Video: Brad Butterworh comments on latest modifications on Alinghi 5

Brad Butterworh comments on latest modifications on Alinghi 5. Ras Al-Khaimah, 30 November 2009. Video copyright Alinghi

Alinghi announces WISeKey as team sponsor for the 33rd America's Cup

[Source: Alinghi] Alinghi, Defender of the 33rd America's Cup, is proud to announce Swiss digital security company WISeKey as a team sponsor for its defence of sport's oldest trophy in 2010. This is the second of the team's main partners to be signed since the launch of Alinghi 5 in July 2009.

WISeKey supported the Swiss Defender during its successful 32nd campaign and is renewing this winning partnership for the coming months. They will contribute to safeguarding vital competitive data that is key to a successful defence.

"We are delighted to welcome WISeKey as a sponsor of Alinghi for the 33rd America's Cup. As a team we need to share and access confidential information, such as design data, so security is paramount in our campaign to try and win the America's Cup again. Our partnership with WISeKey will ensure that we have the optimum protection," said Ernesto Bertarelli, Alinghi team president.

Carlos Moreira, Founder and Chairman of WISeKey, added his reaction to today's announcement: "We are proud to be named the sole provider of Alinghi's electronic security solutions. WISeKey and Alinghi share many values. We both deeply believe in integrity, in excellence and above all in first rate technology. We also have a knack for building winning organisations in Switzerland.”

During this 33rd America's Cup, WISeKey will be releasing a new generation of e-Security products such as the eKey+ adapted to the organisation and security of high level events.

Alinghi is currently training and testing its giant catamaran out of the team base in Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates.

Valencia Sailing goes to Kuala Terengganu for the Monsoon Cup

Starting Tuesday, Valencia Sailing will be in Kuala Terengganu in order to report live from the closing event of this year's World Match Racing Tour. Twelve crews will compete in Malaysia, vying for the World Match Racing Champion title, and this year's edition will surely be as exciting as possible, especially with Adam Minoprio and Torvar Mirsky separated by just 12 points.

Since Kuala Terengganu is quite a long way from Valencia, I will be flying for most of Monday and there might be some updates from the airport lounges. Just like we did with the Louis Vuitton Trophy a couple of weeks ago, we will have a dedicated player at the top of the website, streaming live the races. Stay tuned.

Alinghi 5 back on the water with bigger bowsprit

According to a very brief statement on Alinghi's website, Alinghi 5, the Defending catamaran for the 33rd America's Cup, resumed her sailing activity on Sunday off the coast of Ras Al-Khaimah. Alinghi 5 spent a week in the shed and came out with some not-so-evident modifications and an evidently longer bowsprit.

Unfortunately, the one and only significant picture we could find doesn't reveal anything extraordinary.

Alinghi 5 resumes sailing with a longer bowsprit. Ras al-Khaimah, 29 November 2009. Photo copyright Jose Delgado / Alinghi

Mirsky Racing Team Wins 2009 Sunseeker Australia Cup

Great Britain’s most celebrated sailor Ben Ainslie faced Australian favourite and Perth local, Torvar Mirsky in the finals showdown at the 2009 Sunseeker Australia Cup.

Pride was on the line to return the Cup to Australian waters, after it was won by Peter Gilmore (an Australian skipper) for team USA when the Australia Cup was last contested in 2001.

Ainslie was part of Gilmore’s winning crew in 2001 and had every confidence of repeating the win – this time as the skipper. “I was looking forward to defending my title but failed and am extremely disappointed,” Ainslie said.

Torvar Mirsky sails to victory against Ben ainslie in the 2009 Sunseeker Australia Cup. Perth, 29 November 2009. Photo copyright Sail World Australia

The final was the best of three races with Mirsky overpowering the Great Britain team from the beginning winning the first two matches.

Mirsky led the first match and had good control throughout, playing the wind shifts like a true master and created a comfortable initial win.

In the second match, Ainslie won the start and controlled the race leading by 5 sec at the first mark. Mirsky won a penalty against Ainslie in a luffing dual at the bottom mark creating an opening for the Mirsky Racing Team.

Although Ainslie led around the bottom mark, Mirsky made some nice shifts to get his bow ahead to win by a boat length at the finishing line with the Ainslie yet to complete the penalty.

Mirsky said his team has taken the competition one step at a time. “For us it was not so much about winning but about perfecting our craft. We’re just lucky enough that those steps have taken us to the top,” he said.

"Holding the Australia Cup itself is a huge step forward for our team. There is a lot of personal pride invested in lifting the profile of the sport in our home town," Mirsky said.

"We are extremely proud to win the Aust Cup because it means we are in top form racing against some of the best teams in the world. This gives us a lot of confidence heading into the Monsoon Cup World Tour Championships next week. I think Perth is a great contender for the official world tour, we have some of the best sailing conditions in the world. It’s about time an Australian city played host to the World Match Racing competition,” he said.

Mirsky and Ainslie into the 2009 Sunseeker Australia Cup Finals

[Source: Sunseeker Australia Cup] Just a few days before the start of the Monsoon Cup in Terengganu, Malaysia, the final round of the World Match Racing titles, where seven of the Monsoon Cup field are racing, Torvar Mirsky and Ben Ainslie are heading towards a show down in Perth in the finals of the 2009 Sunseeker Australia Cup.

Yesterday Perth local Keith Swinton knocked Ian Williams, the winner of the last two World Match Racing Championships, out of this event in the quarter finals. While some expressed surprise, it was not a new situation for Swinton, he beat Williams during the round robin stage of the 2008 Monsoon Cup.

At the same time World Match Racing number two, Perth sailor Torvar Mirsky accounted for Francesco Bruni, who just a week ago won the Louis Vuitton Trophy in Nice, France.

Young gun Torvar Mirsky beats fellow countryman Keith Swinton and advances to the finals. Perth, 29 November 2009. Photo copyright Sail World Australia

In the first match of the Australia Cup semi-finals, Torvar Mirsky on the left was faster than Keith Swinton, who crossed behind his rival on the CBD shoreline edge and headed left. But the right paid, there was a big gain for Mirsky on that side of the course and he had a 25 seconds lead at the top mark. Torvar went on to win.

But Swinton was still fighting, while the Race 2 start was won by Mirsky who lead to the top mark, down the first run on port gybe Swinton managed to get clear ahead.

Luffing hard, Swinton forced Mirsky away from the mark, then headed back to the mark and rounded two lengths ahead. Up at the top mark still the same gap and Swinton held on to win.

Race three was all Mirsky, he lead from the start and was untroubled. Now it was 2-1.

With match point against him, Swinton took another aggression pill and hounded Mirsky around the start box. Swinton was in a commanding position from the start line in Race 4, but at the top mark there was a penalty against Swinton and Mirsky sailed through him and sailed to victory.

Torvar Mirsky commented after racing 'This is the first time in eight years this event has been sailed, it's an honor to represent Australia in the final.'

Ben Ainslie and Team Origin beat Adam Minorio and BlackMatch Racing in the semifinals. Perth, 29 November 2009. Photo copyright Sail World Australia

Now to the other pairing; off the start line Adam Minoprio was at least two lengths ahead of Ben Ainslie but as the two boats came back from the right hand shore, Ainslie gained the upper hand.

At the bottom mark Ainslie was 10 seconds ahead and committed to the right, extended to 60 seconds at the top mark and sailed to a emphatic win.

Disaster for Ainslie in his second match with Minoprio, an unforced error as Ainslie was about two seconds early on the start. He had to swing back and restart but meanwhile Minoprio was six lengths up the course.

At the end of the first lap, Minoprio still had the same six lengths lead and went on to win. Now it was 1-1.

In Match 3 Ben Ainslie was penalized in the dial up. Minoprio headed hard left, looking up the course there was a left shift coming. Minoprio did well up the first beat and down the run.

On the second beat it appeared the right was favoured and Ainslie was gaining but Minoprio powered away down the left hand side of the course with more pressure to lead 2-1.

The winds were lifting towards 18 knots and the sails were switched from genoas to jibs.

Racing has been suspended as the fleet relocates to Perth Water course above the Narrows Bridge.

Race 4 was all Ainslie, he won the start and cleared away from Minoprio. Now the score was 2-2

So it was a winner takes all fifth match.

An even start but in a luffing duel Minoprio was penalised for failing to give room to tack, although he had luffing rights. Ainsie was ahead, then in the soft conditions at the top mark there was a dial down and Minoprio incurred another penalty. It was all over

BMW Oracle starts packing up in order to head to Valencia

The countdown to the 33rd America's Cup has started, at least as far as BMW Oracle is concerned. The Challenger of Record started this Saturday morning their disassembly operations by taking the big wing off the BOR 90 yacht.

Tom Ehman, the team's head of External Affairs and spokesman of the challenging yacht club, Golden Gate Yacht Club, was there, shooting the complex operation that required two cranes. According to Ehman, after the shore crew finishes packing up the yacht, they will ship her to Valencia, even if we still await the decision of the Appellate Division on whether Ras Al-Khaimah is a legitimate venue for a race in February.

BMW Oracle's shore crew takes the wing off BOR90. San Diego, 28 November 2009. Video copyright Tom Ehman

Team No Way Back conquers the DHL Trophy and takes a serious option in fleet race

[Source: RC44 Class Association] Pieter Heerema, his tactician Ray Davies and their team on board No Way Back scored a good third and fourth before winning the double points DHL Trophy today. They conquer the coastal race season title and look good in the fleet race ranking.

The sea breeze is slowly establishing itself in Dubai, allowing three good races including the coastal race DHL Trophy to take place today.

On great form, Pieter Heerema’s No Way Back managed to remain in the top four since the beginning of the event; a feat that no other team managed to achieve and that places them in a good position ahead of the last day, eleven points ahead of Artemis and sixteen over third placed Team Aqua.

The first race of the day saw the long expected come back of Ceeref, very unfortunate since the beginning of the event. More at ease in today’s stronger breeze, Igor Lah managed to overtake both No Way Back and Artemis, winning the regatta and putting an end to a long series of way below average results.

Highlights from the 4th day of the RC44 Sea Dubai Gold Cup. Dubai, 28 November 2009. Video copyright RC44 Class Association

The breeze increased to ten knots during the second regatta, prompting some of the teams to switch to smaller jibs. René Mangold’s Team Austria and several others kept their genoas and they were right: the wind soon dropped back to eight knots, giving them a little edge over the rest of the fleet. Ceeref and Katusha, who were leading the race alongside the Austrians, got involved in an incident at the leeward mark that cost Paul Cayard’s team a penalty turn and helped Team Austria to sail away and conquer their second victory in two days. A fantastic achievement for this team made of amateur sailors.

Chief race Officer Peter Reggio then changed the race course and sent the ten strong RC 44 fleet towards the famous Atlantis hotel, off the Dubai Palm, for the DHL long distance race.

Neville Crichton and his team BMW ORACLE Racing took an excellent start at the pin end of the line and managed to tack and cross ahead of the pack. Heading towards the Palm, the team suddenly slowed down and needed a little while to realise that a plastic bag was stuck in their rudder. Both No Way Back and Team Aqua benefited from this incident and sailed past the American boat. The event then turned into a drag race, with no passing opportunities and the distance between the boats increasing throughout the day.

The RC44 fleet during the DHL trophy. Dubai, 28 November 2009. Photo copyright Raffaello Bastiani / RC44 Class Association

Fifth of the regatta, Artemis loses the season title and ends up fourth of the overall ranking behind the winner No Way Back, Team Aqua and BMW ORACLE Racing. This week definitely turns out to be a horrible one for Dean Barker and his team after their disappointing result in the match race.

The fleet race event will see its conclusion tomorrow after up to four more races. The ranking is still open and everything remains possible.

They said:

Ray Davies, tactician, No Way Back: "We knew that the start of the DHL Trophy would be very important, because there were few passing opportunities afterwards. We came out great and then increased our lead throughout the race. I think that one of our advantages is that we are an underdog and we didn’t really have much pressure. On the other hand, some teams have been very unlucky. They are also the ones that had most pressure on them."

René Mangold, helmsman, Team Austria: "Our victory today proves that the success we already obtained yesterday was not an accident. We are obviously thrilled by this. The spirit on boars is absolutely excellent. This new victory is great for our crew, because we are all involved; it really is a team effort. It is also great for us in Austria. A lot of people follow the race, the newspapers talk about it. As soon as we win a race the phone starts beeping."

Islas Canarias Puerto Calero sailing in the DHL Trophy. Dubai, 28 November 2009. Photo copyright Nico Martinez

Igor Lah, helmsman, Ceeref: "Our confidence is slowly back but we have had a very difficult time. Our results were just getting worse and worse throughout the season and I was starting to wonder if I could still make it. Then we got those two excellent races and it is the proof that the answer is yes. I think that the other teams have been improving a lot whilst we haven’t. But we finish the day on a positive note."

Neville Crichton, helmsman, BMW ORACLE Racing: “It has taken me a little while to get the feeling of this boat but I am getting there and I am enjoying the experience. I usually sail on bigger boats where the speed makes a huge difference. Here it is different because all the boats are identical and every single mistake costs a lot."

Torvar Mirsky and Keith Swinton through to Sunseeker Australia Cup semis

[Source: Sunseeker Australia Cup] Day 3 of the Sunseeker Australia Cup had a blustery easterly of 16-20 knots at the start of racing at 0900 when the quarter finalist opponents went out on the water in Matilda Bay.

With a forecast temperature of 35 degrees in Perth it was only a matter of time before the easterly started to fade and the sea breeze set in, which it eventually did after the race officer John Rosser relocated the course from Matilda Bay in front of the Royal Perth Yacht Club to the Perth Water racecourse at the foot of the Perth CBD.

The sea breeze eventually fought off the easterly and settled into a 10-12 knot south westerly at 3.00pm. With the quarter finalists Francesco Bruni up against the winner of the round robin Torvar Mirsky and dual World Champion Ian Williams matched against local Keith Swinton in the first to win three match quarter finals.

Torvar Mirsky sails to victory in quarter final race against Francesco Bruni. Perth, 28 November 2009. Photo copyright Sail World Australia

Torvar Mirsky (Aust) V Francesco Bruni (Italy)

Winner from the Round Robin, Torvar Mirsky was probably regretting his decision in selecting Italian Francesco Bruni for the quarter final match, as Bruni completely outsailed Mirsky in the first two matches to go 2-0 up in shifty 8-12 knot SW breezes.

Mirsky then went on to claw back a well deserved win in the third match. In the fourth match, with Bruni sitting on match point, Bruni had the slight advantage on the beat but incurred a penalty for tacking too close to Mirsky. Mirsky did a great job to keep the match close and with Bruni trying to clear the penalty around the finish mark, crashed his bow into the side of Mirsky before he had completed his penalty to incur a second penalty gifting the race to Mirksy to even the score up at two all.

Subsequent to the finish, the umpires deemed the damage to be significant and deducted a full point penalty from Bruni, making the scoreline Mirsky 2, Bruni 1. In the final match of the day, with the sun creeping closer to the horizon, with Mirsky now 2-1 up on Bruni with the collision from the fourth flight, Mirsky dominated in a fading 8-10 knot south westerly. And although Bruni tried every trick in the book, he couldn’t make in-roads on the slender Mirsky lead to allow Mirsky to advance to the semi final stage, with a 3-1 win.

Young gun Keith Swinton upsets the form book and eliminates Ian Williams. Perth, 28 November 2009. Photo copyright Sail World Australia

Keith Swinton (Aust) V Ian Willams (Great Britain) – ‘Major Upset’

In the Swinton versus Williams quarter final match one, Swinton did a nice job of getting a penalty on Ian Williams in the prestart and kept the match close so on the final run, Williams were in front and slowed down to try and clear the penalty and in a luffing manoeuvre whilst going through the penalty tack with Swinton but the umpires deemed that he didn’t do it in the one smooth manoeuvre, so kept William’s penalty flag up and in a tight tousle to the finish Williams incurred a second penalty just on the finishing line to give Swinton first blood.

In the second race with Williams comfortably in front at the bottom mark his port winch failed with a pawl jamming making the winch inoperative and with Swinton throwing a series of tacks at Williams, his lead quickly evaporated. Swinton went on to win the second match. In the third match, Williams led from start to finish in a closely fought match to claw back a win to make the score line 1-2. In the fourth match, although close, Swinton dominated to advance three wins to 1.

The surprise entry into the final day of racing is Australian Keith Swinton who, in the upset of the tournament, knocked out favourite Ian Williams in three consecutive matches. The young Perth contender, who won only 3 of 9 matches in the initial Round Robin competition, rose to the occasion in the semi finals knocking out reigning double World Match Racing Champion Ian Williams.

Executive officer of Swan River Sailing and former Australia II America’s Cup crewman, Skip Lissiman said the slightly warmer conditions meant a delay in afternoon racing but added the delay was worth the wait.

“We were forced to delay racing on Perth water till 3.00pm but the wait was worth it ensure the skippers had to creative to force wins from each other. There was slightly less wind today which has ensured the competitors have had a full range of conditions over the past three days of the Sunseeker Australia Cup. This provides them with exceptional practice for the Monsoon Cup next week in Malaysia,” he said.

“We are looking forward to a thrilling finals competition tomorrow between some world class skippers and their crews. The crowd on the shoreline had a bird’s eye view and we expect a big crowd for tomorrow’s final action,” he said.

Adam Minoprio and Ben Ainslie advance to Australia Cup semis

[Source: Sunseeker Australia Cup] Sunseeker Australia Cup Quarter Final time. Day three started with a brisk morning breeze and some even brisker morning racing in the first quarter final flights being sailed off the Royal Perth Yacht Club in Matilda Bay.

The first pairing on the water was 2009 World Match Racing Tour leader Adam Minoprio from New Zealand sailing against France’s Mathieu Richard, currently fourth on the Tour. Richard has been sailing consistently in recent years; third overall in 2008 and second in 2006 and 2007.

Despite some aggressive pre-start battles between the two, Minoprio won all three races.

In the first two matches, with winds at 12-15 knots from the east, Minoprio positioned himself for the windward starts, on the left hand side with a gauged start. He was protecting the starboard advantage and the left was certainly paying.

As the wind eased before the start of the last match, with a start in seven to eight knots, he put himself close to leeward.

It was only in this, the third match, that Richard looked like he might upset the applecart. With conditions getting a little fluky, he took the lead downwind, but Minoprio gained on the right hand side and sailed to a narrow victory.

The Tour leader was through to the semis and the French team headed for Perth's Cottesloe Beach for lunch.

Mathieu Richard was ‘disappointed to miss the semis. The conditions on the Perth Waters course are quite tricky, but it’s a superb place to sail.

'We are aiming for a podium finish on the 2009 World Tour, so a win in Terengganu would suit us perfectly and if Adam happens to come seventh and Torvar sixth, that would give us the World Tour Championship.'

Ben Ainslie sails to victory in quarter final race against Phil Robertson. Perth, 28 November 2009. Photo copyright Sail World Australia

The battle between the triple Olympic Gold Medallist Ben Ainslie and the newly crowned Asian Match Racing champion, Aucklander Phil Robertson was next.

Robertson, who came the New Zealand Youth Match Racing program does not hold back. Sailing aggressively he pushed Ainslie hard in the first race.

Robertson was pushing the envelope; the umpires were busy with plenty of flags flying. Robertson got a penalty on Ainslie downwind and lead at the bottom mark and held on to win.

In the second race, Ainslie headed left, Robertson right, when they came together Ainslie was just ahead, there was a tussle at top mark, but Ainslie held onto his lead.

In the third match, both received penalties at the top mark. But Ainslie went on to win and he did the same in the fourth and final match.

Artemis leads fleet races at Sea Dubai RC 44 Gold Cup

[Source: RC44 Class Association] The usual leaders of the RC 44 Class are back on top of the leader board in the fleet regatta after a difficult start and yesterdays’ unexpected results in the match race. Artemis and Team No Way Back lead the provisional ranking ahead of Team Sea Dubai and Team Aqua.

Four races took place today in a light and fairly unstable breeze, allowing four different teams to score victories. Artemis and Team Aqua, the two teams who lead the overall Championship Tour, needed a couple of races to get back in a confident mode after their disappointing results in the match race event. They finally showed their usual leadership in the fleet regatta in the second part of the day.

The first regatta saw a splendid domination by the local Team Sea Dubai, with their local talent Yousef Lahej at the helm. Starting at full speed at the pin end of the line, Team Sea Dubai managed to cross ahead of the pack and to extend its lead throughout the race, winning with a fairly comfortable margin ahead of Islas Canarias Puerto Calero and No Way Back. Respectively fifth and ninth, Artemis and Team Aqua were probably wondering at this stage if there was some sort of spell on them.

Highlights from the 3rd day of the Sea Dubai RC 44 Gold Cup. Dubai, 27 November 2009. Video copyright RC44 Class Association

Artemis, with Tim Snedden at the helm, started its come back in the second race, sailing a good regatta although unable to overtake the excellent Team Austria, with René Mangold at the helm, winners of their first ever regatta in the Championship Tour. Chris Bake’s Team Aqua was still struggling in the back of the fleet at this stage, but the cheers that could be heard from his family and local supporters started to play their effect.

Indeed, Bake dominated most of the third regatta. The latter proved to be the best of the day, with a very intense battle between No Way Back, Artemis, Katusha, Team Sea Dubai and Team Aqua. Artemis finally won the race ahead of Aqua and Sea Dubai, very fast throughout the day. As for No way Back, with Pieter Heerema at the helm, it finished a good fourth after two thirds, sailing consistently and well throughout the day despite the helmsman’s cracked ribs…

The last race of the day had to be shortened: the wind was dropping and the sun was about to dive in the Ocean. No Way Back controlled the situation well, crossing the arrival line a few seconds ahead of Team Aqua and Artemis.

No Way Back and Artemis lead the provisional ranking after the first four races. The event carries on until Sunday, with eight more fleet races including the double points DHL Trophy on Saturday.

Fleet races on the 3rd day of the Sea Dubai RC 44 Gold Cup. Dubai, 27 November 2009. Photo copyright Nico Martinez

They said:

Ray Davies, tactician, No Way Back: “We have tried to be consistent, and to avoid high risks. It has worked well; we went the right way most of the time and our speed was good, especially downwind. Pieter is doing a great job at the helm. Full credit to him because he is suffering because of his broken rib.”

René Mangold, helmsman, Team Austria: “It feels very good to win a race. Everything is much easier when you are in the front, there are no turbulences, no waves, it’s clear ahead… We have done a lot of work last month, practicing on Sprintos on Lake Neusiedlersee and getting here four days ahead of the start of the event. We really try hard to have a program here, and to stick to it. Our goal is to replicate the same procedure in each situation. Sometimes it works well. We have definitely made huge progress.”

Chris Bake, helmsman, Team Aqua: “It has been a very tough beginning in this event for us. And today we started badly too, with bad starts, a bad speed, bad positioning… Luckily it got better by the third race. We focused hard on the basics, and concentrated on the quality of our sailing. It finally started to pay off.”

Daniel Calero, helmsman, Islas Canarias Puerto Calero: “We don’t get stable scores but we see that we can fight for the top places. We are really there and this makes me very happy. I think that we can ambition to finish the event in the top three and this is our goal.”

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

1) Artemis, Tim Snedden, 5, 2, 1, 3 - 11 points
2) No Way Back, Pieter Heerema, 3, 3, 4, 1 – 11 points
3) Team Sea Dubai, Yousef Lahej, 1, 5, 3, 10 – 19 points
4) Team Aqua, Chris Bake, 9, 7, 2, 2 – 20 points
5) Puerto Calero Islas Canarias, Daniel Calero, 2, 10, 8, 4 - 24 points
6) Team Katusha, Bob Little, 4, 9, 5, 6 – 24 points
7) Organika, Maciej Nawrocki, 7, 4, 9, 5 - 25 points
8) Team Austria, Christian Binder, 6, 1, 10, 9 - 26 points
9) BMW ORACLE Racing, Neville Crichton, 10, 6, 6, 8 – 30 points
10) Ceeref, Igor Lah, 8, 8, 7, 7 – 30 points

A longer bowsprit for Alinghi 5

[Source: Alinghi] After a few long days and late nights for the shore crew and some of the sailors and designers Alinghi 5, the Defender’s giant catamaran, emerged from the boat shed at the team base in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE, on Friday. If you look closely you’ll see the difference!

And in case you can’t spot the modifications, Alinghi.com catches up with Grant Simmer, Alinghi design team coordinator:

What’s been happening in the shed over the last few days?
Grant Simmer: Since we started sailing in Ras Al Khaimah six weeks ago we have been out on the water almost every day and subsequently developed a long job list of things to develop and things to do. These last few days the shore team and sailors have been working really hard on getting those jobs done. The big ticket item was replacing the forward spine; we now have a longer forward spine tube, with all the rigging associated to that. Fitting the new spine and making sure that the rigging is tensioned correctly is a big part of the job which is happening today. The spine took approximately 4,000 man-hours to build in Villeneuve, Switzerland, and arrived in Ras Al Khaimah last weekend. The boat came out of the shed this morning and we are doing some structural checks before sailing again on the weekend.

Alinghi 5 with the new, longer bowsprit. Ras Al-Khaimah, 26 November 2009. Photo copyright Javier Salinas / Alinghi

What affect will this longer bowsprit have on Alinghi 5’s performance?
Grant Simmer: The longer bowsprit gives us the opportunity to add more sail area and change the balance of the boat downwind. It won't have any affect on the upwind sailing; only on the downwind performance of the boat.

How – logistically – does a development step like this come about?
Grant Simmer: All these projects start off with the sailors and designers defining the development areas; then it goes to the engineers to design the components; then it goes to the shore team and boat builders base in Villeneuve, Switzerland, where they manufacture the part and finally it comes here under the supervision of people like Tim Gurr who runs the shore crew here in Ras Al Khaimah. Once it arrived at the base, Piet van Nieuwenhuijzen, the boat captain, organised the installation, always under the watchful eyes of the engineers who make sure that everything goes together properly so that we can get out sailing safely over the weekend!

Minoprio and Williams fight for Lead at Sunseeker Australia Cup

[Source: Sunseeker Australia Cup] Great Britain’s reining World Match Racing champion and day one Sunseeker Australia Cup leader, Ian Williams is now sharing the number one ranking with World Tour leader Adam Minoprio (New Zealand).

Both Williams and Minoprio have won five of their six races, although when competing against each other Williams was the easy victor crossing the line a comfortable 50 seconds ahead of the New Zealander.

Not to be outdone by Cup darkhorse and Britain’s most successful skipper in history Ben Ainslie, who is currently undefeated with 4 wins from 4 races. (He currently doesn’t lead the regatta table because he has raced less than Williams and Minoprio who have competed 6 round robins.)

Day two has also witnessed numerous yachts running aground on the tight and challenging course where Skippers are stretching the course area to its extreme to gain the elusive advantage in the two yacht tousles.

Executive officer of Swan River Sailing and former Australia II America’s Cup crewman Skip Lissiman said the action on day two has seen some near collisions and repeated close finishes.

Ben Ainslie and Adam Minoprio racing in the Sunseeker Australia Cup round robins. Perth, 27 November 2009. Photo copyright Sail-World Australia

“This Perth tight water course is creating some interesting challenges for the Skippers and it also ensures the sailing action is fast-paced and full of surprises for those watching from the shore,” he said.

The morning began with the 7th flight of the Round Robin competition, with Ben Ainslie (Great Britain), Mathieu Richard (France), Phil Robertson (New Zealand), Torvar Mirksy (Aust), Keith Swinton (Aust) and Adam Minoprio (NZ) battle it out in Matilda Bay waters.

Triple gold and silver Olympic medallist Ben Ainslie (GB) comfortably won against France’s Matheiu Richard by 53 seconds, followed by Phil Robertson’s (NZ) first win of the tournament against the previously undefeated Mirksy (Aust) team. In match three of the flight, Adam Minoprio took out Perth Skipper Keith Swinton.

In flight eight, it was the European sailors who stood out from the pack, with Ainslie getting one ahead of Mirsky, Italy’s Francesco Bruni beating Keith Swinton (Aust).

The most controversial race for the day featured Britain’s Ben Ainslie and Torvar Mirsky (Aust) with the initial race being restarted due to the Mirsky team running aground after a large gust of wind.

Ainslie said his team got off to a great start with the wind starting to pick up making the tight course alight with streaming yachts.

“It was all cylinders blazing as we competed for the finishing line. By the time we came up against the Mirksy team, the winds were really strong and we were pushed off course and ran aground into shallow water, which is an automatic resail,” he said.

“When we resailed the match, Mirsky ran over a committee boat’s anchor chain, which enabled us to take the lead and win by over a minute. A combination of strong winds and a tight course area leaves no margin for error. The skippers have to exploit every opportunity to gain the advantage,” he said.

The Foundation 36 Yachts then crossed over into Perth waters for flight nine, which witnessed even closer finishes for Adam Minoprio (NZ) and Francesco Bruni (Italy), who won against Phil Robertson (NZ) and Evan Walker (Aust) in six and seven seconds respectively.

Torvar Mirksy (Aust) broke Ian Williams’ (GB) winning streak by 57 seconds in the ninth flight.

Lissiman said the 15 knot SSW winds that reached 21 knots at 4.15 this afternoon has created some of the best racing and exciting sailing tousles he has seen for Foundation 36 yachts.

“Matches like this provide plenty of drama and spectacle, with the teams pushing to the very last centimetre to get ahead. Going into the weekend’s racing, the standout performers are Williams, Minoprio and Mirsky, but at this stage with some of the younger up-and-comers finding their feet, it could be anyone’s competition,” Lissiman said.

The round robin competition will be finished this afternoon, with eight teams going into the quarter finals tomorrow (Saturday) and the final raced on Sunday 29 November.

Sunseeker Australia Cup - Results after Day 2
1. Ian Williams 5/6
2. Adam Minoprio 5/6
3. Torvar Mirsky 4/6
4. Ben Ainslie 4/4
5. Keith Swinton 2/4
6. Francesco Bruni 2/6
7. Seve Jarvin 2/6
8. Mathieu Richard 1/3
9. Phil Robertson 1/4
10. Evan Walker 0/7

On fire, Rod Davis conquers the RC44 Sea Dubai Gold Cup match race and offers the season title to Ceeref

[Source: RC44 Class Association] The Slovenian team Ceeref, with Rod Davis at the helm for this regatta, wins the Sea Dubai RC 44 Gold Cup match race ahead of the fantastic Spaniards on board Islas Canarias Puerto Calero. Ceeref also conquers the season title ahead of a disappointed Dean Barker, on board Artemis, ninth of the event.

November 26, 2009 – The Sea Dubai match race took place today in a light and fairly stable sea breeze. Due to the cancellation of the races yesterday and in order to save time, the fleet got split into two groups of five boats, resulting in two parallel rankings. The wind unfortunately didn’t allow for a Grand Finale; the event is nevertheless valid, with five flights completed and a proper ranking.

Sailing for the season title, Artemis, with Dean Barker at the helm, suffered from a steering failure during the pre-start of the first regatta against Team Sea Dubai. Markus Wieser, who was steering the local team, immediately saw the benefit he could get from this situation and inflicted a penalty to his opponent before the start, winning the race and an important point although Barker and his team remained a serious threat until the arrival line. However, Dean’s steering position, squatting in the cockpit during the entire race - holding the spare tiller - made a come back impossible.

Highlights from the 2nd day of the RC44 Sea Dubai Gold Cup. Dubai, 26 November 2009. Video copyright RC44 Class Association

The RC 44 technical team managed to repair the failure but the crew on board Artemis suffered throughout the day, sailing way below their usual level and finishing a disappointing ninth overall. A result that allows Ceeref to grab the annual Championship Tour match race title.

The irony of the story is that Artemis’ main opponent today was no other than their own coach: Rod Davis, steering Ceeref exceptionally today as a substitute to their usual helmsman Sébastien Col, who was not available this week.

Davis was on fire, beating Team Aqua in the first flight after a fantastic match race lesson that included a dial up at the windward mark, fake jibes and many more of the “dirty tricks" available in the match race encyclopaedia. Ceeref then went on to beat Team Austria, Organika and BMW ORACLE Racing, finishing the contest unbeaten.

The situation was tighter in the second group, with Islas Canarias Puerto Calero (José Maria Ponce) winning ahead of No Way Back (Ray Davies) to grab the second place overall.

There were many penalties today, and the overall ranking is deeply affected by the nervousness of some of the teams. Indeed, Team Aqua – who was third overall in the match race ranking before this regatta – finishes the Gold Cup at an unbelievable last place and ends up seventh in the yearly ranking. Artemis, who was leading, finishes fourth… On the other hand, Ceeref is the season winner ahead of No Way Back and Karol Jablonski’s Organika, definitely on great form after their performance last week in Nice.

The fleet regatta starts tomorrow. Artemis leads the season ranking, two points ahead of Team Aqua and five points ahead of BMW ORACLE Racing and No Way Back. Artemis dominated last month’s event in Portoroz and is the favourite of this contest. However, as the match race event proved, nothing’s ever acquired until the last race!

BMW Oracle against Team CEEREF. Dubai, 26 November 2009. Photo copyright Raffaello Bastiani / RC44 Class Association

They said:

Rod Davis, helmsman, CEEREF: "CEEREF is a very easy team to fit in. It is a slick and very well run operation. All I had to do is take the helm and concentrate on my steering: the manoeuvres were perfect and Michele Ivaldi was giving me great strategic advice. I had a big pressure because I am usually sitting on the coach boat: if I loose, people will say "who are you to give advice…" I focused on remaining calm and trying to identify the issues and find the right answers."

Jose Maria Ponce, helmsman, Islas Canarias Puerto Calero: “We knew in the morning that it would be a very difficult day, with a light breeze. Our first race against Paul Cayard went really well; we managed to give him a penalty before the start and won nicely. It gave the entire team a great boost of confidence and we carried on sailing very well. The mental is very important in those races, and when you start well it gives you a huge motivation."

Dean Barker, helmsman, Artemis: “I am extremely disappointed. We had this steering failure during the first race and it affected our entire day. We just didn’t get back into it, and sailed very average. It is frustrating that we are loosing the title due to a gear failure."

Ray Davies, helmsman, No Way Back: “I am very happy with our day, especially the second part of it as we finished very strong. We should also have won the first race against the Spaniards but we were called back at the start and didn’t manage to get back. There was obviously a strong pressure today because it is the end of the season and the points become very important. We salvaged a good day."

Sea Dubai RC 44 Gold Cup - Match-race final results:
(Ranking, name of team, helmsman, No of victories / defeats, points)

1) CEEREF, Rod Davis, 4 points
2) Islas Canarias Puerto Calero, José Maria Ponce, 3 points
3) Organika, Karol Jablonski, 3 points
4) No Way Back, Ray Davies, 2 points
5) BMW ORACLE Racing, Morgan Larson, 1,5 points (including 0,5 point penalty)
6) Team Katusha, Paul Cayard, 1 point (including 2 points penalty)
7) Team Austria, Christian Binder, 1 point
8) Team Sea Dubai, Markus Wieser, 1 point
9) Artemis, Dean Barker, 1 point
10) Team Aqua, Cameron Appleton, -2 points (including 3 points penalty)

Williams ahead after day one of Sunseeker Australia Cup

[Source: Sunseeker Australia Cup] At close of day one at the 2009 Sunseeker Australia Cup, reigning double World Match Racing Champion, Skipper Ian Williams from Great Britain, is the current leader after winning a spectacular four from four matches.

Not to be outdone by local Perth talent Torvar Mirsky (Australia) and Adam Minoprio (New Zealand) who both won three from three matches respectively. Sunseeker Australia Cup organiser and former America’s Cup winner Skip Lissiman said Williams was the standout performance after day one.

“We had challenging conditions that were very flustery and a new course in Perth waters that none of the Skippers had sailed in so it is impressive that Williams won four from four on day one,” Lissiman said.

Skip added he was very pleased with how well the Perth water course and worked after a 145 year racing absence. “The tight course in Perth waters puts incredible pressure on the crews which ensures we have some incredible viewing near the Barrack street jetty area. I even had people saying they watched the racing action from their offices,” he said.

Perth skipper Torvar Mirsky said he enjoyed getting back out on water this morning. “The team hasn’t sailed together since the Match Cup in Sweden, so it was great to get back on the water together and go through our paces,” Mirksy said.

“We had three races in Matilda bay and won all three and I am happy with that result. We’ve had great conditions so far, the wind was strong and it looks like it staying here. It will be good to get back out and race the rest of the ten teams and firm up a solid lead,” he said.

Conditions were excellent, with strong SSW winds blowing at 12 knots with morning racing occurring in Matilda Bay and then the afternoon contests in Perth Waters. The teams are ready for some fierce competition during day two, with the tight Perth Waters course and close shoreline viewing aiming to please competitors and spectators alike.

Current Skipper wins at the close of day one

1. Ian Williams (Great Britain) 4/4
2. Torvar Mirsky (Australia) 3/3
3. Adam Minoprio (New Zealand) 3/3
4. Seve Jarvin (Australia) 1/4
5. Mathieu Richard (France) 1/1
6. Keith Swinton (Australia) 1/1
7. Ben Ainslie (Great Britain) 1/1
8. Francesco Bruni (Italy) 0/4
9. Evan Walker (Australian) 0/5

Video: Day 1 of the RC44 Sea Dubai Cup

Unfortunately, there was no wind at all in Dubai (just 80km down the road from Ras Al-Khaimah) so there is hardly any action. Just for the record, here's the video highlights from the opening day of the RC44 Sea Dubai Cup.

Highlights from the windless opening day of the RC44 Sea Dubai Cup. Dubai, 25 November 2009. Video copyright RC44 Class Association

Statement from Tom Ehman, Golden Gate Yacht Club Spokesman

[Source: BMW Oracle] In its continuing effort to host the 33rd America’s Cup in Ras Al Khaimah, today Société Nautique de Geneve asked the Appellate Division to reverse the October 27 Supreme Court decision which had declared RAK as non-compliant with the governing Deed of Gift.

In recent weeks, SNG has publicly committed to Valencia as the venue, even while attempting to re-instate Ras Al Khaimah via appeal, as well as floating Australia as a possible venue.

Today SNG also requested that, if the Appellate Court does not reinstate RAK in February, the 33rd Match be delayed from February until May 2010. SNG argued that this was to allow it to choose a venue in the Northern Hemisphere that would be Deed- compliant even though both SNG and GGYC had previously agreed to Valencia by mutual consent.

Additionally, SNG asked the Appellate Court to reinstate SNG’s own peculiar measurement method that would include rudders in the crucial Length on Load Water-Line calculation. The effect of this abnormal practice, never before used in the America’s Cup, would be to disqualify GGYC’s yacht. The Supreme Court ruled against SNG’s measurement method last month.

We appreciate the Appellate Court having handled SNG’s appeal on an expedited basis, and we look forward to its decision.

America's Cup Defender hopeful that tradition and rights are upheld by Appellate Division

[Source: Alinghi] The America's Cup Defender, Société Nautique de Genève (SNG), today argued before the Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court in defence of two of the Defender's fundamental rights as per the Deed of Gift: the right to choose the venue and the right to race a challenger that complies with the Deed of Gift measurement requirements.

“The Defender is hopeful the five Judges of the Appellate Division will respect and uphold its Deed of Gift right to select the venue and to define the rules as has been the case for 158 years and 32 editions of the America's Cup. If Justice Kornreich's decision is upheld, it would be the first time in the history of the America's Cup that the Defender is deprived of its fundamental right to choose the venue. We expect a swift decision from the court in order to move ahead with the 33rd America's Cup and at last return it to the water,” said SNG vice-commodore Fred Meyer.

Note to the editor:
On the matter of selecting a venue and on the matter of the rules of the America's Cup, the Deed of Gift clearly states: ‘These ocean courses shall be […] selected by the Club holding the Cup; and these races shall be sailed subject to its rules and sailing regulations […]'

The Deed of Gift stipulates that racing for the America's Cup between 1 November and 1 May must take place in the Southern Hemisphere, but Justice Cahn's 12 May 2008 New York Supreme Court Order ‘that the location of the match shall be in Valencia, Spain, or any other location selected by the SNG' led the America's Cup defending yacht club, Société Nautique de Genève, to select Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates.

The Emirati venue was selected for several reasons: the suitability of the weather conditions for a February Deed of Gift Match, the infrastructure offered by the country and the experience of the UAE in organising world class sporting events.

Racing cancelled due to the lack of wind on day one of the Sea Dubai RC 44 Gold Cup

[Source: RC44 Class Association] The RC 44 Championship Tour match race could unfortunately not begin today as expected due to the lack of wind. The strong “Shaman” that was blowing over the past few days is gone and the sea breeze is not established yet. Chief Race Officer Peter “Luigi” Reggio stayed out on the water all day, looking for the breeze and trying to find a solution. He waited until 4:00 PM to take the only possible decision as the night falls at 5:30 PM.

The match racing event will be held in one day tomorrow. The ten strong RC 44 fleet will be split in two groups, with every team completing a total of five flights. There will then be a final series between the first and second, third and fourth, fifth and sixth etc.

The racing will start according to the schedule at 11:30 AM.

No wind, no race. The Spanish crew of Puerto Calero Islas Canarias is waiting, in vain, for the breeze to appear. Dubai, 25 November 2009. Photo copyright Nico Martinez / Puerto Calero Islas Canarias

World’s Best Skippers in Perth to pursue Australia Cup Glory

[Source: Sunseeker Australia Cup] With a cohort of sailing greats arriving in Perth for the Sunseeker Australia Cup, Western Australia is again on the world sporting stage.

The ten world ranked skippers and their teams touchdown mid-week for this exclusive invitation only event from 26-29 November.

The action packed racing schedule will see the who’s who of professional sailing battle it out in Foundation 36 one design Yachts, marking the first time city waters has hosted competitive sailing in Perth’s 145 year history.

Swan River Sailing Executive Officer and former America’s Cup winner, Skip Lissiman said the four day event is sure to produce some exhilarating match racing, with unprecedented close shoreline viewing and a tight course sure to flaunt the skill and team work of these elite athletes.

“With the course so close to land and a tight challenging space you can be guaranteed some fast action-packed sailing. This is your chance to see the world’s best yacht racing right on the city’s doorstep, the opportunity to see a mini America’s Cup on Perth waters - don’t miss it!” Lissiman said.

The impressive line-up of world ranked competitors, featuring America’s Cup teams and skippers, consists of:

- Triple gold and silver Olympic medallist, Ben Ainslie from Great Britain, 6th ranked on the Tour

- Current World Match Racing Tour leader, New Zealand’s Adam Minoprio

- Perth’s own rising superstar, Torvar Mirsky, current 2nd ranked on the Tour

- Reigning double World Match Racing Tour champion, Ian Williams from Great Brittan, 3rd ranked on the Tour

- 4th ranked on the Tour, skipper Mathieu Richard from France.

- 25th ISAF ranked, skipper Phil Roberston from New Zealand

- 21st ISAF ranked, Keith Swinton from Australia

- 27th ISAF ranked, Francesco Bruni from Italy

- 61st ISAF ranked, Evan Walker from Australia

- 455th ISAF ranked, Seve Jarvin from Australia

Perth has built a reputation as one of the World’s more renowned and reliable sailing cities; and this unique event promises to cement Perth’s place a prestigious sailing hub of the Southern Hemisphere – a precursor to next year’s America’s Cup and Malaysia’s Monsoon Cup next month.

The Monsoon Cup is the ultimate decider of the 2009 Match Racing Tour, and with final positioning and considerable prize money at stake; top Tour skippers are keen to fine-tune crew skills and experience at the Sunseeker Australia Cup just one week prior to the showdown.

Sydney rising talent and current Australian Match Racing Champion Seve Jarvin said Perth is a popular sailing location for competitors as it boasts some of the best sailing conditions in the world.

“Perth is a great location for match racing as there is always a good breeze and warm weather, which is a pleasant change compared with many of the other events on the Tour,” Jarvin said.

“The Sunseeker Australia Cup is great for us young teams to get back into match racing and compete against some of the best teams in the world. The international teams treat the Sunseeker Australia Cup is as a warm up to the Monsoon Cup finals next month, so there will be some tough competition with teams trying their best to take out the first place,” he said.

Local Perth skipper Keith Swinton is looking forward to competing in his hometown, and believes it is the excellent quality boats, well-structured events and some of the best sailing conditions in the world year round which keep the top teams coming back.

“It is always a good experience to be a part of another regatta, particularly the Australia Cup where I can compete in front of family and friends,” Swinton said.

“Match Racing is definitely the most spectacular type of sailing, and when combined with great sailing conditions and facilities and the excellent Foundation 36 yachts, you can understand why such an event is appealing to the best skippers on the tour,” Swinton said.

For more information visit the event's website at www.australiacup.org.au

The RC44's carry out their practice race in Dubai

[Source: RC44 Class Association] The Sea Dubai RC 44 Gold Cup practice race took place in spectacular conditions this afternoon. Making the best of the big surf, Team Aqua, Team Austria and BMW ORACLE Racing dominated the opposition.

The RC 44 Championship Tour final event started today with the practice race. The conditions were absolutely perfect, with 15 knots of breeze and a big swell. “This particular wind is very rare in Dubai”, commented the Regatta Chief Executive Saeed Harib during the event’s opening press conference this morning. “It was blowing last time the RC 44’s were in Dubai, and it is there again today. I think the Class has taken a subscription.”

RC44 practice race. Dubai 24 November 2009. Photo copyright Raffaello Bastiani / RC44 Class Association.

Starting perfectly at the Committee boat end of the line and tacking immediately to the right of the course, Team Austria - helmed by René Mangold - dominated most of the race, giving the victory away to Team Aqua and BMW ORACLE Racing in the last gibe. The Team from the UAE chose not to cross the line, letting the Americans win the regatta. Unfortunately, the forecast for the coming days isn’t as good and the usual sea breeze should be back.

Ten RC 44 one-designs representing nine nations are competing this week for the Sea Dubai RC 44 Gold Cup and the season’s overall trophies. Organised by Dubai International Marine Club (DIMC), the event starts tomorrow and Thursday with a full match race round robin and carries on until Sunday with the fleet regatta. The points will count for double.

RC44 practice race. Dubai 24 November 2009. Photo copyright Raffaello Bastiani / RC44 Class Association.

Talking about their strategy for the event, both Dean Barker and Cameron Appleton – skippers of the two leading teams – said that they would sail their race without looking too much at their opponent. “We will sail this race like any other race”, commented Appleton. Barker replied: “We hope to be as lucky as we were last time.”
Skipper of the local entry Team Sea Dubai, Markus Wieser explained that his team had been training hard over the past few days and that he expects a good results, at least in the top five. “The pressure is on”, he concluded.

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

Team Aqua, Chris Bake / Cameron Appleton
Team Ceeref, Igor Lah / Rod Davis
Team Sea Dubai, Yousef Lahej, DIMC / Markus Wieser
BMW ORACLE Racing, Neville Crichton / Ian Vickers
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 Katusha, Paul Cayard / Bob Little

Flying the wing

Without any doubt, the newly created BMW Oracle blog and their YouTube channel are truly spoiling us with the amount of multimedia content they produce on an almost daily basis.

So, here's another video where "Kiki" Karcher, a former Alinghi grinder, becomes our guide while we follow BOR90's test sailing sessions inside the San Diego bay. If one is to believe Kiki's words, BOR 90 can fly with a mere 6 knots of wind and can tack and gybe like a dinghy. Unfortunately it needs no grinders any more. What a shame...

Transat Jacques Vabre: Safran winner in the IMOCA Open 60 Class

[source: Transat Jacques Vabre] At 08:52:10hrs GMT/UTC (02:52:10hrs local time Tuesday 24th) after 15 days 19 hrs 22 mins 10 secs on course Safran co-skippered by France's Marc Guillemot and Charles Caudrelier-Bénac crossed the finish line off Puerto Limon, Costa Rica to win the 14 boat IMOCA Open 60 Class in the Transat Jacques Vabre transatlantic race which started on Sunday 8th November from Le Havre. Safran sailed 5263 miles at an average speed of 12.46 knots.

Safran wins the IMOCA Open 60 Class Transat Jacques Vabre. Costa Rica, 24 November 2009. Video copyright Transat Jacques Vabre

Transat Jacques Vabre, Crepes Whaou First to finish

[Source: Transat Jacques Vabre] A huge, noisy Costa Rican welcome greeted Franck Yves Escoffier (FRA) and Erwan Le Roux (FRA), co skippers of the Crêpes Whaou when they emerged out of the Caribbean darkness, comprehensively winning the Multi 50 class and taking line honours for this ninth edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre race which started from Le Havre on Sunday 8th November.

Emerging out of the darkness to break the finish line off the historic port town of Peurto Limon at 2231hrs local time Monday 23rd (0431hrs UTC/GMT Tuesday) the French duo with their new build Crêpes Whaou! 3, only launched in August, maintained Escoffier's unbeaten record in this biannual classic, also scooping the IMOCA Open 60's to take line honours for the third consecutive time.

Escoffier and Le Roux took 15 days, 15 hours, 31 minutes and 50 seconds to complete the course which took the Multi 50 fleet south of Barbados on a course which for the winning pair was 5805 miles, which they completed at an average speed of 13.41 knots.

Crêpes Whaou wins the Multi 50 class Transat Jacques Vabre. Costa Rica, 24 November 2009. Video copyright Transat Jacques Vabre

The new destination for the coffee route race, finishing in Costa Rica, served up a carnival greeting for the winners, Escoffier remarking immediately that without doubt the high point of their race was the warmth of finish. Sailing with Le Roux, a successful former Mini 650 Class 40 and multihull sailor who has completed two previous Transat Jacques Vabre races, the pair chose a prudent southerly routing to avoid the very worst of a very active depression before then building a big lead over their Multi50 Class rivals.

Asked about the memories, the key moments, Escoffier said, "You have to start with this finish, the arrival here has been an extraordinary reception. We have seen some great welcomes but here in Peurto Limon between the fireworks and the whole world out to greet us on the dock, that was a great moment. But so, too the start was interesting too. There is always a build up of adrenalin you need pumping as a competitor, and I felt like we made the strongest start of the Multi 50's. And a strong memory yesterday when we just stopped ourselves from tipping the boat over. It was not funny. Erwan, who is younger than me really had to rein me in from time to time. We can smile looking back..."

Crêpes Whaou wins the Multi 50 class Transat Jacques Vabre. Costa Rica, 24 November 2009. Photo copyright Marcel Mochet / AFP

On the subject of the Class 50, and asked if they did not feel out on a limb without much competition in the end, Escoffier explained: “ We are about to succeed in making it (the Multi 50) take off with the new boats in the class. Unfortunately the two other newest boats are not at the finish too. We missed competition a little, but we should not forget Guyader pour Urgence Climatique who are a good crew. In the multihull there is not much to teach them, but they lack the finance to have a boat like Crêpes Whaou! And it would be good if they could find it. And I hope that before I leave this class there will be a proper class of boats like ours. But the objective was always, as well to beat the IMOCA Open 60's in and we pushed hard to do that.”

AYRE Challenge presents its Volvo Ocean Race project

[Source: AYRE Challenge] AYRE Challenge presented today in Denia its project to take part in the next three editions of the Volvo Ocean Race, all of which will start in the Spanish port of Alicante.

The presentation of this 10-year-long project and milestone in Spanish yacht racing took place in Denia, a city that has strong ties with AYRE Challenge. Two years ago, the Spanish team presented its challenge for the 33rd America’s Cup representing the Real Club Náutico de Denia (Royal Yacht Club of Denia).

The city of Denia also belongs to the province of Alicante, starting point of the next three editions of the Volvo Ocean Race, highlighting AYRE’s firm commitment to participate in all of them.

AYRE Challenge presents its firm intention to take part in the next 3 editions of the Volvo Ocean Race. From left Ana Kringe (mayor of Denia), Knut Frostad (Volvo Ocean Race CEO), Arantxa Vallés (General Director of the Sociedad Gestora para la Imagen Estratégica y Promocional de la Comunitat Valenciana) and Pedro Perelló (AYRE Challenge CEO). Denia, 23 November 2009. Photo copyright Pedro Martinez / AYRE Challenge

The speakers in the presentation were Ana Kringe, mayor of Denia, Knut Frostad, Volvo Ocean Race CEO, Pedro Perelló, General Manager of AYRE Challenge, Manuel González-Devesa, President of the Denia Royal Yacht Club, and Augusto Sanguinetti, Sports and Technical Director of AYRE Challenge. In addition, during the act were present, among others, Arantxa Vallés, General Director of the Sociedad Gestora para la Imagen Estratégica y Promocional de la Comunitat Valenciana –showing the institution’s support of the project-, Edouard Legendre, AYRE Challenge Commercial and Marketing Director, as well as José Juan Parets, AYRE Challenge Financial Director.

Knut Frostad, Volvo Ocean Race CEO, expressed his satisfaction with the firm intention of AYRE Challenge: “We are very happy that teams such as AYRE present their firm intention to take part in our competition, proving the sport and commercial appeal of the Volvo Ocean Race as a platform with international reach and impact” and pointed out that “AYRE Challenge is a project with a long-term commitment that will guarantee its participation in at least 2 editions”.

Pedro Perelló, founder and CEO of AYRE Challenge, outlined the main lines of action of the team: “AYRE Challenge was born as a new reference in yacht racing on a national and international level, based on 3 fundamental foundations. It will be a winning project, spanning various yacht classes and various aspects (sport, cultural and social).” Perelló wanted to highlight that the team opted for the VOR as the first important sailing event in which to kick off the AYRE project mainly because of “its international reach, its international values and positioning, its prestige, and the solidity it provides to our sponsors”. Regarding AYRE Challenge’s participation, “the key of the project is the ability to have continuity in time in order to break away from the usual cycles in yacht racing and for that reason the team commits to participate in the next 3 VOR editions that will start in Alicante in 2011, 2014 and 2017”.

Augusto Sanguinetti, gave a first brief overview of the project’s main technical and sports aspects: “Our latest-generation VO70 boat will be built in the Region of Valencia in 2010 and according to our initial schedule the boatbuilder will be Richard Gillies”. As far as boat design is concerned, the team is currently studying proposals from 2 designers of the highest international caliber and a decision will be taken before the end of 2009.

Team AYRE Challenge will rely on 2 active bases during the preparation and actual competition of the next VOR: The base in the Valencia Region will be the Team’s permanent one, housing its headquarters and used for both logistics and maintenance operations as well as for the organization of various events by the Team. The sports base, on the Atlantic Ocean coast, will be where the most important tests for the new boat development will take place.

The aim is to have 3 key persons in the sailing crew: the skipper and 2 watch captains. They will be the ones to decide and ultimately select the sailing crew that will compete in the next Volvo Ocean Race and in addition they will actively take part in the buildup and evolution of the Team.

Sanguinetti concluded that, “we have 24 months ahead of us from today before the start of the next VOR and our objective is to make the most of our time in order to build a great team with the best preparation possible.”

The countdown towards the 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race has just started for Team AYRE Challenge.

Video: Grant Dalton talks about the Louis Vuitton Trophy

Grant Dalton talks about the LV Trophy. Nice, 22 November 2009. Video copyright BTS Broadcast

Video: First reaction from Dean Barker on his team finishing 2nd in LV Trophy

Dean Barker talks about his team's result in the LV Trophy. Nice, 22 November 2009. Video copyright BTS Broadcast

Azzurra scores 2-0 shut out of Emirates Team New Zealand to win Louis Vuitton Trophy

[Source: Louis Vuitton Trophy] The team from the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda makes a triumphant return after a 22-year hiatus.

Even before the Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Côte d’Azur began, Azzurra skipper Francesco Bruni spoke of his passion and honour to be leading an iconic sailing brand back into the fray after a long absence. This afternoon he could barely describe his joy.

Bruni and his Azzurra crew, including tactician Tommaso Chieffi, defeated Emirates Team New Zealand 2-0 in the Grand Final to win this match race regatta.

Azzurra, from the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, made its international sailing debut at the 1983 Louis Vuitton Cup but has been in hiatus since the 1987 event off Western Australia. The team was re-launched last month and today Azzurra won the first race by 25 seconds and the second by 17 for a well-deserved championship.

“It’s an amazing sensation. I can’t find the words to describe it,” said Bruni, the 40-year-old skipper from Sicily. “We knew we could do a good job. We had very good training before the event. But we never thought about beating New Zealand in the final.”

Emirates Team New Zealand entered the final as the favourite. It won the round robin, suffering just one loss in 10 starts, and then defeated the upstart Synergy Russia Sailing Team in a hard-fought semi final match.

Team New Zealand has won many regattas this year, including the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series in February and the TP52 World Championship in September. Today, however, the Kiwis lost the first cross in both races and could never find a way around the Italians on the short courses of less than 5 nautical miles.

“I think we sailed well today but Azzurra was clearly better than us. They did everything right,” said Dean Barker, skipper of Emirates Team New Zealand. “Sometimes that’s just the way it is. You’re either in the right place or you’re not. Today Azzurra sailed very, very well.”

The two races were sailed early in the morning as the race committee was intent on deciding the regatta on the water and not on countback, which might’ve happened if racing couldn’t be conducted. The best winds of this two-week event were often early in the morning, and today the first warning signal was sounded at 0800 CET, one hour earlier than scheduled.

The northwesterly wind blew between 6 and 10 knots for the two races and was very shifty and patchy. Pressure differences often accounted for different sailing angles as 1 or 2 knots more wind can lift a yacht as much as 10 degrees higher than its opponent.

Chieffi, who won the 1992 Louis Vuitton Cup as tactician of Il Moro di Venezia, thought the Kiwis’ success played against them in the final.

“Beating TeamOrigin yesterday was a big plus for us; we’d done our share of work,” said Chieffi. “So we came in with smiley faces today despite the early morning. I could sense the Kiwis were more tense because they were the favourite; they were leading throughout the regatta. This played a role in our favour.”

The winning crew included skipper Bruni and tactician Chieffi, Tom Burnham (strategist), Bruno Zirilli (navigator), Daniele De Luca (mainsail trimmer), Stefano Rizzi (jib trimmer), Pierluigi De Felice (spinnaker trimmer), Gabriele Bruni (trimmer), Piero Romero (runner grinder), Nicola Pilastro (mainsail grinder), Massimo Galli (port grinder), Francesco Scalici (starboard grinder), Cristian Griggio (pitman), Luca Albarelli (mastman), Pietro Mantovani (mid-bow), Matteo Auguadro (bowman) and Michele Cannoni (pit assist).

Despite the win, Azzurra had its mishaps on the racecourse. The skipper and tactician both described three problems in the two races. In Race 1 a helicopter got too low to the water and disrupted the wind flow, reducing a four-boatlength lead to one.


In the second race the crew didn’t judge a bias in the leeward gate. They made a starboard rounding, but the mark was farther downwind and again they gave away three boatlengths.

The biggest mishap came at the top of the second beat in the second race. Approaching the windward mark on starboard tack with Team New Zealand two or three lengths behind, Mantovani, the mid-bowman, slipped overboard while preparing the spinnaker for the rounding. As the yacht sailed past the aft grinder, Romero, ran into the scoop and grabbed him out of the water “like a fish,” according to Bruni.

Chieffi said: “Even with the mishaps, the crew did a solid job to not lose concentration. Yes, we had five-boatlength leads, but one length is enough. The crew did an outstanding job keeping it calm, steady and tidy. We’re very pleased with the result.”

Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Cote d’Azur Final Standings
Team (Country) Skipper (Nationality) Won-Lost

1. Azzurra (ITA) Francesco Bruni (ITA), 11-5
2. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) Dean Barker (NZL), 11-4
3. Synergy Russia Sailing Team (RUS) Karol Jablonski (POL), 8-6
4. TeamOrigin (GBR) Ben Ainslie (GBR), 9-6
5. All4One (FRA/GER) Jochen Schumann (GER), 5-8
6. BMW Oracle Racing (USA) Hamish Pepper (NZL), 5-8
7. Artemis (SWE) Paul Cayard (USA), 5-7
8. TFS – PagesJaunes (FRA) Bertrand Pacé (FRA), 1-11

Video: Highlights from the 3rd day of Semifinals of the Louis Vuitton Trophy.

Video highlights from the 3Rd day of Semifinals of the Louis Vuitton Trophy. Nice, 21 November 2009. Video copyright Louis Vuitton Trophy

Video: La semifinale di Azzurra

With approximately 10% of our viewers from Italy, I thought it would be fair to post a nice video Team Azzurra produced on Friday. The Italian "newcomers" are on a roll and Bruni, Chieffi & Co have proved they are from being the outsiders. After today's comfortable win over Team Origin, Azzurra will face Emirates Team NZ on Sunday for the Trophy in a best-of-three final, weather allowing.

The semifinals according to Azzurra. Nice, 20 November 2009. Video copyright Azzurra

Groupama 3 is now sound and safe in Cape Town

[Source: Cammas-Groupama] Groupama 3 arrived in Cape Town early this Saturday afternoon and immediately tied up alongside so as repairs could begin to reinforce the aft beams.

It was at around 1300 hours UTC that Franck Cammas and his nine crew made landfall after two weeks at sea: Groupama 3 had to abandon her Jules Verne Trophy record attempt on the eleventh day after breaking the port beam bulkhead. As such it has taken five days for the giant trimaran to make South Africa where Groupama's shore crew were waiting to install a `floating' workshop, given that it won't be necessary to lift the boat out onto the hard. The giant trimaran is tied up to the pontoon at the Shosholoza base, which is the South African entry in the America's Cup.

Groupama 3 arrives in Cape Town for repairs. Cape Town, 21 November 2009. Video copyright Groupama

After the gales which Groupama 3 had to avoid just after suffering damage, followed by the tradewinds fuelled by the Saint Helena High, which propelled her along towards Cape Town at over twenty knots, Franck Cammas and his men had to be towed in the last few miles as the engine had been left behind on leaving Brest on 5th November. The wind totally dropped away as they approached port before picking up just enough to enable Groupama 3 to finish the journey under sail, although she had to sit out in the harbour for a while due to the shipping. The crew were able to fill up on fresh produce the minute they arrived, prior to setting to work to get the trimaran back in shape in order to set sail for Brest during the first few days of December.

Emirates Team New Zealand to meet Azzurra for Louis Vuitton Trophy

[Source: Louis Vuitton Trophy] Petite Final wraps with Synergy overcoming TeamOrigin.

One of sailing’s most revered brands will square off tomorrow against one of its most iconic brands when Emirates Team New Zealand races Azzurra in the Final of the Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Côte d’Azur.

The final was scheduled to commence this afternoon, but light winds again frustrated competitors and organizers in their attempt to race. Although the championship was put on hold around 1440 CET, three races were held earlier in the day to wrap up the Semi Final Round and the Petit Final.

Azzurra of Italy advanced to the championship by defeating TeamOrigin of the U.K. in their showdown match. After a close first beat, the Italians luffed the British at the top of the leg to gain an advantage at the first mark.

Yesterday the Italians suffered in the strong winds and big waves. But today skipper Francesco Bruni and crew revelled in the 8-knot winds and won by 29 seconds.

Synergy grabs 3rd place overall after a crushing victory over Team Origin. Nice, 21 November 2009. Photo copyright Ian Roman / Team Origin

“I think that we, as Italians, are used to sailing in lighter wind. We all know that,” said Bruni. “I think that we were driving the boat fast today as trimmer and skipper. Also the acceleration on the start line and how the boat reacts in turns, we’re just more confident in those conditions.”

Emirates Team New Zealand then took to the racecourse and booked its place in the final by defeating the pesky Synergy Russia Sailing Team.

Team New Zealand and Synergy had sailed three ding-dong battles, highlighted by yesterday’s second race when each team was penalised 1 point by a combination of the on-water umpires and International Jury. But this morning’s anticipated showdown proved to be more of a let down.

In a fashion similar to the day’s first match, the crews were evenly matched on the first leg. With both yachts on port tack and Team New Zealand to leeward, skipper Dean Barker, reigning champion of the Louis Vuitton Cup, luffed Synergy near the first mark.

During the incident the on-water umpires penalized the Russian-flagged yacht and Team New Zealand opened an advantage it wouldn’t relinquish. The Kiwis won by 4 minutes although the delta became skewed as Synergy completed a penalty turn on the finish line in light winds.

Bullet camera mounted on Synergy Russian Sailing Team for the pre-start. Nice 21, November 2009. Video copyright BTS Broadcast

“We sort of parked it up and they didn’t give us enough room when we bore away,” said Barker of the incident at the windward mark. “It’s tough as the windward boat because you’re trying to not lose the race at that point. It was close through the manoeuvre. I don’t know if there was contact, I couldn’t see, but it was nothing like yesterday.”

After a break for lunch the four crews returned to the water to resume racing, but the Petit Final between Synergy and TeamOrigin was the only match sailed in winds between 4 and 6 knots. After trailing by 22 seconds at the first mark, Synergy scored a comeback win when it overtook the British on the first downwind leg.

“Not making the final is very disappointing,” said TeamOrigin General Manager Mike Sanderson, a past round-the-world race winner. “We put a lot more effort into this regatta than we did Auckland. We were here to win and to win it you need to get to final. I’d be lying if I said not making the final was a big disappointment.”

Racing tomorrow is scheduled to begin early with the warning signal slated for 0800 CET.

For detailed information about today’s matches please visit the official event Web

Video: Highlights from the 2nd day of Semifinals of the Louis Vuitton Trophy.

Video highlights from the 2nd day of Semifinals of the Louis Vuitton Trophy. Nice, 20 November 2009. Video copyright Louis Vuitton Trophy

Emirates Team NZ and Synergy penalized 1 point each; Score now 0-0

[Source: Louis Vuitton Trophy] The jury finds there was hard contact and that Synergy did not keep clear as the right-of-way yacht.

The International Jury for the Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Côte d’Azur has penalised Synergy Russia Sailing Team a half point for a collision with Emirates Team New Zealand at the finish of their second Semi Final race earlier today.

In the second race Emirates Team New Zealand had been penalised in the pre-start for gybing too close. The crew carried that penalty around the course. Approaching the finish, Team New Zealand was trying to either complete the 270-degree penalty turn or offset it with a penalty on Synergy when the pair wound up outside the committee boat end of the finish line.

Both crews had their genoas hoisted trying to get upwind and over the top of the committee boat, but Team New Zealand got close to the committee boat. The New Zealand crew tacked to port and hailed for water, calling the committee boat an obstruction.

Both boats were downspeed in the sloppy seaway and they collided, Synergy’s port side hitting Team New Zealand’s starboard side.

After the match the on-water umpires penalised Emirates Team New Zealand 1 point and Synergy a half point for the beam-on-beam collision that caused some damage to the 24-tonne yachts.

In a later protest hearing the International jury found that there was a hard collision between Team New Zealand and Synergy. The jury deemed that when Synergy, the starboard-tack yacht, became the right-of-way boat it altered course down towards Team New Zealand and didn’t do enough to keep clear.

“That change of course was an infringement of Rule 14 (Avoiding Contact), so we deducted a half point for that,” said Chief Umpire Bill Edgerton. “In the end we penalised Team new Zealand 1 point and Synergy a half point for the rule to make sure the crews don’t do massive damage. Then we deducted a second half point from Synergy for not doing everything to keep clear.”

Although the teams have each won a race in their match the score is now 0-0, setting up a one race, winner-take-all match tomorrow morning.