The Quebramar GP42 Cup grand finale in Puerto Calero: who will win this year’s championship?

[Source: Quebramar GP42 Cup] The international GP42 circuit is about to witness the last thrilling races of the 2008 season. Starting October 15th and until the 18th, the GP42 fleet will gather in Puerto Calero, on the beautiful Spanish island of Lanzarote, in order to race in the VII Trofeo César Manrique, the event that will also decide the winner of the Quebramar GP42 Cup.

Puerto Calero, 1 October 2008: Given Desafío’s 18-point advantage in the overall standings, it would be easy to assume that the boat helmed by Laureano Wizner and with Santi López-Vázquez calling tactics, will just have to remain as consistent as they have been in order to pocket this year’s Quebramar GP42 Cup. Yet, such a belief couldn’t be further from truth and the Spanish team will not be able to rest a moment, constantly keeping a watchful eye over its competitors.

Competitors that will not spare any single effort in order to reach or beat Desafío. First in the line is obviously AIRIS, second overall in the leaderboard. The Italian boat skippered by Sandro Montefusco has all it takes to threaten Desafío and has never hidden its ambition for leadership as neither has done Near Miss, the Swiss Farr-designed yacht helmed by French match race star Bertrand Pacé. Lagging AIRIS by just 2 points the Swiss will certainly make the Spanish and Italians sweat.

The fleet’s second Italian yacht, Roma GP42.2, owned by class president Filippo Faruffini and skippered by Italian match racing champion Paolo Cian, will not only have to fight against the top three for the podium but will also have on its back Canarias Puerto Calero, skippered by the young José Maria Ponce, and MADRID of Spanish Olympic champion José Maria Van der Ploeg.

Although far from the circuit’s podium, the two teams that lie at the bottom of the leaderboard will fight in order to reach a podium place in the event. Caser-Quum, helmed by Sergio Llorca, has clearly shown in the last two events that it has overcome the keel problems it suffered from earlier. Last but not least, for Bodegas Luis Alegre, with the fleet’s only helmswoman, Spanish Olympic champion Natalia Vía Dufresne, this will be the second event of the year.

Although it is still too early to make any weather predictions, all teams are getting prepared for medium/strong winds, close to 20 knots. This will be unchartered territory for everybody, given the fact we have barely had such conditions so far in the season’s races. Still, this is one challenge more that will make for a grand finale of the Quebramar GP42 Cup.

The Principal Race Officer will be Pete Craig, widely known for his expertise in the organization of prestigious events such as the Acura Key West. The International Jury will be chaired John Doer (GBR) and will include Neven Baran (CRO), Luiz Ferrándiz (ESP), David Lees (GRB), Ana S. del Campo (ESP) and Riccardo Antoni (ITA). The race area of the GP42 fleet will only be shared with the TP52 yachts.

The VII Trofeo César Manrique, is organized by the Club de Mar Puerto Calero, the Casino Club Náutico of Arrecife and the Spanish Sailing Federation, with the collaboration of Spanish Yacht Club Association, the Canarian Yacht Club Association and the Canarian Sailing Federation.

Racing will start on October 15th with the official practice race, and from Thursday the 16th until Saturday the 18th, a maximum of 9 windward/leeward races will take place, 3 per day.

According to Daniel Calero, owner of Canarias Puerto Calero and organizer of the VII Trofeo César Manrique, this year’s trophy will be special for various reasons. First of all, it’s the closing event of the Quebramar GP42 Cup, it will then overlap with the World Cup ORC 670 Islas Canarias and the TP52’s will use it in order to train for the TP52 World Championship Islas Canarias. Adding the fact this year coincides with the 25th anniversary since the creation of Puerto Calero, this will surely be an unforgettable event for all participants.

Organizers will also include the Virtual Eye technology in their rich offering, giving spectators the possibility to watch 3D simulations of the races both in the race village as well as online on www.trofeopuertocalero.com.

For the first time ever, an exceptional hospitality program will be put in place, boasting a race village of over 2,000 square meters that will house all events and shows related to the regatta. According to the organization, Puerto Calero will be host to more than 900 sailors and dozens of accredited media.

Quotes on the eve of the last event of the Quebramar GP42 Cup

Daniel Calero, owner Canarias Puerto Calero and organizer of the VII Trofeo César Manrique
“We have always supported the GP42 class in Puerto Calero because since its beginnings we saw a bright future for it and we decided to build a yacht in 2006 that was raced in the last two years. This is the first time the international GP42 circuit ends on our waters, and the second one for the Spanish circuit. Our aim, and what makes us different form other events, is to offer teams the highest level of support through our impeccable organization and logistics.
Concerning the organization ashore and offshore, including the sports and social aspects, the bar has been set very high but we are convinced that through our great efforts will be able to pass it. As a result, we feel confident that next year’s Quebramar GP42 Cup will once again close in Puerto Calero.”

Laureano Wizner, helmsman of Desafío
“Our main aim is to maintain our overall leadership in the circuit as well as win the Trofeo Cesar Manrique. In order to achieve it we will also count on the skills of Nano Negrin, expert local sailor. Normally we should expect strong winds, over 18 knots, something that we have rarely seen so far in the season, although we have observed that the 2008 boats perform better than us in stronger conditions. Nevertheless, it seems we are favoured by the fact the prevailing wind direction doesn’t create waves, something that otherwise considerably stalls us compared to the rest of the fleet. We are obviously satisfied with our performance in the latest regattas but we should never be caught off guard because the rest of the fleet has an extremely high level.”

Cesare Bressan, team manager of Airis
"For Airis, as for the rest of the top four teams of the circuit, this last event will not only be a simple event, always fun and thrilling, but also the culmination of a tremendous work our team started in June 2007. Our aim since the very beginning has been to constantly improve technically and climb in the leaderboard. We focused on the details, learning valuable lessons from our errors in the previous events and always trying to look ahead through a division of responsibilities, roles and experiences. In other words, improve as a team in its entirety.
The Puerto Calero event will be interesting due to the changes inside the AIRIS team and because the 18 points that separate from the leader are a lot, although at this high level everything is possible. Whichever way it goes, Near Miss and Roma are practically tied. In these reces the difference might be made by the teams further down the score table, due to their obvious performance improvements and the tight nature of the fleet, where consistency is the key to success.
I expect beautiful races where we can watch sport, professionalism and loyalty and I hope this season is followed by many others with more owners and fans."

Paolo Cian, helmsman of Roma GP42.2
"I can say that in general we've had some difficulties in lighter winds and as a general trend we have raced in conditions that were lighter than expected. In any case, together with Farr Yacht Design we are working hard on sail development in order to further improve our performance.
I can only compliment Desafío that has shown it deserves its leadership, racing in a solid and consistent way, something that we lack in more than one occasion.
Puerto Calero should be a quite windy race course and in that case our yacht could show her true potential.
Regarding the GP42 class, I would say that this season showed that boats were really close and all races were very tight with just 1 minute distance between first and last. It seems to me that this is a demonstration this box rule works well and as a result it promises an interesting growth."

José Maria Van der Ploeg, owner and skipper of MADRID
“Our objective for the last event of the circuit is to finish with a sweet taste in our mouth, to finish the season with the best result possible. Since some time now, my team has shown a great improvement, race after race we are achieving better team work and are fitting better to this class. The proof is that we are just a step from the podium and we have always been in the top part of the fleet. I would even say we are now in a position to finish among the best of the fleet. Being our first season, it allowed us to test this class and I think I can now affirm that we will be one of the favourites for next year and have real chances in winning any of the events."

Javier Goizueta, owner of Caser-Quum
“We have high expectations for the upcoming regatta in Puerto Calero, we almost won it last year after four bullets and a second place, after an unfair protest. Our crew will now be complete since our tactician, Juan Luis Páez,will now be back with us, having finished his job in the TP52’s and the Telefonica VOR boat”

QUEBRAMAR GP42 CUP: No racing in a windless and foggy day. Desafío wins Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler; AIRIS second, MADRID third

No racing took place during the closing day of the Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler. Desafío wins comfortably, with 4 bullets in 5 races. AIRIS is second while 3rd-placed MADRID achieves best ever result

Cascais, 30 August 2008: Unfortunately, the dense fog that covered the Cascais bay from the wee hours of the day didn’t dissipate early enough in order to allow racing to be held on the third and closing day of the 8th Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler. The race committee waited till the last second of the 3:30pm deadline but to no avail.

Desafío clearly wins this 5th event of the Quebramar Cup, with four victories in 5 races. To say that the Spanish team was consistent would be an understatement. Even after crossing the line early and making a penalty turn, the boat helmed by Laureano Wizner was able to win races.

Italian AIRIS was second, showing enough consistency reaching also second place in the overall Quebramar Cup leaderboard. On the other hand, MADRID, the Spanish boat skippered by Jose Maria van der Ploeg, achieved its best result ever this season by grabbing 3rd place. Gustavo Lima, the Portuguese sailor that called tactics in this event, proved to be an invaluable addition to the crew.

On the overall QUEBRAMAR Cup score table, Desafío managed to increase its lead and now has an 18-point advantage over 2nd placed AIRIS that is now clear of 3rd placed Near Miss.

The grand final of the Quebramar Cup will be the Trofeo Cesar Manrique, taking place in Puerto Calero, from October 16 to 18.

Video highlights from the Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler

Quotes

Santi López-Vázquez, tactician of Desafío, winner of Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler: Consistency and regularity was the key to winning this regatta. We had 4 victories and we were always within the top five at every mark. We clearly showed that under these light-medium conditions we are sufficiently fast and if we don’t commit errors we can be at the top. On the other hand, our competitors committed mistakes and we took advantage of them, especially in a day like yesterday. We have also further improved crew work and are able to successfully handle all situations, except maybe a couple of starts, but we were then able to recover our way through the race.

Cesare Bressan, team manager of AIRIS, 2nd placed: Desafío deserves its victory in this regatta and the overall leadership in the Quebramar Cup. We are obviously happy with the second place but we still are disappointed we failed to take advantage of our potential both in Valencia as well as in Palma. We will try to defend our overall position and why not win the last event of the season.

José Mª Van der Ploeg, owner of Madrid, 3rd placed: We are very happy with the result we achieved in this event. We get to learn the boat better every day, we are solving the speed problems and this makes us climb positions but we still have one remaining problem, that is consistency, a key for this class. We still have a long way to go, it’s a question of team work and self-confidence and we hope it will be solved when we feel surer about what we can achieve. It’s a gradual process that we hope to finish as soon as possible, as do our sponsors.

Light winds in Cascais, two races and two bullets for Desafío

Desafío consolidates its leadership both in the event and the Quebramar Cup with two bullets in today's races, marked by the very light conditions. AIRIS is two points ahead of Near Miss in the overall score table

Cascais, 29 August 2008: If yesterday it provided ideal sailing conditions, today the Bay of Cascais, has partially betrayed the GP42 fleet participating to the Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler. Since the early morning hours, the Portuguese village was embedded in a grey atmosphere and the sponsors’ and organizer’s flags hung limply from their poles.

Second day of racing at the Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler. Cascais, 29 August 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Quebramar Cup

Desafío starts the day with a victory

After more than two hours waiting and having moved the race area closer to the coast, the Race Committee finally succeeded in firing the starting signal at around 15.30 local time, with a very light breeze of around 5/6 knots on a windward/leeward course, 1.4 miles long.
Despite the conditions the start was very tight, as usual for the Class, so much that the provisional scoreboard leader, Spanish Desafío were over the line. Not a big issue for them, though, because on the first upwind leg they soon could regain almost all the lost ground. At the mark they rounded in second place, just behind Madrid helmed by Olympic medallist José Maria Van der Ploeg helped by local sailor and tactician Gustavo Lima. A few seconds later it was Airis’ turn, then rounded Roma GP42.2 not exactly at ease today, followed by Canarias Puerto Calero, Near Miss, Bodegas Luis Alegre and Caser-Quum.

From the first mark on the race turned into a real nerve war and a stressful event for tacticians and navigators, who were obliged to keep an attentive eye on the slightest variation in wind pressure or direction. The Committee correctly opted for a course change and to shorten the leg to 1.2 miles in order to give them a chance to finish the race. Like yesterday, anyway, it was the right side of the course the favoured one. And Desafío went right to overtake Madrid, while Airis was trailing behind at short distance. On the finish line it was the green hull of Desafio to cross in first for the third consecutive time in two days. Second was Madrid, third Airis and then all the others.

Second day of racing at the Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler. Cascais, 29 August 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Quebramar Cup

Second race for the fleet and second win for Desafío

As the wind has slightly increased to 7/8 knots, the organizers decided to go for a second race. The start was won by Madrid and Near Miss while Caser-Quum was over the line. The fleet sailed in a compact group to the top mark where Desafio stated his supremacy again, rounding first. A good upwind performance was shown by the Italians on Airis, really consistent today, who were distanced only by 23 seconds and by Near Miss at 45”.

Never endangered by their competitors or by the weather conditions, the sailors coming form the Spanish America’s Cup team, finally crossed the line in the lead, putting their signature on the Trofeu, being a healthy seven points ahead of Airis and a huge 13 points on Madrid and Near Miss. In fifth position is Roma GP42.2 (22), in sixth Canarias Puerto Calero (23) and then Caser-Quum and Bodegas Luis Alegre (both at 35).

With today’s double win Desafio also consolidated their leadership in the general provisional results of the QUEBRAMAR Cup circuit. Italian Airis is now second overall, 2 points ahead of 3rd placed Near Miss.

Second day of racing at the Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler. Cascais, 29 August 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Quebramar Cup

Quotes

Cesare Bressan, mainsail on AIRIS: It was yet another nice day but a difficult one because the fleet is very compact and conditions were very variable, making it even tougher. I have to admit that we are impressed by Desafío’s consistency, speed boat and overall preparation, while in the rest of the fleet there is still a lot of irregularity and as a result, the score table is fluctuating. We were able to sail two good races point-wise and get a couple of points of advantage over Near Miss. Nevertheless, Desafío managed to further increase their lead over us. Tomorrow is another day, we hope we will able to sail three races and hopefully reduce Desafío’s advantage.

We still don’t know the boat thoroughly. We came here prepared for a stronger breeze but we actually have more Mediterranean conditions. We had to change the setup of the boat and this obviously made the difference. Without any doubt, the teams that have spent more hours sailing have an advantage over us, but what can we do, this is the way the regattas are made.

Desafío leads opening day in Cascais; AIRIS now tied second with Near Miss in overall Quebramar Cup standings

Desafío clearly leads in opening day of Trofeu Quebramar-Chrsyler; AIRIS now tied second with Near Miss in Quebramar Cup

Cascais, 28 August 2008: Two bullets and a fourth place in three races were enough to put Desafío on top of the Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler and increase its leadership in the overall Quebramar Cup standings. A bad day for Near Miss, 6th in the event, not only helped Desafío but also gave AIRIS the chance to bridge the gap it had and lie now tied in second place.

The GP42 fleet races in the opening day of the Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler. Cascais, 28 August 2008. Photo copyright Nico Martinez / Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler

Canarias Puerto Calero grabs victory in the first race

The opening race of the 8th Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler got under way under lighter conditions but fortunately not as weak as initially forecast. The race committee was able to fire the starting gun right on time under a north western breeze of around 10-12 knots.

The start was very tight and the key to the race was to opt for the right side of the course and go as close to the coast as possible. This is exactly the plan Canarias Puerto Calero and Roma GP42.2 had and they stuck to it. The Italian boat, helmed by match race champion Paolo Cian, led the fleet from the start, closely followed by the Spanish, helmed by José Maria Ponce. The Italians rounded the top mark in first place but the Spaniards read the wind better in the first downwind leg and managed to get ahead.

Canarias Puerto Calero rounded the leeward gate in first place, followed by Roma GP42.2 and Near Miss. The rest of the race turned into a duel between Ponce and Ciàn but the young Spanish crew kept their leadership. Under a breeze that built up to 15 knots, they crossed the finish line half a minute ahead of Roma GP42.2. Airis, the second Italian team, had an excellent run and finished third, ahead of Desafío and Near Miss.

The GP42 fleet races in the opening day of the Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler. Cascais, 28 August 2008. Photo copyright Nico Martinez / Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler

Desafío wins second race, overtaking MADRID in the last 10 meters

With the breeze over 15 knots, the race committee didn’t waste a moment before giving the start for the day’s second race. Once again the fleet got off with a very close and tight start, with MADRID and Near Miss holding a slight advantage. Desafío had a quite average start but was able to work its way up the fleet during the first beat and get positioned in second place.

MADRID rounded the top mark 3 boathlenghts ahead of Desafío, with Near Miss, Airis and Roma GP42.2 close behind them. It seems the local knowledge brought by the team’s Portuguese tactician, Gustavo Lima, bore its fruit. The race turned into a fierce battle between MADRID and Desafío but the team sponsored by the Spanish capital not only stayed on top of the situation but managed to build its advantage. At the same time Near Miss and AIRIS were also holding their duel for third place.

The breeze was picking up and reached 20 knots in the last run, turning the MADRID-Desafío gybing duels into a nail biting photo finish. Finally, Desafío prevailed in the last stretch of the race and with a final push they crossed the finish line a mere second ahead of MADRID. Near Miss was third, half a minute behind the two Spanish yachts.

The GP42 fleet races in the opening day of the Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler. Cascais, 28 August 2008. Photo copyright Nico Martinez / Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler

Second victory for Desafío in the third race

The 10-degree right shift was evident late in the afternoon and the race committee acted accordingly. The start was extremely tight and the whole fleet was packed up at the committee boat end of the starting line. Desafío and Roma GP42.2 had a very good start and led the fleet in the first beat. On the other hand, things were not as rosy for Near Miss that was penalized in an incident with Caser-Quum at the start line and had to perform a 360-degree turn.

Desafío clearly led the race despite the constant pressure by Roma GP42.2 that was also feeling the heat from MADRID and Airis, alternating second and third place in every rounding. The race was judged in its second half when the two leaders, Desafío and Roma GP42.2, managed to escape from the rest of the fleet. Still, Paolo Cian was unable to reach Laureano Wizner whose boat crossed the finish line 23 seconds ahead.

Although the breeze was constant in pressure, a slight left shift in the final beat allowed the boats that saw it to pick up some places. Airis finished third and Madrid 4th. Caser-Quum was able to overtake Near Miss, sending the Swiss to 6th place.

The GP42 fleet races in the opening day of the Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler. Cascais, 28 August 2008. Photo copyright Nico Martinez / Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler

Quotes

Paolo Cian, helmsman on Roma GP42.2: I would say we had a good day. We sailed well, Alvaro Maurinho made good tactic calls but I probably made an error in the start of the second race, I got squeezed by Desafío and we reached the starting line late. Probably, without that error we could have done better in the second race as well. I think that we carried out our manoeuvres quite well and our boat speed is good.

Tactically, the right side pays off in Cascais, generally. Still, in the last leg we were able to recover a lot by going left. I have also noticed there is a lot of difference in wind pressure between the surface and the top of the mast. Wind is quite turbulent and this is not always obvious. We trust Alvaro and it appears it pays off.

Sandro Monefucso, helmsman on AIRIS: We didn’t have a great day today. It’s a pity that we started well in the first race but two boats squeezed in ahead of us because of the current. In the second race we started well but finished fourth. The last race turned bad, we made mistakes but finally managed to finish third. We paid the price of our errors and I hope we work better tomorrow.

In general lines, the right was the favoured side and as a result it wasn’t a difficult race. You had to calculate the correct layline because the current could take you higher. That was the biggest problem but again, both upwind and downwind, the right was the side to be

Santi López-Vázquez, tactician on Desafío: It’s been a good day for two reasons. Firstly, we won two races and that allowed us to grab leadership of the event. Even if it’s going to be difficult we obviously want to win this event. Second, Near Miss had a bad day and that increased our leadership in the overall Quebramar Cup standings. This makes our more confident in winning the championship for a second time, although it will be much more difficult.

The right side was clearly the favoured one and for that reason you had few tactical options to play. You had to go to the right but you also had to know when to tack because the current could make you go over the layline. Still, there was no doubt the right was clearly favoured, especially in the second and third race.

Quebramar GP42 Cup:Near Miss takes practice race in Cascais under excellent conditions

[Source: Quebramar GP42 Cup] The start of the penultimate event of the Quebramar Cup took place under near-perfect conditions. The Swiss Near Miss won the practice race after a tough battle against Roma GP42.2 and Desafío.

Cascais, 27 August 2008: It seemed event organizers came to an agreement with the gods of wind in order to hold the opening practice race in near-perfect conditions. When the starting gun was fired at 3pm a constant western breeze of 15 to 20 knots was blowing over the Lisbon bay. The race committee was able to hold 2 starts and a complete race in a course that stretched from Cascais to the Tajo River.

Four of the 8 yachts of the GP42 fleet were on the starting line, Near Miss, Desafío, Roma GP42.2 and Canarias Puerto Calero, all of them with a guest from the media on board. New comers Bodegas Luis Alegre were making some last-minute changes, Madrid were waiting for a new boom to substitute the one they broke during the delivery, while Caser-Quum were also fine tuning their yacht.

The GP42 carry out their practice ray on the opening day of the 8th Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler. Cascais, 27 August 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Quebramar Cup

All 3 starts were very close and the entire race proved to be a relentless fight between all 4 yachts. Roma GP42.2, helmed by Paolo Cian led from the start but Bertrand Pacé on Near Miss overtook at the second leg. Desafío, helmed by Laureano Wizner, could have come in front of the race but at the approach to the first top mark the Spanish were involved in a port-starboard incident with the young crew from Canarias Puerto Calero and were forced to take a penalty turn.

Despite this disadvantage, Desafío held on and fought till the end, especially after Roma GP42.2 abandoned the race after rounding the leeward gate. The last leg was a true match race between them and Near Miss but the Swiss successfully defended their leadership, crossing the finish line 9 seconds ahead of Desafío.

The GP42 carry out their practice ray on the opening day of the 8th Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler. Cascais, 27 August 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Quebramar Cup

Canarias Puerto Calero was third and the Italians Airis, a yacht designed by Umberto Felci for Roberto Monti and helmed by Sandro Montefusco, crossed the finish line in fourth position. Nevertheless, the result was insignificant as the yacht joined the race halfway through after a last-minute modification in their mast.

Competition at full earnest for the 8th edition of the Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler will start tomorrow Thursday at 1pm local time. Three windward/leeward races are scheduled and the initial weather forecast seems to be quite favorable, albeit slightly lighter than today’s excellent conditions.

The GP42 carry out their practice ray on the opening day of the 8th Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler. Cascais, 27 August 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Quebramar Cup

The GP42 carry out their practice ray on the opening day of the 8th Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler. Cascais, 27 August 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Quebramar Cup

The QUEBRAMAR GP42 Cup goes to Cascais

[Source: Quebramar GP42 Cup] The fifth and penultimate event of the international Quebramar GP42 Cup will take place in the spectacular settings of Cascais, Portugal. Starting Thursday, August 28th and for 3 days, the eight GP42 boats participating in the Trofeu Quebramar Chrysler will provide tight and close races.

Cascais, 22 August 2008: With a red-hot overall score table, the Quebramar GP42 Cup will visit the Portuguese coastal city for the penultimate event of the season. If the venue lives up to its fame of strong and constant winds, racing will not only be exciting but also thrilling as any of the participating boats could very well end up with the trophy.

A mere 11 points separate the three leaders of the overall score table after 4 events. Desafío, helmed by Laureano Wizner, managed to increase its advantage by 1 point to 7, after an extremely tough week and 11 races in the Copa del Rey last month. Second-placed Near Miss, the Swiss boat owned by Frank Nöel and helmed by Bertrand Pacé, had an excellent start in Palma with 4 straight bullets but was unable to maintain the pace till the end. Italian AIRIS, owned by Roberto Monti and helmed by Sandro Montefusco, is a further 4 points behind the Swiss and consolidated its third place.

The GP42 fleet in the 27 Copa del Rey AUDI MAPFRE. Palma de Majorca, 31 July 2008. Photo copyright Iñigo Aznar / Quebramar GP42 Cup

Italian Roma GP42.2, helmed by Italian match race star Paolo Ciàn, might be a further 22 points down but her steady upward path, particularly in Valencia and Palma, makes her a certain candidate to win the event. Further down, Canarias Puerto Calero, Madrid and Caser-Quum, will definitely prove to be tough opponents and will stage a tough fight to climb positions.

Although not a newcomer to the GP42 class, another boat will make in Cascais her debut in this year’s Quebramar Cup. It is Bodegas Luís Alegre, a 2007-generation boat, owned by Alberto Fernández and Oscar Ibáñez that raced last year under the name Totalboats.

Racing will start on Thursday, August 28th but similarly to the Copa del Rey, on Wednesday the 8 boats will carry out their practice race with a corporate or media guest aboard. The starting gun will be fired at 1pm each day and a total of 9 races are scheduled, 3 per day. As a result, no races will be discarded and each and every one will count towards the overall score table.

AIRIS sails in the 27 Copa del Rey AUDI MAPFRE. Palma de Majorca, 31 July 2008. Photo copyright Iñigo Aznar / Quebramar GP42 Cup

The 8th edition of the Cascais Troféu Quebramar-Chrysler is organized by the Clube Naval de Cascais and is sponsored by the Portuguese clothing company Quebramar as well as Chrysler Jeep Dodge Portugal.

The grand finale of the Quebramar GP42 Cup 2008 will take place in Puerto Calero, in the Spanish island of Lanzarote, where the GP42 fleet will race in the Trofeo César Manrique from October 16th to 18th. With all this season’s events being so close and tight, one should expect that the championship will not be decided till the last event is over.

Near Miss sails in the 27 Copa del Rey AUDI MAPFRE. Palma de Majorca, 31 July 2008. Photo copyright Iñigo Aznar / Quebramar GP42 Cup

The GP42 fleet is in Palma for the Copa del Rey AUDI MAPFRE

The GP42 fleet has already arrived in Palma and is getting ready for the Copa del Rey AUDI MAPFRE, 4th event of the QUEBRAMAR Cup. All 7 yachts participating in the Spanish showcase event par excellence are now moored in front of the Royal Yacht Club of Palma.

The GP42 is getting ready for the Copa del Rey AUDI MAPFRE, 4th event of the 2008 QUEBRAMAR Cup. Palma, 26 July 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / QUEBRAMAR Cup

The GP42 is getting ready for the Copa del Rey AUDI MAPFRE, 4th event of the 2008 QUEBRAMAR Cup. Palma, 26 July 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / QUEBRAMAR Cup

The GP42 is getting ready for the Copa del Rey AUDI MAPFRE, 4th event of the 2008 QUEBRAMAR Cup. Palma, 26 July 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / QUEBRAMAR Cup

The QUEBRAMAR GP42 Cup ready for the 27th Copa del Rey AUDI MAPFRE

The international Quebramar GP42 Cup is now passed its midpoint and the title is still far from clear and getting more open after each event. The 7 GP42 boats will now join the Mediterranean’s most important regatta after an exciting event in Valencia where they once again demonstarted that anything could happen in this class. The Spanish will be the majority of the fleet with 4 yachts, Desafío, Canarias Puerto Calero, Caser-Quum and MADRID, followed by the two Italians AIRIS and Roma GP42.2 and the Swiss Near Miss.

So far the Quebramar GP42 Cup has seen 20 races sailed with 8 yachts in each event in three locations, Santa Margherita Ligure (Italy), Saint-Tropez (France) and Valencia (Spain). There is no better proof that it is a high-level, extremely close and professional circuit than the fact that there was a different winner in each event. In addition, the crushing majority of boats have won at least one of the 20 races and the podium of each event is always decided in the last day if not the last race.

The overall standings of the Quebramar GP42 Cup are so tight that the waters of the Palma bay promise to be the stage of an intense battle for leadership. Desafío, a 2007 boat optimized during the winter and helmed by Laureano Wizner, is still holding on to its first place overall at 62 points but with a shrinking margin over the Swiss Near Miss, a 2008 Farr design helmed by Bertrand Pacé, at 68 points and the Italian AIRIS, a 2008 Felci design helmed by Sandro Montefusco, at 70.

The Quebramar GP42 Cup in full action in Valencia during the Trofeo de la Reina Rolex Cup. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / QUEBRAMAR GP42 Cup

A total of 12 races are scheduled for the 27th Copa del Rey AUDI MAPFRE, starting at 1pm every day. Given the fact a maximum of 9 races count towards the overall standings of the Quebramar Cup, the teams will now have the possibility to discard, potentially, up to 3 races, something that hadn’t taken place so far in the season.

This year’s edition of the Copa del Rey is the second one the GP42 fleet is taking part since its official launch in 2006. Gonzalo Esteves’ Quebramar-Chrysler easily dominated last year’s event, finishing 20 points ahead second-placed Canarias Puerto Calero.

Official racing starts on Tuesday, July 29th but without any doubt the most interesting novelty in the Quebramar Cup will be the official practice day, on Monday July 28th. Although not counting towards the event’s or the championship’s score table, the practice race will bring the GP42 excitement closer to 7 lucky guests. For the first time ever each of the participating yachts will carry a guest that will be able to have an unforgettable hands-on experience of the races.

Although the GP42 fleet will be racing on its own separate race area, it will not be a permanent one. The event’s organizers have set up three different areas, Alfa, Bravo and Charlie, and the more than 100 yachts will be rotating through each one every day. This feature will undoubtedly make tacticians think more in order to stay ahead of the fleet.

The 27 Copa del Rey AUDI MAPFRE is organized by Real Club Náutico de Palma (RCNP) and the Spanish Sailing Federation (RFEV) and is sponsored by AUDI and MAPFRE.

After the Copa del Rey, the following events of the Quebramar GP42 Cup are the Trofeo Quebramar-Chrysler in Cascais (August 28th to 30th) and the grand finale the Trofeo César Manrique in Puerto Calero (October 16th to 18th).

Near Miss is clear winner of the Trofeo Reina Rolex Cup; climbs to 2nd place in QUEBRAMAR Cup

Near Miss, the Swiss GP42 yacht flying the colors of the Société Nautique de Genève, dominated the 3rd event of the QUEBRAMAR GP42 Cup. After a total of 7 races the Swiss come first, followed by Roma GP42.2 and AIRIS. Desafío is still leading the QUEBRAMAR GP42 Cup but Near Miss grabs 2nd place from AIRIS

Valencia, 13 July 2008: Early in the morning, the closing day of the Trofeo Reina Rolex Cup seemed to be dull and boring, given the light winds. Nevertheless, it turned out to be completely different and Valencia’s waters once again witnessed close and thrilling races, with the top 4 boats fighting ferociously for the podium spots.

After waiting for more than an hour for the breeze to build up and settle down, the first race started with a southeasterly wind of around 7-8 knots. The right side of the course was unquestionably the favored one and the whole fleet opted for it. A leading group of three boats was quickly formed, consisting of Roma GP42.2, Near Miss and Desafío, rounding the top mark in that order. In the first run, Near Miss overtook Roma GP42.2 who in their turn were holding a fierce fight with Desafío for third place in the Trophy.

Still, the race was far from over. In the second beat, Roma GP42.2 took the lead once again and watched Near Miss and Desafío staging a gybing duel. There was blood on Valencia’s waters, not only among the three leaders but also between Caser-Quum, Canarias Puerto Calero and AIRIS.

With the breeze climbing to 15 knots the show was guaranteed and the last leg was as thrilling as it could be. Roma GP42.2 finished first and Near Miss second, after resisting the attacks from Desafío.

Closing day of the Trofeo Reina Rolex Cup. Valencia, 13 July 2008. Photo copyright ROLEX / Kurt Arigo

The race committee didn’t waste any minute to fire the starting gun for the second race, given the breeze was stable and blowing at 13-14 knots. The 8-strong fleet had a clear start and once again the right side of the course was the favoured one.

Spanish newcomers Caser-Quum had an excellent start and led the fleet from the beginning, under a steadily increasing chop with waves up to 2 meters. Not only didn’t they feel threatened by the fleet, they were able to hold on to their healthy margin. Once again the tough battle was taking place between Roma GP42.2, Near Miss, Desafío and AIRIS. All these four boats were constantly alternating positions. After a thrilling last leg, Roma GP42.2 and Near Miss crossed the finish line ahead of Desafío.

There is no Spanish team in the Trofeo de la Reina Rolex Cup podium. Near Miss is now crowned winner and Roma GP42.2 finishes second, ahead of AIRIS

QUOTES

Tom Schnackenberg, Navigator on Near Miss, winner: There was no secret in our victory although some times you need some luck. You obviously have to sail well and take advantage of all opportunities. The boat is going better now and we had a good regatta. Consistency was not a feature of our sailing in the past, we had some wins but also some very low places. Here in Valencia we never finished worse than 4th and that is good. Now that we have passed the midpoint of the QUEBRAMAR GP42 Cup we feel we are in the top group, we just have to keep improving and see if we can win again. We have the potential to improve, as does the rest of the fleet. It’s amazing how the fleet is improving after every race. We see some boats improve and the ones that don’t do so well, in the next race they are better. I’m very impressed with the sailing skills of the whole crew, they are top level and I learn a lot each time I sail with them. It’s a top French-Swiss boat but I talk to them in English…

Closing day of the Trofeo Reina Rolex Cup. Valencia, 13 July 2008. Photo copyright ROLEX / Kurt Arigo

Paolo Cian, helmsman on Roma GP42.2, second-placed: The day began in a strange way with waves and light wind. The race committee correctly waited for an hour and half before giving the start but at the end we had two nice races. We sailed fast in both of them, continuing yesterday’s trend, being very fast upwind and defending ourselves downwind where we managed to hold on to our lead. We are satisfied but we still have to work. Our reference was Near Miss, they chose today to control AIRIS and as a result, we were given the opportunity to slip in between them a couple of times upwind. I know feel we are the fastest boat upwind and if we succeed in finetuning some remaining details, I hope next time we are the boat to beat. The modifications we carried out before the Trofeo de la Reina have bore their fruit beyond our expectations. We are now calmer on board and if the feeling is good, results come more naturally.

Roberto Benamati tactician on AIRIS, third-placed: Unfortunately and contrary to what happened in Saint-Tropez here in Valencia the last racing day was highly disappointing for us. We sailed cleanly there and we were a bit clumsy here. A sixth and a fifth place is results we can’t be happy of. We had some minor problems upwind with today’s stronger breeze and we paid for bad manoeuvres downwind. We end the Trofeo de la Reina Rolex Cup in third place but Roma GP42.2 overtaking us and finishing second leaves us a bit sad. They were good and we were bad. We now have to examine the situation closely, see what’s wrong with our sailing in fresh breeze and decide how to better tune the boat.

Closing day of the Trofeo Reina Rolex Cup. Valencia, 13 July 2008. Photo copyright ROLEX / Kurt Arigo

QUEBRAMAR GP42 Cup: Near Miss takes the lead in Trofeo de la Reina Rolex Cup with two bullets on second day

Near Miss, the Swiss GP42 yacht flying the colors of the Société Nautique de Genève, swept on the second day of the Trofeo de la Reina Rolex, scoring two firsts and a fourth. The top three spots of the event are now held by a Swiss and two Italian teams.

Valencia, 12 July 2008: If there was any doubt left that the QUEBRAMAR GP42 Cup didn’t offer us close and exciting races, it was dissipated like morning mist this afternoon in Valencia. We had three breathtaking races, where the score table was turned upside down several times and great photo finishes. All competing sailors agree to the fact Near Miss and AIRIS are the fastest of the fleet.

The first race started right on time, albeit with slightly lighter conditions than yesterday. Being noon, the breeze hadn’t built up and was blowing at 7-8 knots. With the exception of Caser-Quum, the whole fleet went to the left. The form book was clearly followed, with Desafío, AIRIS and Near Miss leading from the start. The Spanish Desafío kept a comfortable margin throughout the race, while Roma GP42.2 managed to overtake Near Miss and force the Swiss to their worst finish so far in the event.

Second day of the Trofeo de la Reina Rolex Cup. Valencia, 12 July 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / QUEBRAMAR GP42 Cup

The second race was probably the most thrilling, exciting and close we have seen so far this year. With the breeze dropping to 7-8 knots and some shifts, at least in theory, the results were open. After a clear start, Near Miss, Desafio, Roma GP42.2 and Airis went to the left. That decision paid off and that group rounded the top mark ahead of the rest in that order. Near Miss at no moment felt threatened and managed to increase their lead over the fleet. The real battle was happening for second to fourth place, especially between Desafío and Roma GP42.2 who staged a fierce gybing fight throughout the last leg. AIRIS, took advantage of it and climbed to second place, with a comfortable margin over the other yachts. Still, the real thriller took place a few tens of meters from the finish line when MADRID, after a great recovery, slipped in between Roma GP42.2 and Desafío, relegating the Spanish to fifth.

In the third and final race of the day the book form was really thrown on Valencia’s blue waters. As the weather low was approaching Valencia, the dark clouds that were hovering over the sky raised the breeze up to 12 knots. Near Miss and Roma GP42.2 continued their excellent performance crossing the finish line first and second, while the great surprise came from newcomers Caser-Quum. After a bad start and a 6th place at the first weather mark, the Spanish yacht kept passing the fleet, only to be blocked by Paolo Cian’s Roma GP42.2. Both Desafío and AIRIS paid the price of their tactical errors.

Racing will end tomorrow Sunday and, once again, the race committee will try to give 3 starts, weather allowing of course.

Second day of the Trofeo de la Reina Rolex Cup. Valencia, 12 July 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / QUEBRAMAR GP42 Cup

Quotes

Paolo Cian, Helmsman of Roma GP42.2: It was a brilliant day; I have to admit we should have done better, since we always rounded the first weather marks, ahead of the fleet. To tell the truth, we also committed errors yesterday, some times childish errors downwind. Today, the crew moved a lot on the boat and the modifications we carried out before coming to Valencia bore their fruit, beyond our expectations. Without any doubt, Near Miss is still a little bit faster than us downwind, while upwind I think we are in a position to fight them, if we sail well. I think we still have margin because both the boat and crew are new. More importantly, we are having more fun now.

It is important to obtain good results for our morale, especially the ones achieved with hard work. At the start of the season we committed some errors, but now, step by step, we are putting everything together and things come more naturally.

Knowing the wind range we would have here was more important than the knowledge of the race area. During the America’s Cup, the race area was different, further to the east, but I have to admit this is more interesting because there are more wind shifts and the score table is upset more often. Onboard Roma GP42.2, we are doing well as far as tactics and boat speed are concerned. Our tactician, Branco Brcic, and our two trimmers are doing a good job and while at the beginning we defending our position, we can now attack..

Halfway through the circuit, we have a have an important point disadvantage, tomorrow we could defend third position, but it won’t be easy. When the breeze dies down, Desafío is very fast. We want to continue improving boat speed because this would put us in a position to gain in both the overall standings and cut the distance.

I think the GP42 is a great boat where crew work is extremely important, more than any other yacht I have sailed on. I think it is fun to watch it from outside and inside. I haven’t been able to find strong winds but when this happens I’m sure it will be fun at pure state.

Second day of the Trofeo de la Reina Rolex Cup. Valencia, 12 July 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / QUEBRAMAR GP42 Cup

José Maria Van der Ploeg, owner and helmsman of MADRID: Today we did better than yesterday that was our worst day since we joined the GP42 class. We sailed better, yesterday was not a speed problem but rather wrong tactics since we didn’t really change anything in our trimming. Today we took better decisions, without committing any errors like yesterday. Unfortunately, we stilled the spark that would have fired us up. We made good starts but we weren’t always on the correct side, so we stll have to learn a lot.

This race area was quite difficult, with lots of puffs, shifts and little logic. With the choppy sea and light wind, it was quite complicated. Nevertheless, racing was very beautiful with the whole fleet close together. This is the way the GP42 class goes. Errors cost dearly while the right decisions pay off handsomely.

There are two boats, clearly ahead of the rest; Near Miss and AIRIS. Then you have a very compact group of 4-5 boats. Tomorrow, depending on the breeze we have, second and third positions of the event could be at stake and open to all of us.

The 3rd event of the QUEBRAMAR GP42 Cup begins tomorrow in Valencia

Valencia, 10 July 2008: A few hours separate us from the start of the 3rd event of the QUEBAMAR GP42 Cup in Valencia. Starting tomorrow Friday, the international GP42 fleet, made of 8 yachts from 4 countries, will be racing in the Trofeo de la Reina, crewed by an ever-growing number of world-class sailors.

The fun, exciting and fast GP42 boats will steal the spotlight among the huge 130-strong fleet that participates in Valencia. We might not know who will win the Queen’s Trophy but we surely know who the king among the 11 classes is.

The starting gun of the opening race on Friday will be fired at 2:30pm, under a westerly land breeze, an unusual pattern for this time of the year.

Valencia’s famous sea breeze is forecast to kick in on Saturday and weather specialists predict it will stay for at least two days, blowing at around 10 to 12 knots. Racing in the weekend starts at noon and as a result we will most probably be able to enjoy three exciting races per day.

The fight for leadership will be intense and Tom Schankerberg, navigator on Near Miss, expects very close and tough races. The legendary America’s Cup sailor knows the race area all too well, but so do most of the competing crews. For that reason nobody can claim to have an insider or local with better knowledge of the prevailing wind patterns. Crew work and boat speed will be crucial for all teams.

The Trofeo de la Reina will also be the maiden event for Caser-Quum, a newcomer to the QUEBRAMAR GP42 Cup. Javier Goizueta, boat owner, looks forward to sailing against the rest of the fleet and is optimistic about their performance. They will use Thursday’s training to test their brand new sails.

The Trofeo de la Reina Rolex Cup is organized by Valencia's Yacht Club (Real Club Náutico de Valencia) and sponsored by Rolex. A total of 9 races are scheduled, 3 per day.

The remaining three events of the Quebramar GP42 Cup 2008 are the Copa del Rey AUDI MAPFRE in Palma (July 26th to August 2nd); the Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler in Cascais (August 28th to 30th); and the grand finale, the Trofeo César Manrique in Puerto Calero (October 16th to 18th).

Valencia Sailing is back; next stop Geneva

My apologies for the lack of updates since almost a week but I was extremely busy at the Giraglia Rolex Cup, the 2nd event of the Quebramar GP42 Cup. With the exception of the Quebramar-Chrysler Trophy in Cascais, the GP42 fleet has always shared the same race area with dozens of other boats of all sizes and classes.

In Saint-Tropez the GP42 class made a qualitative leap. Not only did the 8-strong fleet had its own race area and committee, we enjoyed quite good wind conditions. A little bit more breeze would have been excellent but considering the fact that the remaining 200 boats struggled further offshore to find the weakest puff of breeze during 2 days, nobody is complaining. In addition, racing was so close, that overall leadership changed three times in three hours in the closing day of the event. AIRIS, the Italian boat helmed by Sandro Montefusco, started the day 4th and was crowned winner in the afternoon.

The official GP42 site has a wealth of information on the class and the Quebramar GP42 Cup. You'd better like it because I built it and I'm in charge of it!!!

Next stop for Valencia Sailing is Geneva and the Bol d'Or Mirabaud. As one would expect, my main interest will be the D35 fleet. Murray Jones will be helming the Alinghi catamaran, with Ernesto Bertarelli onboard.

AIRIS, the Italian newcomer, won the event by winning the 9th and last race. Saint-Tropez, 8 June 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Quebramar GP42 Cup

Near-Miss, the Swiss boat representing the Société Nautique de Genève, started the last day having a slim 2-point advantage. Halfway up the first leg they ran aground and of course lost all chances of winning the event. Among its America's Cup pedigree crew there is Bertrand Pacé (helm), Tangy Cariou (tactics) and Tom Schnackenberg (navigator). Saint-Tropez, 8 June 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Quebramar GP42 Cup

So close yet so far. Canarias Puerto Calero, the Spanish team from the Canary islands, needed at worst a 4th place in the last race in order to guarantee victory in the event. The trophey slipped out of their hands after finishing 6th. Saint-Tropez, 8 June 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Quebramar GP42 Cup

Consistency pays off for Canarias Puerto Calero on opening day of Giraglia Rolex Cup

Saint-Tropez, 08 June 2008: The Spanish GP42 team from the Canary Islands might have the youngest tactician of the whole fleet, 24-year old Rayco Tabares, but their consistency in today’s three opening races of the Giraglia Rolex Cup paid off and with three second places they are now at the top of the score table, 2 points ahead of Desafío. Once again, the old adage of consistency holds true. The fleet is so close that each and every errors costs dearly and one claim that errors are not permitted. Second-placed Desafío can easily testify to that.

The Saint-Tropez bay was the perfect host for the first day of the Giraglia Rolex Cup. The first race started right on time and conditions were sure to guarantee exciting and close racing. With the starting line a few hundred meters from the coast, not only was the backdrop stunning but scores of beachgoers were also able to enjoy watching the GP42 fleet.

The starting gun was fired with a nice constant breeze of around 10 knots and even if the 8-strong fleet was evenly spread over the starting line, Near Miss and MADRID were early over the line. The fleet was split with no apparent favoured side. Canarias Puerto Calero and Seawonder 007 chose the right while Desafío and Roma GP42.2 the left. The Canarians together with Seawonder 007 were leading during the first half of the race, closely followed by AIRIS and Desafío. Unfortunately, luck was not on the side of Seawonder 007 when halfway up the second beat, the Italian boat went aground after trying to get better breeze close to the coast.

The second half of the race turned into a match race between Canarias Puerto Calero and Desafío. The all-America’s Cup green team showed once again their strength and overtook the Canarians a few hundred meters from the finish line, with AIRIS closely behind them.

The second race started with slightly lighter conditions after the racing committee had shortened the leg length to 1 mile. All boats had a clear start at the committee boat end of the line. Desafío and MADRID lead the fleet from the start, once again closely followed by Near Miss who had chosen to stay in the middle of the race area. The three leading positions were hardly changed till the last leg when Canarias Puerto Calero once again anticipated the wind shifts to the right part of the course, overtook MADRID and Near Miss.

The race committee had to wait for half an hour before firing the gun as the wind kept shifting. The third and last day of the race would prove to be the trickiest but also the tripping point for Desafío that literally threw away their leadership by committing an unforgivable error at the start. With the committee end being the favored one, the Spanish boat got squeezed and crossed the line well behind the rest.

Given the shifty conditions, tacticians were split over what side to choose. Near Miss, MADRID, Canarias Puerto Calero and Seawonder 007 went to the left while the rest chose the right. The Swiss boat built a big lead and rounded the top mark clearly ahead of the rest. They never felt threatened by any of the trailing boats but the real fight took place for second and third place. Roma GP42.1, the fleet’s oldest boat, was not able to hold on to second place. Once again, Canarias Puerto Calero made an incredible recovery through the fleet, finishing second, in front of MADRID.

Quotes

José Maria Ponce – Helmsman Canarias Puerto Calero: It was a good day for us. With three second places we showed good consistency, because it was a tricky situation with many wind shifts but we are able to anticipate them. The crew was all right, I guess we still have margin for improvement and we can win some races. We are very satisfied, we were lucky and we sailed well and it’s a good base for the coming days. I believe that Desafio can be considered as the number one competitor, they’re experienced and trained, but we’ll do our best to keep them at bay.

Tom Schnackenberg – Navigator Near Miss: I’m very impressed with the racing, with the Race Committee, they were on time and kept us informed, set good courses in a very difficult set of conditions. We had three quite good races, the whole fleet and we’re pleased. So far this venue is good. The fleet is very close, you can see a boat winning one race and come sixth in another, so if you choose well you’ve got a good chance to win, conversely if you find yourself in the wrong place in the first or the second beat you can loose places very quickly. It’s a nice tight little fleet and we’re going to have nice racing, if this continues like today.

As for Near Miss it’s true we’re improving, we’re learning the boat but the others are doing it too. We had a bad first race because we had to restart, a good second one and we won the third one, we were lucky. I think that being in front is a huge advantage, whoever is in front has an easy race.

Quebramar GP42 Cup - Giraglia Rolex Cup - Provisional standings after 3 races

	Team	Races									Points
		1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
1.	Canarias Puerto Calero	2	2	2							6
2.	Desafío	1	1	6							8
3.	Near Miss	5	4	1							10
4.	MADRID	6	3	3							12
5.	AIRIS	3	5	8							16
6.	Roma GP 42.2	4	7	7							18
7.	Seawonder 007	7	6	5							18
8.	Roma GP 42.1	8	8	4							20

The Quebramar GP42 Cup goes to Saint-Tropez next week

[Source: Quebramar GP42 Cup] After an eventful start in Santa Margherita, Italy, the GP42 fleet will now move to Saint-Tropez, France for the second event of the Quebramar GP42 Cup, the Giraglia Rolex Cup, held from June 8th to 10th.

Eight boats, representing eight top-level teams lead by some of the world’s best sailors will be competing off the coast of the famous French port city of Saint Tropez, the first time ever the GP42 class holds a regatta in France. Despite the absence of a French team, many boats will not be racing in uncharted territory, given the presence of many America’s Cup and Olympic French sailors.

Will the bay of Saint-Tropez and its tricky breeze reshuffle the cards in the Quebramar GP42 Cup and upset the leaderboard hierarchy? Despite being just the second year of the up-and-coming GP42 class, the arrival of top-notch sailors significantly increased the already high level and raised the bar even further.

Dozens of America’s Cups, world championships and Olympic medals will be getting onboard the 8 GP42 boats every day. Paolo Ciàn, José Maria Van der Ploeg, Cameron Appleton, Bertrand Pacé, Sébastien Col, Laureano Wizner, Gabriele Bruni, Santi López-Vázquez, José Maria Ponce, Tanguy Cariou, Paolo Montefusco or Tom Schnackenberg are just some of the names that helm, call tactics or trim mainsails in the GP42 fleet. One thing is for sure; Desafío will now face even stronger opposition.

The Spanish all America’s Cup crew of Desafío dominated the opening event of the Quebramar GP42 Cup with 3 bullets and a 3rd place, obtaining a handsome 12-point margin from second placed. Still, Desafío’s crew had to work and think harder than last year in order to cross the finish line ahead of the fleet.

The score table gets much tighter and exciting, since a mere 3 points separate second placed Canarias Puerto Calero from 6th Roma GP42.2, and every single race will be as important as ever. Canarias Puerto Calero, the boat from the Atlantic island of Lanzarote, helmed by Spanish match-racing champion José Maria Ponce, didn’t win any race but clearly showed that consistency paid.

One point behind them is AIRIS and Near Miss, two newcomers to the GP42 class. The former, an Italian entry, was helmed by the famous kiwi sailor Cameron Appleton while the latter, representing the Société Nautique de Genève, was helmed by Bertrand Pacé and its crew was an America’s Cup who is who of French sailors.

Another newcomer, MADRID, is one point down the table. Helmed by Olympic gold medallist José Maria Van der Ploeg, the Spanish boat had an excellent start but was unfortunately unable to keep up. Another point further down is Roma GP42.2 that had a difficult first event on their brand new yacht. Everything is open and we could well be for some surprises in Saint-Tropez.

The Giraglia Rolex Cup is organized by the Yacht Club Italiano (YCI) in collaboration with the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, the co-organizer for the 7th consecutive year. It is run under the supervision of the Federazione Italiana Vela, the Fédération Française de Voile, and with the collaboration of the City of Saint-Tropez and the Yacht Club de France. Racing will take place right inside the Saint-Tropez bay, a couple of miles from the city’s Vieux Port and unlike the rest of classes taking part in the event, the GP42 fleet will only sail windward/leeward races.

The remaining four events of the Quebramar GP42 Cup 2008 are the Rolex Trofeo de la Reina in Valencia (July 10th to 13th); the Copa del Rey AUDI MAPFRE in Palma (July 26th to August 2nd); the Trofeu Quebramar-Chrysler in Cascais (August 28th to 30th); and the grand finale, the Trofeo César Manrique in Puerto Calero (October 16th to 18th).

Desafío crowned winner of Trofeo Pirelli after an excruciatingly testing last day

Santa Margherita Ligure, 4 May 2008: Desafío, the Spanish GP42 team, was crowned winner of the Trofeo Pirelli, opening event of the Quebramar GP42 Cup 2008, after yet another excruciatingly light and testing day on the waters of Santa Margherita Ligure. Just three boats managed to finish the fourth and closing race of the event.

For the third consecutive day, Eolo, the Italian god of wind, was in a bad mood and put the 8 GP42 crews to test. Despite a breeze a barely 3 knots the race committee fired the starting gun just 15 minutes after the scheduled time. Seven of the eight yachts, as it has been the case throughout the event, rushed immediately to the right side of the course, as close as possible to the coast, in search of the slightest puff of wind.

Desafío, with Santiago López-Vazquez calling tactics, having come to a virtual stop at the starting line, opted for the left and got off almost 1:30 behind the leader. Nevertheless, the tactical decision paid handsomely for the Spanish who managed to work their way up to the top after watching their competitors struggle a few meters from Portofino’s rocks.

Desafío, winner of the Trofeo Pirelli. Photo copyright Carlo Borlenghi

The green boat rounded the top mark ahead and despite the close attacks by Paolo Cian’s Roma GP 42.2, the held on to their lead, crossing the finish line with a comfortable advantage, ahead of Roma GP 42.2 and Near Miss, helmed by Bertrand Pacé.

In the meantime the breeze had completely died down and the remaining 5 boats were unable to finish on time.

In addition to the difficulty in understanding the wind, tacticians and helmsmen had to be very careful and attentive to the rest of the 130-strong fleet that was sailing very close, crowding the area around the buoys.

The closing race didn’t change much the series results, with Desafio distancing their competitors by a full 12 points, while Canarias Puerto Calero and AIRIS, closed in with a mere point distance from each other, the latter overcoming Near Miss and getting to the podium thanks to two second places in the previous races.

The GP42 fleet will now head to the French city of St. Tropez for the second leg of the Quebramar Cup 2008 circuit.

Provisional final standings after 4 races
1. Desafío, 6 points, (3+1+1+1)
2. Canarias Puerto Calero, 18 points, (2+3+4+9)
3. AIRIS, 19 points, (6+2+2+9)
4. Near Miss, 19 points, (4+9+3+3)
5. Madrid, 20 points, (1+4+6+9)
6. Roma GP 42.2, 21 points, (5+9+5+2)
7. Seawonder 007, 28 points, (7+5+7+9)
8. Roma GP 42.1, 31 points, (8+6+8+9)

Start of the second race of Trofeo Pirelli. Photo copyright Stefano Gattini

Quotes

Laureno Wizner – Desafio helmsman: "We are obviously very happy with the result. It was not easy to race, but the crew is experienced and have sailed together for a long time. It’s always good to win but it’s even more special to do it at the first event and with an almost clean score, with three wins.

The boat is now leaving for Valencia where we will have presentation to the media, and than we will head to St Tropez. Hopefully the conditions will be different there."

Alicia Ageno – Canarias Puerto Calero navigator: "It was very difficult to race with such light winds and continuous shifts. I believe today the Race Committee shouldn’t have given us the start. The venue is very attractive, but it’s hard to sail in a big fleet, you have to keep your eyes wide open to avoid the big and the little boats coming from everywhere, it’s different than having your own race. Today luck was a factor too. We are satisfied with our boat’s performance; obviously she’s tested from last season. Yet the new designs are fast, they lack some tuning but I guess they will get better and better, and the circuit more interesting with every new event. It’s fun to sail in this class."

Roberto Monti – AIRIS owner: "Finishing third in the first event, after only a few hours’ practice, and having launched the boat no more than two weeks ago is a huge achievement. I must thank both the designer and the shipyard staff who did a fantastic job. The whole project started just 9 months ago. I consider this as a starting point, of course, we still have much to do as far as sails and speed testing is concerned. I congratulate my crew, they sailed great."

Desafío consolidates leadership in light winds on second day of Quebramar GP42 Cup

Santa Margherita Ligure, 2 May 2008: The eight crews of the GP42 fleet were greeted by light and testing conditions during the second day of the Quebramar GP42 Cup, similar to the opening day. Desafío, the Spanish team, prevailed once again, finishing first in the day’s only race and consolidating their leadership in the overall standings, after a tough battle against AIRIS. Near Miss had a very nice recovery through the race and crossed the finish line third.

Racing started after a 1-hour postponement, in order for the breeze to pick up. Even if the favoured end of the starting line was at the pin, the GP42 fleet crowded the committee boat. The lesson from yesterday’s races was learned; head to the coast and get as close as possible to Portofino, and that’s what they did, tacking even a few meters away from the rocks.

Right from the start, AIRIS and Desafío lead the fleet, closely followed by Canarias Puerto Calero, rounding the top mark in that order. In the first run, the fleet decided to go to the left side of the course while AIRIS opted once again for the coast, risking to lose its leadership as the rest of the 130-strong fleet of the event was going upwind, heading right towards them.

The gamble paid out and the Italian boat, helmed by kiwi Cameron Appleton, rounded the leeward gate ahead but was feeling the strong pressure by Desafío and Canarias Puerto Calero.

In the second beat, the fleet once again headed towards the coast and the fight between AIRIS and the all-America’s Cup crew of Desafío continued unabated. At the same time, Near Miss, helmed by Bertrand Pacé, was working its way up the fleet, rounding the top mark in third position.

In the least leg, the battle for supremacy turned into a match race between Desafío and AIRIS that was won by the Spanish in the last few hundred meters. Near Miss finished third and Canarias Puerto Calero fourth.

Right after the end of the first day the race committee tried to squeeze in a second one and fired the starting gun a few minutes after the Wallies had started their own race. The fleet once again headed towards the coast in search of a possible puff of wind. Unfortunately, they didn’t have any luck and the breeze kept dying down. After they vainly kept on trying to catch its scattered remains, the race committee cancelled all racing for the day.

The schedule for tomorrow calls for two windward/leeward races but, unfortunately, the weather forecast leaves little room for optimism as the light and testing conditions will most probably prevail, once again.

Provisional standings after 3 races
1. Desafío, 5 points, (3+1+1)
2. Canarias Puerto Calero, 9 points, (2+3+4)
3. AIRIS, 10 points, (6+2+2)
4. Madrid, 11 points, (1+4+6)
5. Near Miss, 16 points, (4+9+3)
6. Roma GP 42.2, 19 points, (5+9+5)
7. Seawonder 007, 19 points, (7+5+7)
8. Roma GP 42.1, 22 points, (8+6+8)


Quotes

Tanguy Cariou, Tactician - Near Miss: It was a race with winds that were stronger than what we had expected and as a result quite interesting. You had to look for the wind and go close to the coast, near Portofino. During the first leg racing was much closer and we had some intense fights we the rest of the fleet but after the top mark, the fleet spread apart and distances increased. Still, one of the trickiest aspects was when we had to cross the boats from the other classes and due to that factor the results in the GP42 fleet were more random.

Under today’s and yesterday’s very light conditions you needed to stay alert and catch the correct wind shifts. Racing is much trickier than when you have 10 or 15 knots of wind.

We raced well and managed to recover positions and finish third. We now need to continue our good performance in order to make up the lost ground from Thursday’s OCS.

We are satisfied with our new boat. We sailed well but we are still learning. We obviously have no reference points for it but I’m convinced the platform is good and we would really like to be able to race under windier conditions, where the boat reaches its maximum performance and the difference between the fleet are more evident.

Jose Maria Ponce, Helmsman - Canarias Puerto Calero: Wind conditions were difficult during the day; we barely had more than 6 knots. In my opinion the race committee took the right decision to cancel the second race when windspeed dropped to 2 knots. Even though these are fast boats, our speed barely passed over 1 knot at that stage.

I’m very satisfied with the performance of the boat and the team. We carried out some changes in the crew this year and it seems we have made the right choice. As for the boat, it compares favourably with the rest of the fleet and especially the new boats. I haven’t noticed any radical evolution in the design and last year’s boats are doing very well. Desafío is leading the Quebramar Cup and we are second. Still, don’t forget that the new boats have only been sailing for a few days with completely new crews. They will obviously get better but we will also improve during the season.