It's rock-and-roll time for the RC44's in Valencia !!!!

If you had any doubt the RC44's are true racing machines that take off downwind just watch the video I took onboard Katusha in the last downwind leg of the race against AEZ. Even if the Russian team, skippered by Paul Cayard, had a comfortable lead over the Austrian team at the approach to the second top mark, the first minute of the downwind leg had plenty of drama in store for Cayard and his crew.

The spinnaker hoist was flawless and all seemed to be smooth, until Marco Constant, the South African mainsail trimmer, slipped and fell overboard. A frantic 11 seconds followed on Katusha but Paul Cayard and the rest of the crew safely brought Constant back onboard.

As for the rest of the races, it was yet another glorious day with perfect but rough conditions. Similar to yesterday, organizers decided not to allow more guests after the fourth flight, so we missed the really funky sailing.

Marco Contant, Katusha mainsail trimmer, falls overboard.

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

Video: Paul Cayard analyses the TP52 fleet in Cascais

Paul Cayard analyses the TP52 fleet. Cascais, 12 May 2010. Video copyright AUDI Medcup

Video: Highlights from Day 1 of the Nespresso Cup

Highlights from Day 1 of the Nespresso Cup. Portofino, 8 May 2010. Video copyright Nespresso Cup

Four teams on top of the RC 44 Austria Cup fleet race leaderboard

[Source: RC44 Class Association] The America’s Cup team BMW ORACLE Racing is on great form since the beginning of the year, and confirms it in the RC 44 Austria Cup. Indeed, USA 17 (Ian Vickers / John Kostecki) and USA 18 (Larry Ellison / Russell Coutts) share the lead at the end of day one of the fleet regatta, ahead of Pieter Heerema’s No Way Back and Igor Lah’s Ceeref.

The wind was blowing from the north-east this afternoon, between 5 and 12 knots. In most cases, the right of the course proved favourable and the RC 44’s had to head for the coast and stay as close as possible from the shore in order to benefit from land effects. However, the right proved favourable on rare occasions, allowing some spectacular come-backs.

BMW Oracle's two teams lead the RC44 fleet. Gmunden, 2 May 2010. Photo copyright Nico Martinez

It was definitely a tough day for the tacticians and the results show it clearly: except for RC 44 Challenge - who finished all the races in the top five – all the teams scored at least one counter performance, finishing 8th, 9th or even 10th. On the other hand, some well known teams such as Torbjorn Tornqvist’s Artemis or Chris Bake’s Team Aqua didn’t manage to score a top three.

Igor Lah and his team onboard Ceeref started the day with a disastrous tenth place but finished with two consecutive wins. Katusha’s owner Guennadi Timtchenko also had an interesting time: today he discovered the sport of sailing, the RC 44 Class and yacht racing! Benefiting from Paul Cayard’s advice, Timichenko spent most of the day fighting in the middle of the pack, racing hard and discovering why this sport - and this particular Class – are such a passion for its members.

The RC 44 Class proposes for the first time a live GPS tracking and 3D visualization of the event, available on the Class website (www.rc44.com). Today, no less than 2191 armchair sailors from all over the world followed the races. They will have the opportunity to analyse the world’s best sailors’ moves in the coming days. With four teams separated by three points and the top teams showing fairly high score averages, the fleet race remains totally open and the next days will with no doubt be interesting.

Gennady Timchenko, owner of Team Katusha, helms his RC44 yacht in his third day sailing ever!! Gmunden, 2 May 2010. Photo copyright Nico Martinez

They said:

Guennadi Timtchenko, owner, Katusha: “This is all new for me and I will remember this first regatta all my life! It is an absolute pleasure to sail on this lake with Paul and the other guys; the place is absolutely beautiful and the sport is very interesting. My only regret is to discover it so late!”

Pieter Heerema, owner, No Way Back: “You are never safe on this lake and the sailing is really difficult, but I enjoy it immensely. This lake is less predictable than the sea and there is a portion of luck, good or bad. You just need to accept it and to be patient. The organisers of this event are doing a tremendous job. Nobody knows anything about sailing here but there is a huge crowd; people are passionate and very friendly. The atmosphere is great.”

Chris Bake, owner, Team Aqua: “I was asleep during the first race; we got stuck in a tree in the second, took a premature start in the third and started sailing decently in the last race. This summarises our day pretty well.”

Harm Muller Spreer, helmsman, Team Sea Dubai: “The boat is very nice and I enjoy it very much; the concept of the Class is also great. But there is still a long way to go for me to be competitive.”

Igor Lah, owner, Ceeref: “We did a good job after an embarrassing first regatta. The racing here is very interesting; we really need to sail close to the shore in order to catch the lifts, it’s very exciting.”

James Spithill, grinder, RC 44 Challenge: “I find it awesome to sail on this lake, it is beautiful but also very interesting. The strategy is very different, we need to play with the land effects and John Kostecki did a good job at putting us in the right place.”

Fleet race, provisional results after four races:

1) BMW ORACLE Racing, Larry Ellison, 1, 2, 8, 2 – 13 points
2) RC 44 Challenge, Ian Vickers 3, 5, 2, 3 – 13 points
3) Team No Way Back, Pieter Heerema, 2, 1, 3, 8 – 14 points
4) CEEREF, Igor Lah, 10, 3, 1, 1 – 15 points
5) Artemis, Torbjorn Tornqvist, 4, 9, 4, 5 – 22 points
6) Team Sea Dubai, Harm Muller Spreer, 6, 4, 10, 6 – 26 points
7) Team Islas Canarias Puerto Calero, Daniel Calero, 5, 7, 5, 10 – 27 points
8) Team Aqua, Chris Bake, 7, 10, 7, 4 – 28 points
9) Katusha, Guennadi Timtchenko, 8, 6, 9, 7 – 30 points
10) Team Austria, René Mangold, 9, 8, 6, 9 – 32 points

Ten teams and ten favourites ready to compete for the RC 44 Austria Cup

[Source: RC44 Class Association] The RC 44 Austria Cup will take place on April 29 – May 4. The level of the Tour is such that it is impossible to name a favourite.

The second regatta of the RC 44 Championship Tour 2010 will begin on Thursday, April 29, on Lake Traunsee, in Austria. James Spithill, Russell Coutts and Larry Ellison make their come back on the circuit; they will sail against Ray Davies, Paul Cayard, Rod Davis, Markus Wieser, Terry Hutchinson, Cameron Appleton, Christian Binder and many more of the world’s best sailors… Tough job for the bookmakers!

Recent winner of the America’s Cup at the helm of BMW ORACLE Racing, James « Jimmy » Spithill is the skipper of a new team called RC 44 Challenge. His crew is made up of a combination of America’s Cup sailors - such as John Kostecki - and genuine amateurs, as required by the Class rules. RC 44 Challenge will with no doubt immediately become one of the favourites of the event. “I am really looking forward to returning to the RC 44 Class”, says Spithill. “It attracts the world’s best sailors from both match racing and fleet racing, plus the boats are incredibly rewarding to sail and certainly one of the reasons I’m back. We have a fantastic team. John Kostecki will be tactician and Joey Newton trimming, both who raced on the BOR 90 trimaran.”

Other new faces involved in the RC 44 Austria Cup include Harm Müller Spreer, who will be Team Sea Dubai’s fleet race helmsman. Owner of the well known TP 52 Platoon, Harm Müller Spreer is a successful Dragon sailor; he became European champion in 2004, finished second at the 2005 worlds and is a triple Gold Cup winner.

Russell Coutts is also back on the circuit for the first time since last year’s Portoroz Cup. Larry Ellison will steer BMW ORACLE Racing during the fleet races whilst Coutts will be at the helm on Thursday and Friday for the match race.

Finally, Team Austria, the local team headed by René Mangold, will be keen to perform in front of its public. The Austrians managed to win two fleet races in Dubai earlier in the season. “We have improved a lot but we need more continuity”, comments Christian Binder, the team’s match race helmsman and tactician.

The teams involved in the RC 44 Austria Cup (fleet race / match race helmsman):

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 (Daniel Calero / José Maria Ponce)
Katusha (Paul Cayard)
Team Sea Dubai (Harm Muller Spreer / Markus Wieser)
Team Austria (René Mangold / Christian Binder)
RC 44 Challenge (Ian Vickers / James Spithill)

Artemis wins the TP52 class at HUBLOT PalmaVela

[Source: Artemis] ARTEMIS started out well and maintained the lead right through to the end of Palmavela giving the Swedish team their first TP52 trophy of the season. From here, the crew will try to return home before heading to the RC44 Austria Cup which starts on 29 April.

In a nice breeze of up to 12 knots, and an airplane free sky, the Hublot PalmaVela regatta held the last races of its 7th edition. All the fleets were on the water today, with Maxis and TP 52’s running their coastal races in the charlie area. In the TP52 class Artemis was the predictable winner, but Cristabella managed second, whereas Magic Carpet 2 won the Wally class. The Mini Maxi class didn’t provide any surprises either, and was won by Container. In the J-80, Platú 25, RI1, and RI 2 classes, Peraleja Golf, Iberdrola, Cuadernos Rubio and Ciudad de Ceuta were the winners.

In the TP52 class the victory was for Torbjorn Tornqvist’s Artemis, thanks to her consistent performance throughout the regatta. The surprise of the day was provided by John Cook’s Cristabella, which won the two races, kicking Matador out of the second place in the final classification. The Argentinians have lacked consistency throughout the regatta, and in spite of their good results on the third day, at the end they could only manage a third place. We must not forget that this is the TP52’s first race after the new rule’s modifications, and that the teams are still fine tuning their boats.

Next stop for ARTEMIS is the RC44 Austria Cup which starts on 29 April.

Final Results

TP 52
1. Artemis (Tornqvist), 1+1+1+1+2+3+2+(3): 11
2. Cristabella (Cook), 2+2+(4)+2+3+2+1+1: 13
3. Matador (Roemmers), 3+3+2+3+1+1+(3)+2: 15


TP52 Artemis wins the HUBLOT PalmaVela. Palma, 18 April 2010. Photo copyright Sander van der Borch / Artemis

TP52 Artemis wins the HUBLOT PalmaVela. Palma, 18 April 2010. Photo copyright Sander van der Borch / Artemis

TP52 Artemis wins the HUBLOT PalmaVela. Palma, 18 April 2010. Photo copyright Sander van der Borch / Artemis



TP52 Artemis wins the HUBLOT PalmaVela. Palma, 18 April 2010. Photo copyright Sander van der Borch / Artemis

TP52 Artemis wins the HUBLOT PalmaVela. Palma, 18 April 2010. Photo copyright Sander van der Borch / Artemis

TP52 Artemis wins the HUBLOT PalmaVela. Palma, 18 April 2010. Photo copyright Sander van der Borch / Artemis

TP52 Artemis wins the HUBLOT PalmaVela. Palma, 18 April 2010. Photo copyright Sander van der Borch / Artemis

TP52 Artemis wins the HUBLOT PalmaVela. Palma, 18 April 2010. Photo copyright Sander van der Borch / Artemis

TP52 Artemis maintain lead after three days of racing in Palma

[Source: Artemis] The wind had trouble establishing itself again today, and the postponement flag had to be raised at around 1100 this morning. Finally, in around 8 knots southwesterly wind, the race committee gave the start signal of the first race of the day, at 1343.

In the TP52 class Matador had two very good races, with skipper Guillermo Parada at the helm, finishing both of them first, ahead of Artemis, with Paul Cayard calling tactics and owner Torbjorn Tornqvist at the helm. The Swedish team had been unbeaten until today, when they placed second and third, but benefited from the discard after race six, which helps the team hold onto first position in the overall standings.

Matador is second, just one point ahead of John Cook’s Cristabella, which is third. Weapon of Choice, former Matador, closes the classification, but the final standings will not be decided until tomorrow.

Artemis maintains its lead in the TP52 division. Palma, 17 April 2010. Photo copyright Sander van der Borch / Artemis

Artemis maintains its lead in the TP52 division. Palma, 17 April 2010. Photo copyright Sander van der Borch / Artemis

Four out four for Artemis in HUBLOT Palmavela

[Source: Paul Cayard] A very good day on Artemis today with three more bullets. It wasn't as easy as it looks from the score line. In fact, in the last race we were third at the last windward mark.

The wind filled in from the southwest at 8 knots around 1230.

In the first race we had a good start and led all the way. Matador was second, Weapon was third Cristabella fourth.

Artemis leads the TP52's after three more bullets today. Palma, 16 April 2010. Photo copyright Sander van der Borch / Artemis

In the second race, with the wind now at 10 knots, we wanted the left and got the pin end start. We flushed Matador out pretty quickly but could not cross Cristabella who was to windward. We tacked and crossed behind them by a length but later up the leg, the three of us came together about even. After some close tacks, we pinned Cristabella to the left with our starboard tack right of way and then tacked on Matador, who was ducking the two of us on port, to lead around the first mark. We went on to win by more than a minute over Matador. It was fun to mix it up.

In the third race we had our hands full. Matador led for most of the race with Cristabella and us close behind. On the final run, Matador and Cristabella got in a battle and gave up a bit of distance to us. The wind had lightened off to 7 knots so the gybes were expensive. We managed to win the race right on the line.

The boat seems to be going well so a nice job by our shore team and Captain Nipper.

Tomorrow's forecast is for rain and the sailing instructions are calling for short coastal races.

Artemis leads the TP52's after three more bullets today. Palma, 16 April 2010. Photo copyright Sander van der Borch / Artemis

Artemis leads the TP52's after three more bullets today. Palma, 16 April 2010. Photo copyright Sander van der Borch / Artemis

Artemis leads the TP52's after three more bullets today. Palma, 16 April 2010. Photo copyright Sander van der Borch / Artemis

Nespresso and Wally announce the Nespresso Cup

[Source: Nespresso] A premier new sailing event gathering exclusively the Wally Class and bringing together world-class skippers in the exclusive venue of Portofino.

Nestlé Nespresso S.A., the worldwide pioneer and reference for highest quality premium portioned coffee, today announced the launch of the Nespresso Cup, a new international regatta gathering for the very first time exclusively the Wally Class.

The announcement by Nespresso was made together with Luca Bassani Antivari, President and Founder of Wally, and with the presence of sailing legend Francesco de Angelis at the Yacht Club Italiano’s press conference which presented this season’s regattas.



“The Nespresso Cup celebrates the fusion of aesthetics and performance to deliver the most beautiful sailing regatta” said Richard Girardot, Chief Executive Officer, Nestlé Nespresso S.A. “Inspired by the same passion, Nespresso and Wally share a common philosophy of creative innovation, highest execution on quality, cutting-edge design and technology, delivering elegant but functional solutions.”

The Nespresso Cup, set against the enchanting backdrop of Portofino, Italy, promises to bring a new dimension to the beauty of sailing. Portofino’s vibrant waterfront offers an exceptional venue in terms of beauty and atmosphere, in the purest Italian tradition.

From the 7th to 9th May 2010, this beautiful harbour will be home to the participating Wally yachts. For three days, with two races scheduled per day, a total of 15 Wally yachts will battle it out on windward-leeward courses set up in front of Portofino.

The Nespresso Cup will take place form May 7 to May 9 in Portofino, Italy. Photo copyright Gilles Martin-Raget

During this ultimate three day event, Nespresso is delighted to welcome, as ambassadors of the first edition of the Nespresso Cup, an extraordinary group of sailing legends. Among the prestigious line-up, and fresh from Valencia, French offshore racing icon Loïck Peyron will be competing on the blue waters of Portofino. Peyron commented: "I've always found Wally Yachts very seductive, and am looking forward to finally experiencing them first hand on the race course during the Nespresso Cup. The spectacular venue of Portofino will be the perfect location for such an event."

Grand Prix sailing legends Paul Cayard (USA) and Francesco de Angelis (ITA) will also be racing in Portofino. These two sailors have had a few high-profile battles at the highest level in the past and together have won the 1995 Admiral’s Cup. Both are looking forward taking part in the Nespresso Cup. “It will be great to compete in the inaugural Nespresso Cup in Portofino. The venue is unique and it will be fantastic to see the harbour filled by big yachts like the Wallys,” said Francesco de Angelis. “The racing there is never easy and all the Class Divisions will be competitive given the high level of the Teams. Racing in Portofino is always a challenge and hopefully this event will become a classic."

Team Sea Dubai takes a serious option on the Al Maktoum Sailing Trophy RC 44 match race

[Source: RC44 Championship Tour] Only two flights could be completed today due to the lack of wind. Two teams conclude the day undefeated: Markus Wieser’s Team Sea Dubai - who hasn’t lost a single match in this event - and Paul Cayard’s Katusha, who recovers well after a bad day yesterday.

The wind was very light and fluky today for the second half of the match race event. Despite Peter "Luigi" Reggio’s attempts to close the contest, the last two flights will take place tomorrow, before the fleet race practice.

Unbeaten after seven flights, Team Sea Dubai is almost certain to win the title. Indeed, the local team’s closest rival, Artemis, sits two points behind whilst the team from the Emirates won the direct confrontation this afternoon. All they have to do is cross the line and avoid any penalising collision.

Team Sea Dubai, helmed by Markus Wieser, leads the match racing event undefeated. Dubai, 23 February 2010. Photo copyright Nico Martinez

The match of the day, between Team Sea Dubai and Terry Hutchinson’s Artemis, delivered all its promises. The two boats started on split tacks at full speed and immediately engaged in a tacking dual. Just ahead of its opponent after the first cross, Hutchinson made a slight error of appreciation that allowed Team Sea Dubai to close the gap. The two teams then engaged in a dial up as they were nearing the windward mark. Markus Wieser came out of it better than Artemis and rounded the mark two boat lengths ahead. Hutchinson tried hard to come back during the rest of the race, but Wieser and his crewmembers held on tight and won the race.

"We focused on the basics", commented Hartwell Jordan, Team Sea Dubai’s mainsail trimmer and strategist. "Last night, we debriefed our first day and decided not to change anything and to carry on sailing for fun, without putting any unnecessary pressure on our shoulders. We felt comfortable with our course management and boat speed, so we didn’t feel the need to put a specific strategy in place. We just went for it as relaxed and focused as we could."

Disappointed by his results today (two losses against TSD and No Way Back), Terry Hutchinson remained as positive as he could. "The day was good", he said. "We won our two starts and managed to keep the pressure all along. Unfortunately, we did some mistakes. In the first race, we went to the wrong side of the course and our timing was slightly wrong in the second one. I have the feeling that we bet ourselves more than anything else."

BMW Oracle, helmed by Adam Minoprio, beats Katusha, helmed by Paul Cayard. Dubai, 23 February 2010. Photo copyright Nico Martinez

Whilst Team Sea Dubai is almost certain to win the title, the rest of the podium remains open. Artemis is currently second with four points, followed by five teams on a tie in third with three points.

Despite the winner being almost certainly known, the last two flights will definitely not be for the gallery!

They said:

Hartwell Jordan, mainsail trimmer and strategist, Team Sea Dubai: “We have changed the set up of our boat over the winter and we can feel the difference. We have also changed our mental approach: in the past, we sometimes felt intimidated by the level of our competitors. We are now more relaxed about this, and we try to manage the pressure more efficiently. We’ve also trained hard over the winter, which has allowed us to remember all the moves almost instinctively. As a consequence, we can now look out of the boat and concentrate on the regattas."

Cameron Appleton, helmsman, Team Aqua: “This hasn’t been the most rewarding event for us so far and we’ve had a tough couple of days… We didn’t train like the others over the winter, but I don’t think it would have made a difference in this light wind. Our problem was mainly linked with timing; we didn’t take good starts and weren’t in the right rhythm."

Rod Davis, helmsman, Ceeref: “It was good to win a race by one second against Team Aqua after having lost two matches by one second yesterday… It’s very strange, we are loosing against teams that we should beat (on the paper) and we are winning the toughest matches. It shows how tight the Class is. Any small team can challenge the best ones. The consequence is that we need to train harder in order to improve."

Islas Canarias Puerto Calero has shown great consistency so far. Dubai, 23 February 2010. Photo copyright Nico Martinez

Paul Cayard, helmsman, Katusha: “We were quite unhappy with our result yesterday, but the good thing is that the team stayed well together, and focused. We all knew that we could do a better job. We spoke about our races and decided to keep it as simple as possible and focus on getting a better result without changing anything fundamental in the way we sail. It’s just tough; the races are very close and difficult."

Match-race, provisional results after seven flights:
(Ranking, name of team, helmsman, No of victories / defeats, points)

1) Team Sea Dubai (Markus Wieser), 6/0, 6 points
2) Artemis (Terry Hutchinson), 4/2, 4 points
3) CEEREF (Rod Davis), 3/3, 3 points
3) BMW ORACLE Racing (Adam Minoprio), 3/3, 3 points
3) Team Islas Canarias Puerto Calero (José Maria Ponce), 3/3, 3 points
3) Team No Way Back (Pieter Heerema / Ray Davies), 3/3, 3 points
3) Katusha (Paul Cayard), 3/3, 3 points
8) Team Aqua (Cameron Appleton), 2/4, 2 points
9) Team Austria (Christian Binder), 1/6, 1 point

Emirates Team NZ leads LV Trophy

[Source: Louis Vuitton Trophy] By virtue of its second win in as many races Emirates Team New Zealand today grabbed the early lead at the Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Côte d’Azur.

Team New Zealand leads overall with 2 points. Sweden’s Artemis and Great Britain’s TeamOrigin each have 1 point on 1-0 records.

Led by skipper Dean Barker, the venerable Team New Zealand defeated ALL4ONE in today’s first match. The combined French/German team, led by skipper and strategist Jochen Schümann of Germany, was forced to withdraw at the beginning of the second upwind leg when the webbing holding the mainsail aloft failed. Team New Zealand finished the race uncontested to score the point.


“We rounded the bottom mark and straight after the webbing on the mainsail broke,” said Spaniard Jordi Calafat, who mans the traveller for ALL4ONE. “I went up the rig hoping to fix it, but here was nothing to do. It’s very disappointing.”

The day’s second match, between Sweden’s Artemis and TFS – Pages Jaunes was similarly one-sided.

TFS – Pages Jaunes skipper Bertrand Pacé gifted an early lead to Artemis, led by Americans Paul Cayard (strategist) and Terry Hutchinson (helmsman), when he had to restart after being on the course side at the start gun.

TFS – Pages Jaunes then sailed into a windless hole on the left side of the first leg. The crew’s boatspeed dropped to 6 knots while Artemis sailed away at 9 knots. Artemis led by 75 seconds at the first mark and was never threatened over the next three legs. The nascent team won by 2 minutes, 17 seconds.

“It’s the first time we all sailed together as a crew,” said Cayard. “But Terry, myself, Morgan (Larson, tactician) and Kevin (Hall, navigator) all raced together with AmericaOne in 2000. We’re in different roles here and just getting used to each other.”

Aside from the three leaders, none of the other five teams has scored a point at the Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Côte d’Azur. Two teams, Azzurra and BMW ORACLE Racing, haven’t completed a match yet while the three others, ALL4ONE (0-1), Synergy (0-1) and TFS – Pages Jaunes (0-2), are winless.


“We are a new crew, there are a lot of guys onboard new to these boats,” said Mathieu Richard, strategist for TFS – Pages Jaunes. “We made a mistake at the start today when we tacked to port in the pre-start. We were too close to the committee boat and had to luff up to avoid it. But it was not anchored and it was hard to judge where it was.”

The racing schedule has been thrown into disarray due to the unsettled weather pattern. Once again today, a light offshore wind in the morning succumbed to an onshore flow in the afternoon. But the afternoon breeze never built strong enough to allow for racing and, like yesterday, only two matches were completed.

“The conditions are tricky because the wind has been so light,” said Ray Davies, the tactician for Emirates Team New Zealand. “This can be a very variable place. With the potential for the mistral wind on either side, it creates very different conditions. But it’s what we expected.”

Event organisers hope to get back on schedule tomorrow with eight matches planned. The effort will be aided by the return of ITA-90 and ITA-99, the yachts on loan from Mascalzone Latino. ITA-99 was damaged in a practise accident last Friday, which put the pair out of commission for the weekend. But ITA-99 is now repaired, so tomorrow’s racing will have four boats on the water.

Terry Hutchinson to helm Artemis in Nice LV Trophy; Paul Cayard skipper

[Source: Artemis] Having just completed a successful season in the TP52 Class, Torbjorn Tornqvist’s team Artemis (SWE) is in the final stages of preparation for the Louis Vuitton Trophy to be held in Nice from November 7-22.

Artemis’ entry in the Louis Vuitton Trophy is the latest challenge for Tornqvist’s experienced team. In addition to its 2009 podium finishes at the TP52 Worlds and on the Audi MedCup circuit, Artemis is currently second overall on the RC44 Class circuit, that will conclude with RC44 Gold Cup from 25-29 November in Dubai (UAE).

“We’ve built a solid team and have enjoyed racing in the TP52 and RC44 classes to date. We are now looking forward to the Louis Vuitton Trophy – it is an excellent opportunity for Artemis to compete against the world’s best sailing teams,” said Torbjorn Tornqvist, Founder and CEO of Artemis.

Under the direction of legend Paul Cayard (USA) and Team Manager Jared Henderson (NZL), the team is comprised of sailors with extensive America’s Cup experience, including Terry Hutchinson and Morgan Larson (USA) who have joined Artemis as helmsman and tactician respectively.

Following on from the success of the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series, which took place in Auckland earlier this year, the World Sailing Teams Association and Louis Vuitton are organising five regattas around the world in the next 12 months. The first will be the Louis Vuitton Trophy in Nice where eight teams will match race in a knock-out format.

“Artemis has been on a continuous path of growth in the sport of sailing over the past four years. The Louis Vuitton Trophy is a new challenge for our team. We have a lot of respect for all the teams that we will face in Nice and look forward to the opportunity to race against them,” said Paul Cayard.

Representing the Royal Swedish Yacht Club, Artemis will compete in Nice against the following teams: ALL4ONE (FRA/GER), Azzurra (ITA), BMW ORACLE Racing (USA), Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL), Synergy Russian Sailing Team (RUS), TeamOrigin (GBR) and Team French Spirit (FRA).

The Artemis crew for the Louis Vuitton Trophy in Nice includes: Paul Cayard (skipper/ strategist), Jared Henderson (team manager/pit), Terry Hutchinson (helmsman), Morgan Larson (tactician), Andy Fethers (bow), Phil Jameson (mid bow), David Brooke (mast), Craig Monk (grinder), Matthew Welling (grinder), Robbie Naismith (trimmer), Morgan Trubovich (trimmer), Ian Baker (grinder), Marco Constant (trimmer), Sean Clarkson (traveler), Kevin Hall (navigator), Magnus Augustson (grinder) and Rodney Daniel (runners).

Paul Cayard and his new team Katusha win the Bank Sarasin RC 44 Portoroz Cup match race

[Source: RC44 Class Association] The American sailor won the best of three final series against Karol Jablonski’s Organika. Ray Davies and Pieter Heerema finish third onboard No Way Back.

Paul Cayard and his new team Katusha surprised everyone – and himself – in the Bank Sarasin RC 44 Portoroz Cup match race series, dominating the event and winning the best of three final against Karol Jablonski’s Organika. Katusha is the latest RC 44 (number 22), just out of the Pauger boatyard. The team is also brand new and had never sailed together under Cayard’s leadership. No Way Back (Ray Davies & Pieter Heerema) finishes third ahead of Islas Canarias Puerto Calero (Jose Maria Ponce), Artemis (Dean Barker) and Team Aqua (Cameron Appleton).

Video highlights from the 2nd day of Bank Sarasin RC 44 Portoroz Cup. Portoroz, 30 September 2009. Video copyright RC44 Class Association

The day started with a “dead or alive" match between the local team Modri Gaj and Team Austria. At the helm of Modri Gaj, Gasper Vincec managed to close the door at the start, kicking the Austrians out and taking control of the race to win it.

The other semi-finals saw today’s most spectacular matches, including an aggressive fight between Dean Barker’s Artemis and Sébastien Col’s Ceeref. Both teams arrived together at the top mark and engaged in an endless dial up. Stuck on windward, Seb Col tried to regain control of the situation by jibing the top mark. Both teams soon after arrived together – but on opposite tacks - by the arrival line. They luffed each other until they faced the wind, their spinnakers flapping in the wind and twisting around the headstays. Artemis got a penalty and actually benefited from it, pursuing its turn, untangling its spinnaker and crossing the line a few meters ahead of a very disappointed team Ceeref.

Five groups of two teams came out of the semi-finals, with Katusha and Organika on top, followed by Islas Canarias Puerto Calero and No Way Back.

Both Katusha and No Way Back managed to win their first match but then lost the second, hence maintaining the suspense. Cayard and Jablonski started the decisive race on split tacks, with Cayard going to the right and Jablonski forced to the left of the course. The first crossing confirmed that Cayard’s choice was the right one: Katusha was comfortably leading the race and sailed to victory without being threatened.

No Way Back also had a fairly comfortable last race against the Spaniards, controlling the entire race to grab the third place of the podium.

The fleet regatta starts tomorrow. It promises to be intense: the teams that were usually in the middle of the pack are now at the top whilst the newcomers have proved how good they are. As for the favourites of the event, who haven’t obtained the results that they wanted in the match race, they know what to do in the coming days…

Paul Cayard wins the match race part of the regatta. Portoroz, 30 September 2009. Photo copyright Ales Fevzer / RC44 Class Association

They said:

Paul Cayard, helmsman, Katusha: “It is obviously a great day for our new team Katusha; we certainly didn’t expect such a good result and it is a perfect way to start in this class. This victory is a tribute to the work done by the people who have prepared the boat over the past weeks. They have done it with a great attention to detail. We also adapted our sailing style to the fact that we are a new team, and avoided getting too involved in close match racing. When the situation allowed, we just did our route without always controlling the opposition. It is risky but it paid off well."

Karol Jablonski, helmsman, Organika: “I am extremely happy, we are getting there and this second place is excellent for us. When I started with this team in Lanzarote, I knew that it would take some time. Cayard obviously did a great job; he positioned his boat well and managed to go to the most favourable places on the course. For sure, I am sad that we didn’t win. But in a way it’s good: it leaves us some margin for improvement ahead of the Gold Cup."

Jose Maria Ponce, helmsman, Islas Canarias Puerto Calero: “This is the beginning of a new era for us. We have been fighting all along and all the matches have been very close. We have proved that we can beat the best teams; it is a great confidence boost for us."

Mike Reardon, Modri Gaj: “I am delighted, this is great fun. Obviously, we are beginners in this Class and we are learning a lot. This morning, Paul Cayard gave us some advice and this proved very helpful today. He has been very good to us."

Match-race, final results:
(Ranking, name of team, helmsman)

1) Team Katusha, Paul Cayard
2) Organika, Karol Jablonski
3) No Way Back, Ray Davies, Pieter Heerema
4) Puerto Calero Islas Canarias, José Maria Ponce
5) Artemis, Dean Barker
6) Team Aqua, Cameron Appleton
7) Ceeref, Sébastien Col
8) BMW ORACLE Racing, Russell Coutts
9) Team Sea Dubai, Markus Wieser
10) Modri Gaj, Gasper Vincec
11) Team Austria, Christian Binder

New teams join the RC 44 fleet for the Bank Sarasin RC 44 Portoroz Cup

[Source: RC44] Two new teams will join the RC 44 fleet in Slovenia at the end of the month for the Bank Sarasin RC 44 Portoroz Cup, bringing the total number of entries to eleven.

Team Katusha (RUS) and Team Blue Grove Miss Slovenia (SLO) will participate in the Bank Sarasin RC 44 Portoroz Cup, bringing the total number of entries to eleven.

Team Katusha joins the Championship Tour with ambition, having hired Paul Cayard as skipper. Cayard already competed with the RC 44 Class in Lugano in 2008 as well as in the Austria Cup last June.

Team Blue Grove Miss Slovenia was one of the first teams to join the Championship Tour back in 2006, under the name Ekipa 44. The team that will sail in the Portoroz Cup 2009 is very similar to the initial one; it is mainly made up of Olympic and dinghy sailors, with Gasper Vincec at the helm for the match race and Michael Reardon steering the fleet series. This team finished 3rd of their last regatta, in Trieste in 2007, proving the depth of their talent. Team Blue Grove Miss Slovenia is now headed by Michael Reardon and it will sail on its home waters with a strong desire to perform.

With also Dean Barker, Markus Wieser, Jose Maria Ponce, Karol Jablonski, Cameron Appleton, Russell Coutts, Ray Davies, Christian Binder and Sébastien Col, the RC 44 Class is now clearly established as one of the most competitive series in the world.

Pauyl Cayard, here calling tactics on TP52 Artemis, will now skipper a brand new Russian entry in the RC44 class. Cartagena, 14 September 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

The Bank Sarasin RC 44 Portoroz Cup begins on Monday September 28 with the practice Race and media day. The match race event will take place on Tuesday September 29 and Wednesday 30 whilst the fleet regatta will take place from Thursday October 1 till Saturday 3.

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

Team Aqua, Chris Bake / Cameron Appleton
Team CEEREF, Igor Lah / Sébastien Col
Sea Dubai, Yousef Lahej, DIMC / Markus Wieser
BMW ORACLE Racing, Larry Ellison / Russell Coutts
Team Organika, Maciej Nawrocki / Karol Jablonski
Islas Canarias Puerto Calero, Jose Juan Calero / Jose Maria Ponce
Artemis, Torbjorn Tornqvist / Dean Barker
No Way Back, Pieter Heerema / Ray Davies
Team Austria, René Mangold / Christian Binder
Team Katusha, Paul Cayard
Team Blue Grove Miss Slovenia, Michael Reardon / Gasper Vincec

Countdown to Bank Sarasin RC 44 Portoroz Cup; Paul Cayard enters circuit with new Russian team

[Source: RC44] The fifth regatta of the RC 44 Championship Tour 2009 – the Bank Sarasin RC 44 Portoroz Cup - will take place in Slovenia on September 29 – October 3. Current leaders of the Championship Tour, Chris Bake / Cameron Appleton (Team Aqua) are only two points ahead of Torbjorn Tornqvist / Dean Barker (Artemis). The RC 44 Class welcomes a new Russian team called Katusha skippered by Paul Cayard.

Preparations in Portoroz on Slovenia's narrow coastline are well under way for the fifth stage of the RC 44 Championship Tour. Racing begins in one month and the local organisers as well as the Class management are getting ready for the Championship Tour’s autumn season.

It is the third time that Portoroz welcomes an RC 44 regatta after the events held here in 2006 and 2007. Bank Sarasin is the title sponsor of the 2009 event being organised by the Slovenian Sailing Federation.

Leader of the Championship Tour, Chris Bake’s Team Aqua is only two points ahead of Torbjorn Tornqvist’s Artemis. “We look forward to getting back on the water”, says Bake. “The last regatta on Lake Garda was a good challenge, and the last day was a great endorsement of the strength and depth of our Team; I was really proud to be a part of it. Portoroz will with no doubt be tough too. We plan to get out there, work hard and try and sail a consistent series.”

Currently third of the Championship Tour on a tie with Larry Ellison’s BMW ORACLE Racing, Igor Lah (Ceeref) has been instrumental in bringing the regatta to Portoroz. “This is a very important regatta for our team, because it is the first time we will be sailing on Slovene waters”, he explains. ”We will have some more practice than usual prior to the regatta. Unfortunately we’ve had many crew changes this season, which had an effect on crew work. I believe it has stabilized now so we are able to stay with the same team for the rest of the season. We will try to do our best.”

The RC 44 Class looks forward to welcoming a new team in Portoroz. “Katusha” will fly the Russian flag and will be skippered by Paul Cayard, who has already been involved in several events with the RC 44 Class.

The Practice Race and media day will open the regatta on Monday September 28. The Bank Sarasin RC 44 Portoroz Cup will begin on Tuesday September 29 with the match racing event. The fleet regatta will take place from Thursday October 1 till Saturday 3.

Following a long summer break, the ten teams involved in the Championship Tour will be keen to get back to the water and compete in the last “conventional” regatta of the Tour before the double points Gold Cup in Dubai.

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

Team Aqua, Chris Bake / Cameron Appleton
Team Ceeref, Igor Lah / Sébastien Col
Sea Dubai, Yousef Lahej, DIMC / Markus Wieser
BMW ORACLE Racing, Larry Ellison / Russell Coutts
Team Organika, Maciej Nawrocki / Karol Jablonski
Puerto Calero Islas Canarias, Jose Juan Calero / Jose Maria Ponce
Artemis, Torbjorn Tornqvist / Dean Barker
No Way Back, Pieter Heerema / Ray Davies
Team Austria, René Mangold / Christian Binder
Team Katusha, Paul Cayard

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

They said:

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

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

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

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

Match-race, final results after nine flights:

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

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

Team Aqua leads RC 44 Austria Cup in very tricky conditions

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Time for action for the RC 44 Class on Lake Traunsee

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Paul Cayard talks about Desafío and the America's Cup

[Source: Paul Cayard] I am back in San Francisco after a three month stint in Valencia. The short story is that I joined Desafio Español assuming that we were in for a short America's Cup, with a new class of boat which I found very interesting as it meant a new game and a compressed time frame.

As we all know, the event has yet to gain traction. The court case between BMW Oracle and Alinghi has completely derailed the America's Cup. As of this time, there is no date, there is no class of boat, and no venue. There is a defender (Alinghi) and one (1) challenger, BMW Oracle.

Desafio Español, like most other teams, has had to make new plans. In the New Year, we will go to a reduced operation until there is some certainty about the next Cup that the team will be able to participate in. A new program has the team competing on the TP 52 Med Cup and GP 42 Circuits next summer, both in the Mediterranean. These circuits are very competitive and in fact most of the America's Cup sailors race there. By having its own team boats, supported by Iberdrola and other top sponsors, Desafio will keep the sailing team working seriously and together and continue its presence in the sport of sailing.

This situation is obviously hard on the people on every team who have to, after getting their lives organized to be in Valencia for 2 years working for the America's Cup. It is also a shame for the fans of the sport and the corporate sponsors who were starting to appreciate what sailing can offer.

It is amazing to think that just 6 months ago, on the 21st of June... the longest day of the year, we were heading to the most competitive America's Cup final in many years following one of the most interesting Louis Vuitton Cups. The first America's Cup in Valencia raised the profile of the event world wide and indeed Alinghi is to be complimented for that. But, how long will it take to get back to that level? When will we next see a harbor with 60,000 spectators and the kind of enthusiasm we witnessed last summer? What a shame to be in this situation.

For me, I hope to continue with Desafio on their TP 52 project, keeping the team together and hoping for some Cup news before December of 2008. I will sail on Warpath with Steve and Fred How of San Diego, on the Farr 40 circuit this spring which includes Key West, Miami SORC, and the World Championship in April (also in Miami). We finished 4th in the World Championship in Sydney a few years back, so it will be fun to try to improve on that.