Louis Vuitton Act 4 Results In VALENCIA, Spain-The stoics will tell you that a win is a win, especially in Act 4 of the Louis Vuitton Cup where the final results will be based on a single round robin of match racing. But today, Day 3 of the regatta, had at least two races where the pressure and spectator interest spiked. The first flight of the day saw four previously unbeaten teams racing in two matches that somewhat clarified the top of the pecking order among the 12 teams competing for the 32nd America’s Cup. Emirates Team New Zealand and Alinghi emerged from the day with perfect 6-0 records, while rivals BMW Oracle and Luna Rossa Challenge are now a point behind. For the full story, check out http://sailingworld.com/article.jsp?ID=37351&typeID=399&catID=0 Follow the racing at americascup.com Faraday Mill OSTAR 2005 NEWPORT, R.I. (June 19, 2005)–Following the dawn arrival of Cotonella in Newport on 16 June to take line honours for Franco Manzoli, there was only a gap of some 9 hours before the arrival of Roger Langevin in Branec IV. Roger was in turn followed only two and a half hours later by Piere Antoine in Spirit. This is one of the closest finishes in OSTAR history and a true reflection of the ultimate Corinthian challenge. The skippers of the two French yachts had spent a frustrating final night plagued by fickle winds offshore, whilst the Italian skipper of Cotonella, Franco managed to sneak in from the North keeping closer inshore and finding a good breeze enabling him to snatch victory from the two French rivals grasp. Plagued by light winds on the final approaches to Newport on 18 June, Steve White brought Olympian Challenger over the finish line at 16.39 UT taking over 4 hours to cover the final 11 miles. Olympian Challenger is the first monohull to finish in The Faraday Mill OSTAR 2005. www.faradaymillostar2005.co.uk/ McLube Continues As Official Sponsor Of US Sailing Teams PORTSMOUTH, R.I. (June 15, 2005)–US SAILING, national governing body for the sport, has announced that Team McLube, a division of McGee Industries in Aston, Pa., has renewed its decade-long partnership with US SAILING as the “Official Lubricant Supplier” to the US Sailing Teams, which include the US Sailing Team, US Disabled Sailing Team, and the US Youth World Team. Under the multi-year agreement, which runs through 2009, Team-members will receive high performance lubricants specifically designed for marine use. For more information on McLube products, visit www.mclube.com. For more information, please visit www.ussailing.org Maxi Yachts Genuine Risk, Morning Glory and Peligroso to Join Fleet SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (June 14, 2005)–With three months until this September’s Rolex Big Boat Series, many of the world’s top maxi yacht programs are making plans to compete in the West Coast classic. Race organizers at the St. Francis Yacht Club confirmed the entries of three maxis: Genuine Risk, the Dubois 90 owned by Randall Pitman; Morning Glory, the MaxZ86 owned by Hasso Platner (Germany) with Russell Coutts and Morgan Larson sharing tactician duties; and Peligroso, the Dencho 70 owned by Mike Campbell and Dale Williams. (Long Beach, Calif.). For the first time in its 41-year history, the Rolex Big Boat Series will take competitors out of the San Francisco Bay, past the Golden Gate Bridge and into the Pacific Ocean as part of an extended racecourse. The 2005 Rolex Big Boat Series is scheduled for September 15-18 and is expected to draw over 100 boats in 12 one-design and IRC handicap classes. “Due to the size, speed and draft of the maxis, we need to take them outside the Golden Gate Bridge,” said John Craig, StFYC’s race manager. “Ideally, we’re trying to get an 18- to 24-mile racecourse and that’s hard to do on the San Francisco Bay.” Craig also noted that special docking arrangements are being set-up at the city’s Pier 45, on Fisherman’s Wharf, next door to the ferry terminal for Alcatraz, as the basin aside the StFYC is too shallow to accommodate the maxis. Although racing on San Francisco Bay is considered an inshore venue and not the typical maxi boat arena, the Rolex Big Boat Series annually attracts some of the world’s top ocean racers eager to face the challenge of California’s famed Golden Gate, one of the world’s most tumultuous bodies of water. Up to 335 feet deep and only a mile and a quarter wide, the Golden Gate is the largest California coastal opening — a portal into which the Pacific Ocean surges. Powerful currents also flow in the opposite direction, as water from many of Northern California’s freshwater rivers and streams rushes into San Francisco Bay. This freshwater flow collides with the incoming Pacific, creating complex and violent currents. At 2.3 million cubic feet per second, these currents pump one-sixth of the volume of the San Francisco Bay through the Gate and into the Pacific Ocean every day. For more information about the Rolex Big Boat Series, contact the St. Francis Yacht Club Race Office at 415-563-6363 or www.stfyc.org JPMAM Round the Island 2005 Event Roundup COWES, United Kingdom (June 20, 2005)–For many of the 1,648 competitors in the JPMorgan Round the Island Race, held on 18th June 2005, the day turned out to be a longer one than expected. The breeze was often light and variable, but the sun shone and everyone found keen competition in their own particular section of the event as they raced the 50 miles round the Isle of Wight. After an hour’s postponement followed by a gentle breeze at the start, the breeze picked up as the front of the fleet neared The Needles and beat down to St Catherine’s in a south-easterly, but once round the corner there were some very large wind holes near Ventnor before a further beat to Bembridge and a final run up the eastern Solent. Given these conditions, this was never going to be a record-breaking year. The first boat home, unusually, was a monohull, the state-of-the-art New Zealand super-maxi “Cityindex Maximus” (Bill Buckley/Charles Brown) which completed the 50 mile circumnavigation in 7 hours and 1 minute to take the Observer Trophy. Just 39 seconds adrift, and first in the multihulls, was the trimaran “Nuvu Hiva 2” chartered from Brittany-based Team Ocean by Deutsche Bank. Skipper Robert Gray, Chairman of UK Investment Banking, was delighted to receive the Freedom Challenge Bowl, particularly since three years ago Deutsche Bank’s race was cut short when they were unable to find clear water to tack and grounded at Lepe Spit after the first beat. They made up for this the next year, winning the trophy on “Eure et Loire” sailing with Francis Joyon. The Gold Roman Bowl for the top placed IRC rated entry was won by a 25 foot Hamble-based quarter tonner “Purple Haze” (Tony Dodd). “Sareema” (Robert McLeod), a traditional Westerly Fulmar family cruiser was runner-up just 1 minute and 40 seconds behind with “Cloud Nine” (Magnus Wheatley) a further 36 seconds adrift. Several competitors who had come from further afield found success including “Flying Neleb” (Federico Garcia-German) over from Santander to compete in the Swan European Regatta which won IRC6. Dutch entries “Swarte Swaen” (Albert Doets) and “Djambo” (Rem Schuijt) also topped their classes. Terry Rowe’s bright red Corby 25 “Drake’s Drum” took the Silver Gilt Roman Bowl as first overall ISC Rating System boat followed by “Vigilant” (William Norris). The first Grand Prix multihull on corrected time was “Paradox” a Dazcat 33 built originally for a paraplegic sailor to compete in the Round Britain and Ireland Race, but now owned by brothers Simon and Matt Baker from Cornwall. Island Sailing Club Commodore Peter Dickson, on duty at race control, was delighted to see his Hunter 707 finish first in class, sailed by son Simon, daughter Helen and her fianc. The Family Trophy, donated by Yachting Monthly, went to the Cowes-based Contessa 33 “Antilope” skippered by Willem Wester, with his wife Heleen, son Allan, daughter Minka and grandson Andrew (13) in the crew, repeating their success of two years ago. More information at roundtheisland.org.uk Lands’ End Chicago NOOD CHICAGO, IL (June 19, 2005)- The Lands’ End Chicago NOOD wrapped up over the weekend, with Natalie J taking home the overall prize. For complete coverage from each day as well as race results, please visit http://sailingworld.com/sw_nood.jsp?typeID=403&catID=601 Tornado Worlds Wrap-up LA ROCHELLE, France (June 19, 2005 )–Race 9 had nothing less than 19 boats black-flagged, including provisional leaders ESP Fernando Echavarri and Anton Paz, which, at that point, cost them the title. The Spanish team entered the last day of the event with 11 points separating them from runner-up GBR Leigh McMillan and Will Howden. The situation changed dramatically with his black-flag plus the second place the British got in the race – McMillan and Howden were now 23 points ahead. ESP Toni Rivas and Fabian Escude were the winners of the race and GBR Hugh Styles and Graham Vials, third. The conditions again were similar to yesterday: sea-breeze 8 to 9 knots. But the wind dropped and Race 10 started under shifty and light winds and had to be cancelled once the breeze died completely. ESP Echavarri and Paz put in a protest for redress as soon as they arrived on-shore. They had evidence that they were actually not over the line. After a long hearing the Jury ruled them correct and they were granted the redress which put them back in first place and World Champions. “We were definitely not over the line and we were lucky enough to have evidence of that. We were being very, very careful and I wouldn’t risk the title by doing such a mistake!! We have been training hard, we have been sailing well. It was time for a reward – we are the World Champions! Gee are we happy!!!” explains Echavarri with a big smile on his face. “It’s very cool to be the Youth World Champions! Now our goal is to sail as well as the top guys!!!” says FRA Baptiste Balzeau. The Youth team finished 26th overall. TOP 5 1. ESP Echavarri/Paz 43.90 2. GBR McMillan/Howden 48.00 3. FRA Revil/Espagnon 76.00 4. GER Polgar/Spalteholz 78.00 5. FRA Guichard/Guyader 83.00 For more information, please visit tornado.org Storm Trysail Club Block Island Race Week XXI Presented by Rolex BLOCK ISLAND, R.I. (May 19, 2005) — The population of Block Island, a tiny island 10 miles off the coast of Rhode Island known for its cozy community and stunning vistas, has swelled by over 2000 sailors, while the island’s marinas have filled with an additional 189 boats that have arrived to compete in a week of sailing that has repeated itself here biennially since 1965. The Storm Trysail Club’s Block Island Race Week XXI presented by Rolex kicks off tomorrow, and the pre-event bustle is intense, matched only by an eagerness among the sailing world’s brightest stars to get started. “Surprisingly, it’s my first time here, so I’m really excited” said Mark Reynolds, the Olympic Star Gold Medalist from San Diego who is rejoining his 2002 Farr 40 World Champion team aboard Steve and Maxine Phillips’s Annapolis-based Le Renard. The 12 Farr 40s entered comprise one of eight one-design classes that in total add 85 boats to the regatta mix. Ed Adams, who in contrast to Reynolds, says he has “lost count” of how many of these Block Island Race Weeks he has done, will call tactics aboard Fred and Steve Howe’s California entry Warpath. From Monaco comes Peter de Ridder’s Mean Machine, with California brothers Matt and Jeff Reynolds aboard. No relation to Mark Reynolds, the duo also was part of the Le Renard World Champion team. Also racing are California’s John Demourkas, driving Groovederci with Canadian Olympic Star medallist Ross McDonald aboard, and New York’s John Thomson, taking the helm of Solution with Connecticut’s Tom Whidden as tactician. Almost equal in their percentages of fleet composition are four classes of IRC boats, totaling 50 boats, and five classes of PHRF boats with a total of 55 boats. IRC, a popular handicap rating method used worldwide, is making its debut at this race week, having recently been embraced by the Storm Trysail Club along with several other prominent yachts clubs and sailing organizations. Among the IRC contenders sailing in the star-studded Super Zero class (for the event’s largest yachts) are Tom Hill’s Farr 60 Titan XII, Dan Myers’ Farr 60 Numbers, Edgar Catos’ Farr 60 Hissar, and David Ford’s TP52 Lightwave. Chris Canales will take the helm of the U.S. Naval Academy’s Farr 49 Hellcat in the next class down, the IRC Zero class, while the U.S. Coast Guard Academy will be represented by the Nelson/Marek 43 Agincourt in IRC One class and Gem in the Farr 40 class. Not to be outdone, the Merchant Marine Academy has entered both Nimbus and Columbia in the Farr 40 class. Race Week veterans include, in IRC One class, Chuck Townsend, sailing his IMX 40 T-Squared and Jim and Tom Rich, sailing their custom 42 Settler; in IRC Zero class, Steve Benjamin aboard the ILC 40 High Noon; in IRC Two class, Morton Weintraub aboard his Express 37 Troubador. Block Island Race Week’s best overall performer from 2004, Pretty Sketchy, skippered by Thomas Enright, also has returned to sail in the largest class at the regatta, the J/105 class with 21 entrants. Along with the J/105s, three other J/boat classes (J/44, J/120, J/109) are competing. The J/109s are contesting their East Coast Championships here and are enjoying their largest-ever turnout for an East Coast event (16 boats). The event also serves as the Farr 395 North American Championship and the Beneteau New England Championship. “It looks like we’re going to have good conditions,” said Race Chairman John Fisher. “Tomorrow we’ll see the end of the northeasterlies and the beginning of southwesterlies (favorable winds that prevail in summertime).” Four fleets will sail on four different courses, divided into Red, White, Blue and Green. The Red, White and Blue Fleets will race windward/leeward courses, sailing for class trophies and coveted Rolex watches given as prizes for the top performing yachts for the week on each course. For the Red, White & Blue fleets, a minimum of two races each day is planned for four of five race days (Monday through Friday, June 20-24). The Green Fleet will race around government marks and/or race committee marks, and one race a day is scheduled. Tuesday has been reserved for the traditional Round the Island Race, with the exciting new addition of a Rolex watch as prize for the winning IRC entry. To follow the racing, go to www.blockislandraceweek.com
