We Have a Challenger

Another immaculate start from James Spithill in todays race, that started after a short delay due to lack of wind. From the dialup in the pre-start, Dean Barker bear away but Spithill managed to get a better position off the committee boat in the windward position of the line. The boats remained close for most of the time of the upwind leg, when eventually both went outside the layline. But it was the ETNZ boat that passed the weathermark 20 seconds ahead, the same delta that retained in the second mark and again in the third. In the final leg the Italians tried to fight back, reducing the difference to just 30 meters, but Barker was cool enough to cross the line first, with a 22 seconds delta. For the first time the Newzealnders looked happy and cheered each other. Prada Luna Rossa challenge did an excellent match and a great appearance throughout the Louis Vuitton Cup.

Settimana delle Bocche

A highly competitive fleet has gathered to contest the Farr 40 class European Championships which is being held during the Rolex Settimana delle Bocche in Porto Cervo, Sardinia. Hosted by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda for the second time, this is the 8th edition of the Europeans and it has attracted one of the biggest fleets in the event's history. At a close-fought Farr 40 Mediterranean season opener in Capri, Jim Richardson (Class President) & the crew of Barking Mad led by tactician Bouwe Bekking won by a convincing margin of 9-points despite not posting a single first place bullet during the seven race programme. The coming four days will see 21 yachts from 9 nations do battle for the European Championship crown over a scheduled eleven race series comprising short windward-leeward courses that will once again test the tactical prowess of the afterguard, the concentration of the owner/driver helms and the physical endurance of their crew in this strict One-Design class.

Team New Zealand Wins 4th Match

The Italian challenger began the day down 3-0 to Emirates Team New Zealand in the Louis Vuitton Cup Final and couldn’t afford another loss. But, the Emirates Team New Zealand squad won its fourth consecutive race of the Louis Vuitton Cup Final and now sits one win away from a trip to the America’s Cup Match. The Kiwis trailed early in Tuesday’s race, but soon recovered to lead at every turning mark of the race course. Luna Rossa Challenge won the first cross in today’s race after the teams took opposite sides of the starting line and split early on the first leg. The Italians were on the right hand side and made a nice gain in the first few minutes after the starting gun. When the boats converged for the first cross, Luna Rossa skipper Francesco de Angelis tacked on Kiwi Dean Barker with nearly 100 metres on the bow to bow advantage line. After NZL 92 tacked back out to the left, each team tacked again, setting up a second cross. The Kiwis had clearly made a gain and Italian tactician Torben Grael called for an early tack to leeward of the New Zealand boat. Within minutes, the Emirates squad had lifted inside ITA 94 and regained the advantage line. The Kiwis sailed the Italians out past the starboard tack layline, consolidating their lead, and rounded the first mark 19 seconds ahead. From their, Emirates Team New Zealand was never threatened, and the Kiwis won the race by 52 seconds.

Groupama 3 New Record!

One month after taking the Discovery Route record, Franck Cammas and his crew on the maxi-trimaran Groupama 3 have absolutely pulverised the Miami to New York record, held by Steve Fossett with his catamaran Playstation. The all French crew left Miami on Sunday June 3, at 11:31 UTC and reached crossed the finishing line at the Ambrose lighthouse at 22:36 UTC on Monday June 4, to cut a staggering 18 hours off Fossett’s time. The new record (subject to WSSRC ratification) is 1 day 11 hours 5 minutes 20 seconds. Groupama 3’s average time was 26.77 knots, compared to 17.57 knots for Playstation. Shortly after the finish, Franck Cammas said “It was a stressful record run, but a great end result. We took advantage of a good weather window and a solid crew exploited a great boat to the full.”

Breitling MedCup

With the opening event in the Breitling MedCup just over a week away, the last month as seen a flurry of new boat launches and presentations of some of the 24-strong TP52 fleet. As the Louis Vuitton Challenger Series draws to an end, increasing numbers of America´s Cup sailors are now joining their boats and preparing for the competitive season ahead. This year there are nine new boats that have been built for the Circuit. New designs as well as updating of older models, all will have the competitive edge to sail in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. The cards have been played and the crews are ready to see, who will be the overall victor of the Breitling MedCup.

Franck Cammas

Sunday 3rd of June, at 8:31:20 local time, Franck Cammas and the crew of the maxi-trimaran Groupama 3 crossed the start line in an attempt to break the Miami to New York record. The current record of 2 days 5 hours 54 minutes and 42 seconds, is held by Steve Fossett and was set in May 2001 onboard his maxi catamaran Playstation. Cammas and team will have to pass the Ambrose lighthouse, at the entrance to New York harbour, by today, Tuesday 5 June at 14:25:02 local time. The course is divided into two parts: a first phase with the Gulf Stream from Miami to Cape Hatteras in North Carolina, approximately 600 miles, the second a coastal phase of 350 miles past the states of Virginia, Maryland and New Jersey. It is an exercise very different than a trans-oceanic crossing like the Discovery Route. Miami to New York is measured in hours, not days. The team should leave with about 15 knots of wind from the west, a flow which will increase as they head north. By the time they reach Cape Hatteras, the wind conditions will be stronger and there could be heavy seas.

Personal Everest

Geoff Holt left Plymouth Sunday morning at 1000 hours headed Falmouth. It was a pretty uneventful run although it was 1900 hours by the time he hauled out at Mylor Yacht Haven. Almost all nine hours he sailed under grey skys with drizzle, with only the GPS confirming the route was towards Falmouth. Paralysed from the chest down and confined to a wheelchair, ex-professional yachtsman Geoff will sail over 1,600 miles around Great Britain in an inspirational Challenge that will take in excess of 50 days to complete. Already the holder of many disabled sailing endurance records, the Personal Everest Challenge will be exactly that, Geoff’s own Personal Everest.

ETNZ-Luna Rossa 3-0

3-0 is now the score of the third match between Emirates Team New Zealand and Prada Luna Rossa Challenge. The key moment of the match took place in the last minute before the start. This was a great job from James Spithill, who used the starboard entry to control Dean Barker in a long dial up on port tack in 10 knots of sea breeze. Spithill matched every change in Emirates Team New Zealand pushing the situation to its limit until the last minute before the gun. Then, Luna Rossa built speed to come back below the starting line at the moment as Dean Barker engineered his escape by tacking onto starboard. While Luna Rossa had the advantage, should tack in front ETNZ, but the Italians preferred to continue to the left. But the NZ boat had better speed and more pressure on their sails so soon after the start passed the Italian boat, pushing them out of the left layline. The Italians perfermed a perfect gybe set after the first weather mark and chose not to follow the track of the Newzealand boat. The delta kept on increasing and finally ETNZ finished 1:38 ahead. Apart from that, there are also two points I have to make: Fisrt, the ETNZ boat speed may be comming from the very different mainsail trim - traveller positioned upwind, the sheet fully trimmed and the halyard loose. Second, after taking down the spinakker, the ETNZ was approaching the mark with the Genoa trimmed in, while the Italian boat had the Genoa trimmed for downwind. Thus needing more time to take in and point closer to the weather mark.

ETNZ-Luna Rossa: 2-0

It was a beautiful day for racing on the waters off Valencia, with bright sunshine and warm Mediterranean temperatures generating a 12 to 14 knot sea breeze. A spectator fleet of over 250 boats lined the borders of the race area to enjoy the spectacle of two top America's Cup teams battling for supremacy.

Having conceded the right-hand side of the start line yesterday, James Spithill took some risk in getting across the bow of Emirates Team New Zealand while Luna Rossa was on port tack. Despite a Y-flag protest by the Kiwis, the Umpires green-flagged the situation and the Italian gamble had paid off; Spithill was now controlling the right-hand side of the start box.

As the start gun fired however, it was the New Zealand boat that was fully up to speed, with the Italians close to windward but forced into an early tack to the right. That extra momentum off the start gave Dean Barker an early boatlength's advantage, which he used to tack over and shadow Spithill's progress to the right.

Like yesterday, the boats looked absolutely matched for speed in these moderate, steady breezes, which made that early advantage to the Kiwis all the more crucial. When the Italians eventually tacked back to face the enemy, the New Zealanders were able to respond to every assault and put added distance on their rivals as a tacking duel ensued.

The Emirates Team New Zealand squad sailed what appeared to be a perfect race on Saturday, winning the start, taking an early advantage and extending the rest of the way to a convincing victory. The Kiwi team is now up 2-0 in the 'first to five' Final of the Louis Vuitton Cup.

ETNZ Win 1st Final Match

In their first match for the finals of the Louis Vuitton Cup that started today, Friday 1^st of June, Emirates Team New Zealand took its first win over Prada Luna Rossa. Both boats started immaculately but in the first weathermark, ETNZ had an 11 seconds lead. In the next weathermark pass the difference was just 2 seconds, leaving Luna Rossa second with a final delta of 8 seconds. Emirates Team New Zealand won an incredibly close match over Luna Rossa Challenge on Friday to take a 1-0 lead in the Final of the Louis Vuitton Cup. The Kiwis never led by more than 12-seconds around the race course. Most observers were expecting some close racing in this contest and the two finalists didn’t disappoint. The final run to the finish saw Luna Rossa make a small gain on the left hand side of the race course. With the boats just a few hundreds metres from the finishing line, ITA 94 helmsman James Spithill threw in a final gybe that put his team charging at the line. But Kiwi squad held its nerve, executing a precision gybe just moments before crossing the line, with Luna Rossa nearly overlapped behind them. Emirates Team New Zealand skipper Dean Barker and his team draw first blood, leading the series 1-0. Conditions were ideal for racing, with a Southeasterly sea breeze of between 10 and 14 knots. Racing was postponed for a short time to allow the Race Committee to re-set the starting line after a 10 degree wind shift. An enormous spectator fleet was on hand to enjoy the close racing.