Valencia Sailing

Emirates Team NZ and Synergy penalized 1 point each; Score now 0-0

2009-11-20T20:52:00.004+01:00

[Source: Louis Vuitton Trophy] The jury finds there was hard contact and that Synergy did not keep clear as the right-of-way yacht.

The International Jury for the Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Côte d’Azur has penalised Synergy Russia Sailing Team a half point for a collision with Emirates Team New Zealand at the finish of their second Semi Final race earlier today.

In the second race Emirates Team New Zealand had been penalised in the pre-start for gybing too close. The crew carried that penalty around the course. Approaching the finish, Team New Zealand was trying to either complete the 270-degree penalty turn or offset it with a penalty on Synergy when the pair wound up outside the committee boat end of the finish line.

Both crews had their genoas hoisted trying to get upwind and over the top of the committee boat, but Team New Zealand got close to the committee boat. The New Zealand crew tacked to port and hailed for water, calling the committee boat an obstruction.

Both boats were downspeed in the sloppy seaway and they collided, Synergy’s port side hitting Team New Zealand’s starboard side.

After the match the on-water umpires penalised Emirates Team New Zealand 1 point and Synergy a half point for the beam-on-beam collision that caused some damage to the 24-tonne yachts.

In a later protest hearing the International jury found that there was a hard collision between Team New Zealand and Synergy. The jury deemed that when Synergy, the starboard-tack yacht, became the right-of-way boat it altered course down towards Team New Zealand and didn’t do enough to keep clear.

“That change of course was an infringement of Rule 14 (Avoiding Contact), so we deducted a half point for that,” said Chief Umpire Bill Edgerton. “In the end we penalised Team new Zealand 1 point and Synergy a half point for the rule to make sure the crews don’t do massive damage. Then we deducted a second half point from Synergy for not doing everything to keep clear.”

Although the teams have each won a race in their match the score is now 0-0, setting up a one race, winner-take-all match tomorrow morning.

Strong breeze and close races highlight day at Louis Vuitton Trophy

2009-11-20T19:40:00.004+01:00

[Source: Louis Vuitton Trophy] TeamOrigin and Azzurra are tied 1-1 while Emirates Team New Zealand and Synergy await the outcome of a protest.

Emirates Team New Zealand has been the strongest team at the Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Côte d’Azur. Synergy Russia Sailing Team has been the most surprising. Those forces collided today in the Semi Final Round of the regatta, and tonight the two teams are in the protest room trying to resolve an incident at the finish of their second race.

Team New Zealand won a thrilling first race by 20 seconds. The heat featured three lead changes and the Kiwis won after gaining control in a luffing match with the finish line about 10 lengths away.

Great victory for Team Origin against Azzurra in their 2nd semifinal race. Nice, 20 November 2009. Photo copyright Ian Roman / Team Origin

“It was all on, a very close race,” said Team New Zealand tactician Ray Davies. “It was pretty tense onboard. You have to expect close races in this round. We’re down to the best teams and you have to expect close, ding-dong races otherwise they wouldn’t be worth winning.”

In the second race Team New Zealand was penalised in the pre-start for gybing too close. The Kiwis controlled the race around the track, but couldn’t get enough separation to perform the 270-degree penalty turn and convert the win.

A collision occurred when the pair was outside the committee boat end of the finish line. According to Synergy skipper Karol Jablonski, Team New Zealand called for water to clear the boat end. Jablonski said he responded to the call, but the yachts were downspeed and he had little steerage. The two 24-tonne yachts collided beam-on-beam and suffered some damage.

Although Synergy won the match on the water to even the score at 1-1, the protest was still hanging in the balance. A ruling was expected later tonight.

This regatta has suffered through starts and stops the past two weeks due to light winds. But that was all in distant memory today as the conditions on the Baie des Anges kicked up and added a compelling measure to the racing. Five penalties were issued and two teams were OCS as the conditions put a premium on boathandling.

After the morning offshore flow died, the wind shifted to the east and built to 15 knots, with gusts up to 18 knots. There was also a large seaway running as the winds offshore were blowing up to 25 knots.

TeamOrigin of Great Britain evened its match with Azzurra of Italy at 1-1. British skipper Ben Ainslie gained two penalties on his Italian counterpart, Francesco Bruni, in the 5-minute pre-start sequence. Bruni then misjudged his time and distance to the start line. After re-starting Azzurra was well behind TeamOrigin, which won the race by 2 minutes, 29 seconds.

Great victory for Team Origin against Azzurra in their 2nd semifinal race. Nice, 20 November 2009. Photo copyright Ian Roman / Team Origin

“It was great to finally race in some wind and waves,” said Ainslie. “It was a ‘must win’ race for us and the guys did a great job all the way around. We have a long way to go yet in this competition, being first on tomorrow.”

“For sure today was harder for the crew, for everybody,” said Bruni. “To go from 15 days of very, very light wind and flat water to these conditions, to switch is hardest for me. I wasn’t as ready as Ben. I think he did a good job.”

In Knockout Round racing, the combined French/German team All4One placed fifth after winning two races. All4One earned a well-deserved win against Artemis by 27 seconds in its first race, and then met BMW Oracle Racing for 5th and 6th places. BMW Oracle had defeated TFS – PagesJaunes in its first race.

BMW Oracle controlled the match early, but made an unforced error at the windward mark. Approaching the first mark on starboard with All4One on its stern, BMW Oracle helmsman Gavin Brady tacked to port to round the mark. But All4One had to bear away to avoid hitting BMW Oracle, and the on-water umpires issued a red flag penalty.

BMW Oracle had to perform its penalty immediately on the run, and when it did so All4One sailed into a commanding lead. All4One won the match by 1 minute, 23 seconds to place 5th and drop BMW Oracle to 6th.

“This morning we had nothing to lose,” said All4One helmsman Sebastien Col. “We had the best conditions we could dream of for Nice. We were really waiting for these conditions because I think we have a strong team that can handle the boat well in a breeze. We started the regatta slowly and had some tough moments, but we are happy to finish well. It’s good for the team.”

Artemis of Sweden placed 7th on countback, and TFS – PagesJaunes finished 8th.

Racing is scheduled to resume tomorrow morning with a warning signal set for 0830 CET. The first race will be between TeamOrigin and Azzurra.

Video: Highlights from the 1st day of Semifinals of the Louis Vuitton Trophy.

2009-11-20T13:04:00.002+01:00

Video highlights from the 1st day of Semifinals of the Louis Vuitton Trophy. Nice, 19 November 2009. Video copyright Louis Vuitton Trophy

Statement from Tom Ehman, Golden Gate Yacht Club spokesman

2009-11-19T21:37:00.002+01:00

[Source: BMW Oracle] The New York Supreme Court has moved the 33rd America’s Cup match another significant step closer to be being sailed under the normal, fair rules of sailing.

Justice Shirley Kornreich has adopted the unanimous recommendations made by the Expert Panel which took testimony from both Golden Gate Yacht Club and the defending Société Nautique de Geneve in New York on November 7, 2009.

“This is victory for fair rules and common sense,” said Tom Ehman, GGYC spokesperson. “Once again SNG’s attempts to bias the rules in their favor have been rejected.”

The court’s ruling that both yachts must be measured with all ballast aboard, including moveable ballast, blocks Alinghi’s attempt to circumvent the 90ft Length on Load Waterline (LWL) limit imposed by the America’s Cup Deed of Gift.

It was because of SNG’s refusal to put an International Jury in place to determine some of the sporting and technical issues that the Court called for its own Expert Panel of former America’s Cup jurors.

David Tillett (AUS), Graham McKenzie (NZL) and Bryan Willis (GBR) were “well qualified and independent,” the Court said in today’s ruling.

The Court also put a time limit on this vital matter of jury appointment, ordering that if is not settled by December 4th, 2009 the Court will ask the Expert Panel to re-convene.

“All we have ever asked is that the America’s Cup be raced under the normal rules and procedures that nearly every sailor in the world competes under,” added Ehman. “Yet again SNG has had to be reminded that the America’s Cup is not the Alinghi Cup.”

Société Nautique de Genève statement following Justice Kornreich's latest decision

2009-11-19T21:13:00.000+01:00

[Source: Alinghi] Fred Meyer, SNG vice-commodore:

“New York Supreme Court Justice Kornreich has brought a degree more certainty to the 33rd America's Cup today. It is good to at last have her decision on some of the pending issues. Alinghi continues to focus on its training programme ahead of the Match for the 33rd America's Cup against BMW Oracle on 8 February 2010.”

Justice Kornreich issues order

2009-11-19T18:59:00.002+01:00

Related PDF Documents- Justice Kornreich Order, dated 19 November 2009

Justice Kornreich issued today her order on the remaining 5 issues (Load water-line measurement, safety of holding race in Valencia in February, date of issue of NoR and other rules, date of appointment of Panel of jurors, and whether the agreement between ISAF and Alinghi provides for an independent and objective Panel of jurors).

After a first browse through her order, the issue of the venue becomes quite clear. According to Justice Kornreich, "both parties agreed that with the proper application of the RRS, races held in Valencia can be safely managed". In addition, the expert panel concurred with that assessment. She then states that Alinghi issued a NoR on November 10th, identifying as the venue of the 33rd America's Cup match Valencia. As a result, according to Justice Kornreich, "this issue is now moot".

So, it's going to be Valencia... unless of course, the Appellate Division overturns her ruling.

Azzurra opens semis with win at Louis Vuitton Trophy

2009-11-19T17:29:00.005+01:00

[Source: Louis Vuitton Trophy] Light winds frustrate competitors, organisers and postpone schedule.

Italy’s Azzurra opened the Semi Final Round of the Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Côte d’Azur with a solid win, but the second Semi Final match between Emirates Team New Zealand and Synergy Russia Sailing team was postponed until tomorrow due to light winds.

Today’s lone match began in winds between 8 and 10 knots from the north, but the velocity dropped to between 4 and 5 knots at the finish of the short, 5.2-nautical-mile race.

“We were hoping to get more racing completed but there just wasn’t enough velocity,” said Principal Race Officer Peter Reggio. “The direction was consistent enough from the east, but the strength was between 3 and 5 knots. The boats might’ve been able to sail upwind in that, but they’d never make it downwind in the sloppy seaway.”

Azzurra scores a significant victory over Team Origin. Nice, 19 November 2009. Photo copyright Ian Roman / Team Origin

Reggio stressed the importance of having steady conditions because of the nature of the semi finals. The first crew to score 2 points wins each series. “We don’t want these series becoming sudden death,” Reggio said.

The postponement also affected the Knockout Round matches for 5th through 8th places. The pairings – BMW Oracle Racing versus TFS – PagesJaunes and Artemis against All4One – are setback a day.

In the Azzura-TeamOrigin race skipper Francesco Bruni led his crew to a decisive victory of 1 minute, 34 seconds. The Italians played the right side of the racecourse and snuck inside the British crew at the windward mark to gain the advantage.

Azzurra held the early lead on the first leg when it tacked to starboard well above the layline to the windward mark. The British tacked to leeward and outside the Italians and made gains in a right-hand shift.

TeamOrigin skipper Ben Ainslie tried to shoot the windward mark, luffing directly into the wind, but Bruni got a late overlap and the British had to bear away and let the Italians round the mark first. The British thought they’d closed the door on the Italians.

“We felt we were safely clear ahead when we entered the circle but that was not to be their (the umpires’) decision and so we trailed into the first mark,” said TeamOrigin General Manager Mike Sanderson. “Azzurra did a lovely job thereafter of protecting their lead to take the win. At the end of the day, to win the semis, one team still has to win two races we just used our ‘get out of jail free card’ a bit earlier than we had hoped.”

Azzurra scores a significant victory over Team Origin. Nice, 19 November 2009. Photo copyright Ian Roman / Team Origin

The Azzurra crew led by 9 seconds at the first mark and 27 seconds at the leeward gate. The Italians protected the right side on the next upwind leg and increased their margin to 1:16 as the wind started to fade.

“It was a very important race for us and now I’m more confident on the starting line,” said Bruni, the skipper from Sicily. “During the pre-start we fought for the right and won it. We made a mistake on the first layline (by overstanding), but (tactician) Tommaso Chieffi did a good job calling the wind shifts and we regained our lead.”

Tomorrow the first warning signal has been moved up a half hour to 0830 CET. The race committee plans to start the BMW Oracle-TFS – PagesJaunes match first, followed by Emirates Team New Zealand-Synergy Russia Sailing Team and then Artemis-All4One. Additional racing is planned but will be dependent on the weather.

Grant Simmer talks about Alinghi 5

2009-11-19T10:46:00.004+01:00

[Source: Alinghi] The America’s Cup Defender Alinghi is completing its current phase of the Alinghi 5 development programme today in Ras Al Khaimah and over the next few days will wheel the giant catamaran into the boat shed for some modifications. The next phase will keep the team busy up until it ships out to Valencia to continue developing towards the February 8 2010 America’s Cup Match.

The team has been testing and training in Ras Al Khaimah for the past six weeks, what have been the main areas of focus and the goals?
Grant Simmer: We changed to the new, bigger, rig soon after we came here and we have been working on our sail crossovers and learning about optimum angles; really just concentrating on learning to sail the boat and optimising the performance.

Alinghi training. Ras Al-Khaimah, 19 October 2009. Photo copyright Guido Trombetta / Alinghi

Have the conditions in Ras Al Khaimah been conducive to the testing and development?
Grant Simmer: One of the reasons we came to Ras Al Khaimah in the first place was that the winter months offer really nice sailing conditions and that is what we have enjoyed here. Luckily we have only lost a couple of days in the six weeks that we have been here and that was mainly due to too much wind. The conditions have been great and very stable so we don’t expect much change from that.

Can you hint at the modifications that will be made to Alinghi 5 over the coming days?
Grant Simmer: Well, you will see them at the end of the week! The thing about this boat is that everything is so massive that you have to plan months in advance to make virtually any component in the boat. We have been manufacturing these pieces in Villeneuve, Switzerland, where we still have a factory (the same one that built the boat) and the boys have done a good job and delivered the parts on time so we will spend next week installing them.

Is adapting the boat for Valencia in February a consideration at this point?
Grant Simmer: Since the decision on Valencia, the default venue, we have been adapting the boat to the increased variability there at the time of the Match. Of course in the background we still have the appeal on the RAK decision, which we feel quite strongly about because RAK is a far better place to race these boats in February; something we have said repeatedly.

Any plans for the few days off?!
Grant Simmer: Actually I plan to take the weekend off to go to Dubai so I’m looking forward to that!

Grant Simmer (left) and Loïck Peyron observing Alinghi 5. Ras Al-Khaimah, 19 October 2009. Photo copyright George Johns / Alinghi

Mirsky Racing Team ready for the Monsoon Cup

2009-11-19T09:54:00.004+01:00

[Source: Mirsky Racing Team] Despite a troubling amount of injuries plaguing the Mirsky Racing Team this season, the young team has bounced back to full fitness, and with the Monsoon Cup drawing ever closer, the young Australians are looking better than ever.

The team has returned to their Yacht Club's home town of Perth, who will be playing host to a number of the top teams in contention for the World Championship title next week in the Sunseeker Australia Cup.

"Our training has been going well" said the team's skipper, Torvar Mirsky "but the Aus Cup is going to be a great chance to measure ourselves against the others before the Monsoon Cup."

MRT is the closest team to Adam Minoprio and his BlackMatch Racing team, trailing by only 12 points. With the two youngest teams in hot contention for the title, the fight in Malaysia is set to be a fierce one. Minoprio's team has a lead that allows them some breathing room, but MRT have been working closely with Greg Kerr, the team's physiotherapist, and recent coaching improvements have allowed them to reflect upon and improve on their mistakes, so you could see a new team in Malaysia.

Mirsky Racing Team celebrate their first victory ever in a World Match Racing Tour event. Troia, 21 June 2009

Transat Jacques Vabre: Compression at the gates to the Caribbean

2009-11-18T20:30:00.005+01:00

[Source: Transat Jacques Vabre] Lighter winds which the leaders will roll into first suggest that compression is inevitable, some of that gap from third to fourth will be eaten away as the trade wind are killed off periodically....

In theory they should have done enough. The leading trio of the Transat Jacques Vabre race from Le Havre to Costa Rica, Safran, Groupe Bel and Mike Golding Yacht Racing have a substantial cushion to fourth, and seem set to scrap over who wins which step on the podium, but there will still be some nervous hours ahead and the weather forecasts are none too stable.

Onboard Akena Verandas. Atlantic Ocean, 18 November 2009. Video copyright Transat Jacques Vabre

The trio, the two French leaders and Britain’s third placed Mike Golding who is racing with Spain’s Javier Sanso on Mike Golding Yacht Racing, will tomorrow be first to hit a wall of lighter, even more unsettled breezes and compression – as the chasing pack catches miles back on them – is predicted to continue periodically for the next couple of days.

The margin back from third to fourth, to double-Vendée Globe winner Michel Desjoyeaux, is now 270 miles with less than 2000 miles to go.

Desjoyeaux, who has squeezed close to 100 miles ahead of Veolia Environnement since passing them, re-asserted today that there was no acceptance on his part that the race was a foregone conclusion, and clearly his legendary fighting spirit is undimmed. If there is one skipper out there who is as happy battling the mathematical odds as he is his opponents, it is him.

At midday today leaders Marc Guillemot and Charles Caudrelier on Safran were about 500 miles from breaching the gap between Antigua and Guadeloupe for the final trans Caribbean stage down to the finish at Puerto Limon.

Onboard AVIVA. Atlantic Ocean, 18 November 2009. Video copyright Transat Jacques Vabre

The gap between first and second has been prised open again by the leaders Safran, standing at 52.5 miles back to Groupe Bel, whilst Golding and Sanso had sneaked back under the 100 miles from the lead line early this morning, but their gains have been nullified over the day and the third placed boat has now 125 miles to catch up. The British skipper today reported that he has had some success in repairing the electronic wind instrumentation which is helping their attack slightly, but he noted that he considers there will be several tactical opportunities through the final few days of this passage.

Down the fleet the sentiments are the same. The attack goes on, from first to last the conditions may be pleasurable but the rhythm is intense. Sam Davies, the effervescent British Vendée Globe skipper on Artemis, remarks that spirits between her and her French co-skipper remain generally high, despite them having a big deficit to make up.

“It’s hard because you’ve got to keep concentrating as well so you have to find a balance between not being suicidal because you’re last so you do have to find the light side of things, and also at the same time keep concentrating, because it’s never over till the fat lady sings, and there’s a long way to go.” Emphasized Davies.

Dee Caffari and Brian Thompson’s alliance on Aviva seems to be reaping rewards as they hold the upper hand over their nearest rivals, the Spanish crew on W-Hotel. From being just a couple of miles ahead yesterday Aviva had moved 13 miles clear this evening, and they have gone from a deficit of about 60 miles on fifth placed Veolia Environnement to an increasingly tenable 23 miles this afternoon. The battle for fifth to ninth is increasingly engaging as just 130 miles separates Veolia from Akena Verandas and, just as for the leaders, more compression is virtually inevitable.

Adam Minoprio: Catch us if you can...

2009-11-18T12:11:00.005+01:00

They are young, very talented sailors but they also seem to have a grasp of the modern communication and marketing tools. We are talking about BlackMatch Racing, that under the leadership of Adam Minoprio have now reached the top spot in the ISAF Match Racing Rankings and the World Match Racing Tour.

With less than 2 weeks until the start of the Monsoon Cup, the final and decisive event of this year's Tour, the 4 kiwis have produced a nice video where they talk about the buildup to the event. Adam Minoprio, Nick Blackman, Tom Powrie and Dave Swete have a 12-point cushion over Torvar Mirsky and his Ozzie crew but with the Monsoon Cup counting twice towards the overall leaderboard, the 2009 Championship will undoubtedly be a close call.

These videos are cool but are they useful? We think they are and maybe professional sailors should also understand they are in part showmen...

Semi final pairings set at Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Cote d'Azur

2009-11-17T17:47:00.005+01:00

[Source: Louis Vuitton Trophy] Emirates Team New Zealand has selected Synergy Russia Sailing Team to race in the semi final round of the Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Côte d’Azur.

Team New Zealand and skipper Dean Barker were the best team in the rounds robin, posting a 9-1 record in 10 starts. They consistently won in the pre-start and had flawless crew work around the racecourse.

“We’re a consistent team because we’ve been together so long as a group. That helps us through the tough times,” said Barker, the winning skipper of the 2007 Louis Vuitton Cup.

The Kiwis, however, picked the hottest team at the regatta. Synergy, led by Polish skipper Karol Jablonski, enters the match on a five-race winning streak and has polished its game since starting the regatta at 0-3.

“It’s hard when you get to this stage of the regatta. All the teams are strong,” Barker said. “They won’t be an easy opponent and if we don’t sail well they’ll beat us.”

Video highlights from the 10th day of the Louis Vuitton Trophy. Nice, 16 November 2009. Video copyright Louis Vuitton Trophy

The second semi final match has TeamOrigin from Great Britain racing Azzurra of Italy. Azzurra skipper Francesco Bruni led his crew to a 1 minute defeat of Ben Ainslie and TeamOrigin in the first round.

The first crew to score 2 points will be the winner of each match.

Concurrent to the semi finals is knockout racing for 5th through 8th place. BMW Oracle Racing takes on TFS – PagesJaunes in one match and Artemis races All4One in the other.

Both matches are one race with the winners advancing to determine 5th and 6th, while the vanquished sail a one race match for 7th and 8th.

Tomorrow is an off day and racing is scheduled to resume Thursday, 19 November.

Today’s anticipated final match between Team New Zealand and Synergy was cancelled in the afternoon when sufficient wind failed to materialise on the Baie des Anges.

The cancellation of the match caused a re-scoring of the leaderboard based on Appendix C10.3 of the Racing Rules of Sailing, which awards partial points for those matches sailed twice.

“The ranking was established in a way we were hoping to avoid,” said Chief Umpire Bill Edgerton. “There’s no difference between the top four and bottom four, but there is a difference in their order.”

The final order placed Team New Zealand first followed by Synergy, Azzurra, TeamOrigin, BMW Oracle Racing, Artemis, All4One and TFS – PagesJaunes

Final Round Robin standings
1. Emirates Team New Zealand (9-1) 6 points
2. Synergy Russia Sailing Team (6-4) 4.5 points
3. Azzurra (7-4) 4.5 points
4. TeamOrigin (8-3) 4.5 points
5. BMW Oracle Racing (4-7) 3 points
6. Artemis (5-6) 3 points
7. All4One (3-8) 2 points
8. TFS – PagesJaunes (1-10) .5 points

Franck Cammas explains in detail the incident

2009-11-17T17:20:00.004+01:00

[Source: Cammas - Groupama] Over the past 24 hours, the crew of Groupama 3 has been working together to contain the damage suffered around the beam bulkhead. The maxi trimaran has also had to let the Brazilian low pass over the top of her, which created strong winds last night... Franck Cammas looks back at the past few hours in the middle of the Southern Atlantic.

What is your current situation?
"We're flirting with the centre of a big low, which has pushed us towards the Cape of Good Hope. However, a secondary low has formed over the cold front, with wind which can very quickly increase to 60 knots! As such we've taken refuge not far from the centre of the big low to let all that get past us. This is why we spent the whole night barepoled, heading due South. Since 0200 UTC this morning, we've been able to hoist more sail aloft as conditions have become more manageable. At the end of the afternoon we're set to gybe and make headway eastwards towards Cape Town, by remaining at the rear of the worst of the bad weather. There will continue to be a swell and big seas and there's still some debate as to how to handle the boat so as to prevent her from suffering. We won't be taking any risks, even if we have to stop..."

First images from Groupama 3 after the incident. South Atlantic, 16 November 2009. Video copyright Groupama

How is life on board being organised?
"Everyone is busy with their own tasks: the lamination specialists (Lionel Lemonchois assisted by Thomas Coville) have been working throughout the night. We're all disappointed but we're already casting our minds to the future. We're going to try to get Groupama 3 back to Brittany as fast as possible. When we decided to abandon the record attempt it came as a harsh blow: we went from a performance configuration to a simple delivery. It's not the same life aboard, the atmosphere isn't the same and the time seems to go by a lot slower. Fortunately we've got some books on board to be able to escape a little when we're not helming..."

Do you have an explanation for this damage?
"We think that the stresses and motion of the float are the cause of it. There are always some interference effects which are difficult to model on a computer though. The waves never strike the boat in the same way and the platform is subject to some disorganised behaviour: there are some extremely violent vibrations in a chaotic sea. We think that the float has been able to ripple longitudinally with a series of waves on the stern, whilst the support level with the beam is very rigid. At that stage, the bulkhead cracking was the pivotal point in this scenario..."

What is the extent of the damage?
"The breakage isn't spectacular, but we know things could deteriorate very quickly and impact on the structural integrity of Groupama 3. It's worrying and will force us to make a technical pitstop, but it's a lot less serious than the last time... The bulkhead which extends along the beam by entering the float has split open: We've had to install two braces to maintain the separation between two sections of the bulkhead, and then insert some foam before sticking it back together. Right now the bulkhead has been stiffened. However, we still have a problem with it as the bulkhead has caused the skin inside the float to become detached across an area of around 400 mm. For the time being we haven't succeeded in sticking the float to the bulkhead so it's moving with every wave. We have to hope that the UDs (unidirectional materials) which stiffen the base of the float don't break, because that section is the float's backbone! As such we're going to have to find a way of joining the whole periphery of the bulkhead to the float."

What are your objectives now?
"We're going to have to reinforce the four beam attachments but first of all we're going to have to carry out a thorough analysis with the engineers and architects. We certainly won't be able to set off on a round the world without trusting in the repair and without knowing the reasons for this damage. It's not 100% certain we'll be able to set off again at the end of January. However, given that we left Ushant very early on, there is still a chance we can set off again before the season draws to a close. It's feasible! We're going to have to be happy with Groupama 3's capacity to sail around the world though..."

What are the options over the coming days?
"We'll get to Cape Town by 22nd November at best, or by 24th November at the latest. There is also a third option, which is to make straight for Lorient if the repairs we make at sea are satisfactory. This would save us a lot of time in our bid to get going on another attempt at the record. Currently there is no danger of the mast falling as it's fixed onto another bulkhead and we've even been able to hoist the sail again, making 17 knots with the right angles to the wind and the seas..."

Wind to win, play with the RC44 fleet and win a trip with the Islas Canarias Puerto Calero team

2009-11-17T11:32:00.007+01:00

The Canaries Tourism office has started a world wide campaign to support and sponsor the Islas Canarias RC 44 sailing team on their Sea Dubai RC44 Gold Cup regatta that starts next week, November 25.

In addition to sponsoring the team and under the motto "Wind To Win", the Canaries Tourism office invites sailing enthusiasts to support their favorite team and prove that they who have the best fans, have the best wind.

Just by playing on www.windtowin.com and registering (it takes 30 seconds) you could be eligible to win a free trip with the Islas Canarias Sailing team to one of their international races in 2010. The winner of the game will be announced on the 28th of November.

All you have to do in order to play the game is to log on to www.windtowin.com and follow the instructions. The game consists of simply blowing into your computer microphone. If you don't want your boss the find out you are playing during work, just click on the corresponding option and play with the "Space" key of your keyboard. The website will then translate this air into wind knots and make the boats move.

During the actual Sea Dubai RC 44 Gold Cup, the wind generated by the game players will activate huge fans which are located in the port of Dubai and a huge screen will show the support messages that fans will leave on the website. This way, the teams will be able to literally feel and see the support that their fans have sent directly from their homes. And fans will be able to feel that they are not only on the virtual world but also on the real regatta.

Audio: PJ Montgomery interviews Brad Butterworth

2009-11-17T10:07:00.007+01:00

Related audioAlinghi skipper Brad Butterworth talks to PJ Montgomery about the current America's Cup situation

In an exclusive interview to Newstalk ZB, Brad Butterworth talks withPpeter Montgomery about the America's Cup, and the latest court ruling.

Groupama 3, curving the spine

2009-11-17T09:46:00.002+01:00

[Source: Cammas-Groupama] Since Monday afternoon and the damage suffered to the section joining the aft beam and the port float, the crew of Groupama 3 have submitted, but they're certainly not giving up. On the run barepoled in big seas, southbound, Franck and his men are attempting to preserve the structural integrity of the maxi trimaran by limiting the amount of impact. Inside the damaged float, Lionel Lemonchois and Thomas Coville are dressing the wound. They have a single aim right now, that of heading eastward towards South Africa.

1,760 miles (3,100 kms) ahead of her bows, land is still a long way off but the men are close: "The crew, always highly professional, have once again handled the situation impeccably, without a hint of defeatism or slackening, racking their brains to get out of this faux pas as soon as possible" wrote the skipper of Groupama 3 early this morning.

Whilst Stan Honey and Franck are at the chart table refining the strategy with Sylvain Mondon for avoiding the worst of the gales sweeping across the Southern Atlantic, the other crew members are busy working in the bowels of the float.

Guided by the boat captain, Loïc Le Mignon, who knows Groupama 3 inside out, Lionel Lemonchois and Thomas Coville are covering the faulty bulkhead with a carbon splint. "Will it hold as far as Cape Town?" asks Loïc. And Lionel replies "Ideally, it should hold as far as Brest, but there's no guarantees as far as that's concerned".

On their faces, you don't have to be an expert to read the disappointment and frustration: "It's a pain in the arse..." says Fred Le Peutrec simply, whils Bruno Jeanjean adds "It's massively frustrating; our thoughts go to everyone working on the project".

At 0500 UT this morning, under reduced sail area, Groupama 3 was making headway at eleven knots, heading 118.

Video: Latest images from Groupama 3 before the incident

2009-11-16T21:18:00.001+01:00

Latest images from Groupama 3 before the incident. South Atlantic, 16 November 2009. Video copyright Groupama

Video: Karol Jablonski talks about Synergy in the Louis Vuitton Trophy

2009-11-16T19:37:00.007+01:00

Without any doubt Karol Jablonski and the Russian Synergy team turned out to be the protagonists of the 2 round robins of the Louis Vuitton Trophy. Although crewed by excellent sailors, Jablonski himself helmed Desafío Español to the Louis Vuitton Cup semifinals in Valencia 2 years ago, this regatta is the first time ever Synergy raced in America's Cup Class yachts.

Not only haven't the Russians made a fool of themselves, they are currently standing 4th overall with 6 wins and 4 losses and have secured their spot in the semifinals, even with one race remaining against Emirates Team New Zealand. Our friends at BTS Broadcast talked to Jablonski this afternoon.

Karol Jablonski talks about Synergy in the Louis Vuitton Trophy. Nice, 16 November 2009. Video copyright BTS Broadcast

Groupama 3 suffers damage, abandons record attempt

2009-11-16T18:03:00.005+01:00

It's an irony that yesterday the team posted a video where Thomas Coville was taking advantage of the extremely light winds and calm seas to check the floats of the Groupama 3 trimaran. The conclusion of the tests was that their 105-foot yacht was in "perfect state"

[Source: Cammas - Groupama] It was at 1216 UT on Monday 16th November, that the skipper of Groupama 3, Franck Cammas, called the Jules Verne Trophy team to inform them that an aft beam bulkhead had broken, leading to serious damage to the float. Despite the storm, Groupama 3 is slowly making headway towards Cape Town some 1,700 miles away (3,000 km) and is therefore abandoning this particular Jules Verne Trophy...

At around 1200 UT this Monday, a big cracking sound dashed the hopes of Franck Cammas and his nine crew in their bid to break Orange 2's round the world record from back in 2005 (50 d 16h 20'). A bulkhead attached to the aft beam simply gave up the ghost in the harsh conditions as the giant trimaran was sailing with her sails angled at 90° to the true wind in a powerful NNE'ly air flow and rough seas. The crew knew they had to go fast to stay in the right sector of the warm front, hot on their heels, in order to drop down towards the Cape of Good Hope with the Brazilian low. The resulting weakness then caused the windward float to fissure and, in light of the sizeable damage, the crew immediately stopped the boat and concluded that it would be necessary to abandon this round the world attempt.

Closeup of the area that has been damaged. Photo copyright Groupama

Semi finalists set at Louis Vuitton Trophy

2009-11-16T17:07:00.006+01:00

[Source: Louis Vuitton Trophy] Synergy secures spot in top four with thrilling win over Azzurra.

There’s one match outstanding to complete the round robin at the Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Côte d’Azur, but the four semi finalists are confirmed.

Emirates Team New Zealand will win the round robin and have the opportunity to select its opponent in the semis. Team New Zealand didn’t race today and has one match remaining, against upstart Synergy Russian Sailing Team, but the veteran team led by skipper Dean Barker has a 9-1 record and cannot lose the top spot.

The Kiwis will pick their opponent from a group including TeamOrigin (8-3) of the U.K., Azzurra (7-4) of Italy or Synergy. After starting the regatta 0-3, the Russian crew today won its fifth consecutive match and sixth out of seven with a hard-fought victory over Azzurra. Synergy now stands at 6-4.

The second half of the leaderboard has Artemis (5-6) in fifth, BMW Oracle Racing (4-7) in sixth, All4One (3-8) in seventh and TFS – PagesJaunes (1-10) in eighth. These four teams will race a knockout round to determine places 5th though 8th concurrent with the semi finals.

“We’re getting stuff done, but it hasn’t been easy,” said Peter “Luigi” Reggio, principal race officer for the regatta. “The last two days have been very similar to each other, unlike the eight or so before that; every day was different. In the last race we had 13, 14 knots. In the second flight we started to see whitecaps. We haven’t seen those since last Tuesday.”

After the morning northerly blew itself out today the wind shifted to the east and built. Synergy ensured its advance to the semis with the win over Azzurra in a classic match race.

The two crews were rarely separated by more than two boatlengths, but there was only one “Y” flag requesting a ruling from the on-water umpires. It was in the pre-start and it was green.

Synergy again got the right-hand side of the start line and Azzurra started at the pin. The Italians quickly tacked to port once on the racecourse and a tacking duel ensued up the 1.4-nautical mile leg to the windward mark with Synergy protecting the right side of the course.

There were stretches where the two yachts sailed overlapped on the same tack for up to 2 minutes, with neither showing a real speed edge. During one stretch on port tack Synergy, to leeward, was able to foot out and force Azzurra to tack away. Synergy then covered in a windward position and drove the match to the port layline to round the windward mark with an 8-second advantage.

The delta was down to 5 seconds at the leeward gate, but Synergy bumped it back up to 15 seconds at the second windward mark.

Azzurra was making a charge on the run to the finish, having closed to within one boatlength. But after a jibe to port Azzurra hardened up to roll over the top of Synergy. Then, with the asymmetric spinnaker loaded, the sail split from luff to leech just below the head patch. Race over.

“I think Synergy was strong on us but by pushing to edge we thought their spinnaker might blow. It was a 50-50 chance,” said Francesco Bruni, Azzurra skipper. “That was one of best races I’ve ever sailed in Cup boats. I really enjoyed it. Every leg was close and each crew did a fantastic job.”

Despite the closeness at that stage of the race, Synergy skipper Karol Jablonski felt in control of the match. He was positioned to leeward and ahead and it would’ve been a long way around for Azzurra.

“These spinnakers are more for downwind sailing so when you heat up you don’t go faster. The sail just loads up,” Jablonski said.

Although the leaderboard is determined, the pairings for the semi finalists and knockout round won’t be announced until after tomorrow’s race. The match between Emirates Team New Zealand and Synergy is scheduled to start at 1210 CET.

Other matches today included BMW Oracle Racing defeating Artemis by 36 seconds, TeamOrigin beating All4One by 48 seconds, Azzurra beating BMW Oracle by 1:01 and Artemis defeating TFS – PagesJaunes by 1:03.

Artemis leads BMW Oracle approaching the weather mark in the last match of today. Nice, 16 November 2009. Photo copyright Juerg Kaufmann / www.go4image.com

Hugo Boss damaged, slowed to assess damage

2009-11-16T08:58:00.001+01:00

[Source: Transat Jacques Vabre] When lying in fourth place in the Transat Jacques Vabre race from Le Havre to Porto Limon, Costa Rica, the British IMOCA Open 60 Hugo Boss last night reported hitting an unidentified object in the water, damaging the starboard bow of the boat and causing them to take in water. They have slowed the boat right down, have a pump working, are managing the ingress of water.

Alex Thomson, the skipper, has reported that conditions are stable and they are not in any imminent danger. The British pair are in regular contact with TJV Race Director Jean Maurel. They have been in discussion with their shore team, and with a structural engineer from SP before they make any decisions as to what their options are.

Hugo Boss was approximately 400 miles south of the Azores.

Thomson said: "I am gutted, we have done the hard bit, been through the storms and the way ahead was looking very easy. We will monitor the situation overnight and assess in the morning what our options are."

Video: Highlights from the 9th day of the Louis Vuitton Trophy

2009-11-16T08:16:00.001+01:00

Video highlights from the 9th day of the Louis Vuitton Trophy. Nice, 15 November 2009. Video copyright Louis Vuitton Trophy

Russia's Synergy on cusp of semi-finals at Louis Vuitton Trophy

2009-11-15T20:20:00.008+01:00

[Source: Louis Vuitton Trophy] Emirates Team New Zealand scores two wins to wrap up round robins.

Synergy skipper Karol Jablonski and tactician Rod Dawson were wearing huge smiles dockside and expressing their pleasure over a job well done when Philippe Mourniac from All4One approached. “Great job, guys. It was awesome to watch on TV,” said Mourniac, the Franco-German team’s navigator.

Synergy had recently completed a wire-to-wire win over TeamOrigin, restructuring the order at the Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Côte d’Azur as perestroika revamped Russian politics in the 1980s.

Great comeback victory for Team Origin in their race against BMW Oracle. The Americans are definitely struggling in this trophy. Nice, 15 November 2009. Photo copyright Ian Roman / Team Origin

Synergy today won two races and now occupies fourth place on the leaderboard with a 5-4 record, 1 point behind third-placed Azzurra. Synergy has two matches remaining in Round 2 and a victory in at least one would ensure advancement to the semi-finals.

“That would be an accomplishment. But we still have to win it,” said Jablonski, the 47-year-old skipper from Poland. “Today we had a good day and we’re happy with our performance in this event. Before the start, who would’ve counted on us going forward?”

The semi-finalists took shape today with Emirates Team New Zealand wrapping up the round robins. Kiwi skipper Dean Barker came out victorious over BMW Oracle Racing and TFS – PagesJaunes and leads the event with a 9-1 record.

England’s TeamOrigin holds second at 7-3. Italy’s Azzurra didn’t race today but remains in third place at 6-3. Synergy is fourth followed by Artemis at 4-5. BMW Oracle Racing is sixth (3-6), All4One seventh (3-7) and TFS – PagesJaunes eighth (1-9).

It was a tough day for Terry Hutchinson, Paul Cayard & Co on Artemis. The Swedish team was defeated by Russian Synergy. Nice, 15 November 2009. Photo copyright Sander van der Borch / Artemis

“The big deal for us is getting into the top four, and I think we’re comfortable,” said Ben Ainslie, TeamOrigin skipper. “It’s about getting better and trying to get results in the semi-final sail-offs. All the teams are battling a bit with the conditions and boats and trying to get used to it all. Like everyone else, we’re trying to get better.”

If a few breaks had fallen differently in Round 1, Synergy might be placed even higher. The team lost a heartbreaker to Emirates Team New Zealand just five lengths from the finish line. It lost another match that it led when the mainsheet broke. Despite the setbacks, the learning curve has remained vertical.

“The important thing for our team is the atmosphere,” Jablonski said. “We went through a difficult time at the beginning. If something goes wrong there are a lot of possibilities for the team to explode or not be happy, but we are holding together. We have good attitudes.”

That attitude was evident when Synergy took down TeamOrigin. Jablonski started to the right of Ainslie, won the first cross on the right side of the course, and opened a lead at the first windward mark that wouldn’t be overcome on the short, two-lap course.

Paul Cayard climbs up the mast to sniff the wind. Nice, 15 November 2009. Photo copyright Sander van der Borch / Artemis

“Both sides wanted the right, but we didn’t want it with a bad start,” Ainslie said. “I thought we were in position to make their start tough, but they did a good job squeezing around the committee boat. It’s good to see those guys doing so well,” Ainslie continued. “They’ve got some great sailors. It’s good to see that when they get the boat handling side figured out they’ve got some smart sailors who know what a wind shift is and can figure it out.”

Three flights remain to complete the second round robin over the next two days. And although the semi-finalists are taking shape, the day still belonged to Synergy, even if they have to scream at each other.

“We don’t have a communications system on board, so we have to talk loud to make sure everyone’s on the same page,” Jablonski said. “The communication with the guy up the rig is difficult because he has to scream. But it doesn’t matter. It’s in Russian half the time so no one else can understand!”

Great victory for Synergy. If the Russians win one of the two remaining races in RR2, they secure their ticket to the semis. Nice, 15 November 2009. Photo copyright Sander van der Borch / Artemis

Video: Highlights from the 8th day of the Louis Vuitton Trophy

2009-11-15T14:34:00.000+01:00

Video highlights from the 8th day of the Louis Vuitton Trophy. Nice, 14 November 2009. Video copyright Louis Vuitton Trophy

Laurie Jury wins the 2009 Telecom NZ Match Racing Championships

2009-11-15T13:10:00.002+01:00

[Source: Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron] Laurie Jury has won the 2009 Telecom New Zealand Match Racing Championships, beating Reuben Corbett 3 – 1 in the first to win three races finals.

Jury won the first race convincingly by 36s but Corbett bounced back in Race Two to gain a penalty on Jury. Jury was in front of Corbett coming into the finish but had to try and slow his boat down and get overlapped with Corbett to have any chance of clearing his penalty and crossing the finish line ahead. In a fantastic display of boat handling, Corbett and crew slowed their boat down and managed to stay far enough away from Jury so Jury could not attack them. Jury simply ran out of runway and the boats crossed the finish line with Jury still having to complete his turn giving Corbett the win and Jury a DNF (Did not finish).

The next two races were won by Jury and awarded them the 2009 Telecom National Championships.

Jury and his crew have sailed consistently well through the entire series, qualifying for the semi finals in second position and having to face a daunting competitor in Chris Dickson, whom he beat 3 – 0.

Jury’s crew is Mike Edmonds (main), Logan Fraser (trim), Matt Stuart (pit) & Rhys O’Cain (bow). Jury, Edmonds, Fraser & Stuart are all graduates of the RNZYS Lion Foundation Youth Training Programme.

In the petit finals Chris Dickson and his crew continued on their winning streak taking the first race by 18s seconds after Graeme Sutherland received a Red Flag Penalty just after the start for being over the start line and the windward boat trying to ‘come down’ on top of Dickson. In the second race Dickson won by 29s giving himself and his young Lion Foundation Youth Training Programme crew third overall for the series.

2009 Final Placings

1. Laurie Jury (Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron)
2. Rebuen Corbett (Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron)
3. Chris Dickson (Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron)
4. Graeme Sutherland (Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron)
5. Josh Junior Royal (Port Nicholson Yacht Club)
6. William Tiller (Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron Lion Foundation Youth Training Programme)
7. Mark Kroening (Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron)
8. Wataru Sakamoto (Wakayama Sailing Club, Japan)
9. Stephanie Hazard (Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron)
10. Samantha Osborne (Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron)
11. Jessica Smyth (Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron)