Video: The Dhow experience

What do you get when the holders of the America's Cup crew a traditional Dhow on the Arabian Gulf waters? Just watch this very interesting video. I have to issue a strong parental warning though, this video contains footage of centuries-old traditional monohull sailing and thus might not be suitable for the Facebook generation.

Parental Advisory: Warning, these centuries-old yachts might not be suitable for the Facebook generation

End of an era (II)

The Dubai International Marine Club is playing host to the final official regatta the ACC's will race, the Louis Vuitton Trophy Dubai. Racing starts on Sunday and today and tomorrow are the official practice days. However, Emirates Team New Zealand, providing two of the four boats that will be used during the event, has been carrying a number of "unofficial" training sessions with ALL4one.

Here's a short video from Thursday's session in quite light winds and, probably, one of the last videos of those yachts in some kind of formal racing.

Emirates Team NZ and ALL4One train in light winds. Dubai, 11 November 2010. Video copyright Emirates Team NZ

Emirates Team New Zealand practice in first ever Extreme 40 event

[Source: Emirates Team New Zealand] Emirates Team New Zealand skipper Dean Barker, bowman Jeremy Lomas and grinder Winston Macfarlane have had a good introduction to top-level catamaran racing in the Extreme 40 series at Almeria, Spain.

Friday was practice day with a light 5-8 knot breeze.

With Australian multihull specialist Darren Bundock on board to help the transition from monohull tactics and boat handling to fleet racing catamarans in confined waters, Barker said: “ We certainly jumped in at the deep end. It was a day of lessons and we learned a lot.

“We made a lot of fundamental errors – and that’s hardly surprising. We were up against a lot of very experienced cat racers who were sailing aggressively while we were erring on the side of caution.

Emirates Team New Zealand practice in Almeria. Almeria, 8 October 2010. Photo copyright Extreme Sailing Series

“We have to find the balance between controlled aggression and stupidity in the multihull environment .... learning what we can get away with in terms of boat positioning and control.

“We’re not going to dominate in this fleet and there’s no point coming all this way, going racing like complete cowboys and then sitting out the regatta with boat damage. We won’t learn much sitting on the dock.”

The boys’ results improved as the day went on, with 7th, 8th fifth and finally a 3rd placing leaving Dean confident about the rest of the regatta. “We’ll get better at it. The confined courses and short races give only one option – get right in there.”

Tomorrow’s racing will start at 2pm, with two or three races outside the harbour’s confines. From 3.30pm racing will be inside the seawalls of Almeria’s harbour. The breeze will be light earlier in the day and is forecast to get up to 15 knots in the afternoon.


Emirates Team New Zealand practice in Almeria. Almeria, 8 October 2010. Photo copyright Extreme Sailing Series

Video: Dean Barker talks about the first day of racing in Cagliari

Dean Barker talks about day 1 of the Region of Sardinia Trophy. Cagliari, 21 September 2010. Video copyright Emirates Team New Zealand

Video: Highlights from day 1 of the Region of Sardinia Trophy

Highlights from day 1 of the Region of Sardinia Trophy. Cagliari, 21 September 2010. Video copyright AUDI Medcup

Emirates Team New Zealand struggle in light and tricky day; Team Origin excel

Friday in Cartagena, third day of racing for the TP52 fleet, was long, tricky and very hot. Emirates Team New Zealand struggled in the light winds in the first two races, finishing 5th and 4th, but managed to make an incredible comeback in the second beat of the last race to cross the finish line 3rd. Team Origin showed overall consistency throughout the day scoring a 3rd, a 2nd and a bullet. Still, not all is bleak for the kiwis. They are second in Cartagena, so far, but they have also managed to increase their overall lead in the circuit, given the disappointing performance so far by Quantum.

My report today is almost exclusively focused on Emirates Team New Zealand as I had the unique opportunity to be onboard their TP52 boat in the first and third race. Who would turn down the offer to be on the yacht of the world's best monohull sailing team in two races the same day?

Caja Mediterráneo Region of Murcia Trophy - TP52 Series - Day 3
1. TeamOrigin (GBR), 3+1+3+2+1= 10 points
2. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL), 4+2+5+4+3= 18
3. Matador (ARG), 1+4+1+5+8= 19
4. Luna Rossa (ITA), 2+7+9+6+2= 26
5. Artemis (SWE), 5+6+2+10+4= 27
6. Quantum Racing (USA), 9+5+6+3+7= 30
7. Bribón (ESP), 7+11+4+1+10= 33
8. Synergy (RUS), 8+3+7+11+6= 35
9. Cristabella (GBR), 10+10+10+7+5= 42
10. Audi A1 powered by ALL4ONE (FRA/GER), 6+8+11+8+9= 42
11. Bigamist 7 (POR), 11+9+8+9+11= 48

Race 1 Finishing in the middle of the fleet, certainly isn't a performance the kiwis were looking forward. It took about an hour for the breeze to fill in to acceptable levels and the race committee fired the starting gun under a southwesterly between 6 and 8 knots. Emirates Team New Zealand simply didn't have their mojo. They had a pretty average start, rounded the top mark fourth but slipped to fifth, after an incredible Matador passed them in the second beat. It becomes evident that NZL-380 is optimized for fresher breezes and struggles in the range we had in the first race.

Onboard Emirates Team New Zealand in the prestart of the race. Cartagena, 27 August 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Excellent start for Matador and Team Origin. Cartagena, 27 August 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Quantum in the first beat. Cartagena, 27 August 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Tony Rae working hard on the runners in the first beat. Cartagena, 27 August 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Luna Rossa had a mediocre first race, finishing 9th. Cartagena, 27 August 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Emirates Team NZ and Matador at the approach to the top mark. Cartagena, 27 August 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Emirates Team NZ round the top mark in fourth place. Cartagena, 27 August 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Adam Beashel checking the race course in the first run. Cartagena, 27 August 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Jules Salter checking the race course in the first run. Cartagena, 27 August 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Onboard Emirates Team New Zealand in the second beat of the race. Cartagena, 27 August 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Team Origin leads at the second top mark, followed by Matador and Artemis. Cartagena, 27 August 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Tony Rae and Winston Macfarlane grind during a gybe in the last stretch of the race. Cartagena, 27 August 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Emirates Team NZ head to the finish line while Matador and Artemis find a good puff at the committee boat side and push Team Origin to third place. Cartagena, 27 August 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Race 3 After a fourth place in the second race, the final race of the day could have turned out to be a pitiful one hadn't been for an incredible recovery in the second beat. Once again, the kiwis had an average start and struggled in the first beat, rounding the top mark eighth. Convinced a left shift would pay out handsomely in the first run, NZL-380 stayed on the left hand side, reaching a lateral separation from the rest of the fleet that had never been seen. The shift was there but not the pressure. It was almost straight line sailing to the leeward gate for NZL-380 but the gain was just one place. That's where the cards turned around and Emirates Team New Zealand fired on all cylinders. The right side was definitely favored and with the fresher breeze NZL-380 powered ahead, rounding the top mark in third place, behind Team Origin and Luna Rossa, and finishing the race in the same order.

Prestart of the second race onboard Emirates Team NZ. Cartagena, 27 August 2010. Videocopyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Start of the third race. Cartagena, 27 August 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

This race as well would be average for Quantum. Cartagena, 27 August 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Emirates Team NZ approaching the top mark. Cartagena, 27 August 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Is this type of intense physical action at the mark roundings going to disappear in the 34th America's Cup? Cartagena, 27 August 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Emirates Team NZ afterguard takes the decision to separate from the fleet and sty on the left side. Cartagena, 27 August 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

The entire fleet stays on the right in the first run. Cartagena, 27 August 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

The tactical play doesn't pay while Team Origin start the second beat with a comfortable lead. Cartagena, 27 August 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

The right is definitely favored in the second beat and NZL-380 storms ahead. Cartagena, 27 August 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Emirates Team NZ rounds the top mark in 3rd place. Cartagena, 27 August 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Last gybe before the finish line. Cartagena, 27 August 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Finally! A shot with more than 3 boats at the stern of NZL-380. Cartagena, 27 August 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Practice today and a second for Emirates Team NZ (sort of) in Barcelona

So, honoring the old tradition, Emirates Team NZ managed not to finish the practice race in Barcelona. It's a tricky venue, with light and shifty conditions expected for the week, so the kiwis might have to work hard in order to keep their overall lead in the circuit. At least, it seems that there isn't much local knowledge within the fleet and the venue is quite unknown for most of the crews. As a result, at least in that aspect, the kiwis will be on an equal footing.

The official winner of the race was AUDI 1 but in reality it was Team Origin that led the race, followed by Emirates Team NZ.

Dean Barker talks about the TP52 practice race. Barcelona, 20 July 2010. Video copyright Emirates Team NZ

No sure things for Emirates Team NZ at MedCup Marseille

[Source: Emirates Team NZ] The Marseille regatta of the Audi MedCup circuit starts on Tuesday with a practice race and racing for real starts overnight on Wednesday.

Marseille is where Emirates Team New Zealand started its unbeaten winning run last season. Since then the boys have built some momentum and leads the 2010 series by 20 points after the regatta in Portugal.

However, the sailing team knows three bad results at Marseille could wipe that buffer in a day.

Dean Barker again is looking for consistency over every race and every day of the regatta to maintain the team’s lead.

And that won’t be easy. Barker is expecting improved performances from Quantum Racing, with skipper Terry Hutchinson at the helm, and TeamOrigin, the Britsh entry with Ben Ainlie at the helm and Ian Percy calling tactics.

Third placed team at Cascais, Artemis, is also seen as a threat. But Emirates Team New Zealand does not dismiss any yacht in the fleet. “Any boat could win any race. There’s not pecking order in Marseille, no easy races. We will have to work hard.”

Points after Cascais
1. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL), 31.5 points
2. Audi A1 powered by ALL4ONE (FRA/GER), 51.5
3. Artemis (SWE), 57
4. Quantum Racing (USA), 59.5
5. TeamOrigin (GBR), 59.5
6. Matador (ARG), 60
7. Synergy (RUS), 64
8. Cristabella (GBR), 65
9. Luna Rossa (ITA), 77.5
10. Bribón (ESP), 82.5
11. Bigamist 7 (POR), 88


Emirates Team NZ during Monday's unofficial training session. Marseille, 14 June 2010. Photo copyright Chris Cameron / Emirates Team NZ

Emirates Team NZ during Monday's unofficial training session. Marseille, 14 June 2010. Photo copyright Chris Cameron / Emirates Team NZ

Emirates Team NZ during Monday's unofficial training session. Marseille, 14 June 2010. Photo copyright Chris Cameron / Emirates Team NZ

Emirates Team NZ is one up in LV Trophy final; Azzurra finishes 3rd

[Source: Louis Vuitton Trophy] Emirates Team New Zealand pulled off two key victories today, first winning match point in a Semi-Final race and then prevailing in the first Finals race of the Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland regatta.

The host team will continue its best-of-five match in the Finals tomorrow, racing against the Mascalzone Latino Audi team representing Club Nautico di Roma, which is the Challenger of Record for the America’s Cup.

Racing started in the approaches to the Rangitoto Channel off Auckland’s East Coast beaches in the early afternoon, after a long wait for an uncertain sou-west breeze to fill-in and settle. The shifty breeze was moderate all day, ranging between 10 and 14 knots.

Emirates and Azzurra were 1-1, after the Kiwi’s nail-biter one second win on Friday. There was plenty at stake. The Italian team won the Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice last November, beating Emirates. The host Kiwi team had won the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series event in Auckland last year and they were aiming for a repeat victory.

Emirates Team NZ is 2 wins away from grabbing the LV Trophy. Auckland, 20 March 2010. Photo copyright Chris Cameron / Emirates Team NZ

Emirate’s skipper Dean Barker wanted the right side of the course and, with the starboard entry, he wielded the advantage with clinical detachment.

“It wasn’t easy that’s for sure,” Barker said. “Conditions aren’t exactly even or stable, it keeps you on the edge of your toes all the time. But it felt very controlled from our guys. The nice thing is the composure of our guys, which we’ve really been working hard on. Even though things got tight at times, the guys kept doing their job well.”

With their Finals berth safe, the Emirates team enjoyed a break until they returned to race Mascalzone Latino Audi. It proved to be a nail-biter for their Kiwi fans.

Barker pulled off a come-from-behind victory after conceding the lead at the second mark. In the pre-start, the New Zealanders came within centimetres of a penalty as they tacked away from ML Audi’s Gavin Brady but the incident was green-flagged by the umpires. Brady took the lead at the second leeward mark only to concede it when Barker split away on the windward leg and got back ahead.

Emirates Team New Zealand Managing Director Grant Dalton, who also sails on the boat, summed up the day. “I think the bottom line is that we can still sail a lot better. We have to just keep working at it. It tends to click eventually,” Dalton said. “Brady is a bit more aggressive, he came close to copping a couple of penalties today on the start, one I thought was pretty close on the edge. But that’s up to Dean, he deals with it all the time. The whole thing is a bit disjointed because you’re not flowing, week on week on week. So you can’t expect to be going at the normal rate of incremental improvement every day. But we’ve got to be reasonably happy at the moment, going one-up in the final."

Race One – Semi-Final: Emirates Team New Zealand def. Azzurra, 00:26 –Emirates had the starboard end advantage and used it throughout the prestart to hold Azzurra’s Francesco Bruni out from the right side of the course. They came to the line at speed on starboard, in a shifty 10-knot breeze, well separated and with the Italians just bow out. Emirates held for a few seconds and then tacked away into a right shift. When they closed for the first cross 30 seconds later the Kiwis on starboard had a lead of nearly two boat lengths. Approaching the top mark and above the port lay line, Italy pulled back into close contact on a big left shift, but NZ’s Dean Barker luffed them momentarily before the mark before bearing away and opening a lead of several boat lengths that he never relinquished. Tommaso Chieffi, Azzurra tactician, said “we entered on port so it was already a difficult situation. On the second beat, we had the jib halyard come undone. We had to ease the jib out, and that lost us about 20 seconds. God knows, if it was closer in the last part of the race, it may have been a different story but it wasn’t our day.”

Race Two - 1st Final: Team New Zealand def. Mascalzone Latino Audi, 00:12 – After his close miss, Barker coolly controlled the prestart, pushing Brady above the committee boat before returning and speeding off on starboard with the Italians trailing on his hip. Emirates first mark lead was 14 seconds but the Italians got on their wind on the run to round ahead at the leeward mark. Barker said, “you’re happy sometimes to give up some distance if it means that you put yourself in a stronger position. And we did a nice job of that on the second beat – in the end we were able to extend quite a bit.” Brady got out to the right but it didn’t pay. He let the boats get widely separated on a long port tack and the lead changed again as Barker found more favorable breeze on the left. Barker led by 12 seconds at the third mark and also at the finish. Brady’s tactician Morgan Larson took the long view. “We’re really happy, the guys are sailing the boat better than we have all week,” he said. “We’ve just got to get a little tighter in the afterguard and keep our communication good and look at it more like a match race.”

Emirates Team NZ leads Mascalzone 1-0 in the LV Trophy finals. Auckland, 20 March 2010. Photo copyright Chris Cameron / Emirates Team NZ

Race Three – Petit Final: Azzurra def Artemis – Italy’s Azzurra won their Petit Final match against Artemis as the Swedish boat copped two penalties in an early evening race. In the pre-start dialup Terry Hutchinson in the port entry boat was late completing his initial tack and the blue penalty flag went up. Francesco Bruni took Azzurra over the start line just to weather of Artemis and bow out. It was a one tack leg as the boats straightlined at equal speeds all the way out to the port tack layline where Artemis was forced to follow their opponent into the mark. The Italians dominated the next two legs until Artemis pulled level on the last run, only to be penalized again for failing to respond to a luff. Azzurra pulled away to win as the Swedish boat began its penalty turn.

Yet another great performance by Azzurra that leave Auckland 3rd overall. Auckland, 20 March 2010. Photo copyright Sander van der Borch / Artemis

Yet another great performance by Azzurra that leave Auckland 3rd overall. Auckland, 20 March 2010. Photo copyright Sander van der Borch / Artemis

Yet another great performance by Azzurra that leave Auckland 3rd overall. Auckland, 20 March 2010. Photo copyright Sander van der Borch / Artemis

Defending champion Barker predicts tough competition at Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland

[Source: Louis Vuitton Trophy] Louis Vuitton Trophy teams drew for race pairings at a press conference and cocktail evening at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron tonight, ahead of the first day of competition tomorrow.

The draw, before a packed house in the Squadron’s Westhaven clubhouse, also decided which teams will enjoy the preferred starboard entry before their starts.

The pairings for the first races tomorrow of the seven-day round robin are: Mascalzone Latino Audi Team (NZL92) vs. ALL4ONE (NZL84), Azzurra (NZL92) vs. TEAMORIGIN (NZL84), Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL92) vs. Artemis (NZL84), ALEPH Sailing Team (NZL92) vs Synergy Russian Sailing Team (NZL84),


The eight teams completed their second day of boat orientation and training in mixed conditions today in the waters off the mouth of Auckland Harbour. The crews encountered calms at times in the convergence zone at the harbour mouth as weak sea breezes from the Pacific and Tasman coasts fought to get established.

The forecast for the first day of racing is for light southeasterlies, increasing during the day. Winds are expected to increase later in the week.

Dean Barker, skipper of host team Emirates Team New Zealand, and the winner of last year’s Louis Vuitton Pacific Series, said his team had its work cut out for it.


“The fantastic thing about this event this year is that the standard has got better,” Barker said. “I think it’s a lot higher. Many of the teams have been training in the Version 5 boats in preparation, so I think the bar has been lifted. We have to keep pushing to get as better as everyone else is. All of the teams sitting here have the opportunity to win every time they line up.”

Ben Ainslie, skipper and helmsman for Britain’s TEAMORIGIN, said it was great to be back aboard the Kiwi boats despite the day’s challenging conditions.

“The boats are lovely to sail, with excellent helm response and all the mechanicals beautifully thought out,” Ainslie said. “We’ve been racing and training here for several days and we’re eager to get the first gun.”

Like Ainslie, Kiwi skipper Gavin Brady who is steering Mascalzone Latino Audi Team, has had months of experience in Cup boats in Auckland. While Ainslie formerly trained with Emirates Team New Zealand, Brady spent time working up BMW Oracle Racing’s USA98 in 2007.

Team Origin trains in very light conditions. Auckland, 8 March 2010. Photo copyright Paul Todd / Louis Vuitton Trophy

“The race course for this event is fantastic,” Brady said. “Most Cup sailors know it as the area they tow through behind the tender on the way to racing in the Hauraki Gulf. But it’s great. It provides passing lanes and you have to engage with your competition. It’s either that or hit the rocks at the harbour’s edge.”

Frédéric Guilmin, strategist for ALEPH Sailing Team, reported a northeast wind between seven and 12 knots today. “We've been lucky because the guys in the morning didn't have that much wind but the weather this afternoon was great for sailing," he said.

Video: TV New Zealand report on final day of Omega Auckland match race

TV New Zealand's Martin Tasker reports on the final day of the Omega Auckland match race regatta. Auckland, 6 March 2010. Video copyright TV New Zealand

Dean Barker wins Omega Auckland match race

[Source: Emirates Team NZ] The best was definitely left to last in the Omega Auckland Match Racing Regatta, which saw Dean Barker of Emirates Team New Zealand overcome a scratchy beginning to the regatta to beat British Team Origin skipper Ben Ainslie in an enthralling final.

Ainslie was the big performer in the round robins, losing just two matches, while Barker struggled and at one stage looked unlikely to make the final four. However, their fortunes reversed when the second round robin could not be completed, bringing into play a countback system, which saw Barker advance.

“We scraped into the semi-final on a countback, much to our surprise,” admitted Barker. “We had the boat packed up and we were not really expecting to be still racing. For once the tie-breaker worked in our favour.”

Dean Barker beat Ben Ainslie in the Omega Auckland match race final. Auckland, 6 March 2010. Photo copyright Chris Cameron / Emirates Team NZ

Once into the sharp end of the action, Barker and his Emirates Team New Zealand crew shook off their earlier lack of form and came out with all guns blazing, first defeating Adam Minoprio and his young BlackMatch team 2-0 in the semi-final and then defeating Ainslie by the same score.

Ainslie said he was pleased with the way he and his crew had sailed, but were disappointed with the final, “But that is the game,” he said. “Dean Barker sailed really well in the last couple of hours.”

Ainslie sailed a near-flawless regatta through the round robins and then beat young Australian match racer Torvar Mirsky by 2-0 in their semi final. This set up a perfect pair of contests. Two America’s Cup skippers, Barker and Ainslie against each other in the duel for the top prize.

And, facing off for 3rd and 4th, Minoprio and Mirsky, arch rivals on the world match racing circuit, where they are ranked #1 and #2 respectively.

Dean Barker beat Ben Ainslie in the Omega Auckland match race final. Auckland, 6 March 2010. Photo copyright Chris Cameron / Emirates Team NZ

With a brisk north easterly sea-breeze of 15 - 18 knots, Minoprio won the first match against Mirsky, having led from start to finish. The second was a much more complicated affair, but in the end Minoprio came from behind to clinch the match and the Petit Final by 12 secs.

As Minoprio and Mirsky prepare to resume their arch rivalry on the world match race circuit, Minoprio said his Omega Auckland Match Race result represented a good build up for the rest of the year. “Competing in this regatta has been a great experience and learning for the tour in the year to come. The quality of this fleet was phenomenal. It has been pretty good to have this sort of racing here at home.”

For quality match racing, the spectators could hardly have done better than the display by Barker and Ainslie in their final battle. Big tides played a significant role in the racing all week and the final was no different, with a powerful ebb tide favouring the yacht that reached the left side of the upwind leg first.

Dean Barker beat Adam Minoprio in the Omega Auckland match race semifinal. Auckland, 6 March 2010. Photo copyright Chris Cameron / Emirates Team NZ

After spirited pre-start battles in the first two matches, Barker managed to claim the left both times and rode the tide into the lead for back to back wins of 40 secs and 35 secs.

With Barker on match point, the wind deserted the course and the two teams were left in suspense as the Race Committee waited for a racing breeze to re-establish itself. After a 90-minute wait, however, the breeze remained absent and the Race Committee declared the regatta at an end and Barker the champion.

This is not the first time Barker has struggled for form in the early part of a major match race regatta, only to come through at the end and take the title. “We don’t like doing it that way. It is not good for the nerves,” he said. “I couldn’t get it right in the beginning of the second round, but we did enough to scrape through. Ben Ainslie and his Team Origin crew set the benchmark in the regatta. They sailed consistently well all four days. Sometimes it goes your way, sometimes it doesn’t. We were lucky it came good for us at the end.”

Ben Ainslie beat Torvar Mirsky in the Omega Auckland match race semifinal. Auckland, 6 March 2010. Photo copyright Chris Cameron / Emirates Team NZ

Final Finish Order
1. Dean Barker (NZL)
2. Ben Ainslie (GBR)
3. Adam Minoprio (NZL)
4. Torvar Mirsky (AUS)
5. Karol Jablonski (POL)
6. Bertrand Pace (FRA)
7. Magnus Holmberg (SWE)
8. Francesco Bruni (ITA)
9. Chris Dickson (NZL)
10. Sebastien Col (FRA)

Ben Ainslie unstoppable at the Omega Auckland regatta

[Source: Emirates Team NZ] British triple Olympic gold medallist Ben Ainslie and his Team Origin crew continued to dominate the Omega Auckland Match Racing Regatta today and by the end of racing were the only team to have secured a semi-final berth.

Despite his fairly untroubled progress through to the semi-finals, Ainslie said there were no easy wins. “This is probably the toughest group of match racers I have ever sailed against in a single regatta,” he said.

Racing was called off early as the wind deserted the course and became too unstable for fair racing – in contrast to yesterday’s predicament when the yachts were sent off the course because of too much wind.

By the end of racing today, six out of the nine scheduled flights in the second round robin had been completed. Ainslie had amassed a combined score over both round robins of 13 wins and 2 losses.

Dean Barker will have to race flawlessly in order to advance into the semis. Auckland, 5 March 2010. Photo copyright Chris Cameron / Emirates Team NZ

Behind him in second place were Karol Jablonski of Poland on 9-6 and Adam Minoprio (NZL) on 9-7. Bertrand Pace (FRA), Torvar Mirsky (AUS) and Dean Barker (NZL) were all 1pt back on 8-7 – but Minoprio, had sailed one more match than the other front-runners, so the results are slightly deceptive.

With three flights remaining to complete the second round robin, Ainslie had done enough to secure a semi-final slot, but the logjam beneath him left the other three semi-final places up for grabs.

The match of the day once again proved to be a local derby between Barker and his Emirates Team New Zealand crew and reigning world match race champion Minoprio and his young BlackMatch crew.

This was a real cliff-hanger, with Minoprio recovering from a port-starboard penalty to come from behind and win the match by 1 second.

“It was very difficult conditions today,” said Ainslie, referring to the combination of a powerful ebb tide and very light, shifty winds. “So far we have managed to be on the right side of things, so we are looking forward to racing in the final four.

It hasn't been smooth sailing so far for the Louis Vuitton Cup holders. Auckland, 5 March 2010. Photo copyright Chris Cameron / Emirates Team NZ

“Some of the top match racing teams might struggle here, because the conditions are quite unconventional,” said Ainslie, who has plenty of experience of sailing in Auckland from his time with Emirates Team New Zealand in the lead up to the 2007 America’s Cup. He is also familiar with big tides and shifty winds from his home waters on the south coast of England.

Racing is scheduled to resume on the Waitemata Harbour on Saturday with the remainder of Round Robin Two still to complete, plus the semi-final and final.

Round Robin One Results after 15 Flights
Ben Ainslie (GBR) 13-2
Karol Jablonski (POL) 9-6
Adam Minoprio (NZL) 9-7 (having raced one more match)
Dean Barker (NZL) 8-7
Bertrand Pace (FRA) 8-7
Torvar Mirsky (AUS) 8-7
Magnus Holmberg (SWE) 6-9
Francesco Bruni (ITA) 6-9
Sebastien Col (FRA) 5-11(having raced one more match)
Chris Dickson (NZL) 4-11

Ben Ainslie alone at the top of the Omega Auckland match race

[Source: Emirates Team NZ] Winds gusting over 25 knots and big windshifts forced an early end to the second day of racing in the Omega Auckland Match Racing Regatta today – after some spectacular early action saw the teams at the edge of control.

Two flights were completed before race officials sent the yachts off the race track, with Britain’s Ben Ainslie strengthening his hold on the leaderboard. The triple Olympic gold medallist and his Team Origin crew won both their matches, the first over Sebastien Col and the second over New Zealand America’s Cup veteran Chris Dickson.

Ainslie is alone at the top of the leaderboard on 8-2, with three teams, Dean Barker of Emirates Team New Zealand, world match race champion Adam Minoprio and Polish ace Karol Jablonski on 6-4.

Torvar Mirsky beat Adam Minoprio. Auckland, 4 March 2010. Photo copyright Chris Cameron / Emirates Team NZ

Regatta co-ordinator John Rountree of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron said racing was abandoned for the day because the wind was reaching the upper limits for the fleet of identical Farr MRX match racers. “We have passed the stage of fair match racing,” said Rountree.

The racing that was accomplished today, saw some tight matches as the crews battled on the edge of control. One of the closest contests of the day involved an enthralling match between Minoprio and former world match racing champion Magnus Holmberg of Sweden.

There were two lead changes and a wild charge for the finish line under spinnaker as Minoprio came from behind to take victory gun by 4 seconds. “We were reaching under spinnaker and went to luff Adam and his crew,” said Holmberg. “However, they just managed to edge ahead at the finish line and that was it. It was a good race.”

Torvar Mirsky beat Dean Barker. Auckland, 4 March 2010. Photo copyright Chris Cameron / Emirates Team NZ

“The big problem was the gusts and the windshifts,” said Minoprio. “We were getting 30-40 degree windshifts with big gusts. In these boats, you have to react very quickly in those conditions to keep control. We were a bit lucky. It was definitely on the edge.”

Racing is scheduled to resume on the Waitemata Harbour on Friday.

Round Robin One Results after 10 Flights
Ben Ainslie (GBR) 8-2
Dean Barker (NZL) 6-4
Adam Minoprio (NZL) 6-4
Karol Jablonski (POL) 6-4
Bertrand Pace (FRA) 5-5
Torvar Mirsky (AUS) 5-5
Francesco Bruni (ITA) 4-6
Sebastien Col (FRA) 4-6
Chris Dickson (NZL) 3-7
Magnus Holmberg (SWE) 3-7

Top-notch lineup for the Omega Auckland Match Racing Regatta

[Source: Omega Auckland Match Racing Regatta] Some of the world’s top international match race teams are set to descend on Auckland for the Omega Auckland Match Racing Regatta in March. A mix of America’s Cup experience plus rising young talent will do battle in the invitational regatta on the Waitemata Harbour.

The regatta kicks off the Auckland Festival of Sailing, which will see a crowded calendar of thrilling yacht racing through most of March. Now that the America’s Cup is once again back in play following the recent Deed of Gift Match in Valencia, top match racing skippers are honing their skills once more in preparation for a multi-challenger event expected to take place in 2013.

The Omega Auckland Match Racing Regatta will be run by the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and will take place off the Westhaven breakwater, where spectators will be able to watch the action.

Skippers who have accepted invitations to compete are:

Dean Barker (NZL – Emirates Team New Zealand)
Ben Ainslie (GBR – Team Origin)
Francesco Bruni (ITA – Azzurra Sailing Team)
Sebastian Col (FRA – ALL4One)
Karol Jablonski (POL – Synergy)
Magnus Holmberg (SWE – former Victory Challenge)
Chris Dickson (NZL – former BMW ORACLE Racing)
Bertrand Pacé (FRA – former BMW ORACLE Racing)
Adam Minoprio (NZL – BlackMatch Racing)
Torvar Mirsky (AUS – Mirsky Racing Team)

Racing will take place in identical Farr-designed MRX yachts and will comprise a double round robin, semi-final and final. Weather permitting, the semi-finals and finals will be decided by the first skipper to win three matches.

As the regatta approaches its climax on Thursday, Friday and Saturday (March 4 – 6), spectators and fans will be able to follow the action live on a dedicated radio station on 103fm organized through Live Sport. International yachtsman and commentator Peter Lester will provide expert analysis and blow by blow accounts of the racing.

The Auckland Festival of Sailing comprises a series of on and off the water events. The Omega Auckland Match Racing Regatta is followed by the Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland (where five of the skippers from the Omega regatta will also compete) and by the BMW Sailing World Cup Final. Also part of the festival is the Auckland International Boat Show.

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)

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

Round Robin 1 drawing to a close at Louis Vuitton Trophy

[Source: Louis Vuitton Trophy] Friday's matches will determine placings for first round.

Thursday was a case of one match, one win for three of the top four teams at the Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Côte d’Azur.

Emirates Team New Zealand, Azzurra and Artemis each won their lone match of the day, which was shortened to two flights as light winds in the afternoon turned the Baie des Anges off Nice into a virtual mill pond.

After day six, Emirates Team New Zealand still leads the event with 6 points on a perfect 6-0 record. Skipper Dean Barker and mates defeated BMW ORACLE Racing by 48 seconds in their lone match and have one remaining in the round against TEAMORIGIN. Based on the standings tonight the Kiwis need to win that match to win the round.

“We’re happy with how it’s been going,” said Barker. “We’ve been sailing with the same crew. You run the risk of injury or illness, but we’ve had the same crew throughout.”

Italy’s Azzurra moved into second place today after winning its match over the French/German team ALL4ONE. Azzurra and skipper Francesco Bruni lost the lead on the first leg and then regained it on the second, finding more pressure on their side of the course, to win by 1 minute, 56 seconds.

Azzurra has 5 points on a 5-1 record. It has one match remaining in the round and will place either second or third.

Azzurra leap-frogged TeamOrigin of the U.K. in the standings when skipper Ben Ainslie’s crew lost to Artemis of Sweden in the day’s first match. Artemis skipper Terry Hutchinson put forth a masterful performance in the pre-start and cleaned out his British rival. Artemis went on to win by 45 seconds.

TeamOrigin’s loss was its first of the event and dropped it to third with 4 points on a 4-1 mark. Ainslie and mates have two matches remaining in the round, against Team New Zealand and Azzurra. If TeamOrigin wins both it can still win the round robin.

Artemis solidified its fourth-place position with its dominant win. Hutchinson had been very critical of his pre-start performance in yesterday’s match against Team New Zealand, giving up lateral separation late in the sequence. Today, he pushed Ainslie around in the pre-start and left the British triple Olympic Gold medalist tacking to port almost two lengths to leeward of the line at the start gun.

“Today’s start set up similarly to yesterday’s. We just executed it better,” said Hutchinson. “Yesterday’s race was painful, but we debriefed and had good communication about what we did right and wrong. Today, we learned from our mistake.”

TeamOrigin tactician Iain Percy said the team put itself in a disadvantageous position at the start.

“We got ourselves a little late having misjudged the layline and gave them [Artemis] a powerful position,” Percy said. “For people watching, some of those moves seemed to be wrong, but the reality is that when you are starting with them bow forward by half a length at the favoured end wide right, the race is kind of over. Although sometimes it looks like you are making more mistakes, in fact you are trying to give yourself a chance to get out.”

The second half of the leaderboard sees BMW Oracle Racing in fifth with 2 points on a 2-3 record. BMW Oracle has two matches remaining, against Artemis and Synergy, and needs to win both if it hopes to move up into the top four.

Synergy of Russia today picked up its second win of the regatta and has 2 points on a 2-4 record. With one match remaining it is locked into sixth place because it defeated ALL4ONE today, which gave it the tiebreak advantage.

The French/German team ALL4ONE is seventh with 2 points at 2-5 and TFS – Pages Jaunes is eighth at 0-7. These two teams have completed the first round robin and can’t move up in the standings.

Two flights remain to complete the round robin and organisers hope to run through them tomorrow. In an effort to get racing completed tomorrow’s first start has been moved a half-hour earlier to 0830 CET.

Emirates Team NZ, unbeaten, leads Louis vuitton trophy

[Source: Louis Vuitton Trophy] Italy’s Azzurra of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda won today its first match of the Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Côte d’Azur while Emirates Team New Zealand survived a hair-raising finish to keep its record perfect.

Azzurra scored the victory it was denied on Saturday when it defeated BMW ORACLE Racing of the U.S. Two days ago the Italian crew, led by skipper Francesco Bruni, was 200 metres from the finish line when the 20-minute leg time limit expired.

Today, the Italians scored an emphatic win of 2 minutes and 56 seconds to the pleasure of YCCS Commodore Riccardo Bonadero, who rode with his team as 18th man, and displeasure of BMW Oracle founder Larry Ellison, who was among his team’s afterguard.

“The team did a very good job all over the course,” said Bruni, the skipper from Sicily. “We didn’t feel robbed Saturday; we understand rules are rules. We wished the race committee had shortened the course, but we’re all learning. We are very happy about this point, it was very important for us.”

The two crews took split tacks onto the racecourse with BMW Oracle on starboard and Azzurra on port. Each crew got the side it wanted, but the wind shifted to the right and gave the Italians an advantage they wouldn’t relinquish.

“They got the first good shift and we were behind from there,” said BMW Oracle strategist Cameron Dunn of Australia. “We were happy coming off the line where we were, but the conditions were changing very quickly. When we came back at them the wind shifted right and they were wound up to layline. From there it was a soldier’s course, marching along. They sailed very well, so good on them.”

Emirates Team New Zealand entered its match against Russia’s Synergy Team with a perfect 2-0 mark while Synergy was 0-1. For a while it appeared that each team’s zero would be wiped from its scoreline. In the end this turned out to be the most exciting match of the regatta still in its early days.

Synergy led Team New Zealand by four to five boatlengths within 10 lengths of the finish line in very light and shifty winds. Then the Kiwis found a private puff and rolled over the top of the Russian team, which was dead in the water, and won by 22 seconds.

The Kiwis kept their record perfect at 3-0 and Synergy dropped to 0-2. The loss was crushing for Synergy skipper Karol Jablonski of Poland, who rallied his crew to lead the match after being over early at the start.

“Yeah it hurts,” said Jablonski, a match race world champion and three-time DN Ice Boat world champion. “I knew it was going to be tough to the finish because I could see the finish line and there was no wind at it. Everything can happen in one puff. We couldn’t do anything.”

The Kiwis kept their heads down and persevered. After rolling Synergy the spinnaker blew back into the rig, so the crew dropped it on deck and crossed the finish line without a headsail.

“We’ll take the point, but it’s not the kind of conditions we want to sail in,” said Dean Barker, Emirates Team New Zealand skipper. “We worked hard to get back at them. They would gain, then we would take back some of it, but it looked like there was no way around them.”

The two matches were the only ones completed as regatta organizers were once again frustrated by very light and shifty winds. Racing for the day was postponed at 1430 CET when the Bay of Angels was calm. Principal Race Officer Peter Reggio holds out the hope that tomorrow he can complete four flights, or eight races.

“If the breeze cooperates we can do four flights; that’s not an issue,” said Reggio. “We’re starting to see the sun shine now and we haven’t had that all weekend. We’re hoping the sun will do its work and make the area come true to form with a northerly in morning and southeasterly in afternoon.”