MedCup Marseille Completed

After an exciting, full stretch coastal race Emirates Team New Zealand lead the 2008 champions by 12 points with four scheduled races to go. Roma lead the GP42 Series. Defending champions Quantum Racing stepped up their challenge for the overall lead of the Marseille Trophy regatta when they won an exciting, stamina-sapping 39.7 miles coastal return race east to Cassis, but a steady third place for Emirates Team New Zealand ensures that the Kiwi team hold a cushion of 12 points going forward to the final two days of windward-leeward racing on the Rade Sud. With NW’ly winds blowing anything between 12 knots in the bay to 22-24 knots offshore on a long, fast sleigh ride downwind to the easternmost, leeward turning mark, this was a race which was doubly fulfilling, close and exciting to the end, with five boats finishing within two minutes after the long beat home, but the backdrop – the stunning limestone calanque cliffs and sheer valleys – is the most awesome of the Circuit.

Four different boats lead the race, but it was Quantum Racing’s afterguard who were able to take advantage, seizing the initiative to use the additional pressure in under the cliffs and the consistent favourable lift, to take the lead early on the beat which they were able to hold to win by 33 seconds from the Russian boat Valars III. Valars and Pisco Sour read the split breeze on the downwind leg to their advantage. After the mid race gate at the Isle Riou they hitched inshore and hooked into a turbo boost of extra wind pressure closer to the land which also gave them a much more favourable downwind slant, allowing them to pop out in front, Vasco Vascotto’s (ITA) crew on the black hulled Pisco Sour leading the former Mean Machine round the leeward gate on to the short reach inshore to turn for home at the entrance to the bay of Cassis.

While the TP52’s enjoyed their tour of coastal Provence, the GP42’s enjoyed near-perfect conditions for interesting games of tactical chess in three buoy races in this series.

The next day, gained from two contrasting races, a sixth and a first for Emirates Team New Zealand was enough for the Kiwi team to extend their overall lead in the Marseille Trophy regatta to sixteen points going in to the final day. After the excitement and high speed thrills of Friday’s TP52 Series' coastal race to Cassis, what started as a hot, slow and sticky day as Quantum Racing appeared to have increased the pressure on the overall leaders when they posted a third place in Race 8, three places ahead of the Kiwi team, ended with a sting in the tail.

In the GP42 Series, racing on the same race tracks in the same conditions the Italian Roma’s first and third ensure they, too, are in the box seats with what should be two final races to complete.

Emerging with a sixth from a scrappy, difficult final race which was contested in conflicting breezes Emirates Team New Zealand clinched the Marseille Trophy by 14 points, the biggest regatta winning margin on the Audi MedCup Circuit since Mean Machine won in Portimao in 2007. Winning four races and never finishing worse than sixth in the ten races here, the Kiwi team skippered by Dean Barker (NZL) with past MedCup winner Ray Davies (NZL) as tactician move 16 points clear at the head of the Audi MedCup TP52 Series standings ahead of defending Circuit champions Quantum Racing (USA).

In the Audi MedCup GP42 Series a third in the final race ensured that the team on Roma Mk2 skippered by Paulo Cian (ITA) leave France with the Marseille Trophy and head for their native Italy with a lead of four points over Alicante Trophy winners Islas Canarias Peurto Calero on the Audi MedCup Circuit GP42 Series standings.

TP52 Series
Overall (10 races)
1. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) 27.5 points
2. Quantum Racing (USA), 41,5 points
3. Matador (ARG), 47,5 points
4. Bigamist (POR), 55,5 points
5. Bribón (ESP), 62,5 points


GP42 Series
Overall (9 races)
1. Roma (ITA), 17 points
2. Islas Canarias Puerto Calero (ESP), 23 points
3. Caser-Endesa (ESP), 27 points
4. Turismo Madrid (ESP), 35 points
5. Airis (ITA), 38 points

MedCup Marseille

The Rade Sud delivered the conditions which both the TP52 Series and GP42 Series fleets came to Marseille with hopes of, as westerly winds to 20 knots produced fast, physiscally challenging racing for both fleets. Emirates Team New Zealand proved the most consistent, top scorers of the day across the three windward-leeward races when they posted a 2,1,2 from the three races which were contested with a windward mark set off the Ile Maire on the eastern entrance to Marseille, while there was an occasional benefit too from the Cape Caveaux to the right of the course, the south west corner of the Ile Pomegues. In the brisk conditions Emirates Team New Zealand’s polished boat handling, smart starting and excellent, assured tactics combined to prove they are this regatta’s class act so far.

Each of the three races for the GP42’s went to the wire, down to one final surf in the high speed downwind sailing. In the first race it was Roma (ITA) which lurched ahead on a wave to pip the Spanish boat Islas Canarias Puerto Calero by just four seconds.

The Spanish boat turned the tables and got their revenge in the second race when they stole the winning gun by only two seconds from Roma. Only four seconds separated winner Roma from Turismo Madrid (ESP) in the third race, with Islas Canarias Puerto Calero (ESP) third.

MedCup Marseille

Only swift avoiding action by the helm, who saw at the last minute what was happening, saved Platoon from becoming involved in a nasty series of crashes and near-collisions when the leading pack converged at speed at the first windward mark.

A big wind shift accelerated the arrival and suddenly favored a pack coming from the left at the buoy, while those with right of way on starboard tack slowed and struggled momentarily. Lightning quick reactions and bold decisions were required from the line up of port tack boats. Sadly Matador (ARG), CxG Caixa Galicia (ESP) and Mutua Madrileña (CHI) all sustained damage and had to retire.

There were six protests from the incidents, all three boats are seeking redress, but CxG Caixa Galicia’s owner Vicente Tirado confirmed this evening that the damage to the bow of their boat is such that he is presently looking for a suitable replacement boat to continue the Audi MedCup season with.

The 39-miles course offered a good selection of points of sail to contest, with a short two miles beat up to the Islands of Ratoneau and Grand Salaman before a long, exciting sleigh ride, peppered with an array of wind shifts to make gains and losses on, down to the scoring gate, 26 miles into the race.

From the turning mark off the entrance to the beautiful bay of Cassis, there was a tough beat back up along the coast, the TP52’s dwarfed at times by the 200 metre high cliffs, which accelerated the Mistral winds to over 22 knots.