In This Issue
On Top of the World: Quantum Racing
Best Buddies Arrives Back Home After 22 Days At Sea
SAP 505 World Championship
Harken Tech Team on Duty at 2018 Copa Del Rey Regatta
Champagne Sailing at Panerai British Classic Week
Playing it safe: update from Phil Sharp in the Drheam Cup
New Double-Handed Class to Feature at Antigua Sailing Week
The 2018 Race to Biscay - Jersey's premier offshore sailing race - sets course for Concarneau
The World Sailing Show
Big Opti win overall for Lauderdale Yacht Club
Featured Brokerage
The Last Word: Richard Brautigan
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On Top of the World: Quantum Racing
Photo by Max Ranchi, www.maxranchi.com. Click on image for photo gallery.
Ten years after their first world title together in the class' formative years in Lanzarote, Quantum Racing lifted the Rolex TP52 World Championship crown in Cascais, winning a spirited ding-dong battle with rivals Azzurra in the typically muscular Atlantic breezes that the Portuguese hotspot has long since been renowned for.
With Dean Barker steering and Terry Hutchison leading a concerted, big Quantum team effort, they mastered what proved a challenging, breezy race area, which often favoured the opportunists. With nine boats racing, all brand new this season, and all with an equal chance of winning, there is widespread acknowledgment that Quantum Racing were a step ahead in their execution throughout the five day championship.
Several times over the course of the nine-race world championship regatta Hutchinson and the Quantum Racing afterguard had deftly and doggedly turned modest positions into premium points scoring top three positions, only to then lose those places to rivals' runway downwind gambles.
For Azzurra, the 2017 52 SUPER SERIES champions, and themselves twice world champions, there was the huge satisfaction of not just coming back from two modest finishes in Croatia - fourth and seventh - and proving they have lost nothing of their free-thinking, hard-driving Argentine Gaucho spirit in the big breeze, but they also moved up the 52 SUPER SERIES leaderboard to third overall.
Rolex TP52 World Championship Overall Standings:
1. Quantum Racing, 23 points
2. Azzurra, 27
3. Alegre, 37
4. Sled, 38
5. Luna Rossa, 45
6. Platoon, 52
7. Provezza, 53
8. Phoenix, 56
9. Onda, 81
2018 52 SUPER SERIES Overall Standings:
1. Quantum Racing (USA) (Doug DeVos) 96 points
2. Sled (USA) (Takashi Okura) 115
3. Azzurra (ARG/ITA) (Alberto and Pablo Roemmers) 125
4. Luna Rossa (ITA) (Patrizio Bertelli) 126
5. Platoon (GER) (Harm Müller-Spreer) 129
6. Alegre (USA/GBR) (Andrés Soriano) 133
7. Phoenix (RSA) (Hasso/Tina Plattner) 147
8. Provezza (TUR) (Ergin Imre) 163
9. Onda (BRA) (Eduardo de Souza Ramos) 184
10. Gladiator (GBR) (Tony Langley) 218
11. Paprec (FRA). (Jean Luc Petithuguenin) 226
Best Buddies Arrives Back Home After 22 Days At Sea
Photo by Sven Jurgensen. Click on image to enlarge.
After nearly 22 days at sea, Best Buddies appeared on the misty horizon near Cuxhaven this morning, with light north-northeasterly wind and 4 to 7 knots. The classical sailing yacht had started in the Tradition Division on July 2 in Bermuda, helmed by NRV members Susann and Kay Wrede. As the sky cleared up, the wind shifted, and the crew of the Nautor Swan 441R changed their spinnaker twice in north-westerly puffs before crossing the finish line in superb, sunny conditions.
On her way into shore, AAR competitor Teasing Machine was already on their way out, to make it to Valencia in time for their next appointment, but made an extra leap to congratulate Best Buddies and to salute their dedication. Would it not be for the love of the Wrede-Family, Best Buddies would not be on the starting line of the AAR. A major refit saved this classical racing yacht from an uncertain future. The team around co-skipper and co-owner Susann Wrede and her husband Kay Wrede is an experienced amateur crew. The Wrede-Family has a strong yachting and boat building background. The sailors have immense experience in sailing and crossed the Atlantic several times.
With 39 years of age, Best Buddies is one of the oldest yachts in the field. In 1979 the dark blue yacht left the famous Swan shipyard in Finland to take part in many ocean races. When the yacht stopped the active regatta sailing in 1983, she went through a two-way story: She sailed as a cabin charter yacht and crossed the Atlantic Ocean many times. After the last refit in 2012, Best Buddies received a second life as an offshore racing yacht and has regularly participated in offshore races ever since. In the same year, the "old lady" won the Swan Baltic Sea Challenge and Susan and Kay Wrede were nominated for the German Offshore Award for their participation in the Rolex Middle Sea Race 2015. The crew used all their extensive knowledge and hands-on experience for this successful Atlantic crossing.
SAP 505 World Championship
The Pre-Worlds were held on Friday. Most of the crews decided to join in also because the wind forecast was very promising. As it turned out, it started with a 10 and then reached 19knots while the runs were on.
Mike Holt and Rob Woelfel (USA) won with Sandy Higgins and Paul Marsh (AUS) coming second and Lutz Stengel and Holger Jess (GER) as third.
Beautiful Saturday afternoon gave us a spectacular background for the Opening Ceremony that took place by the famous Destroyer - Błyskawica at Kościuszki Square, next to the Marina. We welcomed fourteen countries with their national flags being put up on the masts of the Polish 505s. In good company, discussing the coming races, the sailors chilled at the Regatta Tent in the evening.
Current top ten after two races:
1. Mike Holt / Rob Woelfel, USA, 2 points
2. Lutz Stengel / Holger Jess, GER, 4
3. Philippe Boite / Fountaine, FRA, 9
4. Sandy Higgins / Paul Marsh, AUS, 9
5. Andy Smith / Tim Needham, GBR, 12
6. Nathan Batchelor / Sam Pascoe, GBR, 14
7. Jan-Philipp Hofmann / Felix Bjorn Brockerhoff, GER, 14
8. Michael Quirk / Reeve Dunn, AUS, 18
9. Stefan Bohm / Gerald Roos, GER, 21
10. Tyler Moore / Andrew Buttner, USA, 21
Harken Tech Team on Duty at 2018 Copa Del Rey Regatta
The Harken Tech Team will keep the fleets race-ready and flying during the 2018 edition of the Copa Del Rey regatta, in Palma, Spain. Service will be available on-site from Saturday, July 28 through Saturday morning, Aug. 4. Call on the Harken Tech Team for regatta assistance and emergency spare parts. You will find the Tech Team's contact number at the regatta office.
The Harken Tech Team will also be present at these summer 2018 events:
TP52 Super Series Sailing Week - Puerto Portals, Mallorca, Spain (Aug. 20-25)
Maxi Yacht Rolex - Porto Cervo, Italy (Sept. 2-8)
Rolex Swan Cup - Porto Cervo, Italy (Sept. 10-16)
TP52 Super Series Sailing Week - Valencia, Spain (Sept. 17-22)
The Harken Tech Team is a group of technicians who come together from Harken facilities throughout the world to support grand prix racing events.
Check out the Tech Team in action at the Volvo Ocean Race at www.harkenatthefront.com
Champagne Sailing At Panerai British Classic Week
Photo by Guido Cantini / Panerai. Click on image for photo gallery.
This year's fleet of 50 timeless classic yachts enjoyed a week of technically challenging races in perfect conditions in the Solent. After a six-race series of fast-paced, tactical courses, Spirit 52 Flight of Ufford, helmed by her owner Sean McMillan, won the prestigious Yacht of the Regatta trophy.
In the individual classes, Sioma won the 6 Metre class followed by Thistle and Nancy. Class 1 was won by Spirit 52 Flight of Ufford, with Spirit 52 Oui Fling in second and Spirit 65 Chloe Giselle in third. Cetewayo took the title in Class 2, ahead of Opposition and Golden Fleece, whilst Whooper won Class 3 followed by Kismet and Stiletto. Class 4 was a closely fought battle between Suvretta and Cereste, with Suvretta triumphing ahead of Cereste in second and Arabel in third.
The Ladies Race (which included GB Olympic gold medallist Saskia Clark and Volvo Ocean Race sailor Abby Ehler) was won by Libby Deegan in Suvretta, followed by Whooper in second and Cetewayo in third. The inaugural 30nm NAB Tower Race was won on corrected time by Suvretta with Cereste in second and Whooper in third.
The Concours D'Elegance prize for the most beautifully maintained boat went to Spirit 37' Strega in Class 1, Opposition in Class 2, Whooper in Class 3 and Suvretta in Class 4. The overall Concours D'Elegance trophy was won by Suvretta and the Best Yacht for Originality was won by Cereste. Both prizes are judged against seven criteria: hull, rig, sails, deck equipment, interior, interior fittings and deck.
The prize for Best Presented New Entrant was awarded to 8 Metre yacht Njord, and the 'in need of a stiff drink' prize was awarded to Spirit 46' Dido who survived two collisions during a week of fast-paced racing.
www.britishclassicyachtclub.org/regatta/
www.paneraiclassicyachtschallenge.com
Playing it safe: update from Phil Sharp in the Drheam Cup
It is quite amazing to see how the class 40 fleet has now fanned out with skippers taking such wildly different strategies. After last night I'm pretty happy with settling into the front end of the middle group, particularly as the conditions are so variable - this gives me more options. It will be interesting to see how things play out with the Northern group - whether we will cross ahead. Also I am keeping a close eye on Carac in the extreme south He has a habit of making these extreme routes work and then suddenly appearing from nowhere towards the finish!
One thing is for sure though, when you are solo racing, you are never alone - you have your competitors pushing you the whole time, and at the moment I can see around 5 boats, all within a few miles. Also no end of dolphin visits and have seen some gannets flying around having a close inspection of the boat. Currently I am just about to cross the shipping lanes so time to get back out there for my 28th consecutive watch of the day."
Race tracker positioning (mobile app or desktop): bit.ly/2NnUAfu
www.philsharpracing.com
www.drheam-cup.com
New Double-Handed Class to Feature at Antigua Sailing Week
In view of the ever growing demand for double-handed racing, the organisers of Antigua Sailing Week (ASW) are pleased to announce 2019 will benefit from the addition of a new double-handed class. Double-handed racing by its nature is all about crew stamina and how to pace yourself. With only two crew on board, both must be good all-rounders and understand the trade-off between pace, performance and physical demands.
Race manager Lorna Saunders says, "This will add an exciting new dimension to ASW. Safety being paramount, the double handed class will have its own start and courses will be carefully planned to accommodate double handed participants. The courses will be a mix of round the cans, with slightly longer legs and some days a coastal race. We look forward to thrilling, competitive sailing."
Antigua Sailing Week takes place from 28 April to 3 May and the Notice of Race is now available. An optional Round Antigua Race takes place on the 27 April, which will also offer a double handed class, and is the perfect warm up event prior to the five challenging days of Antigua Sailing Week where everyone is invited to race, chase and celebrate.
The professional race management team will continue to offer exciting racing for participants who range from fully professional campaigns to crews of family and friends.
Bareboat and mothership charters can all be arranged through our sponsor Dream Yacht Charter plus numerous race charter options are available from reputable partners.
Post-race daily prize-givings and an exciting week-long social calendar including the 10th edition of Reggae in the Park, the mid-week Lay Day Beach Party and the prestigious Final Awards Ceremony are key events on the must do list during the week.
Register to join us for 2019 or get more information at www.sailingweek.com .
The 2018 Race to Biscay - Jersey's premier offshore sailing race - sets course for Concarneau
Sailors from Jersey, Guernsey and France are currently sailing the longest race on St Helier Yacht Club's 2018 calendar - the International Yacht Race to Biscay.
Held every two years, this year's race started Saturday 21 July and will take competitors around both Sark and Guernsey before they head south-west around Brittany to the historic port of Concarneau.
At the moment there are 18 entrants for the race and four for the cruising rally that runs alongside it - both events being jointly sponsored by market research and data services company Island Ark and RYA training centre and yacht charter company Go-Sail.je. Entries close on 13 July.
'The race is split into two classes with slightly different race lengths - 225 and 260 nautical miles - aimed at getting both to the finish at about the same time,' explained Race Director Julian Barber.
'The final course, to be revealed at the briefing, will be decided based upon the range of entries, the wind forecast and prevailing currents.'
Two yachts from Granville, Ere Hud and Fille de Feu Vl, have entered the race together with three from Guernsey, Mr Scarecrow, Chevalier and Minstrel 2.
In addition, a UK yacht currently cruising in the Biscay area, Sparkling Spirit, will be joining the rally, owners Tim and Jenni Waite from Cowes having become Overseas Members of the club.
Various trophies are awarded for the event, including the Treyona Cup for the first monohull yacht to finish. This was won two years ago by Jersey yacht Abracadabra, skippered by Rhys Perkins, who is back to defend the title in this year's race.
The World Sailing Show
Extremes in Cascais, the Golden Globe in Les Sables d'Olonne, plus during the build up to the Sailing World Championships in Aarhus, we take a look at how one Olympic sailor is balancing her campaign with a new family life.
- Superyacht Cup 2018: The biggest and the best
- Extreme Sailing Series: Act 4 Cascais
- Golden Globe start
- Volvo Ocean Race: The final battle
- 52 SuperSeries second round Zadar
- Rolex Giraglia: The Mediterranean offshore classic
- Aarhus Sailing World Championships preview Pt3
Big Opti win overall for Lauderdale Yacht Club
Pensacola, Florida, USA: Hailing from Canada, Great Britain, Denmark, Mexico, Brazil, Puerto Rico, the U.A.E., Australia, U.S. Virgin Islands and the U.S.A., 298 different junior sailors competed for eight days in an epic 2018 USODA Optimist National Championship to determine the Overall, Girls and Team Racing champions. With the oak lined grounds of Pensacola Yacht Club at times resembling a sort of colorful vagabond child army encampment and the steel blue waters of Pensacola Bay their battlefield, these kids gave their all through varying wind conditions and sea states to showcase and hone their skill sets.
"We just stayed relaxed and tried not to get worked up." Still in his white pinnie and hosing down his Opti, Connor Boland and his teammates Sara Schumann, Laura Hamilton, Jack Redmond and Lucy Meagher of Lauderdale Yacht Club pulled in the 3-2 victory in the 2018 USODA Team Racing National Championship. After three hard days of tough sailing against 23 other teams in varying conditions that threw everything at them, their overall victory came down to the absolute final race of the day against Team Long Island Optimist Sailing Team, LISOT Black.
Since LYC won and is the reigning champion of the 2017 Opti Team Cup, both the first and second place teams are invited to the 30th Opti Team Cup in Berlin this October.
Having sailed with his team for about two years including having won the Nationals with Sara Schumann in 2017, Boland adds, "It just came down to the basics, who sailed the better race."
In the National Championship Race sailed on July 14th - 18th, Stephan Baker of Miami led all sailors with 9 points (1,(4),2,1,3,1,1). Maithe Ebdrup of Denmark was second with 12 points (3,3,1,2,1,2,87/BFD) and Cort Snyder grabbed 3rd with 18 points (4,(10/SCP),3,4,1,2,4). Top girl was Laura Hamilton with 27 points (2,15,1,5,2,2,(17)).
Samara Walshe of New York won the 2018 Girls National Championship on Thursday leading all sailors with 9 points (2,2,5). Sara Schumann of Ft Lauderdale was second with 14 points (1,11,2) and Emory Friend of New Orleans grabbed 3rd with 21 points (4,4,13).
The Lauderdale YC Team 1, reigning Opti Team Race Champions, took first place overall at the USODA 2018 Optimist Team Race National Championship sailed out of Pensacola Yacht Club. Sailing for LYC1 were Conner Boland, Sara Schumann, Laura Hamilton, Lucy Meagher and Jack Redmond. -- Talbot Wilson
Complete results are posted on www.usoda.org
Video credit: American Magic
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nautorswanbrokerage.com
See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/
The Last Word
I talked a good hello but she talked an even better good-bye. -- Richard Brautigan
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