxi trimaran Banque Populaire arrives in New York. New York, 26 June 2009. Video copyright Banque Populaire

Iberdrola Team, former Desafío, to make first appearance in Trofeo Reina

Iberdrola Team, the former Desafío, will make its first appearance, albeit scaled down, during the Trofeo de la Reina, here in Valencia, from the 3rd until the 5th of July. The team is set to continue the participation of its main sponsor Iberdrola in the sport of sailing and will, initially, be a scaled down version of its former self.

The green team will participate with 2 yachts. The first one, the GP42, is well known in the international circuits. Still, with the absence of a separate GP42 division in this year's regatta, the former GP42 champion will race in RI 0, a Spanish rating system. She will be helmed by Laureano Wizner, as she has been for the last 3 years. The second one, a Platu 25, will race in the corresponding division and will be helmed by Spanish match racing champion Manu Weiller. The TP52 yacht has already been sold to Cristabella and raced under the British flag 2 weeks ago in Marseille.

Desafío was without any doubt the most successful team ever in the history of Spanish sailing, reaching the Louis Vuitton semifinals two years ago and getting eliminated honorably by Emirates Team New Zealand. It's a pity to witness the decline of such a team to a shadow of its former self but they have nobody to blame but themselves. The creation of the CNEV was entirely theirs and it gave BMW Oracle the golden opportunity to bring the case to the NY courts and earn a spot at the America's Cup match after two failed attempts in the 31st and 32nd editions of the world's oldest sports trophy.

Iberdrola Team will hold a press conference on Wednesday, where it will present its plans for the future. Given the absence of a conventional America's Cup and the slim chances of having one in the near future, it is rumored the Spanish electricity giant will fund a second Volvo Ocean Race team. As per the contract signed between the Region of Valencia and the VOR organizers, in the next three editions there must be at least two different Spanish teams, independent from each other.

Meanwhile in San Diego... BMW Oracle receive new mast

A new mast arrived in the BMW Oracle compound, according to our friend on the spot Goli. He took a couple of photos on Saturday morning where the new mast can be seen, lying next to the older ones. We don't know when the mast exactly arrived in the compound.

According to Goli, BMW Oracle will host some kind of event in the San Diego Yacht club, on August 10th, not open to the general public. One doesn't have to be a genius to guess it will be related to the yacht the Americans are building for the 33rd America's Cup. One shouldn't forget that Alinghi will reveal the venue of the race, hopefully Valencia, two or three days before that.

According to unverified reports in the Swiss media, BMW Oracle is suffering from "a loss of confidence after the setbacks recorded with their giant multihull "Godzilla", which had to be seriously reviewed and corrected after several months of inconclusive tests." In less than 6 weeks we will know whether this is true or simple intoxication by the Swiss in favor of their team.

The BMW Oracle compound with the new mast on the right side. San Diego, 27 June 2009. Photo copyright Golix

The BMW Oracle compound approximately 3 months ago. When compared to the photo above it is clear the area on the right side was later expanded to accommodate the new mast. San Diego, 2 April 2009. Photo copyright Golix

Closeup of the mast, the new one being on the right. San Diego, 27 June 2009. Photo copyright Golix

Barking Mad wins Rolex Farr40 Worlds in last race

[Source: Rolex Farr40 Worlds 2009] You cannot ask for much more. Tremendous racing conditions with a building Mistral and a lumpy sea, made worse by the constant attention of the spectator fleet. Porto Cervo laid it on thick and the Rolex Farr 40 Worlds 2009 delivered. None more so than the new World Champions Barking Mad (USA) and runners up, Nerone (ITA).

Two races were sailed in winds from the northwest that gusted to the mid-twenties and stretched the already tired crews on the last day of competition. The scene was fit for a Championship finale and the two leading contenders made sure the curtain did not fall on the regatta without a flourish from those on stage. Nerone put her marker down to win the first race of the day and set up a winner takes all, second and final race - the tenth in this intensely fought series. Mascalzone Latino, the three times World Champions won the race, but the all-too significant result was Jim Richardson and Barking Mad crossing the line ahead of Massimo Mezzaroma's Nerone to secure the title for a third time. The first time an American boat has won outside of their home waters.

Highlights from the 3rd and 4th day of the Rolex Farr40 Worlds 2009. Porto Cervo, 27 June 2009. Video Coypright Rolex

The day was all about who would cope best with the pressure. Without question both the two leading teams wanted the win desperately. Even Joe Fly (ITA) - runners-up in 2008 - could not be discounted. A sixteen-point gap to the front could easily be bridged if those ahead failed to keep their heads to the end.

Nerone went out all guns blazing. Once again she took the left side of the course popping out from the pin; tactician Vasco Vascotto relying on his vast experience in these waters to take the initiative early, “I've sailed here for twenty years and usually with these kind of conditions you need to go left.” He could not have been more right. First to the windward mark, Nerone led around the track to win from Giovanni Maspero's Joe Fly and Helmut Jahn's Flash Gordon (USA). Barking Mad, meanwhile, had opted for the centre and according to Richardson, things did not go as well as intended, “the first race today we probably started a little too conservatively and got in a bad spot, in too close to another boat. We had to do a clearing tack, and then got tacked on a few times, and we were deep for a while.”

These are the moments that championships are won and lost. Rounding the top mark mid-fleet, the American crew may have briefly wondered if this was the regatta slipping away from them.

But Richardson and crew had a game plan and were not about to give up on it just yet, as Hutchinson chips in, “without question we felt we could win going into the start of the week. But feeling it and doing it are two completely different things. When we lined up on the first day we had a mode that we have not had in a while. We had a game plan of being safe and the mantra all week on the boat was that we just want to get on base, we didn't want to hit any home runs, just keep getting on base and advancing the runners.” To get back 'on base' in this race was going to take some effort.

Barking Mad, 2009 Farr 40 World ChampionPorto Cervo, 27 June 2009. Photo copyright Rolex / Kurt Arrigo

If doubts were creeping-in none were shown. “We showed a lot of fortitude to sail back through the fleet to finish sixth which kept us one point in the lead,” said a relieved Richardson.

The minds of both crews must have been buzzing heading to the start of the final deciding race and Mezzaroma takes up the story, “for the last race we were one point behind and the game was who came home in front would win the Worlds. It rarely happens in sailing and after nine races with 250 points that you could gain or lose, just one point between us was very exciting.”

Again, it was all down to keeping one's head and applying the game plan. Nerone headed left once more. Mezzaroma confirmed their strategy did not change because of their relative position to the leader, “we were one point behind and were not in a position to control them. So we had to make our own race.” On Barking Mad, the lure of the left was not so strong. This was a conservative crew after all…

According to Richardson, immediately before the start, “we just looked at each other and said this is why we're here. We're here for an opportunity to win the regatta on the last race. What more could you want.” Any self-doubts were kept private, though post-race Richardson confessed to some troubled thoughts, “I never doubted my team's capability. But leading wire-to-wire puts a little bit of extra pressure on each and every race. In 1999, we led going into the last race and ended up third, so that was in the back of my mind. I felt pretty comfortable that we were going to be able to get a good start in the race and get around the course in good shape. We certainly weren't giving up. We knew we had our hands full, but we knew we had to sail well and that is what we did.”

As the initial beat unwound, the crew of Barking Mad found themselves in second place, hot on the heels of Alessandro Barnaba's Fiamma (ITA) and overtaking them at the offset mark with a textbook spinnaker hoist. Those watching the racing started counting back to Nerone. The left had clearly not paid. In fact, it had bitten the Italian crew hard. The miraculous recovery of the previous day that kept them in the hunt was going to have to be repeated. That was a Herculian task. Barking Mad were not sailing as though their lives depended on it, they did not need to. They just needed to keep between Nerone and the finish, as Hutchinson explained, “the team responded brilliantly. We got a great start. We got a little break from Plenty, who let us tack across them. From there it was into a good lead and extend. Fortunately Nerone was back. They gained on us on the second beat, but we were safe down at the bottom mark. At that point it was about minimising damage and sailing a good clean race through to the finish.”

With Barking Mad home and dry in second, the finish of Nerone was immaterial, although eighth was good enough to hold onto the runner's-up position overall.

A feature of the Farr 40 fleet is the friendly rivalry between crews on and off the water. Vascotto and Hutchinson have been adversaries for many years, but they found time to speak this morning before heading onto the course, as Hutchinson remarks, “I saw Vasco this morning and we chatted for a couple of minutes. Nobody was around and it was a nice time to talk.” And, it is evident that the competitors hold each other in a regard rarely seen in other sports. “Sailing against somebody like Vasco makes you a better sailor and we hold the highest respect for that team,” he adds.

Both Hutchinson and Richardson knew they had been engaged in a battle royal. When they last won in San Francisco it was by 40-points. Mezzaroma echoed the quality of the contest, “it was a great competition sailing against all these good crews, these good boats. It is the key of the Farr 40. The level is always so high, it becomes higher and higher every year.” Vascotto, too, was gracious in defeat, “I think we did a fantastic championship: three firsts, two seconds, two eighths - usually you win with these kind of results! This time we found in front of us Barking Mad, sailed in a perfect way. We tried our best, but this is sport.”

For Richardson, it is a dream come true, “We're very, very happy. Coming to Italy and winning this World Championship in Porto Cervo is an amazing feeling for us. There are so many good teams out there, particularly the Italians and to be able to win in their home waters is a great thrill for us.

We tried to stay calm all week. It's easy to get too wound up and too hyped up. Our basic philosophy throughout the regatta was not to take chances, or take risks. If necessary we ducked boats rather than try to force an issue. Our point-score is a tribute to how well we sailed the boat, without taking any risks. Our worst race was a sixth and that is pretty good.” He is not kidding, no previous winner of the Rolex Farr 40 Worlds has averaged less than four points for the Championship. As Vascotto pointed out, even Nerone's score would have won in all previous years.

For Vincenzo Onorato, the outgoing, three-time (in a row) World Champion, who laughingly remarked that his last race this year was the first race of his 2010 Rolex Farr 40 Worlds campaign, this was “a wonderful story for the Class.”

After four days of competition, played out in an exceptional venue, we'll allow the winners to sum it up: “there's nothing better than this, that's for sure!”

PROVISIONAL STANDINGS AFTER 10 RACES
Place, Boat Name, Owner, Nation, R1-R2-R3-R4-R5-R6-R7-R8-R9-R10-Points

1. BARKING MAD Jim Richardson USA, 1-6-4-1-6-6-3-3-6-2-38.00
2. NERONE Massimo Mezzaroma ITA, 5-1-13-2-4-2-1-8-1-8-45.00
3. JOE FLY Giovanni Maspero ITA, 4-5-5-4-1-19-2-6-2-5-53.00
4. MASCALZONE LATINO Vincenzo Onorato ITA, 2-10-2-9-8-1-13-13-7-1-66.00
5. FLASH GORDON Helmut Jahn USA, 20-4-3-11-11-20-4-2-3-3-81.00
6. PLENTY Alex Roepers USA, 12,13,19,13,10,4,15-5-4-7-102.00
7. TWINS Erik Maris FRA, 14-8-15-14-5-5-6-18-8-9-102.00
8. TRANSFUSION Guido Belgiorno-Nettis AUS, 9-7-1-3-20-25-5-4-17-13-104.00
9. ESTATE MASTER Lisa & Martin Hill AUS, 8-18-10-7-15-21-9-10-5-10-113.00
10. TWT Marco Rodolfi ITA, 6-9-14-19-13-13-7-1-20-15-117.00

Telefonica Black win closing leg of 2008-9 Volvo Ocean Race

[Source: Volvo Ocean Race] It was an historic moment tonight in St Petersburg, Russia, when as the White Night turned to dawn the Volvo Ocean Race fleet, led by Telefónica Black in a thrilling climax, crossed the tenth and final finish line of this nine-month, 37,000 nm race around the world.

Spanish skipper, Fernando Echávarri said, “It’s a prize for all the crew and all the shore crew. We have been trying to do it in all the legs but couldn’t; this was our last chance. We had a nice battle with PUMA in the last 100 miles. We are really happy.

"It has been really difficult. We prepared the boat for light conditions and the first 150 miles we had more wind than expected so we suffered a lot. Then it got lighter and we got faster. We have been fighting with PUMA, Telefónica Blue and Ericsson 3 for the last 250 miles. It has been really close. It has been like a match race. I don’t know how many tacks we have done! It is a great way to finish the Volvo Ocean Race. I am really proud of everyone in the group. They have done an excellent job."

Telefonica Black, skippered by Fernando Echavarri finish first on leg 10 in St Petersburg, crossing the line at 00:41:25 GMT, a mere 20 seconds ahead of PUMA. St Petersburg, 27 June 2009. Photo copyright Dave Kneale / Volvo Ocean Race

Victory for Telefónica Black was hard-fought and a match race developed with PUMA, who had led the fleet for the majority of this 400-mile sprint from Stockholm. At just after midnight GMT and while on the additional triangle added to lengthen the course, Telefónica Black gained a small advantage, which translated into a two and a half boat length win, denying PUMA a second leg win in a row. However, with a total of 105.5 points, PUMA takes second place overall.

PUMA skipper Kenny Read said: "Congratulations to all those guys, they have worked very hard for their first leg win. We will take our second and our second overall. You know what? We just sailed around the world. I guess I said a thousand times that we know no other way but to make it hard for ourselves. It’s a shame, because we usually win these close battles and today we didn’t.

"The big picture is we finished this race, everyone is safe and the boat has been spectacular. We flew the flag well for Volvo and I think we flew the flag well for PUMA. We have everything to be proud of. Relief is the right word. Right now, it is relief and, as always, we are a pretty tired group onboard. Let the celebrations begin because all the group deserves it."

Telefónica Blue (Bouwe Bekking/NED) filled the third spot both on leg 10 and overall, to close the team’s account on 98 points.

Bekking said on finishing: "We're tired and hungry! It has been full on. Lots of tacking. It was a beautiful leg in that it was sunny. But we have been a bit unlucky. That’s how it goes. But well done to the Telefónica Black boys, they deserved to win. They had a superb leg. Good for them. We were all very close. It is a very nice feeling to have finished and got all the boys home safely. We had a podium finish which is nice as well."

Fourth place finishers tonight and fourth overall with 78.5 points was Ericsson 3 and Swedish skipper, Magnus Olsson was exhausted. "I feel so tired I cannot say anything! Everybody is happy because they have sailed around the world, but they are also very tired. After a day or two we can say more intelligent things. You always want to do well in every leg, but this was special because it was the short one and the last one. We were up there so we are happy, but we couldn’t keep up until the finish. They beat us fair and square."

Runaway overall leaders, with a final tally of 114.5 points and nine points clear of PUMA, Torben Grael and his 10 crew of Ericsson 4 finished this leg in fifth place. In an interview with Guy Swindells, skipper Torben Grael, who raced every offshore leg with the same crew, was reflective in his comments as overall victory in the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 finally became a reality.

"I think it is a mixed feeling because we know this is the end of the story for the project. It’s a funny feeling because some of these guys you have never met before and you become like brothers. Now we go our own ways and it’s a strange feeling.

"On the other hand it has been a long race. It was a very long race around the world. We are completely drained and tired so I think everyone is looking forward to a nice rest. We have had a wonderful time. We enjoyed our training time in Lanzarote and the race as well. We have had our ups and downs, but it has been fun. After we won, it was a bit of a relaxing leg. It has been so intense and so consuming so I think it is normal that after you achieve your goals you relax. I am very glad for Telefónica Black and Fernando and his guys for winning this last leg."

Green Dragon kept her slender lead over Delta Lloyd to finish the leg in sixth place, and fifth overall with 67 points.

To conclude the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09, Delta Lloyd, the only generation one Volvo Open 70 to compete in the race, finished shortly after Green Dragon to finish the race on a total of 41.5 points.

Skipper Roberto Bermúdez said: “We made a good job and everyone enjoyed their time. Everyone is happy and that is the most important thing. It started well but then there was some fighting with the Dragons. They did a fantastic job with the manoeuvres and I say congratulations to them for that. It has been fun.”

Ian Walker, skipper of Green Dragon, should have the last word:

“It is a privilege to sail in this fantastic race and I am very proud to have had the chance. I am proud of every member of our team, and I am proud of what we have achieved together. We promised to give it everything and to never, ever give up and that is exactly what we have done. We haven’t won this race, but we have won many battles and achieved more than many dreamed possible. It has been a very special year.”

Last leg of Volvo Ocean Race leg lengthened by 45 miles

[Source: Volvo Ocean Race] The seven boats racing, plus Team Russia, who is accompanying the fleet, are beating under a blazing sun towards the finish line of the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 in St Petersburg tomorrow. Progress has been faster than predicted and the race director has just extended the course by 45 nautical miles, which has been an unpopular decision among some of the crews who are anxious to finish. The fleet is currently off the coast of Estonia, in the Gulf of Finland.

Very little if any, sleep has been had by the crews, who have been sitting on the rail for most of the night, racing this leg as if it were the Fastnet Race, but now, as the pace settles and tiredness is creeping in, the bunks are filled to capacity.

Ian Walker’s heart missed a beat when Green Dragon passed over a rocky ledge between two islands this morning. “I had my heart in my mouth as the depth dropped to 1.9 metres below the keel. I prayed that the chart was accurate and breathed a sign of relieve as the depth shot back up. That’s enough of those scares for one day,” he said.

There is an air of finality now as less than 120 miles remain for PUMA who leads the field by 2 miles, before the adventure is over and the final celebrations can begin.

The fleet is expected to arrive at the finish early tomorrow morning before parading into St Petersburg later in the afternoon.

Barking Mad leads Rolex Farr 40 Worlds after 5 races

[Source: Rolex Farr 40 Worlds] Two races, two winners, no change at the top. The wobbles have begun though and the moves are being made in both directions. Rudyard Kipling could have written his famous poem about day two at the Rolex Farr 40 Worlds 2009. Three boats held their nerve the best. Jim Richardson and Barking Mad (USA), Giovanni Maspero and Joe Fly (ITA), Massimo Mezzaroma and Nerone (ITA) kept the damage to the minimum and lead the fleet going into day three.

Today was all about keeping your head at the start line. Neither race got away cleanly. The first race required two attempts, the second three. In the first race two boats still got it wrong second time around despite the threat of a Z Flag - which adds an irredeemable three-point scoring penalty at this regatta if you are over early. In the second race the phrase 'losing it' springs to mind, as eleven boats sailed the course under the shadow of the penalty flag.

Highlights from day 1 and 2 of the Rolex Farr40 Worlds. Porto Cervo, 25 June 2009. Video Copyright Rolex

Those got away cleanly through luck or judgement had a relatively easy day. Both Barking Mad and Joe Fly led their races; both sailed in mid-teen westerlies, from start to finish. The Italian crew had the better day posting a fourth in the first race to keep all their scores so far in the top five. The Americans posted a sixth in the second race, but stay in first overall. These two are separated by one point, with Nerone's score line of 2, 4 sufficient to lift them into third place, seven points off the pace.

So, if those three were the movers, who were the shakers. Transfusion, for one. The Australians took a solid third in one race and hefty twenty in the other. Vincenzo Onorato did only slightly better, with a combined score of seventeen-points, but the Z-flag in the second race suggests a chink in the usually impregnable armour of Mascalzone Latino (ITA). Fiamma (ITA) may have only slipped from eighth to ninth in the overall standings, but a look at the score line shows a damaging thirty-four point day that has dented Alessandro Barnaba's Championship challenge.

Barking Mad has been on the Farr 40 circuit longer than anyone competing here. A core crewmember is Linda Lindquist-Bishop, former America's Cup sailor with America 3 and one of two women on the team. Lindquist-Bishop is clear on the route to success today, “in the words of my great sailing mentor, Buddy Melges, the best strategy is to get out in front and stay there and that is what we did in the first race today. In this fleet an awful lot of it is about the start and that is why you see everyone just really choked up on the line, wanting to be in the right place at the right speed right at the gun, because literally quarter boat length off the line, without enough pace, and you're buried and you really have to fight back.”

Start of race in day 2 of the Rolex Farr40 Worlds. Porto Cervo, 25 June 2009. Photo Copyright Rolex / Kurt Arigo

For a long time Farr 40s were sailed with nine crew, but in recent years there has been a move to ten and more often than not the tenth member is female. Lindquist-Bishop explains that the reasoning is not just weight-related, “we used to sail these boats with nine, but about three years ago we changed from fractional kites to big mast head kites and now we sail the boats completely differently within the manoeuvres. The tenth person used to be an extra that just filled in, but now they have a very specific set of tasks on board. The tenth pair of hands is very useful. It's a strength position too, so it is a good combination to have a good, strong, light person and if you look we have Olympic level sailors in that tenth position.” One such Olympian is Carrie Howe, a trimmer on another American boat, Flash Gordon, currently lying seventh overall.

Giovanni Maspero the owner of Joe Fly is delighted to be in second overnight and equally pleased with the consistency of their performance, “yesterday and today we always were able to have great starts, the speed up-wind has always been to good so we were always able to get in the top five.” Asked what the secret is to staying at the front, Maspero rolls his eyes and laughs, “there are absolutely no secrets! We have been racing in this class for many years. We have had to be patient and improve every year. Only in the last one year have we reached the potential of our performance.”

Maspero's tactician, Francesco Bruni is more sanguine in his response to the same question, “we've been pretty conservative tactically and we've had very good starts. So far that has been the key to take you to the top mark in the top five. We've dropped some places in a couple of the races, but we can't complain. It's about being consistent.”

Bruni is a three time Olympian, each time in a different class (Star, Laser and 49er), so a man who knows all about the importance of start line position. For him the adage location, location, location could easily apply to the Farr 40 Class, “the first hard decision is which position on the starting line because it makes such a huge difference. It is a long line so it is a big difference if you start on the pin or committee end. Starting well and in the right place is so important.” Once off the line, Bruni agrees with fellow-Italian Vasco Vascotto on Nerone that the left side has seemed favoured, but he sees some variation, “so far the left corner has been working well, but with some exceptions so it is not absolutely clear. For me you need to start well, go left, but keep your eyes open. Downwind it has been a little more tricky. There are a lot of passing lanes and you see a lot of things changing.”

No doubt we'll see more things changing when racing continues tomorrow, 26 June, with the first gun at 11.00. Geoff Stagg of the Farr 40 Management Committee is quite certain of that, “this is when it really heats up. Yesterday there were no problems on the line; today it was different with a lot of boats carrying penalties. It will be the same tomorrow. Those that can't stand the heat will start falling by the wayside. The pressure is really, really coming on.” If the racing tomorrow is as intense as today, bring it on!

PROVISIONAL STANDINGS AFTER FIVE RACES
Place, Boat Name, Owner, Nation, R1-R2-R3-R4-R5-Points

1. BARKING MAD Jim Richardson USA, 1-6-4-1-6-18.00
2. JOE FLY Giovanni Maspero ITA, 4-5-5-4-1-19.00
3. NERONE Massimo Mezzaroma ITA, 5-1-13-2-4-25.00
4. MASCALZONE LATINO Vincenzo Onorato ITA, 2-10-2-9-ZFP 6-31.00
5. GOOMBAY SMASH William Douglass USA, 7-2-12-8-7-36.00
6. TRANSFUSION Guido Belgiorno-Nettis AUS, 9-7-1-3-ZFP 20-40.00
7. FLASH GORDON Helmut Jahn USA, 20-4-3-11-ZFP 11-49.00
8. FIAMMA Alessandro Barnaba ITA, 3-12-7-10-ZFP 4-56.00
9. TWINS Erik Maris FRA, 14-8-15-14-ZFP 5-56.00
10. KOKOMO Lang Walker AUS, 10-15-9-12-11-57.00

PUMA takes early lead in last leg of 2008-9 Volvo Ocean Race

[Source: Volvo Ocean Race] PUMA, who is now assured second place overall, led the Volvo fleet out of Sandhamn, on the outer edge of the Stockholm archipelago today - a spectacular day where conditions were perfect for the start of the tenth and final leg of the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 to St Petersburg in Russia.

Sailing confidently in 10 -12 knots of breeze, PUMA, Telefónica Blue and Ericsson 4 were the front runners off the start line and a huge spectator crowd needed no excuse to get out on the water and watch what these ocean greyhounds do best. A steady breeze and flat water ensured plenty of white water spilled from the bows as the boats started a leg for the last time, fully powered up and under a cloudless sky.

Start of Volvo Ocean Race leg 10. Stockholm, 25 June 2009. Photo copyright Rick Tomlinson / Volvo Ocean Race

Leading round both buoys marking the traditional ‘sausage’ before heading to out to sea, the crew of PUMA had set the black boat up perfectly and extended their lead, while behind, Bouwe Bekking’s bowmen wrestled with their heavy code zero sail, which had remained furled and unused on the bow and was slowing the blue boat down. Green Dragon scorched past overall race winner Ericsson 4, who had the pressure put on by sister ship Ericsson 3, while Telefónica Black and Delta Lloyd were in the second string.

Team Russia joined the pack once the racing fleet had completed the inshore loop, to sail, but not to race, homewards to St Petersburg, with owner Oleg Zherebtsov working the bow as he did in the earlier legs of the race.

Although speeds were good as the fleet left Sweden behind, the leg is expected to be predominantly upwind to Russia and race rules allow for Race Director, Jack Lloyd, to shorten the 400-mile course if necessary. The fleet must arrive in St Petersburg on Saturday morning in order to clear customs and pass through two bridges, which will be raised specially in order to let the fleet into the historic city.

PUMA has now clinched second place overall, their performance improving hugely in the second half of the race. Telefónica Blue will take third after losing the battle for second when they finished last in leg nine after going aground in Marstrand, while Ericsson 4 is the runaway leader, winning the race with a leg to spare.

Monohull versus multihull: will inclusion of the big multis affect the match racing game?

[Source: World Match Racing Tour] With all the legal wrangling in the past few years over the format and future of the America’s Cup, there’s been much speculation on what its effects might be on match race sailing.

The event has always been a driving force for enticing new talent into this most exciting form of the sport, even though match race talent has not necessarily been a prerequisite for success: most often, the fastest and best prepared boat will win almost regardless of match race tactics.

Nonetheless, the gradual evolutionary tightening of the design box into near-equal boats, as seen in the last 2007 event sailed in the Version 5 America’s Cup Class, made match race skill more important than ever. Accordingly, many of the teams were regularly out on the World Match Racing Tour honing their skills to use throughout that cycle of the Cup.

And even without a clear future on the format of the next Cup, many teams have remained active on the Tour just to stay polished in their skills should there be any break in the legal logjam.

A milestone in sailing, BMW Oracle launch their 90x90 trimaran. Anacortes, 24 August 2008. Video copyright BMW Oracle

But with that impasse seemingly broken now with a Deed of Gift (DoG) match between the Defender and Challenger as looking as a likely solution, and that match likely being sailed in huge multi-hulls, will it have any effect on match race sailing?

First, it should be said that multihull match racing is not without precedent: since the early 1960’s there has been held at somewhat irregular intervals an event the US media then called the ‘Little America’s Cup’. Sailed mostly in C-Class catamarans, this development class has been at the forefront of technology and design for inshore multihulls just as the ‘real’ America’s Cup has been for various inshore monohull types used over the years. In these contest, invariably the fastest boat won the series.

And as those who witnessed the 1988 America’s Cup observed, when pairing a multihull against a monohull there is no contest in speed: the multihull will always be faster.

But multihulls by their nature are not very manoeuvrable, so the boat-on-boat action would likely be quite different than in monohulls, prompting completely different tactical and strategic decisions. Knowing this, the Defender and Challenger teams are now training as much as possible to get to know their boats, with one immediate effect on Tour sailing: Alinghi helmsman Ed Baird has elected to drop his Tour Card for this year.

BMW Oracle's BOR90 during sail tests. San Diego, 28 November 2008. Photo copyright Gilles Martin-Raget / BMW Oracle

But what other effect might a DoG match have on the sport? Will it continue to attract and inspire newcomers to match racing or even sailing in general? Tour regular Sebastian Col (FRA) of the French Match Racing Team/K-Challenge is upbeat. "This match is a good thing for the sport of sailing,” he says to the World Yacht Racing Forum. “It will help the evolution of the technology. I am not convinced about the sporting aspects of the event, but the AC has always been a technological challenge. Now will it change the face of sailing? I don’t think so. It is giving too much importance to the America’s Cup. Sailing offers other disciplines that are great; it is a very rich sport."

Another Tour regular, Paolo Cian of Team Shosholoza, has expressed similar views. “The regatta [itself] will probably be boring; one monster will be faster than the other. But on the other hand this is a very special project, and the technology involved is fantastic. The interest will not be in the regatta itself, but in all the rest."

However, Cian does say that even though it may be a spectacle to watch, the match race aspect of a DoG contest may not be so spectacular. "There will be two monsters racing, and it is the first time such a regatta will take place," he says. "It will definitely be something to see! But a good match race takes place only with boats that tack and jibe well and it’s not the case with multihulls."

So, while the AC game has hopefully moved from the courts back to the water, there may be a slight detour before we see it return to the pinnacle of match race sailing. For now that resides firmly in the World Match Racing Tour.

Team Russia will sail to St Petersburg but will not compete

[Source: Volvo Ocean Race] Team Russia will sail with the fleet to St Petersburg but will not be a formal part of the racing proceedings after being unable to overcome their rule compliance issues.

The team, led by Stig Westergaard, arrived in Stockholm yesterday after last being seen in Singapore at Christmas, where they suspended racing because of insufficient funds.

Westergaard has spent the last six months trying to get the boat back in the race, but, despite reaching the leg 10 start port, acknowledged yesterday that he faced an enormous task to bring the boat and crew back in line with the class and race rules by the Thursday restart.

Ultimately, the scale of the operation was too large and the boat, which was in need of much maintenance after six months inactivity, was unable to comply with the all of the regulations.

Team Russia skipper Stig Westergaard with owner and bowman Oleg Zherebtsov. Stockholm, 24 June 2009. Photo copyright Rick Tomlinson / Volvo Ocean Race

The team will now join the fleet on the 400-nautical mile trip to St Petersburg, where Westergaard believes it belongs.

"We all owe it to Russia to come back to St Petersburg and show the flag," he said.

Team founder Oleg Zherebtsov added: "We have put a tremendous amount of work into bringing Kosatka to Stockholm in race-ready mode and compliant with the event's rules with the aim of racing for the first time into Russian waters. Regrettably we realise there are too many issues to overcome.

"Our intentions are go to the start line together with the other seven yachts competing in the Volvo Ocean Race from where we will shadow the fleet in racing mode all the way to the finish line and to the final mooring spot with all other VOR yachts in front of St Peter and St Paul Island."

In explaining the decision, Race Director Jack Lloyd said: "We were thinking that they might make it this morning. They had one measurement issue that was weighing the boat, which we were looking about taking it to the Jury, but hadn't made up our mind. Then we found another issue when the guys started checking the boat. There's a safety mechanism on the keel canting system; you need a button that you can press that will mechanically put the keel back in the centre. If you are pinned down by the keel, you can mechanically crank it back up to the middle and help get the boat up.

"We have been strong all along that we will not compromise on safety and this is a safety aspect. We could maybe request something from the jury on a measurement issue, but we cannot do that with safety. It is impossible for them to get it done so we can't go to the jury so they cannot race.

"But they are still part of our race. They deserve to take their place at the finish."

Westergaard added: "We have run out of time. We put our guts into this and we knew it was going to be hard. We went for it and we basically didn't have enough time to get the boat into race mode.

"We want to see if we can beat the other guys anyhow. We will be starting just after the other boats and seeing if we can catch them up."

Adam Minoprio extends his World Match Racing Tour lead, but Marstand lies ahead

[Source: World Match Racing Tour] In having achieved a runner-up performance to Troia Portugal Match Cup winner Torvar Mirsky (AUS), Adam Minoprio (NZL) and his Emirates Team New Zealand/BlackMatch team have earned 20 points for their standing on the World Match Racing Tour leader board. This extends what was a shaky one-point lead to twelve points over a new runner-up, reigning match race World Champion Ian Williams (GBR) and his Bahrain Team Pindar, who finished 3rd in Troia.

But Williams does not enjoy the same buffer to his closest rivals, as only one point separates him from Mathieu Richard (FRA) and his French Match Racing Team in third, and Mirsky is only 3 points behind in fourth.

This is a race which now is looking more promising for the reigning World Champion, who has gotten off to a slow start this year. And having Richard only one point back is reminiscent of two years ago when Richard and Williams were neck-and-neck all season going right into the final event in Malaysia at the Monsoon Cup.

But the ascendancy of fresh new talent in Minoprio and Mirsky has put tremendous pressure on these and other Tour veterans this season. It is remarkable to consider these two teams, with an average crew age in their 20’s, are meeting and beating the world’s best, who have twice as much or more experience on both the World Tour and the America’s Cup.

"The Young Guns have definitely come out blazing this year", says World Tour Director Craig Mitchell. "Minoprio in Marseille, and now Mirsky in Troia – it's a testament to their training, focus, and talent to see them doing this well".

But next week’s Match Cup Sweden, the fifth stage in the 2009 World Tour, may bring surprises for these teams, as some of the same faces seen in Troia will be back to challenge them, this time in the DS 37’s used in this event. There will also be Scandinavian-based teams who are experts in these boats there to provide some spectacular match race action on the Marstrand fiord.

Just 400 miles left to the finish of the Volvo Ocean Race

[Source: Volvo Ocean Race] It was like the end of a school term at the skippers' press conference in Stockholm today as the Volvo Ocean Race fleet prepares to tackle Leg 10, a final, short, sprint to the overall finish line in St. Petersburg.

With just 400 miles remaining in a race around the world that measures over 37,000 nautical miles, and the leaderboard almost entirely decided, the finish line – the real one – is now in sight.

One leaderboard duel does remain. With a maximum of eight points available to the winner of the leg, PUMA leads Telefonica Blue by 6.5 points in the battle to finish second overall in the race.

The forecast is promising for the start on Thursday afternoon. A light Northeasterly breeze of 8-10 knots is expected. But as the leg progresses, the wind is forecast to ease. It could be a long 400 miles.

Team Russia will resume racing for this last leg. Stockholm, 23 June 2009. Photo copyright Rick Tomlinson / Volvo Ocean Race

“This weather forecast is not perfect for us,” said PUMA skipper Ken Read. “We don’t want it to turn into a light air crap shoot because anything can happen that way. Telefonica can go and win the leg by 100 miles if they want; (but) we just have to beat one boat.”

“I think, realistically, they have sewn it up," countered Telefonica Blue skipper Bouwe Bekking. "But it’s yacht racing and hopefully they sail the wrong way, come last and we come first. There would be a lot written if that happened. We’ll certainly be pushing hard for a win.”

Also making an appearance at the press conference today was Team Russia skipper Stig Westergaard, who brought the Russian boat, Kosatka, into Stockholm last night. They haven't competed since Leg 3 and the team is now engaged in a race against time to get rule compliant ahead of the start.

With Ericsson 4 having mathematically won the Volvo Ocean Race on the leg into Stockholm, the rest of the teams are sailing for pride. And, according to Telefonica Black skipper Fernando Echavarri, that will be motivation enough.

“This is the last chance we have to win a leg and we'll try to do that," he said. "It's more about personal pressure and trying to finish with a leg win, rather than pressure on the overall standing. It's going to be good (weather) conditions for our boats so we'll try to do our best to arrive in St Petersburg in the top position.”

Ericsson 4 skipper Torben Grael agreed it will be a competitive race: “We all owe it to our sponsors to get a good result and we are all very competitive people. A win is important to us.”

Swiss Television: Alinghi and BMW Oracle to meet in "next few days"

Note: When contacted by Valencia Sailing, GGYC's spokesman, Tom Ehman, declined to comment.

It seems there is an inverse relationship between the number of days left until the launch of Alinghi's giant multihull and the number of articles related to the America's Cup appearing in the Swiss media. The closer we get to the alleged launch date the more prolific Swiss journalists get.

A new report by the French-speaking Swiss Television blipped on our screen today, referring to a meeting between Alinghi and BMW Oracle some time in the very near future, "maximum two weeks", according to an unnamed source the author has.

Always according to the journalist, two issues will be discussed, the rules and date of the 33rd America's Cup, although he/she then adds another issue, the possibility of opening the event to other challenges. According to the report, although the date has been set for next February, it might be postponed, "fulfilling the wish of the defender". We don't know where the author gets that from.

There is one thing all Swiss reports seem to agree upon. The two monster multihulls, "in all likelihood" will not race in Valencia. It would be interesting to know to what extent all these articles are using Alinghi PR.

Here is the report by the French-speaking Swiss Television:

It never ends. Alinghi and Oracle are expected to meet around a table to discuss once again the America's Cup. Topics to discuss: the rules and date of competition.

Alinghi and Oracle will meet around a table "within two weeks" to try to find a solution to the conflict that has been plaguing America's Cup for two years. The of New York judges ordered the mediation process the same time they to challenge the U.S. in the dispute between the Defender from Geneva.

The date of the first meeting has not yet been set, but "it will take place in the next few days, maximum within two weeks", said a source close to the case. Discussions will focus not only on the date of the match between Alinghi and Oracle - set in February 2010 but maybe postponed, thus fulfilling the wish of the defender - but also on the possibility of opening the competition to other challenges.

The venue of the competition, which will in all likelihood not be Valencia, should be known around the 7th or 8th of August.

Tribune de Genéve: The mystery on the giant Alinghi multihull will be lifted early July

The Tribune de Genève, Geneva's main newspaper published an article this morning shedding some additional light on the much-awaited giant Alinghi multihull. We now know that the launch of the yacht will probably take place in two weeks, we have heard July 7th as a plausible date, and a series of public events will then take place in Switzerland, culminating in the yacht's christening ceremony in her "home", the Société Nautique de Genève, on August 1st.

According to the same article, Alinghi is in negotiations with several possible venues (Dubai, Oman, Turkey), all in the Northern hemisphere. It appears that Ernesto Bertarelli is not so keen on holding the event in Valencia. If this is true, it would be in direct contradiction to his public statement, made less than 4 months ago, here in Valencia. Bertarelli had stated that "if the American team wins [the legal case] then Valencia will have a unique and spectacular event with two giant boats and that will be again a mark in the very very long history of the America's Cup."

Last but not least, since the America's Cup is a chess game where sailing is simply a part of it, one can only wonder with the author's closing sentence of the article. One can argue that BMW Oracle might, potentially, be wrong in their assertion the judge's decision requires Alinghi to choose Valencia or go to the Southern hemisphere but to state that the American yacht "had to be seriously reviewed and corrected after several months of inconclusive tests" is pure speculation. Are we the only ones to sense some Swiss patriotism and pro-Alinghi PR? Well, that's part of the game as well.

Read the entire article here below.

The mystery on the giant Alinghi multihull will be lifted early July

Nothing has been really filtered on the revolutionary boat built in Villeneuve, to be launched on the lake in less than two weeks. One month later, Alinghi will announce the location of the duel against BMW Oracle scheduled for February 2010.

This expectation is cruel, unbearable for sailing enthusiasts, eager to discover the 30-meter long giant multihull that was built in the past year on a site specially designed for Alinghi in Villeneuve. The secret was well kept and the mystery surrounding this revolutionary, even extreme according to some, boat will certainly mark the long history of the America's Cup.

Nearly sixty people, engineers, architects, consultants, composite specialists and builders are working on this "sea monster" designed for the duel that should oppose the winner of the Cup to its American challenger BMW Oracle in February 2010. Everyone who had the chance to enter the site in recent months underwent "brainwashing" on the way out. All mouths shut. It’s complete amnesia until D-day.

Christening on August 1st

The countdown has begun. The launch of the boat on Lake Geneva is scheduled during the second week of July at a date not yet fixed since it depends on weather conditions. This delicate operation requires careful preparation. A Russian helicopter capable of air transporting a load of several tons had to be called. Alinghi plans to moor the multihull during few weeks off Bouveret.

The Alinghi design team, coordinated by Grant Simmer, will proceed with the sailing team to a series of tests on water in order to determine what, if any, improvements to the boat could be made after the first few hours of navigation. Several events will take place on Lake Geneva in the summer, including a first ceremony at Ouchy on August 1st, followed by a "boat parade" to Geneva where the giant multihull will be presented to the general public off the Société Nautique.

Shakedown sail for Ed Baird and crew on SUI 6 in lead up to the Challenge Julius Baer. Nyon, 4 May 2009. Photo copyright Carlo Borlenghi / Alinghi

Valencia rejected?

Many unknowns still remain about the duel of the 33rd America's Cup. The legal battle has calmed down since the Court of Appeal of the State of New York upheld the ruling by Justice Cahn issued in November 2007. BMW Oracle is the new Challenger of Record. The multihull challenge was accepted by Alinghi on the 23rd of April. It must take place no later than February 2010 in Valencia or any other place selected by Société Nautique de Genève and announced six months in advance, that is no later than 8 August 2009.

Sailing in February in the northern hemisphere considerably reduces the possibilities. Valencia doesn’t seem to be the Defender’s favorite place to organize the best-of-three-races Deed of Gift Match. Ernesto Bertarelli, together with the design team, are looking for (or have already found) the best place to sail in winter. Wind conditions should be fairly stable and suitable to the characteristics of the Swiss multihull. There has been talk of Dubai, Oman, Turkey. Negotiations, that also cover financial aspects, are underway. We will have to wait until the 7th or 8th of August to know the answer.

However, BMW Oracle denies Alinghi the right to choose a site other than Valencia in the Northern Hemisphere in February, since the rules stipulate that the match can not take place before May 1st in the North.

Nevertheless, the verdict is clear. It does not require the Defender to choose a location in the Southern hemisphere. As Americans want Valencia, they are trying to interpret the judge's decision as it fits them in order to maintain the uncertainty and pressure on their rival. An attitude that betrays a loss of confidence after the setbacks recorded with their giant multihull "Godzilla", which had to be seriously reviewed and corrected after several months of inconclusive tests.

Round four in Malcesine for the RC 44 Championship Tour

[Source: RC44] The next regatta of the RC 44 Championship Tour 2009 will take place in Malcesine, Italy, on July 8-12. It is the third consecutive year that the Class chooses Lake Garda; a mountain lake blessed by a fantastic thermal breeze and surrounded by great scenery. Frank Pong’s new team Jelik, from Hong Kong, joins the Class for the first time.

The RC 44’s are at home on Lake Garda. Back in 2005, the first RC 44 was test-sailed here for the first time. The Class has been back in Malcesine every year since this initial trial, and will run its fourth annual event – the Malcesine Cup - on July 8-12.

“This is the most beautiful place I have ever sailed in”, said an enthusiastic Larry Ellison last year after winning the match race event. “The sailing is just fantastic and the venue is great.” Ellison will be back alongside Russell Coutts this year on board BMW ORACLE Racing. Currently third of the Championship Tour, the American Team will face a strong opposition with amongst others Chris Bake and Cameron Appleton (Team Aqua), the current leaders of the Tour, Dean Barker and Torbjorn Tornqvist, second overall and Sébastien Col and Igor Lah (Ceeref) in fourth.

Winner of the fleet regatta last month in Austria, Pieter Heerema’s Team No Way Back – with Ray Davies calling the shots - will be keen to confirm this result. Also on an improving trend, Team Sea Dubai, Team Austria and Organika will do their best to reach the upper part of the ranking. As for Daniel Calero, on board Puerto Calero Islas Canarias, he will be keen to forget the counter performance from Lake Traunsee, where everything seemed to go wrong despite a very promising season beginning.

Altogether, ten teams will compete for the Malcesine Cup. Most of them are involved since the beginning of the season; they are joined for the first time by Frank Pong’s Team Jelik, from Hong Kong, who has yet to announce the name of his pro-skipper.

Organised by Fraglia Vela di Malcesine, the RC 44 Malcesine Cup will begin on Wednesday July 8 with the match racing event. The fleet regatta will take place from Friday 10 till Sunday 12. The long distance regatta - the DHL Trophy - will count for double; it will allow all the participants to discover the beauties of Lake Garda.

The teams involved:

(Name of team, owner, pro sailor)
Team Aqua, Chris Bake / Cameron Appleton
Team Ceeref, Igor Lah / Sébastien Col
Sea Dubai, Yousef Lahej, DIMC / Markus Wieser
BMW ORACLE Racing, Larry Ellison / Russell Coutts
Team Organika, Maciej Nawrocki / Karol Jablonski
Puerto Calero Islas Canarias, Daniel Calero / Jose Maria Ponce
Artemis, Torbjorn Tornqvist / Dean Barker
No Way Back, Pieter Heerema / Ray Davies
Team Austria, René Mangold / Christian Binder
Team Jelik, Frank Pong / tbc

Wing power in the 33rd America's Cup

[By Lynn Fitzpatrick] The architects of the San Diego Yacht Club America’s Cup defense were considered heretics when they went against the tradition dating back to 1851 and proffered a catamaran rather than a monohull design for 27th America’s Cup Defense. Even within the defense syndicate there was a radical group of designers and engineers who worked diligently to test and prove their theory that wings would perform better than soft sails. At first their theory was scorned, but once they came up with a design that proved to be more powerful than the traditional mast rigged with soft sails, they were accepted. The technology that they introduced earlier in the C-Class, helped to Stars & Stripes chalk up the most lopsided America’s Cup victory in history: a cumulative elapsed time trouncing of over 39 minutes in the two race series.

Copyright Morrelli & Melvin

Over twenty years of technological and materials advancements have passed since that America’s Cup. Some have retired, all have aged in one aspect or another, but one thing has remained constant: Duncan MacLane and David Hubbard have continued to use and perfect wing technology. Among their latest collaborative project is the Autonomous Unmanned Surface Vessel being developed by Harbor Wing Technologies. Not conjoined twins, one is engaged by the Defender and the other is engaged by the Challenger for the 33rd America’s Cup. They are sworn to secrecy. Mark Ott, President of Harbor Wing Technologies, however, was willing to speak about the merits of wing technology.

While mainstream sailors may consider the use of the wings a bit heretical, those in the know and those involved in the arms race to win the America’s Cup are clearly embracing winged technology.

Harbor Wing Technologies X1

The merits of hard winged technology over a traditional mast and soft sails on a multihull, according to Ott:

1) Wings don’t change shape. Sails do. You change the angle of attack to control a wing. You change the sail shape and the angle of attack to adjust sail trim.

2) It is easier to turn a wing on and off by changing the angle of attack than to trim running rigging and soft sails.

3) Wings are more precise and controllable.

4) Wings only have inertial weight; they do not have compressive loading. Masts get out of column very easily and buckle with compression.

5) Without needing to resist the compression loads from a mast shrouds and stays, a winged hull or platform can be much lighter than a traditional hull.

6) Wings are more powerful. Tests performed with Harbor Wing Technologies X1 prototype indicate that in certain wind strengths and directions, a wing is at least two times more powerful than a soft-sailed rig. The effect of slots when using multiple wing elements improves the efficiency of wings.

7) The weight of a mast, rigging, spreaders, halyards, sheets, winches and deck and hull reinforcements to counter the compression forces is comparable to inertial weight of a wing. (Granted, the weight aloft of a wing is slightly greater than that of traditionally rigged sails.)

8)There is less stress on the crew that uses a wing, because they do not haul big sails up and down nor are they constantly trimming.

9) Teams will get take advantage of the best of both worlds on the run when they have the wing element engaged and can hoist a big spinnaker or gennaker to capture the breeze.

If you can’t find footage of the 1988 America’s Cup with one of Stars & Stripes’ hulls gliding through the water while the other barely kisses the surface and New Zealand plods along, take a look at the video of Harbor Wing Technologies X1 at www.HarborwingTech.com or on YouTube. The Harbor Wing seagoing vessels do not have shrouds, because the wing must rotate 360º to adjust to changes in sea states and wind conditions instantaneously. The next generation of manned America’s Cup monster multihulls will have shrouds and that’s where some of the fun will be for spectators. There may be times when the wing is loaded up and the angle of attack can’t be changed quickly or radically enough because of interference from the shrouds.

Keep your eyes peeled for wings. They are coming soon at America’s Cup practice venues.

Video: Extreme40's for dummies

Here's a nice video the iShares people shot in Valencia, explaining the basics of the Extreme 40 catamarans. It would be very interesting to have Alinghi show us such a video in a couple of weeks when they unveil their monster multihull. According to an article that appeared in today's Le Matin, the yacht is a catamaran and not a trimaran, 115 feet long with two masts, the second small one located at the stern of the yacht. In addition, the author claims that it's a yacht for light winds, giving thus credibility to the rumor that Alinghi has chosen Dubai as the venue of the 33rd America's Cup match. We will have to wait until early July to finally have a look at the yacht, according to the author.

Rolex Farr 40 World Championship ready to rumble

[Source: Regatta News] For the 26 crews gathered in Porto Cervo for the twelfth Rolex Farr 40 World Championship, the last few days have been a frenzy of checks and practice, as the main event looms large on the horizon. With ten nations represented, this year's Championship is a truly international affair. Ten races are scheduled, every one of which will count. The margin for error will be unfriendly and small. No one could be accused of trying to talk the talk ahead of this event, but tomorrow we will have a clue as to who is prepared enough to walk the walk.

The nine Italian crews with the reigning and back-to-back three-time champion in their midst, are undoubtedly pre-start favourites to put forward a worthy winner. They will not have it all their own way. The heavy hitters from the USA count a two-time former champion in their ranks and the Australian teams are stacked with top-quality sailors. The French and Germans field immense experience and are capable of the consistency required to win. The Danes and Greeks are not here to make up the numbers. And, whilst the crews from Great Britain and the Ukraine may be outsiders in the Farr 40 Class, with a changeable weather forecast offering a mix of light and strong conditions over the four days of racing, there remains room for even those with the longest odds to dream.

Atalanti, owned and helmed by Stratis Andreadis, trains on the eve of the World Championship. Peter Isler is calling tactics. Porto Cervo, 23 June 2009. Photo copyright Rolex / Kurt Arrigo

All eyes will be on Vincenzo Onorato and Mascalzone Latino (ITA), gunning for an unprecedented fourth title, following their unprecedented successful title defence in 2007 and an equally unprecedented third in a row victory last year. Onorato put his marker down at a light-wind Rolex Capri Sailing Week a month ago holding his nerve the best to secure overall victory. Onorato, though, is an archetypal superstitious Neapolitan and never discusses his prospects. However, with his trusted lieutenant and tactician, Adrian Stead, alongside him and a crew with exceptional experience in the winner's circle, few would argue against his headline billing.

The Rolex Farr 40 Worlds were last held in the Mediterranean mecca of big boat racing in 2003, when Massimo Mezzaroma's Nerone (ITA) emphatically blitzed the opposition winning with a race to spare. Mezzaroma has finished in the top ten of the Championship every year since and is certainly a contender to revisit former glories this year. Evidence of ambition was plain to see in Miami in March and then again in yesterday's practice races.

Nerone, owned and helmed by Massimo Mezzaroma, trains on the eve of the World Championship. Vasco Vascotto is calling tactics. Porto Cervo, 23 June 2009. Photo copyright Rolex / Kurt Arrigo

Mezzaroma is openly positive, "I know that Sardinia is a lucky place for us, every time we've been racing here we do a good job. We are confident we can have a good Championship." Sailing once again with tactician, Vasco Vascotto, Mezzaroma has reason to be self-assured. He has made only one crew change since 2003 and the weather forecast is for some wind for the first part of the event at least, "we are pretty comfortable with every condition, but with strong wind we feel better. I certainly prefer a windy week for us; 2003 was very windy with 20-25 knots."

Class President Jim Richardson and Barking Mad head the clutch of American boats, champing at the bit to recover some bragging rights in a preserve that used to be their own, until the rest of the world got wind of how rewarding sailing in the Farr 40 could be. Richardson won the first ever Worlds back in 1998 and followed it up in 2004 with a win in San Francisco, but significantly he and his compatriots have yet to convert a victory outside the USA (and the Bahamas - before any one calls in a correction). Along with Richardson, Helmut Jahn/Flash Gordon, Doug Douglass/Goombay Smash and Alex Roepers/Plenty will be aiming to put the record straight and prove they can travel.

The Australians have come the furthest to be here and have some longstanding pedigree in the Farr 40 Class. John Calvert-Jones was the first from Downunder to take the world title back in 2000 in Newport, Rhode Island. Richard Perini snuffed out the opposition on a tiebreak in Sydney in 2005 and, whilst neither is still active in the class, their legacy remains. Mark Walsh won with Calvert-Jones in 2000 and is part of Lang Walker's Kokomo crew here. Guido Belgiornio-Nettis and his Transfusion crew won the 2008-09 Australian Championship sailing Perini's former Worlds-winning boat.

Belgiorno-Nettis is taking a lot on. Despite a self-evident family connection with Italy, he is certainly not at home sailing in Italian waters. "This is the first time we've sailed in the Med on the Farr 40; we've only ever sailed in Australia," he explains. "We're also sailing a different boat and have only had a week to get used to it."

Barking Mad, owned and helmed by Jim Richardson, trains on the eve of the World Championship. Terry Hutchinson is calling tactics. Porto Cervo, 23 June 2009. Photo copyright Rolex / Kurt Arrigo

So, whilst happy to be at the Worlds, Belgiorno-Nettis is understandably circumspect, "it's very exciting. We're as prepared as we're going to be for the time being. We're still a young crew, we're still learning; so I think this is going to be a regatta to give us a feel for how we fit into the world elite of the Farr 40s. We've only been in the class for a couple of years now, but we've been working with a pretty consistent group. It's part of the secret.if there is a secret!"

Sailing on Transfusion as tactician is Tom Slingsby a two-time Laser World Champion, one of a number of highly-successful dinghy sailors competing here; more on some of the others over the course of the event.

For the moment sit back, relax and enjoy the peace. The 2009 Rolex Farr Worlds gets underway tomorrow and according to Geoff Stagg, of the Farr 40 Class Management Committee, "we're in for a treat. Watching twenty-six forty-footers on the line. going into a mark is a lot of action. Anything can happen. Anything."

The Rolex Farr 40 World Championship 2009 is organised by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda and the Farr 40 Class Association. Racing will be held in the waters off Porto Cervo, Sardinia from Wednesday, 24 June to Saturday, 27 June.