TP52 World Championship - Day 4: Onboard Synergy

Friday was another good day for Quantum with a second and a bullet. Not only did they consolidate their lead, they managed to scrap a couple of points over Matador that scored a third and a second. I was onboard Synergy and it could have been a very good day with two fourths that consolidated their third position if it weren't for the disqualification in the first race. Halfway through the last run, the Russian yacht got a little bit too close to AUDI A1 and her spinnaker touched the Franco-German one. AUDI A1 protested and won. Those additional 6 points make their 3rd place overall extremely delicate. Artemis is now 4th, just one point behind despite their awful performance with an 8th and a 6th.

The good news for the Russians though is that it now seems almost certain they will officially challenge for the 34th America's Cup. Next year will certainly be busy for Synergy as they will continue their TP52 campaign with a new boat and a brand new entry in the RC44 circuit. In fact, right after the end of the TP52 Worlds here in Valencia they will fly to Puerto Calero in Lanzarote for the RC44 Worlds. Another entry in the Cup is also very near, from what we understand, as it appears that it will not be long before Artemis make their official announcement.

The TP52 World Championship wraps up on Sunday with two scheduled races. The weather forecast is far from encouraging though. There is very little breeze is promised in the afternoon and we might even have some passing rain as well. As a result, if only one race takes place every single position will be up for grabs.

Faces we will be seeing in the 34th America's Cup? From left Chris Main (NZL / mainsail trimmer), Eugenyi Neugodnikov (RUS / helmsman), Rod Dawson (NZL / tactician) and Taras Trofimenko (RUS / runners) Valencia, 8 October 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Race 1 The early-morning overcast skies meant we had to wait more than two hours before the thermal breeze kicked in The first race day was a one-sided affair for Cristabella. The British boat, helmed by Roberto Bermudez and with John Cutler calling tactics, had a perfect start at the pin end of the line, sailed furthest to the left and capitalized on a left shift that put them at the lead of the fleet. Synergy sailed well, especially in the second beat when she managed to climb to 4th position behind AUDI A1 but the incident in the 1st run resulted in her disqualification.

First beat of the race. Cristabella on the far left takes the lead early on. Valencia, 8 October 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Approaching the first weather mark, Cristabella has built a very comfortable lead. Valencia, 8 October 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Only two boats were behind Synergy at the first weather mark. Valencia, 8 October 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Matador approaches the leeward gate. Valencia, 8 October 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Synergy pass Bigamist at the leeward gate. Valencia, 8 October 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

You have to see it to believe it. Artemis rounds the second weather mark last. Valencia, 8 October 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Francesco Mongelli (left) and Taras Trofimenko grinding during the spinnaker hoist. Valencia, 8 October 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Artemis sailed with a torn spinnaker in the last run of the race. Valencia, 8 October 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Russian power during the gybes of the last run. Valencia, 8 October 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Another promising Russian sailor, mastman Nikolay Kornev, checks upon AUDI A1. Valencia, 8 October 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

It's a pity, a good race will end in disqualification when the Russians dangerously approach AUDI A1. Valencia, 8 October 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

The AUDI A1 crew shouts as Syerngy's spinnaker touches theirs. Valencia, 8 October 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

It's a close finish but Synergy crosses the line in fourth position. Valencia, 8 October 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Race 2 The rich got richer in the day's second and final race that started with a decent breeze of 12 knots and finished with barely 6 knots. Terry Hutchinson steered Quantum to another victory, consolidating their overall leadership as Matador crossed the finish line behind them. Synergy had another good race, having a close fight with AUDI A1 for third place. It was the Franco-Germans that got it and the Russians finished fourth.

Start of the day's second race. Valencia, 8 October 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Quantum was unstoppable. Valencia, 8 October 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Synergy rounds the first weather mark in third place. Valencia, 8 October 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Artemis in the first run. It was another mediocre race for the Swedish team. Valencia, 8 October 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Quantum leads the fleet at the leeward gate. Valencia, 8 October 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

AUDI A1 squeezes in at the leeward gate and Rod Dawson on Synergy yells. Valencia, 8 October 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Spinnaker drop at the leeward gate. Valencia, 8 October 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

The second beat was a close fight between AUDI A1 and Synergy. Valencia, 8 October 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Synergy rounds the second weather mark in fourth place. Valencia, 8 October 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Last stretch before the finish line. Valencia, 8 October 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Record number of entries forecast at the RC 44 World Championship in Lanzarote

[Source: RC44] A record thirteen teams will compete in the RC 44 World Championships in Lanzarote, Canary Islands (October 11-16), including the new teams Synergy Russian Sailing Team (RUS) and Peninsula Petroleum (ESP).

No less than thirteen teams will compete in the RC 44 World Championships Islas Canarias Puerto Calero Cup on October 11-16.

Two new teams will join the RC 44 Championship Tour on this occasion: Synergy Russian Sailing Team, from Russia, and Peninsula Petroleum from Spain. Both teams have been involved in top level international yacht racing for many years. Indeed, Synergy is already competing in the TP 52 Class as well as in the Louis Vuitton Trophy whilst Peninsula Petroleum has been competing in the GP 42 Series.

“Our involvement with the RC44 class gives Synergy Russian Sailing Team the possibility to continue its development in the new ultra-modern sailing classes”, says Maxim Logutenko, the team’s CEO. “We are absolutely sure that the RC44 class is an amazing prospect and that's why we have decided to concentrate our forces on this circuit. Besides Transpac 52 and ACC5 regattas, the RC 44 Championship Tour will be an integral part of Synergy's development and progress. It will give Russian sailors the opportunity to train and progress at an international level.”

Synergy Russian Sailing Team was founded in 2004; its main goal is to create a group of professional Russian-speaking sailors able to compete on equal grounds with the world’s most experienced teams. The RC 44 crew will be entirely made of Russian sailors. The team’s CEO is Maxim Logutenko, who already competed as a guest on board BMW ORACLE Racing during the RC 44 Valencia Cup. Logutenko will steer the boat during the fleet regattas whilst Evgeniy Neugodnikov will take the helm during the match races. A recent winner of the Baltic Match Race in Helsinki, Neugodnikov, born in 1982, is one Russia’s new talents.

Team Peninsula Petroleum has been competing in the GP 42 Class over the past years. A dinghy sailor when he was a child, owner John Bassadone made his come back in yacht racing four years ago; his ambition is to keep improving as a driver and make steady progress in both match and fleet races. “I am super-excited to join this Class”, he said. “Because it has many features I really appreciate such as the one design and owner-driver concepts. The quality of the participants is also tremendous, and the Class is clearly progressing.”

“We are very pleased to welcome these two new teams in the RC 44 Class”, comments Russell Coutts, the founder of the RC 44 Class and co-designer of the boat alongside Andrej Justin. “The RC 44 World Championships Islas Canarias Puerto Calero Cup will be the toughest regatta in the circuit so far.”

Bertrand Favre, the RC 44 Class manager, says that “the objective of the Class is to carry on growing in Europe, but also in the United States where we are doing a specific promotional effort and have already planned two races in December 2010 and February 2011. We are very pleased to see new teams joining the Class, and to note that the interest for our Class keeps growing.”

Emirates Team New Zealand wins Louis Vuitton Trophy La Maddalena

[Source: Louis Vuitton Trophy] Two races down and on match point, Emirates Team New Zealand won the Louis Vuitton Trophy La Maddalena today in an action-packed afternoon of match race sailing.

The New Zealand boat that won the Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland in February prevailed 3-2 against the SYNERGY Russian Sailing Team that had put the Kiwis on the ropes 2-0 after the first race today.

"In the end it comes down to confidence in our team,” said Dean Barker, skipper and helmsman of ETNZ. “It's hard to believe. It was a long way back from 2-0 down. But the guys stuck with it and they gave us an opportunity that we jumped on. After that we sailed more like we expect to and it feels fantastic to win another event."

It was the first time in America’s Cup history that a Russian-flagged boat has reached the final of a Louis Vuitton-sponsored event and her mixed Russian and international crew led by Polish skipper Karol Jablonski came very close to clinching the series.

After the finish, boats crowded around the Kiwi winners and a fireboat sprayed water high in the air as Barker and his crew hosed each other down with champagne from two jeroboams and a methuselah of Moët & Chandon presented on board by Louis Vuitton chairman and CEO Yves Carcelle.

The start for the last race of the day set a new record for race turnarounds. The cutoff for competition was 4:00 pm and Principal Race Officer Peter Reggio and his team hustled to setup and signal the start of the last race, less than five minutes after the finish of race three.

A shifty easterly breeze that built slowly in speed provided excellent conditions on a warm, sunny final day of racing. Because there was no wind early, the petit final for third and fourth places was abandoned and the French/German team All4One was confirmed in third place, with Sweden’s Artemis fourth.

Emirates Team NZ win the Louis Vuitton Trophy. La Maddalena, 6 June 2010. Photo copyright Chris Cameron / Emirates Team NZ

Final, Race Two: SYNERGY Russian Sailing Team def. Emirates Team New Zealand, 01:22 – ETNZ had the starboard entry advantage but after a long dialup Jablonski claimed the committee end with the Kiwis to leeward in the middle of the line. ETNZ and Barker were bow out as Jablonski carried them all the way out to the port layline. A right-hand shift carried both boats below the mark and an unsuccessful last-minute effort by Barker to punch through to leeward in a flurry of tacks saw the Kiwi boat make a down-speed rounding 20 seconds astern. Synergy sailed away. Rod Dawson, tactician, Synergy: “It was really satisfying. We wanted the right and Karol did a fantastic job. We felt it was going to shift that way and we controlled the race from that side. The shifts were up to 20 degrees, very tricky conditions…”

Final, Race Three: Emirates Team New Zealand def. SYNERGY Russian Sailing Team , 01:05 – ETNZ trailed by 26 seconds at the first mark but crisper, faster gennaker sets and gybes, and a tactical call half way down the first run, pulled the Kiwis within six seconds at the gate. Under pressure, SYNERGY’s crew fumbled the gennaker takedown bringing the boat almost to a standstill. Minutes later ETNZ led by 156 metres. At the start, Jablonski had conducted a master class in starting tactics, leveraging a starboard entry and controlling a long dialup that led above the line before taking off at the pin on port, with the Kiwis tucked away 22 metres to leeward. Davies said: "It was won down the first run for us. The right side was very, very strong. We managed to pull back close and the pass was down the run. He had a bad rounding but I think we were going to be ahead and on the favored side of the course." Jablonski said: "That's the game of mistakes. We gybed on the first run a little bit too early and TNZ had an edge, that's why we decided to go to the other mark.”

Final, Race Four: Emirates Team New Zealand def. SYNERGY Russian Sailing Team, 00:04 – The Kiwi boat prevailed in a muscular tactical battle punctuated by a flurry of protest flags in 14 knots of breeze. After a spirited pre-start the boats split with the Kiwis on starboard before quickly tacking onto port to control. Barker led by seven seconds at the top mark but the Russians overtook on the run, only to be penalized after contact when ETNZ closed up again. The action was furious and the flags frequent on the last run as Synergy fought to land a penalty on their opponent but Barker kept clear and broke through to win by four seconds with the Synergy penalty still outstanding.

Final, Race Five: Emirates Team New Zealand def. SYNERGY Russian Sailing Team, 01:23 – Synergy claimed the committee end on starboard with ETNZ to leeward and immediately tacked away. The Kiwi boat tacked to cover and it was a replay as they went out to the starboard layline with the Russian boat forced to follow. Barker led by 12 seconds after the run and held off Jablonski in a spirited tacking duel up the second weather leg. Synergy’s hopes were shattered on the run when their gennaker shredded as they trailed by three boat lengths. Davies said: "It was a tough one. But we got there in the end. It was a tricky venue and tough competitors. It was tough to win and we're pretty darn proud of it. The turning point was on that final run when their spinnaker blew out! In the end, the team keeps backing itself. It was stressful, but like all of these regattas, you just have to win the last race, and we peaked at the right time. Synergy sailed really well as did all of the top boats. It's been a really close regatta, the closest of these we've had…It's hard to keep people behind us, that's for sure."

Final Results

1. Emirates Team New Zealand
2. SYNERGY Russian Sailing Team
3. All4One
4. Artemis
5. Mascalzone Latino Audi Team
6. Azzurra
7. TEAMORIGIN
8. Luna Rossa
9. BMW Oracle Racing Team
10. ALEPH Sailing Team

Video: Louis Vuitton Trophy La Maddalena - Final Match 1

Highlights from Final Match 1 of the Louis Vuitton Trophy. La Maddalena, 5 June 2010. Video copyright Louis Vuitton Trophy

Russian team wins opening final race at La Maddalena

[Source: Louis Vuitton Trophy] Russia's SYNERGY Russian Sailing Team were unstoppable today, winning their semi-final match 2-0 and then defeating Emirates Team New Zealand in their first final match.

Today’s semi-final was the faceoff between new teams featuring familiar faces and SYNERGY won, defeating the French/German team All4One 2-0. It was a sweet victory for the boat that placed fifth in the round robin, beating the top-seeded All4One skippered by German three-time German Olympic gold medallist Jochen Schümann and steered by leading French match racer Sébastien Col.

The two semi-final races in light air marked the first time in America’s Cup history that a Russian-flagged boat has reached the final of a Louis Vuitton-sponsored event. The new Russian team with a mixed Russian and international crew was prominent in its first Louis Vuitton Trophy event, finishing third in Nice last year. Her Polish skipper, Karol Jablonski is one of the world’s top match racers and steered the Spanish boat Desafio Español to the semi-finals of the Louis Vuitton Cup in Valencia in 2007.

The winds were light all day and Jablonski and his crew had to wait into early evening before their race against Emirates Team New Zealand. The Kiwi skipper Dean Barker deftly avoided a pre-start dialup, negating the starboard tack entry advantage of the Russian boat but Jablonski and his Kiwi tactician Rod Dawson won the pre-start battle and the start. The Kiwis came back to dominate the first three legs until the Russians took over at the last top mark.

"We are happy. It's been a tough match,” Jablonski said. “The race is never over until it's over. Obviously we had a good day at the office and tomorrow hopefully we have another one... You have these days when everything works fine for you and other days nothing works. But today we had a good day. The crew work was good, we had good communication, and Rod is making good calls. We did a good job and we're pleased with the result."

Semi-final Two, Race One: SYNERGY Russian Sailing Team def. All4One, 00:31 – A picture perfect starboard tack start, on time at the pin, launched the Russians out to an early lead of 64 metres. However Jablonski’s lead evaporated at the end of the first run as he chose the wrong gate. Sébastien Col accelerated away from the opposite gate to claim the advantaged left side and build a 30 second lead at the top. Both boats made poor roundings but it was Synergy which reclaimed the lead to finish first. Describing his sudden break for the pin in the pre-start, Jablonski said: “We gybed early and took a risk and turned back early because we liked the left. My job was made easy by the other boat. We had a long journey in this race.”

Semi-final Two, Race Two: SYNERGY Russian Sailing Team def. All4One, 01:15 – All4One’s early move to break clear of a dialup ended French/German hopes in the race and the semi-final. Col got clear and sailed away but gybed, returning early to the line. Jablonski followed, and hooked and broke the collision wand on All4One’s leeward quarter. Col was over early in his efforts to wriggle clear and was forced to restart, carrying a penalty. SYNERGY romped away in a building breeze.

Final Race One: SYNERGY Russian Sailing Team def. Emirates Team New Zealand, 00:34 – Jablonski was aggressive in the pre-start as the teams circled, almost getting a hook on the Kiwi boat and forcing them away towards the committee before he made a speedy start at the pin. The Kiwis tacked to start on starboard close to the committee. Dean Barker gained slowly on a long drag race well beyond the port tack layline and held Jablonski out to round the top mark first. They were level at the end of the run and the Russians worked the left to cross ahead of the Kiwis on port approaching the weather mark. Ray Davies, ETNZ tactician said: "It was a bit disappointing. A really good start and good first beat. We had a bad gybe set, but were still comfortably ahead. The left gate was closer, but it wasn't a nice rounding. We took the favoured gate but coughed up quite a lot. He was getting good pressure on the left and we protected the wrong side on the second beat... Those guys sailed a really good race... We let ourselves down a bit. It wasn't our smoothest day on the water."

Final Provisional Results

Final Race One SYNERGY Russian Sailing Team def. Emirates Team New Zealand

Semi-final Provisional Results

Semi-final One: Emirates Team New Zealand def. Artemis, 2-1
Semi-final Two: SYNERGY Russian Sailing Team def. All4One, 2-0

Round Robin Results

1. All4One, 6-3, 6 points

2. Artemis, 6-3, 6 points
3. Emirates Team New Zealand, 6-3, 6 points

4. Mascalzone Latino Audi Team, 6-3, 5 points *

5. SYNERGY Russian Sailing Team, 5-4, 5 points
6. Azzurra, 4-5, 4 points

7. TEAMORIGIN, 4-5, 4 points
8. Luna Rossa, 3-6, 3 points
9. BMW Oracle Racing Team, 3-6, 3 point
10. ALEPH Sailing Team, 2-7, -2 points *

* Penalties deducted by Jury/Umpires

Field closes up at Louis Vuitton Trophy La Maddalena

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Provisional win-loss leaderboard after Saturday racing:

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

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

=6. Azzurra, 3-4, 3 points

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

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

* Penalties deducted by Jury/Umpires

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Provisional win-loss leaderboard after Friday racing

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

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

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

=7. Azzurra, 2-3, 2 points

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

* Penalties deducted by Jury/Umpires

Azzurra scores 2-0 shut out of Emirates Team New Zealand to win Louis Vuitton Trophy

[Source: Louis Vuitton Trophy] The team from the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda makes a triumphant return after a 22-year hiatus.

Even before the Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Côte d’Azur began, Azzurra skipper Francesco Bruni spoke of his passion and honour to be leading an iconic sailing brand back into the fray after a long absence. This afternoon he could barely describe his joy.

Bruni and his Azzurra crew, including tactician Tommaso Chieffi, defeated Emirates Team New Zealand 2-0 in the Grand Final to win this match race regatta.

Azzurra, from the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, made its international sailing debut at the 1983 Louis Vuitton Cup but has been in hiatus since the 1987 event off Western Australia. The team was re-launched last month and today Azzurra won the first race by 25 seconds and the second by 17 for a well-deserved championship.

“It’s an amazing sensation. I can’t find the words to describe it,” said Bruni, the 40-year-old skipper from Sicily. “We knew we could do a good job. We had very good training before the event. But we never thought about beating New Zealand in the final.”

Emirates Team New Zealand entered the final as the favourite. It won the round robin, suffering just one loss in 10 starts, and then defeated the upstart Synergy Russia Sailing Team in a hard-fought semi final match.

Team New Zealand has won many regattas this year, including the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series in February and the TP52 World Championship in September. Today, however, the Kiwis lost the first cross in both races and could never find a way around the Italians on the short courses of less than 5 nautical miles.

“I think we sailed well today but Azzurra was clearly better than us. They did everything right,” said Dean Barker, skipper of Emirates Team New Zealand. “Sometimes that’s just the way it is. You’re either in the right place or you’re not. Today Azzurra sailed very, very well.”

The two races were sailed early in the morning as the race committee was intent on deciding the regatta on the water and not on countback, which might’ve happened if racing couldn’t be conducted. The best winds of this two-week event were often early in the morning, and today the first warning signal was sounded at 0800 CET, one hour earlier than scheduled.

The northwesterly wind blew between 6 and 10 knots for the two races and was very shifty and patchy. Pressure differences often accounted for different sailing angles as 1 or 2 knots more wind can lift a yacht as much as 10 degrees higher than its opponent.

Chieffi, who won the 1992 Louis Vuitton Cup as tactician of Il Moro di Venezia, thought the Kiwis’ success played against them in the final.

“Beating TeamOrigin yesterday was a big plus for us; we’d done our share of work,” said Chieffi. “So we came in with smiley faces today despite the early morning. I could sense the Kiwis were more tense because they were the favourite; they were leading throughout the regatta. This played a role in our favour.”

The winning crew included skipper Bruni and tactician Chieffi, Tom Burnham (strategist), Bruno Zirilli (navigator), Daniele De Luca (mainsail trimmer), Stefano Rizzi (jib trimmer), Pierluigi De Felice (spinnaker trimmer), Gabriele Bruni (trimmer), Piero Romero (runner grinder), Nicola Pilastro (mainsail grinder), Massimo Galli (port grinder), Francesco Scalici (starboard grinder), Cristian Griggio (pitman), Luca Albarelli (mastman), Pietro Mantovani (mid-bow), Matteo Auguadro (bowman) and Michele Cannoni (pit assist).

Despite the win, Azzurra had its mishaps on the racecourse. The skipper and tactician both described three problems in the two races. In Race 1 a helicopter got too low to the water and disrupted the wind flow, reducing a four-boatlength lead to one.


In the second race the crew didn’t judge a bias in the leeward gate. They made a starboard rounding, but the mark was farther downwind and again they gave away three boatlengths.

The biggest mishap came at the top of the second beat in the second race. Approaching the windward mark on starboard tack with Team New Zealand two or three lengths behind, Mantovani, the mid-bowman, slipped overboard while preparing the spinnaker for the rounding. As the yacht sailed past the aft grinder, Romero, ran into the scoop and grabbed him out of the water “like a fish,” according to Bruni.

Chieffi said: “Even with the mishaps, the crew did a solid job to not lose concentration. Yes, we had five-boatlength leads, but one length is enough. The crew did an outstanding job keeping it calm, steady and tidy. We’re very pleased with the result.”

Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Cote d’Azur Final Standings
Team (Country) Skipper (Nationality) Won-Lost

1. Azzurra (ITA) Francesco Bruni (ITA), 11-5
2. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) Dean Barker (NZL), 11-4
3. Synergy Russia Sailing Team (RUS) Karol Jablonski (POL), 8-6
4. TeamOrigin (GBR) Ben Ainslie (GBR), 9-6
5. All4One (FRA/GER) Jochen Schumann (GER), 5-8
6. BMW Oracle Racing (USA) Hamish Pepper (NZL), 5-8
7. Artemis (SWE) Paul Cayard (USA), 5-7
8. TFS – PagesJaunes (FRA) Bertrand Pacé (FRA), 1-11

Video: Highlights from the 3rd day of Semifinals of the Louis Vuitton Trophy.

Video highlights from the 3Rd day of Semifinals of the Louis Vuitton Trophy. Nice, 21 November 2009. Video copyright Louis Vuitton Trophy

Emirates Team New Zealand to meet Azzurra for Louis Vuitton Trophy

[Source: Louis Vuitton Trophy] Petite Final wraps with Synergy overcoming TeamOrigin.

One of sailing’s most revered brands will square off tomorrow against one of its most iconic brands when Emirates Team New Zealand races Azzurra in the Final of the Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Côte d’Azur.

The final was scheduled to commence this afternoon, but light winds again frustrated competitors and organizers in their attempt to race. Although the championship was put on hold around 1440 CET, three races were held earlier in the day to wrap up the Semi Final Round and the Petit Final.

Azzurra of Italy advanced to the championship by defeating TeamOrigin of the U.K. in their showdown match. After a close first beat, the Italians luffed the British at the top of the leg to gain an advantage at the first mark.

Yesterday the Italians suffered in the strong winds and big waves. But today skipper Francesco Bruni and crew revelled in the 8-knot winds and won by 29 seconds.

Synergy grabs 3rd place overall after a crushing victory over Team Origin. Nice, 21 November 2009. Photo copyright Ian Roman / Team Origin

“I think that we, as Italians, are used to sailing in lighter wind. We all know that,” said Bruni. “I think that we were driving the boat fast today as trimmer and skipper. Also the acceleration on the start line and how the boat reacts in turns, we’re just more confident in those conditions.”

Emirates Team New Zealand then took to the racecourse and booked its place in the final by defeating the pesky Synergy Russia Sailing Team.

Team New Zealand and Synergy had sailed three ding-dong battles, highlighted by yesterday’s second race when each team was penalised 1 point by a combination of the on-water umpires and International Jury. But this morning’s anticipated showdown proved to be more of a let down.

In a fashion similar to the day’s first match, the crews were evenly matched on the first leg. With both yachts on port tack and Team New Zealand to leeward, skipper Dean Barker, reigning champion of the Louis Vuitton Cup, luffed Synergy near the first mark.

During the incident the on-water umpires penalized the Russian-flagged yacht and Team New Zealand opened an advantage it wouldn’t relinquish. The Kiwis won by 4 minutes although the delta became skewed as Synergy completed a penalty turn on the finish line in light winds.

Bullet camera mounted on Synergy Russian Sailing Team for the pre-start. Nice 21, November 2009. Video copyright BTS Broadcast

“We sort of parked it up and they didn’t give us enough room when we bore away,” said Barker of the incident at the windward mark. “It’s tough as the windward boat because you’re trying to not lose the race at that point. It was close through the manoeuvre. I don’t know if there was contact, I couldn’t see, but it was nothing like yesterday.”

After a break for lunch the four crews returned to the water to resume racing, but the Petit Final between Synergy and TeamOrigin was the only match sailed in winds between 4 and 6 knots. After trailing by 22 seconds at the first mark, Synergy scored a comeback win when it overtook the British on the first downwind leg.

“Not making the final is very disappointing,” said TeamOrigin General Manager Mike Sanderson, a past round-the-world race winner. “We put a lot more effort into this regatta than we did Auckland. We were here to win and to win it you need to get to final. I’d be lying if I said not making the final was a big disappointment.”

Racing tomorrow is scheduled to begin early with the warning signal slated for 0800 CET.

For detailed information about today’s matches please visit the official event Web

Video: Highlights from the 2nd day of Semifinals of the Louis Vuitton Trophy.

Video highlights from the 2nd day of Semifinals of the Louis Vuitton Trophy. Nice, 20 November 2009. Video copyright Louis Vuitton Trophy

Emirates Team NZ and Synergy penalized 1 point each; Score now 0-0

[Source: Louis Vuitton Trophy] The jury finds there was hard contact and that Synergy did not keep clear as the right-of-way yacht.

The International Jury for the Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Côte d’Azur has penalised Synergy Russia Sailing Team a half point for a collision with Emirates Team New Zealand at the finish of their second Semi Final race earlier today.

In the second race Emirates Team New Zealand had been penalised in the pre-start for gybing too close. The crew carried that penalty around the course. Approaching the finish, Team New Zealand was trying to either complete the 270-degree penalty turn or offset it with a penalty on Synergy when the pair wound up outside the committee boat end of the finish line.

Both crews had their genoas hoisted trying to get upwind and over the top of the committee boat, but Team New Zealand got close to the committee boat. The New Zealand crew tacked to port and hailed for water, calling the committee boat an obstruction.

Both boats were downspeed in the sloppy seaway and they collided, Synergy’s port side hitting Team New Zealand’s starboard side.

After the match the on-water umpires penalised Emirates Team New Zealand 1 point and Synergy a half point for the beam-on-beam collision that caused some damage to the 24-tonne yachts.

In a later protest hearing the International jury found that there was a hard collision between Team New Zealand and Synergy. The jury deemed that when Synergy, the starboard-tack yacht, became the right-of-way boat it altered course down towards Team New Zealand and didn’t do enough to keep clear.

“That change of course was an infringement of Rule 14 (Avoiding Contact), so we deducted a half point for that,” said Chief Umpire Bill Edgerton. “In the end we penalised Team new Zealand 1 point and Synergy a half point for the rule to make sure the crews don’t do massive damage. Then we deducted a second half point from Synergy for not doing everything to keep clear.”

Although the teams have each won a race in their match the score is now 0-0, setting up a one race, winner-take-all match tomorrow morning.

Semi final pairings set at Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Cote d'Azur

[Source: Louis Vuitton Trophy] Emirates Team New Zealand has selected Synergy Russia Sailing Team to race in the semi final round of the Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Côte d’Azur.

Team New Zealand and skipper Dean Barker were the best team in the rounds robin, posting a 9-1 record in 10 starts. They consistently won in the pre-start and had flawless crew work around the racecourse.

“We’re a consistent team because we’ve been together so long as a group. That helps us through the tough times,” said Barker, the winning skipper of the 2007 Louis Vuitton Cup.

The Kiwis, however, picked the hottest team at the regatta. Synergy, led by Polish skipper Karol Jablonski, enters the match on a five-race winning streak and has polished its game since starting the regatta at 0-3.

“It’s hard when you get to this stage of the regatta. All the teams are strong,” Barker said. “They won’t be an easy opponent and if we don’t sail well they’ll beat us.”

Video highlights from the 10th day of the Louis Vuitton Trophy. Nice, 16 November 2009. Video copyright Louis Vuitton Trophy

The second semi final match has TeamOrigin from Great Britain racing Azzurra of Italy. Azzurra skipper Francesco Bruni led his crew to a 1 minute defeat of Ben Ainslie and TeamOrigin in the first round.

The first crew to score 2 points will be the winner of each match.

Concurrent to the semi finals is knockout racing for 5th through 8th place. BMW Oracle Racing takes on TFS – PagesJaunes in one match and Artemis races All4One in the other.

Both matches are one race with the winners advancing to determine 5th and 6th, while the vanquished sail a one race match for 7th and 8th.

Tomorrow is an off day and racing is scheduled to resume Thursday, 19 November.

Today’s anticipated final match between Team New Zealand and Synergy was cancelled in the afternoon when sufficient wind failed to materialise on the Baie des Anges.

The cancellation of the match caused a re-scoring of the leaderboard based on Appendix C10.3 of the Racing Rules of Sailing, which awards partial points for those matches sailed twice.

“The ranking was established in a way we were hoping to avoid,” said Chief Umpire Bill Edgerton. “There’s no difference between the top four and bottom four, but there is a difference in their order.”

The final order placed Team New Zealand first followed by Synergy, Azzurra, TeamOrigin, BMW Oracle Racing, Artemis, All4One and TFS – PagesJaunes

Final Round Robin standings
1. Emirates Team New Zealand (9-1) 6 points
2. Synergy Russia Sailing Team (6-4) 4.5 points
3. Azzurra (7-4) 4.5 points
4. TeamOrigin (8-3) 4.5 points
5. BMW Oracle Racing (4-7) 3 points
6. Artemis (5-6) 3 points
7. All4One (3-8) 2 points
8. TFS – PagesJaunes (1-10) .5 points

Video: Karol Jablonski talks about Synergy in the Louis Vuitton Trophy

Without any doubt Karol Jablonski and the Russian Synergy team turned out to be the protagonists of the 2 round robins of the Louis Vuitton Trophy. Although crewed by excellent sailors, Jablonski himself helmed Desafío Español to the Louis Vuitton Cup semifinals in Valencia 2 years ago, this regatta is the first time ever Synergy raced in America's Cup Class yachts.

Not only haven't the Russians made a fool of themselves, they are currently standing 4th overall with 6 wins and 4 losses and have secured their spot in the semifinals, even with one race remaining against Emirates Team New Zealand. Our friends at BTS Broadcast talked to Jablonski this afternoon.

Karol Jablonski talks about Synergy in the Louis Vuitton Trophy. Nice, 16 November 2009. Video copyright BTS Broadcast

Semi finalists set at Louis Vuitton Trophy

[Source: Louis Vuitton Trophy] Synergy secures spot in top four with thrilling win over Azzurra.

There’s one match outstanding to complete the round robin at the Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Côte d’Azur, but the four semi finalists are confirmed.

Emirates Team New Zealand will win the round robin and have the opportunity to select its opponent in the semis. Team New Zealand didn’t race today and has one match remaining, against upstart Synergy Russian Sailing Team, but the veteran team led by skipper Dean Barker has a 9-1 record and cannot lose the top spot.

The Kiwis will pick their opponent from a group including TeamOrigin (8-3) of the U.K., Azzurra (7-4) of Italy or Synergy. After starting the regatta 0-3, the Russian crew today won its fifth consecutive match and sixth out of seven with a hard-fought victory over Azzurra. Synergy now stands at 6-4.

The second half of the leaderboard has Artemis (5-6) in fifth, BMW Oracle Racing (4-7) in sixth, All4One (3-8) in seventh and TFS – PagesJaunes (1-10) in eighth. These four teams will race a knockout round to determine places 5th though 8th concurrent with the semi finals.

“We’re getting stuff done, but it hasn’t been easy,” said Peter “Luigi” Reggio, principal race officer for the regatta. “The last two days have been very similar to each other, unlike the eight or so before that; every day was different. In the last race we had 13, 14 knots. In the second flight we started to see whitecaps. We haven’t seen those since last Tuesday.”

After the morning northerly blew itself out today the wind shifted to the east and built. Synergy ensured its advance to the semis with the win over Azzurra in a classic match race.

The two crews were rarely separated by more than two boatlengths, but there was only one “Y” flag requesting a ruling from the on-water umpires. It was in the pre-start and it was green.

Synergy again got the right-hand side of the start line and Azzurra started at the pin. The Italians quickly tacked to port once on the racecourse and a tacking duel ensued up the 1.4-nautical mile leg to the windward mark with Synergy protecting the right side of the course.

There were stretches where the two yachts sailed overlapped on the same tack for up to 2 minutes, with neither showing a real speed edge. During one stretch on port tack Synergy, to leeward, was able to foot out and force Azzurra to tack away. Synergy then covered in a windward position and drove the match to the port layline to round the windward mark with an 8-second advantage.

The delta was down to 5 seconds at the leeward gate, but Synergy bumped it back up to 15 seconds at the second windward mark.

Azzurra was making a charge on the run to the finish, having closed to within one boatlength. But after a jibe to port Azzurra hardened up to roll over the top of Synergy. Then, with the asymmetric spinnaker loaded, the sail split from luff to leech just below the head patch. Race over.

“I think Synergy was strong on us but by pushing to edge we thought their spinnaker might blow. It was a 50-50 chance,” said Francesco Bruni, Azzurra skipper. “That was one of best races I’ve ever sailed in Cup boats. I really enjoyed it. Every leg was close and each crew did a fantastic job.”

Despite the closeness at that stage of the race, Synergy skipper Karol Jablonski felt in control of the match. He was positioned to leeward and ahead and it would’ve been a long way around for Azzurra.

“These spinnakers are more for downwind sailing so when you heat up you don’t go faster. The sail just loads up,” Jablonski said.

Although the leaderboard is determined, the pairings for the semi finalists and knockout round won’t be announced until after tomorrow’s race. The match between Emirates Team New Zealand and Synergy is scheduled to start at 1210 CET.

Other matches today included BMW Oracle Racing defeating Artemis by 36 seconds, TeamOrigin beating All4One by 48 seconds, Azzurra beating BMW Oracle by 1:01 and Artemis defeating TFS – PagesJaunes by 1:03.

Artemis leads BMW Oracle approaching the weather mark in the last match of today. Nice, 16 November 2009. Photo copyright Juerg Kaufmann / www.go4image.com

Emirates Team NZ, unbeaten, leads Louis vuitton trophy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Meanwhile in Valencia... the TP52's are coming

With just over a month until the opening event of the 2009 AUDI Medcup circuit in Alicante, the TP52 fleet is slowly gathering in Valencia. Although no racing will take place here, the host city of the 32nd America's Cup is an obligatory stop for the yachts, since their "Measurement Week" will take place here at the end of April.

The K-Challenge base was undoubtedly the busiest one this winter, as the two Russian TP52 yachts, Valars and Synergy, underwent significant refits and modifications. The Synergy yacht has already been launched and went for her first test sail two days ago. The Valars was launched this morning. Both boats will now leave for Palma where they are scheduled to race next week.

As for the Desafío base, the Spanish team has just started working on their TP52 yacht, while the GP42 project has been scrapped. The Quantum Racing yacht has also just arrived and will be using the Spanish base, similarly to last year. The sailing crew of the Spanish team will return to their base next Tuesday.

In the Victory Challenge base, the Italian AUDI Q8 boat is being repaired after the incident that took place during her transport from Milan. When the truck made a stop in the highway rest area in order to wait for police escort one of the engine's batteries caught fire due to a short circuit. Thanks to the immediate police intervention the fire was put out and the damage to the hull was very limited. Unfortunately, the doors of the shed were closed so we couldn't assess the extent of repairs carried out. The Italian team is also waiting for a new bulb to arrive from Italy and a new mast from New Zealand.

Last but certainly not least, as we reported yesterday, the Luna Rossa STP65 yacht is back on the water and the shore crew were making the last checks before the boat leaves for Palma, later today or tomorrow. The Italian base will play host to the Spanish Optimist Championship starting Thursday.

The two Russian TP52 yachts in the K-Challenge base, after undergoing major refit and modifications during the winter. Synergy (left) was launched 2 days ago while Valars was launched a short time after the photo was taken. Valencia, 7 April 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

The Desafío base with their TP52 yacht in the shed and the Quantum boat freshly arrived. Valencia, 7 April 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Despite the rain, Luna Rossa's crew is testing the STP65 yacht since time is short. Valencia, 7 April 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing