First race of the season for CONTAINER: Second place at Hublot Palma Vela

[Source: Team Container] At the Hublot Palma Vela the new CONTAINER of Udo Schütz took a marvellous second place. After intense training sessions in winter the start into the new racing seaon went as scheduled.

From April 16th through 19th the new STP65 type boat took part at the races in Palma de Mallorca waters and clearly could benefit from the latest optimization efforts in March. Racing in the Mini Maxi division CONTAINER was able to show her huge potential against that small but top class fleet.

Especially in the first race and in the long distance race on Saturday CONTAINER proved good speed all the time. In Sunday’s final race tactician Karol Jablonski was able to move the boat from third to first place by a sail change on short notice due to a wind shift and underlined that CONTAINER enforces her claim for more podium places this year.

In the overall result CONTAINER just became second behind the Italian Luna Rossa. Evaluating the confrontation with her sistership, Peter Sibbert, CONTAINER crew member for decades, said “Most of the time we could get control of our direct competitor and in match racing we would have won 4:2 against Luna Rossa. You cannot see that from the final result list and a small tactical mistake during race no. 2, which moved us back to 4th place immediately, shows how close the racing was.”

The next regatta for CONTAINER is scheduled fort he mid of June when she will meet her competitors at the Giraglia Rolex Cup.

Team Container racing on the 3rd day of the 2009 HUBLOT Palmavela. Palma, 18 April 2009. Photo copyright Nico Martinez / HUBLOT Palmavela

Final results Hublot Palma Vela, Mini Maxi division:
1. Luna Rossa, Italy, 9 pts.
2. CONTAINER, Germany, 11 pts.
3. RAN II, Great Britain, 14 pts.
4. Bella Ments, USA, 14 pts.
5. Alegre, Great Britain, 19 pts.

Besides owner Udo Schütz the following crewmembers were on board during Palma Vela:
1. Kazuhiko Sofuku, bow, Japan
2. Lindsay Stead, midbow, Australia
3. Martin Klawon, floater, Germany
4. Magnus Augustson, pit / stb. grinder, Sweden
5. Pawel Bielecki, stb. grinder, Poland
6. Matthias Bohn, port grinder, Germany
7. Nils Beyersdorf, port grinder, Germany
8. Victor Marino, downwind trim, Spain
9. Matti Paschen, upwind trim, Germany
10. Gabriel de Llano, main grinder, Spain
11. Jens Mack, upwind grinder, Germany
12. Hartwell Jordan, mainsail trim, USA
13. Benjamin Stoffels, traveller, Germany
14. Peter Sibbert, runners, Germany
15. Tom Swift, runners, UK
16. Markus Wieser, helm, Germany
17. Karol Jablonski, tactics, Poland
18. Matt Wachowicz, navigator, USA

Luna Rossa's STP65 sets sail for Palma

Luna Rossa's left Valencia on Friday morning at 11am and set sail for Palma, where they are expected to arrive at around 2am on Saturday, if of course they find decent breeze in the 140-mile stretch of the Mediterranean that separates the two cities.

Luna Rossa's STP65 sets sail to Plama. Valencia, 10 April 2009. Photo copyright Bridget Baker

Luna Rossa's STP65 sets sail to Plama. Valencia, 10 April 2009. Photo copyright Bridget Baker

Luna Rossa's STP65 sets sail to Plama. Valencia, 10 April 2009. Photo copyright Bridget Baker

Luna Rossa's STP65 sets sail to Plama. Valencia, 10 April 2009. Photo copyright Bridget Baker

Luna Rossa repairs broken STP65 mast

The Italian team's shore crew has been finally able to successfully repair the damaged mast and it now appears that its STP65 is ready to sail again. The yacht, together with the German STP65 from Team Container, will leave Valencia in order to take part in the opening event of International Maxi Yacht Association next week.

The Luna Rossa and Container STP65 yachts, ready for racing. Valencia, 6 April 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Meanwhile in Valencia... Team Container concludes fruitful training

Note: A small error slipped through earlier in the report. Marcus Wieser is the helmsman of the yacht while Karol Jablonski is calling tactics. Our apologies.

It was supposed be an exceptional photo and video opportunity for Valencia Sailing but unfortunately it turned out to be 20-minute ride from the Luna Rossa base to the end of the canal and back. Team Container's crew was scheduled to carry out their last training session in Valencia, in view of the busy season ahead, but the weather didn't allow it.

There was simply no breeze and the forecast was not encouraging at all. After delaying the dockout for more than an hour, the STP65 yacht was motored out of the canal but then became evident it made no sense to venture any further. Adding to that the huge swell, the crew decided to return to the Luna Rossa base. We will have to wait for another opportunity in order to shoot photos of Marcus Wieser on the helm of the German yacht.

Still, the overall results achieved by the team are very satisfactory. March being in general a tricky month to sail in Valencia, just 2 of the 15 days the team spent here were lost. The first one due to excessive winds (the day following Luna Rossa's incident) and the second one on Sunday.

Team Container's STP65 yacht will now go to Palma for the opening regatta of the International Maxi Association 2009 season, starting in two weeks. Racing in the Mini Maxi division she will face, among others, Luna Rossa's STP65 and the brand new 72-ft RAN II, owned by Skype's founder Niklas Zennstrom.

Team Container's STP65 last day of training was extremely short!!!! Valencia, 29 March 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Team Container's STP65 docked in the Luna Rossa base. Valencia, 29 March 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Team Container's STP65 docked in the Luna Rossa base. Valencia, 29 March 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Luna Rossa... the day after

The sky in Valencia might be brighter today but it doesn't seem that the same applies to Luna Rossa, at least from what one can observe in the Italian base. After yesterday's terrible accident, the STP65 yacht is now tucked inside the shed on her cradle while the shore crew has taken one of the team's tenders off the water.

Conditions continue being very rough in Valencia and the strong westerly breeze keeps blowing unabated. We still have no official information on the extent of the mast breakage but it seems it will take some time before the Italian yacht resumes its training. According to the initial schedule, Luna Rossa's STP65 is planned to race in the Hublot Palmavela, from April 15 to 19.

The other STP65 yacht, and Luna Rossa's sparring partner, the German Team Container, trained on Thursday according to schedule, for the 3rd consecutive day.

The Luna Rossa base. The team's STP65 yacht is now tucked inside the shed, following yesterday's serious accident. Valencia, 5 March 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing.

Luna Rossa breaks mast of STP-65 yacht in Valencia

I was asked to hold off on this story but since it has appeared on various sites and forums, I'll add the details I know.

Luna Rossa's first joint training session with the German team Container in Valencia came to an abrupt and unfortunate end on Wednesday afternoon. The two sparring partners faced unusually strong westerly winds, a pattern that prevailed in the last couple of days.

It appears that the forestay strop on the Luna Rossa yacht parted in more than 25 knots of wind and the mast broke. It is still unclear what the extent of the damage is. The German boat didn't suffer any damage.

I was supposed to be on the tender following this maiden joint training session in order to shoot the usual photos and video but a last-minute call from the hospital canceled my expedition. I had to go back to the hospital and pick up my 3-day old baby and his mother and bring them home..... As a result, unfortunately, you won't see any picture of the incident here.

So, some times babies can cost a scoop....

Meanwhile in Valencia... Luna Rossa and Container STP65 ready to start training

While the 19 competitors of the 33rd America's Cup were discussing inside the Alinghi base, the Luna Rossa base was getting busier as the team will start training with their brand new STP65 yacht, together with the German team Container.

According to the information we have, most sailors will arrive in Valencia on Tuesday and the two sparring partners will hit the waters off Malvarosa beach on Wednesday. This first training session will last one week. We will try to have photos of video of the first sail on Wednesday.

Luna Rossa and Container STP65 ready to start sailing. Valencia, 2 March 2009.

Meanwhile in Valencia... Luna Rossa's STP65 is back on the water

Not all action in Valencia is related to the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series or the America's Cup. Luna Rossa put their brand new STP65 back on the water, while the team is training on ITA-94. From what we understand, the maiden race of the new Italian yacht will be the Hublot Palmavela next April.

As we speak there are three teams today training on America's Cup yachts. Luna Rossa on ITA-94, Shosholoza on RSA-83 and Greek Challenge on the K-Challenge FRA-93. Vasco Vascotto's Damiani Italia put an end to their training here and SWE-73 is back in the Victory Challenge base.

The Luna Rossa STP65 yacht. Valencia, 15 January 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Meanwhile in Valencia... Luna Rossa's STP65 masted

Luna Rossa's brand new STP65 yacht was masted late on Wednesday afternoon. Here are the first shots, unfortunately not up to the usual standards you have been accustomed in Valencia Sailing. Unfortunately, this time of the year at 5pm the sun couldn't be located at a worst position...

The hull of Luna Rossa's STP65. Valencia, 17 December 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

The hull of Luna Rossa's STP65 masted. Valencia, 17 December 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

The hull of Luna Rossa's STP65 masted. Valencia, 17 December 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing