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XS Racing is a Racing Organization and a Daily Online News Source for the High Performance Sailor
Visit Several Times Each Day for Your Daily Sailing News as it Breaks!
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Thursday, July 2 - 2009 - Just days after his arrival in New York, Thomas Coville has announced his stand-by for an attempt to break his own solo North Atlantic record (New York - Lizard Point). His objective is to cover the 2,980 miles between the Ambrose Light and Lizard Point (South-West tip of England) in less than 5 days 19 hours 29 minutes and 20 seconds.
On Friday June 26th, Coville aboard his Maxi-Trimaran Sodeb'O arrived in New York after a ten day delivery trip and now the shore crew has lightened the boat by 30 kg and removed the propeller shaft. At the same time, on the other side of the Atlantic, routers Christian Dumard and Richard Silvani (Météo France) are on the look-out for the slightest hint of a depression system, which would provide a favorable weather window to beat the record.
"The North Atlantic in less than six days isn't superhuman. You can even perform the crossing in under five days single-handed with a good weather forecast; for that you have to hook onto a system and not let go," explains Thomas. "It's a playing field that I'm very familiar with. It's also the most amusing and the most impressive record," recalls the skipper with a smile.
The Maxi-Trimarans Banque Populaire V skippered by Pascal Bidegory and Groupama III skippered by Franck Cammas are also set to rendezvous in Gateway Marina to the South of Brooklyn. Similarly these giants intend to line-up at the Ambrose Light in a bid to tackle the North Atlantic Record this summer, but there will be one fundamental difference: the two skippers will be sailing with 11 sailors on Banque Populaire and 9 on Groupama.
"This year, we're creating a competition against the clock with a number of candidates," says a thrilled Thomas.
However, although the three maxi multihulls will be attempting to break the same record, there's nothing to say that they'll set off with the same weather window. Indeed, the conditions required aren't necessarily the same for a solo sailor or a crew.
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Thursday, July 2 - 2009 - Ideal racing conditions look to be in place with consistent sea breeze in Hyeres - TPM for the second round of the iShares Cup. Warm-up races are planned tomorrow, including a 10-mile speed run to the beautiful island of Porquerolles and back. Mr Politi, Mayor of Hyeres, will welcome the iShares Cup and the sailors back to the town, during the press conference due to be held tomorrow at 12:00 local time.The official racing starts on Friday at 14:30.
Although the weather forecasters are predicting predominantly light winds ahead of Round 2 of the iShares Cup Hyères-TPM, the 10 international teams have been enjoying pleasant sea breezes to train in all week, thanks to the sunny weather heating up the land and creating a thermal effect, which is expected to continue for the iShares Cup race days between 3rd to 5th July. Event Director Gilles Chiorri explained, "The synoptic wind is quite light but in fact the sea breeze is very active. In the morning we are seeing around 6-7 knots from the south-west, but in the afternoon it's been building to 10-12 knots thanks to the thermal." With bright sunshine and steady breezes conditions for Round 2 of the iShares Cup 2009 look set to be a great 'hull-flying' spectacle.
Many of the teams have taken the opportunity to put in some hard training ahead of the second round of racing. Event Director Gilles Chiorri said,"Every day the Extreme 40s have been training, alone or in pairs, around marks, and with coaches. It's impressive to see how compared to last year the teams are ahead of schedule and practicing hard at things like start sequences. It's quite intense, they're out at 10.00 and not back until about 4.00."
Leading after his first victory in Venice, Gitana Extreme - Groupe LCF Rothschild skipper Yann Guichard is almost in home waters in Hyeres: "I know the race zone well, as does Pierre Pennec, because we've often sailed here during the French Olympic Sailing Week (SOF). This time though it will be different as we're going to be racing right next to the harbor wall, which will be a big first. This can change a lot of things so we're going to have to get our bearings again."
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Thursday, July 2 - 2009 - We got this in from American Vendee Globe sailor Bruce Schwab - sadly, Bruce is selling Ocean Planet - the Open 60 that sailed around the world via the Southern Ocean with Bruce at the helm. Here's what he had to say:
It's been a long, long trip. Along the way I learned a lot...and am still learning.
Due to the finanical situations of the OceanPlanet Foundation and some of our key supporters, OceanPlanet must be sold for any reasonable offer or will be donated soon. For more info, click here.
All of the supporters who have poured sweat, savings, and time into OceanPlanet still love this great boat. However, without real sponsorship we simply can't afford to continue sailing, and must move on.
Do you have sailing dreams yourself? The Velux 5-Oceans? Transpac? Bermuda races? Or the Pacific Cup? How fast do you want to go? I will do what I can to advise and help of course, and have a lot of ideas on making the boat much faster or perhaps even doing a conversion into a blazing high-performance cruiser.
It has been a long ride. Thanks to everyone who became involved...there are far too many to list here, but you know who you are. OceanPlanet is truly YOUR boat, not mine. Most of all, special thanks to Kevin & Shauna Flanigan. Without you, the boat would not have become the "OceanPlanet"!
Once again thanks to the people all over the world who have helped out, especially my friends in Les Sables d'Olonne !!!.
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Thursday, July 2 - 2009 - Boats in Divisions 3, 4 & 5 start their Transpac 09 race today. Before they head out for the most enduring and greatest ocean race in the world they have a lot of decisions to make.
While the navigators work through their strategy, the rest of the crews are out purchasing odds and ends and loading food onto their boats for the passage.
These Santa Cruz 50's and 52's, Andrews 53 and 56's and a smattering of other designs that rate between 106 and 159, are not in contention to break course records, but they are looking to win or do well in their divisions, have a safe race and maybe even win overall on corrected time, as did Reinrag 2, Tom Garnier's J-125 did in 2007. Reinrag 2 not only won Division IV, but also beat the entire fleet on corrected time to become the overall 2007 Transpac winner.
On Wednesday afternoon in Long Beach, everyone was stocking their iceboxes and storage bins under the crystal clear skies and light winds. Food philosophy varies widely among these crews. Here is a sampling of what is being passed from the dock, over the lifelines and across cockpits to be stowed down below:
Wasabi - Jorge Ripstein's Farr 46 from Acapulco, Mexico - This is the first Transpac for the boat and for the owner. They are planning on a 10-day crossing. All of the meals are pre-made and frozen. They'll have a variety and nothing will be duplicated. As far as they are concerned, there will be absolutely no freeze-dried food on board.
Criminal Mischief - Chip Megeath's Reichel Pugh 45, that was formerly known as Kokopelli 2, won the 50/52 Division and was second overall behind Pyewacket in 2007. Their navigator Jeff Thorpe won the best navigator's award for the entire race in 2007. This crew of veterans will be gobbling up freeze dried food, cereal, lunch meats, cheese bread, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and odd & ends for snacks.
Passion - A Santa Cruz 50 that raced the Transpac in the 1980's under the name Racy and later became Delicate Balance, was 4th in the 50/52 Division in the 2007 Transpac. This group of great sailors and friends, that also includes two sets of fathers and sons, are going to "Eat like kings," according to Steve Hastings, the owner. Suzy Hubbard, the chef, cooked up all of the food in Corpus Christi, froze it and shipped all 115 pounds of casseroles and marinated rib eyes to Gladstone's freezers. The crew was waiting for Gladstone's lunch rush to subside before heading into the Transpac Pier restaurant host's freezers and reclaiming their sustenance. The rib eyes constitute just a bit of the seven pounds of meat being brought aboard for each of the eight crew members.
Horizon - Jack Taylor's Santa Cruz 50 team will be heating up a different homemade meal every day. Lasagna, beef stew, enchiladas, quiche, pot roast - there will be no repeats. Taylor, a veteran of three Transpac, says his team's performance has improved with each race. They were second in their division and third in the fleet for the 2007 Transpac. By far the most popular dish, and the midway celebratory dinner, is the Silver Palate meatloaf. "They love it," beamed Jack Taylor as he transferred the contents of their first cooler of food from the dock to Horizon's cockpit.
Tachyon III - is one of the three Japanese boats competing in Transpac 09. Kazunori Komatsu and some of his crew have been indulging themselves while they have been in Long Beach by "Eating big American hamburgers everywhere," said Komatsu.
It's Komatsu's third Transpac and he has Nishioka Kazumasa, the Japanese Olympic Sailing Team Director, on board as the navigator. Harada Ryunosuke and Yoshida Yugo, who just beat 81 other teams to claim the 2009 470 European Championship title are sailing an offshore race for their first time in this Transpac. The team will have to satiate themselves of American hamburgers on Wednesday night, because from the time they leave Transpac Pier at Rainbow Harbor through the time they reach Hawaii, they'll be eating Japanese food that has been shipped to them straight from Japan. Their diet will be Japanese dried food, noodles, fish, rice and miso soup.
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Wednesday, July 1 - 2009 - Today is the last day to win this great set of Steiner binoculars. supplied by Pirates Lair. Join the 2010 Border Run by midnight tonight and you'll be in the running. Tomorrow, Jenny the Sea Tow girl with dip her long painted fingernails into a bag and pick a winner.
Join today and be part of what we're hoping will become the largest (and funnest) race in the U.S.
The Border Run is driven to be the race that brings all make and model of sailors back to the start line.
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Wednesday, July 1 - 2009 - Check out the skiffs at the Mark Foy Trophy - Courtesy of Christophe Favreau.
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Wednesday, July 1 - 2009 - With just under forty days to the start of the Rolex Fastnet on Sunday, 9 August, the 300 registered crews are hard at work completing their qualification miles and other prerequisites. The 608 nautical-mile offshore classic has a fearsome reputation - not always lived up to - but one which deserves respect by all involved; especially in the year marking the thirtieth anniversary of the saddest chapter in the race's illustrious history.
The fleet is in excellent shape. With participants from sixteen different nations on the start-line, it will be an international gathering of the yacht-racing fraternity. The British and French make up the bulk of the fleet, but entries have been received from Hong Kong, Australia and the USA too, proving the lure of the Rolex Fastnet still crosses the oceans as it did in its earliest days.
The Americans are fielding half-dozen entries, including 2005 Rolex Sydney Hobart winner, Rosebud, owned and campaigned by Roger Sturgeon. The STP65 is an out-and-out racing machine with a pro-crew onboard, a far cry from Australia's most famous entry this time around: Alex Whitworth achieved notoriety in the sailing world for undertaking a circumnavigation of the globe with Peter Crozier that coincidentally started with the 2005 Rolex Sydney Hobart and ended at the finish of the 2006 edition of the race, after taking in the 2005 Rolex Fastnet en-route. All this in the tiny, but robust, Brolga 33, Berrimilla, a different proposition to the carbon machine that Sturgeon has at his command, but certainly an indication of the diverse nature of the competing boats.
Hong Kong's flagship is under the ownership of Karl Kwok. Kwok is one of the region's top owners and has launched a series of yachts under the name Beau Geste. 2009 sees that latest addition to the fold, an 80-foot (24-metre) Farr designed racer that steps a 38-metre, "5 spreader, cathedral in-line rig, built from high modulus carbon fibre mast, stayed with the same continuous carbon rigging as the Volvo Ocean 70s". Hong Kong's second set of representatives will be sailing something quite different to Beau Geste. Frenchman, Denis Lazat who lives and works in Hong Kong will compete in his Pogo 40, Jumpa Lagi, half the size and around a quarter of the crew, since the Class 40s are typically sailing with five. Lazat is a member of the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club and all his crew are from the territory.
Italy's challenge also comes in large and small versions. Another yachting dynasty, Luna Rossa, will be part of the battle for mini-maxi supremacy alongside Rosebud and Niklas Zennstrom's Ran (GBR). The Luna Rossa name is associated most commonly with the America's Cup. Whilst Patrizio Bertelli's latest racing yacht is an STP65 and an offshore boat, expect to see many sailors from the Cup world in the pro line-up. Sadly, regular crew and Olympian Robert Scheidt will not be on board. We dip back into the Class 40s for the second Italian representative - solo round the world sailor, Giovanni Soldini, who became a hero in France when he rescued Isabelle Autissier from her upturned hull in the 1998/99 Around Alone Race. Soldini will be racing Telecom Italia.
Britain, too, has its fair share of stark contrasts. ICAP Leopard will be the biggest and fastest boat in the race, aiming to lop more time off the existing course record if conditions suit, as owner Mike Slade remarks, "we are really looking forward to the Rolex Fastnet Race this year. It is always special and we will definitely be out to beat our 2007 record. The improvements to ICAP Leopard that have been made since the '07 race have put an average of 7% onto the boat's speed, but we were exceptionally quick coming back from the Rock to Plymouth last time in 24-25 knots of breeze, so it will be very much dependent on the weather." Slade views the Rolex Fastnet as part one in a two-part offshore classic being attempted this year, as he heads to Australia for a Christmas rendezvous with the Rolex Sydney Hobart.
At the other end of the design spectrum, the 45-foot (or 60-foot if you include the bowsprit) Morwenna, may be brand-spanking new, but she is built from ash and larch rather than carbon-fibre. In fact, she is a Bristol Channel Pilot Cutter - just as the 1925 race winner, Jolie Brise. Morwenna is based upon the 1906 design, Mischief, once owned by the boy's own adventurer Bill Tillman. According to her skipper, Stuart Jenkins, "we want to show that traditionally built boats are strong, reliable and safe and to encourage people to learn traditional way of sailing."
With other crews and competing boats drawn from Austria, Belgium, Bermuda, Chile, Germany, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, The Netherlands it would not be unreasonable to expect a feeling of an international convention when the yachts start finishing in Plymouth.
The main trophy for overall victory in the Rolex Fastnet is the Fastnet Challenge Cup. In addition, there are more than thirty additional trophies that will be awarded at the prizegiving on Friday, 14 August at the historic Royal Citadel, home of the 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery, overlooking Plymouth Harbour.
The first signal for the start of the 2009 Rolex Fastnet Race sounds at 11.50 BST on Sunday, 9 August.
Further information about the RORC and the Rolex Fastnet Race including a provisional entry list may be found at fastnet.rorc.org and competitors are encouraged to keep a close eye on these web pages since all administrative documentation and race notices will be posted there.
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Wednesday, July 1 - 2009 - The entry deadline for the 2009 Melges 24 European Championship, being hosted by the COYCH in Hyeres, France from 21-28 August 2009, is this Friday 3 July 2009. Late entries for the event will be accepted until Saturday 1st August but will be subject to a 30% late entry surcharge.
Corinthian entries, from those teams wishing to compete in the all amateur crew competition held in tandem with the overall European Championship, are subject to the same entry deadlines and Corinthian competitors are reminded that they must have submitted their full crew lists including all ISAF sailor ID numbers, classifications and expiry dates by 1 August. No Corinthian entries will be accepted after that date.
Hyeres is a popular regatta venue and over the years has hosted major events for a wide range of classes including regular visits from the Olympic dinghy circus as part of the ISAF Sailing World Cup. The Melges 24 Class last raced for a championship here in 2006 when Italy's Nico Celon won a breathtaking last race showdown with Frenchman Francois Brenac to be crowned World Champion. Celon recalls the conditions for that final race were extremely light and tricky and can remember having to play catch up after a poor start. "The conditions were very difficult and we had to pass a lot of boats to have a chance of winning. The only thing I can remember very clearly is the second beat when somehow we managed to cross the French guys."
It remains to be seen whether this year's European Championship will produce the last day drama of the 2006 Worlds or the spectacular conditions which resulted when the Mistral arrived. It is certain however that competitors at the 2009 Melges 24 European Championship will be able to avail themselves of some of the finest yacht racing facilities in Europe backed up by a slick and highly experienced regatta team. With all of this laid on, the only thing left for the sailors is to enjoy the racing and have some fun!
The Notice of Race, Entry Form, accommodation and logistical information are all available from the official event website www.m24european2009.com.
For further information about the 2009 International Melges 24 European Championship please visit the website or contact: Bastien Berenguier COYHC Press Officer at bastien@neodyme-communication.com
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Tuesday, June 30 - 2009 - In honor of the recently finished VOR - here are some highlights. Pardon the man nudity...
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Tuesday, June 30, 2009 - While awaiting the Transat Jacques Vabre this winter, five skippers from the last Vendée Globe - and among them some of the top names - have decided to do battle this summer in the one design monotype series in the fortieth "Solitaire du Figaro". They are Michel Desjoyeaux, Armel Le Cléac'h, Yann Eliès, Jérémie Beyou and Jonny Malbon. What do they have in common? They all lined up for the start of the last Vendée Globe and will all be back together again on 30th July at the start of the Figaro in Lorient.
"MichDesj" will be attempting to grab a historic fourth win, which will make him the outright hero of this race by becoming the only skipper to have won four times. Up until now only two other sailors have achieved three victories: Philippe Poupon and Jean Le Cam… once again top names from the Vendée Globe. Desjoyeaux will quite naturally become the favourite for honours this time, "but in the Solitaire, he can be caught, as I've already beaten him!" Armel Le Cléac'h was happy to point out when he completed his round the world race. Indeed, in 2003, Armel won the event 13 seconds ahead of another Vendée Globe winner, Alain Gautier.
Jérémie Beyou, champion in the Solitaire in 2005, will also be looking for to an excellent result and can also claim to have beaten the master, as in that year in Port-Bourgenay, second place went to Michel Desjoyeaux. Jérémie, who is currently looking for a partner for his 60-foot boat, will be determined to show off his talent. The same is true of Yann Eliès for whom lining up at the start is already an achievement, six months after his terrible accident in the Southern Ocean. But having said that, Eliès is not there just to take part. "I'm in it to win!" stated Yann, who has already won the two pre-event reasons in the Figaro he took part in after leaving the physical therapy centre: the Solo Ports de France and the Channel Crossing event. Winner of four legs in the Solitaire, 2nd in the final rankings in 2004, Yann Eliès will also be aiming high. Both to convince a future partner of his 60-foot boat and to complete this victory over fate and to complete the personal challenge he faced.
Between these four names, we can look forward to a great battle. But 51 other racers, including former winners like Nicolas Troussel (twice), Charles Caudrelier, Eric Drouglazet, and those, who have been close to victory like the very experienced Gildas Morvan, Frédéric Duthil, Erwan Tabarly and others, will be keen to thwart their plans.
The Cowes based sailor Jonny Malbon may not have such lofty ambitions. The unlucky skipper of Artemis in the last Vendée Globe is here to learn. But if we listen to what he says, this is perhaps the best way to appreciate the close links that exist between the Solitaire and the Vendée Globe: "In spite of the thousands of miles I've raced in the IMOCA 60, my experience of solo racing is somewhat limited. Today I have the opportunity to go back to school and to learn some of the specific techniques from the Figaro circuit, which brings together in one competition close contact sailing and ocean racing. If you look at the most talented skippers in the Vendée Globe, you can see they have the Figaro on their CV. I know this is going to be a highly competitive race, but I shall be learning a lot and making progress."
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Tuesday, June 30, 2009 - The 45th running of the Transpacific Yacht Race from Los Angeles to Hawaii got underway for Division 6 and 7 boats.
The big decision for Transpac navigators heading for Hawaii today, is whether they should head north or head toward the rhumbline. A high front to the north, a cutoff low that runs through the racetrack and a trough are what this group of starters face immediately. Some may decide to go right over the top of the low, and others may head right into the light and confused air, hoping that it will clear out before they get there. Said Stan Honey, who will be faced to make critical decisions about what sail inventory Alfa Romeo will in her attempt to set a new course record, later this week, "It is similar to the last race, but opposite. Last time it was clear cut for the first starters and difficult for the boats that started later."
Ionearth, the Iridium-based tracking provider, will be live for the first few hours of the race and then will go to a four-hour delay for the remainder of the race. Perhaps the fleet will make it far enough in the light to moderate breeze for all of us who are watching the initial developments in this great ocean race, to see a split develop in the fleet between those who have decided to go high and those who have set off on a reach hoping that offshore weather conditions will become less confused and dissipate on their approach.
Transpac racers, families, friends and all those tuning into TV, radio, blogs and websites, wish those aboard Relentless, Narrow Escape, Bloodhound, Addiction, Lynx, Between the Sheets, Far Niente, Silent Running, Hassel and Alaska Eagle a safe passage and Aloha during the most enduring and greatest yacht race in the world.
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Tuesday, June 30, 2009 - Coinciding with the 45th anniversary of the Rolex Big Boat Series, the St. Francis Yacht Club's premier regatta will serve as the 2009 Rolex US-IRC National Championship. StFYC Commodore John McNeil sent the event's official Notice of Race - published as a glossy, 10-page color magazine - inviting over 500 North American sailors to the invitational regatta. Scheduled for September 10-13 on San Francisco Bay, racing includes divisions for IRC-rated entries and one-design classes. At the conclusion of four days of racing, specially engraved Rolex timepieces will be awarded to the St. Francis Yacht Club's six Perpetual Trophy winners. Full information, including the NOR, is posted on the official event website www.stfyc.com.
"As the IRC rule continues its expansion throughout the U.S. it is only appropriate that we rotate the Rolex US-IRC National Championship to different areas of the country so that more competitors can participate," said US-IRC Executive Director Luiz Kahl. "I can think of no other place more appropriate to host it in 2009 than the St. Francis Yacht Club and the Rolex Big Boat Series. After all, the Rolex Big Boat Series is where IRC started in the U.S., back in 2004. With so many big events on the West Coast this year such as the Transpac Race, we expect a large turnout for fierce competition in this year's Series. All IRC competitors will be vying for the top prize: to become the 2009 US-IRC National Champion and proud owner of a new Rolex."
As expected, the 2009 Rolex Big Boat Series has attracted many of the top names in American sailboat racing and expected entries include Dan Woolery's King 40 Soozal (Alamo, Calif.), Jim Mitchell's Reichel/Pugh IRC 52 Vincitore (Zurich, SUI), and four TP52s: Ashley Wolfe's Mayhem (Vancouver, CAN); locals Tom Aikan and Mark Jones' chartered Flash with Paul Cayard expected onboard; and John Kilroy's Samba 52 (Los Angeles, Calif.), winner of the top IRC trophy during the 2008 Rolex Big Boat Series. One of the highly-anticipated "big boats" is John McLaurin's recently launched 69-foot Grand Prix Racer Pendragon VI. No stranger to Rolex Big Boat Series, McLaurin (Sherman, Oaks, Calif.) has competed in the regatta many times with his previous Pendragon yachts.
"We're anticipating an increase in numbers in the IRC classes," said Norman Davant, who is the regatta's co-chair along with StFYC Rear Commodore Pat Nolan. "I'm really happy with what we're hearing from the big boat programs, that many are planning to compete, and we anticipate optimum conditions which will take the larger IRC classes outside the Golden Gate Bridge."
Returning to the Bay will be the Melges 32 class, which made its first start at the 2007 Rolex Big Boat Series. With the class' world championship slated for StFYC in the fall of 2010, at the StFYC, a large contingent of this grand-prix class is expected. Photo Pat Reynolds.
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Monday, June 29, 2009 - Fernando Echavarri's body language said it all. His head was in his hands, eyes aimed at the ground. He looked shattered.
"So hard," he said. The duel with PUMA went on for the better part of 40 miles, sleep countable in minutes. "Nothing is easy."
It would be hard to imagine, for an onlooker, that he and his crew
on Telefonica Black had just surpassed their greatest expectations.
They won the tenth and final leg, a result that by far outranks their
often stated target of an "offshore podium finish". But, the toe-to-toe
intensity of 400 miles of coastal racing, combined with nine months of
brutal living (and more than 10 hours waiting between the finish and
being allowed to come in for interviews) left them so drained and
lethargic. As it did each of the crews behind them. It's the typical
state of a Volvo Ocean Race sailor stepping onto land.
"Happy, very happy," Echavarri continued, a big smile breaking out. "But tired. This whole race, is so, so tough."
And now it's over.
More than 37,000 miles have been sailed, 11 ports visited in 10
countries on five continents, and, in the quickest case, it took
Ericsson 4 127 days to complete their circumnavigation. The conditions
were often horrendous, the lifestyle primitive, the risks and adventure
unimaginable to normal people. The physical and mental challenges of
the final few sprints were regularly as hard as the longest marathon. "The shorter ones, I think, are actually harder," said PUMA skipper Ken
Read before leg eight. "But this race is one long battle. There's no
way of over-stating that."
Now begins the next phase, a time Green Dragon's Phil Harmer
described ahead of the leg as "returning to society". It means leaving
the "bubble", temporarily moving away from the exhilaration, fear,
intensity, watch systems, rehydrated powder food, sleep deprivation,
and the close confines of a 70-foot boat shared with 10 other people
(some friends, some not). These guys are all in demand, though, and
will move on to other races, most likely around buoys or islands for
the time being.
"Nothing as hard as this for a while," laughed Telefonica Blue's Simon Fisher.
"I'm going home to paint the house," added Stu Wilson of Team Delta Lloyd.
"I'm just looking forward to going back to my family and being a dad again," said PUMA's Rob Salthouse.
Finishing the race, for awhile at least, dims the noises of their
intrinsic and complex desires to challenge themselves and win or
complete a hard, a very hard, race.
They agreed, unanimously as the straw poll could tell, that no one
wanted the event to go on any longer. "It's so hard," added Ericsson 3
skipper Magnus Olsson. "I suppose it's one strange reason we like it.
But we are at our limits. Need a break, a long break."
But, in maintaining the mystery of their psyches, they have almost
all adopted the cliché that you never say never. In fact, just about
everyone said they wanted to come back and do another. "I see my career
swaying more towards Volvo than anything else," said Fisher, who has
now completed two. "For sure I'd like to do another, or two or three,"
added Ericsson 4's Stu Bannatyne, a five-race veteran and triple winner.
Some people will walk away. Roger Nilson has participated in a
record seven races now and, at 60, said he would do no more. Even the
uncontainable Olsson, also 60, was ambiguous on the subject. "I would
love to do another, but I do not know what role." That said, it's not
uncommon for people to go back on their word (Mikey Joubert being the
obvious and most publicized example).
Iker Martinez said he and Xavi Fernandez would most likely favor a tilt at a second gold medal at the 2012 Olympics.
"But I love this race," Martinez said. "I have had a great
experience. There have been great times, and bad times. I do not try to
separate them. It is all part of the experience and it is a very
positive one. I would like to do another at some point."
"It is just such a great achievement, to sail around the world,"
Read added. "This is a truly tough event and I am just proud to have
done it. I have had the pleasure of sailing with a great team, in a
great boat." He also looked exhausted. His team secured a superb second
place on the leaderboard by simply finishing this leg, the reward for a
run of results that looked good early on and continued to get better
and better throughout the race (they scored more points after leaving
Boston than anyone else). It's a fantastic return for a one-boat
program, but there was a trace of sadness in his voice. And most
others.
"After you spend so much time in this race, with these people, it's
a bit of a shock to the system when you finally finish. We have been
through an amazing adventure together. We just sailed around the world."
Telefonica Blue skipper Bouwe Bekking continued: "When you put two
or three years into a campaign, it's always a little bit sad at the end.
"My last words for this quote are for my team onboard. Thanks to you all, we have shown the world what a team is."
Ericsson 4's Torben Grael added: "It's a funny feeling because some
of these guys you had never met before and you become like brothers.
Now we go our own ways and it's a strange feeling. On the other hand it
has been a long race. It was a very long race around the world. We are
completely drained and tired so I think everyone is looking forward to
a nice rest. We have had a wonderful time."
The looks and bodies on the dock didn't show that. They showed
tiredness and exhaustion. But the words said everything about the last
nine months. Story courtesy of VOR. Photo Dave Kneale/Volvo Ocean Race.
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Monday, June 29, 2009 - You could not ask for much more. Tremendous racing conditions with a building Mistral and a lumpy sea, made worse by the constant attention of the spectator fleet. Porto Cervo laid it on thick and the Rolex Farr 40 Worlds 2009 delivered. None more so than the new World Champions Barking Mad (USA) and runners up, Nerone (ITA).
Two races were sailed in winds from the northwest that gusted to the mid-twenties and stretched the already tired crews on the last day of competition. The scene was fit for a Championship finale and the two leading contenders made sure the curtain did not fall on the regatta without a flourish from those on stage. Nerone put her marker down to win the first race of the day and set up a winner takes all, second and final race - the tenth in this intensely fought series. Mascalzone Latino, the three times World Champions won the race, but the all-too significant result was Jim Richardson and Barking Mad crossing the line ahead of Massimo Mezzaroma's Nerone to secure the title for a third time. The first time an American boat has won outside of their home waters.
The day was all about who would cope best with the pressure. Without question both the two leading teams wanted the win desperately. Even Joe Fly (ITA) - runners-up in 2008 - could not be discounted. A sixteen-point gap to the front could easily be bridged if those ahead failed to keep their heads to the end.
Nerone went out all guns blazing. Once again she took the left side of the course popping out from the pin; tactician Vasco Vascotto relying on his vast experience in these waters to take the initiative early, "I've sailed here for twenty years and usually with these kind of conditions you need to go left." He could not have been more right. First to the windward mark, Nerone led around the track to win from Giovanni Maspero's Joe Fly and Helmut Jahn's Flash Gordon (USA). Barking Mad, meanwhile, had opted for the center and according to Richardson, things did not go as well as intended, "the first race today we probably started a little too conservatively and got in a bad spot, in too close to another boat. We had to do a clearing tack, and then got tacked on a few times, and we were deep for a while."
These are the moments that championships are won and lost. Rounding the top mark mid-fleet, the American crew may have briefly wondered if this was the regatta slipping away from them.
But Richardson and crew had a game plan and were not about to give up on it just yet, as Hutchinson chips in, "without question we felt we could win going into the start of the week. But feeling it and doing it are two completely different things. When we lined up on the first day we had a mode that we have not had in a while. We had a game plan of being safe and the mantra all week on the boat was that we just want to get on base, we didn't want to hit any home runs, just keep getting on base and advancing the runners." To get back 'on base' in this race was going to take some effort.
If doubts were creeping-in none were shown. "We showed a lot of fortitude to sail back through the fleet to finish sixth which kept us one point in the lead," said a relieved Richardson.
The minds of both crews must have been buzzing heading to the start of the final deciding race and Mezzaroma takes up the story, "for the last race we were one point behind and the game was who came home in front would win the Worlds. It rarely happens in sailing and after nine races with 250 points that you could gain or lose, just one point between us was very exciting."
Again, it was all down to keeping one's head and applying the game plan. Nerone headed left once more. Mezzaroma confirmed their strategy did not change because of their relative position to the leader, "we were one point behind and were not in a position to control them. So we had to make our own race." On Barking Mad, the lure of the left was not so strong. This was a conservative crew after all...
According to Richardson, immediately before the start, "we just looked at each other and said this is why we're here. We're here for an opportunity to win the regatta on the last race. What more could you want?" Any self-doubts were kept private, though post-race Richardson confessed to some troubled thoughts, "I never doubted my team's capability. But leading wire-to-wire puts a little bit of extra pressure on each and every race. In 1999, we led going into the last race and ended up third, so that was in the back of my mind. I felt pretty comfortable that we were going to be able to get a good start in the race and get around the course in good shape. We certainly weren't giving up. We knew we had our hands full, but we knew we had to sail well and that is what we did."
As the initial beat unwound, the crew of Barking Mad found themselves in second place, hot on the heels of Alessandro Barnaba's Fiamma (ITA) and overtaking them at the offset mark with a textbook spinnaker hoist. Those watching the racing started counting back to Nerone. The left had clearly not paid. In fact, it had bitten the Italian crew hard. The miraculous recovery of the previous day that kept them in the hunt was going to have to be repeated. That was a Herculian task. Barking Mad were not sailing as though their lives depended on it, they did not need to. They just needed to keep between Nerone and the finish, as Hutchinson explained, "the team responded brilliantly. We got a great start. We got a little break from Plenty, who let us tack across them. From there it was into a good lead and extend. Fortunately Nerone was back. They gained on us on the second beat, but we were safe down at the bottom mark. At that point it was about minimizing damage and sailing a good clean race through to the finish."
With Barking Mad home and dry in second, the finish of Nerone was immaterial, although eighth was good enough to hold onto the runner's-up position overall.
A feature of the Farr 40 fleet is the friendly rivalry between crews on and off the water. Vascotto and Hutchinson have been adversaries for many years, but they found time to speak this morning before heading onto the course, as Hutchinson remarks, "I saw Vasco this morning and we chatted for a couple of minutes. Nobody was around and it was a nice time to talk." And, it is evident that the competitors hold each other in a regard rarely seen in other sports. "Sailing against somebody like Vasco makes you a better sailor and we hold the highest respect for that team," he adds.
Both Hutchinson and Richardson knew they had been engaged in a battle royal. When they last won in San Francisco it was by 40-points. Mezzaroma echoed the quality of the contest, "it was a great competition sailing against all these good crews, these good boats. It is the key of the Farr 40. The level is always so high, it becomes higher and higher every year." Vascotto, too, was gracious in defeat, "I think we did a fantastic championship: three firsts, two seconds, two eighths - usually you win with these kind of results! This time we found in front of us Barking Mad, sailed in a perfect way. We tried our best, but this is sport."
For Richardson, it is a dream come true, "We're very, very happy. Coming to Italy and winning this World Championship in Porto Cervo is an amazing feeling for us. There are so many good teams out there, particularly the Italians and to be able to win in their home waters is a great thrill for us."
For Vincenzo Onorato, the outgoing, three-time (in a row) World Champion, who laughingly remarked that his last race this year was the first race of his 2010 Rolex Farr 40 Worlds campaign, this was "a wonderful story for the Class." Photo Kurt Arrigo.
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Monday, June 29, 2009 - On Saturday evening the teams in the Portimão Global Ocean Race gathered in the waterfront garden of the Tivoli Hotel for the event's prize giving with the fleet of four boats floodlit on the Marina de Portimão's VIP pontoon. After a brief address by Portimão's Mayor Manuel da Luz, the double-handed skippers and solo sailor, Michel Kleinjans, along with the event's founder and Race Director, Josh Hall, shared their thoughts about the nine month, 33,000 mile circumnavigation.
"I am extremely proud of our skippers - they are all winners in our eyes," commented Josh Hall at the prize giving. "I am also incredibly proud of our small team on the organizational, media and promotional side of the event. Through the race we developed a team that was cohesive and had the most amazing work ethic, all intent on making this event the success it has been. Their dedication and professionalism has made the PGOR what it is and created a platform for us to move the event forward. They can justifiably be content that together we are the only Race Organization team that have succeeded, against many odds, to run a competitive around the world for 40 foot yachts," he summarized.
Boris Herrmann, co-skipper of overall double-handed winner, Beluga Racer with Felix Oehme: "Being German, I like everything in a correct order! I first found a sponsor, then a boat and a team mate that together provided a great platform. Then we entered the Portimão Global Ocean Race and we won. Over the last few days I have been so happy, perhaps the happiest I have ever been in my life, and I have been lucky to share these moments with close friends and family. I also want to thank Felix because without him the race wouldn't have been fun. It may sound strange, but in the 150 days at sea and in the stop overs, we never had a single argument or fight in the whole time....I still have all my teeth and my nose is still straight!"
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Monday, June 29, 2009 - After five regattas on Lake Geneva, Alinghi SUI1, helmed by Ernesto Bertarelli leads the Challenge Julius Baer series. The crew of SUI1 maintained consistant results over the weekend to rank second behind Alain Gautier on Foncia. Ed Baird's Alinghi SUI6 finished sixth at the Grand Prix Romandie Act II to go into the D35 summer break fifth overall, ahead of experienced lake sailors, in their first D35 season.
Nils Frei, trimmer on board SUI1, said: "We had a good start in the first race but were on the wrong side of the course, so it was difficult to finish earlier. We had good starts in the other three races and managed to sail fast although the conditions were shifty and patchy. The key today was to get the right side of the race course, like Foncia did. They also had good speed so they deserved to win. We tried to be conservative but overall we are happy with the result."
Ed Baird, helmsman onboard Alinghi SUI6, also comments on this weekend's regatta: "We are encouraged in some ways because we have been sailing better and the boat handling is improving, but we also feel a little disappointed because we chose incorrectly a couple of times in the lake conditions and ended up dropping down the fleet, so we know our final score could have ended up better this weekend.
The main challenge was that there were a number of races in which one side was heavily favored but this was not apparent at the start. Nervertheless, we are still behind but we are catching up."
This is the last regatta of the Challenge Julius Baer before the summer break, but Alinghi sailors have a challenging task ahead of them, as Baird explains: "We now have a tremendous amount of work ahead of us with the new boat: to get it sailing and to learn about it. It's great to have the chance to race these smaller boats against so many great teams but the real work starts a few weeks from now."
The next of the three remaining regattas for the Décision 35 championsip is the Open de Nyon from 22-23 August. Photo Schmid Chris / EYEMAGE MEDIA.
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Friday, June 26 - 2009 - In April of 2010 XS Racing is committed to staging a race unlike others before it . The 2010 Border Run is already shaping up as one of the largest races on the West Coast. With an unprecedented number of early entries, 111, just a few months after the race, we are still looking to keep the ball rolling. On July 1, we will be giving away a set of Steiner binoculars, supplied by Pirates Lair, worth over $400 to some lucky sailor on the entry list. Join today, get on that list and be eligible to win some killer binocs. The odds are better than any contest out there!
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Friday, June 26 - 2009 - The Gorge is already experiencing some high quality and exciting Moth racing with less than two months to go to the CST Composites 2009 Moth World Championships. Over two days of stellar conditions, Kevin Hall bested a fleet of 12 to win the Oregon State Championship. Kevin won the regatta with consistent tactical sailing, good boat handling, and good all-around speed. The final result was closely contested; Dalton Bergan, sailing a new Mach 2 Moth, was second with a string of four firsts in the final four races. Charlie McKee was four points further back with the other four first place finishes, followed by Morgan Larson, Adam Lowry, and Andy Mack. (Of these top 6, former 49er crews were 1, 3, 5 - a clear victory over the former 49er helms at 2, 4, 6).
Held at the precise venue of the upcoming CST Composites Moth Worlds, the regatta was a chance to refine the race courses and logistical details, as well as a chance to explore viable wind speeds for competition.
The racing was highly tactical with moderately puffy, shifty conditions and lots of opportunities for passing by tacking and jibing in good spots. With 13 races in two days and winds ranging from 8-24 knots, everyone was reminded that Cascade Locks is one of the premier sailing venues in North America, if not the world. Flat water promoted high
speeds, while 90-degree temperatures and spectacular scenery rounded out the overall experience.
Next up are the US Nationals on Aug 6-7, followed immediately by the CST Composites Worlds on August 10-15. The venue should bring unparalleled conditions in terms of wind, water and scenery, and the sailors will bring the rest, leaving nothing on the beach.
Alongside some fierce racing, the worlds will see the launch of the new CST Nano Spars series.
The CST Nano Spars masts come in two model variants, Pro and Extreme which will complement CST's existing high modulus Club range. CST have been developing and testing this technology with the help of some of the best Moth sailors to ensure product reliability and performance.
CST Nano Spars are made from materials which to our knowledge are the highest performance carbon based products ever offered in the dinghy or yacht racing arena. Higher than America's Cup or Volvo 70. This material is true satellite technology and CST brings it to the Moths as a world first, said CST's Managing Director Clive Watts.
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Friday, June 26 - 2009 - Puma is feeling good about a 2nd place overall spot in the final standings in the VOR. They just have to get there in one piece and they're on the podium.
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Friday, June 26 - 2009 - The penultimate day at the Farr Worlds was no less enthralling than the first two. Barking Mad (USA) heads the table after another day of conservatism, whilst Nerone (ITA) stands six-points behind in second, after a performance of truly mercurial liberalism. Two opposing race strategies seemingly on a collision course.
With two races left, Joe Fly (ITA) in third is by no means out of it, but bridging a sixteen-point gap will require a god of Jupiter's standing to step in. Current World Champions, Mascalzone Latino (ITA), will go down fighting to the last, but a twenty-eight-point gap to the lead looks insurmountable even for the miracle workers on board.
Three races today in a building westerly, with an underlying sea swell running, made for excellent racing conditions. Again, we had three different winners. Vincenzo Onorato looked to have put yesterday behind him, carving out a fine victory on Mascalzone Latino. The next two races though were killers for his Championship aspirations, as Mascalzone scored 13, 13. Massimo Mezzaroma's Nerone picked the plum in race two, following a second in race one. All this good work was almost wiped out as he started the third race too early. In that race, Marco Rodolfi and TWT (ITA) finally showed their true potential passing Helmut Jahn and Flash Gordon (USA) on the final leg to win.
The first race was notable for Joe Fly being over early. Giovanni Maspero's crew could finish no better than nineteenth, pushing them back in the standings, while Mascalzone's first and Nerone's second place had enabled them to close the gap to Barking Mad which finished sixth.
Come the second race, conditions had picked up further and the tension on the racecourse was becoming tangible. As the initial beat unwound at the first windward rounding, Mascalzone's recovery looked to be short lived as she struggled round in mid-fleet. At the front, Nerone led with Barking Mad in fifth - a result that would level their scores. But the race was far from over.
Joe Fly was in second place. Maspero and tactician, Francesco Bruni, were sailing her like a blowfly, an annoying presence buzzing all around Mezzaroma and his tactician, Vasco Vascotto, engaging in every strategy possible to try to get past. Further back, the normally steadfast Barking Mad crew appeared to be pushing hard to limit the potential loss to Nerone. Sitting behind Goombay Smash and Flash Gordon at the first leeward rounding, Terry Hutchinson worked some magic to pass first Doug Douglass and then slip in front of Helmut Jahn at the second windward mark. The dogfighting was not finished by any means, but those two precious places saved meant the difference between Barking Mad leading overall at the end of the race or seeing their position eroded still further.
As it was, the third race of the day proved to be the more critical. In keeping with his character, Vascotto looked to seize the initiative early. One of a clutch of boats aiming to secure the pin end of the line, Nerone looked to have hit the line perfectly and at speed. A few seconds later, the heros to zeros were heading back to restart. One of two boats caught over early by the vigilant race officials. Quite what goes through the mind of top class tactician at this critical point in a World Championship regatta is anyone's guess. What marks them out though as better than the rest is their response.
With the fleet heading left, Nerone went right. By the first windward mark she was only up to nineteenth and it looked game-over. Barking Mad rounded in third, a position she never gave up. By the finish, though, Nerone had played the poker hand of poker hands and crossed the line in eighth. Some recovery. In the circumstances, bleeding only five-points to the Americans must have felt like the aftermath successful heart-surgery. Bruised but certainly not dead and buried. Photo Rolex /
Kurt Arrigo.
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