January 31, l'Hydroptère reached the record speed of 47.2 knots last week (Jan 25), and according to their measurement system, she beat the 500 meter distance record in her category as well as the absolute record for the nautical mile.
After a few training sessions spent on the adjustment of the boat, l'Hydroptère has now entered a new phase of 'Performance' from the beginning of January. More than 14 knots in 6 seconds: this incredible acceleration has enabled l'Hydroptre crew to beat their own record of 46.5 knots, set only four days earlier.
The crew is now increasing the number of training sessions to define the best conditions and boat configuration to enable her to reach her first objective. The first two records Alain Thébault and his crew would like to beat is the 500 meter record, held by Techniques Avancées with 42.12 knots and the Nautical mile record, held by Finian Maynard with 39.97 knots.
During a training session, our measuring system recorded a run at 43.05 knots on 500 meters and 41.74 on one nautical mile which prove the reliability and potential of l'Hydroptère in the 5th version.
The completed improvements on the structure over the last nine months in the shipyard, plus the optimizations carried out since her launch, have made it possible to have a prototype technologically accomplished, with an incredible speed potential.
The speed peak recorded at 47.2 knots proves that the boat and her crew are ready to take up the challenge as soon as possible i.e. the absolute sailing speed record set at 48.7 knots on 500 meters. Everything is being done to accelerate the certification of the speed reached before Port Haliguen, in Quiberon Bay, in order to make those first speed breaking records official for l'Hydroptère.
Alain Thébault and his crew are confident. Step by step, they will reach their objective i.e. beat the absolute sailing speed record -- Event website
Christening of Mascalzone Latino Ita 99, January 30
January 30, Mascalzone Latino Ita 99, the new boat of the team led by Vincenzo Onorato, was christened and launched this morning [Tuesday] at 12.40 in Valencia. A small ceremony was held at the base for the team and their family members to mark the happy occasion. Lara Ciribi' Onorato, Vincenzo's wife, had the honor of christening the boat.
"I wanted to reserve this day strictly for all whose work and dedication contributed to the completion of our second boat - explained Vincenzo Onorato - therefore no special party was organised or special guest invited, just a glass of champagne and then, straightaway back to work. Ita 99 is the result of two years of hard work, both technically and physically.
"When we started to race here, back in June 2005, I said that our job was to be competitive. Now I can confirm that we have created a team that can and will do well. I promised then, that we would throw our hearts into it, and that is exactly what we have done, every single one of us.
"The team is here, determined and ready. We have the boats and the technical support necessary to compete. Many, in these days, ask me what my predictions are as to where we expect to arrive... but as a good Neopolitan citizen, I prefer not to say. I can only say that the job has been done, and is complete. We have built two new boats, we have never stopped sailing, and our team is formed of people with great value. In short, we are aiming high..."
As required by the ACC Rule, Ita 99 was built in Italy by Marine Composite of Andora, Savona and was then transferred to Green Marine of Lymington, (GB) where it underwent the final fit-out. Green Marine is a world leader in composite construction.
Terrorist's Threat to America's Cup. Spanish police have arrested a 26-year-old man who is believed to be a member of the Basque separatist group ETA. He was travelling on a train between Perpignan and Barcelona when he was taken into a custody. The suspect was carrying bomb-making plans, 3,000 euros and documents with false identities. Anti-terrorist police sources claim he had been sent to plan an attack on the America's Cup.
ETA is on the United Nations and European Union's lists as a terrorist organisation. It is estimated to have been responsible for hundreds of murders - Sports News - N.Z.
Speed windsurfers have taken the next step forward in the development of their class. The Speed Class becomes the 7th member class of the International Windsurfing Association (IWA).
Starting in January 2007 the class will be represented on the executive committee of IWA.
However the immediate priority remains confirming ISAF status as an "international class". The application made to the November 2006 Conference was deferred to allow a further period of time to evaluate the class rules. This process has been completed; and one direct consequence is adoption of a new name - International Speed Windsurfing Class.
Tour Manager, Markus Schwendtner, confirmed that eveything is in place for the 2007 World Tour and full details of events, rules and membership can still be found on the ISA website - Speedsurfing Alinghi adds new coach, Peter Gilmour, a veteran of five America's Cup campaigns, has joined Alinghi as a coach to help improve the performance of the team. He will act as a consultant, sailing with the team periodically over the lead up to racing.
"We look forward to having Peter Gilmour on board as a consultant to provide us with a fresh, objective analysis of our performance," says skipper Brad Butterworth. "When you race in-house as regularly as we do, it is vital to measure yourself against outside competitors and as there is just a fleet race left before the Match, we won't have this opportunity. Therefore we are seeking an objective point of view and bringing in an outsider of Peter's calibre will hopefully bring some new ideas and a critical analysis of our match race skills."
Gilmour first participated in the America's Cup as a starting helmsman for Kookaburra III, an unsuccessful candidate to become the defender in Fremantle in 1987. His most successful outing was with OneWorld, which finished in third place in the Louis Vuitton Cup in 2003. Gilmour has a reputation for aggressive sailing, especially in the pre-start - America's Cup
Yngling Gold Medal winners - Sally Barkow/Carrie Howe/Debbie Capozzi.
Photo: Walter Cooper/USSailing
January 28, 2007 Rolex Miami OCR. From Carrie Howe (on the Gold Medal winning American Sally Barkow/Carrie Howe/Debbie Capozzi Yngling): This was a 30-minute, very short, college-style race, in an 8-9 knot shifty, patchy easterly and flat water stirred up by the wakes of Miami's weekend warriors out to enjoy a sunny winter day. It was really tricky, seat-of-the-pants fun.
We had a plan to start at the pin, to leeward of our competition because we could see more favourable left numbers than right but, maneuvering a Yngling in light conditions is tough. Instead, we found ourselves to windward of the Brits and the Finns and barely hanging on as we coaxed a little extra windward ability out of our boat. We slowly lifted off them but any header would have left us looking at their sterns.
Trying to match race two boats at once is tough but we managed to control both boats as the rest of the fleet sailed clear. Rounding the weather mark Finland was eighth, we were 9th and Sarah was last. That was until we had to sail around the Russian boat that had momentarily hooked the weather mark. She got free in time for Sarah to jibe inside the Russian's stern and take the lead.
It's not a good feeling to look up from a spinnaker set and see your competitor's stern and know that she's between you and a Gold Medal. We went back into match race attack mode, staying on her wind all down the run. We were able to split at the bottom of the run and go to the left-hand gate while she went right. A little puff of fresh air boosted our speed and suddenly we were ahead again and covering her all the way up the last beat. We even managed to pick up a couple of boats on the run, finishing fourth while Sarah finished seventh.
I can't close this series of reports without saying thank you to all our supporters and sponsors, family and friends, who made it possible for us to maintain our intense training and racing regimen. This medal is yours too -- Carrie Howe.
Yngling (18 boats) -- 13 races 1. Sally Barkow/Carrie Howe/Debbie Capozzi (USA) 3-1-4-6-4-2-[7]-6-1-2-1-2, 32 2. Sarah Ayton/Sarah Webb/Pippa Wilson (GBR) 1-3-[6]-5-6-6-3-1-2-4-2-1, 34 3. Silja Lehtinen/ Maria Klemetz/Livia Varesmaa (FIN) 2-2-2-1-[12]-7-9-3-3-3-6-6, 44
Anna Tunnicliff. Photo: Dan Nerney/Rolex
From: Anna Tunnicliff: I finished third today in the ten-boat Medal Race for Laser Radials at the US Sailing Rolex Olympic Classes Regatta in Miami to pick up one place in the overall standings and score fourth for the event.
This was college-style racing - four short legs, really close to shore, less than half an hour's racing. It was very puffy and shifty, with flat water, but the small boat traffic on Biscayne Bay just kept increasing, and of course building the chop. I had a great start at the pin end and hooked into a nice shift at first and then came back the other way and sailed into oblivion. It was one of those shifty see-saw races where you had to hang on and see what cards fate dealt you.
I was sixth at the top mark and then had a good run and picked up two boats to be fourth at the lee mark. I started catching Sweden-s Karin Soderstrom on the next beat and she began match racing me. I broke free but at the cost of being on the wrong side of a shift. I was back to sixth at the weather mark but it was close, a tight-packed rounding.
My last run was rock solid and I moved up to third. I was on my way to a Bronze Medal and a place on the podium, because there were enough boats between me and Evi Van Acker from Belgium, until another competitor was flagged for kinetics and the finishing order altered.
Finland's Sari Multala won the Gold Medal. Gintare Volungeviciute from Lithuania took the Silver and Evi the Bronze.
I'm happy in general with how I sailed. I had one bad day and a couple of unfortunate incidents but my strengths far outweighed my weaknesses. I know what I've got to work on. I learned a lot from this regatta and that is actually a blessing. I've got the rest of the year and a good regatta season coming up to let me refine all the skills I'll need to win a Gold Medal in Qingdao.
This is my last report in this series but I'll have more news for you when the Radial North American Championship starts in Fort Lauderdale next Tuesday. Be sure to visit my new website at www.annatunnicliffe.com. The full Laser Radial race-by-race and cumulative results are at Rolex Miami OCR. My sponsor, Carmeuse, is at www.carmeusena.com.
Until next time, Sail hard, Anna
Laser Radial (69 boats) -- 13 races 1. Sari Multala (FIN), 1-1-[27]-15-3-1-5-2-1-4-2-1-10, 46 2. Gintare Volungeviciute (LTU), 3-2-5-6-2-5-2-7-12-6-7-[OCS]-2, 59 3. Evi Van Acker (BEL), [OCS], 3-7-3-7-3-16-12-8-2-5-4-12, 82 4. Anna Tunnicliffe (USA), 1-1-[DSQ]-3-1-4-6-21-15-11-9-8-6 86It was a tooth-and-nail day as the sailors fought it out on Biscayne Bay for medals in 11 Olympic classes. The sun shone brilliantly and the winds blew 8-10 knots, providing a perfect wrap-up for the competition, which hosted more sailors -- 855 from 49 countries -- than it ever has in its 18 annual runnings. After five days of fleet racing, which concluded yesterday, medalists were determined in three Paralympic classes. The top ten overall finishers in the Olympic classes advanced to today's single medal race, replicating the new Olympic format that will debut in Qingdao, China in 2008.
U.S. Sailors took home three medals in Olympic classes and three in paralyampic classes. Three of them were gold.
For 49er sailors Morgan Larson (Capitola, Calif.) and Pete Spaulding (Lafayette, Ind.), who were in bronze-medal position going into today's races, it took some impressive plays to make the top step of the podium theirs. When yesterday's leaders, Spain's Iker Martinez de Lizarduy and Xabier Fernadez, started prematurely and failed to turn back, the gold medal was wide open. Larson/Spaulding quickly covered Tim Wadlow (Beverly, Mass.) and Christopher Rast (Wake Forest, N.C.), fellow US Sailing Team members who were one position ahead of them in overall scoring, and forced them to the course's far right corner. However, the left side of the course paid off, resulting in the two teams rounding the first mark in next-to-last and last positions. Larson/Spaulding, however, went on to recover, picking off several boats before using a left shift on the last beat to pass the British team of Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes, who seemed to be the gold medal's heir apparents. Final race positions were third for Larson/Spaulding and fourth for Morrison/Rhodes, who had to settle for the silver medal. France's Lagraviere Morgan and Christidis Stephane took the bronze. Wadlow and Rast finished fourth overall.
"Going into this event, our ultimate goal was to be the top American and to be on the podium," said Spaulding, who crewed for Tim Wadlow in this class at the 2004 Olympics. "Given the short amount of time we have sailed together in the last six months, we didn't expect to win the fleet. We were very happy."
In the Yngling class, playing the numbers game became critical in the USA's battle for gold. "We had to play with points, play with the competition and try to control everybody," said Sally Barkow (Nashotah, Wis.), who with Carrie Howe (Grosse Pointe, Mich.) and Debbie Capozzi (Bayport, N.Y.) finished fourth to edge out their biggest threat -- Great Britain's Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb and Pippa Wilson -- in the overall standings.
"When we started, we had two boats to deal with: Great Britain and Finland," said Barkow. "We were in a vulnerable position. We got pinned, so we jibed out and they passed us in the first run. Then we went into attack mode. We got on their breeze and did three or four jibes, rounded the gate we wanted and extended from there. It was a lot of fun. It was one of the best medal races we've had in a while."
Great Britain finished seventh to take the silver while France's Anne Le Helley, Marion Deplanque and Catherine Lepesant finished second for the bronze.
"It was really tough here this week - the whole fleet has increased its skill in the Ynglings," added Barkow. "There are new team players and new ways to sail the boat; we have to make sure we stay one step ahead."
The USA's third gold medal was won by Paralympic sailors in the SKUD-18 class, which completed the Rolex Miami OCR competition yesterday, along with the Sonar and 2.4mR classes.
The SKUD-18 will make its debut at the 2008 Paralympic Games, where Rolex Miami OCR winners Scott Whitman (Brick, N.J.) and Julia Dorsett (Boca Raton, Fla.) hope to be. The duo is as new to Paralympic sailing as the SKUD-18 is to the Paralympic sailors.
"I've been sailing all my life but only started Paralympic sailing back in March," said Whitman. "The SKUD-18s were available to sailors in this country in June, which at least puts us all on somewhat equal footing. It's a brand new boat -- everyone is learning it."
Whitman and Dorsett won four of their 13 races and counted top-five finishes the rest of the time and throughout a variety of wind conditions. "Every regatta we keep getting better tactically," said Dorsett. "Scott and I just really clicked this time."
Winning the silver medal in the SKUD-18 class was Canada's David Cook and Brenda Hopkin, while taking home the bronze was another USA team, that of Karen Mitchell (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) and JP Creignou (St. Petersburg, Fla.).
In the 470 women's event, Amanda Clark (Shelter Island, N.Y.) and Sarah Mergenthaler (Aberdeen, N.J.) finished ninth in the medal race to win the bronze medal. They had been in fourth place going into today. In Sonars, the USA's Rick Doerr (Clifton, N.J.), Tim Angle (Marblehead, Mass.) and Bill Donohue (Brick, N.J.) won the silver medal. "We're proud to represent the U.S. Team," said Doerr. "It was a good year here; everyone's ramping up for the Games and starting to take their campaigns seriously, so this regatta was a good benchmark."
Rolex Miami OCR: Day 6 -- Final Series Results (Top-Three), Final Medal Race Counts Double Finn (49 boats) -- 13 races 1. Peer Moberg (NOR), 7-8-2-6-1-5-3-4-7-[11]-4-2-2, 51 2. Jonas Hoegh-Christensen (DEN), 9-2-4-5-10-3-1-9-1-4-[11]-1-6, 55 3. Daniel Birgmark (SWE), 5-1-5-4-8-4-10-10-[18]-5-7-4-4, 67For full results: www.RolexMiamiOCR.org
49er (47 boats) -- 15 races 1. Morgan Larson/Pete Spaulding (CA/Indiana USA), 4-7-[DNF]-2-1-4-1-11-3-10-8-2-4-18-6, 81 2. Stevie Morrison/Ben Rhodes (GBR), 1-6-3-1-1-7-[BFD]-1-9-8-17-7-6-12-8, 87 3. Morgan Lagraviere/Stephane Christidis (FRA), 2-7-2-9-3-9-4-[OCS]-10-4-1-21-5-1-10, 88
470 Men's (31 boats) -- 13 races 1. Nick Rogers/Joe Glanfield (GBR), 2-1-4-[11]-6-2-1-2-7-[20]-7-4, 47 2. Mathew Belcher/Nick Behrens (AUS), 6-[13]-8-7-5-10-6-4-2-4-10-6, 68 3. Gustavo Martinez/ Dimas Wood (ESP), 4-3-13-3-10-1-14-11-[18]-5-9-2, 75
470 Women's (18 boats) -- 13 races 1. Marcelien de Koning/Lobke Berkhout (NED), 1-1-1-8-5-2-[13]-3-2-4-1-8-4, 40 2. Ingrid Petitjean/Nadege Douroux (FRA), 4-2-8-6-1-[9]-4-1-1-8-3-[14]-12, 59 3. Amanda Clark/Sarah Mergenthaler (N.Y./ N.J., USA), 2-5-6-9-3-1-[15]-4-4-2-13-6-18, 73
Laser (69 boats) - 13 races 1. Gustavo Lima (POR), 1-2-13-[21]-12-8-2-12-12-1-3-2-12, 80 2. Tom Slingsby (AUS), 2-1-7-8-1-13-1-1-3-23-7-[DNC]-14, 81 2. Michael Blackburn (AUS), 2-6-1-3-5-2-6-[35]-21-5-19-4-2, 86
RS:X Men (44 boats) -- 12 races 1. Przeymslaw Miarczynski (POL), 1-5-[15]-10-3-2-1-1-3-9-3-10, 48 2. Joao Rodriques (POR), [18]-3-6-6-9-74-4-2-10-10-2, 63 3. Samual Launay (FRA), [DNF]-9-2-7-13-5-8-6-15-9-12, 77
RS:X Women (28 boats) -- 12 races 1. Marina Alabau (ESP), [10]-2-9-2-1-10-10-2-5-3-2, 45 2. Flavia Tartaglini (ITA), [DNS]-13-2-6-5-2-8-5-3-1-6, 51 2. Bryony Shaw (GBR), 4-5-4-3-[7]-6-6-6-1-4-16, 55
SKUD-18 (10 boats) - 13 races 1. Scott Whitman/Julia Dorsett ( N.J./ Fla., USA), 4-[6]-4-4-1-1-1-1-2-5-3-2-2, 30 2. David Cook/Brenda Hopkin (CAN), 2-4-3-1-5-2-[DNF]-3-3-2-4-4-4, 37 3. Karen Mitchell/JP Creignou (Fla./St. Pete FL USA), 6-2-1-2-[RAF]-4-3-2-5-11/DSQ-5-3-1, 45
Sonar (14 boats) -- 13 races 1. Dan Parsons/Tom Pygall/Guy Draper (GBR), 3-3-2-OCS]-1-2-3-8-9-5-2-4-10, 52 2. Rick Doerr/Tim Angle/Bill Donohue, (NJ/MA/NJ USA), 6-1-9-2-8-[13]-8-2-7-7-1-1-1, 53 3. John Robertson/Hannah Stodel/Stephen Thomas (GBR), 2-4-1-3-7-1-4-6-4-3-3-[RAF]-RAF, 53
Star (67 boats) - 9 races 1. Fredrik Loof/Anders Ekstrom (SWE), 3-2-2-1-2-4-[17]-2-16, 32 2. Hamish Pepper/Dave Giles (NZL), 4-1-[27]-2-13-14-11-3-2, 50 3. Afonso Domingos/ Bernardo Santos (POR), 1-11-1-[17]-2-1-7-9-20, 52
Tornado (43 boats) - 11 races 1. Darren Bundock/Glenn Ashby (AUS), 3-3-6-5-1-[44/OCS]-1-6-11-3-4, 43 1. Leigh McMillan/William Howden (GBR), 4-4-1-[11]-3-2-11-3-2-2-20, 52 3. Fernando Echavarri/Anton Paz (ESP), 6-2-[10]-2-10-5-8-4-9-6-12, 64
2.4 mR (25 boats) -- 13 races 1. Stellan Berlin (SWE), 1-5-[9]-7-7-1-1-2-5-2-2-2-4, 39 2. Megan Pascoe (GBR), 3-1-2-8-2-6-8-6-1-5-[13]-4-5, 51 3. Helena Lucas (GBR), 5-[7]-5-3-1-7-6-7-2-7-5-[10]-6, 61
The Yngling Team of Sally Barkow, Debbie Capozzi & Carrie Howe. Photo: Dan Nerney/Rolex
January 27, Yngling Miami OCR, Miami, Florida, Friday. From Carrie Howe [Sally Barkow, Debbie Capozzi & Carrie Howe]: We did it! We turned in our best daily performance today in the Yngling Class at the US Sailing Rolex Olympic Classes Regatta to finally claim the first overall place. Our 1-2-2 finishes give us a two-point advantage over second-placed Sarah Ayton from Great Britain, going into the double-points Medal Race tomorrow. Today when we started we were equal on points.
It has been a nailbiter week on Biscayne Bay, although we畞re guessing they were mostly supporters畞 fingernails. We were first equal on Monday, on Wednesday and on Thursday but we always knew we had that extra edge. We had to wait five days to prove it.
It was real cool and windy on the Bay this morning as the last of the cold front blew through. We were out there early, first out on the course, fully revved-up, and very solid on our preparation work and breeze testing before the start. The gun went on schedule at 11:00 am and we hit the pin end at speed, powered out, then tacked and crossed the entire fleet on port. It got a bit more complicated after that as we went up the middle of the course and arrived at the top mark in fourth. A jibe after rounding took us to the left-hand leeward gate while the three boats ahead of us jammed into the right gate. That put us in front and we extended from there.
It was getting tricky as the day wore on, with the breeze getting lighter and veering right, the chop picking up, and lots of Friday recreation boat traffic. Sarah Ayton got a jump on the fleet in the second race and we sailed a nice race but got stuck behind the second and third-place boats in our efforts to catch her. We were able to turn on the afterburners on the run to climb back to second place but Sarah had a big lead and won comfortably.
Going into the final race it was time for action! We wanted to start to leeward of Sarah but ended up starting on port tack to windward of her. We managed to keep covering her, hanging on by the skin of our teeth and rounded the top mark in fourth. The conditions by now were really puffy and it was not an easy covering day. We gave our coaches a few grey hairs as we picked up a couple of places to finish second while Sarah finished fourth.
You can follow our progress tomorrow with almost-live reports from the Medal Race on our new Bulletin Board. Mark Ivey, one of our coaches, does a super job, calling in the on-water action to Julie Howe in Boston who posts it on the BBS. Go there any time to get the latest updates, or to leave questions and comments.
Tomorrow will be our last nightly update from the OCR. You can get full race results for the series at Rolex Miami OCR. We'll have more reports for you from the Yngling Women's North American Championship which starts in Miami next Thursday. Be sure to visit our new website at www.team7sailing.com Carrie Howe
Yngling (18 boats) -- 12 races 1. Sally Barkow/Carrie Howe/Debbie Cappozi (WI/MI/NY USA), 3-1-4-6-4-2-[7]-6-1-2-1-2, 32 2. Sarah Ayton/Sarah Webb/Pippa Wilson (GBR) 1-3-[6]-5-6-6-3-1-2-4-2-1, 34 3. Silja Lehtinen/ Maria Klemetz/Livia Varesmaa, (FIN), 2-2-2-1-[12]-7-9-3-3-3-6-6, 44For complete and up-to-the-minute regatta news and results, visit www.RolexMiamiOCR.org.
Nightly video reports from America's Cup Hall of Fame inductee, author and sailing broadcaster Gary Jobson (Annapolis, Md.), will appear on www.NBCSports.com
for expanded video coverage, including more interviews and outtakes, visi: www.jobsonsailing.com.
It's down to the wire now at 2007 Rolex Miami OCR, where 855 competitors from 49 countries have completed the five-day fleet racing portion of the competition, and the top ten from the overall standings in each of 14 Olympic and Paralympic classes are preparing for tomorrow's finals. Following the new Olympic format, the finals will consist of only one "medal" race for each class, fired off in rapid succession. Two race circles -- pared down from the eight used in fleet racing -- will be utilized simultaneously to accommodate the races, which will take approximately a half-hour to complete. Points for finish positions in the medal race will be doubled before they are added to overall scores for the series.
"Because the scores, in effect, count as two races in a sailor's series, the pressure is really on," said US Sailing Team Head Coach Gary Bodie. "In addition, the medal race must be counted and cannot be discarded."
For Yngling sailors Sally Barkow (Nashotah, Wis.), Carrie Howe (Grosse Pointe, Mich.) and Debbie Cappozi (Bayport, N.Y.), mathematics will play as much a part in tomorrow's racing as boat speed and tactics. After today's three races, the U.S. team pulled ahead of Great Britain's Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb and Pippa Wilson, but only by two points in overall scoring. The two teams had been tied on points going into today, and all week they have been nipping at each other's transoms.
If Ayton wins tomorrow and Barkow follows in second, they will be tied in points, but Ayton would win the series after tie-breaker rules are applied. Therefore, the do-or-die reality for Barkow's team is that they must beat Great Britain, and they must finish no worse than sixth while doing it.
"We're going to go at it with full force," said Barkow, whose world-champion team has been together longer than any other in this class. "The stakes are high, but it's important to keep a cool head on the water. We're all capable of taking on this kind of pressure and using it to our advantage."
Barkow added that her team also has to watch the third-place Finnish team. "It's hard to keep tabs on one boat, let alone two, so we have to take that into consideration when weighing the risks," said Barkow.
Norway's Per Moberg, the leader in the Finn class, will be equally challenged to keep his eye on fellow Nordic competitors who are just a point and two points away: Denmark's Jonas Hoegh-Christensen, in second, and The Netherlands' Pieter-Jan Postma, in third.
Hoegh-Christensen, who led the 49-boat fleet after yesterday's racing, said it was "very tricky, very shifty" during today's two races. "The first race was looking good before a big left shift. I fell into the deep teens, but then I fought back to fourth." Hoegh-Christensen's second race, a twelfth- place finish, became his throwout.
"It will be head-to-head racing, of course, tomorrow," said Hoegh-Christensen. "We will be fighting for this."
One team that has it a bit easier tomorrow is Sweden's Fredrik Loof and Anders Ekstrom. They are not untouchable, but there are 16 points between them and the second-place Portuguese team of Afonso Domingos and Bernardo Santos. "We are starting to come together," said Loof about his Olympic campaign.
USA's Erin Maxwell (Norwalk, Conn.) and Isabelle Kinsolving (New York, N.Y.) are in third place in the 470 Women's fleet, behind Marcelien de Koning and Lobke Berkhout of The Netherlands and Ingrid Petitjean and Nadege Douroux of France.
In the 49er class, Athens Olympian Tim Wadlow (Beverly, Mass.) and his crew Christopher Rast (Wake Forest, N.C.) are in second place, only one point ahead of Morgan Larson (Capitola, Calif.) and Pete Spaulding (Lafayette, Ind.) in third. For the second day in a row, the SKUD-18 team of Scott Whitman (Brick, N.J.) and Julia Dorsett (Boca Raton, Fla.) hold on to first, ahead of David Cook and Brenda Hopkin of Canada and Karen Mitchell (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) and JP Creignou (St. Petersburg, Fla.). Sonar skipper Rick Doerr (Clifton, N.J.) and his crew, Tim Angle (Marlbehead, Mass.) and Bill Donohue (Brick, N.J.), jumped to second after scoring two bullets today.
Online Information and Resources Updated Daily For complete and up-to-the-minute regatta news and results, visit www.RolexMiamiOCR.org. For nightly video reports from America's Cup Hall of Fame inductee, author and sailing broadcaster Gary Jobson (Annapolis, Md.), visit www.NBCSports.com; for expanded video coverage, including more interviews and outtakes, visit www.RolexMiamiOCR.org
The regatta is especially important as a ranking regatta for American sailors hoping to qualify for the US Sailing Team and the US Disabled Sailing Team, which distinguish the top three sailors in each Olympic or Paralympic class.
Scheduled are five days of fleet racing through Friday, January 26, and one day of medal racing (for Olympic classes only) on Saturday, January 27. Saturday's medal races follow the new Olympic format, lining up the top 10 teams in each class on the starting line on the final day of racing.
US SAILING's Rolex Miami OCR Top-Three Results (Provisional) Day 5: Finn (49 boats) -- 12 races 1. Jonas Hoegh-Christensen (DEN), 10-3-4-5-11-3-1-9-1-4-[11]-1, 49 2. Peer Moberg (NOR), 8-9-2-6-1-5-4-4-7-[11]-4, 50 3. Daniel Birgmark, (SWE), 5-1-5-4-8-4-10-10-[18]-5-7-4 63 Best US: 10.Zach Railey (USA) 11-9-13-11-19-10-12-11-6-[dnc]-3-9, 89January 26, USA Wins 505 Pre-Worlds, Adelaide, Australia: American's Mike Martin and Howie Hamlin cleared away from the fleet in the SAP 505 Pre-Worlds sailed out of Brighton and Redcliff Yacht Club this week.
49er (47 boats) -- 14 races 2. Iker Martinez de Lizarduy/ Xabier Fernadez (ESP), 1-6-[12]-1-2-3-6-8-12-6-5-6-8-4, 68 1. Tim Wadlow/Christopher Rast (Beverly MA/WakeF' NC USA), 5-1-1-3-5-5-11-3-4-9-14-12-1-[15], 74 3. Morgan Larson/ Pete Spaulding (USA) 4-7-[DNF]-2-1-4-1-11-3-10-8-2-4-18, 75
470 Men's (31 boats) --12 races 1. Nick Rogers/Joe Glanfield (GBR), 2-1-4-[11]-6-2-1-2, 42 2. Mathew Belcher/Nick Behrens (AUS), 6-[13]-8-7-5-10-6-4-2-4-10 62 3. Gideon Kliger/Udi Gal (ISR), 16-[OCS]-3-2-2-9-7-6, 65 Best US 7. Anderson-Mittering/Mikee Hughes (USA), 9-2-[19]-14-14-4-4-16-6-12-2, 63
470 Women's (18 boats) -- 9 races 1. Marcelien de Koning/Lobke Berkhout (NED), 1-1-1-8-5-2-[13]-3-2-4-1-8, 36 2. Ingrid Petitjean/Nadege Douroux (FRA), 4-2-8-6-1-[9]-4-1-1-8-3-[14], 47 3. Erin Maxwell/Isabelle Kinsolving (Norwalk CT/New York, NY USA), 3-4-[11]-3-2-7-1-9-8-1-5-10, 53 4. Amanda Clark/Sarah Mergenthaler (Norwalk CT/New York, NYUSA), 2-5-6-9-3-1-[15]-4-4-2-13-6, 55
Laser (69 boats) -- 10 races 1.Tom Slingsby (AUS), 2-1-7-8-1-13-1-1-3-[23], 37 2. Michael Blackburn (AUS), 2-6-1-3-5-2-6-[35]-21-5, 51 3. Vasilij Zbogar (SLO), 3-3-10-[22]-8-10-7-11-4-6, 62 Best US: 10.Brad Funk (USA), 8-4-9-8-3-13-[22]-6-10-22-11-20 59
Laser Radial (69 boats) -- 11 races 1. Sari Multala (FIN), 1-1-[27]-15-3-1-5-2-1-4-2-1, 36 2. Gintare Volungeviciute (LTU), 3-2-5-6-2-5-2-7-13-6-7-[ocs], 57 3. Evi Van Acker (BEL), [OCS]-3-7-3-7-3-16-12-8-2-5-4, 70 3. Best US: 4. Anna Tunnicliffe (USA) 1-1-[dsq]-3-1-4-6-21-15-11-9-8 80
RS:X Men (44 boats) -- 11 races 1. Przeymslaw Miarczynski (POL), 1-5-[15]-10-3-2-1-1-3-9-3, 38 2. Joao Rodriques (POR), [18]-3-6-6-9-74-4-2-10-10, 61 3. Nick Dempsey (GBR), 4-4-13-8-6-4-2-6-9-[19]-5, 61 Best US: 22.Benjamin Barger (USA) 18-11-9-20-10-25-[dnf]-18-22-23 202
RS:X Women (28 boats) -- 10 races 1. Bryony Shaw (GBR), 4-5-4-3-[7]-6-6-6-1-3, 38 2. Marina Alabau (ESP), [10]-2-9-2-1-10-10-2-5-2, 43 3. Flavia Tartaglini, (ITA), [DNS]-13-2-6-5-2-8-5-3-1, 45 Best US: 21.Nancy Rios (USA), 18-21-10-19-22-21-[dns]-23-2-20 112
SKUD-18 (10 boats) - 13 races 1. Scott Whitman/Julia Dorsett (Brick, NJ/Boca Raton, FL USA), 4-[6]-4-4-1-1-1-1-2-5-3-2-2, 30 2. David Cook/Brenda Hopkin (CAN), 2-4-3-1-5-2-[DNF]-3-3-2-4-4-4, 37 3. Karen Mitchell/JP Creignou (DeerfieldB' FL/St. Pet Fl USA), 6-2-1-2-[RAF]-4-3-2-5-DSQ-5-3-1, 45
Sonar (14 boats) -- 12 races 1. Dan Parsons/Tom Pygall/Guy Draper (GBR), 3-3-2-[15/OCS]-1-2-3-8-9-5-2-4-10, 52 2. Rick Doerr/Tim Angle/Bill Donohue (Clif' NJ/MA/B'NJ USA), 6-1-9-2-8-[13]-8-2-7-7-1-1-1, 53 3. John Robertson/Hannah Stodel/Stephen Thomas (GBR), 2-4-1-3-7-1-4-6-4-3-3-[RAF]-RAF, 53
Star (67 boats) -- 8 races 1. Fredrik Loof/Anders Ekstrom (SWE), 3-2-2-1-2-4-[17]-2, 16 2. Afonso Domingos/ Bernardo Santos (POR), 1-11-1-[17]-2-1-7-9, 32 3. Ross MacDonald/Mike Wolfs (CAN), 4-4-[19]-7-4-5-4-16, 44 Best US: 10.John Dane/Austin Sperry (Gulfport, Miss., USA), 1-3-21-8-3-3-22-[25], 61
Tornado (43 boats) -- 10 races 1. Leigh McMillan/William Howden (GBR), 4-4-1-[11]-3-2-11-3-2-2, 32 2. Darren Bundock/Glenn Ashby (AUS), 3-3-6-5-1-[44/OCS]-1-6-11-3, 39 3. Fernando Echavarri/Anton Paz (ESP) 6-2-[10]-2-10-5-8-4-9-6, 52 Best US: 12.John Lovell/Charlie Ogletree(New Orl' LA/HoustonTX. USA), 14-12-9-8-11-8-10-14-[17]-5 91
2.4 mR (25 boats) -- 13 races 1. Stellan Berlin (SWE), 1-5-[9]-6-7-1-1-2-5-2-2-4, 39 2. Megan Pascoe (GBR), 3-1-2-8-2-6-8-6-1-5-[13]-4-5, 51 3. Helena Lucas (GBR), 5-7-5-2-1-7-6-7-2-7-5-[10]-6, 61 Best US: 8. John Ruf (USA),9-8-13-[19]-8-13-4-8-4-6-12-5-7, 96
Martin and his crew Jeff Nelson won two races and his worst carry was seventh and he finished the regatta on 14 points. Hamlin, sailing with Fritz Lanzinger carried an eighth and finished on 19 point. Third overall was Britain's Ian Pinell with 30 points.
Michael Quirk and crew Geoff Lange are the new Australian title holders. The SAP International 505 World Championship starts racing on Saturday the 27th of January. -- Sail-World.com: http://www.sail-world.com/indexs.cfm?nid=30580
1. Mike Martin, USA, 14 points 2. Howie Hamlin, USA, 19 3. Ian Pinnell, GBR, 30 4. Nick Adamson, USA, 34 5. Michael Quirk, AUS, 42Worlds site: http://www.505worlds2007.com
2007 Rolex Miami OCR, Miami, FL ThursdayMiami, FL. - Mother Nature threw a nasty curveball at 855 competitors from 49 countries competing today at US SAILING's 2007 Rolex Miami OCR. In addition to the usual need for tactics and boat speed, a certain level of toughness was required, as sailors battled a wide range of elements on Biscayne Bay. Even for elite sailors who train full-time in their pursuit of Olympic medals, today's conditions tested their survival skills.
Racers left the dock in a warm, light southwesterly breeze under five knots and returned several hours later in a cold, rainy, northwesterly wind. A frontal passage that passed through the course during midday caused the drastic change in conditions, whipping up strong winds that filled from the southwest. The remainder of the day exhibited squally conditions, gusts up to 25 knots out of the north and intermittent rain. "We had four seasons in one day," said Sven Coster, a 470 sailor from The Netherlands. "It was awesome racing."
The Neil Pryde RS:X windsurfers and 49er skiffs faced particularly challenging conditions as they struggled to stay upright on the course. RS:X sailor Karen Marriott (Lakewood, Col.) said she was often pelted in the face with rain and couldn't see the course, but nonetheless, it was "a lot of fun." The strong winds translated into boat speed and excitement: That畞s what windsurfing is all about," she said.
Poland畞s Przeymslaw Miarczynski, bronze medalist at the 2006 RS:X World Championship, leads the men's fleet after scoring two bullets and a second place in today's three races. Nick Dempsey of Great Britain and Samual Launay of France follow Miarczynski by 11 and 12 points, respectively. Great Britain's Bryony Shaw, who won the windsurfing fleet at last year's Rolex Miami OCR, leads the Women's fleet for the second consecutive day, while Marta Hlavaty of Poland and Marina Alabau of Spain lag slightly behind in second and third place.
The RS:X will make its debut in the windsurfing event at the 2008 Olympic Games in Qingdao, China, replacing the Mistral. The first Men's windsurfing event debuted at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Calif., utilizing the Lechner II-brand board; the Women's event was introduced in 1992. The RS:X is a cross-over board that combines qualities of the traditional race board for sub-planing conditions with exciting racing in planing conditions from 8 to 12 knots. The sheer speed of the boards makes it look as if they are flying over the water, barely touching. Because they stand while sailing, board sailors depend on their upper body strength and athleticism to support and control their rigs.
The Stars managed to get in only one race today. The 67-boat fleet had split into gold and silver fleets, which were determined yesterday by standings after five races. Sweden's Fredrik Loof and Anders Ekstrom, who won the 2004 Star Worlds together, remain at the top of the scoreboard, where they've been for the last two racing days. "We are sailing really consistently," said Ekstrom, noting they are using a fourth-place finish as their allowed discard race. "We will not do anything differently tomorrow."
The USA's John Dane and son-in-law Austin Sperry, who led on day one, are now back to third in the overall standings, but the position is hardly secure. France's Olympic bronze medalist Xavier Rohart and Pascal Rambeau are a mere four points behind them and Canada's Olympic silver medalist Ross MacDonald and Mike Wolfs are only six points behind.
"The goal is to stay in the running and win the medal race," said Sperry, referring to the Olympic format that will be followed here on Saturday, whereby the top ten finishers from the fleet racing portion of the event will sail a final medal race, which will be worth double points and determine the gold, silver and bronze medalists in each class.
In the 49er class, Athens Olympian Tim Wadlow (Beverly, Mass.) and his crew Christopher Rast (Wake Forest, N.C.), capitalized on the conditions of the day to move from fifth to first place, just ahead of Spain's Iker Martinez de Lizarduy and Xabier Fernadez and US Sailing Teammates Morgan Larson (Capitola, Calif.) and Pete Spaulding (Lafayette, Ind.).
Amanda Clark (Norwalk, Conn.) and Sarah Mergenthaler (New York, N.Y.) moved from fifth to third place in 470 Women畞s fleet, behind Marcelien de Koning and Lobke Berkhout of The Netherlands and Ingrid Petitjean and Nadege Douroux of France. The US Sailing Team畞s number-one ranked Yngling team of Sally Barkow (Nashotah, Wis.), Carrie Howe (Grosse Pointe, Mich.) and Debbie Capozzi (Bayport, N.Y.) remains in second place, sharing 27 points with Great Britain畞s team of Sarah Ayton, Sarah Webb and Pippa Wilson.
In the SKUD-18 class, the team of Scott Whitman (Brick, N.J.) and Julia Dorsett (Boca Raton, Fla.) hold on to first, ahead of David Cook and Brenda Hopkin of Canada and Karen Mitchell (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) and JP Creignou (St. Petersburg, Fla.).
The same weather conditions that wreaked havoc on the racecourse today will offer terrific sailing tomorrow. "The frontal passage this morning made the conditions challenging for the sailors; however, the stronger northerly winds will continue tomorrow, providing a good day of sailing," said Jennifer Lilly, the forecaster for the US Sailing Team and a meteorologist at Sailing Weather Services, based in Watertown, Mass.
US SAILING's Rolex Miami OCR Top-Three Results (Provisional) Day 4 Finn (49 boats) -- 10 races 1. Jonas Hoegh-Christensen (DEN), 10-3-4-5-[11]-3-1--9-1-4, 40 2. Jan Pieter Postma (NED), 16-1-10-21-1-[50]-3-2-1, 46 3. Peer Moberg (NOR) 8-9-2-6-1-5-4-4-7-[11]-6-3 46 Best US: 10.Zach Railey (USA) 11-10-13-12-[20]-10-13-11--3 89January 25, 2007 Rolex Miami OCR, Miami, FL Wednesday the wind remained light for a second consecutive day at US SAILING's Rolex Miami OCR, but for the 855 sailors from 49 countries competing here, it replicated the conditions expected in Qingdao, China for the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Regattas. In fact, this event -- the largest in its 18 years of blanketing Biscayne Bay and area clubs with elite sailors and their finely-tuned boats -- also replicates the sailing format that will be followed at the Games: fleet racing held over multiple days and a final medal race on Saturday for the top 10 sailors in each class.
49er (47 boats) -- 10 races 1. Tim Wadlow/Christopher Rast (Beverly, MA/Wake Forest, N.C.USA), 5-1-1-3-5-5-11-3-4-9-[14], 47 2. Iker Martinez de Lizarduy/ Xabier Fernadez (ESP), 1-6-[12]-1-2-3-6-8-12-6-5, 50 3. Morgan Larson/ Pete Spaulding (USA) 4-7-[DNF]-2-1-4-1-11-3-10, 51
470 Men's (31 boats) --11 races 1. Nick Rogers/Joe Glanfield (GBR), 2-1-4-[11]-6-2-1-2, 18 2. Gustavo Martinez/Dimas Wood (ESP), 4-3-13-3-10-1-[14]-11, 45 3. Gideon Kliger/Udi Gal (ISR), 16-[OCS]-3-2-2-9-7-6, 45 Best US: 9. Anderson-Mittering/Mikee Hughes (USA), 9-2-[19]-14-14-4-4-16, 63
470 Women's (18 boats) -- 9 races 1. Marcelien de Koning/Lobke Berkhout (NED), 1-1-1-8-5-2-[13]-3-2, 23 2. Ingrid Petitjean/Nadege Douroux (FRA), 4-2-8-6-1-[9]-4-1-1, 27 3. Amanda Clark/Sarah Mergenthaler (Norwalk, Conn./New York, N.Y.USA), 2-5-6-9-3-1-[15]-4-4, 34
Laser (69 boats) -- 9 races 1.Tom Slingsby (AUS), 2-1-7-8-1-[13]-1-1-3, 24 2. Maciej Grabowski (POL), 7-3-4-12-5-5-[OCS]-8-1 45 3. Michael Blackburn (AUS), 2-6-1-3-5-2-6-[35]-21, 46 Best US: 7. Brad Funk (USA), 8-4-9-8-3-13-[22]-6-10 59
Laser Radial (69 boats) -- 9 races 2. Sari Multala (FIN), 1-1-[27]-16-3-1-5-2-1, 30 1. Gintare Volungeviciute TU), 3-3-6-6-2-5-2-8-[13], 35 3. Karin Soderstrom (SWE), 2-2-10-4-2-8-8-[27]-4, 40 Best US: 4. Anna Tunnicliffe (USA) 1-1-[dsq]-3-1-4-6-22-16 54
RS:X Men (44 boats) -- 8 races 1. Przeymslaw Miarczynski (POL) 1-5-[15]-10-3-2-1-1, 23 2. Nick Dempsey (GBR) 4-4-[13]-8-6-4-2-6, 34 3. Samual Launay (FRA) [DNF]-9-2-7-1-3-5-8, 35 Best US: 14.Benjamin Barger (USA) 18-11-9-20-10-25-[dnf]-18 111
RS:X Women (28 boats) -- 7 races 1.1. Bryony Shaw (GBR), 4-5-4-3-[7]-6-6, 28 2. Marta Hlavaty (POL), 2-1-17-[OCS]-3-4-3, 30 3. Marina Alabau (ESP), 9-2-9-2-1-[10]-10, 33 Best US: 20.Nancy Rios (USA), 19-21-10-19-22-21-[dns] 112
SKUD-18 (10 boats) 10 races 1. Scott Whitman/Julia Dorsett (Brick, N.J./Boca Raton, Fla., USA), 4-6-4-4-1-1-1-1-2-6, 24 2. David Cook/Brenda Hopkin (CAN), 2-4-3-1-5-2-[DNF]-3-3-2, 25 3. Gustaf Fresk, (SWE), 3-5-2-5-3-3-2-[7]-7-4, 34
Sonar (14 boats) -- 11 races 1. John Robertson/Hannah Stodel/Stephen Thomas (GBR), 2-4-1-3-[7]-1-4-6-4-3-3, 31 2. Dan Parsons/Tom Pygall/Guy Draper (GBR), 3-3-2-[OCS]-1-2-3-8-10-5-2 38 3. Angle Doer (USA), 6-9-1-2-8-[13]-8-2-7-1, 51
Star (67 boats) -- 6 races 1. Fredrik Loof/Anders Ekstrom (SWE), 3-2-2-1-2-[4], 10 2. Afonso Domingos/ Bernardo Santos (POR), 1-11-1-[17]-2-1, 16 3. John Dane/Austin Sperry (Gulfport, Miss., USA), 1-3-[21]-8-3-3, 18
Tornado (43 boats) -- 8 races 1. Darren Bundock/Glenn Ashby (AUS), 3-3-6-5-1-[34]-1-6, 25 2. Leigh McMillan/William Howden (GBR), 4-4-1-[11]-3-3-11-3, 28 3 Xavier Revil, Christophe Espagnon, (FRA), 8-6-5-[10]-4-7-3-2, 35 Best US: 12.John Lovell/Charlie Ogletree (New Orleans, LA/Houston, TX. USA), [14]-12-9-8-11-8-10-14 72
2.4 mR (25 boats) -- 10 races 1. Stellan Berlin (SWE), 1-5-[9]-6-7-1-1-2-5-2, 31 2. Megan Pascoe (GBR), 3-1-2-[8]-2-6-8-6-1-5, 34 3. Helena Lucas (GBR), 5-[7]-5-2-1-7-6-7-2-7, 43 Best US: 8. John Ruf (USA),9-8-13-[19]-8-13-4-8-4-6, 66
Yngling (18 boats) -- 9 races 1. Sarah Ayton/Sarah Webb/Pippa Wilson (GBR) 1-3-[6]-5-6-6-3-1-2, 27 2. Sally Barkow/Carrie Howe/Debbie Cappozi (Wis./Mich./ N.Y., USA), 3-1-4-6-4-2-[7]-6-1, 27 3. Silja Lehtinen/ Maria Klemetz/Livia Varesmaa, (FIN), 2-2-2-1-[12]-7-9-3-3, 29
"The number of racing participants here is about twice as many as will have the honor of representing their countries at the Games two years from now," said Dean Brenner, chairman of US SAILING's Olympic Sailing Committee, "so that would be the only big difference. Sailors are definitely dealing with quantity, but it's really the quality of the competition that makes this one of the most important regattas on the world circuit."
With the Rolex Miami OCR being sailed on waters familiar to the US Sailing Team and US Disabled Sailing Team, it is no wonder that American sailors are here in full force. US Sailing Team members Amanda Clark (Shelter Island, N.Y.) and Sarah Mergenthaler (Aberdeen, N.J.) won the first race in today's 470 Women's class while Erin Maxwell and Isabelle Kinsolving (Norwalk, Conn./New York, N.Y.) won the second. "We had good speed downwind, a really firm grasp on the numbers and played them perfectly," said Mergenthaler. "Our strategy, however, didn't work well in the second race. Whoever banged the left corner got out ahead and stayed ahead." Clark and Mergenthaler are fifth overall while Maxwell and Kinsolving are in second, behind The Netherlands' Marcelien de Koning and Lobke Berkhout. Maxwell and Kinsolving, an Athens Olympian, have only sailed together for two regattas, but their talent is testing positive for Olympic potential. "Olympic sailing is the top of the sport," said Kinsolving. "It's an incredible experience; we畞re only at the beginning of our road."
Great Britain畞s Olympic Silver Medalist Nick Rogers and Joe Glanfield topped the scoreboard for a third consecutive day in 470 Men's class. Spain's Gustavo Martinez and Dimas Wood are their closest rivals and won today's second race after finishing 10th in the first race. Rogers and Glanfield posted a 6-2, which was enough to maintain their lead and keep Spain six points behind them in overall scoring.
"In the first race, most of the big players were in the top ten, but in the second race, it was just us and Spain there," said Rogers. "Israel, Australia and some others were back a bit. Tomorrow will be a bit breezier; it will bring the good sailors to the front because less will be left to chance."
Other top American finishers today include Anna Tunnicliffe (Plantation, Fla., USA), the number-one ranked Laser Radial sailor on the US Sailing Team and in the ISAF world rankings, who leads the fleet after posting an impressive total of three bullets in six races two on Monday and one today. The number-one ranked Yngling team on the US Sailing Team, Sally Barkow (Nashotah, Wis.), Carrie Howe (Grosse Pointe, Mich.) and Debbie Capozzi (Bayport, N.Y.), is in second place after seven races, sharing 20 points with Anne Le Helley畞s team from France. 49er sailors Morgan Larson (Capitola, Calif.) and Pete Spaulding (Lafayette, Ind.) are in third place, sharing 19 points with Great Britain's Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes and Iker Martinez de Lizarduy and Xabier Fernandez from Spain.
Impressive Show in Disabled Sailing Fleets: Paralympic sailing at this event is at its finest ever, with the fleets having grown significantly over the years and, like the Olympic classes, hosting top talent from around the world.
"The coaching is getting better, the technical equipment is getting better, and the Paralympic sailors are preparing better," said Danny McCoy, the international class president of the singlehanded 2.4mR class, which has 25 boats competing here. The 2.4mRs turn heads, because the entire body of the skipper "disappears" below the eight-inch freeboard and only his head is showing above the combing. "It looks like the 12-Meter class boats of America's Cup fame, but one-fifth the size (14 feet long) and the steering is by hand (using a tiller) or by the feet (using pedals)."
After today's three races, Sweden's Stellan Berlin is tied in points with Great Britain's Megan Pascoe, followed by Great Britain's Helena Lucas in third. Berlin, a world champion, is not disabled, but McCoy explained that organizers did not prohibit able-bodied participants because the class typically does not, which is why up to 120 of them will show up at world championships. "It's the only class in the world that embraces everyone -- women children, old, young, disabled, able-bodied -- and can be sailed easily by all of them," said McCoy.
Being equal on the water, even with physical limits, is what draws disabled athletes to sailing, and the other two Paralympic classes -- the Sonar and SKUD-18 -- deliver fully on the concept, especially when classifications for the sailors are applied. Disabled sailors are classified by number, from one to seven according to the degree of their disability (highest to lowest). The total classification for any Sonar competing in the Paralympics must be 14. For the SKUD-18s, at least one of the two-person team must be classified as a number one, and one sailor must be a female.
"It plays out that most of the number one [sailors] are skippers on the SKUDs," said Karen Mitchell (Deerfield Beach, Fla.), who with JP Creignou (St. Petersburg, Fla.) holds on to second place overall after three races today, behind a second U.S. team of Scott Whitman (Brick, N.J.) and Julia Dorsett (Boca Raton, Fla.), "because we're paraplegics or quadriplegics and don't have the upper body strength to pull on lines in the front of the boat." Mitchell's crew, Creignou, is blind and classified as a number seven. In 2006, he won the ISAF Blind World Championship and he is a Paralympic bronze medalist in the Sonar class.
Though the SKUD-18 is similar in design to the speed-hungry skiff called the 49er, it has a heavy bulb keel that keeps it from skipping across the water like its Olympic counterpart. Mitchell and her fellow sailors are testing and tweaking gear that is allowed to be modified on a boat that has only been available to sailors since June of 2006. It will make its Paralympic debut in 2008.
Online Information and Resources Updated Daily: For complete and up-to-the-minute regatta news and results, visit www.RolexMiamiOCR.org. Nightly video reports from America's Cup Hall of Fame inductee, author and sailing broadcaster Gary Jobson (Annapolis, Md.), will appear on www.NBCSports.com; for expanded video coverage, including more interviews and outtakes, visit www.RolexMiamiOCR.org or www.jobsonsailing.com
About US SAILING's 2007 Rolex Miami OCR: The Rolex Miami OCR is the only International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Grade-One ranking event in the U.S. for competition in all 14 Olympic and Paralympic classes selected for the next Olympic and Paralympic Games: 49er, 470 (Men & Women), Finn, Laser, Laser Radial, Neil Pryde RS:X (Men & Women), Star, Tornado; Yngling; 2.4mR, SKUD-18, and Sonar.
The regatta is especially important as a ranking regatta for American sailors hoping to qualify for the US Sailing Team and the US Disabled Sailing Team, which distinguish the top three sailors in each Olympic or Paralympic class.
Scheduled are five days of fleet racing through Friday, January 26, and one day of medal racing (for Olympic classes only) on Saturday, January 27. Saturday's medal races follow the new Olympic format, lining up the top 10 teams in each class on the starting line on the final day of racing.
US SAILING's Rolex Miami OCR Top-Three Results (Provisional) Day 3 Finn (49 boats) -- 7 races 1. Peer Moberg (NOR), 8-[9]-2-6-1-5-4, 26 2. Jonas Hoegh-Christensen (DEN), 10-3-4-5-[11]-3-1, 26 3. Dan Slater (NZL), 3-8-3-2-8-[12]-5, 29 Best US: 13.Zach Railey (USA), 11-10-13-12-[20]-10-13 69January 24, 2007 Rolex Miami OCR, Miami, FL. Tuesday - Like a bratty sister of yesterday's perfect conditions, light air slipped in this morning to tease the 855 sailors from 49 countries who were anxious to start their second day of racing at US SAILING's 2007 Rolex Miami OCR. The nuisance imposed by the "postponement ashore" for 14 one-design classes was understandable, since for many, this regatta -- in its 18th year and sailed on Biscayne Bay -- plays a critical role in fulfilling Olympic and Paralympic dreams. As the only International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Grade-One regatta in the United States for Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, the Rolex Miami OCR helps determine national and world rankings and, for some countries, the actual teams that will attend the 2008 Games in China.
49er (47 boats) -- 7 races 1. Stevie Morrison/ Ben Rhodes (GBR), 1-6-3-1-1-7-[BFD] 19 2. Iker Martinez de Lizarduy/ Xabier Fernadez (ESP), 1-6-[12]-1-2-3-6, 19 3. Morgan Larson/ Pete Spaulding (USA), 4-7-[DNF]-2-1-4-1, 19
470 Men's (31 boats) -- 6 races 1. Nick Rogers/Joe Glanfield (GBR), 2-1-4-[11]-6-2, 15 2. Gustavo Martinez/Dimas Wood (ESP), 4-3-[13]-3-10-1, 21 3. Gideon Kliger/Udi Gal (ISR), 16-[OCS]-3-2-2-9, 32 Best US: 9. Anderson-Mittering/Mikee Hughes (USA), 9-2-[19]-14-14-4, 43
470 Women's (18 boats) -- 7 races 1. Marcelien de Koning/Lobke Berkhout (NED), 1-1-1-8-5-2-[13], 18 2. Erin Maxwell/Isabelle Kinsolving (Norwalk Conn./New York N.Y. USA), 3-4-[11]-3-2-7-1, 20 3. Giulia Conti/Giovanna Micol (ITA), 5-3-2-[7]-4-4-3, 21
Laser (69 boats) -- 6 races 1. Michael Blackburn (AUS), 3-[6]-1-3-5-2, 13 2. Tom Slingsby (AUS), 2-1-7-8-2-[12], 20 2. Matias Del Solar (CHI), 6-2-[17]-6-4-2, 20 Best US: 6. Andrew Campbell (USA), 5-12-3-9-2-[20], 31 7. Brad Funk (USA), 8-4-9-8-3-[13], 32
Laser Radial (69 boats) -- 6 races 1. Anna Tunnicliffe (Plantation, Fla., USA), 1-1-[DSQ]-3-1-4, 10 2. Tania Elias Calles (MEX), 4-5-4-[10]-1-2, 16 3. Karin Soderstrom (SWE), 2-2-[10]-4-2-8, 18
RS:X Men (44 boats) -- 5 races 1. Samual Launay (FRA), [DNF]-9-2-7-1, 19 2. Przeymslaw Miarczynski (POL), 1-5-[15]-10-3, 19 3. Nick Dempsey (GBR), 4-4-[13]-8-6, 22 Best US: 14.Benjamin Barger (USA), 18-11-9-[20]-10, 48
RS:X Women (28 boats) -- 5 races 1.Marina Alabau (ESP), [9]-2-9-2-1, 14 2. Bryony SHaw (GBR), 4-5-4-3-[7], 16 3. Marta Hlavaty (POL), 2-1-17-[dsq]-3, 23 Best US: 20.Nancy Rios (USA), 19-21-10-19-[22], 69
SKUD-18 (10 boats) 8 races 1. Scott Whitman (Brick, N.J., USA), 4-[6]-4-4-1-1-1-1, 16 2. Karen Mitchell/JP Creignou (Deerf'Beach, FL/St.Petersburg FL USA), 6-2-1-2-[7]-4-3-2, 20 3. David Cook/Brenda Hopkin (CAN), 2-4-3-1-5-2-[DNF], 20
Sonar (14 boats) -- 8 races 1. John Robertson/Hannah Stodel/Stephen Thomas (GBR), 2-4-1-3-[7]-1-4-6, 21 2. Dan Parsons/Tom Pygall/Guy Draper (GBR), 3-3-2-[OCS]-1-2-3-8 22 3. Vasilis Christoforou/Nikos Paterakis/Kostaris AN. Alexas TH (GRE), 7-[11]-3-4-4-5-1-9, 33 Best US: 4. Angle Doer (USA), 6-9-1-2-8-[13]-8-2, 36
Star (67 boats) -- 5 races 1. Fredrik Loof/Anders Ekstrom (SWE), 3-2-2-1-2, 7 2. Xavier Rohart/Pascal Rambeau (FRA), [11]-1-7-3-1, 12 3. Afonso Domingos/ Bernardo Santos (POR), 1-11-1-[17]-2, 15 4. John Dane/Austin Sperry (USA), 1-3-[21]-8-3, 15
Tornado (43 boats) -- 5 races 1. Darren Bundock/Glenn Ashby (AUS), 3-3-[6-5-1, 12 2. Leigh McMillan/William Howden (GBR), 4-4-1-[11]-3, 12 3. Olivier Backes/Paul Ambroise Sevestre (FRA), 2-5-[11]-6-2, 15 Best US: 12.John Lovell/Charlie Ogletree (New Orleans, LA/Houston, TX. USA), [14]-12-9-8-11 40
2.4 mR (25 boats) -- 7 races 1.Stellan Berlin (SWE), 1-5-[9]-6-7-1-1, 21 2. Megan Pascoe (GBR), 3-1-2-7-2-6-[8], 21 3. Helena Lucas (GBR), 5-[7]-5-2-1-7-6, 26 Best US: 7. Jim Gluek (USA), 2-4-6-13-10-[16]-15 50 9. Mark LeBlanc (USA) 10-11-11-4-[17]-11-13 60
Yngling (18 boats) -- 7 races 1. Anne Le Helley/Marion Deplanque/ Catherine Lepresant (FRA), 7-[15]-7-3-1-1-1, 20 2. Sally Barkow/Carrie Howe/Debbie Cappozi (Wis./Mich./ N.Y., USA), 3-1-4-6-4-2-[7], 20 3. Silja Lehtinen/ Maria Klemetz/Livia Varesmaa, (FIN), 2-2-2-1-[12]-7-9, 23
By early afternoon, most classes had been sent out or put on standby to go racing, but the Tornados, with a circle several miles down the bay, were told to stay put. Their cancelled racing left yesterday's standings intact, with Australia's four-time Tornado world champion and two-time ISAF World Champion Darren Bundock and crew Glenn Ashby leading the 43-boat fleet. The team faces stiff competition from such top players as 2005 Rolex ISAF World Sailors of the Year Fernando Echavarri and Anton Paz from Spain, currently fourth; Austria's two-time Olympic gold medalist Roman Hagara and crew Hans Peter Steinacher, currently sixth; and the USA's silver medalists John Lovell and Charlie Ogletree (New Orleans, La./Kemah, Texas), currently 14th.
The Star class' pool of talent also runs deep, with an even more overwhelming number of world champions and Olympic medalists competing. At the top of his game--and the scoreboard after one race today in 5-6 knots of wind--was Sweden's two-time World Champion Fredrik Loof and crew Anders Ekstrom. Finishing second today, they soared past current world champion Hamish Pepper and crew David Giles, who were second overall yesterday after two races and fell to 16th today when they had to count a 28th-place finish. Plummeting and rising are actions typical for this class, where today's lag-behinds may be tomorrow's leaders.
Even though competition is equally world-class in Lasers -- Australia's Olympic bronze medalist Michael Blackburn is leading, followed by fellow countryman Tom Slingsby, the runner-up at the 2006 Laser Worlds -- there is still enough elbow room for underdogs to learn from top dogs. "You can't sail anywhere else against competition like this," said the USA's Kyle Rogachenko (Collegeville, Pa.), a teenage college student ranked fourth on the US Sailing Team and currently in 32nd overall. "This year is definitely tougher because the top 20 world-ranked teams are here, but I'm still young and the 2012 Olympics are really my goal."
Jesse Fielding (North Kingstown, R.I.), another teen crewing on one of the speedy and wildly exciting 49er skiffs, shares Rogachenko's sentiment. "Competing in this event is like playing on the PGA Tour without having to qualify," said Fielding, who is also a member of Disney's Morning Light Team of youngsters being trained for the Transpac Race.
While Fielding and skipper Mike Coe (Annapolis, Md.) are humbly fighting for position at the back of the fleet, another U.S. team -- comprised of third-ranked US Sailing Team members Tim Wadlow (Beverly, Mass.) and Christopher Rast (Wake Forest, N.C.) -- rose from second to first overall today after finishing third in their one race today. "We were really fast; we had good upwind boat speed," said Wadlow, who won two of yesterday's three races. Echoing the refrain heard in every class, Wadlow added, "The competition is incredible. There are 20 boats who can win a race, so it畞s hard to narrow down who the toughest competition is."
US SAILING's Rolex Miami OCR Top-Three Results (Provisional) : Finn (49 boats) -- 4 races 1. Dan Slater (NZL) 3-8-3-2, 16 2. Daniel Birgmark (SWE) 6-2-5-4, 17 3. Pieter-Jan Postma (NED) 1-6-1-10, 18 Best US: 9. Zach Railey (USA) 11-10-13-12 46Online Information and Resources Updated Daily For complete and up-to-the-minute regatta news and results, visit www.RolexMiamiOCR.org.
49er (47 boats) -- 4 races 1. Tim Wadlow/Christopher Rast (Beverly, Mass./Wake Forest, N.C. USA), 5-1-1-3, 10 2. Ben Rhodes/Stevie Morrison (GBR), 1-6-3-1, 11 3. Pietro Sibello/Gianfranco Sibello (ITA), 8-2-1-2, 13
470 Men's (31 boats) -- 4 races 1. Nick Rogers/Joe Glanfield (GBR), 2-1-4-11, 18 2. Gustavo Martinez/Dimas Wood (ESP), 4-3-13-3, 23 2. Alvaro Marinho/Miguel Nunes (POR), 1-7-7-10, 25 10.Anderson-Mittering/Mikee Hughes (USA), 9-2-9-14, 44
470 Women's (18 boats) -- 5 races 1. Marcelien de Koning/Lobke Berkhout (NED), 1-1-1-[8]-5, 8 2. Erin Maxwell/Isabelle Kinsolving (Norwalk Conn./New York N.Y. USA), 3-4-[11]-3-2, 12 3. Ingrid Petitjean/ Nadege Douroux (FRA), 4-2-[8]-6-1, 13
Laser (69 boats) -- 4 races 1. Michael Blackburn (AUS), 3-6-1-3, 13 2. Tom Slingsby (AUS), 2-1-7-9, 19 2. Paul Goodison (GBR), 2-1-1-18, 22 Best US: 6. Brad Funk (USA), 8-4-9-8 29
Laser Radial (69 boats) -- 3 races 1. Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla., USA), 5-2-6, 13 2. Gintare Volungeviciute (LTU), 3-3-7, 13 3. Tania Elias Calles (MEX), 4-5-4, 13
RS:X Men (44 boats) -- 3 races 1. Byron Kokkalanis (GRE), 9-7-3, 19 2. Ivan Pastor (ESP), 2-8-10, 20 3. Przeymslaw Miarczynski (POL), 1-5-15, 21 Best US: 10.Benjamin Barger (USA),18-11-9, 38
RS:X Women (28 boats) -- 3 races 1. Bryony Shaw (GBR), 4-5-4, 13 2. Antonia Frey (GRE), 7-4-6, 17 3. Marta Hlavaty (POL), 2-1-17, 20 Best US: 18.Nancy Rios (USA), 19-21-10, 50
SKUD-18 (10 boats) 5 races 1. David Cook/Brenda Hopkin (CAN), 2-4-3-1-[5], 10 2. Karen Mitchell/JP Creignou (DeerfieldBeachFL/StPetersbur FL USA), 6-2-1-2-[7], 12 3. Allan Smith/Jackie Gay (GBR), 1-1-[OCS]-7-4, 13
Sonar (14 boats) -- 5 races 1. Dan Parsons/Tom Pygall/Guy Draper (GBR), 3-3-2-[OCS]-1, 9 2. John Robertson/Hannah Stodel/Stephen Thomas (GBR), 2-4-1-3-[7], 10 3. Rick Doerr/Tim Angle/Bill Donohue(Clifton N.J./Mass/BrickN.J USA), 6-1-[9]-2-8, 17
Star (67 boats) -- 3 race 1. Fredrik Loof/Anders Ekstrom (SWE), 3-2-2, 7 2. Robert Stanjek/Frithjof Kleen (GER), 2-8-2, 12 3. Afonso Domingos/ Bernardo Santos (POR), 1-11-1, 13 8. John Dane/Austin Sperry (USA), 1-3-21 25
Tornado (43 boats) -- 2 races (no racing today) 1. Darren Bundock/Glenn Ashby (AUS), 3-3, 6 2. Olivier Backes/Paul Ambroise Sevestre (FRA), 2-5, 7 3. Andrey Kirilyuk/Valery Ushkov (RUS), 7-1, 8 Best US: 12.Robbie Daniel/Hunter Stunzi (USA), 17-8, 25
2.4 mR (25 boats) -- 4 races 1. Megan Pascoe (GBR), 3-1-2-7, 13 2. Helena Lucas (GBR), 5-7-5-2, 19 3. Stellan Berlin (SWE), 1-5-9-6, 21 Best US: 4. Jim Gluek (USA), 2-4-6-13 25 9. Mark LeBlanc (USA), 10-8.3-11-4 33
Yngling (18 boats) -- 4 races 1. Silja Lehtinen/ Maria Klemetz/Livia Varesmaa, (FIN), 2-2-2-1, 7 2. Sally Barkow/Carrie Howe/Debbie Cappozi(WI/MI/Bayport, N.Y., USA) 3-1-4-6, 14 3. Sarah Ayton/Sarah Webb/Pippa Wilson, (GBR), 1-3-6-5, 15
Nightly video reports from America's Cup Hall of Fame inductee, author and sailing broadcaster Gary Jobson (Annapolis, Md.), will appear on www.NBCSports.com
for expanded video coverage, including more interviews and outtakes, visit www.RolexMiamiOCR.org or www.jobsonsailing.com.
30th CISA Clinic Signups, Long Beach, CA. Teenage sailors looking to raise their games have until Feb. 1 to sign up for the California International Sailing Association's 30th annual Advanced Racing Clinic April 12-15, Thursday through Sunday, at Alamitos Bay Yacht Club.
World-class competitors will tutor participants from across North America in Lasers, Laser Radials, Club 420s, International 420s, Club FJs and 29ers. Last year an elite staff of instructors including recent Olympic competitors showed 130 boys and girls ages 13 to 18 what it would take to sail in their shoes. The four typical 12-hour days mixed on-shore lectures with on-the-water drills focused on tactics, sail trim and boat handling.
Participants will be selected based on the resumes presented on their applications, which are available online at www.cisasailing.org/
Fees are $375 per Laser or Radial and $750 per Club 420, International 420, Club FJ or 29er ($375 per sailor). The fee includes three dinners. Fee payments and medical and liability forms must be mailed to: CISA, Marylee Goyan, P.O. Box 180580, Coronado, CA 92178
January 23, Boaters Comments needed on Loran. Loran users could soon be facing a closure of the land-based, low frequency radio system that has served mariners for decades. "Shutting down Loran just doesn't make sense," said Elaine Dickinson of BoatU.S. Government Affairs, noting that the Coast Guard just spent $160 million to modernize and largely automate the Loran system. There are thousands of mariners, in addition to aircraft pilots, who still use Loran receivers.
"With the GPS signal being relatively weak, there is concern that it is susceptible to jamming, which could present national security problems if it is the sole navigation system for the U.S.," said Dickinson. "Testing has shown Loran to be virtually jam-proof. There is a strong case to be made for keeping Loran as a relatively low-cost, ground-based backup to satellite-based GPS," she added.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), parent agency of the Coast Guard, zeroed out any funding for the continuation of Loran in its FY07 budget but Congress voted to put the money back in for one year. Now, the Coast Guard is requesting public comments on the issue until February 7, after which they will evaluate the future of the system.
Recreational boaters concerned about Loran's possible closure may submit comments by going to http://dms.dot.gov, clicking on "comment/submissions" and using Coast Guard docket number USCG-2006-24685.
Photo: Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia
America's Cup, Valencia, Tuesday 23rd January. Ita 99 arrived safe and sound at the Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia Base yesterday evening at seven o'clock. Her five-day journey started from Green Marine in Lymington (UK) and included braving the storm that hit the English Channel last Thursday. Despite the storm, she arrived without complication and was warmly received by the team, who greeted her with applause as she approached the base.
She is the second of Mascalzone's two new boats built for the 32nd America's Cup, following ITA 90 which the team has been training with since last summer.
ITA 99 is the creation of the Mascalzone Latino-Capitalia Team design group, led by Harry Dunning. Last night, Harry was among the group of team members that welcomed her arrival: "We are all delighted to greet ITA99. She is the culmination of two years of continuous research and development by our design team and we are very proud of her. I congratulate our boat builders and component suppliers for the beautiful construction job and thank Vincenzo and the sailing and shore teams for all of their valuable input as she moved from concept to reality. We are very eager to see how she performs against ITA90 in the coming weeks as we make preparations for Act 13 and the Louis Vuitton Cup"
Now the work continues, this time on the water, with two-boat testing. Nacho Postigo, navigator, outlined the team's plans for ITA 99, "Well, the boat is now here after all the effort by the design team, the boat builders, and our hard working shore team. Now the load is on us, the sailing team, who will have to work at the same level those guys have already done to get the maximum out of the new "baby". We are looking forward to unveil all the potential the boat has to offer. Although two boat testing is a hard job, plus the fact that winter has finally arrived to Valencia - we can't wait for the moment to jump on her and start learning!"
Sally Barkow/Carrie Howe/Debbie Cappoz, third place after three races. Photo: Dan Nerney/Rolex
Rolex Miami OCR, Miami, Fla. - Perfect conditions welcomed more than 855 elite sailors from 49 countries on the first day of racing at US SAILING's 2007 Rolex Miami OCR. A steady southeasterly breeze and blue skies offered competitors a taste of what makes Biscayne Bay an ideal venue for this world-class event in its 18th year.
The regatta is the only International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Grade-One regatta in the United States for Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls.
A number of American sailors enjoyed peak performances today, including Sally Barkow (Nashotah, Wisc.) and her crew, Carrie Howe (Grosse Pointe, Mich.) and Debbie Capozzi (Bayport, N.Y.), the number-one ranked Yngling team on the US Sailing Team, who tied in points with Great Britain's team of Sarah Ayton/Sarah Webb/Pippa Wilson and Finland's team of Silja Lehtinen/Maria Klemetz/Livia Varesmaa but topped the scoreboard after tie-breaker rules were applied. Barkow and her crew swapped first - and third-place finishes in today's two races, while Lehtinen's team came in second place in both races.
"We stuck to our game plan and didn't make it too complicated," said Barkow. "We felt good to be in that position at the end of the day." As for today's neck-and-neck competition, Barkow expects it to "be tight all the way to the end."
Among the classes that were large enough to warrant splitting into two racing fleets was the 49er. US Sailing Team member Tim Wadlow (Beverly, Mass.) and his crew Chris Rast (Wake Forest, N.C.) topped their fleet by posting two bullets after a fourth-place finish and went on to post a second-place overall after scoring from the two groups was merged. Edging out the U.S. team by one point in overall scoring was the Japanese team of Akira Ishibashi and Yuko Makino, sailing in the second fleet.
More good fortune came to U.S. sailors in the 470 Women's racing, where American sailors Amanda Clark (Shelter Island, N.Y.) and Sarah Mergenthaler (Aberdeen, N.J.) secured a third-place finish with 13 points in three races, behind The Netherlands' Marcelien de Konig and Lobke Berkhout with three bullets and Italy's Giulia Conti and Giovanna Micol with 10 points. In the second of two races, the American team struck an object with their rudder on the downwind leg and lost some distance they needed to recover. "We never gave up," said Clark. "We concentrated on the small gains, and finished with some good results." Clark added: "We're lucky to have such tight competition on home waters."
In the men's 470 class, Portugal's Alvaro Marinho and Miguel Nunes came out swinging early with a victory in the first of that fleet's three races. "The wind was a bit tricky," said Marinho, "but even with that it was an awesome day of 470 sailing." Marinho acknowledged the presence of world champions and other top players in his fleet, including Great Britain's Olympic silver medalist Nick Rogers and Joe Glanfield, who finished 2-1-4 to post seven points and take the overall lead for the day. Marinho and Nunes finished their day with a 7-7 and settled for second place with 15 points. "This will be a tough week to get good results but we are fighting," said Marinho.
Online Information and Resources Updated Daily For complete and up-to-the-minute regatta news and results, visit www.RolexMiamiOCR.org. For nightly video reports from America's Cup Hall of Fame inductee, author and sailing broadcaster Gary Jobson (Annapolis, Md.), visit www.NBCSports.com; for expanded video coverage, including more interviews and outtakes, visit www.RolexMiamiOCR.org
The regatta is especially important as a ranking regatta for American sailors hoping to qualify for the US Sailing Team and the US Disabled Sailing Team, which distinguish the top three sailors in each Olympic or Paralympic class.
Scheduled are five days of fleet racing through Friday, January 26, and one day of medal racing (for Olympic classes only) on Saturday, January 27. Saturday's medal races follow the new Olympic format, lining up the top 10 teams in each class on the starting line on the final day of racing.
Rolex Miami OCR Top-Three Results Day 1 Finn (49 boats) -- 2 races 1. Tapio Nirkko (FIN), 4-1, 5pts 2. Christopher Cook (CAN), 2-4, 6 3. Pieter-Jan Postma (NED), 1-6, 7 49er (47 boats) -- 3 races 1. Akira Ishibashi/Yuko Makino (JPN), 1-2-2, 5 2. Tim Wadlow/Christopher Rast (Beverly, Mass./Wake Forest, N.C., USA), 4-1-1, 6 3. Federico Alonso/Arturo Alonso (ESP), 6-1-1, 8 470 Men's (31 boats) -- 3 races 1. Nick Rogers/Joe Glanfield (GBR), 2-1-4, 7 2. Alvaro Marinho/Miguel Nunes (POR), 1-7-7, 15 3. Gustavo Martinez/Dimas Wood (ESP), 4-3-13, 20 470 Women's (18 boats) -- 3 races 1. Marcelien de Koning/Lobke Berkhout (NED), 1-1-1, 3 2. Giulia Conti/Giovanna Micol (ITA), 5-3-2, 10 3. Amanda Clark/Sarah Mergenthaler (N.Y/N.J USA), 2-5-6, 13 Laser Radial (69 boats) -- 2 races 1T. Sari Multala (FIN), 1-1, 2 1T. Anna Tunnicliffe (Plantation, Fla., USA), 1-1, 2 3. Karin Soderstrom (SWE), 2-2, 4 Laser (114 boats) -- 2 races 1. Tom Slingsby (AUS), 1-1, 2 2. Paul Goodison (GBR), 2-1, 3 3T. Vasilij Zbogar (SLO), 4-3, 7 3T. Thomas Le Breton (FRA), 4-3, 7 RS:X Men (44 boats) -- 2 races 1. Casper Bouman (NED), 3-1, 4 2. Przeymslaw Miarczynski (POL), 1-5, 6 3. Nick Dempsey (GBR), 4-4, 8 RS:X Women (28 boats) -- 2 races 1. Marta Hlavaty (POL), 1-1, 2 2. Lucy Horwood (GBR), 5-3, 8 3. Bryony Shaw (GBR), 3-5, 8 Skud (10 boats) -- 3 races 1. Allan Smith/Jackie Gay (GBR), 1-1, 2 2. David Cook/Brenda Hopkin (CAN), 2-4, 6 3. Gustaf Fresk/Annika Lindgren (SWE), 3-5, 8 Sonar (14 boats) -- 2 races 1. Rick Doerr/Tim Angle/Bill Donohue, (N.J./ Mass./ N.J., USA), 1-1, 2 2. John Twomey/Brian O'Mahony/Anthony Hegarty (IRL), 2-2, 4 3. Dan Parsons/Tom Pygall/Guy Draper (GBR), 3-3, 6 Star (67 boats) -- 2 races 1. John Dane/Austin Sperry (Gulfport, Miss./Gulfport, Miss., USA), 1-3, 4 2. Hamish Pepper/Dave Giles, (NZL), 4-1, 5 3. Fredrik Loof/Anders Ekstrom, (SWE), 3-2, 5 Tornado (43 boats) -- 2 races 1. Darren Bundock/Glenn Ashby (AUS), 3-3, 6 2. Olivier Backes/Paul Ambroise Sevestre (FRA), 2-5, 7 3. Andrey Kirilyuk/Valery Ushkov (RUS), 7-1, 8 2.4 mR (25 boats) -- 2 races 1. Megan Pascoe (GBR), 3-1, 4 2. Stellan Berlin (SWE), 1-5, 6 3. Jim Gluek (Pewaukee, Wis., USA), 2-4, 6 Yngling (18 boats) -- 2 races 1. Sally Barkow/Carrie Howe/Debbie Cappozi (Wis./Mich./ N.Y. USA), 3-1, 4 2. Sarah Ayton/Sarah Webb/Pippa Wilson, (GBR), 1-3, 4 3. Silja Lehtinen/Maria Klemetz/Livia Varesmaa, (FIN), 2-2, 4More at:
January 22, America's Cup. An angry broadside about the way this year's America's Cup has been organised was fired in the host city yesterday by the Italian syndicate manager, Patrizio Bertelli.
After watching his wife, Miuccia Prada, smash the launching bottle of champagne on his new Luna Rossa, Bertelli said, of what was meant to be a bright new era for the trophy: "I do not believe the new formula improves the conditions, especially for new challengers. The gap between them and the defender is greater than before."
He also criticised the choice of Valencia as the stage for this year's event saying: "We don't feel a love of sailing in Valencia." His view was endorsed by his Australian helmsman James Spithill, who said the world match race circuit was driven entirely by financial considerations. He said many of the venues were not good enough to stage a world championship level event but were chosen because they put up the money. -- Stuart Alexander in the Independent.
Click here for story in The Independent U.K.
Acura Key West 2007. Photo: J H Peterson.
January 20, Acura Key West. ESPN commentator Gary Jobson stated it accurately and perfectly in one of his daily reports on Acura Key West 2007, presented by Nautica. Jobson described the weather in Key West this week as "stuck on gorgeous", how fitting the 20th anniversary of the renowned international regatta would deliver the type of conditions for which the southernmost point of the United States is famous.
A fleet of 260 boats carrying more than 2,000 sailors enjoyed sunny skies and temperatures in the 80s all five days of the regatta, organized by Premiere Racing. Adding to the spectacular scene were top-notch sailing conditions, steady 10-14 knot winds and flat water off the Conch Republic.
Acura Key West 2007. Photo: J H Peterson.
"This was the perfect Key West. We had terrific weather, wonderful conditions, fantastic race management and tremendous competition," IRC 1 champion Dan Meyers said. "Hats off to Peter Craig and his entire team for giving us sailors another great regatta."
Meyers and his high-level crew aboard Numbers won a week-long battle royale with Edgar Cato and Hissar. The two Farr-designed 60-footers entered the ninth and final race separated by just two points and predictably engaged in a match race duel.
Acura Key West 2007 - Final Standings: Farr 40 (no discard) 1. Alinghi, Ernesto Bertarelli, Geneva, Switzerland, 2-1-1-5-16-1-6-1-18dnc, 51 pts 2. Flash Gordon 5, Helmut & Evan Jahn, Chicago, IL, USA, 6-10-2-7-1-7-5-15-1, 54 3. Twins, Erik Maris, Newport, RI, USA, 11-2-13-4-2-11-11-5-5, 64 Melges 32 1. Let畞s Roll, Claudio Recchi, YC Italiano, ITA, 1-1-3-1-1-(5)- 2-1-2, 12 2. New Wave, Carroll/Kullman St. Petersburg, FL, USA, 4-4-(9)-4- 3-1 -7-4-3, 30 3. Hoss, Glenn Darden, Ft. Worth, TX, USA, 2-2-5-7-4-6-(8)-7-4, 37 Mumm 30 (no discard) 1. Southern Sun, Bruce Eddington, Narre Warren, AUS, 4-4-4-1-5-1-2-1-5, 27 2. Mean Machine, Peter De Ridder, Monaco, 5-3-6-2-2-2-3-3-1, 27 3. Calvi Hiroshi, Armando Giulietti, Rimini, ITA, 1-1-2-6-11-4-1-5-8, 39 J/105 (no discard) 1. Masquerade, Thomas Coates, San Francisco, CA, USA, 1-7-1-2- 3- 4-24-3-1, 46 2. Convexity, Donald Wilson, Chicago, IL, USA, 2-1-4-4-25-1-10-2-4, 53 3. Max Power, Gerrit Schulze, Cape May, NJ, USA, 6-4-17-14-5-7-2-4-1, 61 J/80 1. Lifted, Kerry Klingler, Larchmont, NY, USA, 2-1-1-2-(7)-3,-1-2-2, 14 2. Rumor, John Storck, Jr., Huntington, NY, USA, 1-3-4-5-(6)-2- 3-1-1, 20 3. Emotional Rescue, Magnus Tyreman, Stockholm, SWE, 4-8-3-3-(10)-4,2,4-8, 36 5. BlkRiverRacing* Doug Strebel, Kemah, TX, (dnc)-dnc-2-1-8-1-4-5-4, 43 *Broke mast in practice & had to wait for replacement by road from Kemah. 6. Kicks, Bill Rose, League City, TX, 3-2-5-6-3-10-(14)-10-6, 45 8. Parsons project Paul Parsons, Houston, TX, (10)-6-6-10-2-6-10-9, 52 11 Le Cluster Walter Caldwell, Seabrook, TX, 7-9-8-(13)-11-13-12-8-9 77 Melges 24 1. Giacomel Audi Racing, Riccardo Simoneschi, 4- 9- 3-(17)- 6-5-8-6-1, 42 2. Joe Fly, Giovanni Maspero, Como, ITA, 1-2-1-3- 2-(20)-12-12-14, 47 3. Blu Moon, Franco Rossini, Lugano, SUI, 2-7-2-(10)-5-8-6-9-8, 47 Corsair 28R 1. Dealers Choice, Marsh/Hudgins, Stuart, FL, USA, (3)-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1, 8 2. Bad Boys, Bob Harkrider, Augusta, GA, USA, 1-7-2-2- 2-(8)-4-8-6, 30 3. Relentless, Peter Katcha, St. Petersburg, FL, USA, 4-(8)-3-3-4-2-3-3-2, 32 8. Ranger(p) Bruce Jenevein, Dallas, TX, (10)-5-6-8-9-9-6-8-5, 56 13 Overdo(p) John Novak Colleyville, TX, 11-10-12-12-(13)-13-10-10-11 89 J/109 1. Current Obsession, Gary Mozer, Long Beach, CA, USA, 5-3-3-2-1-1-2-(7)-3, 20 2. Tastes Like Chicken, Stephen Tedeschi, Newport, RI, USA, 3-2-2-3-4-2-3-1-(5), 20 3. Mojo, Steven Rhyne, Seabrook, TX, USA, 2-(dsq)-1-5-2-4-4-2-1, 21 IRC 1 1. Numbers, CM 60, Daniel Meyers, Newport, RI, USA, 1-2-4-2-1-2-1-1-(7), 14 2. Hissar, Farr 60, Edgar Cato, Newport, RI, USA, 3-1-2-1-3-1-2-2-(8), 15 3. Artemis, Swan 601, Torbjorn Tornqvist, Stockholm, SWE, 6-(8),1-5.5-4-3-3-3-2, 27.5 IRC 2 1. Magic Glove, Ker 50, Colm Barrington, Dublin, IRL, (6)-1-1-1-3-1-2-3-2, 14 2. Samba Pa Ti, TP52, John Kilroy, San Francisco, CA, USA, 1-3-5-3-1-4-1-1-1, 15 3. Windquest, TP52, Doug DeVos, Holland, MI, USA, 2-2-2-2-2-3-3-2-(4), 18 IRC 3 1. Esmeralda, ClubSwan42 Makoto Uematsu, Seabornia, JPN, (2)-2-1-1-2-1-1-1-2, 11 2. Spirit/Malouen Sinergia40 Stephane Neve, La Trinite-Mer, FRA, 1-1-(3)-2-1-2-2-2-1, 12 3. Better Than, Swan 45, Andrzej Rojek, Newport, RI, USA, 4-4-5-3-3-3-3-3-(6), 28 PHRF 1 1. Wairere, Thompson 30, Pete Hunter, Kill Devil Hill, NC, USA, 9-3-3-1- 2-2- 3-1-1, 16 2. Spaceman Spiff, 1D35, Robert Ruhlman, Cleveland, OH, USA, 2-6-2-6-3-1-6-3-4, 27 3. Plowhorse, Robert Hesse, Youngstown, NY, USA, 3-5-4-4-5-(7)-1-6-2, 30 PHRF 2 1. Cash Flow, Hadley 40, Lloyd Griffin, Elizabeth City, NC, USA, (7)-3-2-1-2-3-1-1-2, 15 2. Emocean, J/120, Bill Hanckel, Charleston, SC, USA, 1-(4)-1-2-4-2-3-3-4, 20 3. Peregrine, J/120, Hunt Lawrence, Oyster Bay, NY, USA, 3-6-(9)-4-3-1-5-8-3, 33 PHRF 3 1. NKE Electronics, Beneteau 10R, Robert Oberg, Annapolis, MD, USA, 2-2-1-1-1-1-2-3-(4), 13 2. Man-O-War, J/35, Tom Beery, Pascagoula, MS, USA, 3-1-2-3-(4)-3-4-1-1, 18 3. Manic, Beneteau10R C. Sheard/Cape Yachts, So Dartmouth, MA, USA, 1-3-3-2-3-2-3-(5)-2, 19 5. Leading Edge Tom Sutton, Seabrook, TX. 5-(9)-8-5-2-7-5-7-6, 45 PHRF 4 1. As-If, SR-33, Jeff Kitterman, Kemah, TX, USA, 2-2-1-1-2-2-1-(3)-1, 12 2. Pipe Dream XIV Tripp Scott Piper, Miami, FL, USA, 3-3-2-4-(5)-3-3-2-2, 22 3. Polar Express J/92s, Jeff Johnstone, Newport, RI, USA, (4)-1-3-3-4-4-2-4-4, 25 PHRF 5 1. Rhumb Punch, J/29, John & Linda Edwards, Solomons, MD, USA, 1-1-1-1-(2)-1-1-1-1, 8 2. Liquor Box, T-10, Simon/Buckles, Key West, FL, USA, 2-3-2-(6)-1-4-2-4-2, 20 3. Remedy, Donovan 27, Bert Carp, Annapolis, MD, USA, 6-2-3-2-4-6-3-3-(8), 29 PHRF 6 1. Jazzy Jr., Mariah 27 Dan Romano, Farmington Hills, MI, USA, 1-1-(2)-1-4-1-3-1-1, 11 2. Island Flyer, S2 7.9 Denny Manrique, Lake Minnetonka, MN, USA, (7)-2-1-3-1-2-1-3-2, 15 3. En Charette, Noe 27, Paul Jennings, Branford, CT, USA, 2-3-3-2-3-3-(5)-2-5, 23For all Acura Key West Results go to: http://www.premiere-racing.com/07_KW_Results/kw07_results_reports.htm
January 19, Acura Key West. Melges 24, Overnight, Gabrio Zandona driving for Giovanni Maspero on "ITA-550 Joe Fly" was still leading the overall results by four points. Dave Ullman on "USA-505 Pegasus 505" lashed out at the competition by closing the gap, moving up to second which also won him Premiere Racing's Boat of the Day honors. Andrea Rachelli at the helm for Franco Rossini "USA-521 Blu Moon" slipped to third after an extremely tough day of racing.
Melges 24 - 48 boats in fleet (top 3 + Texas boat): 1. Joe Fly, Giovanni Maspero, Como, ITA, 1-2-1-3-2-(20)-12-12, 33 pts 2. Pegasus 505, David Ullman, Santa Ana, CA, 7-6-5-5-1-7-(13)-7, 38 3. Blu Moon, Franco Rossini, Lugano, SUI, 2-7-2-(10)-5-8-6-9, 39 22.Bulls Eye Shawn Grisham, Dallas, TX. 23-32-21-35-16-24-4-18-(ocs) Competition in this Class is at all time high - with 12 boats from Europe (seven of whichFor all Acura Key West Results go to: http://www.premiere-racing.com/07_KW_Results/kw07_results_reports.htm
are in the top ten), SailTexas salutes Shawn Grisham, Dallas, in mid-fleet, and beating three
hot shots from Europe.
Farr 40 (no discard) 1. Alinghi, Ernesto Bertarelli, Valencia, ESP, 2-1-1-5-16-1-6-1, 33 2. Flash Gordon 5, Helmut & Evan Jahn, Chicago, IL, 6-10-2-7-1-7-5-15, 53 3. Kokomo, Lang Walker, Sydney, AUS, 7-6-7-3-13-14-1-17, 58
Melges 32: 1. Let's Roll, Claudio Recchi, YC Italiano, ITA, 1-1-3-1-1-(5)-2-1, 10 2. New Wave, Carroll/Kullman, St. Petersburg, FL, 4-4-(9)-4-3-1-7-4, 27 3. Fresh Guidance Simon Williams Newport, RI,11-5-2-(12)-6-2-1-5 32 4. Hoss, Glenn Darden, Ft. Worth, TX, 2-2-5-7-4-6-(8)-7, 32
Mumm 30 (no discard): 1. Southern Sun, Bruce Eddington, Narre Warren, AUS, 4-4-4-1-5-1-2-1, 22 2. Mean Machine, Peter De Ridder, Monaco, 5-3-6-2-2-2-3-3, 26 3. Calvi Hiroshi, Armando Giulietti, Rimini, ITA, 1-1-2-6-11-4-1-5, 31
J/105 (no discard): 1. Masquerade, Thomas Coates, San Francisco, CA, 1-7-1-2-3-4-24-3, 45 2. Convexity, Donald Wilson, Chicago, IL, 2-1-4-4-25-1-10-2, 49 3. Gumption3, Kevin Grainger, Rye, NY, 10-6-5-7-11-5-1-10, 55
J/80: 1. Lifted, Kerry Klingler, Larchmont, NY, 2-1-1-2-(7)-3-1-2, 12 2. Rumor, John Storck, Jr., Huntington, NY, 1-3-4-5-(6)-2-3-1 19 3. EmotionalRescue Magnus Tyreman, Stockholm, SWE, 4-8-3-3-(10)-4-2-4, 28 5. BlkRiverRacing* Doug Strebel, Kemah, TX, (dnc)-dnc-2-1-8-1-4-5 39 *Broke mast in practice & had to wait for replacement by road from Kemah. 6. Kicks, Bill Rose, League City, TX, 3-2-5-6-3-10-(14)-10, 39 8. Parsons project Paul Parsons, Houston, TX, (10)-6-6-10-2-6-10-9, 49 11.Le Cluster Walter Caldwell, Seabrook, TX, 7-9-8-(13)-11-13-12-8 68
Corsair 28R: 1. Dealers Choice, Marsh/Hudgins, Stuart, FL, (3)-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1, 7 2. Bad Boys, Bob Harkrider, Augusta, GA, 1-7-2-2-2-(8)-4-8, 24 3. FlightSimulator Tom Reese, Youngstown, NY, 2-3-(7)-6-7-4-5-2, 29 8. Ranger(p) Bruce Jenevein, Dallas, TX, (10)-5-6-8-9-9-6-8, 51 13.Overdo(p) John Novak Colleyville, TX, 11-10-12-12-(13)-13-10-10 71
J/109: 1. Tastes Like Chicken, Stephen Tedeschi, Newport, RI, 3-2-2-3-(4)-2-3-1, 16 1. Current Obsession, Gary Mozer, Long Beach, CA, 5-3-3-2-1-1-2-(7), 17 3. Vitesse, Jon Halbert, Dallas, TX, 4-1-4-1-3-(6)-1-6, 20 4. Mojo Steve Rhyne, Seabrook, TX. 2-(dsq)-1-5-2-4-4-2, 20
IRC 1: 1. Numbers, CM 60, Daniel Meyers, Newport, RI, 1-2-(4)-2-1-2-1-1, 10 2. Hissar, Farr 60, Edgar Cato, Newport, RI, (3)-1-2-1-3-1-2-2, 12 3. Artemis, Swan 601, Torbjorn Tornqvist, SWE, 6-(8)-1-5.5-4-3-3-3 25.5
IRC 2: 1. Magic Glove, Ker 50, Colm Barrington, Dublin, IRL, (6)-1-1-1-3-1-2-3, 12 2. Samba Pa Ti, TP52, John Kilroy, San Francisco, CA, 1-3-(5)-3-1-4-1-1, 14 3. Windquest, TP52, Doug DeVos, Holland, MI, 2-2-2-2-2-(3)-3-2, 15
IRC 3: 1. Esmeralda, Swan 42, Makoto Uematsu, JPN, (2)-2-1-1-2-1-1-1, 9 2. Spirit of Malouen, Stephane Neve, FRA, 1-1-(3)-2-1-2-2-2, 11 3. Better Than, Swan45, Andrzej Rojek, Newport, RI, 4-4-(5)-3-3-3-3-3, 23
PHRF 1: 1. Wairere Thompson 30 Pete Hunter Kill Devil Hill NC,(9)-3-3-1-2-2-3-1, 15 2. BLUE, 1D48, Charles Buckner Hunts Point TX, 1-1-1-2-7-3-(8)-8, 15 3. Spaceman Spiff, 1D35 Robert Ruhlman, Cleveland, OH, 2-(6)-2-6-3-1-6-3, 23
PHRF 2: 1. Emocean, J/120, Bill Hanckel, Charleston, SC, 1-(4)-1-2 4-2-1-1, 13 2. Cash Flow, Hadley40, Lloyd Griffin ElizabethCity NC, (7)-3-2-1-2-3-3-3, 16 3. Bounder, Sydney36 David Hudgel, Detroit, MI, 4-1-(7)-5-6-4-6-2 28
PHRF 3: 1. NKE Electronics Ben 10R Robert Oberg, Annapolis, MD, 2-2-1-1-1-1-2-(3), 10 2. Man-O-War, J/35, Tom Beery, Pascagoula, MS, 3-1-2-3-(4)-3-4-1, 17 3. Manic, Beneteau 10R, C. Sheard, So Dartmouth, MA, 1-3-3-2-3-2-3-(5), 17 5. Leading Edge Tom Sutton, Seabrook, TX. 5-(9)-8-5-2-7-5-7, 39
PHRF 4: 1. As-If, SR-33, Jeff Kitterman, Kemah, TX, 2-2-1-1-2-2-1-(3), 11 2. Pipe Dream, Tripp33 Scott Piper, Miami, FL, 3-3-2-4-(5)-3-3-2, 20 3. Esse, Esse 850, APY Syndicate, Annapolis, MD, 5-5-(6)-2-1-1-6-1, 21
PHRF 5: 1. Rhumb Punch, J/29, John/Linda Edwards Solomons MD, 1-1-1-1-(2)-1-1-1, 7 2. Liquor Box, T-10, Simon/Buckles, Key West, FL, 2-3-2-(6)-1-4-3-3, 23 3. Remedy, Donovan 27, Bert Carp, Annapolis, MD, (6)-2-3-2-4-6=3=3, 23
PHRF 6: 1. Jazzy Jr Mariah 27, Dan Romano Farmington Hills MI, 1-1-(2)-1-4-1-3-1, 10 2. Island Flyer S2 7.9, Denny Manrique LkMinnetonka MN, (7)-2-1-3-1-2-1-3, 13 3. En Charette, Noe 27, Paul Jennings, Branford, CT, 2-3-3-2-3-3-(5)-2, 18
January 18, Acura Key West. Wednesday's racing was held under the sunny skies and warm temperatures that have been omnipresent here this week. A northeast breeze that averaged 8-10 knots was a bit unstable and forced skippers and tacticians to stay alert.
"There were some odd cloud lines and big wind shifts. There were some oscillations that lasted long enough to have a major impact," said Legler, whose course includes the Farr 40s, Melges 32s and Mumm 30s.
Joe Fly, the Italian entry that had been runaway leader in Melges 24 class, also suffered a disappointing result that enabled the tightened the standings. Owner Giovanni Maspero and crew finished 20th in Race 6 and saw a 14-point advantage reduced to two.
Dave Ullman, a California sailmaker and defending class champion here, won the fifth race then tacked on a seventh to put the pressure on Joe Fly. Former collegiate All-American Bill Hardesty (Merchant Marine Academy) is serving as tactician for Ullman, who has finished no worse than seventh the entire series. "The Italians are still controlling the regatta because of the throwout, but now they don't have another one to waste," said Ullman, a four-time Melges 24 winner in Key West. Ullman was asked if he was worried after watching helmsman Gabrio Zandona steer Joe Fly to first or second in four of the initial five races. "Oh, I was totally concerned because they are going extremely fast in light air and it looks like it畞s going to be that way all week," Ullman said. "We're still at the point of the regatta when you have to take care of yourself, but there comes a time when they become more of a concern."
Ullman and his team aboard Pegasus 505 earned the Mount Gay Rum Boat of the Day honor on the strength of the first and seventh place finishes. Jorge Fernandez and Brian Hutchinson are trimming for Ullman while Doug McLean is working the bow.
Standings after 6 Races (Top 3 + Texas boats): Farr 40 1. Alinghi, Ernesto Bertarelli, Valencia, ESP, 2-1-1-5-16-1, 26 pts 2. Flash Gordon 5, Helmut & Evan Jahn, Chicago, IL, 6-10-2-7-1-7, 33 3. Kokomo, Lang Walker, Sydney, AUS, 7-6-7-3-13- 14, 40For all Results go to: http://www.premiere-racing.com/07_KW_Results/kw07_results_reports.htm
Melges 32: 1. Let's Roll, Claudio Recchi, YC Italiano, ITA, 1-1-3-1-1-5, 12 2. New Wave, Carroll/Kullman, St. Petersburg, FL, 4-4-9-4-3-1, 25 3. Hoss, Glenn Darden, Ft. Worth, TX, 2-2-5-7-4-6, 26
Mumm 30: 1. Southern Sun, Bruce Eddington, Narre Warren, AUS, 4-4-4-1-5-1, 19 2. Mean Machine, Peter De Ridder, Monaco, 5-3-6-2-2-2, 20 3. Calvi Hiroshi, Armando Giulietti, Rimini, ITA, 1-1-2-6-11- 4, 25
J/105: 1. Masquerade, Thomas Coates, San Francisco, CA, 1-7-1-2-3-4, 18 2. Savasana, Brian Keane, Marion, MA, 3-5-9-1-2-11, 31 3. Convexity, Donald Wilson, Chicago, IL, 2-1-4-4-25-1, 37
J/80: 1. Lifted, Kerry Klingler, Larchmont, NY, 2-1-1-2-7-3 16 2. Rumor, John Storck, Jr., Huntington, NY, 1-3-4-5-6-2 21 3. Kicks, Bill Rose, League City, TX, 3-2-5-6-3-10 29 7. Parsons project Paul Parsons, Houston, TX, 10-6-6-10-2-6 40 8. BlkRiverRacing* Doug Strebel, Kemah, TX, dnc-dnc-2-1-8-1 48 *Broke mast in practice & had to wait for replacement by road from Kemah. 10.Le Cluster Walter Caldwell, Seabrook, TX, 7-9-8-13-11-13 61
Melges 24: 1. Joe Fly, Giovanni Maspero, Como, ITA, 1-2-1-3-2-20, 29 2. Pegasus 505, David Ullman, Santa Ana, CA, 7-6-5-5-1-7, 31 3. Blu Moon, Franco Rossini, Lugano, SUI, 2-7-2-10- 5-8, 34 27.Bulls Eye Shawn Grisham, Dallas, TX. 23-32-21-35-16-24 151 Competition in this Class is at all time high - with 12 boats from Europe (seven of which
are in the top ten), SailTexas salutes Shawn Grisham, Dallas, in mid-fleet, and beating three
hot shots from Europe.
Corsair 28R: 1. Dealers Choice, Marsh/Hudgins, Stuart, FL, 3-1-1-1-1-1, 8 2. Bad Boys, Bob Harkrider, Augusta, GA, 1-7-2-2-2-8, 22 3. Strategery 3, Cliff Farrah, Destin, FL, 5-2-5-4-3-5, 24 8. Ranger(p) Bruce Jenevein, Dallas, TX. 10-5-6-8-9-9, 34 13.Overdo(p) John Novak Colleyville, TX, 11-10-12-12-13-13 71
J/109: 1. Current Obsession, Gary Mozer, Long Beach, CA, 5-3-3-2-1-1, 15 2. Tastes Like Chicken, Stephen Tedeschi, Newport, RI, 3-2-2-3-4-2, 16 3. Vitesse, Jon Halbert, Dallas, TX, 4-1-4-1-3-6, 19 5. Mojo Steve Rhyne, Seabrook, TX. 2-dsq-1-5-2-4, 25
IRC 1: 1. Hissar, Farr 60, Edgar Cato, Newport, RI, 3-1-2-1-3-1, 11 2. Numbers, CM 60, Daniel Meyers, Newport, RI, 1-2-4-2-1-2, 12 3. Artemis, Swan 601, Torbjorn Tornqvist, SWE, 6-8-1-5.5-4-3 27.5
IRC 2: 1. Magic Glove, Ker 50, Colm Barrington, Dublin, IRL, 6-1-1-1-3-1, 13 2. Windquest, TP52, Doug DeVos, Holland, MI, 2-2-2-2-2-3, 13 3. Samba Pa Ti, TP52, John Kilroy, San Francisco, CA, 1-3-5-3-1-4, 17
IRC 3: 1. Esmeralda, Swan 42, Makoto Uematsu, JPN, 2-2-1-1-2-1, 9 2. Spirit of Malouen, Stephane Neve, FRA, 1-1-3-2-1-2, 10 3. Better Than, Swan45, Andrzej Rojek, Newport, RI, 4-4-5-3-3-3, 22
PHRF 1: 1. BLUE, 1D48, Charles Buckner Hunts Point TX, 1-1-1-2-7-3, 15 2. Wairere Thompson 30 Pete Hunter Kill Devil Hill NC, 9-3-3-1-2-2, 20 3. Spaceman Spiff, 1D35 Robert Ruhlman, Cleveland, OH, 2-6-2-6-3-1, 20
PHRF 2: 1. Emocean, J/120, Bill Hanckel, Charleston, SC, 1-4-1-2 4-2, 14 2. Cash Flow, Hadley40, Lloyd Griffin ElizabethCity NC, 7-3-2-1-2-3, 18 3. Peregrine, J/120, Hunt Lawrence, Oyster Bay, NY, 3-6-9-4-3-1, 26
PHRF 3: 1. NKE Electronics Ben 10R Robert Oberg, Annapolis, MD, 2-2-1-1-1-1, 8 2. Manic, Beneteau 10R, C. Sheard, So Dartmouth, MA, 1-3-3-2-3-2, 14 3. Man-O-War, J/35, Tom Beery, Pascagoula, MS, 3-1-2-3-4-3, 16 6. Leading Edge Tom Sutton, Seabrook, TX. 5-9-8-5-2-7, 36
PHRF 4: 1. As-If, SR-33, Jeff Kitterman, Kemah, TX, 2-2-1-1-2-2, 10 2. Polar Express, J/92s Jeff Johnstone, Newport, RI, 4-1-3-3-4-4, 19 3. Esse, Esse 850, APY Syndicate, Annapolis, MD, 5-5-6-2-1-1, 20
PHRF 5: 1. Rhumb Punch, J/29, John/Linda Edwards Solomons MD, 1-1-1-1-2-1, 7 2. Liquor Box, T-10, Simon/Buckles, Key West, FL, 2-3-2-6-1-4, 18 3. Remedy, Donovan 27, Bert Carp, Annapolis, MD, 6-2-3-2-4-6, 23
PHRF 6: 1. Jazzy Jr Mariah 27, Dan Romano Farmington Hills MI, 1-1-2-1-4-1, 10 2. Island Flyer S2 7.9, Denny Manrique LkMinnetonka MN, 7-2-1-3-1-2, 16 3. En Charette, Noe 27, Paul Jennings, Branford, CT, 2-3-3-2-3-3, 16
January 17, Acura Key West. Tuesday brought another beautiful day of racing with the international fleet enjoying sunny skies and 80 degree temperatures. Early forecasts for light winds were unfounded as Race 3 was held in a 10-12 knot breeze, which increased to 12-14 for the afternoon start.
Switzerland syndicate Alinghi has seized control of the ultra-competitive Farr 40 class while the Italian contingent on Joe Fly holds a healthy lead in Melges 24. Italian teams are also setting the pace in the Melges 32 and Mumm 30 classes. No skipper has been hotter than Japan's Makoto Uematsu, who has placed first or second in all four races held so far.
Alinghi strengthened its hold on first in the Farr 40 as skipper Ernesto Bertarelli continued his impressive string of single-digit finishes in the loaded 17-boat class. Tactician Brad Butterworth made a crucial decision to help Alinghi win Tuesday畞s initial race and the Swiss team added a fifth in the second start to take a commanding 12-point lead over Opus, the German entry skippered by Wolfgang Stolz.
Joe Fly continued to distance itself from the competition in Melges 24, largest class in the regatta with 47 boats. Skipper Giovanni Maspero and the Italian team have been getting off the line in the front row and using superb boat speed to stay there.
Helmsman Gabrio Zandona and tactician Daniele Cassinari continued to show exceptional chemistry as Joe Fly posted a first and a third on Tuesday to bring its point total to seven. Blu Moon, a Swiss boat skippered by Franco Rossini, is a distant second with 21 points despite having posted a pair of seconds in four races.
Let's Roll has been equally impressive in the fledgling Melges 32 class, which has grown from eight boats in 2006 to 20 boats this year. Skipper Claudio Recchi and crew have gotten the gun in three of four starts and scored a mere six points after two days.
Another Italian team that has impressed early is Calvi Hiroshi, which leads the 10-entry Mumm 30 class. Skipper Armando Guilietti won both races on Monday then followed with a second on Tuesday and is three points up on Bruce Eddington's Southern Sun.
There were lead changes in the all three IRC classes on Tuesday. Hissar overtook Numbers in IRC 1, Windquest moved past Magic Glove in IRC 2 while Esmeralda jumped Spirit of Malouen in IRC 3.
Esmeralda, owned by Japanese industrialist Makota Uematsu, is hull No. 2 of the Club Swan 42 one-design that is making its competitive debut at Acura Key West 2007. The New York Yacht Club has purchased 21 of the German Frers-design while builder Nautor Swan has sold another dozen.
Texas boats: PHRF 1 1. BLUE 1D48 Charles Buckner, Galveston, TX. 1-1-1-2 Corsair 28R: 8. Ranger(p) Bruce Jenevein, Dallas, TX. 10-5-6-8-1-1-2 J-109: 1. Vitesse Jon Halbert, Dallas, TX. 4-1-4 5. Mojo Steve Rhyne, Seabrook, TX. 2-11/dsq-1-5 PHRF-3: 6. Leading Edge Tom Sutton, Seabrook, TX. 5-9-8-5 PHRF-4: 1. As-If Jeff Kitterman, Kemah, TX. 2-2-1-1 Melges-24: Competition in this Class is at all time high - with 12 boats from Europe (seven of whichFor all Results go to: http://www.premiere-racing.com/07_KW_Results/kw07_results_reports.htm
are in the top ten), SailTexas salutes Shawn Grisham in mid-fleet, and beating three hot shots from Europe. 27. Bulls Eye Shawn Grisham, Dallas, TX. 23-32-21-35 J-80: 3. Kicks Bill Rose, League City, TX. 3-2-5-6 7. Parsons Project Paul Parsons, Houston, TX. 10-6-6-10 10. Le Cluster Walter Caldwell, Seabrook, TX, 7-9-8-13 11. BlkRiver Racing Doug Strebel, Kemah, TX, 18/dnc-18/dnc-2-1
USA98 under sail [N.Z. January 17] for the first time in N.Z.
Photo: Ivor Wilkins
USA 98, BMW Oracle Racing's, sailed for the first time Tuesday after being launched at the team's training base here. The first sail consisted of structural and technical tests on the Hauraki Gulf in Auckland. The team will first confirm the structural soundness of the new boat before race training begins. "The report card comes when we sail with the boat fully-loaded in race mode but for sailing right out of the box, 98 feels pretty special," skipper Chris Dickson said. "We will start putting USA 98 through the paces later this week."
Both USA 87 and USA 98 represent collaboration between two of the world's leading yacht designers - Bruce Farr and Juan Kouyoumdjian. The design team's strategy called for each boat to have its own special strengths and distinct features rather than building two identical boats.
USA89 far left and USA87 on arrival at N.Z., training Camp January 15.
Photo: Ivor Wilkins
A comparison of both boats in the photo (while shrouded), appears to show, that there is considerable difference in their 'bow's' (could of course be padding under the shroud!).
it is believed USA87 has had major surgery - having its bow and stern replaced and keel shifted. Now, USA98 appears to be more in line with Team New Zealand's boats. The key similarity is more volume in the bow, despite there being differences in the profile. But it's thought USA98 and NZLs 84 and 92 are similar under the water - Julie Ash, NZ.Herald. For full article go to: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/search/story.cfm?storyid=000A4121-9C33-15AC-877483027AF1010F
January 16, Acura Key West 2007. Solid winds, sunny skies and warm temperatures ushered in Acura Key West 2007, on Monday. Those factors resulted in a glorious start for a fleet of 260 boats, which for the first time in the 20-year history of the regatta is believed to include visiting royalty.
Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark made his Key West debut in the talent-laden Farr 40 class and came away very impressed with the competition and conditions he found off the Conch Republic. An easterly breeze that held firm around 10-12 knots, enabled organizers to open the five-day regatta with two races for all 17 classes.
Syndicate head Ernesto Bertarelli has four members of his America's Cup team aboard his Farr 40 for this regatta and an opposing skipper said Alinghi's crew work was impeccable. "As usual in this sport, the team that makes the fewest mistakes tends to win. Alinghi is awesome in that regard. Their tacks are crisp, their mark roundings are sharp and that ultimately grinds you down," said John Demourkas, skipper of second place Groovederci. Alinghi, which leads Groovederci by four points, was presented with the Nautica Watches Boat of the Day award.
Veteran pro Jeff Madrigali is calling tactics for fellow Californian Demourkas (Santa Barbara), who is still chasing his first major victory in Farr 40. "Jeff did a great job of getting us out of the blocks today. Our starts were fantastic and Jeff was picking the shifts real well," Demourkas said. "It's comforting to put up two good results early, but we have to keep our nose to the grindstone in order to stay in contention."
Numbers, a Carroll Marine 60-footer skippered by Dan Meyers of Newport, R.I., is the early pacesetter in IRC 1, which features the eight largest entries at Acura Key West 2007. Meyers has a star-studded crew that includes America's Cup and Volvo Ocean Race veterans Hamish Pepper (tactician), Erle Williams (trimmer) and Jerry Kirby (bow).
"I'm fortunate to have a group of really good guys who all perform their jobs at a high level, which makes my job easy," said Meyers, who won Race 1 going away then tacked on a second in Race 2. "Hamish just won the Star Worlds so we're happy he joined the team. This is our first time sailing together, but our chemistry seems pretty good."
Skipper Giovanni Maspero and crew aboard Joe Fly got off to a terrific start in Melges 24, largest class in the regatta with 47 entries. Helmsman Gabrio Zandona and tactician Daniele Cassinari were in sync throughout while the crew work was flawless.
John Kilroy is debuting his new Boltin & Carkeek-designed Transpac 52 in Key West and the early returns were positive. Volvo veteran Stu Bannatyne called tactics as Kilroy steered Samba Pa Ti to the early lead in IRC 2 with a first and a third.
"This is our first major regatta with this boat so we are still learning it. We're a little behind the curve, but we are certainly pleased with how we're progressing," Kilroy said. "We wanted this to be an all-around boat for doing a combination of offshore and buoy racing and seems to be performing the way we hoped."
One of the true legends of the sport celebrated his 70th birthday at Acura Key West 2007. Rod Johnstone is the founder and creative force behind J/Boats, a popular series of performance one-designs that comprise a whopping 31-percent of the 260-boat fleet. Johnstone is sailing on of his company's designs- Loose Fish, a J/120 owned by John Niewenhous of Sag Harbor, N.Y. "Those of us from the northeast tend to do better toward the end of the week after a few days of warm up," said Johnstone, who was delighted to become a septuagenarian on the opening day of Key West. "This is the best place to go for sailing. We had our ups and downs, but there were perfect conditions today."
Three generations of Johnstones are here this week with Rodney's granddaughter Rachel and son Jeff (current president of J/Boats) sailing on the J/92 Polar Express.
For all Results go to: http://www.premiere-racing.com/07_KW_Results/kw07_results_reports.htm
Tom Sutton's PHRF-3 Leading Edge & Jeff Kittermans PHRF-4 As-if from Houston, Texas, waiting to be launched at the Navy Basin.
Photo: Ken Stanek
January 15, Acura Key West 2007. Ideal Conditions Greet Key West's Twentieth - Warmth and Wind Predicted for Acura Key West 2007, that starts today [Monday]. "If you are a serious sailor, you never want to miss Key West," said Adrian Stead, a veteran professional from Great Britain. "Back in Southampton, it's cold and nasty right now. Here, the conditions are always awesome and the competition is always fantastic."
Sailors throughout the world know that Key West delivers in January, which is why they have come back religiously year after year. Organizers can just about guarantee eight or nine races over five days so competitors certainly get their money's worth.
Acura Key West 2007, begins today and runs through Friday, has drawn another top-notch fleet of 260 boats in 17 classes. America's Cup competitors, world champions and even a crowned prince have come to the Conch Republic to help Premiere Racing celebrate two decades of success.
Alinghi Racing, the current America's Cup holder, has brought its Farr 40 program here for the second time. Ernesto Bertarelli, a Switzerland native who made his fortune in the biotech industry, is the founder and head of the Alinghi syndicate. Bertarelli is an outstanding sailor in his own right and will be aboard Alinghi as strategist when the team defends the Cup later this year off Valencia, Spain. Bertarelli will serve as skipper/helmsman aboard his Farr 40 and will have four members of his America's Cup team aboard, including tactician Brad Butterworth. Both Bertarelli and Butterworth feel Key West is a great training ground.
Melges 24 is once again the largest class at Acura Key West with 48 boats. Defending champion Dave Ullman, a sailmaker from San Diego, headlines a typically star-studded fleet that also includes 2004 winner Philippe Ligot (La Rochelle, France) and 2003 winner Franco Rossini (Lugano, Switzerland).
J/105 is the second-largest class with 33 entries and is headlined by a two-time champion in Masquerade, skippered by Thomas Coates of San Francisco. Ullman and Coates are among nine winners from Acura Key West 2006 who have returned to defend their titles.
A new class has emerged in force this year with the Melges 32 fielding 20 boats in just its second year in existence. Two new designs - the Beneteau 10R and J/92 - also make their debut with enough entries to earn one-design sub-class status.
An interesting addition this year is the PHRF National Championship. All PHRF class winners will be eligible for the crown, which will be determined by an average speed formula.
Title Sponsor Acura is the Official Vehicle. Presenting Sponsor Nautica Watches is the Official Timekeeper. Day Sponsor Mount Gay Rum is the Official Rum. Supporting sponsors are B&G (Official Marine Electronics), Everglades Boats (Official Mark Boat), Lewmar (Official Marine Hardware), New England Ropes (Official Rope), SLAM (Official Technical Gear), and Sperry Top-Sider (Official Footwear). Supplier Spaten is the Official Beer.
For Results go to: http://www.premiere-racing.com/07_KW_Results/kw07_results_reports.htm
Safety at Sea. In light of the growing concerns over safety at sea in the some of the world's high-profile ocean yacht races, Volvo Ocean Race organizers have added a new man-overboard detection device to its Notice of Race 2008-09.
Launched at the London Boatshow, the new self-initiated digital-sonar alarm known as the Mermaid id is the brainchild of Matt Hazell - managing director of First Light Solutions. Hazell designed the product for the BBC's Dragon's Den programme and in doing so secured 100,000 funding from 'business angel' Richard Fareleight in August last year.
The Mermaid id is still very much in its testing/development phase which means that VOR organisers hope to be very much involved in ensuring the product is designed to specifically meet the needs of the competitors of the VOR. In the new VOR Notice of Race the Mermaid id will be mandatory for all crews -- Yachting World, full story: http://www.ybw.com/auto/newsdesk/20070012160938ywnews.html
The multihull Stars & Stripes, owned by Steve and Scott Liebel (Bradenton, Fla.), broke the multihull race record in the 2007 Fort Lauderdale to Key West Race. Reporting maximum boat speed at 32 knots during the race, Stars & Stripes crossed the finish line with an elapsed time of 8 hours, 31 minutes, 4 seconds to take line honors, smashing the old record of 10 hours, 11 minutes established in 2005 by Zephyr.
This year's running of the 160-nautical mile race, which began on January 10, was one of the fastest, with consistent wind of 20-plus-knots the entire night, giving the fleet "a fast and fun experience," as one crew member characterized it. In fact, this is the third time in the past five years that a race record has been broken. Four boats retired early from the race due to damage.
The overall IRC fleet winner, on corrected time, was Decision, the R/P 52 owned by Stephen Murray Jr. (New Orleans, La.), which also won the seven-boat IRC A class. The overall winner in the PHRF fleet, Dreadnought, was one of two entries from the U.S. Naval Academy and skippered by Midshipman Burchett (Annapolis, Md.) -- Media Pro Int'l, Fort Lauderdale to Key West Race results are online at: http://www.yachtscoring.com
January 9, Optimist Worlds. Julian Autenrieth from the Bayerischer Y.C., Germany is the 2006 IODA World Champion. The final day of the championship was nail-biting! Race 15a was completed by 1230 in shifting winds but several attempts to sail the other four divisions were abandoned as the Race Committee and sailors waited in 32稗 heat for the huge swings to give way to the incoming northerly.
By chance Julian was in the same start as the overnight leader Griselda Khng (SIN). His target was to finish in the top nine and two points ahead of his rival. This he did with very little to spare and emerged as champion by just two points. Latin American sentiment was consoled by the well-deserved bronze taken by Edgar Diminich of Ecuador who, at 55kg, contradicted the idea that this was a regatta for lightweights.
Champions of girls' sailing may regret that we do not have a female champion to follow Tina Lutz's 2005 win but it is notable that 7 of the top 21 sailors were female. Top three North Americans of the 228 entrants were Ramon Gonzalez (23, Puerto Rico), Antoine Screve (29, USA), and Jose D Reyes Marin (34, Mexico) -- http://www.optimistworlds.org.uy
Top three [259 sailors]: 1. Julian Autenrieth GER 72 1-1-9-12-5-5-3-(38)-(20)-14-3-12-1-1-4-6 2. Griselda Khng SIN 74 8-(15)-8-8-1-7-(78/OCS)-4-1-8-11-6-1-1-10 3. Edgar Diminich ECU 35 2-18-17-1-(78/BFD)-1-6-1-(34)-4-1-9-2-10-18 US: 29. Antonie Screve USA 219 12-11-41-3-29-40-(78/OCS)-32-8-1-17-25-10-8-(23/RDG) 63. Perason69Potts USA 305 41-9-12-(62)-32-(49)-37-7-21-33-24-20-32-37-37 81. Taylor69Lutz USA 366 54-36-3-15-31-9-36-32-31-9-(57)-33-(56)-54-26 125. Nick69Johnstone USA 439 65-1-(78/DNF)-33-14-56-7-20-35-(78/OCS)-61-21-48-54-24Full Results: http://www.optimistworlds.org.uy/results/overall-results.htm
Photo: Ivor Wilkins
January 8, BMW-Oracle 98. As you see early this (Monday, January 8) morning in Auckland, N.Z., our logistics magician, Scotty Sandford (NZL), saw to it that our new ACC yacht, USA 98, was safely and quietly delivered into the boat shed at our temporary "summer training" base on Halsey St. in Auckland.
This was the successful culmination of months of tri-continent planning and finely-tuned execution by, among others, our ops jefe Laurent "Leroy" Esquier (FRA), logisitics/basing manager Grant "Guthrie" Davidson (NZL), yacht construction manager Mark Turner (NZL) and his intrepid gang in Anacortes, shore team manager Tim Hacket (NZL), and our marketing/pr team.
An excerpt from the communique Jane "Vale" Eagleson (USA), our PR maven, is sending today to team members, families and sponsor/partners about our latest campaign milepost....
USA 98 slipped into our temporary base in Auckland, New Zealand this morning under the cover of darkness after the long journey by road and sea from Anacortes, WA, USA. Scott Sandford, our New Zealand Logistics Manager, accompanied the boat for the final leg of its journey overnight from Tauranga, New Zealand to Auckland. Shrink-wrapped and strapped onto the flatbed truck, the boat arrived to the Viaduct at about 4:30 am. Boat construction manager Mark Turner and shore team manager Tim Hacket were at the base to unload the new yacht from the truck into the boat shed. Shortly after 5am, the boat was safely unloaded before the sun was even up.
Later in the morning, it was like the first day back to school after summer break. Team members arrived to work after their Christmas holidays excited and refreshed for the New Year. The arrival of the new boat had the guys pumped and the base was humming as the boat-building team, shore team and those sailing team here all pitched in to start prepping for next week畞s sailing. Most of the sailing team arrives in New Zealand in the next week.
USA 98 will be launched for the first time next week and then the sailing team will conduct sea trials before race training begins. USA 71, which sailed in Auckland last month, will serve as the trial horse for the new race yacht. The team will focus on crew preparation for the 2007 Cup season with an intensive sailing program over the next 5 weeks.
So that's the latest -- the first (design), second (construction) and third (shipping to NZL) phases of 98's mission are accomplished, and so far so good. On with the fitting out, testing, and training.
This, too, is the first confirmation of 98 as our second sail number. Once, however, Luna Rossa announced a few weeks back that they had 94, it would have become obvious to most that the two remaining unclaimed numbers -- 98 and 100 -- belonged to BMWOR and Alinghi respectively. Now the world knows for sure, not that it's a big deal. But to those of you who thought our second boat was 94 or 96, better luck next time.
Is 98 auspicious? Time will tell. But in the meantime, it can only be a good sign that number 98 is the atomic number for the element californium. And there is some elegance to the sequence 76-87-98.
Photo: Manlio Ferrari
Optimist Worlds. Subject to confirmation the Optimist World Championship is now mathematically a three horse race. With the second and final discard taken Griselda Khng of Singapore has a two point lead over Julian Autenrieth (GER). Edgar Diminich of Ecuador is still theoretically in contention. Stephanie Zimmermann (PER) and Rufina Tan (MAS) are the only sailors who can dislodge these three from the podium and we could have a record six girls in the top 20.
Three races were sailed today in 10-12 knots with gusts. Current was quite strong towards the end of racing but this did not seem to disturb the leaders, even Julian who is a lake sailor from Bavaria. Fortunately the weather was somewhat cooler than the 30 degrees plus experienced earlier in the week. One race remains to be sailed tomorrow.
Singapore seem set to walk away with the Miami Herald Trophy for the best aggregate score of their top four sailors, all of whom are in the top 20, to add to their team racing gold. The big question is whether they can take all three gold medals. -- Robert Wilkes
Top three [259 sailors]: 1. Griselda Khng SIN 64 8-(15)-8-8-1-7-(OCS)-4-1-8-11-6-1-1 2. Julian Autenrieth GER 66 1-1-9-12-5-5-3-(38)-(20)-14-3-12-1-1-4 3. Edgar Diminich ECU 72 2-18-17-1-(BFD)-1-6-1-(34)-4-1-9-2-10 US: 25. Antonie Screve USA 196 12-11-(41)-3-29-40-(OCS)-32-8-1-17-25-10-8 63. Perason69Potts USA 305 41-9-12-(62)-32-(49)-37-7-21-33-24-20-32-37 89. Taylor69Lutz USA 343 54-36-3-15-31-9-36-32-31-9-(57)-33-(56)-54 125. Nick69Johnstone USA 415 65-1-(DNF)-33-14-56-7-20-35-(OCS)-61-21-48-54http://www.optimistworlds.org.uy
American Ken Barnes whose round-the-world journey was frustrated by a yacht-destroying storm reached land [Punta Arenas, Chile] on Sunday, saying he did not regret attempting to sail solo non-stop around the globe.
Looking relaxed and calm in a cloth jacket and jeans, Ken Barnes said he spent little time thinking about his situation when a storm left him adrift for three days more than 800 kilometres west of the southern tip of the Chilean coast.
"I was kind of busy," he said. Barnes, who told reporters he was "doing very well," was brought to Punta Arenas by aircraft after he was rescued Friday by the fishing trawler Pesca Polar 1, backed by Chilean navy aircraft.
Barnes said things happened very fast when the storm struck on Tuesday, making the ketch "roll 360 degrees." He said he quickly lost his steering wheel and power generators. The boat's two masts were broken. Water entered the yacht through two holes he could not close.
Barnes reported his emergency Tuesday to his fiance Cathy Chambers in California with his still-working satellite phone and sent a distress signal that was picked by the U.S. Coast Guard, which contacted the Chilean navy - Toronto Star: http://www.thestar.com/News/article/168720
January 5, Opti Worlds. Singapore have won the Optimist Team Racing World Championship, the first time ever for an Asian team.
After an easy victory over Puerto Rico in Round 1, they beat successively the strong opposition of New Zealand and Japan before overcoming three times gold medallists Peru in the final.
In the repechage following the surprise victory of the Netherlands over strong favourites Argentina, Germany beat Japan to take bronze.
Results at: http://www.optiworld.org/06TRRES.jpg
January 4, Optimist Worlds. More than 50 countries are in Uruguay, to the Yacht Club Uruguayo, to celebrate the Optimist World's Championship. More than 340 sailors, team leaders and coaches will be around our Yacht Club Uruguayo. An extraordinary event, declared as National Interest for the Government of Uruguay, in which more than 230 young sailors - five from the US [Taylor Lutz is from Houston] will sail the waters of our Rio de la Plata -- http://www.optimistworlds.org.uy/index.html
All Boats [229 boats competing]: 1. GER Julian Autenrieth 28 1-1-9-12-5 2. NZL Marcus Hansen 38 20-13-3-1-1 3. SIN Griselda Khng 41 8-15-8-9-1 USA: 20. USA Antonie Screve 95 12-11-40-3-29 55. USA Taylor Lutz 139 54-36-3-15-31 65. USA Perason Potts 150 40-9-12-57-32 107. USA Nick Johnstone 192 65-1-78\DNF-34-14 193. USA Jordan Factor 272 78\OCS-31-49-36-78\BFDhttp://www.optimistworlds.org.uy/results/series-summary.htm
Possible Women's High Performance Dinghy event at the 2012 Olympic's. An evaluation event analyzing equipment will be held in Hyeres, France from 16-19 April 2007. The event will look at whether there are suitable boats for a High Performance Dinghy event for a crew of two women. The ISAF Council decided to hold an evaluation event for a Women's High Performance Dinghy in advance of the decision on the ten events for the 2012 Olympic Games, which will be made at the 2007 ISAF Annual Conference this November in Athens, Greece.
Amongst the fundamental criteria set out by ISAF are:
- The boat must be a monohull
- The dinghy must be able to sail faster off the wind than the wind
- The dinghy is for a crew of two women (average combined weight
120-140 kgs)
- Targeting a price of 14,500 Euros ready to sail
A report on the Evaluation Event will be completed by the ISAF Mid-Year Meeting, to be held in Paris, France from 4-6 May. http://www.sailing.org
420 Worlds, Takapuna Boating Club, New Zealand. Kiwis dominate in preliminary results after day one of the 420 World Championships, with four in the top five in both the open and the women's division on the waters off Takapuna Boating Club on Auckland's North Shore in New Zealand.
Blustery winds gusting up to 30 knots from the southwest prevailed over the race course. The only US 420 sailors are Stine Paeper/Catherine Chimney of Bucklands Beach YC, competing in the Women's 420 fleet, and they suffered from the 30 knots with a DNF in race one, a DNC in race two, with a 33rd in race three.
Defending World Champions, Carl Evans and Peter Burling (NZL) lead the open fleet after three races, with two wins and a second. Jo Aleh and Olivia Powie (NZL) lead the women's fleet after two races sailed. -- http://www.420sailing.org.nz/420%20WORLDS%20WEBSITE/index.htm
January 3, US SAILING Launches New Elite Youth Development Sailing Team. US SAILING, national governing body for the sport, today has announced the launch of a new US Elite Youth Development Sailing Team. Created to provide a national coaching, educational, administrative, and financial support structure for young athletes who have been identified as future Olympic prospects, this team will consist of the country's top youth sailors in the Laser and Laser Radial. To help the athletes gain more sailing experience at the highest levels, members of the Team will travel to major international regattas worldwide and be supported by elite-level coaches.
US SAILING is currently accepting applications from sailors under 21 years old for the 2007 US Elite Youth Development Sailing Team. Team members will be selected by sailing resume and all applicants must be current members of US SAILING. Sailors interested in being considered for the team should e-mail their sailing resume to US SAILING's High Performance Director Gary Bodie at Olympics@ussailing.org. The application deadline is February 1, 2007.
"We strive to support our athletes who will compete in the Olympic Games, not only in 2008, but also in 2012, 2016 and beyond," said Dean Brenner, chairman of US SAILING's Olympic Sailing Committee (OSC). "We are focusing on elite youth development, and initially on singlehanded classes. Over time, our intention is to broaden this program to include other Olympic classes."
The US Elite Youth Development Sailing Team is managed by US SAILING, national governing body of the sport. Headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, US SAILING's mission is to encourage participation and promote excellence in sailing in the U.S. US SAILING offers training and education programs, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country, including the US Sailing Teams and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Sailing Teams. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org.
January 2, America's Cup. Am pleased to report that Commodore Jones has just issued the Valencia Louis Vuitton Act 13 NOR as well, which has been forwarded by email to all Challenger Reps and Alternates same as the LVC NOR was earlier this evening - Tom Ehman [2150 Sunday Update].
The Challenger Commission (CC) has worked with Dyer on this document for more than a year. Your Ed. chairs the NOR working party, and it is with great pleasure and more than a bit of a relief that we are able to report this achievement to you tonight.
Our goal had been to have the NOR out before Christmas; we didn't quite make it, but at least it is out before the end of the year, even if only just.
Early in the New Year we will post the NOR on the Challenger Commission Blog, and explain some of the nuances and novel features. When you read it, I think you will agree that the NOR helps fulfill the CC's goals of selecting the Challenger that will face the Defender in the Cup, and developing the best possible Challenger -- one that can achieve the CC's mission "To relieve the Defender from the burden of holding the Cup." -- Tom Ehman, http://challengercommission.com
Just three months from today, on 1 April 2007, all Challengers and the Defender are required to "unveil" and thereafter may no longer use "skirts" or "shrouds" to hide the underbodies of their ACC yachts.
Australia II, during the 1983 Cup at Newport, was the first yacht to skirt (at least in the modern era). Following the 1992 Cup in San Diego, rules were established to require the two AC finalists to unveil prior to the Match. This proved popular and the unveiling date was moved earlier in Auckland for the 2000 and 2003 Cups, to just before the start of the LVC finals. For AC 32, the Defender and Challenger of Record agreed in the Protocol to move the unveiling date even earlier, to just before the start of Act 13. This we think will be a popular move with the sponsors, media and fans, to say nothing of the sailors who are not fond of grappling with the wet, often slimy skirts at the start and end of each day's sailing.
The framework of the unveiling procedure for Sunday 1 April (which, coincidentally, is April Fools' Day in the USA among other places) has been agreed by ACM, the Challenger Commission and the Defender along the following lines, which we are in the process of formalizing into a proper tri-party agreement:
Key Dates:
Sat 31 Mar 07 -- Declaration Day.
Sun 1 Apr -- Unveiling Day.
Mon 2 Apr -- Act 13 "No Change Period" begins 24 hours before the
first race.
Tue 3 Apr -- Act 13 Races 1 & 2, as previously published.
http://challengercommission.com