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Williams Beats Ainslie, Keeps Perfect Run
Photo by Charles Anderson / RBYC. Click on image for event gallery.
Hamilton Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar, Alpari World Match Racing Tour champion and current leader on the Tour, had another perfect day in Group 2 racing. He stands undefeated at 8-0.
This morning in the first match of the day, Alpari World Match racing defending Champion and current Tour leader Williams defeated Sir Ben Ainslie (GBR) BART sponsored by Argo Group to hand the America's Cup hero his first loss since he became the winning tactician aboard Oracle 72 this summer. Ainslie stands 6-1 with two more races scheduled for him. Williams has only one race tomorrow. That's against Bjorn Hansen (SWE) eWork Sailing Team.
With Williams and Ainslie ahead in the march to the Quarter Finals, three other teams still have their sights on the prize. Pierre Antoine Morvan (FRA) Vannes Agglo Sailing Team has a 5-2 record. Bjorn Hansen is also 5-2. Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing is next at 4-3.
In Group 1, the fight for the top four slots is even tighter. Americas Cup skipper Francesco Bruni (ITA) Luna Rossa is a perfect 6-0, but he has three races left tomorrow. He defeated Adam Minoprio (NZL) Team Alpari FX in their dustoff today and put the Kiwi back to 6-1. Minoprio has two races tomorrow. One of them is against defending Argo Group Gold Cup Champion Taylor Canfield (ISV) USone. Canfield stands at 6-2. Canfield only has the one race left... that one against Minoprio.
Past Gold cup winner Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Stena Sailing Team has a hard road to the quarters standing at 4-2. He meets Bruni in his final race. Three other skippers are grouped at 3 wins each, Simone Ferrarese (ITA) Ferrarese Racing Team, Keith Swinton (AUS) Black Swan Racing, and local skipper Lance Fraser (BER) Digicel Business Match Racing.
Thursday action on Hamilton Harbour promises to be hot. It will be another perfect day for match race sailing. -- Talbot Wilson and Laurie Fullerton
Andrew Simpson Argo Group Gold Cup Benefit
The Andrew Simpson Gold Cup Benefit is set to take place at during Argo Group Gold Cup on Thursday 10th October 2013 from 7:00 to 10:00 PM in the company of sailing stars from the America's Cup and the Agro Group Gold Cup. The benefit is sponsored by Argo Group and Swiss watch company, Corum. Andrew, affectionately known as "Bart" saw the best in everything and was the person that many turned to for guidance. The aim of the evening is to honour Andrew's life and raise funds for the Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation, which was established after the highly regarded sailor's tragic death in San Francisco. For details see www.andrewsimpsonsailing.org
The Ben Ainslie Racing Team (BART), comprising of the same crew that competed in the 2008 Argo Group Gold Cup with Andrew Simpson as the team advisor, has returned to Bermuda to focus attention on the Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation in memory of their late friend and fellow sailor. Founded by Sir Ben Ainslie, Iain Percy OBE and Andrew's wife Leah, the Foundation will work to honour Andrew's life and legacy by encouraging youngsters into sailing. At grassroots level it will encourage children to visit their local sailing clubs and 'give it a try' by providing equipment and coaching, with support from Olympic medallist Regional Mentors.
The Foundation's auction is now live at www.andrewsimpson-auction.com/auction and bids can be placed on some fantastic auction lots available at the Andrew Simpson Gold Cup Benefit. The lots range from luxury accessories to signed sailing paraphernalia and from premium accommodation at highly sought after holiday destinations to VIP hospitality tickets for a variety of sporting events.
www.andrewsimpson-auction.com/auction
Transat Jacques Vabre 20th Anniversary Edition
In two weeks time Le Havre's famous Basin Paul Vatine will come alive to the pre-start buzz when 45 teams muster for the historic 20th anniversary edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre, the two handed race across the Atlantic from the French port to Itajaí, Brazil. The event is always a defining highlight for the city of Le Havre and for the Mondelēz International Group which join together as hosts over the period 25th October to 3rd November when the four classes gather, the MOD70 and Multi50 multihulls and IMOCA and Class 40 monohulls, making ready for the 5400 miles course which takes the fleet for the first time to the new destination city of Itajaí in southern Brazil.
The race starts on Sunday November 3rd under Le Havre's famous cliffs of Saint Adresse when all the classes race a coastal course to Etretat. From there the course which is set takes them direct non stop to Brazil. The Monohulls, that is 26 Class 40's and 10 IMOCA's, programme in their course direct for the finish line, whilst the six Multi50's and three MOD70's return temporarily to the Basin Paul Vatine to await their starts on November 5th and 8th respectively for the same 5,400 miles course.
After race finishes previously in Colombia ( Cartagena ), Brazil ( Salvador ) , Costa Rica ( Puerto Limon) , the Transat Jacques Vabre now returns to Brazil , but this time this finish is much further south in Itajai.
Among the most successful skippers to take on this edition is is Jean -Pierre Dick who has won the IMOCA monohull division a remarkable three times, in 2003-2005 and 2011. He pairs up with the equally redoubtable Roland Jourdain who has won twice, in 1995 and 2001, but this time they will race a multihull, the MOD70 Virbac-Paprec 70.
But the entire field is richly laden with talent, including Vendee Globe winners Francois Gabart , Michel Desjoyeaux and Vincent Riou as well as top contenders like Jean Le Cam, Bernard Stamm, Jeremie Beyou , Marc Guillemot, Bertrand de Broc, Arnaud Boissiere, Tanguy de Lamotte , Louis Burton, Alexandro di Benedetto , as well as four veterans of the Volvo Ocean Race, Sidney Gavignet , Damian Foxall , Sebastien Josse and Charles Caudrelier all racing in the MOD70. There are multihull specialists such Yves Le Blevec in the Multi 50 with Kito de Pavant, Erwan Le Roux racing with the winner of the Solitaire du Figaro Yann Elies, Loic Fequet, Gilles Lamire or Lalou Roucayrol ...
Class40 is the biggest and most international, with top French names like Halvard Mabire, Bruno Jourdren, Damien Seguin, Yannick Bestaven, Jean -Christophe Caso, Sebastien Rogues racing with or against sailors from Spain (Alex Pella), Germany (Jorg Riechers , Peter Christoff ), Great Britain (Brian Thompson, Sam Goodchild , Rob Windsor , Miranda Merron ... ), Italy and Belgium.
Seahorse Sailor of the Month 10th Anniversary
To celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the Seahorse Sailor of the Month column - the team at the horse began work on archiving the excellent sailors that claimed the award - together with the excellent prizes from Sailor of the Month sponsors Dubarry, Musto, Harken and McLube.
The work is complete - and posted online in the Sailor of the Month Hall of Fame - where all the previous Sailor of the Month's together with a description of why they deserved the recognition. All future winners will of course be inducted as a matter of course.
www.seahorsemagazine.com/sailor-of-the-month/hall-of-fame
Centenary Trophy Abandoned
The weather conditions, a stiff easterly of around 25 knots and choppy sea, forced the race officials to abandon racing of the 3rd Centenary Trophy, the event organized by the Gstaad Yacht Club together with the Societe Nautique de Saint Tropez, gathering centenarian classic yachts, scheduled for Thursday.
The organizers decided that the wind, but especially the sea state, would have have been too rough for such beautiful and delicate old yachts and that good seamanship dictated a stop. The exclusive trophy, created by Wakely and Wheeler of London in 1911, then remains in the hands of Richard Allan, owner of the Nicholson designed gaff cutter Marigold, who won the event last year.
If the crews could not fight on the water, they had a second chance on a much smaller, and calmer race course. A "Plan B" was put in place, and a match racing event with radio controlled model yachts was organized at the Chateau Saint Tropez swimming pool. The boats, full carbon AC models, were especially delivered from Gstaad -where they are used once a year for the club's traditional ski-yachting event. The eight competing teams, Bona Fide, Kelpie, Marigold, Nan of Fife, Partridge, Phoebus and Sif, selected a skipper and a tactician among their crews who could best fight for the win. After a qualification round and the semifinals, in a much contested final it was the young team from Bona Fide I to secure victory on fellow crew-mates of Bona Fide II.
The Centenary Trophy is organized by The Gstaad Yacht Club in co-operation with the Societe Nautique de Saint-Tropez.
Seahorse November 2013
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
Principles - Part II
The world of soccer tries hard to lure away one of Olympic sailing’s most respected characters
Update
Terry Hutchinson on the Cup, Ivor Wilkins on crowd support and Team New Zealand’s secret lakeside laboratory. Plus the Youth America’s Cup and NYYC invitational
Seahorse build table - (More) genius
Ian Farrier’s affordable and speedy new trimarans start to roll out of the factory at last
Sailor of the Month
And some long-overdue championship plaudits...
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North Sails Golf Day Held In Aid of the John Merricks Sailing Trust
The date for the annual North Sails Golf Day held in aid of the John Merricks Sailing Trust has been set for Friday October 25th at Cams Hall Estate Golf Club, Fareham.
We are running the usual 'Shot Gun' start format, whereby all teams start at 09:30 on different tees, with the aim that we all finish at similar times. This results in a limited number of four balls that can be accommodated, so if you want to play, act fast!
You may register through the North Sails website - www.northsails.co.uk - or contact Evie on 02392 525588 or .
The event costs £65 per head to compete, which includes coffee and bacon rolls on arrival, 18 holes of golf, buffet lunch and a raffle, auction and prize giving. Teams of four are being formed to compete against old favourites and budding golf pros from companies such as Bainbridge, and of course North Sails.
To date we have raised over £158,000 for this worthy trust. Ian Walker, who was John Merricks' sailing partner and is a trustee of the JMST said, "This is a fantastic event which attracts a huge following, with many famous sailors taking part as a memorial to John, who despite working for North Sails and being one of the best British sailors ever, was an absolutely hopeless golfer!
The JMST, a registered charity, provides financial support to help young people sail and to achieve their goals, funding individuals as well as school, Scout and Duke of Edinburgh groups. The Trust has helped set up junior fleets at clubs throughout the country and has funded or part funded over 100 boats which have been and will be used by thousands of children. For further details please have a look at the JMST web page - www.jmst.org.uk
As well as taking part, there are a number of additional ways to help support this event without needing to swing a club. Donations of raffle prizes and items to be auctioned are being co-ordinated by Evie at North Sails - 02392 525588. Hole sponsorship is also available, and companies wishing to get involved on a corporate level should contact Suzy Hamel, JMST on 02380 458191 or 07789 028612. For all golf queries, call Neil Mackley at North Sails on 02392 604267.
Enter NOW to make sure of your place in an event that is growing every year.
Letters To The Editor -
Letters are limited to 350 words. No personal attacks are permitted. We do require your name but your email address will not be published without your permission.
* From Adrian Morgan: Seems to me the issue of nationality, together with short courses, higher winds and whacky graphics are the keys to an America's Cup that truly engages the public. And, to my mind, a return to majestic monohulls with spinnakers and asymmetrics and float drops and sail changes and peels and gybe sets and drama and, most importantly, a crew of sailors, not pumped-up hydraulic pumpers.
Few Americans could have felt any real affinity with Oracle. However, imposing a strict nationality rule would deprive a number of professional sailors a chance to make a living at the highest level. Daniel Charles is right: the public want to see nation vs nation contests, but when has the public ever (really) had a voice? The 34th America's Cup was imposed upon a sceptical public by a billionaire with a drive to win at all costs and an almost messianic view of how the Cup should be run, that is His Way. The 34th Cup could be seen as an expensive anachronism. Once the fuss has died down it will be seen not so much as a game changer but a flash in the pan. And yet the whole thing is an anachronism and has always been thus. And utterly fascinating. In Bob Fisher's words "An absorbing Interest". (From £150 on Amazon...)
* From Euan Ross: The Editor can only have published Rob Martin's letter to check if the class was sleeping at the back. "Friendly competition between nations" only came to include the crew when amateurs manned the boats in the 12 metre era. The history of the Cup during its heyday in big boats shows that nationalistic fervour can be whipped up, even with mercenary crews, as long as there are larger-than-life personalities in charge. The New York Yacht Club tightened up nationality requirements through various interpretive resolutions on design, construction and participation, particularly after the Australians proved to be rather more ruthless opponents than the Brits. It's also worth remembering that the crew 'nationality requirements', which prevailed for a time, were in fact 'residency requirements' and came to represent empty, rented apartments, skulduggery and subterfuge. Those who want to return arbitrarily to earlier versions of the Deed of Gift might be less enthusiastic about sailing an AC72 from Australia to California on her own bottom or rather bottoms. Include a genuine nationality requirement by all means, but don't use old versions of the Deed of Gift to justify it.
* From James Owen: I've long since lost count of the number of times that I've found myself in whole-hearted agreement with the eloquently expounded opinions of Adrian Morgan. It seems as though a number of us think the same. Keep up the good work sir!
I wonder perchance if you might be the same Adrian Morgan with whom I briefly attended Chichester College of Technology half a lifetime ago?!
Scuttlebutt is much enjoyed on the early morning commute, thank you.
* From Mick Chresnall: I'm a kiwi and it is interesting to read letters from people in SB saying that we're stopping other nations/nationals from getting jobs by hogging all the available experience and domineering, (I think dominating is what was meant). In actual fact our first cup experience (as a national team) was 1987 and while we were designing and engineering 12metre class yachts we employed a number of foreigners. The team was initially managed by an Englishman and later we had a French coach; and both did exemplary work and we would have pulled it off, but for our own inexperience; we should have more aggressively re-moded the boat to improve heavy air performance at expense of some light air speed.
For the 1986 world championship nearly all the sailing team was European or American and we employed a lot of people to teach us how to sail 12m boats. For the '87 cup Dalts was there conveniently filling in the space between whitbreads and Coutts was there chatting up the chicks in cafe's down the main street. The situation now is that there are enough kiwi's to adequately operate 3 AC teams but there isn't funding to run even a single team; without outside help such as Emirates (appears to be a Dubai company run by Brits?). The NZ economy struggles to pay its way in the world, (outside of dairy products we would be in the crap), being at the end of the earth and not quite so blessed with mineral resources like our nearest neighbour 1200km to the left.
So, in sailing, NZ has come a long way in a short time and now the 'shoe is on the other foot' it seems some SB readers don't like to be beaten by their ex-students. Previously people changed nationality for each Cup and it led to a lot of hypocrisy, and mickey mouse rules, now at least it is transparent, but don't think for a moment anything changed.
A lot of the letter writers to NZ newspapers only want NZ to win so therefore they propose that kiwi's should not work for foreign teams. Presumably they think Emirates Airlines is a NZ company and presumably they think it is fair that all the kiwi's who don't work for ETNZ should be denied the opportunity to work at all: to feed their families and that NZ doesn't need the foreign exchange and income tax or GST(VAT) tax either. In other regards NZ generally applauds export earners, professional sports people and musicians; it makes us feel a little less insecure. I would imagine that the personal income tax and GST earned from non-ETNZ AC team members such as Coutts, Butterworth and co was about the same as NZ Govt support of ETNZ, if summed over all the cup cycles and that considering the Emirates money that has come in to the tax base and similar contributions from Core builders and Luna Rossa they are laughing all the way to the bank. I think there is no reason that Europeans can't do some hard work to raise their game following the likes of Sir Ben Ainslie and I also think that there is no reason why the Brit's in particular can't fund a team from within the UK and employ only Brit's, but by all means please employ a few kiwi's too, we need the work.
Go for it, seriously, you have the people and the money, and Olympic gold medals at every turn plus it's good fun; what is stopping you?
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