Melges 32 European Championship | Rambler 88 wins the RORC Channel Race | Neutral Helm. Reduced Heel. Balanced Sail Plan. In a Box. | Auckland favourite to host next America's Cup | Kiwi Entry in Volvo Ocean Race? | Sounds familiar | Allan and PA Consulting RS Feva World Championships | World Sailling Show | Vintage boats and young winners | Bermuda could bid for Volvo Ocean Race | Dean Barker's 'Mixed Emotions' on watching Team New Zealand lift America's Cup | Letters to the Editor | Featured Brokerage
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Melges 32 European Championship
Photo by Max Ranchi, www.maxranchi.com. Click on image for photo gallery.
The success for Lupi/Pessina is one that is long overdue. This championship gives them their best ever result in the Melges 32 Class.
It was a high voltage day on the water with the wind continuously oscillating out of the south-southwest at around 18-20 knots. Three more races were held with the first race of the day, Race Four going to Andrea Ferrari aboard SPIRIT OF NERINA, which momentarily removed Lupi/Pessina from the top slot. This forced Lupi/Pessina to regroup and react, putting the pressure on high for the last two races.
In one month's time, the Melges 32 World League returns tof Cala Galera, Italy on August 22-27 for the Melges 32 World Championship.
A very special thanks to all the participating teams, and most especially to all of our Croatian friends and D-Marin for their perfect support.
Top Five Results (Final - After Six Races, One Discard)
1. Edoardo Lupi-Massimo Pessina/Lorenzo Bressani, Torpyone, 13
2. Giangiacomo Serena Di Lapigio/Branko Brcin, G-Spot, 17
3. Richard Goransson, Vasco Vascotto, Inga, 17
4. Andrea Lacorte/Gabriele Benussi, Vitamina Amerikana, 24
5. Andrea Ferrari/Pietro Piero Sibello, Spirit Of Nerina, 25
Rambler 88 wins the RORC Channel Race
George David's American Canting Keel Maxi, Rambler 88 has won the 2017 RORC Channel Race, making it two wins in a row, having also won the RORC Cowes Dinard St Malo Race.
Rambler 88 took Line Honours in the 160 nautical mile race, and after IRC time correction, was the overall winner out of 109 entries. Piet Vroon's Dutch Ker 51 Tonnerre 4, was second, and Pascal Loison's French JPK 10.10 Night and Day, was third racing Two Handed.
In IRC One, Mark Emerson's British A13 Phosphorus II, was the class winner after a close battle with Jean Pierre Dreau's French Grand Soleil 50 Lady First2, and James Neville's British HH42 INO XXX. After over 28 hours on the race course, and after IRC time correction, Phosphorus II was just over a minute ahead of Lady First², and less than four minutes ahead of INO XXX.
In IRC Two, Ross Applebey's Oyster 48 Scarlet Oyster, scored an impressive victory against top opposition. Fournier & Migraine's French J/133 Pintia was second, and Nick and Suzi Jones' Beneteau First 44.7 Lisa, sailed by RORC Commodore Michael Boyd, was third. Pintia crossed the line five seconds behind of Lisa, but after IRC time correction, Pintia was second for the race.
In IRC Three, Delamare & Mordret's French JPK 10.80 Dream Pearls, crossed the line just under four minutes ahead of Ian Hoddle's Two Handed team, racing British Sun Fast 3600 Game On. Richard Elliott's British A35 Eaujet, was third. Pascal Loison's JPK 10.10 Night and Day, was the winner of IRC Four. After IRC time correction, the 2013 Rolex Fastnet Champion, was over an hour ahead of Noel Racine's JPK 10.10 Foggy Dew. Jonathan Rolls' Swan 38 Xara was third.
In the Class40 Division, Peter Harding's Phor-ty was narrowly beat Benoit Charon's Normandie by just over 17 minutes following over 25 hours of duelling with each other. -- Louay Habib
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Auckland favourite to host next America's Cup
Auckland has firmed as favourite to host the next America's Cup after holder Team New Zealand canvassed the prospect of holding the regatta there in 2021.
"(We) are considering the possibility of the 36th America's Cup match and the preceding challenger selection series being conducted in Auckland in early 2021 during the New Zealand summer," it said in a statement this week.
The statement, issued jointly with the official challenger Luna Rossa of Italy, also suggested there would be tighter rules about where the yachts are built and who crews them.
"The protocol will contain a 'constructed in country' requirement for competing yachts and a nationality requirement for competing crew members," it said.
Kiwi Entry in Volvo Ocean Race?
There could yet be a New Zealand-flagged boat in the upcoming edition of the Volvo Ocean Race.
The Herald has learned America's Cup hero Craig Monk is attempting to put together a Kiwi campaign for the round the world yacht race, which gets under way in Alicante, Spain in late October.
There is just one boat left unassigned in the one-design VOR65 fleet, and it is understood the consortium led by Monk has paid the deposit for the boat, but a final decision will hinge on securing private investment over the next week.
Given the race gets under way on October 22, and the first qualifying race is just a month away, the Kiwi-led campaign is being put together very late in the piece. But there is a strong will from both Volvo Ocean Race bosses and officials here charged with organising the Auckland stopover in March 2018, to have a Kiwi entry.
Grant Calder, managing director of the Auckland stopover, said past editions of the event have shown having a New Zealand boat in the race has a significant impact on visitor numbers.
"If we can go back to the 2011-12 event, having a New Zealand boat in the race resulted in a 20 per cent increased footfall compared to the 2014-15 event, when there wasn't a Kiwi team," said Calder.
"I know a big driver for the Volvo Ocean Race moving forward is having the host cities represented in the race."
Volvo Ocean Race bosses also see an opportunity to capitalise on the groundswell of enthusiasm for sailing in New Zealand following Team NZ's America's Cup win. -- Dana Johannsen
Sounds familiar
The immediate success of the ClubSwan 50 was the missing ingredient needed for Nautor's Swan to step into the void left by the great team events like the Admiral's Cup, Sardinia Cup and Hawaii's Kenwood Cup
The concept of national identity remains one of the strongest drivers in modern sport - with the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games the most powerful and best known example. It's what makes events like the Football World Cup so special. And it's the America's Cup and Volvo Ocean Race teams with the strongest national element that continue to attract the most passionate supporters.
As its name implies, national identity will play a strong part in the appeal of the Nations Trophy, a new regatta being launched this October by Nautor's Swan, with the inaugural event set to take place in Palma de Mallorca. Enrico Chieffi, vice-president of Nautor Group, explains where the idea came from.
'It has been a long time since the last nation-based regatta of this kind. We took our inspiration from old classics like the Admiral's Cup and the Sardinia Cup, but modified the concept for today's competitive environment. Also this is a onedesign regatta, so it is very clear on the water who has done well, even before you see the results.' Full article in the August issue of Seahorse:
Allan and PA Consulting RS Feva World Championships
Medemblik, Netherlands: After a 4 hour postponement the fleet made it out to the race course for what proved to be a very long and frustrating afternoon. Both Yellow and Blue fleets had 2 races abandoned due to the wind shifting while red fleet didn't get a start in. Finally the wind picked up to a very steady and consistent breeze and all fleets managed just 1 race. This finished the qualifying series and now the fleet splits into Gold, Silver and Bronze fleets
1. Eli Liefting, Rose Dickson, NZL, 5 points
2. William Pank, Finlay Campbell, GBR, 6
3. Tom Storey, Ollie Kent, GBR, 7
4. Henry Jameson, Rupert Jameson, GBR, 7
5. Jamie Rastrick, Madeleine Bristow, GBR, 7
6. Ben Hutton-Penman, Lucy Hewitson, GBR, 10
7. Dylan McPherson, Dylan Collingbourne, GBR, 11
8. Matthew Taylor, William Carron, GBR, 11
9. Bo van Wendel de Joode, Olivier Elderenbosch, NED, 12
10. Filippo Cestari, Davide Carbonelli, ITA, 14
World Sailling Show
This month the World Sailing Show finds out why the Kiwis were so much faster than Oracle Team USA. Plus, new technology that gets you on board for the racing.
A gutsy way to set a Transatlantic record, 2,500 miles across an ocean aboard a 6m long, open decked racing cat.
We also report from the Para World Sailing Championships in Germany and see how the Round the Isle of Wight record was broken.
Other Features:
- Crossing the Atlantic the hard (mad) way
- Team New Zealand's secrets revealed
- Peter Burling profile – Sailing's new rock star
- How to get aboard a Cup boat during racing
- Para World Sailing Championships
- How the Round the Isle of Wight record was broken
Vintage boats and young winners
1922 Seaview Mermaid Cynthia on show on her mooring before being awarded the Concours d'Elegance. Photo by Rick Tomlinson. Click on image to enlarge.
Mike made his comments despite Charles Stanley Direct Cowes Classics Week (CSDCCW) wrapping up Friday with three days of racing out of a potential five when a second day of racing had to be cancelled due to wind in the Solent pushing toward 30 knots.
Luckily enough races had been completed to fulfil the series across all the classes. Winner of the largest class, the X One Designs, was 19-year old Max Crowe.
Another well-earned victory went to Andrew Milliband in Flying Fifteen Fifty Fifty. This year is the 70th anniversary of the fleet and the occasion attracted sixteen of the boats including one crew from South Africa sailing Durban Flyer.
The CSDCCW was the ultimate goal for Cynthia one lovingly restored and gleaming Seaview Mermaid, a Westmacott design built in 1922. Cynthia just managed to make the start line this week after an eight year project by her owners. Their efforts were recognised when they collected the regatta's Classic Boat Magazine Concours d'Elegance.
Named nearly 100 years ago after her first owner Cynthia Methuen of the publishing company family, Cynthia was brought to the event by owners Mike Randall, John Turner and Jamie Nimmo. Not quite measuring as a Seaview Mermaid Cynthia raced in the 'Classic Dayboats' class alongside Swallows, a Dragon and a Tempest. The opening race was her very first outing and although Cynthia was not up with the prizes she completed all five races of the series. "Everything went very well," said co-owner Mike Randall. "We had thought through the project in a lot of detail." Co-owner Bob Somers said "We were still screwing fittings onto the deck three days before the event."
Next year's Cowes Classics Week will be held from 23-27 July 2018.
Bermuda could bid for Volvo Ocean Race
There is growing speculation that Bermuda could submit a bid to host the Volvo Ocean Race. The tender process for host cities for the 2019-20, 2021-22 and 2023-24 editions is now open and it is believed that Bermuda has shown an interest in hosting a leg of the prestigious race. Bermuda punched above its weight in successfully bidding and staging the 35th America's Cup, with Oracle Team USA becoming the first team to defend the "Auld Mug" in foreign waters by choice.
The potential bid to host the Volvo Ocean Race comes in the wake of an ambitious Bermuda Tourism Authority-driven proposal to have a Bermuda team compete in the event which ultimately fell through the cracks.
Kevin Dallas, the BTA chief executive, said: "It has long been the position of the Bermuda Tourism Authority that successful delivery of the 35th America's Cup would have legacy benefits in proving Bermuda as a desirable partner for delivering a mid-sized global event.
"Indeed, the ITU World Triathlon Series was won partially on the back of our America's Cup World Series event delivery.
"Bermuda is now in the enviable position of being approached by multiple parties in the wake of AC35. It would be premature to say which should and will be taken forward." -- Colin Thompson
Dean Barker's 'Mixed Emotions' on watching Team New Zealand lift America's Cup
Writing on the Softbank Team Japan website, Barker said he has no regrets about leaving Team New Zealand and says it will be amazing to have the event back in New Zealand.
"Reflecting back on the racing, particularly the racing between Emirates Team New Zealand and Oracle Team USA, I cannot help but be impressed with the domination that ETNZ showed. They were truly a class above the rest, and the radically different design and innovation that the team had taken ended up far superior to the solutions the other teams had found."
"Having been a part of Team New Zealand for a large part of my career, it is with mixed emotions that I watch the team take the America's Cup back to New Zealand.
"It will be amazing to have the Americas Cup back on New Zealand waters, and it will be a great boost to the New Zealand marine industry as a whole. Though it is tough to not be a part of the successful campaign, I still have many friends on the team whom I am proud to see win the prize they've fought so hard for - my sincere congratulations on a job well done," Barker wrote. "The past two years establishing and leading SoftBank Team Japan have been some of the most rewarding of my career and an immense feeling of pride overshadows the results. Having had the opportunity to put together a new team from scratch, to learn the challenges faced with running a team, and to understand how to balance the sailing duties with the management of a team has been an extremely rewarding process. I have no regrets."
Barker said Softbank Team Japan will wait on the plans for the next America's Cup to be announced before they decide to make another challenge for the Auld Mug.
"It will be very interesting to see how the new protocol is shaped by it's new trustees and I very much hope that we will get the opportunity to build on the foundation that we created here in Bermuda in whatever form that may be."
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The Last Word
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