Americans Have a Great Day at Farr 40 Europeans

Plenty and Barking Mad are sitting pretty after two races

Porto Rotondo, Italy 30 September 2010

Day One of the Farr 40 European Championship 2010 saw the ten competing yachts complete two windward-leeward races in light and tricky conditions. Jim Richardson’s Barking Mad (USA) with Hamish Pepper onboard calling tactics leads the provisional overall. Behind Richardson is Plenty (USA), owned by Alex Roepers and with Chris Larson picking the shifts who is equal with Massimo Mezzaroma in the third.

After a long wait off Porto Rotondo during which the fleet got in some practice starts, Race One of the series finally got off to a start at 3:00 p.m. in light 7 knot oeast south-easterly breeze. Plenty dominated from the off and was followed round the windward mark and the leeward gate by Nerone, current Farr 40 World Champion with Vasco Vascotto calling tactics. On the second upwind leg both Plenty and Barking Mad chose the left and at the mark Barking Mad had climbed up the fleet to second place ahead of Nerone, all three held their positions to the finish.

By the start of Race Two the area’s prevailing Mistral wind was blowing off the coast at approximately 12 knots. Once again Plenty was hot off the mark but the top end of the fleet remained compact as they rounded the windward mark with Roepers leading Struntje Light (GER), owned by Wolfgang Schaefer, Barking Mad and Andrea Canavesio’s Mangusta Risk (ITA).

Nerone and Fiamma (ITA) with ETNZ's gun tactician and one of the sport's hardest working yachtsmen onboard, were over the start line early and the resulting penalty left them buried in the fleet. The wind swung right for the second upwind beat and Barking Mad rounded firstt pushing Mangusta Risk into second with Alberto Rossi’s Enfant Terrible in third, while Plenty had slipped back to sixth. Mangusta Risk took the lead on the final downwind leg but it was a real dog fight as Barking Mad snuck across the line within inches of the Italian boat. Enfant Terrible, with Pietro D’Alì on tactics took third while Nerone recovered to finish fourth after fighting their way back from ninth place on the first upwind leg.

Jim Richardson, owner of Barking Mad, was beaming dockside after the first day’s results.

“It was very shifty, sometimes there was good breeze and sometimes there wasn’t, but we did a pretty good job of sailing the shifts and being in the right place on the course and it worked out pretty well," he said.

“In the second race, we rounded the leeward gate fourth with Plenty leading Struntje and Mangusta. Struntje and Mangusta then went to the left hand side of the course and we went right, Mangusta came back with us and Plenty tacked off and went right and the left filled in with pressure and we got around all of them. Then we had a run to the finish line neck and neck with Mangusta the whole way and we just nipped them at the finish line.”The Hip Young Brits onboard Hooligan VI don't have Stuey from The Family Guy as their (inflatable) mascot this year but tactican Aaron Cooper said the vibe is very positive amongst their young camp. "We've improved over the last year and posting a seventh today in the first race was awesome for our team's morale," Cooper said. Racing is scheduled to continue tomorrow, Friday October 1, at 11:00 am. North-westerly winds of 12 to 14 knots are predicted.

Provisional results

1 USA 50455 BARKING MAD James Richardson, (1) 3.0 2 1
2 USA 60059 PLENTY Alex Roepers, (9) 7.0 1 6
3 ITA 1972 NERONE Massimo Mezzaroma, (8) 7.0 3 4
4 ITA 4003 MANGUSTA RISK Andrea Canavesio, (3) 12.0 10 2
5 ITA 40091 ENFANT TERRIBLE Alberto Rossi, (6) 12.0 9 3
6 ITA 252 FIAMMA Alessandro Barnaba, (4) 12.0 5 7
7 GER 40 STRUNTJE LIGHT Wolfgang Schaefer, (10) 13.0 8 5
8 DEN 2007 MONICK David Holm, (7) 14.0 4 10
9 MON 69 CHARISMA Nico Poons, (2) 14.0 6 8
10 GBR 7400 HOOLIGAN 6 Edward Broadway, (5) 16.0 7 9

Lulu Roseman

Plenty of Breeze at Farr 40 Europeans in Porto Rotondo

Nerrone will have their work cut out for them if they are to successfully to defend their Farr 40 2009 European title.

There is some serious sailing talent amongst this fleet and while Terry Hutchinson is absent from Jim Richardson's  Barking Mad this week due to commitments on Quantum Racing in Valencia, the current world champions have snared Kiwi tactician Hamish Pepper.

Ed Broadway and his young and hungry team on Hooligan VI are back for another crack at it, while rising bowman Morgan Gutenkunst, fresh from finishing fifth at the Melges 32 Worlds in San Francisco last week, will sail on Plenty, also his ride for the Farr 40 Worlds in Sydney next February.

Photo: Lulu Roseman

Noticeably absent this year is Vincenzo Onarato and the Italian Rascals, Mascalzone Latino, which has had to switch focus to the 34th America's Cup and competing in the RC 44 Class who have their Worlds in Lanzarote next week.

Lulu Roseman

Let the debate continue - Is San Fran venue to host the 34th America's Cup?

Check out this story in the San Francisco Chronicle. We checked out the proposed venue in San Francisco on the other side of the Bay Bridge last week during the Melges 32 Worlds and it's not that grim.

It could work really well depending on budget, design and a major increase in infrastructure. Like in Valencia, at this stage of the game this is where the focus of the event is on property rather than yacht racing. But if these guys get it right we could see not only one of the most spectacular yachting events ever staged but one that will change the face of our sport forever.

The Mayor's Office and the City of San Francisco have got a tough battle ahead of them to have their proposal accepted by Larry, Russell and Co.

Photo: Lulu Roseman

Lulu Roseman

Clink on this link for the article:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2010%2F09%2F28%2FBAV61FKTG8.DTL#ixzz10rLSbtI8

Slingo nominated for ISAF Rolex World Sailor Of The Year Award

Australia's Tom Slingsby has been nominated for the ISAF Rolex World Yachtsman of the Year which will be announced in Athens on the 9th of November, 2010. Over the last 12 months Slingsby, a three time Laser World Champion, has racked up some very impressive results.

He started the nomination period with a win at Skandia Sail for Gold 2009 and repeated the result at the 2010 regatta. In the meantime he has won almost every event he has raced in.

He kicked of the 2009 Australian summer season in his Laser by winning Sail Sydney and the Australian National Title. He went on to take out the Etchells National Title and the Farr 40 National in March.

As tactician onboard the Farr 40 Transfusion, he helped his team to a second overall at the Rolex Farr 40 Worlds in the Dominican Republic in April before returning to the Laser and the European circuit of the ISAF Sailing World Cup. He sailed at three of the 2009-10 regattas and won them all: Delta Lloyd, Kieler Woche and Skandia Sail for Gold. He also picked up the bronze medal at the Laser Europeans in Estonia.Between gold medals in the Laser,

Slingsby travelled to Howth in Ireland with his Etchells team of America's Cup winning skipper, John Bertrand and Olympian, Andrew Palfrey. They took charge from the second day of racing and with five race wins from the nine race series, they were able to sit out the final race and still be crowned 2010 World Champions. His most recent score was in the Laser World Championship at Hayling Island, UK where again he dominated and snatched his third Laser World Title with a 36-point margin over the silver medallist.

Lulu Roseman

Loki wins the Bird Island Race

Photo: Andrea Francolini

Stephen Ainsworth's RP 63 Loki has racked up another win as Australia's top IRC yacht taking out line honours in the Bird Island Race.

Loki has won the 2009/2010 Audi IRC Australian Championship, the Audi Sydney Gold Coast Race and Audi Hamilton Island Race Week IRC Grand Prix in August and now the the first race of the Blue Water Point Score.  Loki is without a doubt the boat to beat.

Bob Oatley’s R/P 66 Wild Oats X, with recently appointed AC34 Regatta Director, Iain Murray at the helm, claimed line honours, finishing on Saturday morning at 07.26.08am in the time of 12 hours 26mins 8secs.

Loki finished the 85 nautical mile race next at 07.46.26am, with Syd Fischer’s TP52, Ragamuffin, third home, just over three hours later.

On finishing, Loki’s helmsman, Gordon Maguire, was convinced they didn’t have a chance of winning.

“I’d suggest it’s not a big boat race, but Ragamuffin was doing really well, the best of the big boats,” he said. Fischer had obviously wiped off the jetlag after only returning from the 12 Metre America’s Cup Legends Reunion in Rhode Island earlier in the week.

The excitement will build when RAN arrives from Italy to fight it out with Loki for overall handicap honours in the Rolex Sydney to Hobart later this year. RAN consider the race to be unfinished business, so Maguire might have to watch his back.

Lulu Roseman

Matador Win The Audi MedCup Sardinia Trophy

Matador, the 2009 TP52 World Champions, have won the Audi MedCup Region of Sardinia Trophy Regatta a clear 13 points ahead of Audi A1 powered by All4ONE.

The wind in Cagliari was a consistent at 25 knots for the last  day of the Audi MedCup and while Emirates Team New Zealand have nailed the series, the real battle was between Quantum and Matador for second place overall. These two were neck on neck on the start line of the day's only race with Quantum leading Matador down the first beat on the right hand side of the racecourse.

Photo: Nico Martinez/Audi MedCup

But ETNZ had good boat speed and powered their way up the first beat and these conditions are perfect for the Kiwis. The weight is all at the back of the boat and they are hiking out but Team Origin picked up some good pressure on the the left grab the lead at the windward mark first.

Stefano Gattini_Studio Borlenghi/Audi MedCup

Lulu Roseman

The Kiwi's Nail It in Cagliari

Emirates Team New Zealand have won the MedCup 2010 series for the second year running.

Photo: Stefano Gattini_Studio Borlenghi/Audi MedCup

Photo: Stefano Gattini_Studio Borlenghi/Audi MedCup

Italians Do It With Style at Melges 32 Worlds

The weather was perfect today for the final two races of the Melges 32 Worlds in San Francisco but no one, not even Russell Coutts, could stop the Italians.

Photo: Chris Ray

Luca Lalli, 25, and his crew on B-Lin have achieved quite a lot in the last nine days. First the won the Melges 32 division at Rolex Big Boat and today they have been crowned the 2010 Melges 32 World Champions.

Photo: Lulu Roseman

Top Ten Results (After 10 races, 1 discard)
1.) Luca Lalli/Lorenzo Bressani, B-lin Sailing; [15]-6-1-8-8-2-7-4-9-3 = 48
2.) John Porter/Jonathan McKee, Full Throttle; 3-[23]-10-4-4-11-4-2-4-17/ZFP = 59
3.) Jeff Ecklund/Harry Melges III, STAR; 6-[19]-9-13-1-8-1-10-5-10 = 63
4.) Andy Lovell/Johnny Lovell, Rougarou; 2-4-3-25-13-6-8-6-1-[31] = 68
5.) Steve Howe/Morgan Larson, Warpath; [33/DSQ]-9-17-5-12-1-11-7-13-2 = 77
6.) Alex Jackson/Rob Greenhalgh, Leenabarca; 10-5-4-21-6-5-[24]-21-8-1 = 81
7.) Doug Douglas/Russell Coutts, Goombay Smash; 13-1-14-1-[25]-9-9-16-20-4 = 87
8.) Joe Woods/Paul Goodison, Red; 7-20-5-9-10-[33/DNF]-6-8-11-5-6-17 = 88
9.) Pieter Taselaar/Jeremy Wilmot, Bliksem; [23]-12-2-14-2-13-16-22-11-5 = 97
10.) Yukihiro Ishida/Tony Rey, Yasha Samurai; 4-21-11-16-11-[24]-17-5-2-12 = 99

Lulu Roseman

Bronco takes a big bite out of RED at Melges 32 Worlds, San Francisco

In the final race yesterday Bronco and Red were involved in a collision and thanks to the right connections both boats will race today. Red hoisted their protest flag however neither boat was at fault and the protest was dismissed.

Photo: Courtesy of DCM Enterprises

A team from DCM Enterprises worked on both boats all night so they can rejoin the fleet today.

Morgan Gutenkunst who does the bow on Warpath said: "It's very fortunate that the guys had resources handy to repair the damage and get back out on the water. With two days of racing left it would have been a real bummer to lose two teams."

Photo: Sarah Proctor

Lulu Roseman

MedCup Racing Postponed Today

It's raining cats and dogs in Cagliari and with wind shifts of 180 degrees on the racecourse it is not going to be possible to run any racing today in the Audi MedCup.

But the big news today is that in 2010 the Soto 40 will join the Audi MedCup circuit, replacing the GP42 class and Brazil's five time Olympic medalist Toben Grael has bought one of these yachts.

For all the news visit http://www.medcup.org/news/soto-40-joins-for-the-2011-circuit_4091

Lulu Roseman

San Francisco Turns on The Sunshine for Coutts and Co

It was another awesome day of racing in San Francisco at the 2010 Melges 32 World Championship, hosted by the St. Francis Yacht Club. Three heats resulted in three different winners in absolutely stunning conditions. Overnight leader Andy Lovell on Rougarou was toppled by Luca Lalli's B-Lin Sailing now in first place overall, while Alex Jackson's Leenabaca remains in third.

Photo: Chris Ray

The last and final race of the day took place around 4:30 pm in the best breeze of the day with another five-legged upwind finish. First around was Steve Howe on Warpath with a solid set taking him to the gate firmly in the lead.

"Today was great." said Warpath tactician Morgan Larson. "We finally got around the course quite well." Howe dominated that late afternoon racing scene with Lalli grabbing on for second place position, chasing for the top spot. Kip Meadows and his roXanneMelges 32 had a much better day taking third. All finished in respective order.

After six races and a discard, Lalli now leads the competition, moving him three notches to take first place, easing overnight leader Andy Lovell into second. Alex Jackson remains in third, Porter moves up five spots for fourth and Jeff Ecklund's outstanding performance today edged him up three places to finish fifth overall.

Top Ten Results (After 6 Races 1 discard)
1.) Luca Lalli/Lorenzo Bressani, B-lin Sailing; [15]-6-1-8-8-2 = 25
2.) Andy Lovell/Johnny Lovell, Rougarou; 2-4-3-[25]-13-6 = 28
3.) Alex Jackson/Rob Greenhalgh, Leenabarca; 10-5-4-[21]-6-5 = 23
4.) John Porter/Jonathan McKee, Full Throttle; 3-[23]-10-4-4-11 = 32
5.) Jeff Ecklund/Harry Melges III, STAR; 6-[19]-9-13-1-8 = 37
6.) Doug Douglas/Russell Coutts, Goombay Smash; 13-1-14-1-[25]-9 = 38
7.) Pieter Taselaar/Jeremy Wilmot, Bliksem; [23]-12-2-14-2-23 = 43
8.) Steve Howe/Morgan Larson, Warpath; [33/DSQ]-9-17-5-12-1 = 44
9.) Kip Meadows/Andy Horton, roXanne; 17-7-13-6-[19]-3 = 46
10.) Jean Francois Cruette/Christian Ponthieu, Teasing Machine; [22]-17-6-3-16-7 = 49

Lulu Roseman

Stir Fry... Simon Fry Says...

Simon Fry the trimmer onboard Matador shares his thoughts:

On the briefing this morning and whether they discussed how to avoid a repeat of last season's error:

“As you can imagine that played a little part in the discussions this morning about how far we should be off that headland. It was a different breeze, approaching with the A3 at speed rather than in a dying breeze with the Code Zero, it was a different scenario.

Photo: Ian Roman/Audi MedCup

“We duked it out at the pin with Artemis, but to be fair they probably did a better job at the start but Guillermo did a really neat job, a skinny build, living off them. Then three or four minutes into the race Audi had double tacked up off the start line and we were almost up to their line, we started to let it rip, a small left shift and then we had a lucky lane and that was it.

"But to be fair, the boat is really, really strong in 12 knots. This is down to the optimisation, the way the boat is set up, where Rolf Vrolijk pitched the boat and how Flipper (Paul Westlake) trims the main. It all just fits together. We have always been strong in these conditions. The boat is virtually unbeaten in Palma and these are Palma style conditions. The coastal races have never been our real strength but today things just came together.”

by Audi MedCup Media Team

Matador Wins Coastal Race at Cagliari

Photo: Stefano Gattini_Studio Borlenghi/Audi MedCup

In a light to moderate sea breezes, which built to 12kts midway through the race, the start was critical, setting the order for the windward mark, where Matador lead.

On the long reach across the Bay of Cagliari towards ‘that’ point, the Capo St Elia to the east ofCagliari, Matador were the only team among the leading group to set and hold on to an A3 reaching kite while their pursuers used jibs. That decision gave Matador a small boost and allowed them to extend their lead on the run down into the Bay of Angels, to the leeward turning mark off the beach at Poetto.

On the second run back to the same leeward mark Quantum Racing overhauled second placed Jochen Schuemann’s Audi A1 powered by All4One - which had movie actor Jean Reno, star of the Da Vinci Code, Leon, the Big Blue and Mission Impossible - riding at the back as a guest.

Quantum takes the lift ahead of Team Origin and Artemis Photo: Ian Roman

The 2008 champions Quantum then held off a spirited attack from Artemis, with owner Torbjorn Tornqvist (SWE) back on the wheel this week. On the final sprint under reaching gennakers into the harbour mouth, taking second just ahead of the team which won the coastal race here last year.

With a sold fifth place Synergy hold on to second place in the Region of Sardinia Trophy Regatta standings only 2.5 points ahead of Terry Hutchinson’s crew on Quantum Racing. But with two days and four races still scheduled of this event, no one is going to catch the Kiwi's, but the other podium positions are wide open.

Lulu Roseman

Boom Crash Bang..Ouch...

Audi A1 powered by All4One unfortunately smacked into the aft quarter of Bribon during Race 6 at Audi MedCup in Cagliari yesterday, ending the Spanish boat's regatta and their 2010 MedCup series.

It was a huge mistake by Jochen Schuemann in what was a classic/port situation at the first top mark, where Audi A1 on port was preparing to duck behind Bribon who were coming in on starboard. Audi A1's bow sprit pierced Bribon's hull and knocked their tactician Ian Walker clean off his feet. Luckily no one was injured.

Photo: Ian Roman/Audi MedCup

After yesterday's collision with AudiAll4One, Bribon will not be able to compete in the rest of the regatta. The Spanish team was not at any fault in any way and have been granted redress. Bribon has been scored third place in Race 6, been credited eight points for today's coastal race and 5.3 points in Races 8, 9 and 10.

Photo: Ian Roman/Audi MedCup

Lulu Roseman

Kiwis Continue Their Domination at MedCup in Cagliari

Photo: Ainhoa Sanchez/Audi MedCup

New Boat for Hutch and Co

Quantum Racing will start the 2011 season at Audi Med Cup with a brand new boat. The 52 Series designed by Botin Carkeek, is currently being to built by Chimo Lopez Longitude Zero in Burriana, Spain.

Photo: Lulu Roseman

The new Quantum Racing will be ready for launch and testing early in the new year. Currently they lie in second place overall behind Emirates Team New Zealand for the 2010 series and will round off their European summer by competing in the 52 Series Worlds in Valencia next month.

Lulu Roseman

The Spanish Are Firing on All Cylinders in Sardinia

Photo: NIco Martinez/MedCup

José Cusi’s Bribón stole the show from the leading pair Emirates Team New Zealand and TeamOrigin to win the practice race for the TP52 Series off Cagliari in a light sea-breeze today.

Although TeamOrigin (GBR) lead Audi MedCup title holders Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) around the first windward mark, Bribón (ESP) proved to be serious contenders.

Approaching the first turn on port tack, tactician Ian Walker (GBR) prudently chose to have helm Gonzalo Aurajo (ESP) duck behind the leading pair to be safe, rounding third just ahead of Audi A1 ALL4ONE (FRA/GER).

The French-German team were quick downwind and got up to third, but Walker astutely called the extra new breeze on the final run, holding left, which allowed them to steal across the front of Emirates Team New Zealand. TeamOrigin chose not to cross the finish line.

Lulu Roseman

Turning up the heat at MedCup

Photo: Ainhoa Sanchez/Audi MedCup

While we freeze through another foggy day in San Francisco, there were two practice starts today at Audi Med Cup in Cagliari, Sardinia which allow the teams to get used to the conditions and refine their starting, before the Practice Race itself.

After a Mistral day yesterday, with fantastic conditions very typical of the Gulf of Cagliari – flat waters and powerful, fast sailing – there is some residual Nor’easterly Mistral around this morning. But the sun is out, the seas inviting and after a cool early morning there is a good chance of thermal breeze coming in for the early afternoon.

That means an initial fight, with 4-10 knots of E-ESE’ly breeze resulting around start time of 1300hrs, and through the afternoon it should average out to around 8-12 knots.

Emirates Team New Zealand were the top team on the water yesterday in informal practice, but the winds are going to be slightly gentler.

The final regatta of the 2010 season has attracted ten TP52 Series.

Lulu Roseman

Italians Rule San Fran to Win Commodores Cup

After four days of racing in conditions that ranged from breezy to light air to being so foggy the fleet struggled to find the marks, Luca Lalli and his crew on B-linhas won the Commodores Cup at Rolex Big Boat Series. The Melges 32 division was the Pre-Worlds for the Melges 32 Worlds which starts here in San Francisco tomorrow.

Photo: Daniel Foster/Rolex

With only one point separating the Italians from Star going in to the final day's competition it was a nail biter as they had to keep an eye out for Bilksem. But when Star mysteriously pulled out (we all know that old sailor's tale that it's bad luck to win the pre-Worlds or as in this case the series), Bilksem was the boat Lalli had to beat.

Photo: Lulu Roseman

But the Milanese sailor and his all Italian crew were having none of that superstitious thought process.

"You have to believe in your potential and make all you can for a win" Lalli said. Winning a Rolex watch was the icing on the cake and will replace the leather/rope braided bracelets on his left arm. "Really? That is so great as I was needing to buy a watch."

Lulu Roseman


Rolex Big Boat Series 2010
Day 4 (after seven races)

Melges 32 (One Design - 27 Boats)
1. B-lin sailing, Melges 32, Luca Lalli, Milano, ITA - 5, 3, 4, 3, 18, 1, 1, ; 35
2. Bliksem, Melges 32, Pieter Taselaar, Scarsdale, NY, USA - 2, 1, 8, 2, 19, 7, 2, ; 41
3. Red, Melges 32, Joe Woods, Torquay, Devon, UK - 1, 12, 6, 5, 14, 5, 7, ; 50

J 120 (One Design - 8 Boats)
1. Dayenu, J 120, Donald Payan, Hillsborough, CA, USA - 3, 1, 5, 1, 2, 1, 2, ; 15
2. Mr. Magoo, J 120, Stephen Madeira, Menlo Park, CA, USA - 7, 2, 1, 3, 1, 4, 3, ; 21
3. Desdemona, J 120, John S. Wimer, Half Moon Bay, CA, USA - 1, 5, 2, 4, 3, 2, 7, ; 24

Express 37 (One Design - 8 Boats)
1. Golden Moon, Express 37, Kame Richards / Bill Bridge, Alameda, CA, USA - 2, 1, 1, 2, 3, 1, 1, ; 11
2. Eclipse, Express 37, Mark Dowdy, San Francisco, CA, USA - 1, 4, 3, 3, 1, 3, 4, ; 19
3. Elan, Express 37, Bill Riess, Oakland, CA, USA - 4, 2, 6, 1, 2, 2, 7, ; 24

J 105 (One Design - 24 Boats)
1. Arbitrage, J 105, Bruce J. Stone, San Francisco, CA, USA - 1, 4, 2, 3, 5, 7, 5, ; 27
2. Blackhawk, J 105, Scooter Simmons, Belvedere, CA, USA - 5, 1, 4, 11, 1, 10, 1, ; 33
3. Mojo, J 105, Jeff Littfin / John Case, San Mateo, CA, USA - 4, 2, 7, 4, 12, 5, 7, ; 41

IRC A (IRC - 5 Boats)
1. Vincitore, RP 52, James Mitchell, Zurich, Switzerland - 1, 1, 3, 2, 2, 3, 4, ; 16
2. Patches, TP 52, Jorge Ripstein, Naucalpan, MEX - 2, 6/DSQ, 1, 1, 1, 1, 5, ; 17
3. Flash, TP 52, Mick Shelns / Mark Jones, Diablo, CA, USA - 3, 2, 2, 4/SCP, 5, 2, 1, ; 19

IRC B (IRC - 7 Boats)
1. Soozal, King 40, Daniel Woolery, Alamo, CA, USA - 4, 1, 2, 3/SCP, 1, 2, 1, ; 14
2. Kokopelli2, Santa Cruz 52, Lani Spund, Los Gatos, CA, USA - 5, 2, 5, 5, 3, 1, 2, ; 23
3. Flyer, Reichel-Pugh 47, Rob Sjostedt, Foothill Ranch, CA, USA - 2, 4, 1, 3, 7/SCP, 4, 3, ; 24

IRC C (IRC - 6 Boats)
1. Wasabi, Kernan 44, Dale Williams, San Francisco, CA, USA - 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, ; 7
2. Double Trouble, J 125, Andy Costello / Peter Kreuger, Pt. Richmond, CA, USA - 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 2, 4, ; 18
3. August Ice, J 125, Richard Ferris, Tahoe City, CA, USA - 3.5, 3, 3, 2, 2, 3, 2, ; 18.5

IRC D (IRC - 7 Boats)
1. Electra, J 109, Thomas Brott, Cypress, CA, USA - 4, 8/DNF, 1, 1, 2, 1, 2, ; 19
2. Tupelo Honey, Elan 40, Gerard Sheridan, San Francisco, CA, USA - 1, 4, 3, 4, 1, 2, 5, ; 20
3. Hawkeye, IMX-38, Frank Morrow, San Francisco, CA, USA - 3, 1, 2, 6, 3, 3, 3, ; 21

One Design 35 (One Design - 6 Boats)
1. Dark and Stormy, 1D35, Jonathan Hunt, oakland, CA, USA - 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, ; 8
2. Ebb Tide, 1D35, Masakazu Toyama, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, JPN - 2, 1, 5, 4, 2, 5, 5, ; 24
3. Zsa Zsa, 1D35, Stanley Glaros, San Francisco, CA, USA - 5, 3, 3, 5, 3, 2, 3, ; 24

Vincitore Win Rolex Big Boat

In IRC A, at Rolex Big Boat in San Francisco, it was a full-on match race between Vincitore and Patches and with Kiwi Chris Dickson on the helm, Vincitore took home the watch. The plan was just to get a good start ahead of Patches, sail fast and keep them behind.

 Luca Lalli owner of B-lin (Melges 32) with Vincitore's owner Jim Mitchell 

“Usually you plan it all out and it doesn’t happen like you want it to,” said Dickson, an America’s Cup veteran and multiple World Match Racing Champion.

“But this was one of those times that it worked out. Having said that,they still had a good shot at it. At the last mark (only five minutes away from the downwind finish), with all that work done, we still needed 10-15 seconds on our time to beat them. We ended up with about 30 seconds.”

Vincitore finished fourth to Patches’s fifth, making it a one-point difference in total scores for each.

Lulu Roseman

BF named as America's Cup Regatta Director

The Big Fella glams it up at 2010 Hamilton Island Race 

Australia's Iain Murray, aka the Big Fella, has been appointed as the Regatta Director and CEO of the independent organisation, America's Cup Race Management, for the 34th America's Cup.

'I think the technology we saw in the 33rd America’s Cup makes it hard to go backwards. The trick we’ll have is to marry the commercial demands of modern sailing with the principles of the America’s Cup,' Murray said.

'It’s hard not to be impressed by the commitment BMW ORACLE Racing, Russell Coutts and Larry Ellison have made to fix this thing,' said Murray. 'This is very dear to my heart. I’d move mountains to be involved.'

Lulu Roseman

Patches and Vincitore tied

Photo: Daniel Foster/Rolex

It will be a real battle today in IRC A at Rolex Big Boat Regatta in San Francisco. Jim Mitchell’s (Zurich, Switzerland) RP 52 Vincitore is tied on points with Jorge Ripstein’s (Naucalpan, MEX) RP 52Patches, which again won both races yesterday.

When asked if he’d put his match racing skills into play as tactician of Patches, America’s Cup veteran Peter Holmberg (St. Thomas, USVI) said, “Why wouldn’t I?”

Photo: Daniel Foster/Rolex

Lulu Roseman

America's Cup News - AC72

AC72 design rule published
The box rule for the 34th America's Cup weapon is revealed

The draft rule for the new AC72 Class of solid wingsail catamarans to be used for the 34th America's Cup has been published (download on the article page).

AC72 design parameters:

LOA: 22.0 meters (72 feet)
Beam: 14.0 meters (46 feet)
Displacement: 5,700 kilograms (12,500 pounds)
All-up weight: 7,000 kilograms (15,500 pounds)
Wingsail area: 260 square meters (2,800 square feet)
Wingsail height: 40 meters (130 feet)
Wingsail chord: 8.5 meters (28 feet)
Sail trimming: Manual grinders
Configuration: Twin-hulled catamaran
Crew: 11
Sail trimming: No mechanically powered systems
Sail area reduction: Removable top sections/leech elements
Appendages: Maximum of 2 rudders, 2 daggerboards
Construction: Minimum 600 grams/square-meter outer-skin;
High-modulus carbon-fiber permitted in wingsail spar

The AC72 Class Rule was drafted by a distinguished group of consultants, chaired by Pete Melvin, on behalf of US Sailing.

Melvin, formerly a designer of aircraft for the McDonnell Douglas Corp. is a champion multihull sailor, having twice won the A Class Catamaran World Championship. Morrelli & Melvin Design & Engineering, Inc., also designed the record-setting maxi catamaran PlayStation.

Lulu Roseman

Adios Amigos, Patches Smoke the fleet

Photo: Lulu Roseman

The foggy San Franciscan weather might be hiding the city's iconic bridge, but spirits are high on the water in the second day of the Rolex Big Boat Series.

The IRC A fleet kicked off racing when the AP flag came down and Mayhem gave current point score leader Vincetore a run for their money but the Mexican boat, Patches, sailed flawlessly and got the gun.

Lulu Roseman

Goombay Got Smashed

Though today’s two opening races at the 46th annual Rolex Big Boat Series were partly shrouded in fog, it did nothing to dampen the spirits among 98 teams competing on San Francisco Bay. Over 1000 sailors have converged on St. Francis Yacht Club for the four-day event, including world champions, America’s Cup and Volvo Ocean Race veterans as well as California’s top names in sailing. The IRC division of 25 boatsis split into four classes, while the 73 teams in One Design division are divided into five classes: Melges 32s, J/105, J/120, Express 37 and One Design 35.

Pieter Taselaar’s (Scarsdale, N.Y.) Bliksem, the 2009 Melges 32 world champion, showed its winning form with a 1-2 today in what is serving as the 2010 Melges 32 Pre-Worlds. (Twenty-seven of the 32 teams expected to compete next week at the World Championship are on the line.)

“We had a really good fight back in the first race after a bad start,” said Bliksem’s pit man Mike Coxson (Sydney, Australia). “In the second race, we hit the first couple shifts just right and then we had Alcatraz Island in the middle and had to decide ‘do we go left or right?’ We were happy to go right and when we saw some of the local boats do the same we knew that was a good sign.” Coxson said the fog made it difficult to find lay lines but the 12-17 knots balanced that difficulty with “good fun on the downwind legs,” of which they had two on twice-around windward leeward courses, each between 10 and 12 miles.

Doug Douglass’s Goombay Smash, a Melges 32, had a tough day at the office suffering damage after a T-bone incident with Stuart Simpson’s Team Barbarians at the weather mark in the first race. A simple port-starboard incident left the hot-to-trot “Smashers” limping into the harbour with a nasty gash, but with repairs, the boat is expected back on the water tomorrow.

Lulu Roseman

Rolex Big Boat Set to Rock San Fran

Photo: Daniel Foster/Rolex

The big guns are expected to be firing on San Francisco Bay tomorrow when the 99 strong fleet week hit the water for the first day of the Rolex Big Boat Series.

The Melges 32 class are using the event to stage their pre-Worlds ahead of next week's Worlds and some of North America's top IRC and one design classes will also be competing.

The forecast is for south westerly winds to peak at 25 knots over the four day event known as North America's premier yachting regatta.

The Australian sailors who will be racing include Nathan Menzies, Nathan Outteridge Jamie Wilmont, Nathan Wilmont, Kyle Langford, Alex Cooke, Michael Coxon and Sydney's Dallas Kilponen will again be onboard last year's overall winner,the RP-52, Vincitore,

Sydney's Darren "Twirler" Jones is racing with Phillipe Khan's Pegasus-MotionX who will also compete next week in the Melges 32 Worlds. Let the action begin.

Lulu Roseman

The 34th America's Cup will be raced in 2013 on AC72 Catamarans

Are We Ready For a Gnarly Boat, Edgy Media Coverage and Cooler America's Cup? The 34th America's Cup will be raced on a new class of boat, an AC 72, a catamaran with a 40 metre wing sail.

The vision is for the 34th America's Cup is for the event to be a true multi media experience in order to capture the imagination of a wider audience. Part of this new initiative includes having camera operators onboard during racing to provide live streaming of the action and transmitting in 3D is also being explored.

Pete Melvin of is in charge of the design and he believes the acceleration will be incredibly fast and very exciting.

BMW Oracle Racing's Russell Coutts reckons the AC72 is a seriously cool boat and not only will crew numbers be reduced by six, from 17 to 11 but they will be more exciting for both sailors and spectators.

Another boat, an AC45, a baby sister to the AC72 will be built and used in the Pre-Regattas that will commence in June 2011 at a European venue yet to be confirmed.

A Youth America's Cup Regatta Circuit wil be established on AC45's to attract the best of the next generation of sailors. This circuit is likely to commence in 2012.

The courses will designed in consultation with the teams and the as yet to be appointed Regatta Director. The first AC45 boat will be launched in New Zealand in December 2010.

Lulu Roseman

Rumours persist but all will be revealed later today

Photo: Jill Mantz

Word on the street is that the new yacht class for the 34th America's up will be a 70 foot multi-hull, because two are currently under construction at a boatyard in Warkworth, New Zealand.

But all will be revealed today at 1:00pm in Valencia (9:00pm Sydney, EST) when BMW Oracle's CEO, Russell Coutts holds a press conference to announce the new boat, the new format, the rules for competitors and what year the Cup will be held.

RAN Rack Up Another Victory....Next Stop Sydney

Photo: © Carlo Berlenghi/Rolex

Rolex Maxi Worlds: Porto Cervo - Saturday 11 September 2010

The most surprising result at the Rolex Maxi Worlds was in the Mini Maxi division when the Judel/Vrolijk designed seventy-two footer Rán put her troubles of yesterday aside and scored two bullets to steal the World Championship from under the nose of Andres Soriano’s Alegre (GBR), which had led the series from day one.

The first hour-long race was relatively straightforward. Rán winning by over a minute on corrected time from Hap Fauth’s Bella Mente (USA). Significantly, Alegre were down in fourth. The pressure was on. A four-point lead over a supposedly wounded opponent had been reduced to just one. The north wind appeared to be looking after its own.

The second race saw a huge left-shift and the boats were over the line early and an apparent massive pin-end bias all culminated in an abandonment before the windward mark. Deep breath all round, before trying a second time.

Rán had a game plan, which took some nerve to maintain, according to her stand-in strategist, Olympic medallist, Thierry Peponnet.

"On the second race we wanted to be to leeward of our opponents because we expected the wind to go left. At the start there was a right shift which didn't help us. It did go left eventually, but very later and only once we were at the top mark. Shockwave was leading at this point and doing a very good job. Fortunately we were very fast downwind and I was really impressed by the boat speed," Peponnet said.

For Ran's owner, Niklas Zennstrom the result is a dream come true after what has been a challenging week.

"I am very, very proud of the team. It has been hard. We had a dreadful start on the first day, lost our strategist Tim Powell through a land-based injury and then hit a rock. It has been a struggle," Zennstrom said.

“Before yesterday, we were behind by only one point. It went pear-shape when we hit the rock and had to pull out. We knew it was still possible to win, but only if we won both races and Alegre had two poor races..”

Rán’s physical shape was uncertain. There was no where to lift the yacht last night and properly check the damage, so there was some finger-crossing onboard the largely British crewed boat.

“We didn’t know this morning if the keel would stay on and it was quite a lumpy sea. We made the decision that if we heard anything we would bear away quickly. Before the start we sailed upwind, hit a few big waves and thought ‘the keel is still hanging on so let's still go for it’.”

MAXI YACHT ROLEX CUP - PROVISIONAL FINAL STANDINGS

Maxi (Racing & Racing/Cruising)
1) Esimit Europa 2, Igor Simcic, 1-2-1-1-(DNC 7), 5.0 points
2) Highland Fling, Irvine Laidlaw, (2)-1-2-2-1, 6.0
3) Singularity, Deniy Yacht Mngmt, (4)-3-3-4-2, 12.0

Supermaxi/J Boats
1) Ranger, R.S.V. Ltd, 1-1-1-(2)-1, 4.0 points
2) Velsheda, Tarbat Investment, 2-3-(7)-1-2, 8.0
3) Hetairos, Rockport Ltd, (8)-2-3-3-4, 12.0

Supermaxi
1) Hetairos, Rockport Ltd, (8)-2-3-3-4, 6.0 points
2) Gliss, Marco Vogele, 3-(7)-4-2-1, 10.0
3) Visione, Hasso Plattner, (4)-3-1-3-3, 10.0

Wally
1) Y3k, Claus Peter Offen, 2-2-2-1-(4)-1, 8.0 points
2) Magic Carpet 2, Lindsay Owen Jones, (5)-1-3-4-2-4, 14.0
3) Indio, Andrea Recordati, (4)-3-4-2-3-3, 15.0

Mini Maxi Rolex World Championship
1) Ran, Niklas Zennstrom (GBR), 6-2-1-2-2-2-DNF(25)-1-1, 17.0 points
2) Alegre (GBR), Andy Soriano, 1-1-4-1-1-4-3-4-(5), 19.0
3) Shockwave (NZL), Neville Crichton, 2-3-2-(5)-5-3-4-3-2, 24.0

Mini Maxi Racer-Cruiser
1) Aegir, Brian Benjamin (GBR), 8-8-13-8-(140-9-2-6-9, 63.0 points
2) Stig, Alessandro Rombelli (ITA), (14)-7-8-14-11-13-7-13-6, 79.0
3) Charis, Fabio Mangifesta (ITA), 11-13-(18)-13-9-10-5-7-14, 82.0

Carnage on the race course at Maxi Worlds

Photo: Carlo Borlenghi/Rolex

Shockwave (NZL) was the first Mini Maxi to cross the line. Owner Neville Crichton viewed this as positive, but his overall result as a disappointment after a promising start. Shockwave was the only boat to reach Monaci before the 30.5 metre Esimit, no doubt a satisfying achievement for the blue boat’s former owner. Had she not been stymied subsequently by the wind, Shockwave would have been odds on favourite to reach the next turning mark in the lead too, so much was she in control.

Photo: Carlo Borlenghi/Rolex

Crichton described his day, “we were leading all the way to Monaci. Then the boats behind carried the breeze up and three passed us. We had to fight our way back through coming down Bomb Alley. We got back in the lead, but only marginally, about ten lengths on Alegre, I guess. We needed the racetrack to keep going, but it did not work that way. It was a good day, though. At least we led from the beginning! With Rán hitting the rock, I’d say we’re back in for a crack at second (overall) tomorrow. Not first; Alegre just needs one good race to close it out.”

Photo: Carlo Borlenghi/Rolex

Licking their wounds in Mini Maxi are Container and Rán. At press time Udo Schutz’s Container is the worse off. Her racing series is definitely over after her encounter with the rocks off Isola del Bisce. According to the crew it was a total surprise to strike the hard stuff, the chart showed them to be in at least 10-metres of water. Perched on the mystery outcrop, the German mini maxi formed a temporary mark warning the passing fleet of the perils of Porto Cervo in a graphic manner.

Photo: Carlo Borlenghi/Rolex

For RAN the extent of the damage has yet to be determined and she is headed to Palau to be lifted and inspected. Tommaso Chieffi, who is as familiar with these waters as anyone, explained what happened, “going round Spargiotto, it was very light. We had just done a peel from Code Zero to A2 and were coasting past the island in a good puff. The navigator felt we had room to hold our course, but there is a little rock that sticks out a long way from the shore. We came to a sudden halt and it was that rock. It is fairly big but with the swell left over from the south-easterly we hoped we might lift over it. After hitting the ground three or four times, we decided to motor off in reverse. We’re not sure how bad it is, but we are hoping it can be fixed overnight and we can go sailing tomorrow.”

Source: Regatta News

Richard Gladwell's Latest America's Cup story

http://www.sail-world.com/Australia/index.cfm?SEID=2&Nid=74468&SRCID=0&ntid=119&tickeruid=0&tickerCID=0

Bella Mente pips RAN in Mini Maxi's Coastal Race at Rolex Maxi Worlds in Porto Cervo

Bellamente Photo: © Carlo Berlenghi/Rolex

For the Mini Maxi class, consisting of 24 boats ranging from approximately18 to 24 metres, today was their first coastal race after completing five windward-leeward races on the first two days. Conditions were close to ideal with approximately 20 knots of westerly wind and Hap Fauth’s Bellamente (USA) took her first bullet of the week in real and corrected time.

Photo: © Carlo Berlenghi/Rolex

Second place in corrected time went to Niklas Zennstrom’s Ran (GBR) and Neville Crichton’s Shockwave (NZL) came in third. Bill Koch’s Titan 15 (USA), which had a hard-fought battle with Ran for much of the race and crossed the finish line fourth, slipped back to sixth on corrected time. The overall classification after six races - and with a maximum of three more scheduledsees Alegre lead Ran by just one point while Shockwave sits a further six points back. 

Photo: © Carlo Berlenghi/Rolex

“Just a great day, really fun,” commented Hap Fauth. “We had a good start, in the top three at the first mark. We had a little sail that really worked for us, a fractional code zero. We threw that boat on the plane and we were gone…gone…shot out of the cannon. It was a fun day.”

Alegre Photo: © Carlo Berlenghi/Rolex

Tomorrow will be a lay day for the competing owners and crews and racing is scheduled to recommence on Friday 10th September at 11.30 a.m

Mini Maxi Rolex World Championship
Mini Maxi - Summary Results - as of 08-09-10 at 18:30 (with discard)
Place, Boat Name, Helmsman, Owner, Nation, R1-R2-R3-R4-R5-R6-Points

1. ALEGRE (R) Andy Soriano, GBR,1,1,4,1,1,4, 8.00
2. RAN (R) Niklas Zennstrom, GBR,6,2,1,2,2,2, 9.00
3. SHOCKWAVE (R) Neville Crichton, NZL,2,3,2,5,5,3, 15.00
4. BELLAMENTE (R) Hap Fauth, USA,5,5,5,3,4,1, 18.00
5. CONTAINER (R) Udo Schutz, GER,4,6,3,4,3,5, 19.00
6. TITAN 15 (R) William I Koch, USA,3,9,6,6,17,6, 30.00
7. JETHOU (R) Peter Ogden, GBR,7,4,14,7,15,7, 39.00
8. AEGIR Brian Benjamin, GBR,8,8,13,8,14,9, 46.00
9. GRANDE ORAZIO Massimiliano Florio, ITA,10,14,7,12,8,19, 51.00
10. STIG Alessandro Rombelli, ITA,14,7,8,14,11,13, 53.00

Latest news from 2010 Rolex Maxi Worlds in Porto Cervo

Photo: © Carlo Berlenghi/Rolex

What had the makings of a mammoth encounter between the dark side of mother nature and the maxi yacht class, on day three of the 2010 Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, turned out to be far happier collision than expected, following some quick thinking by the Race Committee. The forecast weather for today was always tainted with unpredictability. With yachts on the racecourse heading for an unannounced swiftly forming violent thunderstorm, Peter Craig made the call to abandon racing and take refuge until the forty-knot squall had passed through. What a call to have to make. Vindication came in the 25-nautical mile race sailed later in the day by all classes in bright sunshine and a 20-knot westerly that brought the crews home grinning from ear to ear.

Ranger Photo: © Carlo Berlenghi/Rolex

Today’s lucky stars were: Bella Mente (USA) in Mini Maxi; Esimit Europa 2 (SLO) in Maxi; Gibian (GBR) in Wally, and, Visione (GER) in Supermaxi, with Ranger (CAY) top of the J Class.

Photo: © Carlo Berlenghi/Rolex

A coastal race was always on the menu for the whole fleet. First thing this morning conditions seemed remarkably benign after an orchestral, but silent electrical storm in the northern sky had entertained Porto Cervo residents last night. By race time we had a building breeze from the northwest but some very dark clouds on the horizon. Not black enough to foretell doom, but certainly time to put on the foul-weather gear. The Mini Maxi Division, starting the sixth race of its projected nine race series Mini Maxi Rolex Worlds, got underway in 15 knots and an unsettling lumpy sea. Rán (GBR) led the drag race fetch to Capo Ferro, entering ‘Bomb Alley’ with Shockwave (NZL) immediately behind and Container (GER) on the right hand wing.

It was at this point that news of a postponement of the Maxi Division start filtered over the radio, closely followed by the abandonment announcement that took sometime to reach the frontrunners. The return to Porto Cervo was a dignified scurry. Forty-nine maxis hurriedly trying to dock in a confined harbour requires good sense from boat captains and some skill from the marina staff. The buffeting arrived on cue, but was short-lived.

By 1330 CEST, the situation had improved sufficiently for the fleet to return to the field of combat and embark on short coastal course that involved a beat into the channel at Capo Ferro, a sharp right turn onto a reach at Secca di Tre Monti, another right turn at Monaci and a huge reach down to Mortoriotto to the south of Porto Cervo. From there it was back on the wind again and a fetch up to Golfo Pevero and on to the finish.

Highland Fling Photo: © Carlo Berlenghi/Rolex

In the Maxis, Igor Simcic’s Esimit burnt up the strip in rather dismissive one hour forty-one minutes. Irvine Laidlaw’s Highland Fling (MON) followed her home some thirteen minutes later, to correct out three minutes behind. Esimit is in overall control of this class, but only one point separates her from Fling, so she is a long way from certain victory. Olympic silver medallist and America’s Cup winner, Peter Holmberg is tactician for the week on Highland Fling; he felt that some key sail calls were the difference between a good result or not, “it went well for us today. A good beat up into the passage, cross-tacking in 20 knots. Then the first test was the reach across the top. It was two-part: broad to start and getting tighter. The big decision was asymmetric sail or jib reach. We put up our A3 and the boat speed shot up another 4-5 knots. We tightened up around the gybe mark (Monaci) and had the long run back down to the bottom of the course. We faced another decision [on this leg] over jib or A-sail, we waited a while and when we deployed it we wished we had done so eight-minutes earlier because we just took off – a great, exciting blast with 27, 28 knots of boat speed.”

Mike Toppa is another America’s Cup winner onboard Highland Fling, “this was the most fun racing I’ve done in a long time. Lots of reaching off the wind: that is when this boat really lights up. We talked ourselves into putting up a bigger sail than the range suggested for the first beat to avoid having to change at the first mark. We kept it up all race, putting up other sails around it and you rarely do that!” Toppa explained a little of the philosophy behind Fling and why she motors in these conditions like few others her size, “she’s only a year old. Irvine (Laidlaw) wanted a boat that would plane like other grand-prix boats, but it had to have to have an interior. So it’s got four staterooms and teak decks, but it gets up and planes. It’s got chines on the sides for stability and two rudders for more control. The big bonus is that it is just a really nice boat to sail.”

For once, king of the heap in the Wallys proved to be a relative unheralded combatant. Gibian (GBR) has been to Porto Cervo twice before, never winning a race. Her owner, Armando Grandi, has though tasted success here previously albeit with a different boat. Today Gibian did enough for her maiden Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup victory, correcting out 20 seconds ahead of the highly competitive Y3K, whose second-place gives her a perfectly ordered series score line of 2,2,2. If Claus Peter Offen’s crew continues with that level of consistency, none of the chasing pack will be able to outdo her. Grandi, though, was delighted with today and despite one hiccough. “These boats are meant to be sailed,” said Grandi, who is 83 and enjoys cruises extensively in between bouts of racing. “We had a very good day, although unfortunately we tore our gennaker. It happened on last leg at Mortoriotto. We were taking down the gennaker and made a little mistake. The sail fell in the water and tore. We hope we can borrow one to continue racing!” After today’s brief brush with glory that is a heartfelt hope for the crew that includes three generations of the Grandi family.

In the Mini Maxi Rolex Worlds, Hap Fauth’s Bella Mente outplayed all of her bigger rivals to win on the water and handicap. Two minutes ahead of Rán (GBR) at the finish is as comprehensive as it gets in this class. For the time being, Andres Soriano and Alegre (GBR) retain the overall lead, but the wolves are circling. The lead is now down to one point, after Alegre’s fourth place today.

Fauth is renowned for a big grin and it was in fine form this evening, dockside, as he described the race, “just a great day, really fun. It was the normal jungle course. Long first beat, reach, long reach down, tight reach and then a windward beat to finish. We had a good start, in the top three at the first mark.” Here too, sail selection was a key part of the exemplary performance, according to Fauth, “we had a little sail that really worked for us, a fractional code zero. We threw that boat on the plane and we were gone…gone…shot out of the cannon. Full tilt, fill the main up, get on the rails and go! It was a fun day…”

Amongst the Mini Maxi Cruiser/Racers, Brian Benjamin’s Aegir (GBR) was not the best performer today – that honour went to Riccardo De Michele’s H20 (ITA) – but Aegir’s series results so far appear to give them a slim lead over Grande Orazio (ITA).

Tomorrow is a layday at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup. A day to recharge the batteries and lick wounds, all the time making ready for two more days of highly charged racing. The Mini Maxi Rolex Worlds fleet expects to return on Friday with a coastal race on their schedule, before the final showdown windward/ leewards on Saturday. The Supermaxis and Maxis have two more coastal races to complete their programme. The Wallys, meanwhile, have one coastal race and a day of windward/leewards to close out their Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup series. Shockwave is seven points off the pace and Neville Crichton’s team will be scratching their heads hard to find some answers. Crichton is too competitive to concede this event with three races to go.

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 recommences on Friday and with racing scheduled for Saturday too, 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.

Provisional Standings after Day 3

Maxi Racing & Racing/Cruising
1) Esimit Europa 2, Igor Simcic, 1-2-1, 4.0 points
2) Highland Fling, Irvine Laidlaw, 2-1-2, 5.0
3) Singularity, Deniy Yacht Mngmt, 4-3-3, 10.0

Wally
1) Y3k, Claus Peter Offen, 2-2-2, 6.0
2) Magic Carpet 2, Lindsay Owen Jones, 5-1-3, 9.0
3) Indio, Andrea Recordati, 4-3-4, 11.0

SuperMaxi/J Boats
1) Ranger, R.S.V. Ltd, 1-1-1, 3.0
2) Velsheda, Tarbat Investment, 2-3-7, 12.0
3) Hetairos, Rockport Ltd, 8-2-3, 13.0

Mini Maxi Rolex World Championship
1) Alegre (GBR), Andy Soriano, 1-1-(4)-1-1-4, 8.0
2) Ran, Niklas Zennstrom (GBR), (6)-2-1-2-2-2, 9.0
3) Shockwave (NZL), Neville Crichton, 2-3-2-(5)-5-3, 15.0

Source: Regatta News