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Francesco Bruni Takes Ainslie 3-2 To Win Argo Group Gold Cup
Photo by Charles Anderson / RBYC. Click on image for event gallery.
Hamilton, Bermuda: It was a battle of America's Cup tacticians Sunday in Bermuda. In one of the most exciting finals in Argo Group Gold Cup history, Francesco Bruni (ITA) Luna Rossa put a stop to the comeback kid, Sir Ben Ainslie (GBR) BART/Argo Group. Bruni won the first two races and then Ainslie took two and looked like he was going to add a Gold Cup comeback to his America's Cup record.
Bruini would have nothing of that and sailed flawlessly in the final race to win the King Edward VII Gold Cup and US$50,000 of the $100,000 prize purse.
Bruni and his crew Pierluigi de Felice, Xabi Fernandez and Nick Hutton were jubilant. This was the first time an Italian has ever won the King Edward VII Gold Cup. It was a historic victory for Bruni who comes from Palermo, Sicily who had lost only one race in reaching the finals. Ainslie had lost only two, so the cream had really risen to the top.
Both Bruni and Ainslie had come through the Semi Finals Sunday morning with perfect 3-0 records there. Ainslie defeated Adam Minoprio (NZL) Team Alpari FX. Bruni handled defending champion Taylor Canfield (ISV) USone. Canfield went on to beat Minoprio in the Petite finals and take 3rd place and putting Minoprio into 4th.
Ian Williams won the Wedgewood trophy and Nicoli Sehestead won the Jordy Walker Trophy as the most improved sailor in Match Race Association or Tour events.
1st Place - Francesco Bruni (ITA)
2nd Place - Ben Ainslie (GRB)
3rd Place - Taylor Canfield (ISV)
4th Place - Adam Minoprio (NZL)
5th Place - Bjorn Hansen (SWE)
6th Place - Ian Williams (GRB)
7th Place - Keith Swinton (AUS)
8th Place - Phil Robertson (AUS)
Milo Gill-Taylor (Gbr) Tops Renaissance Re Jr Gold Cup
Hamilton, Bermuda: The winner of the ReniassianceRe Junior Gold Cup was decided in the final race on Hamilton harbour today with Milo Gill-Taylor of Great Britain finishing in fourth place today but earning the necessary points to win the overall regatta with 84 points.
"Today was the best part of a really great week and I had really hoped to come to Bermuda and win this event," said Gill-Taylor. "I learned a lot by coming here and I really enjoyed it. Gill-Taylor placed six points ahead of second place finisher Max Quirk of Australia who just had to stay in the top 10 to win it but in his final race he did not sail his best race and ended up in second place overall six points behind the winner.
For Hattie Rogers of Great Britain, her final race today was a true triumph as she was the first to cross the line on Hamilton harbor in view of the entire spectator fleet. Her win today put her in fifth place overall. She also won the top female trophy as well as the Anniversary Trophy for her first place finish today.
All of the sailors benefited this week from the advice and time spent with sailors like Sir Ben Ainslie and Iain Percy who gave them invaluable suggestions. "What really helped me a lot before today was what Iain Percy told us about not being nervous – about the fact that we were nervous before a competition," Rogers said. "He said the nervousness could be a good thing. That was really helpful and I kept thinking of that today."
Campbell Patton of Bermuda also took many of the helpful words from his sailing heroes, and finished the overall event as the top Bermudian in seventh place. -- Laurie Fullerton
Cammas Wins In La Rochelle
To a long list, including being the Jules Verne Trophy record breaker and the winner of the 2011 -12 Volvo Ocean Race, Franck Cammas can now add the 2013 Nacra 17 champions of the Semaine Olympique Francaise (SOF). It may not be his greatest but he beamed like a boy with a new toy as he took a step closer to his dream of representing France at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Cammas, 40 and crew Sophie de Turckheim, 32, the oldest pair competing in La Rochelle, did it the hard way after another disastrous start saw them forced to tack behind the fleet. But they worked their way back and were a clear second on the line ahead of three other boats that could have won gold.
In the last few hundred metres Cammas had to hold off his Volvo rival, Spain's Iker Martinez, the Olympic gold medallist and Volvo Ocean Race sailor.
The Nacra medal race was the jewel in the crown of the inaugural SOF in La Rochelle with a powerful fleet competing in the new Olympic class.
How does Iker Martinez balance the time with other sailing commitments? "For us, right now, it's much more difficult to find the money than the time," Martinez said. "The funding is our worst enemy, our Federation is in a very critical situation and we are running the campaign with our own money and this has a time limit. Without resources you have no chance. Every team will be improving their weakest areas and that is ours."
Cammas, who runs the campaign as part of his powerful Groupama team, underlined the costs to come when he discussed what excited him about the class.
"This boat is nice because it's hard to tune, there are a lot of toys to improve your speed and all the time you have to move yourself and use the tuning," Cammas said. "You are never as fast as you can go with this boat, it's a good challenge and interesting for me."
Final Top Three Results
Finn
1. Scott Giles, GBR, 19 points
2. Deniss Karpak, EST, 30
3. Piotr Kula, POL, 33
49er FX
1. Sarah Steyaert / Julie Bossard, FRA, 16
2. Laura Schoefegger / Elsa Lovrek, AUT, 36
3. Marion Leprunier / Alizee Gadel, FRA, 38
49er
1. Manu Dyen /Stephane Christidis, FRA, 28
2. Stefano Cherin / Andrea Tesei, ITA, 37
3. Julien D'Ortoli / Noe Delpech, FRA, 40
470 Men
1. Pierre Leboucher / Nicolas Le Berre, FRA, 17
2. Sofian Bouvet / Jeremie Mion, FRA, 20
3. Mathias Schmid / Florian Reichstaedter, AUT, 49
470 Women
1. Lara Vadlau / Jolanta Ogar, AUT, 19
2. Camille Lecointre / Helene Defrance, FRA, 20
3. Amy Seabright / Anna Carpenter, GBR, 43
RS : X Men
1. Piotr Myszka, POL, 39
2. Julien Bontemps, FRA, 42
3. Przemyslaw Miarczynski, POL, 54
RS : X Women
1. Sofia Klepacka, POL, 39
2. Natalia Konsinska, NZL, 45
3. Eugenie Ricard, FRA, 47
Nacra 17
1. Franck Cammas / Sophie De Turckheim, FRA, 46
2. Iker Martinez / Tara Pacheco, ESP, 53
3. Billy Besson / Marie Riou, FRA, 56
Laser
1. Rutger Van Schaardenburg, NED, 30
2. Nicholas Heiner, NED, 38
3. Marco Gallo, ITA, 40
Laser radial
1. Marie Barrue, FRA, 28
2. Marthe Eide Enger, NOR, 30
3. Line Flem Hoest, NOR, 32
Fuil results at sof.ffvoile.fr
Clipper Round The World Yacht Race Departs Rio For Cape Town
The twelve yachts competing in the world's longest ocean race started Race 3 today off the Brazilian coast, in a 3,390 mile South Atlantic challenge to Cape Town, South Africa. Old Pulteney, crossed the line first ahead of Derry-Londonderry-Doire, closely followed by PSP Logisitics, in freshening wind conditions.
The fleet are due into Cape Town towards the end of the month and will be berthed at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. Following a brief stopover, the fleet will then continue on via Albany in Western Australia, Sydney (including the world famous Rolex Sydney Hobart Race), Brisbane, Singapore, China, San Francisco, Panama, Jamaica, New York, Derry Londonderry and Dan Helder in the Netherlands before returning to London's St Katharine Docks for Race Finish in July 2014.
The overall Race leaderboard going into Race 3 is as follows:
1. PSP Logistics (20 points)
2. Qingdao (19)
3. Henri Lloyd (19)
4. GREAT Britain (17)
5. OneDLL (15)
6. Derry-Londonderry-Doire (15)
7. Jamaica Get All Right (14)
8. Team Garmin (13)
9. Invest Africa (13)
10. Switzerland (9)
11. Old Pulteney (7)
12. Mission Performance (4)
Adrien Hardy (AGIR Recouvrement) Winner of the 2013 Generali Solo
A victory that almost slipped through his hands. Adrien Hardy and Gildas Movrvan battled all the way to the finish line. 19 races and 917 miles across the Mediteranean in the FIgaro Beneteau 2.
This morning, before starting the final day of racing in Sète, only three points separated Hardy and Morvan . The first round saw the victory of Xavier Macaire (Skipper Herault) and gave the advantage to Morvan and brought the series to one point. In the final round, Morvan controlled his rival and took victory.
The stage winners
Grand Prix de Cavalaire-sur- Mer : Fabien Delahaye (Skipper Macif 2012)
Stage 1: Gildas Mahe (Ports d'Azur -Interface Concept )
Barcelona Grand Prix : Anthony Marchand (UK -Credit Mutuel Performance)
Stage 2: Gildas Morvan (Cercle Vert)
Grand Prix de Beaulieu sur Mer: Gildas Morvan (Cercle Vert)
Stage 3: Gildas Morvan (Cercle Vert)
Grand Prix Languedoc Roussillon : Gildas Morvan (Cercle Vert)
The race victories in Grand Prix
Thierry Chabagny ( Gedimat ): 4
Frederic Duthil ( Sepalumic ): 2
Anthony Marchand ( UK -Credit Mutuel Performance) : 2
Gildas Morvan ( Cercle Vert ): 2
Xavier Macaire (Skipper Herault ): 2
Corentin Horeau (Bretagne Credit Mutuel - Hope ) : 1
Adrien Hardy ( Recovery Act ) : 1
Fabien Delahaye (Skipper Macif 2012): 1
Seahorse November 2013
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
World news
Does Groupama have an eye on the Cup, Fastnet heroics, more multihulls (in Kiwi), Ernesto [Bertarelli] opts for Hamilton Island, XABI the missionary and the ‘domestic’ US market. Dobbs Davis, Blue Robinson, Carlos Pich, Ivor Wilkins, Patrice Carpentier
IRC column
Resurgent Mini Maxis. James Dadd
Paul Cayard
And the (magnificent) Star class is calling once again
Design - (It’s all about the) proportions
Designer Pascal Conq tells the story of Finot-Conq’s bracingly powerful new 100-footer
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Esimit Europa 2 Wins Barcolana
Photo by Carlo Borlenghi / Studio Borlenghi, carloborlenghi.com. Click on image for photo gallery.
By finishing first on the shortened 13.2 nautical mile long course at the famous Barcolana regatta, the Esimit Sailing Team achieved their fourth consecutive victory at the largest single start race in the world. The 2013 edition of this iconic race saw an impressive number of 1,562 yachts at the same starting line.
Starting the race with so many yachts was a huge challenge for all the crews, but Esimit Europa 2 performed a clean start in very light winds and immediately took the lead on the 13.2 nautical mile long course, which was then shortened due to lack of wind. The Esimit Sailing Team, composed of all-star sailors from 10 European countries, crossed the finish line first at 12:16 CEST with an elapsed time of 2 hours and 16 minutes. By doing so, they achieved the fourth consecutive line honours in front of thousands of spectators at a true sailing festival in the heart of Trieste. The second-place yacht was Aniene, while placing third was Tutta Trieste.
"Being at the starting line together with so many yachts is really challenging, even dangerous. Combined with light winds, which favoured the smaller yachts, it was a difficult race. At the end I am very happy that we won it. I am very satisfied with the performance of the team as well as that of the yacht. I am looking forward to setting sail now towards Malta for the season's last challenge, the Rolex Middle Sea Race, and on the way there trying to set a new passage record between Trieste and Valletta," said Jochen Schumann, skipper of Esimit Europa 2.
The Esimit Europa 2 yacht achieved its fourth consecutive line honours victory at Barcolana and its 28th in a winning streak since its christening in 2010. In 2013, the route of the course changed from 16.8 to a shorter 13.2 nautical mile route, extending the distance between the first and second mark and placing the third mark further offshore. Shortly after Barcolana, the Esimit Sailing Team will set sail towards Valletta, aiming to establish the record for the passage between Trieste and Valletta, recognized by the World Sailing Speed Record Council. Future monohulls which break the established record between the Barcolana and the Rolex Middle Sea Race will be awarded with the Medot Sailing Trophy.
www.esimit.com
www.barcolana.it
MOD70 Virbac-Paprec Capsized
The MOD70 Virbac-Paprec capsized on Thursday afternoon during a training session ahead of the Transat Jacques Vabre, off Belle Ile.
Her crew Jean-Pierre Dick and Roland Jourdain were sailing 15-20 knots of wind. They were surprised by a strong gust and could not stop their multihull overturning. Their mast broke into three pieces.
Roland Jourdain was able to protect himself under the hull, while Jean-Pierre Dick was violently ejected into the water.
Initially, both crew were declared safe and sound, with some back pain for Jean-Pierre. Eventually Dick was airlifted to hospital in Lorient. A compression of a vertebrae was diagnosed.
The boat was towed to Lorient with the The Cross, SNSM (lifeboat) in attendance long with the Virbac-Paprec technical team.
Jean-Pierre Dick later commented: 'I'm still in shock. Everything went very quickly. I saw a strong gust get behind us. I released the mainsail carriage but it was obviously not not enough.
'Everything changed quickly, I fell from a great height, and I hit something and before falling into the water. It was violent.
'Fortunately, I was able to reach the hull very quickly. I could soon feel that I had back pain. We waited for rescue in sadness.'
Roland Jourdain commented: 'We were sailing in 15 knots of wind but with irregular established gusting to 18-20 knots. The conditions were manageable. Suddenly, there was a stronger gust than the others. The boat is rose and rose. It hovered for a few endless seconds. I released the Solent jib. We thought it was going to come back upright ... but the boat capsized.
'I was very afraid for Jean-Pierre. This is the first capsize I have experienced, I am very shaken. '
Translation via Sail-World.com www.sail-world.com/index.cfm?nid=115633
Another Champion Joins The League's 18Ft Skiff Fleet
An outstanding 'newcomer' to the Australian 18 Footer League's fleet is the highly credentialed Chris Nicholson, who will skipper Mojo Wine during the 2013-2014 Season, which began on Sydney Harbour this past Sunday.
Nicholson has been a Volvo Ocean Race sailor since 2001 and it's been more than ten years since he sailed an 18ft Skiff with the Grand Prix Sailing circuit in the 1990s but his previous experience in an 18 will see a competitive campaign from the outset.
His successes extend to a number of classes at the highest level. He is an Olympic sailor and world champion in both the 49er and 5o5 classes.
Chris is fortunate to retain the experienced crew from the 2012-2013 Season campaign; long standing 18ft Skiff sailor Mike McKensey and twice (incl. current) Australian 16ft Skiff champion Ricky Bridge.
Obviously, the 2014 JJ Giltinan Championship is a title Nicholson would like to add to his already impressive record.
"I've always followed the JJs but never had the opportunity or time to compete in one", he said.
"I've very much missed small boats and the chance to have a summer on Sydney Harbour racing 18s is too good to pass up".
"Last year I followed the JJ results whilst racing in the Southern Ocean from Auckland to Brazil. Things will be warmer and more enjoyable this year", he added.
The Mojo Wine skiff showed great potential last season and, with the addition of three new sails and new masts this team is sure to be one of the "gun teams" for the major 18ft Skiff titles this Australian summer. -- Frank Quealey, Australian 18 Footers League
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 Philippe Serenon: I wrote to you before as past UNCL president. During my duty (while P Rutter was RORC commodore), I was therefore honorary chairman of the French challenge, 6eme SENS and was inAuckland for a while. Fabulous times !
Here is a a comment to eventually add to the ongoing discussion:
Daniel Charles is right: reality is that both boats were identified by their nationality while on board it was very blended. By the way, I was very surprised not to see Russel Coutts at no point in the celebraiton of victory, neither on the water nor in the presss room. Considering the exposure of the Cup in NZL, I wondered if it was not his choice, aiming to avoid giving the feeling that he had betrayed his country.
At the same time, I agree with other comments that strict limitations might have a negative role to play on the employment of professionals and in this world of globalization, it looks both strange and outdated.
I would encourage organizers to sort the issue in a positive manner: rather than enforcing a law which will always be difficult to respect, could they find a way to encourage the guys to play for their country rather than for another one. They could invent some kind of credit of some sort for doing so. Additional training days for example which are of very high value.
Crews is one thing, boats another.
Yes the capablity of these boats to match race is better than expected. But They raise a number of questions:
- How come boats gained so much speed during the Cup after a very deceptive LV one? Surprising that they evolved so much: Either boats were not ready before racing which is a negative point for the event or there is more than man power involved in these progresses. In both cases, not quite satisfying. The loss of faith of Dean Barker was visible day after day when Oracle was catching up which reinforces the idea that he couldn't do much about it…
- Can these boats be compared to Formula One? Rather to dragsters: They need very special conditions (course + wind direction and force) to be able to race. Therefore, it is a niche and hardly connected to mainstream users. It reduced a lot the attractiveness to many sailors who did not follow until the very end when the drama prevailed.
- The winner was the one who succeeded faster than the other to transform his boat into a plane (when foiling), escaping from the sea and reducing hydro constraints. Is it still sailing?
- It seemed that there were only afterguard sailors really racing while others were only grinding. Isnt' it frustrating for these guys to be used only for their muscles and slow heart beat? What image does it send to the general public? In fact, it just look like the current life: An upper class and a lower class with nothing in the middle. Doesn't make me dream...
* From Mick Chresnall: I disagree with Martin Nichol in yesterday's SB. The British America's Cup team sailing White Crusader in 1987 and the GBR Challenge in 2003 sailing Wight Lightning and Wight Magic were both credible teams subsequent to 1964. Going back in time there was the Victory GBR team in 1983 and I am sure there were others, wasn't Lionheart 1980 with the innovative bendy top mast? In fact there is a long history of more recent teams that were very competitive. There is also a healthy supply of tycoons who might want to stir it up, Sir Richard Branson is just the first to spring to my mind. From outside, it seems like the UK produces more than its fair share of eccentric millionaires or should I say 'extremely well brought up'. Your designers haven't quite nailed it (yet), but they were never an embarrassment...
* From Bob Fisher: There is no nationality clause in the Deed of Gift and it wasn't until 1978 that one first appeared in the Protocol. The NYYC had thought that a nationality rule was in place until 1977 when Alan Bond hired Andy Rose to be tactician on Australia alongside Noel Robins. Rose was a match racing specialist who had coached the Australian team with Southern Cross in 1974 and even protested to Bond that as an American he could not sail in the races. Bond and his associate, Warren Jones, confirmed to Rose that there were no restrictions in the Deed, or any other regulations, to prevent him sailing on Australia. Newspapers in the US and Australia began referring to him as the "Californian" Andy Rose, rather than the American Andy Rose, as if both were in denial. Ir was only when the NYYC's America's Cup Committee discovered what it believed was an anomaly that it introduce a nationality clause into the Protocol for 1980, and that led to all the haranguing in 1983 over the nationality of the designer of Australia II's winged keel.
* From Stuart Greenfield: Having been a mast man in the squad with Peter De Savary in 1983 and a life long yachtsman competing in many National and International events I believe that the question of Nationality should be forgotten and the focus should return to the Club from which the challenge comes, this will establish the 'flag' which the team then competes. It is then just a simple competition with the best boat and crew a club can muster. This was the situation when Michael Fay set his challenge from the Mercury Bay Yacht Club even though it didn't have a club house or any members, it was still very much a New Zealand challenge. The British have a fine reputation over years of competing for the 'Old Mug' and I am sure there is at least one individual out there ready to support a challenge through one of our clubs. A challenge is is good for British business and as with the Clipper Round the World yacht sponsorship by the UK Trade and Investment department is a perfectly good way to promote the country. So calling all British billionaires, you've nothing to loose except a bit of cash but think of your brand reputation!
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