Day 3 of the Leopard transatlantic crossing record attempt

Day 3
Monday 31 May:

Yesterday was a pretty tough day! We always knew it was going to be to stay up to pace with the front we were riding to try and stay in the stronger SW wind. All day it was reef in, reef out, squalls, change spinnaker according to the wind and sea state due to the fact we were also in the gulfstream. (ie a large river of warm water that snakes along the USA eastern sea board and runs up to 6 knots from South to North)

It is very frustrating sailing trying to make decisions on sail plan to keep the boat rolling along safely but fast. In the early hours of this morning we went back to our A-5 spinnaker for a period but the drivers could not distinguish between the sea and the horizon as we had no moon or stars just as black as the inside of a cow! We were surfing along at 35 knots and decided to reduce sail as it was too risky. Right now we are on the north side of the front in a much better sea way in 20-25 knots of wind making good progress towards the UK with the odd surf up into the 30’s but generally sitting on mid 20’s. Not exactly where we planned to be on the race course but we have to deal with our circumstances and see how it all pans out.

The guys are doing a great job and four hours in the bunk after a fire hosing on deck for four hours goes pretty damn quickly especially after last night where we had all the crew on deck for eight hours changing sails etc… I am sure a few more hours sleep would not go astray but life on board is not too bad. Our freeze dried food is pretty good for freeze dried food and we have a toasted sandwich maker on board as a treat to supplement the FD food – the ham and cheese toasties are hard currency out here as they are not an endless supply!!

Will keep you posted...

Chris and The Leopard Crew

Video: Highlights from Day 9 of the Louis Vuitton Trophy la Maddalena

Highlights from Day 9 of the Louis Vuitton Trophy. La Maddalena, 30 May 2010. Video copyright Louis Vuitton Trophy

The best seat in the house in Match Race Germany

Having guests, VIPs or sponsors onboard a competition sailing boat with one of the teams during an official race is nothing of a novelty in the top professional circuits and depending on the size of the crew, the privileged guest is called the 18th man, the 12th man or 11th man, etc. Due to the form of the racing yachts, the guests always sit at the stern, at the very back of the yacht.

Well, there is an exception and the following photo from Match Race Germany clearly shows it. During the semifinals, the lucky guests had the privilege of experiencing real racing with the world's top match racers, sitting in the middle of the boat, right in the middle of the action.

I don't know how much the gentleman in the photo knew about sailing but I doubt it's an experience he will soon forget. He sure had the best seat in the house, right in front of the world's number 2 match racer, Torvar Mirsky, and his crew.

During the Match Race Germany semifinals, guests were sitting INSIDE the racing yachts. Langenargen, 23 May 2010. Photo copyright Richard Walch / Match Race Germany

This photo onboard Peter Gilmour's yacht isn't from a training session. It was taken by the guest during the semifinals where the Australian match racing legend was beaten by young gun Torvar Mirsky. Langenargen, 23 May 2010. Photo copyright Audrey Lakai / Match Race Germany

Keith Swinton clinches spot at Match Cup Sweden

Today we took on Steffan Lindberg, of Alandia Sailing Team, in the semi-finals of the Spring Cup. We defeated Lindberg 2-1 to progress to the finals. Racing against Lindberg was tightly fought, but we managed to sail the shifty conditions very well. Our best moment came in the 3rd and deciding race, when we split off the start-line gaining a match-winning wind shift from the right side of the race course.

Progressing to the final, we took on local legend Mattias Rahm and his Stena Bulk Sailing Team. Rahm, a past winner of Match Cup Sweden proved to be a very difficult opponent. In our first race we held a small lead at the top mark after luffing Rahm on the lay-line. Unfortunately we didn't have a strong spinnaker set allowing Rahm to gain the favoured down wind tack. He took this advantage but we kept it close and at the bottom mark we managed to squeeze inside Rahm. However, this didn't go as planned, we were given a double penalty for going inside without having buoy-room. We took our first penalty immediately, and kept racing hard. At the top mark we had regained the lead but were unable to wipe off our second penalty, giving Rahm the win.

The second race was also tight. We set up well for the start, taking the windward position. From here the wind went left giving Rahm the advantage. It was bow to bow all up the first leg, with Rahm holding the advantage at the top mark. We tried hard to close up the lead but Rahm showed his skill holding his lead despite our best efforts to get back in the race.

Despite finishing second in the event we have still been invited to compete in Match Cup Sweden 2010. Being past winners of the event, Mattias Rahm and his team already hold entry . We are very excited to be competing in one of the biggest match racing events in the world!

"Today we sailed very well. The conditions were really difficult but it was fun because we managed to get it right more often than not. It was disappointing to lose the final, but we sailed well. It was just a few small things that cost us in the end some more training in the DS37 will certainly help. We are so happy to being sailing in Match Cup Sweden. It was one of our main goals for this year", Keith Swinton helmsman Black Swan Racing.

Emirates Team NZ beat BMW Oracle in day's only race

[Source: Emirates Team NZ] Dean Barker won his re-match against BMW Oracle Racing in fine style on Sunday, forcing a red-flag penalty just before the third mark that decided the outcome of the match.

BMW Oracle took the penalty immediately but the umpires ruled that they had not completed the turn. That meant another shot at it and the loss of more ground as Emirates Team New Zealand powered away down the run to the finish, crossing 54s ahead.

The penalty put the result of what had been a close race beyond any doubt. With the wind at 20knots but the water flat, there was nothing in it for the first two legs. Emirates Team New Zealand led around the first and second marks but the margins were small – just 6s at both.

Emirates Team New Zealand and BMW Oracle in a luffing match on the second beat of their re match, the Americans were given an immediate penalty. La Maddalena, 30 May 2010. Photo copyright Chris Cameron / Emirates Team NZ

Approaching the third mark, with the yachts almost bow to bow, Dean Barker forced a penalty on BMW Oracle which emerged from the tussle in a controlling position.

The umpires made it a “red flag” penalty which meant BMW Oracle had to make the turn immediately. The umpires ruled that they did not complete the turn and they had to do another once they rounded.

The match was a re-sail of the match that ended in controversy when the umpires penalised Emirates Team New Zealand. The team protested the circumstances surrounding the penalty and, although redress was denied, the umpires and the jury recommended to the race committee that the race be abandoned.

Today’s race was the only one of six scheduled to be raced on Sunday. The building mistral wind brought a premature halt to racing. Racing tomorrow has been cancelled because the mistral will again dominate the weather.

Emirates Team New Zealand beat the Defender of the 34th America's Cup. La Maddalena, 30 May 2010. Photo copyright Chris Cameron / Emirates Team NZ

Video: Highlights from Day 8 of the Louis Vuitton Trophy la Maddalena

Highlights from Day 8 of the Louis Vuitton Trophy. La Maddalena, 29 May 2010. Video copyright Louis Vuitton Trophy

Grant Dalton: The boats used in La Maddalena are "substandard"

Grant Dalton, CEO of Emirates Team NZ, was not a happy man after the conclusion of racing, almost at sunset, on Saturday and with good reason. A horizontal split near the top of the jib and a failed lock at the top of the mast cost his team any chance of winning its race against All4One.

As Dean Barker said they got the start they wanted but because of the torn jib they couldn't build the speed they wanted. Their main job was to keep the sail together as much as possible and minimise the losses while preparing for an attack on the downwind leg.

Yet that opportunity never came because at the hoist at the leeward gate one of the locks at the top of the rig failed and they could not set the sail properly. As a result, in the second beat as well the speed of the kiwi boat was compromised.

It's no wonder then that Dalton voiced his disappointment in the short video pointing out that the Louis Vuitton Trophy format works well when the boats they use are good, such as the ones provided by his team Auckland, but not with "substandard" yachts.

Grant Dalton comments of Saturday's races. La Maddalena, 29 May 2010. Video copyright Emirates Team NZ

Field closes up at Louis Vuitton Trophy La Maddalena

[Source: Louis Vuitton Trophy] Just one point separates the top five boats at the Louis Vuitton Trophy La Maddalena after an eventful program of five races sailed today in fresh breezes.

Russia’s SYNERGY Racing Team and the Swedish team Artemis share the top of the point’s table, each with five points. Emirates Team New Zealand, Britain’s TEAMORIGIN and the French/German team All4One are all equal third on four points.

The Artemis genaker pole goes overboard during the takedown, breaks and drags the genaker under the boat. La Maddalena, 29 May 2010. Photo copyright Paul Todd/outsideimages.co.nz/Louis Vuitton Trophy

With two days’ competition remaining in the round robin, the pressure began to tell in strong winds this afternoon as Sweden’s Artemis broke a gennaker pole and shredded a gennaker, and a jib began to self-destruct on Emirates Team New Zealand. Both top teams lost their respective races.

The Artemis breakdown was self-inflicted. The Swedish boat skippered by Paul Cayard was pushing to overtake the Russian boat when the pole went overboard, triggering a sequence that saw it trip and explode into pieces before dragging the sail under the boat. Artemis retired. On the Team New Zealand boat, racing All4One, the hapless Kiwis could only watch as the head of their jib began to split in 20 knot winds.

The Kiwis had more success off the water, at least temporarily when the Race Committee gave them a reprieve by ordering a resail of their race yesterday against BMW Oracle Racing. In another twist, the Jury tonight will hear an appeal by Oracle against the resail decision.

Emirates Team New Zealand jib starts to come apart on the first beat in their round robin match against All4One. La Maddalena, 29 May 2010. Photo copyright Chris Cameron / Emirates Team NZ

The dispute hinges on a safety order issued yesterday telling teams to maintain tension on forestays during spinnaker runs. After an umpires’ protest and a jury decision denied Team New Zealand any chance of a win in their match against Oracle, the organizers relented today, withdrew the safety order and ordered the resail.

Flight Seventeen, Race Two: TEAMORIGIN def. Luna Rossa, 00:37 – They started at speed on starboard with Britain’s TEAMORIGIN bow-out in the leeward berth. Ed Baird steering Luna Rossa was forced away early on port as Ben Ainslie on ORIGIN sailed into more pressure and continued to pull ahead.

Flight Six, Race Two: Azzurra def. SYNERGY Russian Sailing Team, 00:15 – Italy’s Francesco Bruni pulled off a breathtakingly close port cross on the first leg to defeat SYNERGY Russian Sailing Team. On the second beat there were 17 punishing tacks up the 1.2-mile leg but Synergy skipper Karol Jablonski, on the right, could never gain enough ground to get past Bruni.

Flight Twentythree, Race One: Artemis def. Azzurra, 00:15 – Saddled with a penalty in the pre-start Francesco Bruni and his Italian Azzurra team stayed on the attack and took the fight to the Swedish team Artemis around all four legs as the lead changed multiple times. However the Italians were trailing Terry Hutchinson and Artemis by 100 metres at the finish and they were still carrying the penalty.

Flight Eighteen, Race One: SYNERGY Russian Sailing Team def. Artemis, retired – A spinnaker pole overboard at the end of the second run dragged Artemis to oblivion, breaking the pole and shredding the Swedish boat’s spinnaker.

The Artemis genaker pole goes overboard during the takedown, breaks and drags the genaker under the boat. La Maddalena, 29 May 2010. Photo copyright Paul Todd/outsideimages.co.nz/Louis Vuitton Trophy

Flight Twenty, Race Two: All4One def. Emirates Team New Zealand, 00:21 – The French/German boat started ahead in the middle of the line on starboard, just ahead of the Kiwis on their weather hip. All4One helmsman Sébastien Col gradually inched ahead and his lead increased as the jib on ETNZ began to self-destruct.

Emirates Team New Zealand replace the torn jib with the backup jib on the first run in their round robin match against All4One . La Maddalena, 29 May 2010. Photo copyright Chris Cameron / Emirates Team NZ

Provisional win-loss leaderboard after Saturday racing:

=1. Synergy Russian Sailing Team, 5-4, 5 points
=1. Artemis, 5-2, 5 points
=3. Emirates Team New Zealand, 4-2, 4 points

=3. TEAMORIGIN, 4-3, 4 points
=3. All4One, 4-3, 4 points

=6. Azzurra, 3-4, 3 points

=6. Mascalzone Latino Audi Team, 4-1, 3 points *

=8. Luna Rossa, 2-6, 2 points
=9. BMW Oracle Racing Team, 1-5, 1 point
=10. ALEPH Sailing Team, 2-4, -2 points *

* Penalties deducted by Jury/Umpires

Grant Simmer becomes CEO of Team Origin

[Source: Team Origin] Sir Keith Mills, Team Principal of TEAMORIGIN, the British America’s Cup sailing team, announced today that Australian-born Grant Simmer has been appointed as CEO. Simmer, most recently Managing Director and Design Co-ordinator of Alinghi, winners of the America’s Cup in 2003 and 2007, takes on the new position with immediate effect.

Today’s announcement follows the conclusion of the last America’s Cup match in February, and the start of the next Cup cycle. Last week TEAMORIGIN announced that it would be strengthening its management team as it ramps up its operations as it heads towards the 34th America’s Cup.

Grant Simmer, CEO, commented on his new role, "I am delighted to join TEAMORIGIN and am looking forward to working with Sir Keith, Ben and all the team to develop and execute a plan to overcome the other Challengers and lead us into the next America’s Cup Match."

Grant Simmer, brand new CEO of Team Origin. La Maddalena, 29 May 2010. Photo copyright Iam Roman / Team Origin

He added further thoughts on his new team, "Fortunately TEAMORIGIN appears to have great strengths and leadership in each department. Mike Sanderson, who has now left the team, played a key role in managing the team through some difficult times and the team is in pretty good shape. I anticipate each area simply getting on with their jobs and that I will play a key role in overseeing and coordinating their activities. TEAMORIGIN has had to survive during several years of uncertainty while the Deed of Gift Match was resolved. Now, with the new Defender in place, we are all anxiously awaiting announcements of their plans for the 34th Cup. These are exciting times for sure, and these plans will include the format of racing, type of boats to be raced, the dates of competition and many other significant details. We should know all this information by the end of September and can then develop and refine our strategy leading to the next Cup."

Simmer’s new role as CEO sees him take responsibility for the sporting and technical activities of the team as well as overseeing the commercial operations. Simmer joins the team today in La Maddalena, Sardinia, where TEAMORIGIN is competing in the Louis Vuitton Trophy regatta against nine other world class America’s Cup teams including the Defender BMW ORACLE Racing, TEAMORIGIN’s opponent for the 1851 Cup in Cowes in early August this year. Racing continues in Italy until 6th June 2010.

Sir Keith Mills, Team Principal, added his thoughts on today’s news, "Today’s announcement is part of the team’s long term strategy to enhance the leadership and management. We are moving into the next phase of operations and Grant brings with him invaluable experience from both a Challenger and Defenders perspective. Our mission is to win the America’s Cup and today’s announcement forms a fundamental part of that strategy."

This will be Simmer’s eighth America’s Cup. He first competed in 1983 at the age of 27 as Navigator onboard Australia II. There he played a part in sporting history when Australia II became the first challenger to ever win the America’s Cup ending 132 years of US supremacy and the longest winning streak in sports history. Since that momentous win, Simmer has had diverse roles and responsibilities in another seven America’s Cup campaigns, culminating with the Swiss Alinghi team, winning the Cup in 2003 and 2007 in the role of Design Coordinator and most recently as the team’s Managing Director.

Ben Ainslie, Skipper and Helmsman, added his views, “This is great news for TEAMORIGIN and it comes at a time when we are finally seeing some resolution to the past few years of event delays. Soon we hope to have a detailed Protocol and programme for the 34th America’s Cup. Grant’s experience and talent will bring strong leadership and structure to the team at this critical time and his sailing and design skills will enhance our strengths as we move forward.”

Keith Swinton advances into GKKS Spring Cup semis in Sweden

The Royal Gothenburg Yacht Club (GKKS), Sweden's largest yacht club, is located in Gothenburg and since a number of years the GKSS Spring Cup has been the qualifying race to enter Match Cup Sweden which is one of the legs in the World Match Racing Tour.

The regatta takes place this weekend and today, Saturday, most of Stage 1 and Stage 2 were completed. As a result, 3 of the 4 semifinalists are already known. They are Keith Swinton, the young up-and-coming match racer from Australia, Mattias Rahm from Sweden and Staffan Lindberg from Finland. The fourth semifinalist will either be Richard Fornader or Phil Robertson.

Here's the report Keith Swinton sent us from Sweden:

Today we completed the round robin stage of the event finishing with a score line of 4 wins and 2 losses.

Gothenburg put on a fantastic day with 12-18 knot winds and some nice spells of sunshine. Our best two races today were against Mattias Rahm, Stena Bulk Sailing Team a past winner of Match Cup Sweden and Phil Robertson, Waka Racing from New Zealand. In the race against Rahm we managed to start to windward of the Swedish team and sail them all the way to the port lay-line. From here we kept a close cover and managed to hold on to take the win.

In our race against Robertson we started to leeward forcing the kiwis to the right, we picked up more wind on the left side of the track. From here we controlled the race and extended for the win.

Tomorrow morning we will find out our opponent for the semi-final stage.

"We did a nice job in our starts and around the race track today. Our boat handling is getting better and the communication is also growing between the team. Unfortunately we made some unforced errors in our losses today but that was a good learning experience for later in the event", Per Frykholm, Sweden, Mainsheet/ Tactics.

Video: Highlights from Day 7 of the Louis Vuitton Trophy la Maddalena

Highlights from Day 7 of the Louis Vuitton Trophy. La Maddalena, 28 May 2010. Video copyright Louis Vuitton Trophy

BMW Oracle and Emirates Team NZ to re-sail their match

[Source: Louis Vuitton Trophy] In the interest of fairness, the Race Committee has decided to abandon Friday's match between BMW ORACLE Racing and Emirates Team New Zealand. The race will be re-sailed at a later date.

In Friday's match, the Kiwis had been penalised by the Umpires on the final run to the finish for not maintaining enough tension on their forestay. The penalty came under an amendment to the Sailing Instructions that had been issued Friday morning with the intent of ensuring the safety of the rigs. Although Team New Zealand had a request for redress denied by the International Jury following the race, it was clear the Umpires and Jury weren't satisfied with the result.

"This was a hard rule," said Bill Edgerton, the chief Umpire. "After consultation with the sailors this morning, the organising authority decided this was an unworkable rule and it was rescinded. So effectively, Team New Zealand was penalised for a rule which now doesn't exist. At the hearing last night, we couldn't give them redress because of the way the Rules (Racing Rules of Sailing) are written. But we made a strong recommendation to the Race Committee that the race should be abandoned."

The re-sail adds another match for Principal Race Officer Peter Reggio to fit into a crowded racing schedule.

"The race now gets slotted into the schedule at the earliest opportunity. Hopefully on Sunday," Reggio said. "I know this can look a little confusing, but to us and to the sailors, this is what is necessary for the event. This is a sailor's event and we want to get it right."

Russia joins Sweden and New Zealand in three-way tie at La Maddalena

[Source: Louis Vuitton Trophy] Russia's Synergy Racing Team joined Sweden's Artemis and Emirates Team New Zealand on top of the points table at the Louis Vuitton Trophy La Maddalena today as unstable wind conditions limited the schedule to just two races.

There were upsets in both races sailed as the Russians beat the America’s Cup champion BMW Oracle Racing and Emirates Team New Zealand went down to Oracle on an umpire-initiated penalty for failing to maintain adequate rig tension on the last spinnaker run.

There was plenty of wind off the little island at the northeastern corner of Sardinia where ten international teams are racing the Louis Vuitton Trophy La Maddalena but the shifty northwesterly breeze, gusting from ten to 20 knots, was never sufficiently stable to start races. The race committee waited five hours before starting the first race at 2:00 pm.

Emirates Team NZ lose to BMW Oracle after a controversial umpire call and penalty give the race to the Americans. La Maddalena, 28 May 2010. Photo copyright Chris Cameron / Emirates Team NZ

Synergy, which started today with a 3-3 win-loss record, scored a major victory by defeating Oracle. The Russian crew led by Poland’s Karol Jablonski has been steadily improving at this regatta. Yesterday, they won one and narrowly lost one race but today they made no mistakes adding the scalps of the America’s Cup champions to their belts.

The Russians big move came on the first spinnaker run of their race against Oracle as they overtook in 18 to 20 knot winds and then carefully protected their lead for the rest of the race.

Emirates Team New Zealand appeared to have their race against Oracle sewn up too, landing a penalty on the Americans just over one minute into the pre-start and then staying close to Oracle after the Americans took the lead on the first beat. All that changed when the umpires penalized ETNZ for failing to maintain adequate rig tension. The penalties cancelled out and Oracle sailed on to win.

Flight Twentyone, Race Two, Synergy Russian Sailing Team def BMW Oracle Racing, 00:21 – Karol Jablonski’s Russian team pulled off a nail-biter come-from-behind victory over the America’s Cup winners. James Spithill claimed the committee end of the start line and although the Russians enjoyed a boat length lead, he controlled at the end of the leg and took them high of the mark to lead by nine seconds. Synergy fought back to roll Oracle on the spinnaker run.

Flight Two, Race One: BMW Oracle Racing def Emirates Team New Zealand, 00:06 – An upset win for the USA’s Oracle which raced carrying a penalty imposed in the pre-start but got off the hook when the umpires penalized the Kiwi boat for failing to maintain adequate rig tension (a rule adopted for this event to protect the supplied boats). At the start, Dean Barker and ETNZ were bow-forward and led, but James Spithill and Oracle dominated after the first tack. Half way down the last run Oracle was still leading but without sufficient room to complete a penalty turn. They got out of jail when the umpires penalized ETNZ. The Kiwis are expected to appeal the decision.

The Emirates Team NZ crew are stunned by the controversial umpire call and penalty that gave the race to BMW Oracle. La Maddalena, 28 May 2010. Photo copyright Chris Cameron / Emirates Team NZ

Provisional win-loss leaderboard after Friday racing

=1. Artemis, 4-1, 4 points
=1. Emirates Team New Zealand, 4-2, 4 points

=1. Synergy Russian Sailing Team, 4-3, 4 points
=4. Mascalzone Latino Audi Team, 4-1, 3 points *

=4. TEAMORIGIN, 3-3, 3 points
=4. All4One, 3-3, 3 points

=7. Azzurra, 2-3, 2 points

=7. Luna Rossa, 2-5, 2 points
=7. BMW Oracle Racing Team, 2-5, 2 points
=10. ALEPH Sailing Team, 2-4, -2 points *

* Penalties deducted by Jury/Umpires

ISAF Race Officials Committee Report On The 33rd America's Cup Released

Related PDF documents

ISAF Race Officials Committee Report On The 33rd America's Cup

[Source: ISAF] On 15 April the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) referred to the ISAF Race Officials Committee (ROC) reports from the ISAF-appointed International Jury Chairman and the ISAF-appointed Principal Race Officer for the 33rd America's Cup.
Yesterday 27 May, ISAF sent the Findings and Report of the ISAF Race Officials Committee with regard to the 33rd America's Cup together with all attachments referred to in the Report to the Société Nautique de Genève and the Golden Gate Yacht Club.

The completion of Regatta Report Forms is a standard requirement of Principal Race Officers, International Jury Chairmen and Chief Umpires at international or major events.

The purpose of the report system is to provide an assessment of the ISAF appointed officials and to learn from incidents or exceptional situations that happened during an event. Several changes to The Racing Rules of Sailing and changes in the ISAF Race Official Manuals have been made as a result of situations described in Regatta Report Forms.

The report includes clear recommendations and the ISAF Executive Committee will appoint the necessary working parties to determine whether and what changes may be needed to be made to the ISAF Racing Rules of Sailing and the ISAF Regulations in light of the findings of the report.

Video: Highlights from Day 6 of the Louis Vuitton Trophy la Maddalena

Highlights from Day 6 of the Louis Vuitton Trophy. La Maddalena, 27 May 2010. Video copyright Louis Vuitton Trophy

ICAP Leopard ready for her transatlantic crossing record attempt

[Source: ICAP Leopard] ICAP Leopard, the 100ft super-maxi racing yacht owned by Helical Bar PLC chief executive Mike Slade, announced on Thursday the required weather window for her record attempt has finally arrived. She will leave New York on Saturday 29th May in her bid to become the fastest monohulled sailing vessel ever to cross the Atlantic.

ICAP Leopard’s weather router, the internationally renowned Roger “Clouds” Badham, yesterday informed the crew that a suitable weather window will open on Saturday and Chris Sherlock, skipper and boat captain, took the decision to pull the trigger on the record attempt. Throughout the night ICAP Leopard’s berth in Newport, Rhode Island has been a hive of activity as final preparations were made, provisions taken onboard and the assembly call was fired out to ICAP Leopard’s highly experienced crew of ocean record-breakers.

ICAP Leopard crossed the finish line to take line honours in the Rolex Fastnet race for the second consecutive time. Plymouth, 12 August 2009. Video copyright Rolex Fastnet

Amongst the crew currently flying to New York are some familiar faces such as Ericsson 4 crewman Guy Salter, experienced watch leader Mark Thomas and veteran navigator Hugh Agnew, but also several new members of the ICAP Leopard team. This newer contingent includes English bowman Freddie Shanks and Aussie watch leader Anthony “Youngster” Merrington, both fresh from the Green Dragon campaign in the 2008-9 Volvo Ocean Race. Also onboard will be world-renowned ocean racing experts Justin “Juggy” Clougher, Michael Joubert and Guillermo Altadill who have amassed no fewer than 11 Whitbred / Volvo Ocean Races between them. Together they will be sure to add considerably to this already highly accomplished crew.

The benchmark that ICAP Leopard will be aiming for is the outright monohull west to east transatlantic record of 6 days 17 hours and 52 minutes, set by Mari Cha IV in 2003. This means that ICAP Leopard will have to keep up a fearsome pace but navigator Hugh Agnew is confident that they have the weather for it.

Agnew commented: “Everything is looking good at the moment. There is a low pressure system due to develop over Nova Scotia that we are aiming to hook into at the weekend. This would give us a fast start to our record attempt. If all goes to plan we should then have some time in the bank to deal with any high pressure that could get in our way on the approach to the U.K. It looks like it might be a challenging run but we can’t wait to get started.”

ICAP Leopard will be carrying a GPS tracker during her record attempt, allowing spectators to follow her progress online at www.leopard3.com.

ICAP Leopard Crew List: Transatlantic Record Attempt 2010

Name	Nationality	Position
Frederick Shanks	British	Bow
Jow Heywood	South African	Bow
Daryl Wislang	New Zealand	Bow
Guy Salter	British	Bow
Justin Clougher	Australian	Bow
Louis Sinclair	New Zealand	Mast Pit
Tim Sellars	Australian	Mast Pit
Tim Burnell	Australian	Trimmer / Driver
Adam Hawkins	Australian	Trimmer / Driver
Michael Joubert	South African	Trimmer / Driver
Luke Molloy	Australian	Trimmer / Driver
Guillermo Altadill	Spanish	Trimmer / Driver
Gian Ahluwalia	Canadian	Trimmer / Driver
Brett Jones	Australian	Trimmer / Driver
Anthony Merrington	Australian	Watch Leader
Mark Thomas	Australian	Watch Leader
Chris Sherlock	Australian	Captain
Hugh Agnew	Australian	Navigator

Yann Guichard leads Extreme Sailing Series at Sète

[Source: Extreme Sailing Series] At the resort of Sète on the south coast of France, the first event of the 2010 Extreme Sailing Series got underway today. There was sunshine and there was breeze, although it proved unreliable in both direction and strength but enough to see the Extreme 40 hulls flying and generating some great pace on the downwind legs. The eight teams of world-class sporting calibre competed in three longer-course races on this non-public day here in Sète, allowing the teams to stretch their legs for the first time. It was not a perfect day to gauge the teams' form, and this was reflected in the varying results posted on the leaderboard.

First day of racing for the Extreme Sailing Series. Sète, 27 May 2010. Photo copyright Yvan Zeda / Groupama

Nonetheless, Yann Guichard's Groupe Edmond de Rothschild scored a 1st, 6th and 2nd to leave them top of the leaderboard. Mitch Booth, co-creator of the Extreme 40 class and no stranger to this type of racing, put in a great performance on brand new entry The Ocean Racing Club with a 4th, 1st and 6th putting them in second place overall: "Yeah it was a difficult day, in a few races we were back but with those sort of conditions it's not over until it's over," he laughed. "We just kept fighting all day, trying to take every shift. We got a few lucky ones but a few unlucky ones too! But it was a good day we are pretty happy with the results, the teamwork is good, the boat speed is okay and we're looking forward to a good regatta."

Defending champions, Oman Sail Masirah, had a day of mixed fortunes benefiting from a major wind shift in race 1 to go from last to second! But their luck didn't hold and a 7th and 5th leaves them in 6th place on the overall leaderboard. The fastest man around the planet, Franck Cammas on his Groupama 40, scored a good victory in the final race today allowing them to scrape into third overall ahead of Paul Campbell-James' team on The Wave, Muscat. The Red Bull Extreme Sailing team were in the mix throughout the day, scoring a 3rd and a 2nd, but a disappointing last place in the final race dropped them into 5th place. Mike Golding's Ecover, now helmed by Leigh McMillan, were also in the fray but problems with their rudder kicking up, and staying up in race 2, cost them dearly. Rallying in the last race with a podium third-place, ensured they ticked off on of the team's objectives on day one.

First day of racing for the Extreme Sailing Series. Sète, 27 May 2010. Photo copyright Vincent Curutchet/DPPI/OC Events

Sweden and New Zealand are tied at La Maddalena

[Source: Louis Vuitton Trophy] Emirates Team New Zealand won two races today at the Louis Vuitton Trophy La Maddalena to end the day first equal on points with Sweden's Artemis, each with 4-1 records.

In other competition the Swedish boat skippered by Paul Cayard and steered by Terry Hutchinson lost today, the first time since the regatta in Sardinia started.

Crews in the ten international teams spent another long day on the water with the first race starting soon after 0900 and the last not finishing until 1730. There was wind all day from the west, shifty and with big speed changes on different parts of the course. There were gusts up to 20 knots near the weather mark.

The shape of the scoreboard changed in the first four races as the Kiwis, third equal yesterday with two points, deftly dispatched Azzurra and then ALEPH Sailing Team to claim second place. In the fourth race Mascalzone Latino trounced Artemis to advance Team New Zealand to first equal.

“It was tough losing a race to Luna Rossa (on Tuesday) but losses sometimes help kick-start the team and make us realize we’ve always got things to work on. I think we’ve been sailing a lot better since that race,” said Dean Barker, skipper and helmsman of Team New Zealand.

Mascalzone Latino slammed the door on Artemis with a strategy the Italian team had been refining for some time. “The guys on the boat made a great call for the left side and Gavin did a beautiful job of executing that,” said tactician Morgan Larson. “We spent a lot of time this morning talking about Terry Hutchinson’s weaknesses in the prestart. I think Gavin exploited that weakness. It was very close. Terry was really close to getting an overlap with us that would have shifted everything. If they got an overlap they would have got the left and probably won the race.”

Yet another victory for Emirates Team NZ, this time against Azzurra. La Maddalena, 27 May 2010. Photo copyright Chris Cameron / Emirates Team NZ

Flight Sixteen, Race Two: Emirates Team New Zealand def Azzurra 00:13– Francesco Bruni steering Azzura gauged his start perfectly at the pin with speed. ETNZ on his hip was forced to tack away. The leg and the race belonged to Bruni but approaching the weather mark on port and leading, the Italians tacked short of the mark and opened the way for ETNZ to seize the starboard tack advantage, slip inside and hold their opponents out. The surprising reversal put the Kiwis 13 seconds ahead and they consolidated from there on.

Flight Six, Race One: Emirates Team New Zealand def ALEPH Sailing Team 00:29 – ETNZ dominated an initial race which was abandoned near the top mark due to a mark positioning error. The new start was initally a mirror of the first, a long starboard tack with ETNZ on ALEPH’s hip, until the French forced them to tack. However the Kiwis had the power of the right and forced the persistently-clinging French team away as they carried ALEPH above the weather mark for a seven second delta at the top mark.

Yet another victory for Emirates Team NZ, this time against Aleph Sailing. La Maddalena, 27 May 2010. Photo copyright Chris Cameron / Emirates Team NZ

Flight Fifteen, Race Two: TEAMORIGIN def Synergy Russian Sailing Team, 00:06 – ORIGIN was bow-out in mid-line at the start with Synergy close to the committee boat. The Russians hung tough on the starboard tack but were forced away after two minutes. They led approaching the starboard layline, only to drop back in a left shift that put Ainslie ahead by 14 seconds at the top mark. The boats rounded opposite leeward marks. ORIGIN conceded valuable seconds as the gennaker went under the bow but held a handy lead.

Flight Fourteen, Race One: Mascalzone Latino def Artemis, 00:46 – Gavin Brady the Kiwi skipper of the Latin Rascals destroyed the perfect record of Sweden’s Artemis with a king-hit before the start. He locked out Sweden’s Terry Hutchinson on port tack before the gun, with both boats stalled below the line. Brady tacked, and got away first to lead at speed by 26 metres and pull away. The Italian boat was 22 seconds ahead at the top mark as the breeze built to 20 knots. Artemis set off on pursuit only to see their gennaker explode as they settled into the first run. Mascalzone sailed away.

It wasn't all smooth today on Artemis. La Maddalena, 27 May 2010. Photo copyright Paul Todd / outsideimages.co.nz / Louis Vuitton Trophy

Flight Sixteen, Race One: Synergy Russian Sailing Team def ALEPH Sailing Team, 00:33 – Karol Jablonski won the start as both boats sailed slowly up to the committee boat on port. Jablonski tacked and sailed Synergy off the line at speed while Pacé was slow to tack ALEPH and follow. ALEPH drew level close to the top mark but Jablonski had starboard tack advantage and was nine seconds in front at the top mark.

Flight 22, Race One, Luna Rossa def BMW Oracle Racing, 00:22 – This was a comprehensive victory for the Italians. They started at opposite ends of the line with Luna Rossa near the committee boat. James Spithill and BMW Oracle Racing got off the line faster near the pin but only enjoyed their lead for a few seconds. The Italian boat steered by Ed Baird was in better breeze and sailed steadily away from James Spithill and Oracle. Close to the port layline when Luna Rossa on starboard crossed ahead of her opponent, the Americans were 220 metres dead astern. They made subsequent gains but finished 50 metres back.

Provisional win-loss leaderboard after Thursday racing

=1. Artemis, 4-1, 4 points
=1. Emirates Team New Zealand, 4-1, 4 points

=3. Mascalzone Latino Audi Team, 4-1, 3 points *

=3. All4One, 3-3, 3 points

=3. Synergy Russian Sailing Team, 3-3, 3 points
=3. TEAMORIGIN, 3-3, 3 points
=7. Azzurra, 2-3, 2 points

=7. Luna Rossa, 2-5, 2 points
=9. BMW Oracle Racing Team, 1-4, 1 point
=10. ALEPH Sailing Team, 2-4, -2 points *

* Penalties deducted by Jury/Umpires

Loïck Peyron to join Jean-Pierre Dick as partner for the Barcelona World Race

[Source: Barcelona World Race] Jean-Pierre Dick has just unveiled his co-skipper for the Barcelona World Race. This will be no less than Loïck Peyron, one of the most successful and experienced ocean yachtsmen in the world.

Loïck Peyron will be taking part in the Barcelona World Race 2010/11, forming a duo with Jean-Pierre Dick, the brilliant winner of the last edition of the competition. This is not the first time the French skippers join forces: they won the Transat Jacques Vabre together in 2005 with Virbac-Paprec 1 and they designed and built a pair of twin yachts (Paprec Virbac 2 and Gitana Eighty). Now it's time for them to launch their longest and most demanding adventure yet: the double-handed, non-stop race around the world.

Both skippers will be on the starting line on 31st December, onboard Paprec-Virbac 3, the brand-new IMOCA Open 60 that Jean-Pierre Dick recently unveiled to the public in Auckland, NZ. With this yacht the sailors will be defending the Frenchman's title from the first edition of the Barcelona World Race, shared with Damian Foxall. Both yachtsmen are part of the elite of world sailing, and they know one and other very well, and so will form one of the most powerful and difficult to beat teams in the competition.

Jean-Pierre Dick and Loïck Peyron on Virbac 3. Auckland, 26 May 2010. Photo copyright Virbac

Jean-Pierre Dick said: “It's a pleasure to welcome Loïck on board. This is exactly what I had hoped for: to sail with a well-rounded and independent skipper, someone incredibly competent with whom I can have a constant interaction. A double-handed team works well when there's mutual confidence, in that you have to perform 100% delegation when it comes to handing the reins over to the other skipper when your watch finishes. Loïck and I share a similar view of sailing. We realised that with our victory in the Transat Jacques Vabre in 2005 and with the building of twin highly competitive racing yachts in 2007 (the old Paprec-Virbac 2 and Gitana Eighty): the first won the Barcelona World Race 2007 and the latter won the Transat 2008.

What do I like about Loïck? His energy in doing things, his ideas on how to make the boat go even faster. He never stops. He's always doing something. He's extraordinary at getting a prototype ready and each time he brings an enormous value to the table. I also like his friendly and jovial personality. In a circumnavigation it is of vital importance to have somebody you get on with beside you, someone who you can talk to, share ideas with ,about the boat, the sea or life in general”.

Loïck Peyron said: “A voyage of discovery...I love it! I've never done a double-handed circumnavigation of the globe before. That's one of the reasons I didn't stop to think when Jean-Pierre proposed we go out for a sail in tandem. This time the course is somewhat longer! I know that the skipper, the team and the boat are up to the challenge. I was able to see that yet again in Auckland, just a few days ago, with the launch of Paprec-Virbac 3. It's funny that when we won the Transat Jacques Vabre in 2005, Jean-Pierre had already won it two years previously. Now we are heading out on a circumnavigation that he won two years ago... that's something!

What do I like about Jean-Pierre? Jean-Pierre opens up new horizons in the world of ocean sailing. He is the first French sailor to have contacted the Farr studio and the first to have had a boat built in New Zealand. His way of doing things caught my attention. Jean-Pierre has a very structured professional approach to things, but at the same time he can appear to be miles away. That's just an appearance, because his mind is always active and his brain never switches off. He also knows how to surround himself with good people in every field. In a race he won't give an inch, We are different in many ways, but we complement one and other well. We also get on really well, and I think that's our strong point”.

Virbac 3 rollover test. Auckland, 19 May 2010. Video copyright Virbac

Video: Highlights from Day 5 of the Louis Vuitton Trophy la Maddalena

Highlights from Day 5 of the Louis Vuitton Trophy. La Maddalena, 26 May 2010. Video copyright Louis Vuitton Trophy

Artemis leads LV Trophy in Maddalena, undefeated

[Source: Louis Vuitton Trophy] The Swedish team Artemis, skippered by Paul Cayard and steered by Terry Hutchinson, won another race at the Louis Vuitton Trophy La Maddalena today to preserve an unbroken record of four wins and no losses.

Their nearest competition after five days of competition between ten international teams is the French/German All4One. They have three points but with six races sailed, they also have three losses. Five teams are equal third, each with two points.

Superb sailing conditions on the Golfo di Arzachena off the Sardinian island of La Maddalena saw five races completed but, with half of the opening round robin now completed, many of the top names of America’s Cup competition remain at the bottom of a topsy-turvy results table.

The Terry Hutchinson - Paul Cayard duo is working wonders on Artemis. La Maddalena, 26 May 2010. Photo copyright Bob Grieser/ousideimages.co.nz/Louis Vuitton Trophy

“It’s only four races so far. These races are very, very difficult. They are tight and we’re working hard on keeping with the ‘winning by a boat-length theory’ which puts a lot of internal pressure on the boat but so far its still moving along,” said Artemis helmsman Terry Hutchinson, after defeating fellow American Ed Baird who is skippering and steering the Italian Luna Rossa.

“There is still a lot that we can do and a lot that I can do. Our learning curve with the team is still fairly vertical. Looking at the big picture, our goal is to be here in 12 days time on Sunday.”

In their race against Luna Rossa, Artemis got off the start line bow-forward with more speed.

“It was a really good job of boat handling on our boat,” Hutchinson said. “The guys in the middle of the boat and the bow did really nice choreographed work. I think Luna Rossa stalled a little bit in an effort to shut the door on us as they went for their speed build. We had really nice time and distance and when they stalled it made our slingshot pretty handy.”

Flight Three, Race One: Mascalzone Latino def Synergy Russian Sailing Team, 00:08– Mascalzone Latino earned a thrilling come-from-behind win in this match on the final run to the finish. Skipper Gavin Brady and his team did a masterful job of positioning their boat on the first gybe of the run and were able to roll over the top of Synergy. Karol Jablonski, the skipper on the Russian boat, was then too aggressive in attempting to protect his position and the Umpires penalised him for sailing above his proper course. Game over.

Flight Thirteen, Race One: Emirates Team New Zealand def Synergy Russian Sailing Team, 00:04– The Kiwis made a bold move out to the right hand side of the race course on the first beat while Synergy played the left. When they converged before the top mark, it was Emirates holding a narrow lead. With the boats nearly overlapped approaching the top mark, Kiwi skipper Dean Barker threw a hard luff at the trailing Synergy, gaining a few extra metres in the process.

Ray Davies, Emirates Team NZ tactician, briefly comments on the race today against Synergy. La Maddalena, 26 May 2010. Video copyright Emirates Team NZ

Emirates Team NZ sails to victory against Synergy. La Maddalena, 26 May 2010. Photo copyright Chris Cameron / Emirates Team NZ

Flight Seventeen, Race One: BMW Oracle Racing def All4One, 00:17 –Sébastien Col on All4One got the best of this start, bow out James Spithill steering Oracle. Spithill hung in and got an edge but Col took him all the way to the port layline and they rounded the top mark bow to stern with the French/German boat leading. One gybe on the run and Spithill rolled his opponent approaching the lee mark in a flurry of gybes and unanswered protest flags.

Flight Twentyone, Race One: Artemis def Luna Rossa, 00:35 – Terry Hutchinson pulled off a perfect start at speed but the Italian boat steered by Ed Baird went on the attack with 17 tacks up the short weather leg to round the top mark close astern, with a time difference of just five seconds. The next three legs were a minefield of shifts and holes but Artemis prevailed.

One more victory for BMW Oracle. La Maddalena, 26 May 2010. Photo copyright Bob Grieser/ousideimages.co.nz/Louis Vuitton Trophy

Flight Two, Race Two: All4One def Luna Rossa, 35 seconds – Sébastien Col driving All4One paid a heavy price to win the right hand side of the race course with two slow tacks near the starting line. But the wisdom of that sacrifice became clear two-thirds of the way up the race track when All4One, with starboard tack advantage, was just able to prevent Luna Rossa from crossing clear ahead.

The international jury will tonight hear a request for redress filed by All4One against the race committee. The French/German team is questioning the setup of the leeward mark in the race they lost to BMW Oracle Racing Team.

Provisional win-loss leaderboard after Wednesday racing
1. Artemis, 4-0, 4 points
=2. All4One, 3-3, 3 points

=3. Mascalzone Latino Audi Team, 3-1, 2 points *

=3. Emirates Team New Zealand, 2-1, 2 points

=3. Azzurra, 2-2, 2 points

=3. Synergy Russian Sailing Team, 2-2, 2 points
=3. TEAMORIGIN, 2-3, 2 points
=8. BMW Oracle Racing Team, 1-3, 1 point
=8. Luna Rossa, 1-5, 1 point

=10. ALEPH Sailing Team, 2-2, -2 points *

* Penalties deducted by Jury/Umpires

Copenhagen, next stopover for the RC 44 Championship Tour

[Source: RC44 Class Association] The RC 44 Championship Tour is about to discover a new venue for the third stage of its Championship Tour 2010: Copenhagen. Ten World Class teams will take part in the event on June 8 – 13.

Copenhagen will host the third regatta of the RC 44 Championship Tour 2010 on June 8 – 13. Organised by the Royal Danish Yacht Club, the event will bring together ten RC 44 one-designs for a week of fleet and match racing.

Organised for the first time, the RC 44 Copenhagen Cup will be part of the celebrations of the tenth anniversary of Oresund bridge; the longest combined road and rail bridge in Europe. Completed on 14 August 1999, the bridge connects the two metropolitan areas of the Oresund Region (the Danish capital of Copenhagen) and the Swedish city of Malmö.

Founded in 1866, the Royal Danish Yacht Club is one of Europe’s most prestigious yacht clubs. “We are very proud to host the RC44 fleet here in Wonderful Copenhagen”, says Morten Lorenzen, CEO of the club. “Organizing great events for great classes is part of our strategy in the Club. The RC 44 Copenhagen Cup follows recent events like the 470 World Championships in 2009, the X-Yachts Gold Cup in 2008, the Farr 40 Worlds in 2007 and since 2000 our annual Danish Open in Match Racing, as part of the World Match Racing Tour. As hosts of the RC 44 Copenhagen Cup we look forward to welcoming owners, sailors and guests in Copenhagen. We will do our utmost to make sure they all feel welcome, and we are eagerly looking forward to present the RC 44 fleet and intense racing to the knowledgeable sailing audience in Denmark. A group of more than 50 volunteers and our skilled staff, supported by great sponsors and partners, is looking forward to hosting the RC 44 Copenhagen Cup.”

The format of the event will be as usual, with two days of match racing followed by three days of fleet racing. The teams involved in the event include all the teams who competed earlier in the year in the Al Maktoum Cup (Dubai) and the Austria Cup. Pieter Heerema’s Team No Way Back currently leads the overall ranking after two events (4 points), ahead of Team Sea Dubai (7 points), BMW ORACLE Racing and Artemis (9 points). No Way Back also leads the fleet race ranking whilst BMW ORACLE Racing is the overall leader of the match race ranking.

The teams involved in the RC 44 Copenhagen Cup:

Team No Way Back (Pieter Heerema / Ray Davies)
Artemis (Torbjorn Tornqvist / Terry Hutchinson)
CEEREF (Igor Lah / Rod Davis)
BMW ORACLE Racing (Larry Ellison / Russell Coutts)
Team Aqua (Chris Bake / Cameron Appleton)
Team Islas Canarias Puerto Calero (José Juan Calero / José Maria Ponce)
Katusha (Guennadi Timtchenko / Paul Cayard)
Team Sea Dubai (Harm Muller Spreer / Markus Wieser)
Team Austria (René Mangold / Christian Binder)
17 (Ian Vickers / James Spithill)

Audi Becomes a New Boat Sponsor to Stena Match Cup Sweden

Audi is a new partner to Stena Match Cup Sweden, Stage 5 of the 2010 ISAF World Match Racing Tour (WMRT). With the new sponsorship, Audi strengthens its engagement in sailing also in Sweden.

For several years, Audi has focused its sponsor investments in sailing internationally, for example as title sponsor in Audi MedCup and as partner in Kieler Woche. Stena Match Cup Sweden is one of the largest public sailing events in the world and a great opportunity to establish the international sponsor strategy in Sweden with the World Match Racing Tour.

“Sailing is a favoured sport to many of our customers. Our engagement in Stena Match Cup Sweden gives us a possibility to strengthen Audi’s presence on the west coast as well as providing a good platform to meet with our customers”, said Niklas Henning, Event and Sponsor Manager, Audi Sverige.


Jan Torstenson, GM at Brandspot and the Commercial Organizer of Stena Match Cup Sweden, commented, “We are very grateful and proud that Audi has chosen to become a sponsor to Stena Match Cup Sweden. A strong brand like Audi will add great value to the event and their experience in sailing internationally makes a partnership very natural and developing”.

The branding concept for the Audi boat in Stena Match Cup Sweden 2010 follows the same guidelines as Audi MedCup and Kieler Woche and is part of the Audi A1-launch.

LV Trophy jury gives Aleph a three-point penalty

Bad news for Bertrand Pacé and the French team.

Following a hearing of the International Jury to consider the collision which took place between ALEPH and Azzurra, ALEPH has been penalised 1 point for ‘hard contact’ (assessed immediately after the incident) and a further 3 points for breaking RRS 14, the Racing Rule which governs ‘Avoiding Contact’.

While ALEPH acknowledged responsibility for the collision, the team maintained Azzurra contributed to the impact by altering course in a way that swung their transom towards the French bow.

But the Jury disagreed and absolved Azzurra fully, leaving the French team to shoulder the blame.

Aleph crashes boat in La Maddalena, gets disqualified

[Source: Louis Vuitton Trophy] A major start line collision knocked two America's Cup Class boats out of action at the Louis Vuitton Trophy La Maddalena today and led to a one-race disqualification for the French ALEPH Sailing Team.

ALEPH struck the stern of the Italian entry Azzurra as the boats sped down the start line with 35 seconds remaining to the start gun. No one was injured but the bow of the French boat was knocked almost right off while the aft starboard quarter of the Italian boat was smashed in.

The two boats involved are the BMW Oracle Racing Team Version 5 ACC boats USA98 and USA87 which have been chartered to the regatta organisers for the event. Oracle boatbuilders and technical experts were still assessing the damage tonight.

“While unfortunate, this collision will not threaten the regatta,” said Bruno Troublé, spokesman for Louis Vuitton Trophy. “In Nice, one boat was damaged in a collision on the eve of the regatta, while in Auckland we had great racing with only one pair of boats. We will continue racing using the Mascalzone boats, while waiting for our very experienced team of 25 boatbuilders to complete repairs.”

Highlights from Day 4 of the Louis Vuitton Trophy. La Maddalena, 25 May 2010. Video copyright Louis Vuitton Trophy

Today’s conditions were perfect for racing with cloudless skies, bright sun, a westerly 12-14 knot breeze and flat seas, and Principal Race Officer Peter Reggio was able to complete five of six scheduled races.

The ALEPH team quickly published a statement apologising for the collision and subsequent damage.

In a day filled with surprises, the fledgling Synergy Russian Sailing Team beat the long-established Luna Rossa, while the undefeated Swedish boat Artemis continued her winning ways with a victory over winless BMW Oracle Racing Team. Emirates Team New Zealand went down to Luna Rossa as American Ed Baird, skipper of the Italian boat and former coach for the Kiwis, dished out another lesson to his old pupil Dean Barker.

Flight Ten, Race One: Synergy Russian Sailing Team def Luna Rossa, 00:15 – Nice start by both boats. Karol Jablonski claimed the right as both boats came off the line together on starboard. At the weather mark, Jablonski came in on starboard and dialed down to force Baird away and lead by 16 seconds. The Russians controlled for the next three legs.

Flight Ten, Race Two: Artemis def BMW Oracle Racing, 00:16 – The start was owned by Terry Hutchinson driving the Swedish boat Artemis. After chasing James Spithill round the start box, Hutchinson led back for a perfect start, at the committee, with Spithill trailing astern by a boat length. Oracle short-tacked relentlessly through two upwind legs and clung to Artemis on two runs but the Swedish boat prevailed.

Flight Eleven, Race One: TEAMORIGIN def All4One, 00:05 – All4One led to the line with a clean start, followed by TEAMORIGIN on his hip. Ben Ainslie steering the British boat quickly tacked away and Sébastien Col soon followed. At the top mark Ainslie on starboard shut Col out and carry him far above the buoy. Ainslie converted that move to a 150 metre lead which All4One chiselled down to 37 metres on the final run as the breeze freshened.

Aleph slams into Azzurra. La Maddalena, 25 May 2010. Video copyright Louis Vuitton Trophy

Flight Eleven, Race Two: Azzurra def ALEPH Sailing Team, 00:00 – The Italian boat won after ALEPH was disqualified following the collision. ALEPH was also assessed a penalty point and may face further sanctions.

The two boats were reaching down the start line with Azzurra leading when Bertrand Pacé, ALEPH’s veteran skipper, attempted to duck under his opponent’s stern in an attempt to control the start of the Italian boat. Azzurra, steered by Francesco Bruni was the right-of-way boat. There was hard contact about four metres from Azzurra’s transom.

On-the-water umpires immediately flew a black flag, disqualifying ALEPH from the race. They also docked her one penalty point. Tonight the jury will meet to consider whether further action is warranted. Azzurra was forced to abandon racing but was credited with a win.

“On our boat we had one guy calling the overlap, Tom Burnham, our non-Italian on board,” said Francesco Bruni, skipper of Azzurra. “He was calling that the boat was ‘blocked’ and yet two seconds later I see his bow coming down. Tom had his head smashed on the navigation roll bar on the back of the boat and he got some blood on his head - but just scratches, I think. We are partially happy about getting a point from today but we can’t enjoy the moment fully.”

First defeat for Emirates Team NZ. La Maddalena, 25 May 2010. Photo copyright Chris Cameron / Emirates Team NZ

Flight Twelve, Race One: Luna Rossa def Emirates Team New Zealand, 00:13 – Ed Baird on Luna Rossa claimed the right at the start but it was Dean Barker who started at speed on the left. In shifty conditions Luna Rossa took an early lead in the middle of the course while the Kiwis gained on the left. Baird carried them out beyond the port tack layline to round the top mark a boatlength in front. On the second beat the Kiwis again clawed back ground but Baird came across on starboard before the top mark to lock in the lead for the rest of the race.

Provisional win-loss leaderboard after Flight Twelve, Race One
=1. Artemis, 3-0, 3 points
=2. All4One, 2-1, 2 points
=2. Azzurra, 2-2, 2 points
=2. Synergy Russian Sailing Team, 2-0, 2 points
=2. TEAMORIGIN, 2-3, 2 points
=6. ALEPH Sailing Team, 2-2, 1 point *
=6. Emirates Team New Zealand, 1-1, 1 point
=6. Luna Rossa, 1-3, 1 point
=6. Mascalzone Latino Audi Team, 2-1, 1 point *
=10. BMW Oracle Racing Team, 0-3, 0 points

* Penalty deducted by Jury/Umpires

How NOT to celebrate your victory in a regatta

This being a blog, it's relaxing from time to time to write about something that is not very serious, even if it concerns the world's top-ranked match racers and winners of the 2009 ISAF World Match Racing Championship.

So, here's Adam Minoprio, Tom Powrie, Daniel Mclean, Dave Swete and, in particular, Nick Blackman, that show us how NOT to celebrate victory in a regatta, especially if you don't have strong underwear.

Big collision in Maddalena knocks out USA-98 and USA-87

A big collision, "the biggest collision in my life" according to what Azzurra skipper Francesco Bruni told fellow journalist Andy Rice, took place earlier today in the match facing Azzurra and Aleph Sailing. The collision occurred as boats reached down the line towards the pin with 35 seconds remaining in the start sequence. Azzurra, the leading boat, hardened up as Aleph appeared to bear off and attempt a leeward hook. The French boat sliced into Azzurra's transom. Chief Umpire Bill Edgerton reported that no-one was injured, although Italy's veteran tactician Tommaso Chieffi had to scramble clear of the impact.

According to the official LV Trophy website, both boats have returned to the maintenance area. There is a big gash in the starboard bow of Aleph (USA98) and damage to the transom of Azzurra (USA87). The extent of the injuries to both boats is still being assessed.

Here's the sequence of the collision, as seen through the lens of the maestro of yachting photography, Stefano Gattini.

Azzurra and Aleph Sailing collide during the prestart. La Maddalena, 25 May 2010. Photo copyright Stefano Gattini / Azzurra

Azzurra and Aleph Sailing collide during the prestart. La Maddalena, 25 May 2010. Photo copyright Stefano Gattini / Azzurra

Azzurra and Aleph Sailing collide during the prestart. La Maddalena, 25 May 2010. Photo copyright Stefano Gattini / Azzurra

Azzurra and Aleph Sailing collide during the prestart. La Maddalena, 25 May 2010. Photo copyright Stefano Gattini / Azzurra

Lots of work awaits the BMW Oracle boatbuilders. La Maddalena, 25 May 2010. Photo copyright Stefano Gattini / Azzurra

Video: Groupama 70 races in Transmanche

Groupama has just published an interesting video, albeit in French, from Transmanche, the maiden race for the French Volvo Ocean Race entry. Created in 1985 by the members of the Yacht Club des Abers, the Transmanche has become a classic over the years. Its 220-mile course is extremely simple, in the form of a return trip between the famous Breton Aber and Plymouth's breakwater in the UK.

It is a race reserved for crews sailing double-handed, but with a special invite given to Groupama 70 and the boat that ranked second in the Vendée Globe, the IMOCA 60 Britair skippered by Armel Le Cléach. A bit over 75 competitors raced in this year's Transmanche. Groupama 70 crossed the finish line on Saturday afternoon, having covered 280 miles in around twenty hours, or what amounts to an average speed of 14 knots. "We constantly had a little more wind than that forecast on the grib files. Those one or two extra knots of breeze have a big influence on the average speed" explained Charles Caudrelier on his arrival in Aber Wrach.

For Cammas this was the first chance to test the sailing and shore crew in view of the team's future races, mainly the RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race, where they will have the opportunity to race against Telefonica. The race is due to start from the Royal Yacht Squadron line on 23rd August. The approximate race distance around the British Isles is some 1760 miles and the first yachts should cross the finishing line about ten days after the start.

Groupama's VO70 takes her maiden race. Aber Wrac'h, 21 May 2010. Video copyright Groupama

The crew aboard Groupama 70 was the following:
1. Franck Cammas, skipper
2. Damian Foxall, watch leader
3. Jean-Luc Nélias, navigator
4. Charles Caudrelier, piano and trimmer
5. Laurent Pagès, watch leader
6. Sébastien Audigane, helmsman and trimmer
7. Magnus Woxen, helmsman and trimmer
8. Philip Harmer, trimmer
9. Michael Pammenter, number 2
10. Martin Krite, number 1
11. Yann Riou, media man
12. Didier Ravon, guest journalist

While we're at it, here's another nice video of how Ericsson 4 became Groupama 70:

Transforming Ericsson 4 into Groupama 70. Video copyright Groupama

Italian teams feature prominently at La Maddalena

[Source: Louis Vuitton Trophy] Three Italian boats featured today in some of the closest and most contentious racing in a very long day on the water at the Louis Vuitton Trophy La Maddalena.

When the last race finished in fading light just after 8:00 pm local time, Mascalzone Latino was the top scoring Italian boat with a 2-1 record after losing today to All4One in a race that saw the umpires impose a red flag penalty on the local boat for a collision just before the weather mark. However she may be assessed a further scoring penalty – redress hearings are scheduled for Monday night. The Italian boat Azzurra won her first race of the series, beating Luna Rossa, and now has a 1-2 record. Luna Rossa’s loss today puts her on 0-2.

Francesco Bruni, Azzurra’s young skipper reported: “It felt very exciting. I did struggle a little bit on the start line today, but we drove the boat fast and kept the game close. I’m very happy because it was a group win, not down to one single department on board, but a team effort. We did a very beautiful Sambuca [tack, gybe, set] and the match was open again.

Highlights from Day 3 of the Louis Vuitton Trophy. La Maddalena, 24 May 2010. Video copyright Louis Vuitton Trophy

The cleanest record of any of the ten international teams competing in matched America’s Cup boats is the Swedish team Artemis with two wins and no losses.

Sardinia today offered up warm, sunny and windy conditions. The problem was not a lack of wind but a lack of consistent wind direction. Crews waited all day until the first of six match races started at 4:00 pm, local time.

Flight Seven, Race One: TEAMORIGIN def BMW Oracle Racing, 01:03 – Ben Ainslie steering TEAMORIGIN herded Oracle’s James Spithill in to the pin corner of the start box with time running out before the start. The America’s Cup winner struggled to escape but earned a penalty in the process. They split with Ainslie starting at the gun on port and eking out an early lead in a 6-8 knot breeze. At the first cross the British boat led by two boat lengths. Spithill kept it close for the first two legs but Ainslie stretched out to finish 160 metres in front.

Flight Seven, Race Two: Synergy Russian Sailing Team def All4One, 00:35 – Karol Jablonski sailed the Russian boat to victory in a race that saw multiple lead changes. Sebastien Col won the split start and the right. Jablonski initially prevailed on a long lead out to the port tack layline but the French/German boat led by 10 seconds at the top mark in shifty conditions. Synergy controlled into the bottom mark, forcing All4One to the unfavoured gate. With both boats on starboard Synergy was ahead by 60 metres and never relinquished the lead. All4One was requesting redress on Monday night.

Flight Eight, Race One: Azzurra def Luna Rossa, 00:29 – Baird controlled the start until Bruni got clear and pushed the 2007 America’s Cup winning skipper into coffin corner. Baird gauged his escape perfectly and started on port at the pin with Bruni below him on port. Luna Rossa enjoyed a 35 to 45-metre lead and rounded the top mark with a seven second margin only to surrender the lead early after a tack-gybe-set that cost time and speed.

After two days waiting for a piece of the action, Emirates Team NZ score a victory against Team Origin. La Maddalena, 24 May 2010. Highlight Chris Cameron / Emirates Team NZ

Flight Eight, Race Two: Artemis def ALEPH Sailing Team, 01:12 – After an initial dialup, Terry Hutchinson on the wheel of Artemis chose the left and took it. Bertrand Pace split away to the right. Artemis tacked and followed out to the right into an early four boat-length lead. Pace fought back but never really threatened the Swedish boat around the next four legs.

Flight Nine, Race One: All4One def Mascalzone Latino, 00:43 – Gavin Brady went for the left side and won it but All4One split away on port. Both boats level-paced on port but All4One enjoyed the starboard tack advantage in two close tacks approaching the mark. Mascalzone made two lee-bow tacks but there was contact the second time with the safety wand from Brady’s boat hooked into the bow of All4One.

Flight Nine, Race Two: Emirates Team New Zealand def TEAMORIGIN, 00:15 – Ben Ainslie seized the left and an early advantage in a split tack start that saw an 850 metre split before the British boat tacked to follow the Kiwis on port. Dean Barker bided his time to take over the lead approaching the weather mark. Ainslie closed on the run but the Kiwis led as they rounded opposite gates at the bottom mark.

Provisional win-loss leaderboard after Flight Nine:

=1. Artemis, 2-0, 2 point
=1. ALEPH Sailing Team, 2-1, 2 points
=1. All4One, 2-1, 2 points
=4. Mascalzone Latino Audi Team, 2-1, 1 point
=4. Emirates Team New Zealand, 1-0, 1 point
=4. Synergy Russian Sailing Team, 1-0, 1 point
=4. Azzurra, 1-2, 1 point
=4. TEAMORIGIN, 1-3, 1 point
=9. BMW Oracle Racing Team, 0-2, 0 points
=9. Luna Rossa, 0-2, 0 points.