Sailnews: Constant Angle To The Wind.

US OCEAN RACER SETS SAIL FOR VELUX 5 OCEANS START

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 15:33:00 +0200

Brad Van Liew bids farewell to Charleston and heads 5,600 kms to La Rochelle

AMERICAN ocean racer Brad Van Liew will today wave goodbye to his family, friends and supporters for the first of many times over the next nine months as he sets sail bound for La Rochelle, the home of the VELUX 5 OCEANS. Today is Labor Day in the USA, a national holiday, and hundreds of wellwishers are expected to turn out to give the 42-year-old a special send off from his home town of Charleston, South Carolina.

Onboard his high-tech Eco 60 racing yacht Le Pingouin, the 42-year-old will slip his moorings at Seabreeze Marina at 11 AM EST / 4 PM BST / 5 PM CEST to the cheers of the watching crowd before making his way through the harbour out into the open sea bound for France. Some 5,600 kilometres of Atlantic Ocean sailing stand between Brad and the official VELUX 5 OCEANS start line in La Rochelle.

The departure is expected to watched by hundreds of locals but those who don't live in Charleston can watch all the action live via http://www.oceanracing.org/LIVE.html

Coverage will start from the dockside at 9 AM EST / 2 PM BST / 3 PM CEST and will capture the emotional farewells before continuing across the harbour and out beyond the breakwater as Brad sets off on the voyage that will qualify him for the VELUX 5 OCEANS. The coverage will be presented by Brad's clothing partner Gill.

The qualifying sail will serve as a last chance to test electronics, sails, communication systems and hardware before Brad and his seven fellow ocean racers begin their 55,000-kilometre journey alone around the planet. This edition of the VELUX 5 OCEANS will be Brad's third, having raced in the 1998/9 and 2002/3 editions, winning class two in the latter race. Recently Brad's Team Lazarus secured associate sponsorship from international sail training company ONDECK, who will also be the official source of Team Lazarus/Le Pingouin merchandise.

Belgian ocean racer Christophe Bullens is currently rounding the tiny island of Flores, the most westerly in the Azores archipelago, marking the halfway stage of his qualifying passage onboard his Eco 60 Five Oceans of Smiles. The remaining ocean racers are entering the final preparation stage ahead of their qualifying passages before converging in La Rochelle in early October ahead of the race start on October 17.

The VELUX 5 OCEANS, run by Clipper Ventures PLC, is the longest running solo round the world race, and has 28 years of rich heritage as the BOC Challenge and then the Around Alone. This edition features five ocean sprints over nine months. After setting off on October 17 from La Rochelle to Cape Town, the race will then take in Wellington in New Zealand, Salvador in Brazil and Charleston in the US before returning back across the Atlantic to France.

Please visit www.velux5oceans.com

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Tension Mounts as 470 Men Prepare for a ‘Scratch’ Medal Race

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 15:18:00 +0200

2010 470 Open European Championships, 28 August - 6 September 2010, Istanbul Sailing Club, Istanbul, Turkey

With just the Medal Race remaining, the outcome of the 2010 Open 470 European Championships is far from clear. Two races in the gusty and shifty waters of Istanbul reshuffled the order of the men’s fleet, and now just 5 points separate the top six teams.

Today the French dominated all three fleets across the 92-boat entry at these championships, with Pierre Le Boucher and Vincent Garos scoring 1,2 in the men’s Gold fleet, Ingrid Petitjean and Nadege Douroux winning both women’s races, and Sofian Bouvet and Jeremie Mion moving well into the lead of the men’s Silver fleet after scoring 2,2.

Luke Patience and Stuart Bithell couldn’t believe they’d moved to the top of the men’s leaderboard. “You’re joking,” said Patience, who knew he’d had a good day with 5,1 from the two races, but not that good. “We didn’t think we'd be that high up, but today we were so on it. We spent a long time looking at the wind before the start, speaking to our coach. We really got to grips with what the wind was doing today, and we were just trying to stay one step ahead, one step ahead, the whole race.”

While just five points separate the top six, representing five different nations, just 2 points separate the top four from Great Britain, Israel, Greece and Croatia. In the double-scoring Medal Race, 2 points are no different to 0, so these four teams will be racing off scratch, with the French and other Greek teams also ready to pounce on any error.

It’s an intimidating situation for some sailors, mouthwatering for others. “Yee-haa, bring it on,” said Patience. Israel’s Eran Sela said it would be like a poker game, “you need skill and some luck,” he smiled. Yesterday’s leader, Greek sailor Pavlos Kagialis, said it would be high pressure. “I am not such a fan of high pressure.”

President of the 470 Class, Stanislav Kassarov, commented on this fascinating scenario: “It is almost as if the regatta is starting from zero points, a one-race championship. There is a lot of discussion in sailing about what is the next step to make the sport more interesting to the public and the media. It is a good opportunity to consider future trials of a Medal Race starting from zero points.”

Yesterday the points were tight between the women, but today Emanuelle Rol and Helene Defrance moved further into the lead, and now hold a 10-point advantage over their French team mates Camille Lecointre and Mathilde Geron. “We never stopped concentrating,” said Defrance. “We were eyes open and never stopped trying to move forward through the fleet.”

Geron was not so happy with her day, having yielded valuable points to her French rivals. The Italians who have led for so much of this regatta looked disappointed too, as they face a big challenge to make up 14 points on the leaders. Winning gold may be looking difficult although Lake Garda’s Giulia Conti and Giovanna Micol are still very much within striking distance of silver, but equally vulnerable to losing bronze to the big improvers of the day, double-race winners Petitjean and Douroux. “We understood today’s conditions very well, even if we didn’t start so well in one race,” said Petitjean. “Now we are in fourth place, so tomorrow for us the Medal Race is all about attacking the boats in front.”

Tomorrow, the teams not taking part in the Medal Races will complete a final fleet race to determine the minor placings in the women’s division and the Men’s Gold and Silver fleets.This takes place at 1100 hours local time. Then the Medal Races will take place, starting with the women at 1500 hours, and then the men at 1545 hours. All the action will be covered live on Istanbul Sailing Club’s GPS tracking system, which you can follow here: www.onlineracetrack.net

The 2010 Open 470 European Championships are organised by The Istanbul Sailing Club in co-operation with the International 470 Class Association and the Turkish Sailing Federation.

470 Men/Mixed - Top 10 Results After 10 Races
Pos - SailNo - Crew - Pts
1. GBR 844 - Luke PATIENCE, Stuart BITHELL – 56,0
2. ISR 7 - Gideon KLIGER, Eran SELA - 57,0
3. GRE 1 - Panagiotis MANTIS, Pavlos KAGIALIS - 57,0
4. CRO 83 - Sime FANTELA, Igor MARENIC – 58,0
5. FRA 44 - Pierre LEBOUCHER, Vincent GAROS - 61,0
6. GRE 165 - Panagiotis KAMPOURIDIS, Theodoros POLYCHRONIDIS – 61,0
7. FRA 7 - Nicolas CHARBONNIER, Baptiste MEYER-DIEU – 80,0
8. ESP 9 - Onán BARREIROS RODRÍGUEZ, Aarón SARMIENTO PADILLA - 84,0
9. NED 77 - Steven LEFEVRE, Steven KROL - 109,0
10. RUS 2 - Mikhail SHEREMETYEV, Maxim SHEREMETYEV - 111,0

470 Women - Top 10 Results After 11 Races
Pos - SailNo - Crew – Pts
1. FRA 12 - Emmanuelle ROL, Hélène DEFRANCE - 48,0
2. FRA 9 - Camille LECOINTRE, Mathilde GERON - 58,0
3. ITA 23 - Giulia CONTI, Giovanna MICOL – 62,0
4. FRA 4 - Ingrid PETITJEAN, Nadege DOUROUX - 66,0
5. AUT 431 - Sylvia VOGL, Carolina FLATSCHER - 87,0
6. DEN 143 - Henriette KOCH, Lene SOMMER - 90,0
7. EST 20 - Marjaliisa UMB, Elise UMB - 101,0
8. GBR 847 - Hannah MILLS, Claire CUMMING - 106,0
9. ISR 311 - Gil COHEN, Dana MAMRIEV - 110,0
10. GBR 840 - Sophie WEGUELIN, Sophie AINSWORTH - 114,0

MAXI YACHT ROLEX CUP SETS UP TO LEAVE LASTING IMPRESSION

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 15:17:00 +0200

Sum up the 2010 Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in one word and ‘big’ is probably the shortest, but most emphatic. ‘Impressive’ might be better if one is trying to convey a little more of the visual impact. ‘Astounding’, when you learn that the majority of the twenty-four yachts competing in the Mini Maxi Rolex World Championship have been lifted and weighed as part of the measurement process.

Racing at the 21st edition of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup gets underway tomorrow, Monday, 6 September. A record fleet of forty-nine yachts are registered. Aside from the burgeoning Mini Maxi Division comprising yachts between 18 and 24-metres, there are twenty-five of yachts in excess of 24-metres, with sixteen over 30-metres in length featuring Albert Buell’s Saudade (MLT) as the grand-daddy, slipping in the ring at a whopping 45.19-metres, a whisker under 150-feet. Salperton IV (CAY) has grounds to be aggrieved; she misses out on top spot by a mere 19-centimetres. Some comfort will be her maximum beam, which at 9.34-metres is the biggest in the fleet. That is an awful lot of deck, even if Usain Bolt could cover it in under a second.

Event host, the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS), is organizing the event in conjunction with the International Maxi Association (IMA), which has been instrumental in restructuring formal classifications for maxi-yachts, the largest monohull boats on the racing scene. The fastest maxi-yacht racing in Europe is undoubtedly the blue streak, the 30-metre Esimit Europa 2 (EUR). Formerly Alfa Romeo II, she is now in the hands of Igor Simcic and his racing skipper, Flavio Favini. Whereas in the past this canting keeled state-of-the-art yacht has been oft referred to as a supermaxi, that, she is no longer according to the size bands and terminology defined by the IMA. Simcic is unbothered and is looking forward to the racing ahead, “I like Porto Cervo very much. I like sailing around here because the conditions and scenery are very nice. Today we went out and checked the last things before the regatta starts tomorrow and I am very satisfied with our preparation. I hope that we will be fast, tomorrow we will see much better than today!”

Yachts between 24-metres and 30.5-metres are now just maxis. Strange to realize that when the term maxi was first used back in the 1980s, the yachts concerned were rarely bigger than 24-metres. A reflection of how far yacht-design creativity and boat-building skill have progressed in the past thirty-years. If you want to be a supermaxi now you need to be over 30.5-metres whatever speed you are capable of. There are ten such behemoths here this week. The smallest of which is the 32-metre Gliss (SUI), owned by Marco Vogele and sporting its trademark strikingly aquamarine hull colour. Vying for the honours on looks as well as on the racecourse are the two J-Class, Velsheda (GBR) and Ranger (CAY), back again to continue a long-running on-the-water rivalry. Only the ketch Hetairos (CAY) comes close if classic lines appeal.

The Wally fleet is perennially strong and this year is no exception. There are nine examples competing in their own division including the recently launched 30.5-metre Indio (ITA) that cut such a dash at the Giraglia Rolex Cup in June. There are three past division winners present: Jean-Charles Decaux’s J One (FRA), Lindsay Owen Jones’ Magic Carpet 2 (GBR) and Claus Peter Offen’s Y3K (GER). The two Wally 80s, Bagheera (MON) and Inti (ITA) prop up the competitive fold.

Aside from Esimit, the Racing & Racing/Cruising Maxi Division comprises two Swan 90s, the well-travelled DSK Pioneer Investments (ITA) and the always impeccably turned-out Solleone (ITA). Alessandro Rinaldi’s Southernwind-built Farewell (ITA) is the heavyweight in the category just squeezing inside the maxi tape at 30.21-metres. Many eyes will be on the match between two yachts making their Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup debuts: the 24.5-metre Singularity (GBR) may be the smallest in the class, but she expects to punch well above her weight with ocean-racer Bouwe Bekking running the show, “we’re very excited because really it is the first time we have raced with this boat. The owner is really looking forward to seeing how his boat is performing against other competitors. Practice has been going well, we’ve got a good crew on board, but so has everybody here!” Irvine Laidlaw’s 25-metre Highland Fling (GBR) has already displayed her competitive credentials finishing second in class at Key West Race Week earlier this year.

Yet, when all is said and done, it is likely that the story of the week will be amongst the smallest participants. The Mini Maxis may be the poor relations of the maxi world in terms of size, but for competitive racing they are exceptional. With an inaugural world championship at stake, the prize for success this week is massive, explaining why such large fleet has gathered. Niklas Zennstrom’s Ran (GBR), overall winner of the 2009 Rolex Fastnet, Andres Soriano’s Alegre (GBR), winner at Rolex Capri Sailing Week 2010 and Neville Crichton’s Shockwave (NZL), overall winner of Giraglia Rolex Cup offshore race, are without question the three favourites amongst the racing Mini Maxis. That said, America’s Cup winner Bill Koch has not come out of competitive big-boat retirement just to make up the numbers with the chartered, Titan 15 (USA). Wild Joe (HUN) is a former Admiral’s Cup winning yacht; Peter Ogden’s Jethou (GBR) has had her share of succes s, and, Hap Fauth will expect much of his Bella Mente (USA) crew that finished a close second here in division last year and won this year at Key West.

Amongst the racer/cruiser Mini Maxis, Whisper (IRL) is a returning division winner, but has no reason to expect an easy time this year with Aegir (GBR) having put in the race-hours over the course of this summer. Whilst all Mini Maxis fitting within the size limits of the class have been invited to race in the division, only those that comply with the IMA owner-driver rule are eligible for the World Championship title.

Taking everything as seriously as the crews are the YCCS and the IMA. Where practical, participating yachts in the Mini Maxi Rolex Worlds have been weighed as part of the check measurement for handicap certificate compliance. It has been no simple task lifting twenty-four substantial yachts. A 70-tonne crane has been used with a custom-built rig to cope with those yachts without a single point for lifting. Yachts have had to be put into measurement trim, which in the words of IMA Measurer Peter Lawson means “turning them upside down and shaking out everything that moves”, figuratively of course, but no small task for the crews. A 35-tonne load cell is making the final call and so impressed have been the measurers with its accuracy that the number of lifts was reduced from three per boat to two.

Getting weight sensitive about boats hitting the scales at 20-tonnes or more might seem picky, but this is the Worlds. Mini Maxis found to be heavier or equal to their certificate weight have been released without charge. Those found to be more than 200kg lighter than their declared displacement value have been required to submit a new certificate. “We have a simple accept or reject policy’, says Lawson. Getting through all twenty-four yachts in three days has been a major task.

Peter Craig is the returning Principal Race Officer, “I’m impressed. Despite everything going on in the world, numbers are up at this, one of the biggest events on the calendar. As usual we have a fantastic array of maxi yachts participating and our overriding aim is to provide good quality, fair racing throughout the week of competition. I’m looking forward to getting it going tomorrow.”

Weather-wise, competitors expect a mixed bag, as Bekking indicates, “everyone pays close attention to the weather forecast in Sardinia because lots of different things can happen, especially with the prospect of the Mistral lurking on the horizon. The first two days should be relatively light, Wednesday looks like good breeze and, then, lay-day a white-out most likely with 40-45 knots predicted.”

The Yacht Club Costa Smeralda will officially greet the competitors tonight with a welcome cocktail at the stunning clubhouse that overlooks Porto Cervo Marina. At the end of each racing day, the yacht club and title sponsor Rolex will provide a lush array of social events: highlights of which include the IMA Dinner at the YCCS Clubhouse on Tuesday and the Rolex Crew Party at the Hotel Colonna Pevero on Friday. The week ends with Saturday's final Prize giving Ceremony, where the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cups and Rolex timepieces will be awarded to the overall winner of each Division and the Mini Maxi Rolex World Championship.

The 2010 Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, organized by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda in conjunction with the International Maxi Association (IMA), runs from 5 to 11 September. Racing commences tomorrow, Monday and with races scheduled for each following day, save Thursday, the prize giving on Saturday will be the culmination of an intense week of big boat competition. From the most luxurious, through the most traditional, to the most advanced monohulls afloat today, the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup is nothing if not an astonishing line up of sailing power.

2010 Almanarre, Hyeres, Women’s Slalom World Tour Final – Day Two

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 15:14:00 +0200

Gentle winds halt the proceedings on day two of the women’s slalom final leaving the sailors to bask in the glorious Mediterranean sunshine on the beautiful beach of Almanarre.

Patience proves key in world cup windsurfing, and today was a fine example, with a light offshore breeze simply teasing the competitors and therefore forcing them to endure an entire day on standby.

What Women Want
Whilst the sailors were on standby, we took the opportunity to find out what the world’s most elite female race force think of women’s only events.

Verena Fauster (Patrik, Gaastra) – ITA 31
“It’s really special having a women’s only event, and I think it should happen more often because it focuses everyone’s attention directly on us. It’s also very nice for all the girls to be together having fun. I do however think that if the event had been confirmed earlier in the season there would’ve been a better turn out, but there’s always next year!”

Marion Mortefon – FRA 141
“This is a great event, and such a good concept because it allows the women to take the limelight for once.”

Delphine Cousin (Fanatic, North) – FRA 775
“Having a PWA event with just the girls is an excellent idea because we can get much more racing in which is the real reason we’re here. We wouldn’t have had anywhere near the same amount of racing yesterday if the guys had been here too.”

Greta Marchegger (JP, Gaastra) – ITA 193
“It’s really cool that there’s an event which is solely for the girls because there are loads of women in the PWA, and in windsurfing itself, so we need to promote the fact that it’s not just a sport for men.”

Greta Benvenuti – ITA 38
“It’s so much better for the women to have events like this because we can get more time on the water competing.”

Sarah Hebert (Naish, Naish) – ARM 1
“It’s an excellent idea, and will definitely help to promote windsurfing to more women because the media is fully focussed on females for once.”

Julie Berthou – FRA 451
“I’m really happy to be here at the PWA event purely for women because it shows all of the spectators that females can windsurf too!”

Lindsay Berruyer – FRA 260
“I think it’s great having events like this because those sailors lower down the ranks don’t feel as intimidated as when the guys are around. It’s amazing that girls like me can race on the same course as the world champion!”

Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard, Gaastra) – ARU 91
“Whatssss Up! I’ve been super excited about this all-women’s event for a long time now. It’s really cool to have all of the attention on us, usually we’re a bit overshadowed by the men. I’m not sure why, we’re so much sexier than them!!!”

Karin Jaggi (Patrik, Severne) – SUI 14
“I think it’s really important to have women only events because the focus is clearly on us, and it gives the spectators the chance to see how high the level actually is in the female fleet. It’s definitely advantageous for us because usually we have to compete for coverage with the men, which makes it much more difficult. It’s also great for the younger girls coming in to the sport because it’s far less intimidating.”

Olivia Piani (Exocet, Loft) – FRA 51
“It’s great for the girls here because we can do so much more racing than we would otherwise do, and everyone gets to see how good we all are!”

Marion Raisi – Women’s Event Manager
“I think this event is really important for the women because it’s the only week that focuses totally on the girls – the guys have plenty of events on their own, so why not the women too! It’s also important for the media outside of the industry because at a mixed event they’re bound to focus on the men because their sailing looks more impressive, whereas the press is forced to show off the girls here. If we are to grow the sport of windsurfing this is crucial.”

Lise Vidal (Exocet, North) – FRA 19
“We can do so much more racing when we’re on our own, but I think the best solution would be to have a mixed event with the same amount of time dedicated to women’s competition as the men’s.”

Fanny Aubet (JP, NeilPryde) – FRA 809
“It’s much better for promoting the sport to females, and will surely motivate more to join in.”

Ophelie Joly (Fanatic, North) – FRA 64
“I think it’s a great idea having an event with just the girls because it promotes the women’s side of windsurfing.”

Morane Demont (Starboard, North) – FRA 59
“This is a great concept that Marion has come up with and it’s turning out to be an amazing event that will help promote women’s windsurfing. I do still enjoy the mixed events too, but it’d be nice to have one event every year like this.”

Valerie Arrighetti (Tabou, Loft, Mystic) – FRA 444
“This is absolutely unique – it’s the only event of it’s kind. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it in my whole career! What a wonderful idea.”

Marianne Kaplas (Starboard, Severne) – FIN 134
“This is only my second competition, but I’m definitely enjoying it more because we are getting on the water racing whenever the conditions allow, and don’t have to wait on land watching the men!”

Alice Arutkin (Starboard, North) – FRA 111
“Women’s only events are an excellent idea because we get to go on the water for the whole day instead of sitting on the beach. As well as getting much more racing in, we also have so much more time which enables the fleet to be split in every single race and allows the newer girls a chance to learn more, and perhaps even win a heat or two!”

Emilie Lallement – FRA 494
“I’m only 15 years old, so this event is a really good opportunity for me to race against girls of a much higher level. It’s cool having the guys around, but I think this way we get more racing in.”

Estelle Barre – FRA 675
“This is my first ever PWA event so I’m not sure whether it’s better to have the guys and girls together, but it’s very well organised, and great to be racing against the top level sailors.”

Results After 3 Races
With no racing the event standings remain the same as last night, with Arrighetti out in front, and Jaggi, and Arutkin close behind.

1st Valerie Arrighetti (Tabou, Loft, Mystic)
2nd Karin Jaggi (Patrik, Severne)
3rd Alice Arutkin (Starboard, North)
4th Lise Vidal (Exocet, North)
5th Fanny Aubet (JP, NeilPryde)
6th Sarah Hebert (Naish, Naish)
7th Delphine Cousin (Fanatic, North)
8th Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard, Gaastra)
9th Ophelle Joly (Fanatic, North)
10th Marion Mortefon

Eye On The Horizon
The forecast for tomorrow isn’t looking too promising at the moment, but a good ‘vent d’est’ is forecast for Tuesday which should ensure some more fast and furious slalom racing. This could however all change in an instant though, so there’s still every possibility that we’ll see some more racing before tomorrow’s out.

Live GPS Tracking
Yesterday the women were tracked throughout the afternoon. Check out the racing, including the top speeds they achieved, by following this link HERE.

Keep in the groove
For more information on all the entrants, and to keep up to date with every piece of the action, click on www.pwaworldtour.com

Here you can use our:
• Live ticker service for heat-by-heat bulletins
• Check live elimination ladders
• View results
• Read daily news summaries
• Browse awesome action photo galleries

Mathieu Richard Wins the 'King of the Mountain' Title in Spectacular Style

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 15:12:00 +0200

St. Moritz, Switzerland - Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team won the 'King of the Mountain' title today in spectacular style, taking a huge stride towards his quest to become the 2010 ISAF Match Racing World Champion. * Having toyed with the teams all week at the St. Moritz Match Race, it was on the final day that the Maloja wind truly kicked in, bringing with it a supreme display of match racing for which the ISAF World Match Racing Tour is renowned. Richard, despite not always being on top of his game throughout the week, knuckled down when it mattered most, grinding out a series of hard-fought victories against his nearest rivals today. L-R Mathieu Richard,Greg Evrard, Olivier Herledant, Yannick Simon, French Match Racing Team, winners of the St Moritz Match Race 2010. World Match Racing Tour. St Moritz, Switzerland. Photo: Ian Roman/WMRT. When the two British skippers, triple Olympic gold medalist Ben Ainslie (GBR) TEAMORIGIN and double ISAF Match Racing World Champion Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar won their first semi-final matches, the prospects looked good for an all-British final. However, Richard had no intention of playing second fiddle and led Ainslie all the way round the course in their next race to level the score. It was standing room only in the packed grandstands and with everything hanging on the final race of both semi-final matches, the crowds of spectators were in for a treat. A dogfight before each of the starts characterized the races. With a penalty to his name in his deciding semi-final battle against Ainslie, it appeared Richard's only option as they approached the final mark was a brutal one - to pin a penalty on Ainslie. Fortunately for Richard, his Blu26 found a gust, giving him enough time to complete his penalty turn and dispense with the Brit. Meanwhile, in the Williams vs Minoprio bout Williams took the first match, but Minoprio responded in the second with a move at the windward mark, where Williams collected two penalties in rapid succession, allowing Minoprio to take a decisive victory. Williams though regained his composure for the final race of his dual with the New Zealander, with just enough control over Minoprio to maintain a slim lead to the finish and a place in the final. L-R Yannick Simon (holding cheque), Olivier Herledant, Greg Evrard, Mathieu Richard, French Match Racing Team, winners of the St Moritz Match Race 2010. World Match Racing Tour. St Moritz, Switzerland. 5th September 2010. Photo: Ian Roman/WMRT. The scene was set for a fitting British-French finale, with the title going to the first team to win two races. This was sailing's version of 'Le Crunch'. At times, both played underdog, exchanging glances and penalties. It was one all after two races and in the deciding race, it seemed only right that the wind, so unpredictable and challenging all week, should have the final say. Richard, playing a string of gusts and shifts to perfection, pulling five lengths clear, a lead he maintained to take the 'King of the Mountain' crown and CHF36,000 in prize money. Richard, reflected: /"I wasn't happy after losing the first race against Ian in the finals. I was too excited, made mistakes and didn't have a positive feeling. So, we picked ourselves up, changed our mood and took the match to them. We go to Denmark with a healthy lead however we know there is still all to play for. For now though, we're overjoyed."/ As the Tour heads to the island of Bornholm, Denmark, next week, it is possible that the next few weeks will determine not just the outcome of this year's World Match Racing Tour but also shape the future of match racing with the America's Cup announcements that have been a hot topic all week in St. Moritz. Whatever the outcome, Richard and his rivals will remain focused on their endeavours to take the World Match Racing Tour title. To view the 'Play of the Day' - Williams collecting two penalties against Minoprio, click on http://wmrt.com/lists/lt.php?id=ZBoIB1IABg0GRQUHC0gCUVVX * Results for the top four positions at the 2010 St. Moritz Match Race: * Finals Semi-final Quarter-final Round Robin * Final:* Mathieu Richard 2-1 2-1 1-0 (7-4) Ian Williams 1-2 2-1 (straight to SF) (8-3) *Petit Final:* Adam Minoprio 1-0 1-2 1-0 (6-5) Ben Ainslie 0-1 1-2 2-0 (7-4) *Overall Standings the 2010 St. Moritz Match Race: * Skipper/Teams Points 1 Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team 25 2 Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar 20 3 Adam Minoprio (NZL) BlackMatch Racing 15 4 Ben Ainslie (GBR) TEAMORIGIN 12 5 Bertrand Pace (FRA) Aleph Sailing Team 10 6 Björn Hansen (SWE) Hansen Global Team 8 7 Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team 6 8 Francesco Bruni (ITA) Azzurra 4 9 Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team 10 Eric Monnin (SUI) Swiss Match Race Team 11 Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team 12 Jerome Clerc (SUI) Team CER Geneve For fans around the world, the event will be featured in a TV highlights programme called *The St Moritz Match Race*. Featuring all the action from Lake St. Moritz, it will premiere on *Eurosport at 21.35 on 6 October* and also show on Eurosport Asia Pacific at 13.45 on 13 October. The programme will be screened on *Sky Sports 3 at 18.00 on 22 October.

Sunferries Magnetic Island Race Week - Soft Shoe Shuffle

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 15:08:00 +0200

Sunferries Magnetic Island Race Week 2010 Day 2 was another challenging day on the water, definitely a soft shoe shuffle with some crews seeming to have their choreography just right. Today was a warm spring day in Far North Queensland. There was blue sky with high cloud and the fleet was held ashore under AP until 11.30am. With the afternoon sea breeze building, the Race Committee set the 23.5 nautical mile Townsville race as today's course. In six to eight knots, the IRC competitors were gunned away with Zen, Gordon Ketelbey's Sydney 38, with Peter Sorensen calling tactics, starting on the pin end. Townsville's Quattro (Graham Donnell) ducked behind Brilliant Pearl (Tracey and Gary McCarthy) as did Zoe (Wayne Millar) and the Cairns based Sydney 32 Groove (Belinda Cooper). The breeze was strengthening as the fleet streamed under spinnakers across Cleveland Bay towards Townsville, making a colourful show indeed for all onboard the Sunferries Spectator ferry. At the bottom mark Zoe was 300 metres ahead of Guilty Pleasures III (Leon Thomas), who in turn was ten metres ahead of Zen. Zoe led as a close bow for bow battle was taking place between the Farr 30 Guilty Pleasures III and the Sydney 38 Zen as they sailed up the Magnetic Island shoreline. That battle continued for another short lap. Then the Race Committee shortened courses for all divisions. Guilty Pleasures III continued her winning form today taking the handicap win in the IRC division. Zen was second, with Zoe third. Overall, Guilty Pleasures III with two bullets is leading the IRC fleet with Zen second and Zoe third. Winning skipper Leon Thomas said 'We had a really good day - it was a great day on the water, we had a good start and it went on from there. We had a great race with Zen. The conditions really suited us. We were pretty much powered up with everyone on the windward rail, while the 40 footers tended to have everyone on the low side. 'Zoe, Quattro and Zen will step up tomorrow with the round the cans races. However Tuesday's Round the Island race could suit us if there is 20-25 knots. In those conditions upwind we are a 30 footer upwind and 50 footer down wind.' Wayne Millar from Zoe said 'Leon and his crew just outsailed the fleet today. However we are hoping to make a dint in his lead tomorrow, when we sail 'around the cans' windwards leewards.' Slightly more pressure is expected tomorrow and the Forecast for the signature event, the 22 nautical mile Magnetic Island Race is for up to 25 knots on Tuesday. Townsville skipper Patrick Stokes on his Thompson 7 Stoked took the handicap win in the Performance Racing Division from Mike Roper on Ropabull, with the Donovan Deem skippered Let it Ride all the way from the Mandurah Offshore Fishing and Sailing Club in Western Australia, third. Yesterday's Performance Racing winner, Cyclone went from rooster to feather duster today. As skipper Stephen Keal explained spinnaker and genoa halyards were twisted and the spinnaker would not come down as they rounded the bottom mark. Drama when the mainsheet trimmer Brett Pritchard trying to manhandle the spinnaker when it caught the wind, was launched into the air and over the side. While the crew concentrated on rescuing the crew man, Cyclone continued 'prawning' for 20 minutes with her blue spinnaker. 'We are all Islanders, so our background is hunting and gathering and we were just being consistent today' he laughed. Overall Stokes leads the division from Ropabull by three points, with Amaya II (Peter Boxall) third. Mick Gillum's Step Ahead from the Townsville Yacht Club scored the handicap win in the Cruising with Spinnaker division. Don Algie's Storm 2 was second, with Freya (Russell and Glenys McLaughlin) third. Gillum had earlier today told his crew 'If we win today you can throw me in the drink!' And they did. Overall Step Ahead leads on count back from Storm 2, with Warrigal (James Henry Finch) just one point back in third. In Cruising with Spinnaker Division 2, Lismore sailor Peter McKenzie on Le Rossignol scored another handicap win, making it two in a row for the Ross 780. Second today was Graham van Brederode's Fortified with Tony Craner's Upshot third, the reverse of yesterday's minor placings. By virtue of his two bullets, McKenzie leads the division Overall, with Fortified second and Upshot third. 'The little boat that could' and still is, Benjamin Meakin's Noosa based Peggy scored her second handicap win of the event in the Cruising Non Spinnaker division. Local sailor Paul Toombs' Redy Witch was second, with the Peter Cox skippered Valhalla third. Peggy leads the division Overall from Valhalla and Volare, both on seven points. Italina backed up her handicap win yesterday, with another win today, taking the top prize in the Multihull division from Chris Murcutt's The Fremantle Doctor, with Bryan Beutel's School's Out third. Italina is currently leading the Multihulls Overall.

French Girls Spoil Italian Party

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 11:27:00 +0200

2010 470 Open European Championships - 28 August - 6 September 2010, Istanbul Sailing Club, Istanbul, Turkey

Up to today, the defending women’s champions from Italy have owned the 2010 Open 470 European Championships. Giulia Conti and Giovanna Micol might have had a bad opening heat at the beginning of the week, but since then a string of race wins had launched them into a seemingly unassailable lead.

A lot can happen in a day’s racing on the tricky waters of Istanbul, however, and after a tough two races the Italians face a real fight if they’re to keep hold of the European crown. Two French teams demonstrated incredible mastery of the light and patchy breezes, with Emanuelle Rol and Helene Defrance scoring two 3rd places to move into the lead. Their team mates Camille Lecointre and Mathilde Geron scored two 2nds to move into 2nd overall, just a point off the lead.

Conti’s 10 point lead may now have dissolved into an 8-point deficit, but with two fleet races remaining in the 31-boat women’s division before the double-points Medal Race on Monday, there’s still time for the Italians to take their revenge.

The Italian skipper was in good spirits considering she’d just lost her lead. “Our performance was so and so,” said Conti. “The first race we were caught out by a big righty when we were on the left, and we lost 10 boats just like that, and we couldn’t recover.” However, the Italians were jolted into life during the next race after suffering a shocking start. “We rounded the top mark 3rd last, but we got closer to the boats in front of us, and on the second upwind stayed more in the middle of the course, tacking below other boats, not caring about bad air, just doing what we wanted to do. We climbed back up to 4th at the finish. We put a lot of effort in to end up in that position, we didn’t just sail into a corner and hope for some luck. I think that was our best race this week.”

The first race saw all kinds of leaders before the Israeli team of Gil Cohen and Dana Mamriev pulled through to win. “We like these conditions,” said Mamriev, “they remind us of sailing at home, working on the shifts and looking for the gusts.”

British team Hannah Mills and Claire Cumming had had their moment at the front of that race, along with team mates Sophie Weguelin and Sophie Ainsworth, before both teams got caught out by the shifts. However Mills put it right in the next race, winning by a massive margin as the sun was setting over Istanbul. “Scary race,” said Mills, “but nice to get a race win in that stuff. We just tried to sail our own race rather than getting caught up in small battles, keeping focused on the bigger picture.”

If that was lesson of the day, to sail the wind rather than the fleet, then the Greeks have certainly taken it to heart in the men’s Gold fleet. Overnight leaders Panagiotis Mantis and Pavlos Kagialis extended their advantage with two 5ths, and now lead by six points from Israel’s Gideon Kliger and Eran Sela, who won today’s first race.

Just two points behind the Israelis are another strong Greek duo, Panagiotis Kampouridis and Theodoros Polychronidis. French sailors Nicholas Charbonnier and Baptiste Meyer-Dieu won today’s other race and move up to 4th ahead of the defending European Champions, the Croatian team Sime Fantela and Igor Marenic who slipped badly today.

Charbonnier was pleased to have won a race, but said he had a lot to learn from how the Greeks handle the seemingly random shift and gust patterns. Even series leader Kagialis said he preferred strong winds, but was still happy to have done so well today. “In the second race we had a penalty from the jury at the start, I don’t know why. But we did a 720 turn, started last boat, but with good tactics we climbed up to the top five.” His helmsman Mantis attributed their success to “a lot of patience, and a little bit of luck. You always need luck!”

In the men’s Silver fleet, the points remain very tight with Finland’s Joonas and Niklas Lindgren holding on to the lead by a single point from 470 Junior World and European Champions, Sofian Bouvet and Jeremie Mion.

As for tomorrow, Gold fleet leader Panagiotis Mantis believes strong winds are returning. If his 24-hour weather forecasting proves as good as his short-term reading of the wind shifts, then we’ll be in for a storming final days’ fleet racing on the warm waters of Istanbul, before the Medal Race showdown on Monday.

If strong winds do return tomorrow, that would suit Giulia Conti just fine. Asked if she was ready for a fight, Conti replied: “I was born ready. It’s going to be tough because both of the French are very good sailors, smart and fast. So yes, it’s going to be tough, but the best team will win in the end.”

 The 2010 Open 470 European Championships conclude on 6 September. The regatta is organised by The Istanbul Sailing Club in co-operation with the International 470 Class Association and the Turkish Sailing Federation.

You can follow the racing live online, via the GPS tracking system, which will be displayed here: www.onlineracetrack.net

470 Men/Mixed - Top 10 Results After 10 Races
Pos - SailNo - Crew - Pts
1. GRE 1 - Panagiotis MANTIS, Pavlos KAGIALIS - 34,0
2. ISR 7 - Gideon KLIGER, Eran SELA - 40,0
3. GRE 165 - Panagiotis KAMPOURIDIS, Theodoros POLYCHRONIDIS – 42,0
4. FRA 7 - Nicolas CHARBONNIER, Baptiste MEYER-DIEU – 48,0
5. CRO 83 - Sime FANTELA, Igor MARENIC – 49,0
6. GBR 844 - Luke PATIENCE, Stuart BITHELL – 50,0
7. FRA 44 - Pierre LEBOUCHER, Vincent GAROS - 58,0
8. ESP 9 - Onán BARREIROS RODRÍGUEZ, Aarón SARMIENTO PADILLA - 70,0
9. NED 77 - Steven LEFEVRE, Steven KROL - 78,0
10. GER 49 - Lucas ZELLMER, Heiko SEELIG - 86,0

470 Women - Top 10 Results After 10 Races
Pos - SailNo - Crew – Pts
1. FRA 12 - Emmanuelle ROL, Hélène DEFRANCE - 41,0
2. FRA 9 - Camille LECOINTRE, Mathilde GERON - 42,0
3. ITA 23 - Giulia CONTI, Giovanna MICOL – 45,0
4. DEN 143 - Henriette KOCH, Lene SOMMER - 62,0
5. FRA 4 - Ingrid PETITJEAN, Nadege DOUROUX - 64,0
6. AUT 431 - Sylvia VOGL, Carolina FLATSCHER - 68,0
7. ISR 311 - Gil COHEN, Dana MAMRIEV - 79,0
8. GBR 847 - Hannah MILLS, Claire CUMMING - 81,0
9. GER 66 - Annina WAGNER, Marlene STEINHERR - 91,0
10. GBR 840 - Sophie WEGUELIN, Sophie AINSWORTH - 93,0

A Touch of Luck Defines Day 4 of The St. Moritz Match Race

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 11:26:00 +0200

St. Moritz, Switzerland - 4 September 2010 - On a frustrating day for the six teams battling to reach the semi-finals of the St. Moritz Match Race, perhaps the biggest fight was off the water between the gradient northerly wind and the thermally induced southerly, which left the racecourse peppered with monumental wind shifts, holes and gusts.

The weather has tested the skippers' mettle all week and today it created a spectacular sporting moment that had the crowd holding its breath. It looked as if it was all over for reigning 'King of the Mountain' Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing in his match against Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team. Iehl, looking to build on a remarkable previous day, had what seemed like an insurmountable lead however he hit a hole and unfavourable wind shift just before the finish line. At the same time, Minoprio caught a big gust that he rode all the way to the end, storming past Ihel just two boat lengths from the finish. The King of the Mountains clearly controls the wind however it was a hollow victory: /"Damien did a really good job extending his lead around the course. Then, when it was almost all over, he sailed into a hole and we sailed round him. I really don't feel good about it, but we need the points."/

Ben Ainslie, TEAMORIGIN (foreground) vs Bjorn Hansen, Hansen Global Team. St Moritz Match Race 2010. World Match Racing Tour. St Moritz, Switzerland. Photo: Ian Roman/WMRT.

No skipper was given Minoprio's luck forcing them to relentlessly pursue every possible advantage. A pre-start incident between triple Olympic gold medalist Ben Ainslie (GBR) TEAMORIGIN and Björn Hansen
(SWE) Hansen Global Team saw the umpires find in favour of the British team, as Ainslie explains: /"It was a 50-50 situation in which we had to keep clear when Hansen luffed us hard. It was a difficult decision for the jury as to whether he had been too aggressive, or whether our response was too slow. Luckily they decided in our favour."/

Next up was a French derby between Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team against Bertrand Pacé (FRA) Aleph Sailing Team. There was no love lost though as Richard tried to pin Pacé outside the line at the start. In a super-close rounding of the second mark, Richard had the favoured inside line, while Pacé collected a penalty for failing to give him space giving Richard the advantage which he held to the finish.

In what proved to be the final chapter of the day, Ainslie held a big lead over Hansen when a wind shift of such magnitude made it difficult for Hansen to hold the spinnaker. Despite vehement protest from Hansen's team, the race was not abandoned giving Ainslie a second and decisive win to join Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar in the semi-finals.

The battle between the two wind systems continued through the afternoon, and despite supreme efforts by the race committee, racing eventually had to be abandoned for the day. The remaining quarter-final races to decide the two teams that will face Ainslie and Williams in the semi-finals, will take place at 1000 local time tomorrow morning.

*Quarter-final results at the St. Moritz Match Race:*
Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar: goes straight to semi-final
Ben Ainslie (GBR) TEAM ORIGIN: 2
Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team: 1
Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing: 1
Bertrand Pace (FRA) Aleph Sailing Team: 0
Björn Hansen (SWE) Hansen Global Team: 0
Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team: 0

The Kerteminde rollercoaster ride - Gold Medals for Poland and Spain

Sun, 05 Sep 2010 11:24:00 +0200

Day 7 - RS:X World Championships, Kerteminde, Denmark, 27th August - 5th September 2010

Rollercoaster ride was the best description of today’s two final races of the RS:X World Championships in Kerteminde, Denmark with victory going to Poland’s Piotr Myszka in the Men’s class and to Blancha Manchon from Spain in the Women.

Despite the short medal race courses for the top 10 competitors, there were dramatic place changes in both fleets with the final podium positions fluctuating by the minute as each race progressed. Ultimately the winner in each class ended up claiming their title, just a point ahead of second.
The Women’s race was held in brilliant sunshine and light to moderate conditions with the wind coming more from the east than it has all week. This segued straight into the Men’s race by which time the wind had lightened yet more and there were substantial gains and losses with the 10 sailors running into wind holes across the course. For both fleets there was a further challenge as they found themselves negotiating a minefield of weed that had washed into the Bay of Kerteminde after Friday night’s torrential rain.

Poland went into today’s medal race holding the top two positions in the Men’s class, their three time Olympic representative Przemyslaw Miarczynski trailing Piotr Myszka. But at one point on the first beat eventual winner, Myszka, was last and set to return home without a medal of any colour.

“We started planing, but there was so much weed we couldn’t go up because all the time we’d get caught, so I had to put the daggerboard up and then it was ‘go, go go’!” Myszka said of his terrible opening leg. While the right side of the course died on the first upwind leg it came alive on the second and Myszka was fortunate to pull back on this and the final downwind before the slalom home to the finish.

“I had to go maximum and I did it, I won the race and I won everything,” said Myszka. “I am so excited. I couldn’t believe this, but it happened. In the middle of the race I was off the podium but then I came back from nowhere and won the race. I am really happy with my first RS:X Worlds win - hopefully it will not be the last.”
This is Poland’s first World Championship win in the RS:X, although Przemyslaw Miarczynski won in the Mistral class in 2003.
The most extreme reaction to her victory came from Blanca Manchon, who crossed the line satisfied with being second. “I win????” she exclaimed, leaping up and down on the coach boat upon hearing that leader going into the medal race, Italian Alessandra Sensini, had finished sixth. “I thought I was second – I was happy with that! Oh my god...!”
Ashore she had calmed only slightly. “Today I only thought to sail my race and do my best and try to win. It was crazy because there was a lot of weed in the water. It was lucky because I got rid of the grass at a good moment and I pumped and pumped with all my body. I’m sorry - I can’t speak any more because I am so happy.”

While she held the lead around the top mark, she lost it on the run and Manchon says it wasn’t until the final downwind that she got ahead with only France’s Charline Picon close behind.
“I trained so hard and I think this may be luck and whether it is or not it is really emotional because my family is here and all the people in Spain are with me....and I’m World Champion!” In fact the only person more worked up about Manchon’s win was her mother Maria Antonia Dominguez, who was competing at this World Championship in the silver fleet.
Rory Ramsden, Chief Operating Officer of the RS:X Class was satisfied with this week of racing in Denmark. “It was difficult to start with, but it has turned out good and who could ask for more? We had some great racing, good wind and the sailors have really enjoyed the racing. Today two good medal races and a dramatic end to a dramatic event. I am chuffed to bits.”
Ramsden was responsible for the RS:X class embracing the new Danish technology Sailstream, being used to enhance the internet experience of following the event with video streamed live from the race course alongside fleet tracking provided by TracTrac.

“We are very pleased to be in the vanguard with this - live video is definitely the way ahead,” says Ramsden who reveals that the technology is to be used at the RS:X class’ major championships in 2011 and 2012. “We are going to add a live scoring system to it and we are investigating other technologies to add to it.”
ISAF President Göran Petersson has been in Kerteminde to follow the racing and once again was impressed with the set-up provided by the Danish hosts. “I think they have a model that works very well with the co-operation between the sailing areas, the sailing club, the volunteers, the community, the sponsors, Danish Sailing Association, Sport Event Denmark and the local Sport Events which take care of not only the sport part of it but also the tourist effects and things like that. I think they are very successful in this.”
Petersson was also fully behind the new SailStream technology being trialled for the first time ever at this regatta. “We have to move the races and the stories about the races closer to those people who want to look and listen. They cannot come out to us, we have to come to them and that has to be pictures and comments and it has to be live and in real time and they are achieving this here. I understand there is still some development still to be made, but this absolutely is the way to go.” Petersson reckons this should be in place not just in time for London 2012 by in time for the Perth 2011 ISAF Sailing World Championships in December next year.

Petersson won’t be drawn on the prospects of Denmark hosting the 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships. Bids for this are to be submitted in the autumn and a decision will be made next spring. “Like the IOC we don’t want to take risks with our big events. We want to have someone who has a proven record they can deliver a good event and Denmark for sure has.”

World Champs Update – Tom Ashley chases a medal in Denmark

Sat, 04 Sep 2010 10:04:00 +0200

2010 RS:X World Championship

Image by Event Media: Tom Ashley on day four

Tom Ashley is in the hunt for a World Championship medal with the RS:X Men’s title up for grabs in one final medal race to be sailed in Kerteminde, Denmark tonight. Lying fourth after a hard fought five days of racing so far, Ashley is within reach of the podium.

Team-mate Jon-Paul Tobin is also in the starting line-up sitting in seventh place in the top ten sailors who will compete in the quick-fire double points remaining race.

Here’s what Tom Ashley had to say at the conclusion of the penultimate day:
“I had a better day today. We only managed one race as the wind was very light and unstable, but I had a solid race to finish 6th.”

“This means that I go into tomorrow's double points medal race in fourth position, eight points from the lead and four points from third. It's all on!”

“There was a bit of shuffling on the leaderboard today- lots of good guys had a very bad race,” he said.