TP52 Worlds

A first and a second from two difficult races today on the Bay of Palma sees the 2007 world champions Artemis (SWE) emerge with only the slimmest possible lead after four races have now been sailed at the 2009 TP52 World Championship. The Swedish flagged team are tied on points with local favourites Bribón (ESP). José Cusí’s crew from the host club, with round the world racer Gonzalo Araujo (ESP) on the helm, also erred on the conservative, safe side where possible and posted a second and a third. In the flat water, short beats and modest wind-speeds it was day for clear thinking and concise decision making, especially at the busy, often frenetic first windward mark roundings.When they made strong start off the pin end of the line in Race 4, overnight leaders Quantum Racing (USA) looked to be well set to at least consolidate on the two points lead that they held. But at the first windward mark approach, while Artemis squeezed only away a few metres ahead, they were suddenly trapped on their port tack approach, as the starboard tack line up lifted and they had to bail out to the back of the queue. . Choosing prudence and dipping hard, Quantum Racing the current champions managed to come back from tenth round that first buoy to rescue a sixth place finish, but they slid to third overall, still only two points off the leading pair’s aggregate.

TP52 World Championship

The autumn evening sun was already dipping low in the sky as Quantum Racing (USA) took the winning gun for the second of two races today at the TP52 World Championships off Palma, Mallorca. Their win, paired with a fifth from the first heat ensures the current world champions lead overall by a single point. Even if the sea breeze took its time to build and only peaked with short spells offering 11 knots and mostly averaged around 6-8 knots, it proved a tricky afternoon over which the usual Palma tactical conventions did not always hold true, and consistency in the ten boat fleet across these first two windward-leeward races proved elusive. After two races Quantum Racing (USA) lead the Russian team on Synergy who took a second and fifth and are matched on the same seven points tally by Alberto Roemmers’ current Copa del Rey champions on Matador (ARG) who took a third and a fourth.

John Cook on the helm of Cristabella triumphed in the first race. The British crew, with John Cutler (NZL) as tactician, recognised the additional wind pressure and small shift to the right of the course on the first beat, and after a modest start, were able to cross the fleet two thirds of the way up the leg. They lead at the windward turn by a clear 40 metres from Synergy and went on to win by 22 seconds with Matador third. It was after 1800hrs in the early evening when Quantum Racing’s afterguard of Morgan Larson (USA) and Mark Mendelblatt (USA) conspired to read the opening beat of the second race to best effect, calling the favourable left shift on the left of the track ahead of the slight extra pressure on the right. The current champions were ahead at the windward mark to lead local favourites Bribón across the finish.

TP52 Worlds Practise Race

A gentle return to the Bay of Palma for the TP52 fleet as Quantum Racing win the Practice Race for the 2009 TP52 World Championships. Patience on the Bay of Palma was rewarded with pleasant 7-10 knots light wind conditions as Quantum Racing (USA), the defending world champions laid down a marker when they won today’s practice race for the TP52 World Championships. The delay while the sea-breeze built to allow a start just after 1520hrs afforded the ten TP52 crews the chance to make final preparations and to ease gently into the championships enjoying the unique ambience of the Real Club Nautical de Palma. The wait was well worth it, yielding sea breeze conditions typical of Palma with the top three boats proving to be those which started best.

Jewel of Muscat Nears Completion

The Sultanate of Oman, at the Eastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, is going through a renaissance of it's maritime heritage. Taking it one step closer to their goal is the Jewel of Muscat project which is nearing completion. The importance of the relationship between modern Oman and its famed ancient seafaring traditions is of paramount importance as this oil rich Sultanate looks to diversifying it's global perception as it becomes a modern country.The Jewel of Muscat project is a joint initiative between Oman and Singapore involving the reconstruction of a 9th-century sewn-plank ship on the beach of Qantab village, just outside Muscat, Oman's capital city. Once the 30-foot (18m) long hand-built hull is launched into the Gulf of Oman, she will set sail on an epic voyage that will finish in Singapore, one of Oman's oldest trading p artners. Displaying the characteristics of vessels built in the western Indian Ocean at that time, the Jewel of Muscat's reconstruction represents a major feat of maritime engineering. Even today, the 1,200-year-old method of sewing the hull planks together with handmade coconut-fibre rope makes the vessel extremely resilient, and during the whole process - from shaping the first planks to hoisting the palm-leaf sails that were woven in Zanzibar - not one nail nor screw was used.Jewel of Muscat takes its blueprint from a 9th-century wreck of a ship that was carrying more than 60,000 pieces of Chinese ceramics, silver and gold artifacts, spices and other commodities, now known as the Tang Treasure, that was discovered in 1998 in Indonesian waters. Jewel of Muscat will set sail from Muscat in early 2010 and travel along the same trade routes across the Indian Ocean as those described by Arab geographers and navigators. She is expected to arrive in Singapore in July 201 0 after stopping in India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia. Once in Singapore she will be officially handed over as a gift from the Government of Oman to the Singapore Government and housed in a museum along with the treasure from the original wreck.The project began in Oman in Mid-June 2008 with the development of a model and the search for materials used on the original wreck, which were identified through scientific analysis. For the planking, Afzelia Africana was sourced from Ghana, for the beams teak from Burma was found and poona and teak from India were used for the mast and spars. The first plank was laid on 21st October 2008 and almost exactly one year later the Jewel of Muscat will slip into the sea where she will be rigged in readiness for her pre-voyage sea trials. Saleh Said Al Jabri, formerly second in command of Oman's tall-ship, Shabab Oman, and currently an instructor with Oman Sail, has been selected as Captain of Jewel of Muscat for her voyage to Singapore. "This project is of utmost importance to Oman and bringing our maritime history to life. I am honoured to be selected as the Captain of Jewel of Muscat and nothing will make me prouder than steering her along the old trading routes from Muscat to Singapore via India and Malaysia, just as our forefathers did before us." Saleh brings a wealth of experience to his position through his experience of sailing on many of the world's oceans and overseeing large crews in a wide range of conditions.The story of the ship's construction and voyage will be captured in two exclusive one-hour documentaries to be shown in 164 countries on the National Geographic Channel from early next year. The project website www.jewelofmuscat.tv offers a wealth of information on the project including short videos, photos, a 3D model of the ship, a timeline and a unique education section. There is also an archive section documenting the skills and techniques of sewn ship construction.

Platu25 Worlds

Vilagarcia, Tuypan and Central Lechera Asturiana: the first, second and third step of the provisional podium are all Spanish, the first two tied for points at 30 and the third closely following at 34. The crews coming form the Iberian Peninsula are dominating the Platu25 Worlds, underway in Punta Ala, on the Tuscan coast. And, if it is Spanish the most spoken language on the top part of the scoreboard, you have to go down to the sixth place to find a “foreign” opponent. It’s the Greek crew, and 2008 champions, on Modus Vivendi, who is steadily climbing back to the top after an unlucky first part of the series. If the Greeks dream to bring the Trophy back home to Athens the Italian champion Nanuk is also showing a strong determination not to give up, tied at 70 points with the German team on Flexi. Today Punta Ala offered excellent sailing conditions to the Gold and Silver fleets with a good 20 plus knots breeze and a stunning view for the spectators, especially in the downwind legs with the 25 footers fast surfing down the waves, putting to a test the crews’ manoeuvring abilities. Three more races were sailed, the scoreboard now being calculated out of ten results, on the fourth day of the series the top spots went to Central Lechera Asturiana, skippered by Natalia Via Dufresne, Vilagarcia and La Revoltosa, all from Spain. In the second race it was La Revoltosa to leave all the competitors behind, followed by Bribon and by the Danish crew on Seklklub who profited from this good result to get a better position in the overall results. The third daily podium was made of the Greeks on Modus Vivendi followed by Central Lechera Asturiana and by the Italians on Brera Hotel, who are still fighting in the Gold fleet despite a disqualification that obliterated the points they obtained on the second day. In the same Gold fleet we also find one of the two Japanese crews Bross, 20th, the Kiwis from Ocean Bridge, 21st and the Swiss on Aramis, currently 29th. While there are still some protests pending- the Jury is expected to go on with the hearings until late at night- the 92 crews are preparing their best strategy for tomorrow, the final racing day that will decide the 2009 Platu25 World best sailors.

Azzurra

The Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS) is to launch a new challenge which will bring the Italian flag to international waters under the name Azzurra. YCCS Commodore Riccardo Bonadeo announced the participation of team Azzurra in the Louis Vuitton Trophy regatta, scheduled to be held in Nice from 7th to 22nd November 2009, to an audience of national and international press at the Genoa Boat Show this afternoon. The new Azzurra team will be led by YCCS member Giovanni Maspero of Joe Fly, under the responsibility of skipper and helmsman Francesco Bruni, supported by tactician Tommaso Chieffi and team manager Alessandra Sensini among others.

“The Yacht Club Costa Smeralda is delighted to be embarking on this new adventure together with Giovanni Maspero,” said Commodore Bonadeo. “The YCCS firmly believes in the values which drive this young Italian team: first and foremost a passion for sailing combined with a constant search for improvement and a desire to seek out new challenges.

“The YCCS brought Azzurra to the America’s Cup in Newport in 1983, where we were total newcomers and certainly not among the favourites, but we competed well and our passion captured the collective imagination of the Italian public. I believe that Italian sailing now needs a team like this one, made up of young, enthusiastic and highly dedicated sailors.”

Giovanni Maspero has won several European titles in the Farr 40 and Melges 24 one-design classes as well as finished second in the Rolex Farr 40 World Championship in 2008 and in the Audi Melges 32 World Championship in September of this year. Francesco Bruni and Tommaso Chieffi are accomplished America’s Cup sailors having amassed a total of six campaigns between them, while the rest of the crew has a range of match race and one-design sailing experience.
“Our common objectives and the faith placed in our team by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda and Commodore Bonadeo is extremely rewarding for our entire sporting group,” declared Giovanni Maspero. “We feel an enormous responsibility, but I am firmly convinced that our sailing team’s merit, coupled with the experience of the YCCS staff, which will join us in this exciting adventure, will provide excellent conditions to compete at the highest level.”

At the first event in Nice, racing will take place on equalized version 5 ACC boats supplied by the organization, and Azzurra will be competing against BMW Oracle Racing (USA), Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL), K-Challenge (FRA), Swedish Challenge Artemis (SWE), Synergy Russian Sailing Team (RUS), Team Origin (GBR) and Team French Spirit (FRA). The team will also evaluate participating in future World Sailing Team Association events co-organised by Louis Vuitton in 2010. All events will be similar to the successful Louis Vuitton Pacific Series, held in Auckland in February of this year, which generated over 360 hours of television content and reached over 500 million viewers worldwide.

The YCCS is renowned for organizing international sailing events such as the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, the Sardinia Cup and the Rolex Swan Cup and this year completed one of its busiest seasons. The Club hosted twelve regattas in 2009 including two ISAF world championships, the Rolex Farr 40 World Championship, the Audi Melges 32 World Championship and three events for superyachts – the Dubois Cup, the Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta and the Perini Navi Cup -- in addition to the 20th edition of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup. In the past, the Club has also promoted international challenges such as Azzurra, the first Italian Challenger for the America’s Cup (1983) and the motor yacht Destriero, which to this day holds the transatlantic crossing record set in 1992. The Club’s members currently number more than 500 and bring the YCCS colours to the most important sailing events across the globe.

The participation in the Louis Vuitton Trophy is the first step in a programme which intends to return the YCCS and the brand Azzurra to the forefront of international yachting as a protagonist in global sailing events in addition to its established role as an organiser of world class regattas.

Platu25 Worlds

Thursday was the “Spanish armada” day, with the crews coming from the Iberian peninsula showing strength and consistency, keeping up against the Italian, Danish and German teams and consolidating their position on the general scoreboard. It is now Real Club Nautico de Palma’s Iberdrola (4,3 and 1 today); Caixanova Men skippered by Marcus Perez from Vigo (4, 2 and 7 their partial results) and Vilagarcia (with an excellent 1,2, 3) to occupy the three steps of the podium. The first Italian crew is still Brera Hotels, helmsman Sandro Montefusco, fourth, followed by Antonello Ciabatti’s VIS. The Germans from Kyra, scored a victory today but also a 17th and a 11th place, which put them in eighth position. They are followed by Central Lechera Asturiana, with Spanish top sailor Natalia Via Dufresne at the helm, that is to say the first female skipper of the fleet. It was a good day for some but a very unlucky day for others, like the Greeks on Modus Vivendi, world reigning champions and one of the most serious pretenders to the podium. Despite all their efforts their championship has been plagued by a series of troubles: a black flag yesterday, a technical issue to a spreader today that forced them to go back ashore and not start in the second and third race, and making them loose precious points in the overall results table. The Japanese Yuki Koike and Noafumi Kamei on Bros made a big jump ahead today, passing from 47th to 17th and still having some chance to do well on the next days. Same as the team from New Zealand, Ocean Bridge Sailing, who follows closely, distanced only by a mere point.

As defined by the class rules, having sailed seven races, the crews could discard the worst result. The provisional overall results is then already calculated with a discard but does not consider any possible pending protest still to be discussed in front of the Jury. The points scored up to now will not be cancelled as the teams can have a second discard after the ninth race.

Platu25 Worlds

Today, the competition entered the second day of the Platu 25 World Championship. Ninety three crews run three regattas off with a weak and very unsettled wind – no more then 6-8 knots – that forced the crew to continuous sail regulations and complex tactical strategies.
After three regattas, today for many crews was the occasion to show their real talent, gaining positions and points in the general ranking list. So, there were many surprises that changed deeply the partial results of yesterday.

The only confirmation was for the Spanish “Tuypan Caixanova Men” of Marcos Perez and Roy Alonso (Rcn Vigo) who – after a 5-3-2 in the three regattas of today, conquered the top of the general ranking list. Today “Tuypan” was in the Group B, the Blue one; yesterday in the yellow one it arrived third.

The division between Group A and B was maintained but, calculating every day different scores, all the crews will change group and will be able to confront with all the adversaries until next Saturday.

The Italian “Vis” of Francesco Vallicelli is second in the general ranking list followed by an other Italian crew, “Brera Hotels” of Emanuele Vitrano, with Alberto Wolleb at the helm and Sandro Montefusco as a tactitian.

The German team “Kyra” di Herman Muller, that yesterday dominated in the Yellow Fleet - is now 4th in the general ranking list. The Spanish of the “Invincible Armada” confirmed their talent with “La Revoltosa” of Jaime Pont and “Iberconsa” of Fernando Morillo, 5 e 6 in the general ranking list. A very good position also for “Menef 8” of Marco Gambardella with Pablo Soldano on board; they are 7th in the general ranking list.

As every body expected, “Central Lechera Asturiana” of Natalia Via Dufresne emerged with a very good performance; she gained a first place in the Yellow fleet and now she is 8th in the general ranking list. “Profumo” of Michele Valiante is 9th and “Niente Paura” of Gino Angelini is 10th in the general ranking list.

In the Yellow group, big return for the Japanese “Bros” of Nafumi Kamei (3th in the second and in the third regattas) and for the German “Flexi” of Bogdhan (4 in the first regatta). Great confirm for the Italians too, with “Parco Cinque Terre – Breakwind” of Giovanni Bocelli, with Ugo Giordano at the helm (Lni Procida) who, in the third regattas of today, arrived first.
In the Group B of the Blue Fleet, very good performance for the Spanish Bribon- Movistar” of José Cusì and “Iberconsa” of Fernando Lago, the President of the Spanish class who yesterday managed very well. In the second regatta, good result for “Iberdrola” of Manuel Weiler, World Champion in Vigo in 2006.

Protagonist in the third regatta, in the Group B, is the Italian crew “Amici Miei” of Giacomo Bufalini who conquered the first place followed by “Tuypan CAixanova Men” of Marcos Perez and Roy Alonso.

Platu 25 World Championship

The World Championship started Tuesday, September 29, 2009 with 93 teams competing with each other in two groups. Yellow and Blue.

After a long waiting until late afternoon, the 2009 Platu 25 World Championship started officially at 17 p.m. In Punta Ala there were 93 teams coming from all over the World. With a very weak wind – no more then 6-7 Knots – the crews could compete just one regatta.
They were divided in two groups: the blue fleet started before, followed just five minutes later, by the yellow one.

Between the blue fleet, today the Spanish crews were absolutely the best. The first place is for “Bribon-Movistar” of Josι Cusi, with Marc de Antonio at the helm (Real Club Nautico de Barcelona): they confirmed the most optimistic forecasts. We should remind that “Bribon” last year, during the 2008 Platu 25 World Championship in Greece, conquered the third place, and this year they managed very well during the Spanish Championship.

At second place there is “Iberconsa” of Fernando Lago (YC Argentino Club Maritimo Ca), the President of the Spanish class, followed by “Tuypan Caixanova” of Alberto Garcia (Rcn Vigo)., The Greeks of “Modus Vivendi – 3 Alfa Kostas” – they were 2008 Platu 25 World Champions – conquered the 7th place, showing to be hi competitive.

In the yellow ranking list, the first is the German “Kyra” of Herman Muller (Byc) followed by the Larian crew of “A Sail 1Ma” of Dulio Bassani, with Roberto Spata, a very talented tactitian, on board (Lni Mandello del Lario). In this case a team of “sweet water” yachtsmen showed, in the very thirst day, all its own competitive potential.

The third place is for “Profumo” of Michele Valiante (Crv Italia) and 4th is for the German “Randale 3” of Ingo Lochman and Christian Maedel.

SNG Statement

SNG statement following the New York Court order of 18 September: New York Court finds Golden Gate Yacht Club's behaviour "unsportsmanlike.

Geneva, Switzerland - (2009-09-22)

In her ruling relating to a hearing on 10 August, New York Supreme Court Justice Shirley Kornreich highlights “…the unsportsmanlike behavior of Golden Gate that has resulted in substantially reducing SNG's (Société Nautique de Genève) advantage as originally contemplated by the Deed of Gift.” The 33rd America's Cup Defender, Société Nautique de Genève, had filed an Order to Show Cause in front of Justice Kornreich who, despite such an unprecedented statement describing the actions of GGYC, considers such “actions are not contrary to law” and is left with no option but to deny the motion. Justice Kornreich's order also reiterates that the race shall be sailed under the rules and sailing regulations of the SNG.
SNG and its representing team Alinghi remain committed to a 33rd America's Cup fought on the water in Ras al-Khaimah in February 2010.