Troia Portugal Match Cup

After a long day that started with having to defeat one of his own team mates from the French Match Racing Team, Sebastian Col (FRA) and his crew have won the Troia Portugal Match Cup. Getting past Magnus Holmberg (SWE) and his Victory Challenge team 2-0 in an exciting Final series, Col and crew have taken the top prize. Col and his French Match Racing Team/K-Challenge crew had to get better, as the conditions became increasingly challenging throughout the day for the remaining teams in the competition. Besides the fresh 15-22 knot easterly blowing straight down the Rio Sada in front of the Troia Resort Marina, the other huge factor today was the strong tidal current, which reached a staggering 4 knots at its peak. This made pre-start and mark rounding tactics interesting and at times unconventional.

The day started under a cloud of uncertainty, as three teams in the morning’s final flight of the Round Robin had a shot for the last remaining spot in the Semi-Finals. With Paolo Cian defeating Torvar Mirsky in the second match, all eyes were on the final run of the third match, where Bjorn Hansen were fully entangled in a furious match with Damien Iehl on the final run to the finish. Just metres short of the line, Iehl’s one last luff managed to get his SM40 across by what PRO Miguel Allen said was “20 centimetres,” thus earning him the win and the tie-break to the Semis.

Since yet another member of the French Match Racing Team, Mathieu Richard, was on top from the Round Robin, he was free to choose Holmberg to play, the only non-French team in the stage. It didn’t start well for the mostly-Swedish team: 2-0 in the first-to-three point series, and with an all-French final looking imminent, Holmberg rallied in the third match to lead Richard around the track and even draw a penalty on his French rival at their bottom mark turn. In a close fourth match, Richard got managed to get past Holmberg on the run towards the bottom mark. A disastrous kite drop by the French allowed Holmberg to waltz through into a convincing win to bring the series even.

In the last match, Holmberg chose the right side of the beat, Richard the left, and while right was initially favored, it soon caved in, so when Holmberg tacked to cover the closing French, he did so a little too close, earning him a penalty. He still kept the lead by tacking back left, getting to the top and bottom marks first, and extending enough on the beat to do his penalty turn before Richard closed to within only 2 lengths at the finish downwind.

And in the Finals, Holmberg and Col initially split off to different sides of the first beat, with a shoal area on the left side providing a little more relief from the gushing tide than the beach side on the right. Since Col got there and controlled that side better, he led throughout the first match and even managed to extend enough to wipe off a pre-start penalty.

With a major wind shift requiring course realignment and a new boat to rig, the decision was made to shorten the Finals and Petit-Finals to first-to-two points. So, under increasing clouds, breeze, tide, and approaching rain, the stage seemed to have more fireworks among the two French teams in the Petit-Final, with Iehl and Richard taking one each under the watchful eyes of match umpires.

The Troia Portugal Match Cup was the seventh of nine stages on the World Match Racing Tour.

Troia Match Cup, Portugal

On a 12-hour day which featured breeze conditions flip-flopping between land and sea, and varying from nearly nothing to a 40-knot rain squall, race managers at the Troia Portugal Match Cup managed to conclude four of the remaining five flights of the Round Robin to yield three of the final four teams to advance to Semi-Final and Final stages. On the strength of 9 wins each, two members of the French Match Racing Team took the top two spots, with Mathieu Richard on Team French Spirit winning the tie-break with Sebastian Col of K-Challenge to get the top spot. And on a late streak of winning four of his last five matches, Magnus Holmberg (SWE) of the Victory Challenge slid into the third place on seven wins, one point clear of a possibly massive tie-break situation in the final flight between five teams vying for the fourth and final spot for the next stage. And in the last few minutes of the next-to-last flight the seabreeze died and shifted quickly and a massive cloud brought lightning, thunder, rain and wind. With the storm taking its time to abate, PRO Miguel Allen decided to put off the final flight until next morning.

Troia Portugal Match Cup

Light fluky breeze and strong tides delayed the start of racing today in Day Three of Troia Portugal Match Cup, with the resumption of the Round Robin not commencing until mid-afternoon and extending right up to sunset. But once the late seabreeze did finally fill, it provided the opportunity for great match race action in all flights, with multiple lead changes, penalties, and early starts keeping the assembled shore side spectators on edge. Once the dust settled, it became clear the French Match Racing teams led by Mathieu Richard on Team French Spirit and Sebastian Col on K-Challenge were continuing their dominance of the event, with Richard on a nearly undefeated record of 9 wins in 10 matches sailed, and Col on 7 wins in 9 matches sailed. Other teams that excelled today included Magnus Holmberg (SWE) and his Victory Challenge team, winning 4 of their 5 matches including a successful re-sail match from Flight 9 against Paolo Cian.

X35 Worlds

With a fresh breeze and clear skies at Cala Galera completed the last day of racing of the X-35 World Championship, organized by the Yacht Club Italiano and the Circolo Nautico.

The fleet of competitors cast off from the quays of Cala Galera and headed out to sea at 10.30. The excellent weather conditions, with an east-northeasterly wind of between 16 and 18 knots and swell waves permitted a closely fought first heat that started at 11.15.

The race was dominated by three boats that finished well ahead of the rest of the fleet: Mike Richmond and his British crew in Cool Runnings crossed the line first, ahead of Celox skippered by Achim Griese of Germany (silver medallist in the Star class at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984) and by Raimondo Cappa's Sberressa with Francesco De Angelis and Lars Borgstrom aboard.

The wind dropped slightly, settling at around 12-14 knots for the second race of the day that got underway just after 13.00. It was won by the Dutch crew aboard Nicholas Bol's Quantum Racing Holland, followed by Alberto Signorini's L'Irascibile with Tommaso Chieffi calling the tactics and by Pietro Nicolini's Ave Maria.

At the end of the ten races held from Wednesday 24 September through to today Saturday 27 September, Alberto Signorini's L'Irascibile was crowned X-35 World Champion 2008.

Troia Portugal Match Cup

After yet another picture-perfect day of match race sailing off the Troia resort venue, three French teams have emerged among the top four of the standings after 13 flights of racing at the seventh stage of the World Match RacingTour. ISAF number one-ranked Mathieu Richard (FRA) and his French Match Racing Team/Team French Spirit continued their winning ways adding three more wins to his score card, and losing only once to team mate Damien Iehl (FRA), who lies in fourth. And another team mate, Sebastian Col (FRA) and his French Match Racing Team/K-Challenge, has had an even better day, winning five matches to earn a 6-1 score to lie in third among the field of twelve teams at Troia Portugal Match Cup. The day’s racing started leisurely, with the westerly seabreeze filling in about midday to a perfect 8-10 knots before shifting around a bit as PRO Miguel Allen and his race management team did their best to adjust the courses. A strong ebb tidal flow cutting left to right across the course area also made for interesting tactics on both upwind and downwind legs, with long starboard tack beats and early gybes favoring those who could take and hold this position. A brief delay and course readjustment in the late afternoon allowed racing to continue in a new fresh westerly, with genoas traded for jibs in the last two flights.

Troia Portugal Match Cup

Mathew Richard from the French Match Racing Team/Team French Spirit, the number one ISAF ranked sailor in the world, continued his excellent form after winning the recent World Tour event in Switzerland with a storming day at the Troia Portugal Match Cup, winning four of his five matches on the opening day.

Richard defeated Manual Weiller from Spain, then local hero Alvaro Marinho in a close match, Kiwi Adam Minoprio, and rising Aussie star Torvar Mirsky, finalist in Match Cup Sweden, who had his wings clipped by a masterful French display in the first flight of the day. However, this seemed to only spur on the young antipodian, who went on to match Richard’s winning ways in the shifty 6-8 knot breeze, taking the next four matches. In his final race of the six man group, Mirsky was brilliant, shutting out Manual Weiller in the closing seconds. Racing started mid-afternoon after a misty, breathless morning, the wind gradually filling from the west into the mouth of the bay into which the Troia peninsular juts, south of Setubal near Lisbon. The second group managed only one flight before both the wind and the light faded, with reigning World Match Racing Tour Champion and current leader, Ian Williams from the UK, winning the battle of the Brits, taking down newcomer Nick Cherry in his very first Tour race. Frenchman Seb Col again showed his class having won the biggest event of the year in Korea, he defeated the hugely experienced Magnus Holmberg from Sweden in a spirited opening match. Meanwhile another America’s Cup veteran, Paolo Cian from Italy kicked off his challenge for the Troia Portugal Match Cup by beating Bjorn Hansen from Sweden, with a stunning sunset rounding off the day.

Alinghi wins the iShares Cup

With five European venues and 79 races behind them, Alinghi celebrates the iShares Cup season win in Amsterdam! Ed Baird, Rodney Ardern, Lorenzo Mazza and Piet van Nieuwenhuijzen won the iShares Cup season trophy today as well as the Amsterdam event trophy, making this their fourth consecutive event win. The team sailed their first race on an eXtreme 40 in May in Lugano, Switzerland, with mixed results and a capsize, but with these early learning curve hiccoughs out of the way, the crew settled in to a steady winning streak that saw victory in Hyères, France; Cowes, UK; Kiel, Germany and today in Amsterdam. This iShares Cup season is part of a much wider picture for the America’s Cup Defender, Alinghi, and is just one of several multihull learning platforms that the sailing team has been focusing on this summer. The Defender faces the possibility of a Deed of Gift (DoG) match, something currently being pursued by the American challenger BMW Oracle Racing in the New York Court of Appeals, and so the team is preparing for all eventualities. Alinghi is continuing to build the DoG boat in Switzerland and will continue to hone its multihull sailing skills with the Décision 35s on Lake Geneva (where the team is currently leading the Challenge Julius Baer with one event to go) and the 41footer ‘Alinghi Black’ in Valencia. In parallel the team cannot neglect its monohull training and continues to race on the Vrolijk IRC66 Numbers and the maxi yacht Alfa Romeo and with an eye on the team’s vision of a multi-challenge America’s Cup, Brad Butterworth, Alinghi team skipper, is organising challenger meetings this autumn to plan for the future.

MedCup Circuit 2008 Completed

Terry Hutchinson and the crew of the American boat Quantum Racing won the Audi MedCup Circuit 2008 with a day to spare in Portimao, Portugal when only one race could be completed on the penultimate day of the Portugal Trophy Regatta. As the breeze fell away to force the abandonment of the second race on Friday, Race 7, and then precluded any further competition it meant Quantum Racing had built a n unassaibale lead of 52.2 points over second placed Bribon with no more than three races possible Saturday for the 15 boat fleet.

Terry Hutchinson and the crew of Quantum Racing on Saturday added the Portugal Trophy to the regatta wins in Mallorca and Sardinia which contributed to their overall victory in the Audi MedCup Circuit 2008. After winning the Audi MedCup Circuit 2008 title with a day to spare, Quantum Racing added victory in the Trophy of Portugal to cap their triumphant five months long season over which they won three of the six Audi MedCup Circuit regattas.

Steered by skipper Terry Hutchinson (USA), who started putting the winning campaign together just less than one year ago and has raced on the circuit over each of the three previous years, Quantum Racing won in Cagliari on Sardinia in Italy, at the Breitling Regatta on Mallorca, Spain and now in Portimao on Portugal’s Algarve coast.

A first and a fourth placed today for Quantum Racing pushed them to the top of the overall Portugal Trophy standings, winning by four points from Matador (ARG) who were let down by a disappointing 11th in the first race. Winds were light again and expired entirely in the late afternoon but the re-scheduled morning start allowed two decent windward -leeward contests to be completed. Quantum’s sharp starting and acute tactics were key to their victory in the first race, just holding off Bribón by seven seconds.

MedCup Portugal

Without leaving the dock in Marina Portimao Quantum Racing took a big step closer to the endgame, winning the Audi MedCup Circuit 2008, when the double points Coastal Race was cancelled due to the lack of wind. Basic arithmetic, conventional logic and the wind as per current forecast for the final two days of the season points to a maximum of 75 points to be scored, completing each of a possible five races left this season, as things stand. Quantum Racing (USA) have 45.2 points in hand over second placed Bribón (ESP). In third place Matador (ARG) are 24.8 points behind Bribón and two points clear of Artemis (SWE) whose slender chance of retaining the 2007 MedCup title that Torbjorn Tornqvist (SWE) and his crew won in Hyères a year ago were wafted away by the gentle breeze today.

MedCup - Portugal Trophy

Leaving the Portimao race course having dropped six points off their Circuit lead it was hardly crisis time for Quantum Racing when they finished 10th in Race 6 of the Portugal Trophy Regatta - only their third double points score of 50 races so far of the Audi MedCup season - but the American boat did cede the regatta lead to Paul Cayard and the Spanish America’s Cup team on the green hulled El Desafio.

In light and shifty winds, between five and eight knots, Desafio posted a seventh and a second place to lead the second placed Argentinian boat Matador by a single point on the Portugal Trophy regatta leaderboard.

Alberto Roemmers’ Matador crew not only had the best day in the fifteen boat fleet, winning the first race and finishing second to Platoon powered by Team Germany in the second contest, but they overtook Torbjorn Tornqvist’s Artemis, to now hold third place on the overall Audi MedCup Circuit standings going in to Thursday’s crucial double points coastal race.
A delay was required until the wind spread more uniformly across the course area but there were still patches of lighter pressure and changes in wind direction through both races to challenge the brains of the afterguards. It was the same pair of boats which lead to the windward mark in both races. Platoon Powered by Team Germany with Jochen Schuemann steering and Rod Dawson on tactics and Matador which is steered by Guillermo Parada (ARG) with Francesco Bruni (ITA) as tactician. Matador eased through Platoon on the first run, getting a little lower and deeper into better breeze first and went on to win comfortably by 54 seconds, while the Platoon managed to make their early lead stick in the second race, crossing the finish line 41 seconds up on second placed Matador.

With their local hero 1996 Olympic bronze medallist Hugo Rochas calling tactics, there was a promising result for the local Portuguese crew on Pedro Mendonca"s Bigamist 6 when they finished fourth. The 2005 Reichel Pugh design is now the oldest boat in the 15 boat fleet but lies a very respectable 11th overall, gaining one place in the regatta standings today.

Portugal Trophy Regatta

The American boat Quantum Racing moved 11 points closer to winning the Audi MedCup Circuit today as Audi Q8 and Synergy had their best set of races of the season so far, Audi Q8 lie second on the same points as regatta leaders Quantum Racing. In the moderate breezes, 11-18 knots mainly from the North West, the racing was close and even. As the Russian crew on Synergy became the 12th different team to take a winning gun on the Circuit this season, triumphing in Race 2 in fine style, so too Riccardo Simoneschi’s Audi Sailing Team powered by Q8 (ITA) came good with their best day yet, scoring a ninth then two second places to lie second sharing the same overall points as Quantum Racing. And if Synergy had not let slip their third place which they held until the final 400 metres of the last race of the day, they too would have been on 13 points.

Portugal Trophy Regatta

After an interesting, exacting and even-sided practice race in perfect light wind conditions and warm sunshine on the Algarve's Atlantic waters off Portimao, Portugal, the stage is set for the final regatta of the Audi MedCup Circuit, the Portugal Trophy regatta. On the water breezes just reached double figures, 10 knots at most, but it was evident that all crews were pushing hard at each of the practice starts. Only after two general recalls and under the hollow threat of a black flag did the practice race get under way. Confidence and morale took a jump aboard Riccardo Simoneschi’s Audi powered by Q8 (ITA) after they took the winning gun. With Charlie McKee (USA) making the tactical calls reinforced by the thoughts of Thierry Peponnet (FRA), the Italian boat managed to overhaul Spain’s El Desafio on the last run, getting into a strand of better breeze, winning by three boat lengths.

Team Russia Arrives in Alicante

Pitman/Bowman Oleg Zherebstov from Russia packs his national flag away onboard Team Russia¹s Volvo Open 70 ŒKosatka. The crew arrived from Portland, UK into the race start port of Alicante, Spain where they will be training before the In Port Race on the 4th October.
The Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 will be the 10th running of this ocean marathon. Starting from Alicante in Spain, on 4 October 2008, it will, for the first time, take in Cochin, India, Singapore and Qingdao, China before finishing in St Petersburg, Russia for the first time in the history of the race. Spanning some 37,000 nautical miles, visiting 11 ports over nine months, the Volvo Ocean Race is the world's premier ocean yacht race for professional racing crews.

Rolex Swan Cup

Racing started at the Rolex Swan Cup 2008 bright and breezy, and bang on time at 1135, September 9. Conditions for a first day could not have been gentler. All four divisions will have come off the water having had a very satisfactory day's racing in winds that peaked in the early-teens in the channel, but stayed below ten knots elsewhere on the various courses. Some will be delighted with proceedings and some will not, but that is yacht racing. The standings at the end of Day One, see Favonius heading the Swan Maxi Division, Zen leading the Classics and Earlybird and Kora respectively top guns in the Swan 45s and Club Swan 42s. One day down.

Day two of the Rolex Swan Cup. The Swan Maxis went on a hefty 30 nautical mile w/l course, whereas the Classics undertook a shorter, 24 nm stroll. Meanwhile, the sprightlier Swan 45s and Club Swan 42s were given their own part of two four-leg windward/leewards of 8 nm. In the Swan Maxis the Swan 80, Favonius (BVI) played everyone off once again winning both on the water and on handicap. The Swan 48 Zen (GBR) conceded her waterline length to finish third on the water, but still came first on handicap in the Classics. Swan 45, Earlybird (GER), was later to finish in her fleet than yesterday posting a 6, 5, but sufficiently good to still lead overall. Equally, Kora (ITA), the Club Swan 42, had a drop in performance to score two seconds, but again held onto first overall. So, no change at the top after the day's proceedings.

Flat calm left a flat mood at the third day of the Rolex Swan Cup 2008. The Yacht Club Costa Smeralda Race Committee finally called a halt to the waiting at 1230, after a patient but fruitless delay to see if forecast light winds would arrive soon enough and stabilize sufficiently for the scheduled Long Island Race to be held. The breeze did not play ball and racing was abandoned for the day.

Playing water polo in the still waters off Porto Cervo was an odd way to prepare for the winds to come. But no one had predicted the speed and severity of the conditions that would end the day, prematurely for some. The scheduled earlier start of 10 AM came and went without any sign of the wind that had been forecast yesterday. The Yacht Club Costa Smeralda Race Committee kept everyone ashore for an hour and a half, before heading out in the hope of finding the promised breeze. It came, eventually, at three o'clock. A gentle 10 knots from the north-northwest stirring a ripple in the calm. Nothing too special and certainly no great warning. The aborted second race started in twenty-five knots and it was not until halfway down the first run that the alarm bells really started to ring as the breeze built in an instant to probably 40 knots at the masthead. It did not take long for the Race Committee to realize that this was more than a passing shower and, as the Swan 45s headed upwind for a second time some flying orange storm jibs and navigation lights shining in the gloom, the call was made to abandon. Not a moment too soon. Within minutes it was lights out as visibility went from poor to pitiful. Twenty minutes later visibility returned and the drenched Swan 45s were glad to return to safe haven.

Next day, at 1130, Peter Lawson, from the Committee, relayed the message from the course that the general situation was not expected to improve. Moments after giving three short blasts on the horn and hoisting the November flag over the Alpha flag to signify the curtailment of any racing, Lawson described the conditions leading to the decision, "in the course area the winds are 27 - 28 knots, gusting to 30 plus and conditions will continue to deteriorate during the next few hours. Gusts are expected to increase to the mid-30s or higher." So that was that. Game over for the day.

The final day of the Rolex Swan Cup 2008 dawned with an overcast sky and a moderate southwesterly of 15 knots. With the forecast warning that the wind would build during the day, the start time had been brought forward to 1030. The weather played ball for three of the divisions to complete one race apiece and for the Swan 45s to complete two. At the end of a difficult week with wind at both ends of the scale, the Rolex Swan Cup overall division winners were: Roel Pieper's Swan 80 Favonius (BVI) in Swan Maxi, Hendrik Brandis & Christian Nagel's Earlybird (GER) in Swan 45, Enrico Scerni's Kora (ITA) in Club Swan 42 and John Bainbridge's Swan 48 Zen (GBR) in the Classics.

VOR confirmed 8th entry

Dutch yacht Team Delta Lloyd is confirmed as the eighth entry in the Volvo Ocean Race at a press conference in Amsterdam, which starts in Alicante, Spain on 4 October. The team will be sailing the winning boat from the 2005-06 event and will sail under the Dutch flag with sail number NED -1.

The Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 will be the 10th running of this ocean marathon. Starting from Alicante in Spain, on 4 October 2008, it will, for the first time, take in Cochin, India, Singapore and Qingdao, China before finishing in St Petersburg, Russia for the first time in the history of the race. Spanning some 37,000 nautical miles, visiting 11 ports over nine months, the Volvo Ocean Race is the world's premier ocean yacht race for professional racing crews.

St Moritz Match Race, 3 - 7 September 2008

St Moritz Match Race got under way while the lake looked like glass, as promised the wind came through in time for the scheduled start. With eight of the top ten ISAF ranked teams competing, competition is sure to be fierce as the teams battle out. The format for this regatta sees the teams split in to two groups for the Round Robins. In Round Robin A the top three teams proceeding to the quarter-finals. The remaining three teams will compete in a repechage Round Robin with the bottom three teams from Round Robin B to decide the final two quarter final places. A fleet race started the day off with the teams from Group A all fighting for a top spot, knowing that if it came to a count back it would be the fleet race result that would help decide the outcome. Michael Hestbaek took out 1st place in the fleet race.

Torrential rain all night did nothing to deter the competitors of St Moritz Match Race as they prepared for day two of the sixth event of the World Match Racing Tour. A south-westerly breeze of eight to twelve knots came through and provided for some very close match racing. With the repechage scheduled to start this afternoon, the wind decided it didn’t want to play ball and slowly died away. The fleet race was completed and after waiting for an hour for breeze the teams were brought back to shore.

Day three at St Moritz Match Race and the big black rain clouds were slowly beginning to clear to make way for some great racing. With no races of the repechage round robin completed yesterday, organisers were starting to feel the pressure to get some races away. The course was quickly moved to the northern end of the lake, where 5-7 knots of wind was enough to get the sailors off the start line. With racing starting an hour earlier than the previous two days, the race committee were hoping to start the quarterfinals mid afternoon.

The sunshine has returned to the shores of Lake St Moritz today, bringing with it the breeze, albeit a shifty one. Racing got underway as scheduled. Adam Minoprio (NZL) began the day on match point against Peter Wibroe (DEN), in their first to two point quarter final. However Wibroe managed to take the first win. In the other quarterfinal, Ian Williams’ (GBR) Team Pindar took an essential win after starting the day one nil down against local favourite Eric Monnin (SUI). With both matches going to one all, whoever won the next race would be through to the semi finals. Minoprio defended well to maintain the lead at the top and they managed to hold on for victory and to claim their spot in the semi finals. Ian Williams took another win over local Eric Monnin securing his semi final spot. Sebastian Col (FRA) taking on Philippe Presti (FRA). Mathieu Richard winning his quarterfinal two nil. In the deciding race between Col and Presti, Presti managed to maintain a small lead. The semi finals got underway and in diminishing breeze only one match between Mathieu Richard and Philippe Presti was completed. Richard went on to win the race.

Mathieu Richard was crowned the ‘King of the Mountain’ today in St Moritz after beating Ian Williams 2-0 in a light wind final. Finally around lunch time the breeze arrived. It was barely visible on the lake but officials deemed it enough to race in. The first match of the day saw Ian Williams meet Adam Minoprio for a tough race in very shifty conditions, won by Ian Williams. In the second match between the two, Williams led comfortably around the course, and was able to fend off Minoprio. In the other semi final, Mathieu Richard was already one up against fellow Frenchman Philippe Presti after winning the first match yesterday. The wind was rapidly disappearing and moments after the race started it looked as if the breeze had died completely. Mathieu Richard managed to get ahead and stay in front for the rest of the race. From there on, there was no stopping the French team who went onto win the final two nil against last year’s winner Ian Williams.

Southampton Boat Show

Celebrating its 40th Show, the sixth largest Show in the UK features Europe's largest purpose built on-water marina and runs from 12-21 September 2008.

There are plenty of activities off the water that you can enjoy too. Over 600 exhibitors will be showcasing their products including sailing accessories and marine fashion.

Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup

A one-hour postponement saw the wind build from zip to 20 knots and more. With the wind came the sea - short, sharp and steep. And, whilst it was not all plain sailing, today was one of those days off Porto Cervo that sailors live for. Principal Race Officer Peter Craig and the race committee kept crews in the harbour for an extra hour, which would have done little to help anyone prepare for the afternoon ahead, because though the wind was expected to build no one had quite predicted what occurred. Neville Crichton's 30-metre lightening bolt, Alfa Romeo (NZL), blitzed the 24 miles in a shade over two hours. Come results time, honours were even in the Mini Maxis with Numbers and Rosebud/Team both posting a first and second in their two races. J One collected a first bullet of the week in the Wally Division; the J-Class Ranger maintained her perfect record in Cruising and Racing went to the super-maxi Alfa Romeo.

Cannes Regates Royales

Close to two hundred yachts are expected from 21^st to 28^th of September to celebrate the 30^th anniversary edition. Different categories, representing almost thirty different nationalities, all sharing the all-consuming passion for beautiful things, leading them each year to gather in increasing numbers on the popular Mediterranean bay. From elegant Dragons, to Toucans and Super Tofinou (newcomers to the race), from the most competitive yachts to the formidable schooners, yawls, ketches and other Gaff Cutters or Marconis, including the legendary metre classes of the beginning of the century, the finest yachts in the world will unfurl their sails to display their majestic sail plans on the French Riviera.

Since it’s creation in 1978, the Cannes Régates Royales has welcomed the cream of yachting and once again this year, Shamrock V and Agneta, who will both be defending their titles, Mariquita, Mariette built in 1915, Moonbeam IV, Adria, L’Iliade, Nan of Fife, Milena, Sunshine, Thendara and countless more of these timeless rare gems will all take part in the event. The sparkling waters of the magnificent Bay of Cannes will play court to these magnificent yachts for this first week of Autumn, with the grand massifs of the Mercantour and the Lérins Islands as their backdrop.

The event is outstanding, particularly for the elegance of the yachts, but above all for being a competitive event, and each year it attracts a growing number of skippers, sailing enthusiasts and onlookers. Very close to the coast, and visible to all, these legendary boats – some of which are classed as world heritage historical monuments – will once again sail together. No one can be untouched by the charm and stunning beauty of these classic yachts.

Danish Open

The first day of the Danish Open, Stage 5 of the World Match Racing Tour 2008 season saw 12 crews from 7 countries take to the waters off the Jutlandic peninsula. With a shifty gusty breeze that blew off the land up to 22 knots the teams were tested to the max. The morning session saw six teams take to the water to compete against one another. The afternoon session saw the other 6 teams take to the water. The second day of racing had wind ranging between 10 to 20 knots. Race officials took advantage of the conditions and completed 10 flights in the day’s schedule. Ian Williams ended the day 7-3. Mathieu Richard was pleased with his win loss record of 6-2 for the day. Torvar Mirsky finished the day on 5-3. Adam Minoprio finished 4-4 which leaves him with plenty to do. Johnie Berntsson also finished 4-4. With four flights left in the round it was all wide open with 6 teams capable of getting to the magic number of seven wins. It was Ian Williams that topped the Round Robin followed by Johnie Berntsson, Sebastien Col and Torvar Mirsky going to the Semi Finalists.

In semi final one against Johnie Bernsson, Ian Williams was over the line early but a big left shift propelled him back into lead. In the second match Berntsson struck back leading Williams from start to finish. In semi final two Torvar Mirsky capitalised on a big shift to get the jump he needed on Sebastien Col. Their second match was much closer. Col got a lead he defended well to the the finish.

The Danish Open ended today with Ian Williams (GBR) of Team Pindar taking 1st place in a best of three final against Sebastien Col (FRA) French Match Racing Team/K-Challenge. In the petit-final the results went to one all after Johnie Berntsson equaled the score by winning the second race against Torvar Mirsky. Berntsson then went on to win the third match.

MedCup Cartagena

Bribón took the final winning gun in Cartagena to win the Region of Murcia Trophy, their first regatta win this season. Quantum Racing head for Portugal having enhanced their Audi MedCup Circuit lead to 41.5pts. Gaining a two boat lengths advance on the final gybe of the last run of the final nail biting race was enough to clinch the Region of Murcia Trophy for José Cusí’s Bribón, winners of the fifth regatta of the Audi MedCup Circuit. It was a fitting climax, the final twists and turns settling a great event as Cartagena delivered a whole new set of challenges to the TP52 fleet in testing winds on a challenging race arena, complemented ashore by a warm and very enthusiastic reception on the docksides and around the streets of an historic City. Locals and visitors wholheartedly embraced the first ever visit of the MedCup Circuit to a fast emerging region of Spain and were rewarded when overall victory went to one of Spain’s best known racing yachts. After four days of moderately fresh breezes, the final two races were contested in a light sea-breeze which carried some big changes in direction to frustrate and challenge crews, particularly in the first windward-leeward contest. Bribón win the regatta by two points and regain second place overall on the Audi MedCup Circuit 2008, behind Terry Hutchinson (USA) and the crew of Quantum Racing (USA) who leave Murcia and head for the final regatta in Portimao having extended their overall lead from 30 points to 41.2 points.

MedCup Cartagena

Fighting to the end of each and every race and good downwind speed see Matador lead the Region of Murcia Trophy regatta into the final day, but they have only two points on Bribon. The remarkable ‘never say die’ team spirit aboard Alberto Roemmers’ Matador (ARG), complemented by some smart calls from Thierry Peponnet and a healthy dose of sheer downwind speed all contributed to the key gain of four places on the final run of the last race today which means the Argentinan boat will enter the last day of the Region of Murcia Trophy Regatta with a slender two points advantage over Jose Cusi’s Bribón.

Another three challenging windward-leeward races on the testing Cartagena race track in 13-19 knots of NE and E’ly breezes saw three different winners, Inaki Castaner’s ONO, Matador and Bribón, all 2006 or 2007 build boats. Once again it proved an arena which favoured those prepared to stick to their convictions, with wind shifts variously benefiting both sides of the course area. A big shift during the first race of the day, with the breeze moving 35-40 degrees to the right, proved terminal to the hopes to those who were caught on the wrong side of it.