http://www.sailgroove.org/rss/recent-articles http://c0179261.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/587902_PYY2XCQjOWzZj8qV16Em_m.jpg http://www.sailgroove.org/rss/recent-articles en-us Sat, 11 Feb 2012 16:24:03 GMT Sat, 11 Feb 2012 16:24:03 GMT http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6596-China-Launches-Volvo-Ocean-Race-Bid-with-Kiwi-Sailor-Sanderson-at-the-Helm  
Despite its huge technical and financial resources, the world’s most populous nation has never won a round-the-globe sailing competition but intends to make the breakthrough with the recruitment of New Zealander Mike Sanderson as skipper.


Photo © Team Sanya

Sanderson, 40, is a twice-winner of the Volvo Ocean Race and will chase a hat-trick of triumphs with a crew mixing experienced sailors with relatively raw Chinese members.
 
It is the seventh world-class contender to join this year’s race with Sanderson going head-to-head with some of the sailing’s biggest names including American Ken Read (PUMA) and France’s Franck Cammas (Groupama).
 
“This is a fantastic opportunity to race under the flag of such a great country and culture,” said Sanderson today at the Team Sanya launch in central Beijing.
 
“We are building up a strong team and are ready to take on this exciting challenge. Our approach will be one of compelling intent, working fast and smart, representing this great country and team with ambition, dynamism and colourful energy.”
 
China, as is the case in many sports, has incredible potential within sailing and a win in the 38-year-old Volvo Ocean Race, previously established as The Whitbread Round the World Race from 1973, would be a huge boost to its ambitions.
 
The race is regarded as sailing’s leading test for monohull yachts. It runs from 29 October in Alicante, Spain to 8 July next year in Galway, Ireland, the longest, continuous sporting event.
 
It visits all the continents of the world with Sanya in China hosting a port stopover from 4-19 February. Other stops include Cape Town, Abu Dhabi Auckland, Itajai (Brazil), Miami, Lisbon, and Lorient (France).
 
Li Quanhai, Vice Chairman of the China Yacht Association said: “China is a sports power and has abundant marine resources. Our involvement in top sailing events, such as the Olympic Regatta and the Volvo Ocean Race, greatly improves the development of China’s water sports.
 
“The appearance of several high-level domestic games - such as the China Cup International Regatta and Hainan International Regatta - has drawn attention to the sport from the public. This will increase the popularity and development of water sports in China.”
 
Knut Frostad, CEO of the Volvo Ocean Race said: “We are very excited about the news of Team Sanya and the return of Mike Sanderson, a veteran and true ambassador of the Volvo Ocean Race.
 
“This will be the seventh entry for the next edition and will not only bring a competitive yacht to our first class field but also will allow China to build on its already large sailing following.
 
“Team Sanya will allow the Chinese sailing fans to connect with the Volvo Ocean Race again and will be an amazing platform to engage with new audiences and attract potential tourists to Sanya and China itself.”
 
The Deputy Mayor of Sanya, Wu Yanjun, said the city would directly benefit from this opportunity. “Hosting world class events like the Volvo Ocean Race will directly improve our sailing and yachting related facilities.
 
“We can also use this opportunity to enhance our profile as a top tourist destination, showing our ability to host and manage world-class events. Team Sanya will be an ideal ambassador to promote Sanya and Hainan around the world.”
 
Known as the “Hawaii of the Orient”, Sanya city of China’s Hainan island province stood out from the competition to become one of the 10 ports to welcome the fleet in 2011-12.
 
The exact location of the stopover is Luhuitou Bay, where construction is expected to finish in August 2011. When completed, the facility will be a world-class marina.
 
China was previously represented in the race but its boat Green Dragon was a jointly backed venture for the 2008-09 edition with Ireland.
 
There will still be an Irish flavour to the Team Sanya challenger with Discover Ireland, promoting Irish tourism, renewing its commitment as a secondary sponsor.
 
Helly Hansen, one the world’s leading outdoor performance clothing providers from Norway, will be the Official Clothing Partner to Team Sanya, providing the team’s entire clothing needs for racing and onshore.
 
The Sanya-based Blue Ocean Protection Association will conduct onboard environmental-protection initiatives while spreading the philosophy of protecting the oceans everywhere they visit.
 
For more information on the Volvo Ocean Race please visit www.VolvoOceanRace.com]]> Fri, 17 Jun 2011 08:48:00 CDT http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6596-China-Launches-Volvo-Ocean-Race-Bid-with-Kiwi-Sailor-Sanderson-at-the-Helm http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6599-World-Cup-Titles-on-the-Line-in-Kiel From 18-22 June Kiel, Germany will host the final ISAF Sailing World Cup Regatta where the World Cup titles will be decided.
 

The 2010-2011 series has served up some excellent competition as sailors prepare for the London 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition to be held in Weymouth and Portland, Great Britain.
 

Of the top ten in the 49er only Nico Delle-Karth and Nikolaus Resch (AUT) and Peter Kruger-Andersen and Nicolai Thorsell (DEN) will sail in Kiel.
 

Delle-Karth and Resch, who are currently third in the 49er Standings, know that a 14th place finish or better will hand them the 49er title. The Austrians won gold at Sail Melbourne before claiming bronze at Trofeo S.A.R. Princess Sofia MAPFRE. However in recent competitions they have faired less well finishing 12th at Semaine Olympique Française and 13th at Skandia Sail for Gold so they will be hoping to end on a high in Kiel.
 

With the Austrian duo likely to pick up the 49er title Kruger-Andersen and Thorsell may have to settle as runners up. The Danes need to finish eighth or better to ensure second place.
 

Germany’s Simon Grotelueschen came close to finishing on the podium at Semaine Olympique Française and Skandia Sail for Gold. The German Laser sailor came fourth at both regattas but he will be in familiar territory in Kiel and with several of the top Laser sailors not attending he will no doubt be the favourite. A fifth place finish or better will move the German to second place after Tom Slingsby (AUS) wrapped up the Laser title following victory at Skandia Sail for Gold.
 

Paige Railey (USA), ranked #3 in the world, will claim third place in the Laser Radial Standings if she finishes fifth or higher in Kiel. World #1 Marit Bouwmeester clinched the Laser Radial title following Skandia Sail for Gold closely followed by World #2 Evi Van Acker (BEL). The duo won’t be sailing Kiel so like Grotelueschen, Railey will be the favoured sailor in Kiel.
 

In the Women’s RS:X, ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Blanca Manchon (ESP) will lead the 28-boat fleet and she will be the favourite to take the Women’s RS:X title with Jessica Crisp (AUS) the only other top ten Standings sailor. Manchon currently sits second in the Standings on 63 points, to overhaul Charline Picon (FRA) the Spaniard requires a 13th place finish or better.
 

With none of the top ten Men’s RS:X sailors competing in Kiel, the top three in the Standings have been finalised with Dorian Van Rijsselberge (NED) securing the title after two regatta wins and a third place finish. Skandia Sail for Gold winner Nick Dempsey (GBR) finished one point behind the Dutchman in second and Nimrod Mashich (ISR) came third.
 

Of the top 25 only Delta Lloyd Regatta winner Taehoon Lee (KOR) and Thomas Goyard (FRA) are sailing in Kiel so the pair will look to climb up the Standings.

View the ISAF Sailing World Cup Standings here.
 

Click here to view the latest video highlights from the ISAF Sailing World Cup.



Click here to view images from the ISAF Sailing World Cup Series.



Follow the ISAF Sailing World Cup on Facebook here
]]> Thu, 16 Jun 2011 09:52:00 CDT http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6599-World-Cup-Titles-on-the-Line-in-Kiel http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6584-Americas-Cup-Teams-Announced-in-San-Francisco
















 











 


10 AC45s on the Start Line at First AC World Series in Portugal

Today the field of international competitors for the 34th America’s Cup revealed their game plans for winning the trophy and bringing the honor of hosting the Cup to their home country.

Teams representing China, France (with two teams), Italy, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Sweden and USA made their first appearance together in the host city of the 2013 America’s Cup at a press conference where organizers introduced the line-up. The ninth team will be announced at a press conference on June 23rd in Europe. 

“This field of competitors is truly global, representing a mix of established teams as well as new ones in sailing’s top event,” said Iain Murray, Regatta Director for the 34th America’s Cup and CEO, America’s Cup Race Management. “The new vision for the America’s Cup has created the opportunity for teams from Asia, Europe, Oceania and North America to enter the Cup and compete in dynamic, new, wing-sailed catamarans, in an exciting race format.” 

Among the challenging nations, Republic of Korea is new to the America’s Cup, while China is entering for just the second time.

San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee welcomed the teams to San Francisco, home of two 2012 America’s Cup World Series events, and the Louis Vuitton Cup, America’s Cup Challenger Series July 13 – September 1 and the America’s Cup Finals September 7-22, both in 2013.

“San Francisco welcomes the nine international sailing teams who will take to San Francisco Bay to compete for the America’s Cup trophy,” said San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee. “They will be joined by hundreds of thousands of spectators from around the world for an unparalleled dramatic sailing event. The America’s Cup is an extraordinary opportunity to leverage our region’s resources to generate much needed revenue for our City and create jobs. We are moving rapidly to meet our commitments to host a spectacular 34th America’s Cup in 2013.”

The nine competitors will face-off for the first time in August at the inaugural America’s Cup World Series event in Cascais, Portugal where a fleet of ten AC45s will do battle in both fleet and match racing.  ORACLE Racing will enter two teams in the 2011 AC World Series. 

“In only 11 months since the inception of the AC45, we designed, built and tested this fleet of ten race-ready boats for our first season,” Murray said. “The America’s Cup World Series is now. The fleet is on its way to Portugal and ORACLE Racing is here on the Bay giving San Francisco a sneak preview of the dramatic racing to come in August. Thanks to the teams for stepping up to this new challenge – the fun is about to begin.” 

The inaugural AC World Series competition will be held August 6 – 14 in Cascais, Portugal. The second stop on the circuit will be Plymouth, England on September 10-18, followed by the final stop in 2011 in San Diego November 12-20.

In addition to the unveiling of the official slate of competitors, event organizers also introduced the new brand expression for both the 34th America’s Cup and the 2013 Louis Vuitton Cup, the America’s Cup Challenger Series. 

“In every sense of the word, the America’s Cup is reinventing itself, from our cutting-edge boats to breakthrough sporting technology to our visual identity,” said Richard Worth, Chairman, America’s Cup Event Authority. “Everything about this new America’s Cup is designed aroundtransforming the sport.”

Talking about the new logo of the Louis Vuitton Cup, Pietro Beccari, Executive Vice-President of Louis Vuitton, said "When we started to work on the new logo for the Louis Vuitton Cup, we wanted to give it a modern and dynamic design which reflects the spirit of the competition. We began by playing with the sails and the hulls of these huge boats, from which we found the inspiration for the logo of next Louis Vuitton Cup." 


The competitors for the 34th America’s Cup are (nation, team, yacht club)*: 

China – China Team, Mei Fan Yacht Club 
France – Aleph – Équipe De France, Aleph Yacht Club
France – Energy Team, Yacht Club de France
Italy – Venezia Challenge, Club Canottieri Roggero di Lauria
New Zealand – Emirates Team New Zealand, Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron
Republic of Korea – Team Korea, Sail Korea Yacht Club
Sweden – Artemis Racing, Kungliga Svenska Segel Sallskapet
United States – ORACLE Racing, Golden Gate Yacht Club, (Defender) 

* The Ninth confirmed Team will be announced at a press conference June 23 in Europe


As they said it, quotes from the teams:

China Team, Wang Chaoyong, Team Principal: "China Team is a true Chinese challenger as it will be powered by mainly Chinese sailors on a China-built boat. We are currently actively recruiting the Chinese sailors through a series of training camps all over China, and at the same time, our existing team is training with Olympic multihull medalists on the China Team AC45 boat to ensure that we are ready to compete in the first World Series in August. China Team truly represents the spirit of sports in China; while sailing is still a relatively new sport in China, we will be ready to compete against the best sailing teams in the world for the most prestigious sailing sports trophy."

ALEPH – Équipe De France, Philippe Ligot, CEO: "Aleph is proud to continue France's heritage in sailing's pinnacle event the America's Cup. The America's Cup is a great contest of design and sailing skill. The new boats and format promise to transform a magnificent event into an even more exciting competition. Aleph looks forward to racing here in San Francisco."

Energy Team, Bruno Peyron, General Manager: "Energy Team comes to the America's Cup with great experience in world-class multihull racing. With this new format, we see an exciting opportunity to excel in the America's Cup. The French public are huge fans of multihull racing so this move to new, dynamic boats will be great for the French sailing audience. And I have no doubt that the passion the French have for fast multihulls will be shared globally once people see these teams racing."

Venezia Challenge, Dario Valenza, Operations Manager: "This new formula is very exciting, it is a great format able to attract sponsors and audience. Venezia Challenge will plan mobile campaigns using TV and radio in Italy and organize a Village in the most important cities to involve the mass market not just sailing fans. Technically it is a new level playing field, the boats are exciting, the format ensures close racing and expenditure is kept under control by limiting the available design led performance advantage and putting the emphasis on the sailing. Our team is coming together well and is looking like a formidable lineup, an exciting mix of people who are a pleasure to work with."

Emirates Team New Zealand, Kevin Shoebridge, COO: "Emirates Team New Zealand, twice winner of the America’s Cup, is working through the multiple challenges presented by the radical changes in boat and format. The team is happy with the venue but recognizes that translating the vision to reality will require a massive effort by all involved."

Team Korea, Kim Dong-Young, Team Principal: "We are very proud to represent the Republic of Korea's first-ever Challenge for the America's Cup. With a new boat and new format, Korea can enter the America's Cup for the first time with a better chance of success. We look forward to building our team and racing the AC45s starting in Portugal."

Artemis Racing, Terry Hutchinson, Helmsman: "The AC45 is a high performance, powerful boat which also maneuvers well in close situations. The wing definitely adds to the performance of the AC45 and when combined with the rest of the technology onboard, it's certainly a step ahead in multihull sailing.  The racing promises to be close and action-packed, as well as demanding for the five crew on board. Likewise, as sailors, we need to be flexible, agile and physically fit, ready for just about anything that the short courses will present."

ORACLE Racing, Russell Coutts, CEO: "These boats, and the bigger AC72s, aim to test the best sailors in the world. It's about pushing boundaries and gaining confidence so that your team is sharper than the next. It could be the difference between winning and losing."









]]> Wed, 15 Jun 2011 15:26:00 CDT http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6584-Americas-Cup-Teams-Announced-in-San-Francisco http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6582-Extreme-40s-49ers-Skydivers-Boston-Here-We-Come-Extreme-Sailing-Series
SAILGROOVE'S COVERAGE OF EXTREME SAILING SERIES BOSTON

After the epic Act in Istanbul, the Extreme Sailing Series™ now heads to new shores for Act 4 – Boston in the USA – the first time the circuit has staged an official event in the United States.“Boston is proud to be the first U.S. city to host the 2011 Extreme Sailing Series to our waterfront for the city’s July 4th celebration – one of the largest in the nation,” said Thomas M. Menino, Mayor, City of Boston. Watch the Boston promo video here.




The Boston event will be staged at Fan Pier as part of the Boston Harborfest celebrations and it is lining up to be a very special event... visit the Fan Pier Facebook page here. Taking place from Thursday, 30th June to Monday, 4th July, every day is open to the public and there will be plenty of attractions. The 11-boat Extreme 40 fleet will showcase their close combat 'stadium'style of racing in front of the spectators at Fan Pier, a 21-acre site on Boston’s waterfront spanning nine city blocks, owned by the Fallon Company, the official host venue partner to the Boston Act. The Extreme 40s will be supported by 49er racing, Laser and J22s racing for the official charity Courageous Sailing, fireworks, live music and street performers, and aerial demos from the Red Bull Air Force skydivers. Media partner Boston’s Fox25 TV will be capturing all the action as part of their scheduled live programming from Fan Pier.

“As part of our ongoing evolvement to bring more and more to the spectators both on and off the water, we are really delighted with the Boston line-up and especially that the Olympic 49er Class can join us for the first time this year,” said Gilles Chiorri, Events Director, OC ThirdPole. Some of the USA’s and Canada’s finest 49er sailors will be showcasing their skills to the crowds ahead of the Extreme 40 racing.

The public will have plenty to enjoy but for the Extreme 40 sailors, their focus is purely on one thing – winning Act 4. After three events in Muscat (Oman), Qingdao (China) and Istanbul (Turkey), three different teams have so far claimed victories – Groupe Edmond de Rothschild (Muscat), Luna Rossa (Qingdao) and Artemis Racing (Istanbul) skippered by American Terry Hutchinson. Can another team claim victory in Boston? Dean Barker’s Emirates Team New Zealand came so close in Istanbul and is desperate for a win. Red Bull Extreme Sailing, on the podium in Muscat, but an outright event win still eludes them – a victory in Boston would be a mighty celebration as the US round is supported by local event partner, Red Bull. And despite their crash in Istanbul, Alinghi, helmed by 2010 runner-up Yann Guichard, is raising their game with a podium finish within their sights. And now The Wave, Muscat has a new skipper in the form of Britain’s Leigh McMillan, who helped steer Ecover into third place overall in 2010, taking over the reigns from Torvar Mirsky.

A total of 43 races were staged in Istanbul – the most ever at one event in the circuit’s history – and this could be replicated, or even exceeded, in Boston if the weather plays ball. The short 15-minute races are mentally and physically demanding. Find out what a ‘day in the Extreme 40’ office is like for Red Bull Extreme Sailing bowman, Craig Monk here.

Extreme Sailing Series™ Act 4 at Fan Pier, Boston Programme**
All times are local (GMT -5hrs)

Daily, 30th June to 4th July
1100-2300 Race Village opening times
1100-1300 Courageous Sailing (official venue charity) including Lasers and J22s
1100-1300 49er Sailing
1400-1700 Extreme 40s racing in Boston Harbor at Fan Pier
1730 Prizegiving
1600-1900 Street performers
1900-2300 Live music entertainment in Race Village

Thursday 30th June (media day)
1100-1200 Press Conference
1330-1400 Red Bull Air Force skydivers in Race Village
1830-1900 Red Bull Air Force skydivers in Race Village
1800, 2200 & 2300 FOX 25 live broadcast from the Race Village
1900 Opening Ceremony
2115 Fireworks at Boston Harbor at Fan Pier

Friday 1st July
0600-1000 FOX 25 Morning news live broadcast
0700 Red Bull Air Force live jump on FOX 25
1330-1400 Red Bull Air Force skydivers in Race Village
**please note that times/activities might vary

49er Sailors Provisional Entry List Boston
Trevor Parekh/Matt Dubreucq – CAN
Zach Brown/ Thomas Barrows – USA
Rob Frost/Tom Arbuckle – CAN
Mike Brodeur/Tom Carlton – CAN
Jon Goldsberry/Charlie Smythe – USA
Max Fraser/Dan Morris – USA
www.49er.org

About Fan Pier:
Fan Pier is a 21-acre site on Boston’s waterfront spanning nine city blocks with over three million square feet of planned mixed-use development. Currently, the luxury waterfront property is home to the internationally acclaimed Institute of Contemporary Art, famed Boston retailer LOUIS, Salon Mario Russo and restaurants including Sam’s and Strega Waterfront. Fan Pier’s first office building at ONEMarina Park is already occupied, and the destination includes a new public park, a Harbor Walk, and a state-of-the-art marina. When complete, Fan Pier will have a five-star hotel, luxury condominiums, additional offices, retail and restaurants. The Fallon Company is owner and developer.

About Boston Harborfest:
Boston Harborfest 2011 is a six-day long Fourth of July festival that showcases the colonial and maritime heritage of the cradle of the American Revolution: the historic City of Boston. The award-winning festival strives to honor and remember the past, celebrate the present, and educate the future with reenactments, concerts, historical tours and much, much more. Now in its 30th year, Boston Harborfest is considered to be the largest patriotic celebration in the nation with visitors enjoying more than 200 activities during the festival.
]]> Wed, 15 Jun 2011 12:02:00 CDT http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6582-Extreme-40s-49ers-Skydivers-Boston-Here-We-Come-Extreme-Sailing-Series http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6567-Victory-for-Bjorn-Hansen-As-He-Lifts-Korea-Match-Cup-for-First-Time VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS AVAILABLE ON THE SAIL TV PLAYER

12 June, 2011 – Gyeonggi Province, Korea: Bjorn Hansen was named king of the Korea Match Cup for the first time today beating Francesco Bruni in a thrilling finale to the third stage of the World Match Racing Tour. Hansen (SWE) Mekonomen Sailing Team held onto his nerve as the Final went to sudden death, eventually defeating Bruni (ITA) Bruni Racing by three wins to two.








An emotional Bjorn Hansen and his Mekonomen Sailing Team celebrate their Korea Match Cup victory © Copyright SubZero Images, Korea Match Cup






It is Hansen's first win on the World Match Racing Tour since he claimed Match Cup Sweden in 2007 and only his second ever Tour victory. Despite losing out to Hansen, Bruni also had reason to celebrate as the result moves him to the top of the World Match Racing Tour overall standings.
 

"We had a tough start to the World Match Racing Tour, coming last at Match Race France and then third to bottom at Match Race Germany so we knew we had to really raise our game," Hansen said. "We also knew we love this event and had a good chance to get a result here in Korea. Fransceco has been sailing really well this season and we knew we were going to have to sail really well to beat him. To beat him round the course we knew we had to win the starts and thankfully we did that three times in the Final."

He added: "To win the Korea Match Cup feels fantastic. My team have done a great job this week. I'm so happy, it has been four years since we won an event on the World Match Racing Tour. It feels like we really earned this win."



Coming into the Final, Bruni was odds-on favourite to win having met Hansen 12 times on the World Match Racing Tour and winning 11 of the matches. Bruni was also riding high from his win at Match Race Germany last month. But Hansen and his team had proven, despite a slow start to the Korea Match Cup, that they were a force to be reckoned with, entering the Final with ten wins from their last 12 races.
 

As the first of the final races got underway in a fresh 8-12 knot westerly breeze, it was Bruni who opened the scoring, dominating from the pre-start and controlling Hansen right until the finish. Determined not to be outdone, Hansen answered in the second match. Despite picking up a penalty before the start Hansen charged off the line ahead of Bruni and put on enough of a lead to complete a penalty turn on the sprint to the first mark. Although Bruni closed the gap on the downwind leg it wasn't enough to catch Hansen and the Swede levelled the score to 1-1.
 

Race three saw Bruni penalised for an uncharacteristic mistake, his boom hitting mark one as he chased Hansen onto the first downwind leg. Try as he might to force a penalty onto Hansen the umpires' rulings went against him and Hansen claimed his second win.

With Hansen needing just one more win to claim the title Bruni responded, bossing the pre-start and loading a penalty onto Hansen before managing a late gybe around Hansen's bow leaving him floundering on the wrong side of the committee boat. Hansen fought back and almost rolled Bruni into mark two forcing himself onto the inside at the mark, a manoeuvre that earned him a second penalty and handed back the lead to Bruni along with the match win which set the stage for a sudden death final.
 

A penalty while tacking out of the dial up in the pre-start was a major setback for Bruni and things only got worse for him as he was forced to tack round on the start line giving Hansen the advantage. Bruni could do nothing to stop Hansen crossing the line first to claim the victory.
 

Gracious in defeat, Bruni said he was happy to be leading the overall Tour standings. "We lost 3-2 in the final but we're pretty pleased," Bruni said. "Bjorn has been sailing brilliantly. We made some mistakes and we need to learn from those but overall I'm really happy because we have been sailing well on the Tour this season. It's all good."



Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar claimed the third place on the podium with a confident 2-0 victory over Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing, going some way to make up for his 0-3 defeat in the Semi-Final at the hands of Hansen.

Hansen and his Mekonomen Sailing Team were awarded 75,000,000 Korean won ($69,000 USD) for their win, presented to them by Kim Moon Soo, Governor of Gyeonggi Province. Bruni won't have to wait long to avenge his defeat. The Portimao Portugal Match Cup starts on June 22 and sees Bruni, Hansen and fellow Tour Card Holders including Torvar Mirsky and Damien Iehl return to the action.
 

2011 Korea Match Cup results:



Final
Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Mekonomen Sailing Team beat Francesco Bruni (ITA) Bruni Racing 3-2
 

Petit Final
Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar beat Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing 2-0
 

Final Positions at the 2011 Korea Match Cup:
1 Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Mekonomen Sailing Team
2 Francesco Bruni (ITA) Bruni Racing
3 Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar
4 Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing
5 Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team
6 Torvar Mirsky (AUS) The Wave Muscat
7 Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team
8 Paul Campbell-James (UK) Dream Team
9 Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing
10 Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team
11 Sung Wook Kim (KOR) Busan Match Team
12 Reuben Corbett (NZL) AON Racing Team
 

2011 ISAF World Match Racing Tour Standings (after 3 stages):
1 Francesco Bruni (ITA) Bruni Racing – 59pts
2 Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing – 48pts
3 Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team - 41pts
4 Torvar Mirsky (AUS) The Wave Muscat – 31pts
5 Jesper Radich (DEN) Adrian Lee & Partners – 28pts
6 Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Mekonomen Sailing Team – 27pts
7 Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing – 27pts
8 Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team – 24pts
9 Bertrand Pace (FRA) Aleph Sailing Team – 22pts
10 Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar - 21pts 
]]> Mon, 13 Jun 2011 08:21:00 CDT http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6567-Victory-for-Bjorn-Hansen-As-He-Lifts-Korea-Match-Cup-for-First-Time http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6566-Carroll-Crowned-2011-Melges-32-National-Champion Rye, NY - USA - The final day of racing at the 2011 U.S. National Championship, hosted by the AMERICAN YACHT CLUB (AYC) declared Jason Carroll and his Argo Melges 32 as the new U.S. National Champion. Tactician Cameron Appleton, Scott Norris, Chad Corning, Charles Swanson, Lindsay Bartel, Peter Crawford and Andrew Koch served as crew. Mark Plaxton's INTAC was second, while Takashi Okura's SLED had a tough day on the water slipping back to finish third overall.



Going into Sunday's races, Carroll led the fleet by an impressive 11 points and the battle for positions second through fifth remained heated. Japan's Okura sat nicely in second place, seven points ahead of Plaxton in third. Rod Jabin on Ramrod was holding on to fourth by one point over Ed Tillinghast on Dark N'Stormy in fifth place.

Light conditions prevailed for the first race of the day with Plaxton grabbing an early lead rounding the top mark in first, with John Taylor's Ninkasi in second and Benjamin Schwartz's Pisces in third. Downwind, Plaxton, Taylor and Schwartz held on to their respective positions through the gate, with a 20 degree course change being implemented. The fleet headed back upwind with Alexis Michas'Zetiana and Schwartz's Pisces staying left enabling them to advance. Michas went on to win, Plaxton took second and a close battle between Taylor and Schwartz transpired right at the finish. Taylor was third by a nose, Schwartz was fourth and Carroll in fifth.

With only one race left, Carroll refrained from participating in the final race knowing the fight for other top positions had intensified.

The final race of the eight-part event series was held under the same light conditions as the first. After two general recalls, PRO Robin Wallace was quick to act on the fleets starting line aggression hoisting a black flag into effect. The clean start put Geoff Pierini's Shakedown around the top mark in first with Michas, Schwartz and Plaxton right behind. As the fleet progressed downwind, through the gate and back upwind, Schwartz edged his way to the front of the pack to round the last mark of the day in first. Pierini longed to regain the lead, but hot on his heels were Michael Dominguez's Broncoand Plaxton. Schwartz extended his lead ever so slightly to comfortably cross the finish line in first. Plaxton and Dominguez finished second and third respectively.



Top Five Results (FINAL, After eight races)
1.) Argo, Jason Carroll/Cameron Appleton; 1-2-1-1-1-1-5-[13/DNS] = 12
2.) INTAC, Mark Plaxton/Anthony Kotoun; 5-7-2=3-4-[9]-2-4 = 27
2.) SLED, Takashi Okura/Eiichiro Hamazaki; 2-1-6-8-2-3-[10]-9 = 31
4.) Pisces, Benjamin Schwartz/Charlie McKee; 8-[9]-8-2-5-7-4-1 = 35 
5.) Ramrod, Rod Jabin/Chris Larson; 6-3-5-[10]-5-4-6-8 = 37
FULL RESULTS
VIEW THE FULL CREW LIST 
OFFICIAL EVENT WEBSITE
VIEW PHOTO GALLERY



A VERY SPECIAL THANKS
The Melges 32 Class would like to extend a sincere and special thanks to the Championship host club, American Yacht Club along with PRO Robin Wallace and his RC team. It was a great Championship due to their key efforts to go the extra mile for the Melges 32 Class. On Saturday night, teams mingled at AYC and thoroughly enjoyed an amazing steak and lobster dinner prepared just for them.

The Class would also like to thank Melges 32 Owner Ed Tillinghast on Dark N'Stormy. He is certainly a stalwart and has generously served the class in various capacities since its early beginnings in North America. He had a key hand in planning the 2011 Melges 32 U.S. National Championship and coordinating the U.S. National Championship Trophy to be on hand for the event.

Very many thanks to the generosity of Jason Carroll and the Argo tender, most especially our driver Mark Ivey. All photos, facebook postings and reports were brought to you courtesy of the Argoprogram.

As always, the class is appreciative of the strong and ongoing support supplied by builder Melges USA. Harry Melges and Northeast representative Anthony Kotoun were on site taking care of every owner's needs. 

USA SAILING SERIES RANKING
With his championship crown in place, Jason Carroll catapulted into the top spot of the 2011 Melges 32 USA Sailing Series. Italy's Lanfranco Cirillo holds on for second. John Taylor's leaps into third.

Top Five 2011 USA Sailing Series Results (After four events)
1.) Jason Carroll, Argo
2.) Lanfranco Cirillo, Fantastica
3.) John Taylor, Ninkasi
4.) Ed Tillinghast, Dark N'Stormy
5.) Alexis Michas, Zetiana
VIEW THE FULL 2011 USA SAILING SERIES 

UP NEXT
Don't go far, because next weekend, June 17-19 the Melges 32 fleet will do it again, this time in beautiful Porto Cervo at the Audi Invitational, Event No. 3 in the 2011 Audi Melges 32 Sailing Series.VIEW THE FULL CREW LIST
]]> Mon, 13 Jun 2011 07:50:00 CDT http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6566-Carroll-Crowned-2011-Melges-32-National-Champion http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6565-Etchells-Year-in-San-Diego-Ends-with-2011-Etchells-World-Championship DAILY VIDEOS BY DOUG MOY OF TIM WILKES PHOTOGRAPHY

San Diego has been anticipating this week’s Etchells World Championship with a year-long series of competitive sailing battles off the shores of Point Loma California.  On a day when the 2011 Championship had already been sealed and the skipper and crew from USA 979 respectfully declined to race and watched the action from a spectator boat, many other outcomes of the regatta were still up for grabs including a 3 point spread between Australia’s 1026 Noel Drennan and USA’s 1227 Vince Brun.  Brun and crew started the regatta with four top 4 finishes, but their momentum slowed with finishes of 7, 14, and 9 leading up to the final race.  Meanwhile, Drennan threw out a Day One finish of 21st place and finished in the top 9 in every race following.



Another close match was for 6th through 10th place.  On Friday USA 946 Craig Healy won the race by over a minute to move up to 6th, leading AUS 1278 Michael John Hiatt by 4 points, USA 1060 Dennis Conner by 5, USA 1152 Keith Whittemore by 11, and USA 1375 Argyle Campbell by 13.
 

The final race day (Saturday) began with lighter winds from a 220 – 250 axis as the fleet arrived in the racing area.  As the competitors sorted themselves out, the race committee patiently waited for the breeze to settle in to a relatively stable 10-12 knots at the 240 axis. The R/C set the final course (2.1 mile legs).  The fleet was anxious, and anxious to get to the right as well, and piled onto the right segment of the line. Twice, General Recalls were signaled.  The R/C dropped the right side of the line back to 255 and the Black Flag was raised for start attempt #3.  Competitors focused and a clean start was off just before 1220.
 

The spectator fleet on the right side of the course grew on this fine Saturday from about a dozen at the start to more than 20 in the afternoon as the sun broke through the Marine layer.
 

The boats competing for top 5 finishes were not in the first group of boats around the weather mark, as USA 794 Steve Pacelli, USA 1060 Dennis Conner, BER 1392 Mark Watson, USA 935 Dave Ullman, and USA 1152 Keith Whittemore rounded first.  USA 969 Chris Busch was 18th around the first mark, AUS 1026 Drennan was 24th and USA 1227 Vince Brun was 32nd.
 

1152 Keith Whittemore became the star of Race 9.  Whittemore and crew took the lead on the 2nd upwind leg, leading 2nd place 1060 Conner by a few boat lengths.  Conner touched the mark during the rounding, and did his penalty turn as a few boats passed him by.  Meanwhile, Whittemore took off and added a full 1:13 lead over the pack at the next mark and cruised to the Race 9 victory with a 1:40 advantage over 2nd place.
 

Back at the 2nd windward mark, the overall race for 2nd place in the regatta came to a head.  1227 Brun rounded just after 1026 Drennan and had a downwind/upwind sequence left to try to make up the 3 point deficit.  After the downwind leg, Drennan had a three boat lead, rounded the left gate and continued left up the course.  Hoping the right side would pay off, 1227 Brun rounded and headed up the right side of the course.  As the fleet converged at the top of the course, 1026 Drennan finished 8th with 1227 Brun in 25th (their new throw out score).  2nd Place in the regatta would belong to AUS 1026 Drennan (Drennan previously finished 3rd in the 1997 Etchells Worlds in Hong Kong).
 

USA 904 Will Stout, who won Race 6 made consistent progress through the field and was able to finish 2nd in the race, moving up to 12th overall in the regatta.  USA 969 Chris Busch finished 6th in Race 9 and claimed 4th place in the Championship.

USA 666 Don Jesberg who finished the regatta with 18th place finishes on Friday and Saturday, was 5th place in the Championship as the top Corinthian (non-professional) team.  Past champion and sailing icon Dennis Conner and crew were 5th on Saturday and 6th overall.
 

Thanks go out to the consistent work from San Diego Yacht Club’s Race Committee including PRO Bill Stump, the judges, and all of the member and guest volunteers for putting together an incredible week.  SDYC will conclude the week’s events Saturday night with an Around-The-World Buffet dinner and awards ceremony where all the sailors will be recognized for their achievements.
 

The Etchells is a racing sailboat designed in 1966 by Skip Etchells. The boat weighs a minimum f 1508 kilos, and is crewed by a crew of three or four with a maximum combined crew weight of 285 kilos or 628.3 pounds. Known for its strong adherence to one design rules, the class has grown from approximately six boats in 1967 to almost 1400 boats worldwide.
 

The 2011 Etchells World Championship has been hosted by SDYC from June 6-11. The Etchells is a proving ground for professional sailors worldwide, with many going onto or participating in the America’s Cup. For more information for to www.ot etchellsworlds2011.com.
]]> Sun, 12 Jun 2011 14:36:00 CDT http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6565-Etchells-Year-in-San-Diego-Ends-with-2011-Etchells-World-Championship http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6561-Skandia-Sail-for-Gold-2011-Judgement-Day ‘Tougher competition than the Olympics’ was Ben Ainslie’s summary of Skandia Sail for Gold 2011. It was medal race day and the tension could be felt throughout the boat park as the elite of each Olympic discipline prepared to be tested. There was so much on the line – possible Olympic selection, ISAF World Cup points, the regatta result and of course a hefty dose of pride. Five hours later and spectators had been treated to some stunning racing, topped off when Ainslie clinically dispatched another rival to take gold. Ainslie’s win sealed Britain’s place as the top nation sailing nation at the 2012 Olympic venue. Australia was the only country that could match the home team’s gold medal tally across 13 Olympic and Paralympic classes.
 

It was the Women’s Match Racing that got going first, and Sally Barkow, Elizabeth Kratizig-Burnham and Alana O'Reilly (USA) recovered the form that took them so smoothly through the early rounds. The Americans took the bronze medal from Claire Leroy, Elodie Bertrand and Marie Riou (FRA) with a 2-0 sweep. It was not much different in the final, where Barkow’s compatriots, Anna Tunnicliffe, Molly Vendemoer and Debbie Capozzi swept imperiously past current World Champions, Lucy Macgregor, Annie Lush and Kate Macgregor (GBR). Tunnicliffe and her team took the gold medal without the loss of a single race. It left the Brits with silver, sandwiched between the two Americans in gold and bronze.

The rest of the action got underway on the two medal race courses on Portland Harbour. First off was the Laser class, where the top three placed sailors could not be moved off the podium - it was just a question of what colour they would take home. Reigning Laser Olympic Champion Paul Goodison (GBR) had to finish one place ahead of Andrew Murdoch (NZL) to take the silver, and five places ahead of current World Champion Tom Slingsby (AUS) to take gold. Goodison got pushed out on to the unfavoured side of the first leg, and rounded the first mark in last place. Slingsby stayed in control throughout the race finishing second to Murdoch’s sixth. Goodison could do no better than ninth – and so it was gold for Slingsby, silver for Murdoch and bronze for Goodison.

The 470 men were next off and by now the wind was up and gusting to 15 knots. It was a race for silver and gold between the French and Australian teams, Pierre Leboucher  and Vincent Garos (FRA) holding a five point advantage from the reigning Olympic and World Champions, Mathew Belcher and Malcolm Page from Australia. The French pairing took hold of the race from the start gun, they led at the first mark and were never challenged. The Australians meanwhile were having a terrible time and eventually finished last – but it was still enough for silver. The bronze medal was a much closer affair and it was the Greek pairing of Panagiotis Mantis and Pavlos Kagialis that closed a four point gap to pass Gideon Kliger and Eran Sela from Israel – the latter only managing a ninth place. Athens and Beijing Olympic silver medallist Nick Rogers and his new crew, Chris Grube stepped up into fourth.

The Laser Radials were keen to get going, and a general recall brought the black flag out for the second attempt - a sure sign that race officials were anxious to keep things moving to the schedule. Marit Bouwmeester was never out of the top three throughout the race and never looked challenged for gold. She made absolutely certain of it with a strong final leg to win both the race and the gold medal. Behind Bouwmeester, Evi van Acker was making it hard to hold onto her silver medal, after rounding the first mark last. But the Belgian stormed back through the fleet to finish third and secure silver. Ireland’s young up and coming talent Annalise Murphy finished sixth, but that was enough to keep the bronze medal.

In the 470 women, New Zealanders Jo Aleh and Olivia Powrie had a 16 point lead that all but guaranteed them gold. They sailed a safe race to finish fifth and secured the medal. Behind them there was a tough battle for the other podium positions, with Camille Lecointre and Mathilde Geron (FRA), Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark (GBR), and Gil Cohen and Vered Bouskila (ISR) within 11 points of each other at the outset. Mills and Clarke secured the silver with a third place, leaving Lecointre and Geron with bronze after they could only manage an eighth. Cohen and Bouskila had an even worse day, finishing dead last and slipping to fifth.

If the Radials were keen to get going, then the 49ers were super-charged. A full five boats, fifty percent of the fleet were over the line at the start, including series leaders, Australians Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jenson. Two of the British boats were caught, John Pink and Rick Peacock, along with Paul Brotherton and Mark Asquith, and France’s Julien D’Ortoli and Noe Delpech – all of them returned and cleared the start line. The exception was Italy’s Sibello brothers, who didn’t return and were penalised – desperately unfortunate as they finished the race in second place. But Outteridge and Jensen demonstrated that they were the class act in Weymouth, recovering from their restart to secure gold by finishing second behind their teammates, Will and Sam Phillips. The result should now secure the top Aussies selection for 2012. The battle for the other medals was settled in favour of France’s Stephane Christidis and Peter Hansen, taking silver from Britain’s Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes in bronze.

The RS:X Women saw a storming performance from the bronze medallist in Beijing - Bryony Shaw. But Shaw hadn’t done enough earlier in the week for her medal race win to get her anywhere near the podium – finishing eighth overall - and the real battle was fought behind her. The gold was decided between Poland’s Zofia Klepacka and Spain’s Marina Alabau - on equal points heading into the medal race. It went to Alabau with a solid second behind Shaw, Klepacka only managing a sixth to end up with silver. The bronze went to Lee Korzits (ISR), who beat Maja Dziarnowska by the one place she required to get third – the pair were last and second to last!

The Star fleet all arrived at the first mark at the same time – and it took some cool manoeuvring from America’s Mark Mendelblatt to go around ahead, after coming into the medal race in a lowly tenth place. But all eyes were on Brazil’s Robert Scheidt and Bruno Prada and their contest with Sweden’s Fredrik Loof and Max Salminen. They started the day tied for the lead with 32 points each – but they weren’t up for the match race, electing to sail their own races. On the second windward leg they split sides after Loof trailed Scheidt in ninth place at the end of the first lap. Schedit didn’t cover Loof who went all the way to the left hand corner – too far, as it turned out. Loof overstood the third mark, Scheidt rounded in third and the gold medal was won, Loof forced to settle for silver despite a blistering final run. Italy’s Diego Negri and Enrico Voltolini held off a charge from Poland’s Mateusz Kusznierewicz and Dominik Zycki to take the bronze. Beijing Olympic Champions, Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson finished the medal race in second, but stayed in fifth place.

The penultimate race of the day was the RS:X Men - Spain’s Ivan Pastor jumped the gun, but it had no effect on the race as he started the day in tenth place. The medal battle belonged to Nick Dempsey (GBR) and Jp Tobin (NZL) – the pair fought each other all the way round the course, eventually leaving all but Nimrod Mashiah (ISR) in their wake. The points were so close it was a simple matter of winner takes all – and it was Dempsey who crossed the line just ahead of Tobin to take home gold. The Kiwi had to settle for silver, and Dorian van Rijsselberge secured bronze from the charging Israeli with a fourth place.

No one was expecting the Finn medal race – the last of the day - to be an anti-climax. And no one was disappointed. Only one man, Giles Scott (GBR) could take the gold medal from triple Olympic Champion, Ben Ainslie - who also happens to be the reigning World Match Racing Champion. There was always going to be fireworks and they started early, with the pair battling way behind the line as the others jostled to start. Ainslie came out in front and kept his foot on his younger rival’s throat all the way up the first leg, the pair still trailing the fleet, which was all that Ainslie really required with a 16 point overall lead. But then the unexpected happened... Scott blasted past Ainslie on the run.

The Olympic legend reversed the tables on the next windward leg to lead again at the final turning mark, only for Scott to do the same thing on the final run - despite some aggressive defending from Ainslie. But that one place was vital to Scott, who needed ninth to secure his silver medal from Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic (CRO) by a single point. A tremendous physical display of no-limits pumping saw Scott safely home for silver, with Kljakovic Gaspic taking bronze from medal race winner, and reigning World Champion, Ed Wright (GBR).

The final medal race had been everything that spectators had hoped for, and as the athletes sailed home and the medal tallies were counted, any locals that had ever doubted Skandia Team GBR’s strength on their home turf could relax. The nine medal total at the end of this regatta brings home the strength in depth of the performance, particularly when you note that those nine medals didn’t include anything from three classes in which the team medalled in 2008 in Beijing – the Star, RS:X Women and 470 Men.

Quotes of the Day
Tom Slingsby (AUS) - Laser 
Winner

I feel good. It was a pretty tricky race, there were two people who could catch me but luckily I got a good start and, yeah, I just defended from there.
My strategy for this race did not change much, but you have always got to watch your closest competitors.  But you have to make sure you don’t get too involved in what they are doing, you’ve got to sail your own race and today I did that. Whenever they caught up a bit, I went and protected my own spot and then just sailed my own race when they fell back a bit.

There was no point in the race when I thought I would not make it as I was lucky and got the first shift - a nice 15-20 metre jump straight off the bat - and this calmed my nerves. From there I could make good decisions and it went on from there.
The focus is always on Weymouth and winning here at every event that we do is definitely my biggest goal. The Test Event is the next one and I will try to do the same again as I did here, but now everyone is gunning for me and so I will have to try and defend my spot.

Pierre Leboucher (FRA) – 470
Winner 
We have sailed together for 11 years and it is the second year running that we have won the Skandia Sail for Gold event so we are very happy. It has been a long week because of the weather conditions – partly because of the winds of 20 knots all day long – and we are very tired but that is normal! We are friends with lots of the sailors and it was a very open competition and everyone had the chance to sail well.

Next we go back to France to have a ‘slow’ time followed by time at our training camp, and then we hope to come back in a month’s time for the Olympic Test event, but we have to wait for news from the selectors.

Marit Bouwmeester (NED) - Radial  
Winner
Today was pretty exciting in the medal race as I only had a small gap ahead of Evi (Van Acker from Belgium). It had been close racing all week and so I expected a really close race and recently she has been match racing which made it even more exciting, but I made it a victory.

My next event will be the Pre-Olympics Test Event in Weymouth and until then I will be training here, but I can easily travel back and forth to home. Most of the time, though, I will be training here.

Nathan Outtridge (AUS) - 49er 
Winner
We were way back at the start and just tried to stay clear of the British guys because they had their selection coming into this race. We had good pace and discovered a couple of good shifts which took us into second place. So obviously happy with the wind. We have had really good pace all week, and we’ve been finding good lanes and good starts. It’s just all lots of little things, not one particular thing, that add up and not making too many mistakes; everyone out there is really, really good but at the end of the day - the guys making the least mistakes normally end up the winners.

There’re always nerves, but today was not so stressful as we had a gap over the second guys and all we had to do was sail conservatively and close to the French, but if we had been closer to them it would have been more nerve-wracking. It was nice today, though. We like the winds here in Weymouth.  There are normally a lot of waves around Weymouth and conditions are pretty similar to Australia. So we like it here. We are flying home for two weeks and then will be back (in Europe) for the 49er European Championships in Finland.

Nick Dempsey (GBR) - RSX 
Winner
It feels brilliant. We’ve had some pretty similar conditions most days so it’s been immensely tight.  JP (Tobin) and Dorian (van Rijsselberge) have been sailing amazingly, so I couldn’t really put a foot wrong as they made it very difficult. But to finish off like that was amazing.  That race is kind of what it’s been like all week, so it’s been tough but it’s a really good result.

It’s been a tough week but it could have been harder physically. The body’s in one piece, the mind’s just about in one piece. I feel good and I’m looking forward to the next six weeks’ training and to doing the same again.

Olivia Powrie (NZL) - 470 
Winner
We are really happy because we have had a bit of time off and this is our first regatta back so to pick up the win is great. The first time we topped the leaderboard was on the final day before the medal racing, so we seem to have timed it all pretty well really.

We had a bit of a plan going into today but there are always a few nerves going into it, because you never know how it is going to go. But it is great to know that we can win here and with the Pre-Olympics back here in a few weeks’ time it is great to get some time in here ahead of that.

Marina Alabau (ESP) – RS:X Women
Winner
The conditions were perfect today, we had really nice wind and sun so it was just perfect. I think today was about 15 knots and I feel really confident with these conditions so it was good. This was the first selection event for the Olympics and also the selection for the Pre-Olympics so that here in Weymouth and Portland is my next big event. I’m really happy to have won a few points in front of Blanca (Machon). I love Weymouth, I won the World Championships here two years ago so this was my second event I won here in Weymouth. I feel very confident - the wind is really nice.

Anna Tunicliffe (USA) – Match Racing  
Winner
In the first match we had a really good start, I just led her (Lucy Macgregor) off the line, we were able to extend our lead up the first beat, kind of just held on to that around the race course. We led off the line and we basically extended upwind. Then downwind the Brits were always going to close up the gap, and so they put some pressure on us at the leeward marks, but we stayed calm and we kept extending our lead.

I think whenever you sail against the Brits they’re such a great team you never really let your guard down, so it was close the whole time. We’re very, very excited, we put a lot of work in and had a great week here in Weymouth.

Ben Ainslie (GBR) – Finn
Winner
We’ve got huge quality in the Finn fleet here, especially in the British team with Giles (Scott) and Ed Wright in particular sailing very well. It’s been a really tough week physically with strong winds so I’m really pleased to have come out on top. It was hard work, I won’t hide from that fact.  It was one of the toughest events I think I’ve ever done physically.

Sometimes that’s the way it goes (re. the match race in the final). Giles was the only one who could beat me and in terms of our Pre-Olympic selection trials.  I sealed the regatta win and it worked out OK.  It’s always quite tense with those match races, it’s never easy and Giles sailed very well and put up a good fight.  It’s a tough situation that we only have one spot per class.
 
Robert Scheidt (BRA) – Star
Winner
What it really shows is that you are on the right track, getting things right and doing the right preparation to get to your goal. It gives you a lot of confidence to win.
 
Skandia Sail for Gold 2011 – Medal Race Day 11 June 2011
49er  After Medal Race
1. AUS 2- OUTTERIDGE Nathan / JENSEN Iain (60pts)
2. FRA 4- CHRISTIDIS Stephane / HANSEN Peter (80pts)
3. GBR 7- MORRISON Stevie / RHODES Ben (90pts)
 
470 WOMEN  After Medal Race
1. NZL 75- ALEH Jo / POWRIE Olivia (52pts)
2. GBR 847- MILLS Hannah / CLARK Saskia (70pts)
3. FRA 9- LECOINTRE Camille / GERON Mathilde (74pts)
 
470 MEN  After Medal Race
1. FRA 44- LEBOUCHER Pierre / GAROS Vincent (38pts)
2. AUS 11- BELCHER Mathew / PAGE Malcolm (61pts)
3. GRE1- MANTIS Panagiotis / KAGIALIS Pavlos (72pts)
 
FINN  After Medal Race
1. GBR 3- AINSLIE Ben (42pts)
2. GBR 41- SCOTT Giles (56pts)
3. CRO 524- KLJAKOVIC GASPIC Ivan (57pts)
 
LASER  After Medal Race
1.. AUS 197541- SLINGSBY Tom (41pts)
2. NZL 199218- MURDOCH Andrew (57pts)
3.. GBR 201394- GOODISON Paul (64pts)
 
LASER RADIAL  After Medal Race
1. NED 200444- BOUWMEESTER Marit (40pts)
2. BEL 197514VAN ACKER Evi (50pts)
3. IRL 199417- MURPHY Annalise (69pts)
 
RS:X Men After Medal Race
1.  GBR 1 – DEMPSEY Nick (28pts)
2.  NZL 151 – TOBIN Jp (29pts)
3.  NED 8 – VAN RIJSSELBERGE Dorian (40pts)
 
RS:X Women After Medal Race
1. ESP 5  - ALABAU Marina (37pts)
2. POL 8 – KLEPACKA Zofia  (45pts)
3. ISR 1111 – KORZITS Lee  (66pts)
 
STAR  After Medal Race
1. BRA 8255- SCHEIDT Robert / PRADA Bruno (38pts)
2. SWE 8450- LOOF Fredrik /  SALMINEN Max (44pts)
3. ITA 8266- NEGRI Diego / VOLTOLINI Enrico (72pts)

MATCH RACING
Final:
USA Tunnicliffe / Vandemoer / Capozzi   3 - Gold
GBR Macgregor / Lush / Macgregor   0 - Silver
Petit Final:
USA Barkow / Kratizig-Burnham / O’Reilly   2 - Bronze
FRA Leroy / Bertrand / Riou   0
]]> Sat, 11 Jun 2011 12:47:00 CDT http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6561-Skandia-Sail-for-Gold-2011-Judgement-Day http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6548-Team-Hardesty-Extends-Lead-with-4th-Race-Victory-in-Etchells-World-Championship On Day 4 of the 2011 Etchells World Championship regatta in San Diego, CA, one race was scheduled at the regular 1200 warning signal time.  However the race didn't actually get started until  1241 thanks to three General Recalls.  For Race #7, Race Committee signaled a Course 1 (W-L-W-L-F), on a 260 axis with 2.4 mile legs. Wind speed was 12-14 knots.
 

Eager to gain the early edge, and appearing to see a perceived advantage in the center/left of the line, boats piled over the start line early near the center R/C start boat Corinthian for the 1st General Recall.  Corinthian added some sag to the center of the line, but a second start attempt yeilded the same result.  After a 10 minute pause, the R/C reset the line and changed the course to 255 at 2.3 miles.  Again, the fleet pushed hard in the middle that resulted in a 3rd General Recall. With one more adjustment to the center of the line, PRO Bill Stump raised the Black Flag for the 4th start attempt.  Finally at 1241 the 4th start was good, with boats USA 966 Michael Laport, ITA 836 Marco Cimarosti, and USA 1283 Andrew Whittome over early, and thus disqualified from the race as a Black Flag Disqualification (of which they were officially notified by Bow # signal at the weather mark).
 

During the mayhem of the multiple starts, AUS 1389 had a collision tearing their port chainplate and required a tow back to SDYC by a coach boat.  Hopefully repairs can be made and they can rejoin the regatta on Friday.
 

The course appeared to favor the boats that chose the left side on the initial upwind beat, and the beneficiaries were USA 1375 Argyle Campbell, FRA 1281 Frederic Laffitte, and  AUS 1223 Chris Hampton, who rounded the weather mark first.  Close behind were perennially competitive boats USA 666 Don Jesberg, USA 979 Bill Hardesty, AUS 1026 Noel Drennan, USA 969 Chris Busch, and USA 1227 Vince Brun.
 

The breeze shifted right for the second leg as the fleet ran back down the course towards the leeward gate. The Race Committee moved the course right to 265 and shortened just a little to 2.2 miles to avoid the San Diego ship channel.  USA 1375 Argyle Campbell held the lead around every mark rounding, even extending the lead to approximately 25 seconds at the last leeward gate.
 

USA 666 Jesberg made up two positions to 2nd, and 1060 Dennis Conner made up six spots to round in 3rd.  Around the right gate, 979 Hardesty made an inside pass of 1281 Laffitte to move up a spot.  1227 Brun held onto his position as the 10th or 11th rounder at each mark.
 

As the boats made their way upwind on the last leg of the race, the wind held steady at 10-12 knots with puffs filling to the right (275-280) on occasion.  As they approached the finish line, USA 1375 Campbell who lead the entire race including a 25 second lead at the last rounding and USA 666 Jesberg came from the left side, while USA 979 Hardesty came in from the right.  It was a photo finish and for the 4th time in the series 979 Hardesty pulled out the victory.  666 Jesberg crossed 2nd and 1375 Campbell finished 3rd as their best finishes of the regatta to date.  The next group of finishers were more from the top of the field and a few up and comers: 1281 Laffitte, 1026 Drennan, 1060 Conner, 969 Busch, 1223 Hampton, and 1227 Brun.
 

Aside from the clear dominance from 979's Bill Hardesty and crewmembers Steve Hunt, Mandi Markee, and Craig Leweck, the consistency shown by 666 Don Jesberg and crewmembers Scott Mason and Zarko Draganic has been impressive.  After a slow start on Day 1, the Jesberg team finished the next 5 races in the Top 5 to move into 4th overall.  USA 1227 Brun and AUS 1026 Drennan have also been very competitive with no recorded finish (throwout excluded) outside the Top 9 to hold 2nd and 3rd place overall respectively.
 

With two more single-race days ahead, the top 5 boats could all flip-flop positions so the competition will be fierce down the stretch.  The same can be said for the next group, 6 - 10 overall who are close in total points as well.  We are looking forward to a great finish.

The final weigh-in took place from 0700 - 0830 on Thursday, and to celebrate the sailors will head to Jimmy's Famous American Tavern tonight for the after race party at 1800 for daily awards, food and beverages.
]]> Fri, 10 Jun 2011 08:01:00 CDT http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6548-Team-Hardesty-Extends-Lead-with-4th-Race-Victory-in-Etchells-World-Championship http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6538-WMRT-Williams-Knocks-Gilmour-off-his-Stride-in-Thrilling-Clash-in-Korea 9 June, 2011 – Gyeonggi Province, Korea: A controversial umpiring decision saw Ian Williams snatch victory from Peter Gilmour in the most exciting duel of Qualifying Session Two at the Korea Match Cup. The victory put Williams safely into third place just one point behind joint leaders Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team and Francesco Bruni (ITA) Bruni Racing.









Gilmour appeals for a penalty in his epic match against Williams. © Image Copyright to Chris Davies / WMRT







Four times match racing world champion Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing led off the line, managing to stave off the attacks from Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar as the two went head to head in what turned out to be the race of the day.
 

Williams picked up a penalty during a luffing match rounding mark two when he didn't keep clear having been given plenty of room but edged past Gilmour, extending his lead to 27 seconds by the penultimate mark. Williams waited until the very last moment to offload his penalty on the finishing line, tangling with Gilmour just metres from the finish line. Williams finished his penalty on starboard, having opted not to take it around the mark itself, but Gilmour was owed room at the finish mark.
 

Calls that Williams had caused contact flew from Gilmour's camp but their protest was dismissed by the on-the-water umpires and Williams snuck across the line to take the win. The victory put Williams safely into third place just one point behind joint leaders Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team and Francesco Bruni (ITA) Bruni Racing.
 

Gilmour slipped from the commanding position he started the day in but has five more matches to sail, with a big match against Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team awaiting him in the first flight tomorrow.
 

"It was a frustrating call from the umpire, who I don't think was in the right position to see the incident," Gilmour said. "I think if they looked at it again now they might come to a different decision. However it's one of those things and I would choose to have on-the-water umpires every day of the week over any other system of judging."



Defending Korea Match Cup champion Mathieu Richard made a marked improvement on yesterday's reuslts after scoring three wins from three races including a controversial victory over an on-form Bruni. The Italian also had a good day on the waters of Jeongok harbour in the Gyeonggi Province winning three of his four clashes.
 

Bruni got off to an impressive start taking down Sung Wook Kim (KOR) Busan Match Team seamlessly before showing his class against Torvar Mirsky (AUS) The Wave Muscat. With around 30 seconds to go until the starting gun, Bruni forced Mirsky the wrong side of the starting boat. Mirsky made a quick spin but the damage was done and Bruni accelerated off the line with four boat lengths to play with. It was a lead that Mirsky could do nothing about and Bruni claimed the victory.
 

The flagship match of the early flights saw Bruni take on Richard in testing conditions with the tide in Jeongok harbour dropping out rapidly. A textbook start from Richard gave him the early advantage but by the first mark the pair were neck and neck. Just as Bruni started to pull away from his rival he ran aground in the shallow waters and the race was abandoned.
 

The resail saw Richard once again dominate the start, covering Bruni tightly up to the first mark and keeping the lead until the finish. It was heartbreak for Bruni but a big result for Richard, who went on to claim the win.
 

Richard said: "Yesterday we had an ok result but today we really stepped it up winning all our matches. I'm very happy with our score of 6-2 going into the third day but we're still a long way from the 2011 Korea Match Cup title."



Despite winning a match against Reuben Corbett (NZL) AON Racing, it is now not possible for Korean skipper Sun Wook Kim to progress to the Quarterfinals.

Qualifying Session Three kicks off tomorrow at 1000 local time (GMT+9). The aim is to complete the eight remaining flights tomorrow, weather permitting. They include some crucial pairings including Peter Gilmour versus Damien Iehl and the all-British battle of Ian Williams against Paul Campbell-James (GBR) Dream Team.







Follow all the action from the third Qualifying Session from the Korea Match Cup tomorrow live at www.wmrt.com from 1000 to 1700 local time (GMT+9).
 

Standings after the second Qualifying Session:
Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team 6-2
Francesco Bruni (ITA) Bruni Racing 6-2
Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar 5-1
Torvar Mirsky (AUS) The Wave Muscat 5-3
Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing 4-2
Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing 4-4
Paul Campbell-James (GBR) Dream Team 3-3
Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team 3-3
Bjorn Hansen (DEN) Mekonomen Sailing Team 3-3
Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team 1-5
Reuben Corbett (NZL) AON Racing Team 1-7
Sung Wook Kim (KOR) Busan Match Team 1-7
 

2011 ISAF World Match Racing Tour Standings (after 2 stages):
1 Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team - 39 pts
2 Francesco Bruni (ITA) Bruni Racing – 37pts
3 Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing – 32pts
4 Jesper Radich (DEN) Adrian Lee & Partners – 28pts
5 Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing – 23pts
6 Bertrand Pace (FRA) Aleph Sailing Team – 22pts
7 Torvar Mirsky (AUS) The Wave Muscat – 19pts
8 Evgeny Neugodnikov (RUS) Team Synergy – 16pts
9 Pierre Antoine Morvan (FRA) Extreme Team Morbihan – 14pts
10 Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team – 10pts 
]]> Thu, 09 Jun 2011 08:49:00 CDT http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6538-WMRT-Williams-Knocks-Gilmour-off-his-Stride-in-Thrilling-Clash-in-Korea http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6527-World-Match-Race-Tour-Korea-Match-Cup-Starts-Now 7 May 2011 – Gyeonggi Province, Korea: Wildcard skipper Paul Campbell-James and local talent Sung Wook Kim have vowed to shake up the racing on the eve of the Korea Match Cup, the third stage of the 2011 World Match Racing Tour. Along with New Zealand's Reuben Corbett and Sweden's Bjorn Hansen, the pair will be looking to upset the standings as they take on eight Tour Card Holders at Korea's largest sporting event.





Ian Williams hopes to go one better this year and finally lay his hands on the Korea Match Cup. Photo: Gareth Cooke/Subzero Images
 


Campbell-James, a former Student Match Racing World Champion, joins the Tour with his talented Dream Team crew fresh from the Extreme Sailing Series, an event which he won last year. The 28-year-old said he plans to bring his extensive experience of close-quarters racing to the world stage – and do what he can to throw in a few surprises.
 

"We're the underdogs in this event and we've got nothing to lose so we're going to really stick it to the other guys," Campbell-James said. "I'm particularly looking forward to taking on Torvar (Mirsky of The Wave Muscat) and of course the all-Brit battle with Ian Williams and his Team GAC Pindar is going to be a good one. It's a great line up here in Korea and we are looking forward to taking on everyone."



Local skipper Sung Wook Kim will also be looking to stamp his mark on his home event. The Korean sailor raced in the Korea Match Cup last year as part of Busan Match Team and this year returns as the home side's skipper.
 

"My team got two wins here at the Korea Match Cup last year so I hope to finish with at least three wins this week,"Sung Wook Kim said. "My team has sailed together for a long time so we're prepared. My wish is to beat some of the Tour Card Holders here as my long term plan is to qualify for more World Match Racing Tour events."



Five days of intense racing and action await the skippers as they prepare to do battle for the third time this year on the World Match Racing Tour. The racecourse, set in the waters of Jeongok harbour in Gyeonggi Province, is known as a predominantly light-wind venue but has been known to throw up some surprises. The tidal range that characterises the harbour will throw in an added element for the skippers and their crews to contend with.
 

After two events it's Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team who commands the number one spot in the World Match Racing Tour rankings, followed closely by Francesco Bruni (ITA) Bruni Racing. But with an impressive track record of consecutive second-place finishes at the past three Korea Match Cups, British skipper and pre-season favourite Ian Williams also promises to be one to watch.
 

A disappointing performance at the inaugural event of the 2011 World Match Racing Tour in France saw Williams finish tenth – but the 2007 and 2008 Match Racing World Champion says this could be the event where he finds his form.
 

"We had a disappointing result in France but that's the nature of match racing," said Williams. "It's very hard to be consistent throughout the Tour because the venues are all so different and the boats change for each one. You have one bad day and suddenly you're out of the event, and that's what you have to overcome. Everyone is bound to be a bit inconsistent but now it's up to us to start getting some results and some consistency.

"It will be interesting to see how it all plays out. It's hard to pick a formbook here, it's not the same people winning at this event from year to year. It doesn't seem anyone has fully got to grips with the event which means it is very open. We have had a lot of success at this event in the past which shows that we are strong and able to win quite a few races but we haven't managed to convert that in the final which is frustrating. It would be great to make the final and go on to win the event."



The first Qualifying Session for the 2011 Korea Match Cup starts tomorrow at 10:00 KST (GMT +9). You can watch all the action live from 10:00 to 17:00 local times (GMT +9) at www.wmrt.com



2011 Korea Match Cup Teams:

Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team
Francesco Bruni (ITA) Bruni Racing
Paul Campbell-James (GBR) Dream Team
Reuben Corbett (NZL) AON Racing Team
Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing
Bjorn Hansen (DEN) Mekonomen Sailing Team
Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team
Torvar Mirsky (AUS) The Wave Muscat
Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team
Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing
Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar
Sung Wook Kim (KOR) Busan Match Team
 

2011 ISAF World Match Racing Tour Standings (after 2 stages):

1 Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team - 39 pts
2 Francesco Bruni (ITA) Bruni Racing – 37pts 
3 Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing – 32pts
4 Jesper Radich (DEN) Adrian Lee & Partners – 28pts
5 Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing – 23pts 
6 Bertrand Pace (FRA) Aleph Sailing Team – 22pts
7 Torvar Mirsky (AUS) The Wave Muscat – 19pts
8 Evgeny Neugodnikov (RUS) Team Synergy – 16pts 
9 Pierre Antoine Morvan Extreme Team Morbihan – 14pts
10 Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team – 10pts
]]> Tue, 07 Jun 2011 17:03:00 CDT http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6527-World-Match-Race-Tour-Korea-Match-Cup-Starts-Now http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6525-Skandia-Sail-for-Gold-Regatta-Toughing-it-out-in-the-Trenches
Racing on the outer race course in the Finn was the current Olympic Champion Ben Ainslie (GBR). Ainslie answered some of those who doubted that he could win here in the breeze. Only Ivan Kliakovic Gaspic (CRO) ended up accumulating fewer points than Ainslie. Kliakovic Gaspic’s second and fifth place pulled him up to second overall and onto equal points with Britain’s triple Olympic gold medallist.

Ainslie will probably be disappointed with his seventh place in the day’s opening race, but as the breeze built though the afternoon to 20 knots, he will be much happier with a win in the second and final race of the day. Overnight leader Dan Slater (NZL) added another bullet and a tenth place to his scoreline, dropping him down to third. Giles Scott (GBR) pulled up two places to fourth, eight points off the leading duo.



Sharing the outer course with the Finns was the Star fleet. Four-time Olympic medallist Robert Scheidt – an old Laser rival of Ainslie’s - is now sailing Stars with his Brazilian team-mate Bruno Prada. They also prospered in the breeze, adding two second places to their bullet from yesterday. Five points behind are two-time Olympic medallist, Mateusz Kusznierewicz sailing with  Domini Zycki (POL). Another two-time Olympic medallist Fredrik Lööf (SWE), sailing with Max Salminen are 14 points behind the Brazilians in third. In a class that is stacked with medallists, current Olympic champion Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson started their climb up the leaderboard. A fourth and 11th place leaves them 12th overall after three races have been completed.

On the harbour course for the Paralympic teams, it was the 2.4mR’s turn to race in the morning, so they got a milder roughing up from the weather. It was the Netherlands Thierry Schmitter that took the day with two bullets to pull up to the top of the leaderboard, passing France’s Damien Seguin – Schmitter’s countryman, Rademaker remains in third. But it is Schmitter that is the current ISAF World Cup leader, and he was clearly loving the conditions, saying afterwards, ‘Sometimes it almost feels like you are in a washing machine. It makes you feel alive.’

Once the 2.4mRs were finished on the Paralympic course, the SKUDs and Sonars took over, but not for long in the case of the former, only managing one race before being sent ashore in the freshening conditions. The race was won by Skandia Team GBR’s Alexandra Rickham and Niki Birrell to creep one point closer to the overnight leaders, Beijing silver medallists, Australians Daniel Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch. The other Australian pair of Jamie Dunross and Rachael Cox dropped to third.

The Sonars had a better day of it, completing two races. The overnight tie between Australia’s Colin Harrison and Russell Boaden and America’s Rick Doerr and Brad Kendell was broken in favour of the latter. But both teams suffered a dramatic slide down the leaderboard to fifth and sixth respectively. The new leaders are Britain’s John Robertson and Hannah Stodel, who tied the day with Udo Hessels and Marcel van Veen – both pairs had a first and a second.


There was a surprise pairing at the top of the 470 women’s leaderboard. Saskia Clark thought her Olympic aspirations could be over for 2012 when her former partner, double gold medallist Sarah Ayton, retired from Olympic sailing in February. But after carefully assessing her options, she paired up with Hannah Mills. Mills is a talented young sailor who had excelled at youth level, but not found the right partner at senior level. The pairing started to shine in Hyeres in April, finishing third in the World Cup Event. They now lead the fleet at Skandia Sail for Gold, having won two out of their four races sailed. Danish pairing Henriette Koch and Lene Sommer are seven points adrift in second after four races sailed, with Giulia Conti and Giovanna Micol one point adrift in third.

The 470 men are split into two fleets, Pierre Lebouche and Vincent Garos (FRA) won in Hyeres, the last World Cup event they competed in, and with a consistent 6, 1, 4, 6 scoreline, are leading again in Weymouth. Sweden’s Anton Dahlberg and Sebastian Tling lie second with Sime Fantela and Igor Marenic (CRO) one point behind in third.

The RS:X Women’s Fleet had a fantastic day’s racing in winds up to 20 knots. It belonged to Korzits Lee who placed two firsts. However Lee was closely followed in both races by Alabau Marina and her two seconds bumped her up to the overall lead after day two. The Men’s RS:X fleet were also out late, and New Zealand’s Jp Tobin and the Netherlands Dorian van Rijsselberge’s dominated their flights with two wins each. But a better performance yesterday puts Tobin ahead, with Taehoon splitting the two men after getting a couple of second places.

With Anna Tunncliffe (USA) now competing in the Match Racing, there is no reigning Olympic champion campaigning in the Laser Radial class. Finland’s Sari Multala has been crowned Laser Radial World Champion for the past two years, but now it’s all about dominating at the 2012 Olympic venue. She currently lies third after four races completed, but only three points adrift of Evi Van Acker (BEL) and one point adrift of Marit Bouwmeester (NED).
It was the Laser Men who were out late this evening, as the race officers worked their way through the sub-fleets that have to race on this course. They all sailed three races to try to catch up their schedule, and the overnight leaders all slid down the leaderboard. It’s now Austria’s Andreas Geritzer in front, chased by World Champion, Australian Tom Slingsby. The overnight leader, Netherland’s Rutger van Schaardenburg was back to third.



The 49er’s were catching air at times in Portland Harbour today, and it was the Italian pairing Pietro Sibello and Gianfranco Sibello that flew highest and fastest. They have finished first and second at the two World Cup events they have competed in this year and they are currently top of the 49er leadeboard from Britain’s John Pink and Rick Peacock. The Britain’s are engaged in their own internecine battle, with Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes in third.
The Match Racing completed the first group stage, giving us the Gold Group (Quarter Final) qualifiers. From Group A it was the Netherlands’ Mandy Mulder, Annemieke Bes and Merel Witteveen topping the group with six points equal to - but winning the tie-break with - second placed Sally Barkow, Elizabeth Kratizig-Burnham and Alana O'Reilly from the USA.

In Group B, Anne-claire Le Berre, Alice Ponsar and Myrtille Ponge (FRA) went through on six points, one win clear of Australia’s Nicky Souter, Jessica Eastwell and Lucinda Witty, qualifying in second. And from Group C it was Anna Tunnicliffe, Molly Vendemoer and Debbie Capozzi (USA) going through with a clean sheet, and Lucy Macgregor, Annie Lush and Kate Macgregor (GBR) joining them with five wins.

Racing continues at Skandia Sail for Gold until Saturday.

http://www.skandiasailforgoldregatta.co.uk/

Quotes of the Day

Tom Slingsby (AUS) - Laser 
World Champion
It seems every time I train in Weymouth its very light winds but every time I do a regatta it is very strong! I am happy just to get every type of condition thrown at me and for me it is about just trying to prepare for next year, if I qualify.
The goal is to never be beaten on these waters, I'm not sure how that will go this week, but I am working hard at that. I remember Paul (Goodison) did that in Beijing - he was undefeated there and everyone knew he was going to be hard to beat so that's the sort of thing I want to happen looking to next year. I want to show I am a contender here.

Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark (GBR) – 470 Women
Class leaders
I think we are a bit unexpected to be leading at the moment. It’s only two days into the regatta so we have a long way to go. We have been sailing together for three months now and we are still on a huge learning curve. As long as we keep on learning and keep sailing well it will hopefully all come together for the end of the week. Our number one goal is to do as best as we can in the regatta and at the moment that’s medalling. The next few days are going to be tough and hard physically, I think the forecast is pretty big especially for tomorrow but hopefully we can just keep sailing well together.

Sari Maltala (FIN) - Laser Radial 
World Champion and currently lying third overall
We have only done four races so we have a long way to go during this event but I am glad I have been able to keep the scores quite low. We did three races today which is more than we normally do so it was a pretty big day for us. You have to keep strong and just keep fighting, that’s what everyone is doing.
It wasn’t too windy for us today and the conditions were very sailable. There were a few capsizes but it felt it was pretty good conditions out there and it made for some great racing.
This is the venue we have to perform at. I have been doing a lot of training here at Weymouth and regatta’s such as Skandia Sail for Gold are the best way to test yourself at a venue. This is going to be a great venue for the Games.

Marit Bouwmeester (NED) – Laser Radial
Second overall
It went all right today. There was not a lot of wind during the first two races. It was very tricky under the Portland Bill hill. So I was happy with the result – two firsts. But I was not too happy with the third race when the wind increased. I did not get enough out of that race. I did not manage to get my boat going fast over the waves. The Brits have obviously trained a lot here. Young did well. She also knew where to go. Tomorrow another day, looking forward to it.

Thierry Schmitter (NED) – 2.4mR 
2.4M World Champion and currently leading 
I am on equal points with Damien (Seguin) I believe. It is very close and very exciting again. He is a formidable opponent, especially in the windy conditions. I am glad he is here to compete against, but I think I am a bit faster in these conditions.
I really like the windy conditions. Lots of cold water in your face, you have to work really hard. Sometimes it almost feels like you are in a washing machine.  It makes you feel alive. But I have also trained a lot in the lighter stuff. As you need to be really all-round if you want to win in Weymouth. One never knows what to expect here.

Anna Tunnicliffe (USA) - Women’s Match Racing 
Gold Group Qualifier, Laser Radial Gold Medal in 2008
We had a great day again today. We had three races and came away with three wins to win our Group C round. Our last race was against the Brits (Lucy Macgregor). They controlled us for the first minute or so of the pre-start, but then we managed to get control of them after that. We led them into the start a few seconds late, and matched their tack off the line. We had great speed and were able to pin them to the layline.
Downwind, they closed the gap at the leeward mark, but we pulled ahead again up the next beat and held our lead to the finish. The conditions were windy so boat control and speed were important.  Now we advance to the Gold Round. The team did a great job in the bigger breeze making great calls all around the course. The conditions in Weymouth are great. It’s chilly when the wind blows, but the wind is fantastic. The facilities are great and make training and racing very good.

Matthew Belcher (AUS) - 470
Current 470 Olympic Champion now sailing with Malcolm Page currently lying sixth 
The racing is pretty difficult here. We are a long way out of the harbour- I think the furthest out we race from of all the World Cup events so it is a different kind of racing. It’s a tough fleet and we are just going out there and trying our best.
All of the World Cup events are selection events for us, so we have come to Weymouth straight from the Delta Lloyd Regatta. All the events are important but I think mentally this one has a bit more significance as it is the Olympic venue.
The conditions are completely different out there to yesterday but we have come to expect that from Weymouth – the racing here for the Olympics is going to be a lot better than Qingdao that’s for sure! You have to be an all round sailor and be able to cope with different conditions, the focus is always on getting the boat to go as fast as you can, no matter what the conditions are.

Ben Ainslie (GBR) Finn 
Current Finn Olympic Champion and leading the class
The first race was a bit strange, on the first beat I thought the right side of the course had the best conditions but I didn’t read it very well and ended up well behind the leaders. I started to catch up from there and finished strong to get seventh place. In the second race the wind came up a bit more which made it difficult to read the best side of the course to take. Luckily I took the best side and at the first mark I was third and I then I slowly pulled through to win the race.
Today was hard work physically. The winds strong, the waves choppy and the races long, you’re out there for six hours and racing for three so it’s all about saving yourself for the right moment and getting the crucial decisions right.
The GB sailors are all doing well with five of us currently in the top ten, Giles (Giles Scott), Mark (Mark Andrews) and Millsey (Andrew Mills) are all sailing well and I’m sure Ed Wright is going to start showing form this week as these are his sort of conditions. Overall I’m happy with my form so far but there’s always room for improvement.

Provisional Results
Day 2: Tuesday 7h June
49er                             Sailed: 5
1st        ITA 3              SIBELLO Pietro / SIBELLO Gianfranco 18pts
2nd       GBR 8            PINK John / PEACOCK Richard  23pts
3rd        GBR 7            MORRISON Stevie / RHODES Ben 52pts
 
470 WOMEN             Sailed: 4
1st        GBR 847         MILLS Hannah / CLARKE Saskia  28pts
2nd       DEN 143        KOCH Henniette / SOMMER Lene 35pts
3rd        ITA 23            CONTI Giulia / MICOL Giovanna 36pts
 
470 MEN                    Sailed: 4
1st        FRA 44            PIERRE Leboucher / VINCENT Garos 17pts
2nd       SWE 346         DAHLBERG Anton / OSTLING Sebastian 20pts
3rd        CRO 83           FANTELA Sime / MARENIC Igor 21pts
 
FINN                          Sailed: 3
1st        GBR 3             AINSLIE Ben 10pts
2nd       CRO 524         KLJAKOVIC GASPIC Ivan  10pts
3rd        NZL 1             SLATER Dan  12pts  
 
LASER                      Sailed: 4
1st        AUT 189537   GERITZER Andreas 15pt
2nd       AUS 197541   SLINGSBY Tom 15pts
3rd        NED 192625   VAN SCHAARDENBURG Rutger 15pts
 
LASER RADIAL     Sailed: 4
1st        BEL 197514   VAN ACKER Evi 12pts
2nd       NED 200444   BOUWMEESTER Marit 14pts
3rd        FIN 199059    MULTALA Sari 15pts
 
STAR                         Sailed: 3
1st        BRA 8255       SCHEIDT Robert / PRADA Bruno 5pts
2nd       POL 8417       KUSZNIEREWICZ Mateusz /  ZYCKI Dominik  10pts
3rd        SWE 8450       LOOF Fredrik /  SALMINEN Max 19pts
 
SKUD 18                    Sailed: 3
1st        AUS 47           FITZGIBBON Daniel / TESCH Liesl 5pts
2nd        GBR 45          RICKMAN Alexandra / BIRRELL Niki  7pts
3rd        AUS 52           DUNROSS Jamie / COX Rachael  9pts
 
SONAR                      Sailed: 3
1st        GBR 748         ROBERTSON John / STODEL Hannah / THOMAS Steve 7pts
2nd        NED 688         HESSELS Udo / VAN VEEN Marcel/ ROSSEB Mischa 12pts
3rd        NOR 1            WANG-HANSEN Aleksander / KRISTIANSEN Per Eugen / SOLBERG Marie 12pts
 
2.4mR                         Sailed: 4
1st        NED 12           SCHMITTER Thierry 10pts
2nd       FRA 13           SEGUIN Damien    10pts
3rd        NED 11           RADEMAKER Andre 16pts
 
RS:X MEN                Sailed: 2
1st        NZL 151         TOBIN  JP 10pts
2nd       KOR 71          LEE Taehoon 13pts
3rd        NED 8             VAN RIJSSELBERGE Dorian 14pts
 
RS:X WOMEN         Sailed: 4
1st        ESP 5              ALBAU Marina 8pts
2nd       ESP 1              MANCHON Blanca 13pts
2rd        FRA 4             CHARLINE Picon 15pts
           
MATCH RACE - Gold Group Qualifiers
Group A
Mulder / Bes / Witteveen  NED  6-1
Barkow / Kratizig-Burnham / O’Reilly  USA 6-1
 
Group B
Le Berre / Ponsar / Ponge FRA  6-1
Souter / Curtis / Price  AUS  5-2
 
Group C
Tunnicliffe / Vandemoer / Capozzi  USA 7-0
Macgregor / Lush / Macgregor GBR  5-2
 
Course Tracking: You can follow the tracking on the event website, www.skandiasailforgoldregatta.co.uk For Smart Phone users please visit www.mobile.tractrac.com]]> Tue, 07 Jun 2011 15:13:00 CDT http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6525-Skandia-Sail-for-Gold-Regatta-Toughing-it-out-in-the-Trenches http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6517-USSTAG-at-Sail-for-Gold-Day-1 The first day began under postponement for all but the Women’s Match Racing at Skandia Sail for Gold, first of two Selection Events for the U.S. Olympic Team – Sailing. Once racing got underway in Weymouth, U.K., the venue for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, racing in all classes lasted throughout the day. US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics athletes hold 11 top-10 spots across the leaderboard.

Full list of USSTAG athletes competing at the 2011 Skandia Sail for Gold regatta: http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/Events/2011/SFG.htm



Performance highlights include:

• USSTAG’s two match racing teams headed by skippers Sally Barkow (Nashotah, Wis.) and Anna Tunnicliffe (Plantation, Fla.) counted wins in round robin racing. Barkow, with team mates Alana O’Reilly (Charleston, S.C.) and Elizabeth Kratzig Burnham (Miami, Fla.), scored 2 wins, one loss in the day’s first grouping. In the second group, Tunnicliffe, with her “Team Maclaren” crew Molly Vandemoer and Debbie Capozzi went 4-0.
 

Sally Barkow introduces her crew in an exclusive video:



• The Sonar team of Rick Doerr (Clifton, N.J.), Brad Kendell (Tampa, Fla.) and Hugh Freund (South Freeport, Me.) started the regatta with a win, then followed it up with a second to stand second overall. They are the 2009 champions and looking to add another medal.
 

• In the day’s only Laser race Clay Johnson (Toms River, N.J.) scored a 7th in his fleet’s only race to stand 13th overall in 124-boat fleet. The fleet is divided into groups each day of the qualifying series.
 

• With a third and an eighth-place in the Men’s 470, Stuart McNay (Boston, Mass.) and Graham Biehl (San Diego, Calif.) are in 6th overall.  Audio interview: http://soundcloud.com/usstag/sounds-from-monday-evening-1



Quotes on Day 1:

Erik Storck on US Trials, day one: “Fantastic and ready to go. Trevor and I have been working super, super hard. Hard to believe it’s here already. We’ve been sailing together for two and a half years and it’s culminating. We’re ready to go.”
 

Zach Railey on Skandia Sail for Gold, US Trials and his new Finn: “Very excited to be here at this moment. There are three events we’re concentrating on for this quadrennium looking forward toward 2012. This is the first of those three events, and we’re excited and nervous to be here all at the same time.”

Full video interview:



Hugh Freund, crew on Sonar USA 674’s two races: “Two races we have to be really proud of. For us, starting and executing our plan has always been a key point we haven’t been able to achieve every time. Today we got on the line, had great holes and able to get to the side and with this shifty wind, it was exceptional.  We had a fantastic forecast this morning that made all the difference.” Full interview:http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/Events/2011/SFG.htm



Olympian Graham Biehl on two races in the Men’s 470 and how they stay focused when the day extends into the evening: “Pretty good first day, thankfully the Race Committee waited because there wasn’t any breeze all day. In our first race, we sailed smart and we sailed well and were able to pull a third on that one. We’re really happy with the day. It’s pretty much bed time already. We’re going to get everything done and get food and get hydrated. You have to stay on the routine and get it all done.”
Full interview: http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/Events/2011/SFG.htm



2008 Olympic Gold Medalist Anna Tunnicliffe on four straight wins: “We set some goals for ourselves coming into the regatta. We focused on those and came away with four wins. We had a great start to the regatta. We are all looking forward to racing tomorrow.”
 

Trials Tracker
Follow the progress of U.S. athletes as they campaign for the U.S. Olympic Team – Sailing. This week’s Skandia Sail for Gold is the first of two Selection Events for nine of 10 Olympic classes to qualify for a berth. http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/Games/Olympics/Track.htm



The racing: Scheduled for June 6-11 across 10 Olympic and three Paralympic classes, the Skandia Sail for Gold is hosting over 1,000 sailors from 62 countries.

Fleet racing started Monday, June 6 in 10 Olympic classes and concludes with the medal race on Saturday, June 11 in nine of the 10 classes. Women’s Match Racing consist of an opening series, a knockout series, and a sail-off for boats not advancing to the knockout series, with the final matches scheduled on Saturday, June 11. In the Paralympic classes, fleet racing takes place Monday, June 6 through Friday, June 10.
 

About the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics 
The US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics is managed by the United States Sailing Association (US SAILING), the national governing body for the sport of sailing and sailboat racing. The top boats in each Olympic and Paralympic class are selected annually to be members of the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics. US SAILING supports these elite athletes with funding, coaching and training. The title sponsor of the team is AlphaGraphics; other sponsors include Rolex Watch USA, Atlantis WeatherGear, Sperry Top-Sider, LaserPerformance, Harken Team McLube, Trinity Yachts, New England Ropes, Group Experiential Learning and Bow Down Training.

Sailors accrue points at each of the seven ISAF Sailing World Cup events to earn an overall Series Score. A first place win translates into 20 points, a second place earns 19 points and so on. (Twentieth place earns one point.) The skipper/crew with the highest Series Score at the end of the season wins the ISAF Sailing World Cup Trophy. 

Notes on Olympic Selection:
For more information on 2012 Olympic Selection Procedures: http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/News/2010/Olympic_Selection_Procedures.htmTo read an interview with Dean Brenner that explains the 2012 Olympic Selection Process: http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/News/2010/Selection_Procedures_Interview.htm

About the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics 
The US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics is managed by the United States Sailing Association (US SAILING), the national governing body for the sport of sailing and sailboat racing. The top boats in each Olympic and Paralympic class are selected annually to be members of the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics. US SAILING supports these elite athletes with funding, coaching and training. The title sponsor of the team is AlphaGraphics; other sponsors include Rolex Watch USA, Atlantis WeatherGear, Sperry Top-Sider, LaserPerformance, Harken Team McLube, Trinity Yachts, New England Ropes, Group Experiential Learning and Bow Down Training.

For more information about the US Olympic Sailing Program and the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics, please visit: http://sailingteams.ussailing.org.
]]> Mon, 06 Jun 2011 16:13:00 CDT http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6517-USSTAG-at-Sail-for-Gold-Day-1 http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6497-College-Sailing-All-Americans The ICSA All-American Team and College Sailor of the Year announced among other honors.

 

Cascade Locks, OR (June 2, 2011) – At the final Nationals banquet in Cascade Locks, OR after the last day of racing for the Gill/ICSA Dinghy National Championship the continuation of announcing the ICSA All-American Team, the Everett B. Morris Trophy for the College Sailor of the Year, the Robert H. Hobbs Sportsmanship Award, the James Rousmaniere Award for Student Leadership and the Leonard M. Fowle Trophy for the Best Overall Team were presented. These are all high honors and a highlight of the collegiate sailing year. All of these names will be added to the ICSA Hall of Fame display located in the Robert Crown Sailing Center at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

 

The ICSA All-America Team is selected by a committee of coaches who represent the seven conferences in the ICSA. For selecting the All-Americans the committee evaluates a competitor based on their competitive record in District and North American Championships. Beyond that the committee analyzes how this record compares to fellow competitors, the quality of the competition the record was achieved in, the span of the record over the fall and spring seasons, results achieved with different crews, and how the record compares to previous All-American winners in previous years. For All-American crew selections the committee uses criteria similar to skipper selection, but additionally considers:demonstrated leadership (may consider seniority), outstanding body mechanics and boat handling skills as well as proven ability to improve of the results of the skipper(s) with whom he or she sails.

 

The Everett B. Morris Trophy is awarded annually to the College Sailor of the Year for outstanding performance at the highest level of sailing in the collegiate year. The trophy is named in memory of a distinguished journalist who spent more than 30 years, as a yachting writer and editor. This year there were five finalists for the prestigious award: Charlie Buckingham ’11 Georgetown University, Taylor Canfield ’11 Boston College, Michael Menninger ’11 St. Mary’s College of Maryland, Tyler Sinks ’11 Boston College and Cy Thompson ’11 Roger Williams University. All of these sailors had an outstanding competitive record and all competed at the highest level in the 2011 Collegiate National Championship events.

 

The winner, calculated by the numbers, who was also the winner of A-division at the 2011 Gill/ICSA Dinghy National Championship and this fall won the Laser Performance/ICSA Men’s Singlehanded National Championship, was Georgetown senior Charlie Buckingham. This is the second time Buckingham has won the award in his collegiate sailing career. He previously won the honor in 2009 and he has also been a collegiate All-American four times (2011, 2010, 2009, 2008) in his career.

 

Buckingham is from Newport Beach, California and grew up sailing at Newport Harbor Yacht Club and on the Newport Harbor High School Sailing Team. He plans to return to Newport Harbor and use this as his home base as he pursues an Olympic Campaign. He will hope to represent the U.S. in the 2016 Summer Olympics. “It felt good to win this honor, it was really special because it is my senior year. It was a good way to cap off my four years,” Buckingham explains. “I think this year I had better results than I did my sophomore year—I never have the award in mind, but with good results comes the award. I just focused on sailing well all year,” Buckingham states modestly.

 

Buckingham has a busy summer sailing schedule, currently he is on his way to Weymouth, England for the Skandia Sail For Gold regatta, he will also sail Laser North Americans, Laser U.S. Nationals and he will represent Georgetown University and College Sailing at the World University Games this summer. Buckingham so far plans to make sailing his full-time job, as most Olympic campaigns are.

 

The winner of the Leonard M. Fowle Trophy for best overall collegiate team was Boston College. The Fowle trophy is determined by the team with the most Fowle points that are compiled results of the Women's Singlehanded, Men's Singlehanded, ICSA Match Racing, Women's Dinghy, Team Racing, and Coed Dinghy North American Championships.

 

In the fall Boston College finished second in the 2010-2011 Laser Performance/ICSA Women’s Singlehanded Championship, first in the ICSA Match Racing Championship, and in the spring they just finished eleventh in the Sperry Top-Sider/ICSA Women’s National Championship, second in the APS/ICSA Team Race National Championship and finally first in the Gill/ICSA Coed Dinghy National Championship. This is the third time Boston College has achieved this honor recently; they won it in 2010 and 2008.

 

The Robert H. Hobbs Sportsmanship Award is awarded annually to the Sportsman of the Year. The trophy honors Robert Hobbs (MIT '64), past Executive Vice President of ICSA, past President of US SAILING (1992-1994), and former chair of the US SAILING Olympic Committee. This year’s winner was Robert Vann (Tampa, FL.), a graduating senior from the U.S. Naval Academy. Vann has been named an ICSA Honorable Mention All-American three times (2009, 2010, 2011) and has shown outstanding sportsmanship in his collegiate sailing career.

 

The James Rousmaniere Award for Student Leadership was awarded to Georgetown’s graduating senior Michael Campbell. This honor is awarded annually to an undergraduate who has provided outstanding leadership to his or her team or district. Campbell is from San Diego, California and has been known to educate others about sailing and dedicate himself to the betterment of others. He has been a leader on his team and in his district contributing to improving college sailing as a whole.

 

The Women’s All-Americans were announced earlier at the Sperry Top-Sider/ICSA Women’s Dinghy National Championship banquet as well as the Quantum Women’s Sailor of the Year. The finalists for this award were Annie Haeger, a junior from Boston College and Megan Magill, a senior from St. Mary’s College of Maryland. Although both women had an outstanding year of college sailing, Haeger was named the winner. See below for full results.

 

2011 ICSA ALL AMERICA TEAM

 

ALL-AMERICAN CREWS

Junior                                    College of Charleston                                    Alyssa Aitken

Senior                                     Yale                                                               Blair Belling

Senior                                     Harvard                                                         Quincy Bock

Senior                                     Yale                                                               Elizabeth Brim

Senior                                    Stanford                                                          Hannah Burroughs

Junior                                    College of Charleston                                     Perry Emsiek

Junior                                     Georgetown                                                    Rebecca Evans

Senior                                    Brown                                                             Sally Evans

Senior                                    St. Mary's College of Maryland                      Madeline Jackson

Junior                                    Hobart                                                             Christopher Klevan

Senior                                     St. Mary's College of Maryland                    Frances Kupersmith

Junior                                    US Naval Academy                                        Saverio Maldari

Junior                                    Boston College                                                Emily Massa

Senior                                     Boston College                                               Emily Migliaccio

Senior                                     Georgetown                                                   Ashley Philips

Senior                                     St. Mary's College of Maryland                    Meredith Powlison

Junior                                    Old Dominion                                                  Emily Reich

Junior                                    Roger Williams                                                Kelly Stannard

Senior                                     Boston College                                               Lucy Wallace

Senior                                    Harvard                                                           Meghan Wareham

 

HONORABLE MENTION ALL-AMERICAN SKIPPERS

Senior                                    Georgetown                                                        Scott Furnary

Senior                                     US Naval Academy                                           Clark Hayes

Senior                                     South Florida                                                     Zack Marks

Junior                                    Yale                                                                     Joe Morris

Senior                                     Harvard                                                              John Stokes


Senior                                     US Naval Academy                                           Robert Vann

 

ALL-AMERICAN SKIPPERS

Sophomore                         Roger Williams                                                        Alec Anderson

Senior                                     College of Charleston                                   Jackson Benvenutti

Senior                                     Georgetown                                                   Charlie Buckingham

Senior                                     Boston College                                              Taylor Canfield

Sophomore                   College of Charleston                                              Mac Mace

Senior                                     St. Mary's College of Maryland                     Michael Menninger

Senior                                     Harvard                                                           Alan Palmer

Senior                                     Boston College                                                Tyler Sinks

Senior                                     Brown                                                             Fred Strammer

Senior                                     Roger Williams                                               Cy Thompson

Senior                                    Hobart                                                               David Thompson

 

WOMEN’S HONORABLE MENTION ALL-AMERICAN SKIPPERS

Sophomore                            Yale                                                        Emily Billing


Junior                                    Brown                                                      Emily Dellenbaugh

Freshmen                                Yale                                                       Marlena Fauer

Junior                                     University of Rhode Island                    Amy Hawkins

Junior                                     Harvard                                                   Emily Lambert

Senior                                     Boston College                                       Emily Maxwell

Senior                                     William Smith                                        Caroline Patten

Senior                                     Boston College                                       Briana Provancha

 

WOMEN’S ALL-AMERICAN SKIPPERS

Senior                                     Brown                                                       Elizabeth Barry

Junior                                    Georgetown                                                Sydney Bolger

Sophomore                           Connecticut College                                   Atlantic Brugman

Sophomore                             Yale                                                          Claire Dennis

Junior                                     Boston College                                         Anne Haeger

Senior                                     St. Mary’s College of MD                        Megan Magill

Senior                                     Old Dominion University                        Stephanie Roble

 

Robert H. Hobbs Sportsman of the Year

Robert Vann, U.S. Naval Academy

 

Everett B. Morris College Sailor of the Year Finalists (in alphabetical order)

Charlie Buckingham, Georgetown University *

Taylor Canfield, Boston College

Michael Menninger, St. Mary’s College of Maryland

Tyler Sinks, Boston College

Cy Thompson, Roger Williams University

 

Quantum Women’s College Sailor of the Year (in alphabetical order)

Anne Haeger, Boston College *                 

Megan Magill, St. Mary’s College of Maryland

 

 

 

Nationals Website: 2011nationals.collegesailing.info


 
]]> Thu, 02 Jun 2011 16:54:00 CDT http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6497-College-Sailing-All-Americans http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6488-Boston-College-wins-the-2011-Gill-ICSA-Dinghy-National-Championship The final day of sailing on the Columbia River Gorge brought great conditions a title defended.

 

Cascade Locks, OR (June 1, 2011) – Today was the last day of the Gill/ICSA Dinghy National Championship. The winds on the Gorge cooperated and the competitors were able to get in a good day of racing. The westerly winds stayed steady around 10-12 knots gusting higher later in the day. Although it was chilly and wet at times, the sun peaked out a little bit too; today’s weather was pretty typical of the last week at the Gorge. Both A-division and B-division completed 14 races in the event; four races in A-division today and six races in B-division were sailed on Windward/Leeward courses. In the end it was Boston College who commanded the lead and won the Henry A. Morse Memorial Trophy.

 

The day began with nice breeze so B-division was able to hit the water right away for the first races. It was a game of finding good pressure and riding it up the course. The steadier wind helped on the downwind legs so the sailors could fight the current and hold their boat positions a little better. The racing did stay close and compact, as it has been the last two days. In race 9B one of the leeward gate marks broke free and drifted upwind, so half of the fleet began to sail for it. Redress was filed for the loose mark and the conclusion was to re-sail the race. The mark was re-set and racing continued. Race 9B was re-sailed after race 12B; the old scores thrown out and the fair race scores were recorded.

 

Teams who were controlling the day and always had a presence in the top of the fleet were the top six teams most of the day: Boston College, Georgetown University, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, College of Charleston and Harvard University. The nearly all-freshman Stanford University team had some great moments winning race 11B and having a few top five finishes in both fleets. In A-division Charlie Buckingham ’11 with Karen Phillips ’11 and Sydney Bolger ‘12 for Georgetown, Michael Menninger ’11 with Franny Kupersmith ’11 and Ben Lezin ‘13 for St. Mary’s and David Thompson ’11 with Catherine Pelo ’13 and Hannah Littell ‘11 for Hobart and William Smith separated themselves in the scores early on sailing really consistently in the event. A highlight in B-division was Taylor Canfield ‘11 with Emily Migliaccio ’11, Patrick Hession ’13, Emily Massa ’12 and Daniel Bloomstine ’11 from Boston College, who strongly led the division throughout the regatta.

 

In the end of the day the wind picked up with gusts around 18 knots. Before B-division took to the water for the last set of the day Boston College was 26 points ahead of Hobart who had 178 points and Harvard and Georgetown were tied with 185 points. It was left up to the B-division sailors to break ties and do what they could to extend leads or pass boats. The wind was quite strong which made the sailors work even harder for their scores. Before the last race Boston College had secured the championship and won the Dinghy title.

 

Boston College sailed a smart regatta and defended their Dinghy National Championship title (which they won in 2010). “There was a lot of pressure on these guys, it was their experience at this level [of competition] that really helped them to handle the pressure,” Greg Wilkinson, Boston College head coach explained. Contributing to their success was their “ability to concentrate on the sailing and not the results…they are really, really quick too,” Wilkinson continues, “I am super proud of the team, they sailed great.” Great indeed, Boston College finished the regatta with 161 points 27 points ahead of Hobart and William Smith in second place. Sailors on the winning team were: A-division-Tyler Sinks '11, Laura McKenna and Lucy Wallace '11, B-division- Taylor Canfield '11, Emily Migliaccio '11, Patrick Hession '13, Emily Massa '12 and Daniel Bloomstine '11.

 

Hobart and William Smith commanded the racing and made a great comeback to finish the event in second place. “We had good speed in all the conditions of this regatta, but in the last day and a half we really stuck to our game plan and aimed to stay in the top eight,” says Scott Ikle, Hobart and William Smith’s head coach. “This group has worked really hard not just this year, but the last three years, as a team they have had a long hard road with a lot of ups and downs. They never gave up and I am really proud of how they approached this regatta. They did an outstanding job focusing,” explains Ikle. Hobart and William Smith finished the regatta with 188 points.

 

Harvard also had a great event, staying consistently in the top of the fleet. When it came down to the last races and Harvard was tied with Georgetown, Harvard’s B-division sailed “one of the best runs in the whole regatta and just took the lead,” says Mike O’Connor Harvard’s head coach. They finished fourth and first in the last two races of the day. “Because the wind was steadier today,” explains O’Connor; “it made sailing a little easier because you had more control.” O’Connor expressed his pride for his team, “I am very, very proud of the team, all year and how they executed at this event. We had a shot at getting second, but we are happy where we finished and we are in good company in the top three.” Harvard finished in third overall with 190 points.

 

Today was the final day of all the Collegiate National Championships. The teams will enjoy a final banquet tonight where the awards for Dinghy Nationals will be presented as well as the ICSA All-Americans, the Everett B. Morris Trophy for the College Sailor of the Year, the Robert H. Hobbs Sportsmanship Award, the James Rousmaniere Award for Student Leadership, the Leonard M. Fowle Trophy for the Best Overall Team and the ICSA Hall of Fame inductee. The last ten days of racing have been competitive and exciting. Congratulations to all of the sailors who competed. Visit the event website for full results and information about the three National Championships.

 

Nationals Website: 2011nationals.collegesailing.info


 

The Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) is the governing authority for sailing competition at colleges and universities throughout the United States and in some parts of Canada. Visit www.collegesailing.org to learn more. The ICSA National Championships are sponsored by Sperry Top-Sider (www.sperrytopsider.com), Annapolis Performance Sailing (www.apsltd.com), Gill North America (www.gillna.com), and US SAILING (home.ussailing.org).
]]> Wed, 01 Jun 2011 20:33:00 CDT http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6488-Boston-College-wins-the-2011-Gill-ICSA-Dinghy-National-Championship http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6482-USSTAG-Preview-to-Sail-for-Gold-Regatta First Selection Event for “U.S. Olympic Team – Sailing” Held at Venue of 2012 Games

 

Weymouth, U.K. (May 31, 2011) – Over 50 members of US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics (USSTAG) are in Weymouth, U.K. preparing for Sail for Gold, first of two Selection Events for the U.S. Olympic Team – Sailing. Scheduled for June 6-11, the regatta marks an important milestone for USSTAG athletes in the lead up to the 2012 Olympic Games. In addition to the venue being the same as the one used for the 2012 Games, the top performing American sailors in nine of 10 Olympic classes will qualify for the 2011 Weymouth and Portland International Regatta, which serves as a pre-Olympic test event. Exclusive photos, video interviews and reports from the racecourse will be posted on USSTAG’s Facebook and Twitter channels.
 

Organizers expect over 1,000 athletes from 62 nations to compete at Sail for Gold. As the final stop on the ISAF (International Sailing Federation) World Cup circuit, ISAF will award medals for the overall season standings.
 

“This is the event that our athletes have been working toward all year,” said USSTAG’s High Performance Director/Head Coach Kenneth Andreasen (Tampa, Fla.). “We have put countless hours in at the gym and on the water to prepare. Our sailors have spent many days here in Weymouth training in preparation for this regatta. In addition to our entire USSTAG team, we also have 10 members of the US Sailing Development Team competing, along with our full support staff and performance enhancement team.”
 

“As the first of two Selection Events, Sail for Gold is where U.S. athletes begin to stake their claim on an Olympic berth,” said Olympic Sailing Committee Chairman Dean Brenner (Wallingford, Conn.). “The best combined performance at this and at the second Selection Event, ISAF Sailing World Championship, in December, 2011, will determine our Olympic Team in all classes except Women’s Match Racing. We’re confident that this process will select our best prospect for medals in 2012.”
 

Racing starts Monday, June 6 in all classes and concludes with the medal race on Saturday, June 11. Women’s Match Racing consist of an opening series, a knockout series, and a sail-off for boats not advancing to the knockout series, with the final matches scheduled on Saturday, June 11.
 

Sailors accrue points at each of the seven ISAF Sailing World Cup events to earn an overall Series Score. A first place win translates into 20 points, a second place earns 19 points and so on. (Twentieth place earns one point.) The skipper/crew with the highest Series Score at the end of the season wins the ISAF Sailing World Cup Trophy. 
For a full list of USSTAG athletes competing at the 2011 Skandia Sail for Gold regatta, please visit:http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/Events/2011/SFG.htm

Trials Tracker
Follow the progress of U.S. athletes as they campaign for the U.S. Olympic Team – Sailing. Currently campaigning in the midst of the European season, athletes in nine of 10 Olympic classes qualify for a berth at two Selection events based on combined results at ISAF World Cup events.http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/Games/Olympics/Track.htm

For more information on 2012 Olympic Selection Procedures: http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/News/2010/Olympic_Selection_Procedures.htm

To read an interview with Dean Brenner that explains the 2012 Olympic Selection Process:http://sailingteams.ussailing.org/News/2010/Selection_Procedures_Interview.htm

About the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics 
The US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics is managed by the United States Sailing Association (US SAILING), the national governing body for the sport of sailing and sailboat racing. The top boats in each Olympic and Paralympic class are selected annually to be members of the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics. US SAILING supports these elite athletes with funding, coaching and training. The title sponsor of the team is AlphaGraphics; other sponsors include Rolex Watch USA, Atlantis WeatherGear, Sperry Top-Sider, LaserPerformance, Harken Team McLube, Trinity Yachts, New England Ropes, Group Experiential Learning and Bow Down Training.
 

Founded in 1897 and headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, US SAILING is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. US SAILING offers training and education programs for instructors and race officials, supports a wide range of sailing organizations and communities, issues offshore rating certificates, and provides administration and oversight of competitive sailing across the country. For more information about US SAILING, please visit:www.ussailing.org. For more information about the US Olympic Sailing Program and the US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics, please visit:http://sailingteams.ussailing.org.
]]> Wed, 01 Jun 2011 11:33:00 CDT http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6482-USSTAG-Preview-to-Sail-for-Gold-Regatta http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6481-Updated-Americas-Cup-Program-to-Benefit-Teams AC45 Selected for America's Cup World Series

With the newest generation of America’s Cup boats exceeding the expectations of event organizers and the teams, the AC45 wing-sailed catamaran has now been selected by competitors for use in all America's Cup World Series events.

The recent AC45 test period produced two major results - outstanding on-the-water racing for the teams and superior television images for spectators. With that in mind, the AC45 today was confirmed for use in all America's Cup World Series events leading into the 2013 racing season.

“The AC45s are ticking off all the boxes for a great event package,” said Iain Murray, America’s Cup Race Management CEO and Regatta Director, following the close of the Competitor Forum today. “The sailors have found these cats to be fast and fun to race. They are challenging, they are exciting, and when the best sailors in the world get their hands on them, they produce close, tight racing.”

Using the AC45 in all AC World Series events instead of switching to the AC72 in season two was one of several changes voted on by America’s Cup competitors on Tuesday. This move also provides teams with another opportunity to manage competition costs.

“After we put the AC45 through its paces in New Zealand, we knew we had the right boat for the next era of America’s Cup sailing,” Murray said. “By making the AC45 the boat of the AC World Series, logistics and overhead can be dramatically reduced at the outset of the 34th America’s Cup cycle. This is a great benefit for all of our teams, providing them with more time in the commercial marketplace and less of a cash investment up front.”

The larger AC72 will now appear on the water from July 2012. Teams will work up their AC72’s and race the AC World Series leading into the Louis Vuitton Cup, America’s Cup Challenger Series, and the 34th America’s Cup Finals in San Francisco. The extended time-period for the debut of the AC72 allows teams more time for development of the boat.

The race format and scoring for the 2011 AC World Series have also been released. The format will include a combination of Fleet and Match Racing with winners for each as well as an overall winner that will be determined on the final Sunday of the regatta. The AC World Series starts August 6, 2011 in Cascais, Portugal.
Other updates agreed by the Competitors today include:

+ Teams to launch AC72s starting July 1, 2012 (there is a limited exception to launch and sail earlier for any proven pre-existing contractual obligations)

+ Teams have the same limited number of testing days in the AC72s in advance of racing

+ The first Performance Bond for the AC World Series is eliminated and replaced with an Entry Fee ($100,000 USD)

+ Updated late entry procedure – Teams can enter late at discretion of the Defender

+ Competitors must sign an AC45 purchase contract with a 50 percent non-refundable deposit paid by June 10

+ Teams will consolidate their websites into www.americascup.com by July 1, 2011.


A press conference will be held in San Francisco on June 15 to introduce the teams and discuss the updated program for the 34th America’s Cup.

]]> Wed, 01 Jun 2011 08:22:00 CDT http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6481-Updated-Americas-Cup-Program-to-Benefit-Teams http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6480-Gill-ICSA-Dignhy-National-Championship-Day-2-Great-Afternoon-Breeze Despite a long morning postponement the sailors had great afternoon breeze and racing in day two of the Championship.

 

Cascade Locks, OR (May 31, 2011) – Today was the second day of the Gill/ICSA Dinghy National Championship on the Columbia River Gorge. The day began with little wind until around noon when the wind came up and B-division headed out to the course first because they finished two races short of A-division yesterday. The wind was a steady 8 knots from a westerly direction with temperatures in the mid to high 50s. Both A-division and B-division completed six races today, however B-division is still one set behind A in the series.



 

The breeze gradually built throughout the afternoon and there was no room for error on the racecourse as the racing was close and the fleet stayed fairly condensed. Boston College, Harvard University, St. Mary’s College, College of Charleston and University of Miami all started the day out strong. Although Hobart and William Smith suffered a disqualification in race 6B for a foul, sending them back in the scores, they managed to bounce back to third overall at the end of the day although only one point ahead of St. Mary’s College.

 

St. Mary’s A-division Michael Menninger ‘11 with crew Franny Kupersmith ’11 had a great day sailing very consistently and leading A-division at the end of the day, “They are a really good team, a nice pairing. They are super quick downwind and they stayed out of trouble. They were also able to judge the lay lines well today, which has been troublesome on the racecourse,” explains Adam Werblow St. Mary’s head coach. Menninger also sailed a race with Ben Lezin ’12 today. St. Mary’s finished the day in fourth place overall.



 

By race 6A the wind had increased to 14-knots gusting higher and the competitors were sailing hard. Harvard turned it on today with consistency in both A and B-divisions. Harvard’s A-division sailors Alan Palmer ‘11 and Quincy Bock ’11 were able to close the gap this evening, now only two points behind Menninger and Kupersmith. They won the last race of the day and Mike O’Connor, head coach of the Harvard team explains, “It was important to get that bullet, we needed it, we have a big gap to fill [for first place overall].” O’Connor described the stressful downwind legs: “It is incredibly close racing, there are 10-12 boats abreast on the runs, so the trick is to use a puff to take you the whole way down. On the final approach to the mark it was important to have good boat placement and not get sucked into the pack of boats behind.” Harvard’s B-division, John Stokes ‘11 and Meghan Wareham ’11 placed second in four of the eight races they have sailed in the event. They finished the day third in their division.

 

Boston College finished the day on top of the leader board with a ten-point lead over Harvard. Tyler Sinks ’11 with Laura McKenna ’13 and Lucy Wallace ‘11 in A-division and Taylor Canfield ’11 with Emily Migliaccio ’11 and Patrick Hession ’13 in B-division are sailing strong in their divisions staying in the top of the fleet in each race avoiding mistakes. Canfield and Migliaccio are leading B-division by 18 points, “They are really quick and got off the line well, there was nothing too special about their sailing today other than they were sailing really well,” says Greg Wilkinson, Boston College’s head coach. “They [the team] had a good feel for what was working upwind and especially downwind, we spent some time working on the downwinds,” Wilkinson admits. Finding the pressure was particularly important today because of the winds oscillating up and down. The fleet is very close and the racing will continue to stay intense and competitive, especially in the top half of the fleet.



 

It was another late day of racing for the competitors who showed stamina and focus on the racecourse today. The final day of racing for the Gill/ICSA Dinghy National Championship is scheduled to begin tomorrow at 10 a.m. Find full results, information and a live Twitter feed on the event website.

 

Nationals Website: 2011nationals.collegesailing.info


View more photos of the event at GTS Photos: www.gtsphotos.com

 

 

The Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) is the governing authority for sailing competition at colleges and universities throughout the United States and in some parts of Canada. Visit www.collegesailing.org to learn more. The ICSA National Championships are sponsored by Sperry Top-Sider (www.sperrytopsider.com), Annapolis Performance Sailing (www.apsltd.com), Gill North America (www.gillna.com), and US SAILING (home.ussailing.org).
]]> Wed, 01 Jun 2011 08:09:00 CDT http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6480-Gill-ICSA-Dignhy-National-Championship-Day-2-Great-Afternoon-Breeze http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6453-ICSA-Womens-Sailing-Honors-Awarded-at-Final-Banquet The winners of the 2011 Intercollegiate Sailing Association Women’s All-America Team and the Quantum Women’s College Sailor of the Year announced at the final banquet of the Sperry Top-Sider/ICSA Women’s National Championship.

 

Cascade Locks, OR (May 27, 2011) – The Intercollegiate Sailing Association has announced the Quantum Women’s College Sailor of the Year and their 2011 Women’s All America Team at the final Sperry Top-Sider Women’s National Championship banquet. The prestigious awards are a highlight of the collegiate sailing year. The Women’s College Sailor of the Year and the All-American honors are chosen by a committee of representatives from each of the seven ICSA districts. 

 

The Quantum Women’s College Sailor of the Year award annually honors an individual who has performed at the highest level of competition in district and national championships. The ICSA All-America committee evaluates with great detail all of the finalists’ results and calculates the winner. Quantum believes that women sailors should receive the same recognition that male sailors receive in the sport to acknowledge women’s’ excellence in sailing and continue to foster its growth. Past winners of this award include Olympic Gold Medalist and 2012 Olympic hopeful, Anna Tunnicliffe (Old Dominion University) and Genny Tulloch (Harvard University) a 2012 Olympic hopeful. 

 

The winner this year, of the 2011 Quantum Women’s College Sailor of the year was Annie Haeger, a junior and A-division skipper from Boston College. Haeger is from Lake Forest, Illinois but grew up sailing on Lake Beulah in Wisconsin. In addition to this prestigious award she was also named an ICSA All-American Women’s Skipper, an award she has won twice previously in 2009 and 2010. “What set Annie apart this year was that she has already placed at a National Championship this year, she won second at the ICSA Women’s Singlehanded Championship in the fall, ” says John Vandemoer, head coach for Stanford University and a member of the All-America selection committee. Haeger has had great success all year placing in the top three in nearly every Women’s event she sailed in.

 

In Haeger’s acceptance speech she immediately thanked her father for always cheering her on. She went on to be grateful for her teammates who she has worked so hard with. “I am shocked,” Haeger says blushing, “there are a lot of amazing sailors.” She goes on to explain that she has a remarkable crew, Emily Massa a junior from Barrington, R.I., without whom she could not have accomplished this. Haeger leads by example when she coaches youth sailors in the summer, “I try to get girls excited about sailing.” With her success thus far she is certainly giving girls a reason to look up to her. “Next year I will sail more coed events,” Haeger predicts, she is looking forward to expanding her competition and seeing what else is possible.

 

The guidelines for All-America selection evaluate a competitor based on their competitive record in District and North American Championships. Beyond that the committee analyzes how this record compares to fellow competitors, the quality of the competition the record was achieved in, the span of the record over the fall and spring seasons, results achieved with different crews, and how the record compares to previous All-American winners in previous years. It is possible to select fifteen winners between the All-Americans and Honorable Mention All-Americans, which was the case this year. Below is a list of last night’s honorees.

 

 

Honorable Mention All-American Women Skippers

Emily Billing ’13 -Yale University

Emily Dellenbaugh ’12 - Brown University

Marlena Fauer ’14 – Yale University

Amy Hawkins ’11 – University of Rhode Island

Emily Lambert ’12 – Harvard University

Emily Maxwell ’11 – Boston College

Caroline Patten ’11 – William Smith

Briana Provancha ’11 – Boston College

 

All-American Women Skippers

Elizabeth Barry ’11 – Brown University

Sydney Bolger ‘ 12 – Georgetown University

Atlantic Brugman – ’13 Connecticut College

Claire Dennis ‘ 13 – Yale University

Anne Haeger ’12 – Boston College

Megan Magill ’11 – St. Mary’s College of Maryland

Stephanie Roble ’11 – Old Dominion University

 

Quantum Women’s College Sailor of the Year Finalists

Anne Haeger ’12, Boston College *

Megan Magill ‘11, St. Mary’s College of Maryland

 

 

Nationals Website: 2011nationals.collegesailing.info

Video coverage of the racing and interviews with sailors are available on Sailgroove.

View photos of the event at GTS Photos: www.gtsphotos.com

 

The Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) is the governing authority for sailing competition at colleges and universities throughout the United States and in some parts of Canada. Visit www.collegesailing.org to learn more. The ICSA National Championships are sponsored by Sperry Top-Sider (www.sperrytopsider.com), Annapolis Performance Sailing (www.apsltd.com), Gill North America (www.gillna.com), and US SAILING (home.ussailing.org).
]]> Fri, 27 May 2011 13:09:00 CDT http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6453-ICSA-Womens-Sailing-Honors-Awarded-at-Final-Banquet http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6423-College-Sailing-Nationals-Day-One-of-Womens-First-Round-Nationals-Competition DAY ONE OF WOMEN’S FIRST ROUND NATIONALS COMPETITION

Eighteen collegiate women’s teams vie for a spot in the final Nationals competition.

 

Cascade Locks, OR (May 23, 2011) – Today was the first day of racing for the final berths to the Sperry Top-Sider/ICSA Women’s National Championships. Eighteen teams competed today for a spot in the top nine that will allow them to advance to the final round of competition for the Gerald C. Miller Memorial Trophy. The top none from this round will be added to the nine already qualified teams in the Final Round of Nationals. The Finals are scheduled to begin tomorrow afternoon.

 

There was a slight delay to the start of racing this morning with a committee boat breakdown, but once the sailing got started it was a good day on the Columbia River Gorge. The sun was in and out with an occasional shower and temperatures hovered in the low to mid 50s. The air seemed chilly especially with the westerly breeze blowing down the river at 15-18 mph with gusts to 25 mph in the afternoon. The current was ripping in the river making for challenging conditions for the competitors. The courses run today were Windward/Leeward’s either four or five times around. Both A-division and B-division were able to complete six races.

 

The most challenging aspect of the day was getting used to the strong currents that would carry the sailors over the starting line early, therefore, making sure to time starts accurately became an essential part of the day. The upwind legs were very quick moving as the boats were sailing with the current, but once they reached the windward mark to turn downwind the racing would halt, “the current compressed the fleet on the runs changing the pace of the race because once you rounded the mark everything slowed tremendously,” says Mitch Brindley, president of the ICSA.

 

It was a good day for New England sailors, the top four teams are from the New England district and leading the event all day were Yale University (New Haven, CT) sailors Claire Dennis ’13 with Heather May ’13 in A-division and in B-division Emily Billing ’13 with Amanda Salvesen ’14. “Being patient on the downwind is what set us apart in the racing today, people would cross in the middle of the run too early. It was about staying consistent and not making big mistakes,” says Salvesen. In preparation for the event the Yale sailors spent a lot of time discussing the conditions that they were going to face in the Gorge and they were ready for the windy conditions.

 

Behind Yale is Brown University (Providence, RI), whose sailors also enjoyed sailing in the big breeze, but John Mollicone, head coach of the Brown Team says, “tomorrow we will be better on the starting line.” Sailors Elizabeth Barry ’11 and Jessica Claflin ’13 in A-division and Emily Dellenbaugh ’12 with Cecilia Strombeck ’11 suffered being over early in their second B-division race, but will certainly have learned about the conditions today to prevent it tomorrow. There were a couple general recalls today, but not as many as one would expect with the boats travelling at almost six knots in the current.

 

There is a 60-point spread between first and ninth places with 5th – 9th place only a few points apart. It was a day of close competition and the conditions mean that anything can happen on the racecourse. The prediction for tomorrow is for lighter breeze, which will help to keep the races moving and hopefully keep the sailors from capsizing and having to chase down their boats in the strong current. “Today we saw standard spring Gorge weather, with puffy winds and some light rains, but we are on target for tomorrow to get our minimum of 8 races off in each division,” explains Kyle Eaton, the regatta chairman.

 

Racing will begin again tomorrow at 9 a.m. for the First Round women’s. If all of the required races are completed in the morning, racing is set to begin for the Women’s Final National Championships Round at 1 p.m. Find full results and follow the racing and scores live on the event website: 2011nationals.collegesailing.info


 

Top Nine Teams

1.     Yale University

2.     Brown University

3.     University of Rhode Island

4.     U.S. Coast Guard Academy

5.     Old Dominion University

6.     Georgetown University

7.     Eckerd College

8.     Harvard University

9.     University of South Florida

 

 

The Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association (ICSA) is the governing authority for sailing competition at colleges and universities throughout the United States and in some parts of Canada. Visit www.collegesailing.org to learn more. The ICSA National Championships are sponsored by Sperry Top-Sider (www.sperrytopsider.com), Annapolis Performance Sailing (www.apsltd.com), Gill North America (www.gillna.com), and US SAILING (home.ussailing.org).
]]> Mon, 23 May 2011 21:39:00 CDT http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6423-College-Sailing-Nationals-Day-One-of-Womens-First-Round-Nationals-Competition http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6411-The-2011-MIT-Charles-River-Team-Race-Open Eighteen teams competed in 192 races held over 2 days in mostly easterly 5-13 knots.  The format was a modified swiss league using 30 FJs with each team sailing at least 20 races. The champions were determined by a semi-final and final best of 3 rounds. This event could not have happened without the huge amount of volunteers required to run so many races over 2 days. Last year’s champions Matt Duggan and Alie Bittl were assisted by Chris Lash started races until the semi final round. The rotations and scoring masters were long time CRO veterans Eric Gibber, Sue Ostrowski, and Ellen Pratt, assisted by Jennifer Stewart, Jeong-Ah Kwon, Simon Watts, Mai, and John Laiosa. Breakdown and rotations were managed by MIT staffers Wally Corwin, Carl Zimba, and Patrick Joyce. Sailing Master Fran Charles, Matty Cohen, and Matt Lindblad were also helping to manage the action.



In the semi finals, Boom defeated Who Dat by a 2-1 margin in the best of 3 series, while Ruckus (minus Pete Levesque from Saturday) beat Go Below Me in a sail-off following 3 protests from the first 2 races. The finals were won by Boom (2-0) vs Ruckus. Third place was secured by Who Dat (2-0) over Go Below Me.  Next year’s CRO will be run by this year’s winners, Billy Martin, Fiona Gordan, Ben Greenfield , Britany Haas, Bobby Martin, and Sarah Whalen.
 

Team personnel, results, and scoring spreadsheet are available at http://sailing.mit.edu







 

 





















 

RR1

 

RR2

 

RR2

 

RR3

 

RR3

 

RR4

 

RR4

 

TOTAL

 

TOTAL

 

 



TEAM

W

L

W

L

WPTS

LPTS

W

L

WPTS

LPTS

W

L

WPTS

LPTS

W

L

%W

WPTS

LPTS

%PTS



RUCKUS

5

0

5

0

7.5

0

4

0

6

0

4

1

6

1.5

18

1

0.95

24.5

1.5

1.29



BOOM

5

0

3

2

4.5

3

4

0

6

0

4

1

6

1.5

16

3

0.84

21.5

4.5

1.13



WHO DAT

5

0

3

2

4.5

3

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

8

2

0.80

9.5

3

0.95



GOBELOWME

1

4

5

0

5

0

3

2

4.5

3

4

1

6

1.5

13

7

0.65

16.5

8.5

0.83



MARBLEHEAD

3

2

2

3

3

4.5

1

3

1.5

4.5

4

1

6

1.5

10

9

0.53

13.5

12.5

0.71



BOHICA

4

1

3

2

4.5

3

1

3

1.5

4.5

2

3

3

4.5

10

9

0.53

13

13

0.68



BANANAS

3

2

3

2

4.5

3

2

3

3

4.5

2

3

3

4.5

10

10

0.50

13.5

14

0.68



ELLINGTON

2

3

3

2

3

2

5

0

5

0

2

3

3

4.5

12

8

0.60

13

9.5

0.65



MAGMUFF

2

3

5

0

5

0

3

2

4.5

3

1

4

1.5

6

11

9

0.55

13

12

0.65



HBADGERS

3

2

3

2

4.5

3

2

3

3

4.5

1

4

1.5

6

9

11

0.45

12

15.5

0.60



RIOT

3

2

2

3

3

4.5

0

4

0

6

3

2

3

2

8

11

0.42

9

14.5

0.47



LOS DOS

2

3

0

5

0

7.5

2

3

2

3

5

0

5

0

9

11

0.45

9

13.5

0.45



REACHARNDS

3

2

1

4

1.5

6

3

2

3

2

1

4

1.5

6

8

12

0.40

9

16

0.45



IN 2

0

5

2

3

2

3

2

3

2

3

4

0

4

0

8

11

0.42

8

11

0.42



SHAKE

1

4

1

4

1

4

4

1

4

1

1

4

1

4

7

13

0.35

7

13

0.35



VINEYARD

0

5

2

3

2

3

2

3

2

3

3

2

3

2

7

13

0.35

7

13

0.35



DRAGONS

2

3

1

4

1

4

1

4

1

4

1

4

1

4

5

15

0.25

5

15

0.25



MORNMAFIA

1

4

1

4

1

4

1

4

1

4

0

5

0

5

3

17

0.15

3

17

0.15





 




]]> Mon, 23 May 2011 08:34:00 CDT http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6411-The-2011-MIT-Charles-River-Team-Race-Open http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6407-Melges-24-Worlds-Bressani-On-The-Brink-Of-Victory-Scene-Is-Set 20 May 2011 - Corpus Christi, TX, USA - The international fleet competing at the 2011 Melges 24 World Championship in Corpus Christi, Texas, enjoyed two more breezy races on day five of the regatta. By way of a 1,5, performance today, Lorenzo Bressani on ITA 817 Uka Uka Racing extended his lead at the top to 26 points over second placed Brian Porter on USA 749 Full Throttle. Alec Cutler on BER 655 recovered from an eleventh in the first race of the day to take victory in the second race, and he moves up into third overall tonight, 2 points behind Porter. Nathan Wilmot on IRL 607 Embarr now lies in fourth, 7 points adrift of Cutler and 1 point ahead of Kristen Lane on USA 812 Brick House 812 and Flavio Favini on SUI 596 Blu Moon, who are tied on points in fifth and sixth. With just two more races scheduled for tomorrow's final day, Bressani's overall victory is looking increasingly assured; however just 10 points separate second and sixth positions, and the scene is now set for a fierce battle for the remaining podium places.



The penultimate day of racing at this year's Melges 24 World Championship in Corpus Christi, Texas, produced two more thrilling races sailed in a solid breeze that ranged from 15 - 18 knots. In the first race of the day it was business as usual for Lorenzo Bressani on ITA 817 Uka Uka Racing. Having got away cleanly at the favoured left hand end of the line, he led around the first windward mark, from Ricardo Simoneschi on ITA 819 AUDI in second, and Warwick Rooklyn on AUS 553 Bandit in third. On the first downwind leg Nathan Wilmot on IRL 607 Embarr made a big gain to move from fifth at the top mark to a close second to Bressani at the leeward gate. The two leading boats split marks, with Bressani going to the left buoy and Wilmot to the right. Third at the gate was Rooklyn, followed closely by David O'Reilly on USA 700 ARDOR/C.R.E.A.M. in fourth, Bora Gulari on USA 820 New England Ropes/West Marine in fifth, Brain Porter on USA 749 Full Throttle in sixth and Ricardo Simoneschi on ITA 819 AUDI in seventh.

By the second windward mark Simoneschi had jumped up to third, chasing Bressani and Wilmot in first and second. Just behind, Gulari, O'Reilly and Porter were involved in a three-way battle for fourth place as they started the second downwind leg. The final leg was a high-speed drag race with the boats who found the best pressure and clearest lanes coming out on top. Bressani was never under threat and blasted across the line to take his sixth race win of the week. Gulari meanwhile had come down the run with his hair on fire and now had Simoneschi in his sights. The Italian attempted a blocking gybe just before the line but Gulari simply blew through to leeward at top speed to snatch second place. Simoneschi followed close behind in third, with Porter stealing fourth from Wilmot in fifth, and Rooklyn in sixth.



The start of the second race of the day saw the bulk of the fleet favouring the left hand half of the line. Wilmot's attempt to win the pin ended in disaster when a big wave right on the gun stopped him dead in his tracks and caused him to drift onto the pin end boat's anchor line. Meanwhile, Simoneschi, Porter, Gulari and Bressani all got away cleanly a few lengths up from the pin end, and they rounded the first top mark in that order. After some blistering downwind sailing on the first run, Porter rounded the right hand buoy fractionally ahead of Simoneschi in second and Bressani in third. After sailing a quite unbelievable leg, Alec Cutler on BER 655 hedgehog, who had been called OCS at the start and consequently rounded the top mark mid fleet, arrived at the leeward gate in fourth place.

Cutler continued his charge up the second beat, and in the final third of the leg, when the leaders began to tack back to the left, he pushed further out to the right and was rewarded with a major right shift which saw him take the lead just before the second windward mark. Simoneschi and Porter rounded in second and third respectively, with Bressani now pegged back to fourth. Flavio Favini on SUI 596 Blu Moon had eased into fifth ahead of Gulari in sixth. On the final run to the finish Cutler bravely trusted his conviction of extra pressure on the right of the racecourse and gybed away from the chasing pack. Further back, Gulari and Favini had also gybed early and were benefiting from the increased windspeed over on the right. These three boats made huge gains in the second half of the run, with Cutler extending his lead considerably and Gulari and Favini moving through into second and third places respectively. Behind them Porter was able to hold off Bressani to take fourth.



With the final two races in the twelve race series scheduled to be sailed tomorrow, Bressani's 26 point lead is now surely unassailable. Behind him however, the battle for the remaining top three places looks likely to go down to the wire. Going into the final day, Porter lies in second place, 2 points ahead of third placed Cutler. A further 7 points back in fourth is Wilmot, who holds a single point advantage over Kristen Lane on USA 812 Brick House 812 and Favini, who are tied on points in fifth and sixth.

In the all amateur Corinthian Division, after winning the first race of the day, series leader Eiichiro Hamazaki on JPN 783 Esprit, then marred his so far perfect scoreline with a 12 point scoring penalty in the second race following an on the water incident. Hamazaki still leads the Corinthian Division by 13 points from Christof Wieland on GER 635 Unsponsored who chalked up second places to both Hamazaki and second race winner Kevin Clark on USA 24 Smokin. A third and fourth today for August Hernandez on USA 533 High Voltage, sees him back up to third place overall, 12 points behind Wieland.

Racing at the 2011 Melges 24 World Championship in Corpus Christi, Texas, comes to a climax tomorrow Saturday 21 May with the two final races of the championship series scheduled.

Pusser's Painkiller Wipeout Of The Day Awards



A highlight of our daily prize giving ceremony is the presentation of the Pusser's Painkiller Wipeout Of The Day Awards sponsored by our wonderful long standing sponsor Pusser's Rum. As you can imagine this is an extremely prestigious award presented only to those achieving wipeouts or other acts of sailing that impress our secret team of judges. The winners this week so far are:-

Day 1 - Germany's Christof Wieland and the Unsponsored team for their sportsmanlike conduct in confessing to a foul and retiring from the race with grace and humor.

Day 2 - Nathan Wilmost and the crew of Conor Clarke's Embarr from Ireland who lost it on a leeward gate scattering the fleet behind them. Fortunately everyone avoided major contact although Peter Lane did look particular fetching draped in Embarr's red spinnaker.

Day 3 - Corpus Christi's own Mark Hulings, Meredith Rummel, Michael Davidson, Paul Arnston and 14-year-old Chloe Childs (our second youngest competitor) who performed a most spectacular high speed broach. We were particularly impressed with young Chloe's nonchalance during the entire incident, which she took entirely in her stride.

Day 4 - We may not have had any broaches on day four but what we did have was some short sharp chop, which could stop a Melges 24 dead in its tracks. Dave Black and the Black Dog team from Canada impressed us all with an amazing upwind "launch" which saw the boat out of the water right back to the keel when they hit a particularly ferocious wave.

Day 5 - Frenchman Henri Samuel his crew aboard ZigZag got in on the act today with some very impressive seamanship and botchery. Their bottom rudder fitting broke at the end of race one and, rather than give up and go home, they set to with some spare string and a bit of tape and bodged the thing up. Perhaps most impressive of all is that they went on to come 13th in the next race - their second best result of the series.

Velocitek Speed Challenge

Today was Velocitek Speed Challenge day. Between 10am and 4pm competitors could record their speed on their Velocitek devices. The highest 10 second average speed recorded will win a $1,000 prize. The Velocitek devices have all be presented to the recorder this evening and the winner will be announced at tomorrow night's final awards ceremony at the Omni Marina Hotel.

Justin Chisholm
IMCA Event Press Officer

Provisional Results

Top Ten Overall

1. ITA817 - Uka Uka Racing - Lorenzo Bressani - (6),2,1,2,1,1,1,1,1,5 - 15
2. USA749 - Full Throttle - Brian Porter - (16),9,2,1,7,4,6,4,4,4 - 41
3. BER655 - hedgehog - Alec Cutler 9,8,3,7,4,5,4,2,(11),1 - 43
4. IRL607 - Embarr - Nathan Wilmot - 2,5,5,11,9,2,8,3,5,(26) - 50
5. USA812 - Brick House 812 - Kristen Lane - 8,1,10,3,3,7,5,7,(14),7 - 51
6. SUI596 - Blu Moon - Flavio Favini - 3,6,8,5,5,3,10,(11),8,3 - 51
7. ITA819 - AUDI - Riccardo Simoneschi - 7,(12),4,9,12,10,2,12,3,8 - 67
8. USA811 - WTF - Alan Field - 1,11,11,8,2,9,9,(14),13,6 - 70
9. USA820 - New England Ropes/West Marine - Bora Gulari - 15,10,12,6,8,(18),11,6,2,2 - 72
10. ITA735 - Altea - Andrea Rachelli - 4,7,7,4,10,13,7,(15),10,12 - 74

Top Five Corinthian

1. JPN783 - Esprit - Eiichiro Hamazaki - (1),1,1,1,1,1,1,1 - 7
2. GER635 - Unsponsored - Christof Wieland - (12/RAF),3,3,2,3,3,2,2 - 18
3. USA674 - Rosebud - Scott Holmgren - 4,(6),5,5,2,2,3,3 - 24
4. USA533 - High Voltage - August Hernandez - (8),2,2,3,6,6,4,4 - 27
5. USA615 - Funtech Racing - Charlie Hess - 5,(7),4,4,4,4,7,6 - 34

FULL RESULTS

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WWW.SAILINGUPDATES.COM LIVE BLOGGING]]> Fri, 20 May 2011 23:56:00 CDT http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6407-Melges-24-Worlds-Bressani-On-The-Brink-Of-Victory-Scene-Is-Set http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6386-Two-More-Bullets-See-Lorenzo-Bressani-On-Uka-Uka-Racing-Extend-His-Lead-On-Day-3



 

Race 5 started bang on time on in a solid 15 knots of breeze. The fleet got away to a clean start at the first time of asking, with the boats quickly splitting into two distinct groups on either side of the first beat. Lorenzo Bressani on ITA 817 Uka Uka Racing soon established an advantage in the group on the left, whilst Kristen Lane on USA 812 Brick House 812 led the pack on the right. When the fleet converged on the approach to the first windward mark it was Bressani who led around the buoy, with Lane close behind in second and Eivind Melleby on NOR 804 Full Medal Jacket and Brian Porter on USA 749 Full Throttle overlapped in third and fourth. Alec Cutler on USA 655 hedgehog was hot on their heels in fifth.

 

Down the first run Bressani showed some remarkable off-wind pace to extend his lead considerably by the leeward gate. With the breeze ratcheting up to around 17 knots, behind Bressani there was a real scrap on for second place. Alan Field, who had rounded the previous mark in seventh place, sailed a remarkable leg to move up to second at the gate, just ahead of a large gaggle of boats who arrived at the buoys en masse. Alec Cutler led the group into the left hand buoy but broached in the process of dropping his chute, causing Nathan Wilmot on IRL 607, who was right on his transom, to do the same. The ensuing chaos allowed Andrea Racchelli on ITA 735 Altea, Porter and Flavio Favini on SUI 596 Blu Moon, to sneak through inside them at the buoy. Meanwhile, almost simultaneously at the other gate mark, Melleby, Lane and Bora Gulari on USA 820 New England Ropes/West Marine were rounding three abreast.

 

With Bressani leading comfortably at the second top mark, and Field also looking relaxed in second, attention turned to the street fight for third place between Lane and Melleby. These two converged right at the mark with Melleby coming in on port and tacking in closely in front of Lane on starboard, forcing her to throw her bow up to avoid a collision and subsequently fly a protest flag. Despite Lane pushing Melleby hard down the final run there were no changes to the top four positions at the finish, with Bressani taking the gun, Field second, Melleby third and Lane fourth. Cutler came home fifth with Favini in sixth. Later in the day Lane's protest against Melleby for the incident at the top mark was upheld by the protest committee, resulting in the Norwegian receiving his second disqualification of the championship.

 

 

 

The second race of the series also got away cleanly with the fleet once again splitting left and right in the early stages of the beat. Bressani made another good start and initially led the group on the left before choosing to work his way to the middle soon after the half way point. A significant left shift in the second half of the beat rewarded Wilmot and Favini, who had been working that side of the beat and they rounded in first and second at the first windward mark. Bressani rounded a couple of lengths behind in third, with Porter, Guy Mossman on USA 786 Battle Rhythm, and Melleby rounding in quick succession behind. With the breeze now up at 18 knots plus, the first run was a high speed affair which saw Wilmot holding off Favini right up until the final approach to the leeward gate. As the two boats gybed together, Favini's slicker execution enabled him to roll over the top of Wilmot and lead around the left buoy. Wilmot peeled off to the right buoy and rounded just ahead off Bressani.

 

On the second beat, despite Bressani and Wilmot appearing to be engaged in a private match race on the right, they arrived at the top mark ahead of Favini who had been sailing his own race on the left. In the final few boat lengths, Wilmot led Bressani in on the port layline, with the Italian close enough behind to prevent the Irish boat from tacking. Rounding the top mark locked together, they continued their match race down the run, with Bressani eventually prevailing to take another race win and Wilmot closing out the rapidly advancing Favini just before the finish line to take second.

 

So at the halfway point in the championship, Lorenzo Bressani on ITA 817 Uka Uka Racing now holds a 15 point lead over second placed Kristen Lane on USA 812 Brick House 812, with Flavio Favini on SUI 596 Blu Moon moving up to third, tied on points with Lane. Brian Porter on USA 749 Full Throttle moves up to fourth, tied on points with fifth placed Nathan Wilmot on IRL 607 Embarr.

 

 

 

In the amateur only Corinthian Division, Eiichiro Hamazaki on JPN 783 Esprit continues to dominate with two more wins today to maintain his perfect score so far. By way of two third places today, Christof Wieland on GER 635 Unsponsored moves up to second overall ahead of Scot Holmgren on USA 674 Rosebud, whose pair of second places today sees him ease into the Corinthian top three.

 

Racing at the 2011 Melges 24 World Championship in Corpus Christi, Texas continues tomorrow Thursday 19 May and runs through until Saturday 21 May, with six more races scheduled.

You can keep up with all the latest news and developments from the championship via the International Melges 24 Blog, www.melges24.com and the event website.  

Justin Chisholm
IMCA Event Press Officer

Top Five Overall

1. ITA817 - Uka Uka Racing - Lorenzo Bressani - (6),2,1,2,1,1 - 7
2. USA812 - Brick House 812 - Kristen Lane - 8,1,(10),3,3,7 - 22
3. SUI596 - Blu Moon - Flavio Favini - 3,6,(8),5,5,3 - 22
4. USA749 - Full Throttle - Brian Porter - (16),9,2,1,7,4 - 23
5. IRL607 - Embarr - Conor Clarke - 2,5,5,(11),9,2 - 23

Top Five Corinthian

1. JPN783 - Esprit - Eiichiro Hamazaki - (1),1,1,1,1,1 - 5
2. GER635 - Unsponsored - Christof Wieland - (12/RAF),3,3,2,3,3 - 14
3. USA674 - Rosebud - Scott Holmgren - 4,(6),5,5,2,2 - 18
4. USA533 - High Voltage - August Hernandez - (8),2,2,3,6,6 - 19
5. USA615 - Funtech Racing - Charlie Hess - 5,(7),4,4,4,4 - 21

FULL RESULTS

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IMCA ON TWITTER]]> Thu, 19 May 2011 07:44:00 CDT http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6386-Two-More-Bullets-See-Lorenzo-Bressani-On-Uka-Uka-Racing-Extend-His-Lead-On-Day-3 http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6380-Lorenzo-Bressani-And-Uka-Uka-Raking-Take-Lead-On-Day-Two-Of-Melges-24-Worlds

Day two of the 2011 Melges 24 Worlds in Corpus Christi, Texas delivered two spectacular races sailed in near perfect conditions, under crystal clear skies and in a solid breeze which built from 15 up to around 19 knots throughout the day. Lorenzo Bressani on ITA 817 Uka Uka Racing, and Brian Porter on USA 749 Full Throttle, traded blows at the front of the fleet in both races, with Bressani winning ahead of Porter in Race 3 and then Porter holding off Bressani to take the win in Race 4. Bressani's near perfect performance today means that he tops the leaderboard tonight with an 11 point lead over Kristen Lane on USA 812 Brick House 812, whose 10, 3, scoreline sees her in second overall, tied on points with Flavio Favini on SUI 596 Blu Moon in third, and Andrea Racchelli on ITA 735 Altea. Yesterday's overnight leader Nathan Wilmot on IRL 607 Embarr could only manage a fifth and an eleventh today, dropping him down to fifth overall.

 



 

Reveling in the windier conditions on Day 2, Brian Porter on USA 749 Full Throttle and Lorenzo Bressani on ITA 817 Uka Uka Racing, spent both of today's races engaged in their own private battle at the front of the fleet. Bressani led the first race of the day from start to finish, with Porter chasing hard throughout in second. In the second race of the day, it was Porter who led at the windward mark ahead of Bressani who arrived at the buoy on port tack, just a couple of boat lengths behind. With no gap to tack into, Bressani was forced to duck behind two boats before then rounding in fourth. By the leeward gate, a charging Bressani was up to second and clearly focused on closing Porter down even further. As the leading pair blasted down the final run, Bressani had reduced Porter's lead to just a few lengths, and the Italian appeared to be gaining with every gust. In the last few feet to the finish, Porter, coming in at pace from the right, just managed to pull off a gybe in front Bressani, who was hurtling in from the left. With Bressani arriving at full speed on the layline to the finish, Porter was just able to complete his gybe in time enough to surf home, only a few feet ahead.

 

Despite finishing tenth in the first of today's races, Kristen Lane at the helm of USA 812 Brick House 812, proved that her race win on the opening day was no flash in the pan, when in the second race of the day she clawed her way back from a poor windward mark rounding to ultimately take third. Rounding the final windward mark in seventh place, Lane showed blistering pace down the last leg to move within striking distance of the pack of boats all scrapping for third. Nailing the port layline into the finish with absolute precision, Lane came in very hot from the left to snatch third place, after just managing to thread herself between the pin end line boat and the fast approaching bowsprits of Andrea Racchelli on ITA 735 Altea, Flavio Favini on SUI 596 Blu Moon and Bora Gulari on USA 820 New England Ropes/West Marine. Lane's gutsy maneuver has earned her second place in the overall standings at the end of Day 2.

 



 

It is a testimony to the extremely close nature of the racing at this championship that second placed Lane is in a three way tie on points with both Favini and Racchelli, who are in third and fourth places respectively. Indeed just six points separate second from seventh overall. A fifth and an eleventh today for yesterday's regatta leader Nathan Wilmot on IRL 607 Embarr sees him drop to fifth place overall, with a four point advantage over Alec Cutler on BER 655 hedgehog in sixth. After a poor opening day by his own standards, Brian Porter on USA 749 Full Throttle has moved up to seventh by way of his 2,1 performance today.

 

Now holding an eleven point advantage at the top of the standings, the reigning world champions on Uka Uka Racing, were looking understandably calm and relaxed after racing today. "Yes it was a good day for us." commented their tactician Jonathan McKee. "We are obviously very happy with the way things went today. We managed to get off the line quickly and we felt we had good boatspeed in those conditions." Asked if he had been following a particular strategy today, he had this to say "It was all surprisingly subtle out there. The wind was pretty steady and there wasn't a consistent side of the racecourse which seemed to pay. It was more about finding the best pressure downwind and avoiding the bad sets of waves upwind." Trimmer Federico Michetti, paid this tongue in cheek tribute to his helmsman. "Rufo (Lorenzo Bressani) likes the breezy conditions, so this makes it very easy for the rest of us. He is like a racehorse, we just take the blinkers off his eyes at the start, and off he goes!" 

 

In the all amateur Corinthian Division, Eiichiro Hamazaki on JPN 783 continued to dominate with another pair of bullets to give him an 11 point overall lead over August Hernandez on USA 533 High Voltage in second and Christof Wieland on GER 635 Unsponsored in third.

 



 

With the normal weather system in Corpus Christi now appearing to have re-established itself, local opinion suggests that tomorrow may bring windier conditions still. Racing on Day 3 is scheduled to start at 11 AM local time with two more races scheduled. 

 

Racing at the 2011 Melges 24 World Championship in Corpus Christi Texas continues tomorrow Wednesday 18 May and runs through until Saturday 21 May.

You can keep up with all the latest news and developments from the championship via the International Melges 24 Blog, www.melges24.com and the event website.  

Justin Chisholm
IMCA Event Press Officer

 FULL RESULTS

1. ITA817 - Uka Uka Racing - Lorenzo Bressani - 6,2,1,2 - 11
2. USA812 - Brick House 812 - Kristen Lane - 8,1,10,3 - 22
3. SUI596 - Blu Moon - Flavio Favini - 3,6,8,5 - 22
4. ITA735 - Altea - Andrea Rachelli - 4,7,7,4 - 22
5. IRL607 - Embarr - Conor Clarke - 2,5,5,11 - 23]]> Tue, 17 May 2011 20:53:00 CDT http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6380-Lorenzo-Bressani-And-Uka-Uka-Raking-Take-Lead-On-Day-Two-Of-Melges-24-Worlds http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6379-Swedish-Challenger-becomes-Challenger-of-Record-for-34th-Americas-Cup
 

America’s Cup Defender, Golden Gate Yacht Club, informed Murray of the withdrawal by the Italian yacht club Club Nautico di Roma (CNR) earlier today.

 

“We also thank CNR and their team Mascalzone Latino for their efforts in the important start-up phase of the 34th America’s Cup. While we are disappointed to lose a great Italian contender in Mascalzone Latino and CNR, we are confident in the leadership we anticipate from the KSSS and Artemis Racing.”

 

CNR filed the first challenge for the 34th America’s Cup and thereby became the “Challenger of Record.” KSSS was the second challenger to enter, and under America's Cup rules, automatically succeeds as Challenger of Record.

 

Additional America’s Cup updates will be provided in early June at a media conference in San Francisco. A save-the-date and details will be issued next week.
]]> Tue, 17 May 2011 19:45:00 CDT http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6379-Swedish-Challenger-becomes-Challenger-of-Record-for-34th-Americas-Cup http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6377-Nathan-Wilmot-Sailing-IRL607-Embarr-Leads-After-Opening-Day-Of-Melges-24-Worlds
15 May 2011 - Corpus Christi, TX, USA - Day one of the 2011 Melges 24 World Championship in Corpus Christi, Texas, saw two closely fought races completed in sparkling conditions. The first race was sailed in an oscillating 7 - 10 knot breeze and saw Alan Field at the helm of USA 811 WTF, take the win after overtaking the initial leader, Nathan Wilmot on IRL 607 Embarr just before the second windward mark. By the time Race two got underway the wind had clocked significantly to the right and built in strength up to around 14 - 16 knots. Kristen Lane steering USA 812 Brick House 812, led around the first mark, and despite letting her grip on the race loosen for a while on the second beat, she came back strong to retake the lead at the final top mark. From then on she was totally in control, and after sailing a tactically astute second run, she eased home to take a well deserved race win. A solid fifth for Wilmot in that race was enough to give the Irish crew aboard Embarr the overall lead, just one point ahead of reigning World Champion Lorenzo Bressani on ITA 817 Uka Uka Racing. Tied on points with Bressani is Norwegian Eivind Melleby on Full Medal Jacket, whose 5,3 score puts him in third place at the end of Day 1.



The expectation was always for light to medium conditions to prevail on the first day of the 2011 Melges 24 World Championship, and race one was started in an unstable 8 - 10 knots of breeze, with direction swings of up to twenty degrees. A significant right hand shift minutes after the start, saw almost the entire fleet tack onto port soon after the gun. The boats who got out to the right soonest appeared to pick up a little extra pressure in the first half of the beat, but as the leg progressed it was Nathan Wilmot helming IRL 607 Embarr who came in from the middle right to lead at the top mark. Two to three boat lengths behind was Alan Field on USA 811 WTF. A further five boatlengths behind, Eivind Melleby on NOR 804 Full Medal Jacket, headed a a gaggle of seven or eight boats, including Flavio Favini on SUI 596 Blu Moon, Ricardo Simoneschi on ITA 819 AUDI, and Lorenzo Bressani on ITA 817 Uka Uka Racing. As the two leading boats extended down the first run, the breeze faded a little and became somewhat patchy, presenting plenty of passing opportunities amongst the still closely compacted chasing pack. The dying wind had also continued to clock around to the right, requiring the race committee to shorten the second beat and lay a change mark considerably further to the right. Given the change in wind direction, the bulk of the leading group chose the right hand gate mark (looking upwind), but second placed Field chose to break off and round the left hand buoy. This ultimately proved to be a race winning move, as by the latter part of the second beat, Field had hooked into a left hand shift and some extra pressure which took him past Wilmot on the approach to the second windward mark. From there on Field was in complete control, and with the breeze now shifting even further right and slowly beginning to build again, he was easily able to maintain his leverage on the fleet to take a comfortable race win. Wilmot proved to be equally safe in second, with Melleby demonstrating some excellent downwind speed to take third.



After a brief delay to allow the breeze to complete its swing to the right, the race committee went in to sequence for the second race. Perhaps anticipating a further shift to the right, the fleet all seemed keen to start at the committee boat end of the line, and the resulting bunching caused a General Recall on the first start attempt. More evenly spread along the line for the second start, the fleet then got away cleanly, with Bora Gulari on USA 820 New England Ropes/West Marine nailing the start at the right hand end and getting an initial jump on the fleet. However even before the mid point of the first beat it was Eiichiro Hamazaki on JPN 783 Esprit, who was making the early running on the right of the course, ahead of Favini and Kristen Lane on USA 812 Brick House 812. By the top mark Lane had squeezed into the lead ahead of Favini and Hamazaki in second and third. These three boats were engaged in a full on battle for the lead throughout the entire first downwind leg, with Lane ultimately rounding the left hand gate mark just seconds before Hamazaki turned at the right buoy. Favini was hot on their heels, rounding the left mark just a couple of feet ahead of Brian Porter on USA 749 Full Throttle. The scrap for the lead continued up the second beat, with Lane briefly relinquishing the lead to Favini at the midpoint, before coming back strongly in the closing stages of the leg, to squeeze in on the port layline and tack cleanly just feet ahead of Favini. This tack left Favini struggling to lay the mark and his subsequent clearing tack on to port in front of the incoming Lorenzo Bressani on Uka Uka Racing resulted in Bressani doing penalty turns. Lane had meanwhile escaped and was then able to extend her lead down the final run and went on to take the win ahead of Bressani in second and Eivind Melleby on Full Medal Jacket in third.

In the overall scorings, Nathan Wilmot's second and fifth were good enough to see him top the leaderboard at the end of the first day, with a one point advantage over Lorenzo Bressani and Eivind Melleby who were tied on points in second and third respectively. Kristen Lane's 8,1, scoreline puts her in fourth overall, tied her on points with Flavio Favini in fifth.


]
Melges 24 World Championships include a Corinthian Division for those teams without any ISAF classified professional sailors. The Corinthians race with the main fleet but are also scored separately for the Melges 24 Corinthian World Championship. Two Corinthian first places for Eiichiro Hamazaki on JPN 783 Esprit gives him the overall lead at the end of Day 1, with Kevin Clark on USA 24 Smokin, in second place with a third and a fifth. With a eighth and a second, August Hernandez on USA 533 High Voltage, rounds out the Corinthian top three.

With a more familiar local weather system now appearing to establish itself, there is a good chance that tomorrow will see the full arrival of the Corpus Christi thermal breezes. To give the wind its best chance to develop, the start time for racing on Day 2 has been pushed back to 13.00.Racing at the 2011 Melges 24 World Championship begins on Monday 16 May and runs through until Saturday 21 May, with two races per day scheduled.  You can keep up with all the latest news and developments from the 2011 Melges 24 World Championship via the International Melges 24 Blog, www.melges24.com and the event website.  

Justin Chisholm
IMCA Event Press Officer

FULL RESULTS]]> Tue, 17 May 2011 07:21:00 CDT http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6377-Nathan-Wilmot-Sailing-IRL607-Embarr-Leads-After-Opening-Day-Of-Melges-24-Worlds http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6365-ORACLE-Racing-victorious-at-the-RC44-Austria-Cup Also check out RC44 Austria Cup Videos

Their score line said it all, three firsts, three seconds out of the nine races sailed, and only one race outside of the top five. Steve Howe (USA) is currently campaigning on the Melges 32 circuit, but has enjoyed his first outing with the RC44’s. “It feels really good to win, great place, great venue, the team did a nice job and Russell (Coutts) did a great job of getting us around the course. It’s the first time I've sailed on the boat, there are a few guys on the team I’ve sailed with before on other boats but not like this, it was a lot of fun.”

Team Aqua (GBR) took second place, one place better than in San Diego two months ago in their old boat, Chris Bake was the first owner to come onto RC44 circuit in 2007 and was pleased with their weeks work in Austria. “I think getting out there and sailing a new boat and having the consistency that we had was great. There were a few missed opportunities and that probably cost us first place but ORACLE Racing sailed unbelievably and they deserve the position they got. We got a good second and so I’m really happy, the team has done a phenomenal job pulling the boat together, the boat felt good, so now it’s just a matter of improving on that.”

From last place in San Diego, to a podium place in Austria, the Dutch team, No Way Back, finished the only race of the day in fourth place with their main competition, CEEREF (SLO), four places behind to hand them third place. Guest tactician for the event was 27-year-old Tom Slingsby (AUS). “Third overall is a great result, the team has got loads of talent on board and I’m sure they will get better at every event from now on. Hopefully I will get asked back at some point in the future, but for now I have an Olympic Laser campaign going on so that’s my main priority and I want to do well in London next year.”

Hugues Lepic and his French Aleph Sailing Team, placed second in the final race of the event. It took the team up to fifth overall, an excellent start to their new RC44 campaign. “We are very pleased with the results and have really enjoyed the event. It wasn't perfect and there is plenty more we can do, but we think this is just one event and we will see what happens in the other events to come.”

The Tour now heads to Cagliari in Sardinia (29 June – 3 July). Michele Ivaldi (ITA), tactician on CEEREF will be the local and is expecting some excellent sailing conditions. “Cagliari has great sea breeze’s all the time and when the mistral comes its game on!”

As for the RC44 Championship Tour standings - after two events ORACLE Racing take the lead, Team Aqua move up to second with Katusha (RUS) falling two places to third. The biggest mover is No Way Back, up from eleventh to fifth – we will wait to see who they will bring out as their secret weapon in Cagliari with Tom Slingsby away focusing on his Olympic campaign.


Results - RC44 Austria Cup - Fleet Race    

(Final result after 9 races)

1      ORACLE Racing (USA) Steve Howe / Russell Coutts  - 2, 2, 3, 9, 2, 1, 1, 5,1 - 26
2      Team Aqua (GBR) Chris Bake / Cameron Appleton  - 8, 1, 8, 1, 4, 2, 3, 2, 5 - 34
3      No Way Back (NED) Peiter Heerema /Tom Slingsby  - 1, 3, 12, 3, 1, 9, 8, 3, 4 - 44
4      Team Ceeref (SLO) Igor Lah / Michele Ivaldi   - 7, 7, 11, 9, 3, 4, 2, 1, 8 - 52
5     Aleph Sailing Team (FRA) Hugues Lepic / Mathieu Richard - 11, 13, 5, 5, 6, 3, 4, 8, 2 - 57
6     Katusha (RUS) Gennady Timchenko / Paul Cayard   - 3, 4, 6,, 9, 8, 7, 9, 6, 10 - 62
7     Peninsula Petroluem (GBR) John Bassadone / Inaki Castaner- 9, 6, 2, 9, 11, 12, 5, 11, 3 - 68
8      Ironbound (USA) David Murphy / Peter Evans  - 6, 8, 4, 2, 12, 6, 11, 9, 13 - 71
9      Islas Canarias Puerto Calero (ESP) Daniel Calero /Jose Ponce - 4, 10, 13, 9, 5, 10, 10, 4, 11 - 76
10    Team Nika (RUS) Vladimir Prosikhin / Tomislav Basic - 10, 5, 1, 9, 13, 11,12, 10, 6 - 77
11    Artemis (SWE) Torbjorn Tornqvist / Morgan Larson  - 13, 9, 7, 7, 7, 5, 7, 13, 12 - 80
12   Synergy (RUS) Zavadnikov Valentin / Peter Holmberg - 5, 11, 10, 4, 10, 8, 13, 12 , 9 - 82
13     AEZ (AUS) Rene Mangold / Christian Binder    -  12, 12, 9, 6, 9, 13, 6, 7, 7,  (2) - 83 


]]> Mon, 16 May 2011 08:04:00 CDT http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6365-ORACLE-Racing-victorious-at-the-RC44-Austria-Cup http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6364-Full-Medal-Jacket-Takes-Melges-24-Pre-Worlds-Win Norway's Eivind Melleby On Full Medal Jacket Wins Pre-Worlds Regatta At 2011 Melges 24 World Championship




15 May 2011 - Corpus Christi, TX, USA - The concluding day of the Pre-Worlds Regatta at the 2011 Melges 24 World Championship in Corpus Christi, Texas, saw an unexpected return to the breezier conditions with which the venue is more synonymous, with the final two races being completed in 15 - 18 knots. A 6,2 scoreline today for overnight leader Eivind Melleby on NOR 804 Full Medal Jacket, was enough to seal an overall win in the Pre Worlds Regatta. Melleby finished the two day series tied on points with second placed Lorenzo Bressani on ITA 817 Uka Uka Racing, who chalked up a win in the first race today before finishing fourth in the second race. A seventh and a sixth score today saw Nathan Wilmot at the helm of IRL 607 Embarr take the final Pre-Worlds podium position.  The winning Corinthian, all amateur team was USA 15 Abordage owned and helmed by Erwan Le Gall from San Francisco.



With racing in the main World Championship series scheduled to start in the morning, most teams spent the afternoon after racing today on boat preparation, final sail selection and planning for the week of racing ahead. Soling Olympian and America's Cup sailor Espen Stokkeland, tactician aboard Full Medal Jacket, said that the Norwegian team were looking forward to the coming week. "There are so many great teams here this week. The racing is going to be intense, with all of the top guys battling it out against each other. We expect the racing to be really close. It's going to be great."

470 Olympic Gold Medalist Nathan Wilmot (NZL) seemed content with his team's preparation in the lead up to the championship. "This is my first Melges 24 regatta. It's been interesting so far. I think I need to learn to stay behind the line a bit more as we have managed two recalls in three races. The boats are great though - great fun to sail and close racing, a pretty similar style to the 470, other than you also have a backstay to deal with. All in all the Melges 24 experience has been really nice and we are looking forward to the week".



AUDI helmsman Ricardo Simoneschi (ITA) appeared confident and relaxed on the eve of the main championship. "As a team we are happy with the job we have done up to now. In terms of the venue, I think it is a very interesting place. We were told that the winds were generally very strong and quite steady here, but in the last few days we have already seen a variety of conditions and some quite big windshifts. So I think there will be plenty of tactical options and the racing will actually be quite open." Simoneschi also noted that the steep chop which prevails in Corpus Christi presented it's own challenges. "For sure the wave patterns here make life very challenging for the helmsman upwind in particular. It is very easy to let the boat slow down and you have to do lots of work with the mainsheet and the tuning of the boat to counter this."

With so many strong teams competing, there is little doubt that this year's championship will be one of the most closely fought ever, and picking a clear favourite at this point is virtually impossible. The general consensus amongst the competitors at this evening's Opening Ceremony held at the Corpus Christi Yacht Club, was that consistency, starting ability and downwind speed were likely to be the key factors in determining the overall winner. There was also a general anticipation of some spectacular sailing ahead when the inevitable classic big breeze Corpus Christi conditions make an appearance.

Racing in the 2011 Melges 24 World Championship main series begins on Monday May 16 and runs through until Saturday May 21, with two races per day scheduled.

Racing at the 2011 Melges 24 World Championship begins on Monday 16 May and runs through until Saturday 21 May, with two races per day scheduled.  You can keep up with all the latest news and developments from the 2011 Melges 24 World Championship via the International Melges 24 Blog, www.melges24.com and theevent website.  

Justin Chisholm
IMCA Event Press Officer

FULL RESULTS









The 2011 Melges 24 World Championship is sponsored by:-

 

Zhik

West Marine

Stoopid Pirate Monkey

Weather Routing Inc

Whataburger 

Gulf Coast Composite

Pusser's Rum

US Sailing Regatta Networks

Sea Tow

Velocitek

Corpus Christi Electric Company

Corpus Christi Downtown Management District

OGI

Rugged Cycles

North Sails One Design

Water Street Restaurant

Ainsworth Trucking

Harken  

Coral Reef Sailing Apparel

Harrison's Landing Yachting Centre  

Corpus Christi, Padre & Mustang Islands Convention & Visitors Bureau

Valls Group

Omni Hotels

Melges USA

Corpus Christi Marina

Sail 22  

 

Visit the Official Event Website of the 2011 Melges 24 World Championship

 

Visit the International Melges 24 Class Association Website 

 

The Melges 24 is designed by Reichel Pugh and considered the most unique one design sportsboat in the world as well as one of the fastest-growing classes of high performance yachts.  For more information please visit the official websites of the International Melges 24 Class Association and theUnited States Melges 24 Class Association.






]]> Mon, 16 May 2011 07:41:00 CDT http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6364-Full-Medal-Jacket-Takes-Melges-24-Pre-Worlds-Win http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6357-Norways-Eivind-Melleby-Wins-Only-Race-On-Day-1-Of-Melges-24-Pre-Worlds


After an initial General Recall, the fleet got off at the second time of asking, with the bulk of the boats initially working the middle left of the beat. At the top mark it was Brian Porter at the helm of USA 749 Full Throttle who led by a couple of lengths from Ricardo Simoneschi on ITA 819 AUDI, with Eivind Melleby on NOR 804 Full Medal Jacket, in third. Melleby was the first of the leading group to gybe at the top of the run and this move gave him a narrow lead over Porter by the mid point of the leg. The two leading boats split at the leeward gate, with Melleby rounding the right hand buoy just seconds before Porter got to the right hand gate mark.

The next beat saw Melleby pick his way expertly through the shifts and weakening pressure to pull out a huge lead by the second windward mark. Alan Field on USA 811 WTF and Kristen Lane on USA 812 Brick House 812, also made significant gains on this leg to round close together in second and third places. The final run was sailed in a rapidly fading breeze, which enabled Melleby to extend his lead even further by the finish, with Lane taking second and Simoneschi closing out third.



Despite the best efforts of the Race Committee, soon after the last boat had ghosted home the breeze evaporated almost completely, leaving them no alternative but to send the fleet ashore to relax, tinker with their boats, and enjoy the glorious Texas sunshine. Later in the afternoon competitors took part in an informative post-racing debrief clinic, fronted by a panel of experts including Principal Race Officer Mark Foster, triple Melges 24 World Champion Federico Michetti, and double Melges 24 World Champion Vince Brun.

More light to medium conditions are expected for the final day of the Pre-Worlds Regatta tomorrow, with the beginnings of a return to the more characteristic bigger breezes anticipated for the start of the main Championship Series on Monday.

Racing at the 2011 Melges 24 World Championship runs through until Saturday 21 May with two scheduled races per day.You can keep up with all the latest news and developments from the 2011 Melges 24 World Championship via the International Melges 24 Blog, www.melges24.com and the event website.  

Justin Chisholm
IMCA Event Press Officer

FULL RESULTS


]]> Sun, 15 May 2011 10:03:00 CDT http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6357-Norways-Eivind-Melleby-Wins-Only-Race-On-Day-1-Of-Melges-24-Pre-Worlds http://www.sailgroove.org/article/6349-Melges-24-World-Championship-Top-International-Teams-Roll-Into-Corpus-Christi
SAILGROOVE'S MELGES 24 WORLDS COVERAGE STARTS WEDNESDAY 5/18


12 May 2011 - Corpus Christi, TX, USA - With an entry list bulging with some of the very best international sportsboat teams in the world, the 2011 Melges 24 World Championship hosted by the Corpus Christi Yacht Club, Texas is set to be one of the most closely fought in the class's history. In keeping with the tradition of Melges 24 World Championships, this year's event which runs from 11 - 21 May, has attracted a top quality international field with entries from Australia, Bermuda, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy and the USA.

The breezy conditions which generally prevail in Corpus Christi are a perfect match for the high performance Melges 24 Class, and there is already a general mood of anticipation amongst the sailors - not least about the potential for some high speed downwind sleighrides. George Peet, sailing this week with foiling Moth legend Bora Gulari on Airforce 1, confessed to be hoping for some big breeze. 'We were here for some training a few weeks ago and it was blowing twenty-five knots the whole time. It was just fantastic fun. Can't wait for more of that."

According to Principal Race Officer Mark Foster, weather conditions are set to be close to perfect for the main world championship series. "The thunderstorms that are rumbling around the area right now are forecast to clear out over the next 48 hours and we should then see a return to the classic Corpus Christi wind conditions. 15 - 18 knots is typical in the early afternoon with the possibility of 20 knots plus in the mid to late afternoon. The added bonus is that both the air and sea temperatures are predicted to be around 80 degrees Fahrenheit."

The high quality fleet boasts many of the top international Melges 24 teams, including the reigning champions, Italy's Uka Uka Racing, who will be hoping to repeat the form which saw them clinch last year's world championship in Tallinn, Estonia with a race to spare. Speaking shortly after successfully completing their crew weigh-in this morning, tactician Jonathan McKee said that the mood amongst the crew was very upbeat. "We have exactly the same team as last year and we are looking forward to what promises to be a great regatta. Having just arrived, we are planning to do plenty of sailing over the next four days to familiarise ourselves with the conditions here is Corpus Christi. Our first priority is to make the choice on what sails we are going to use. Although it is generally always quite windy here, I think there is a chance we may actually get a range of conditions for the series."

The Uka Uka Racing lineup is certainly not lacking in pedigree - McKee along with owner Lorenzo Santini, and helmsman Lorenzo Bressani are each double Melges 24 World Championship winners and their trimmer Federico Michetti has no less than three class world titles to his name. According to McKee however, these statistics will have little bearing on their strategy this week. "We won't be thinking about that. You just have to put that all aside, prepare well, hope things go your way when you are on the water, and then it's a case of, come what may."

International Melges 24 Class Chairman Ricardo Simoneschi, who will be helming Audi this week, had this to say "As a competitor I am very much looking forward to this regatta. Corpus Christi is well known as an exceptional sailing venue and has really brought out the cream of the crop. The quality of both the professional and amateur teams competing here this week is very high and we are expecting the racing to be fantastic. The club and its team of volunteers have been planning this event for nearly three years and we really appreciate all of the hard work they have put in to make this year's world Championship a success."

Following successful completion of registration and measurement, the teams will get their first chance to measure up against each other over a two day Pre-Worlds regatta this weekend, before the 2011 Melges 24 World Championship Opening Ceremony takes place at the Corpus Christi Yacht Club on Sunday evening. The twelve race World Championship Series begins on Monday 16 May and runs through until Saturday 21 May with two races scheduled per day.

You can keep up with all the latest news and developments from the 2011 Melges 24 World Championship via www.melges24.com and the event website.  

Justin Chisholm
IMCA Event Press Officer

 






The 2011 Melges 24 World Championship is sponsored by:-

 

Zhik

West Marine

Stoopid Pirate Monkey

Weather Routing Inc

Whataburger 

Gulf Coast Composite

Pusser's Rum

US Sailing Regatta Networks

Sea Tow

Velocitek

Corpus Christi Electric Company

Corpus Christi Downtown Management District

OGI

Rugged Cycles

North Sails One Design

Water Street Restaurant

Ainsworth Trucking

Harken  

Coral Reef Sailing Apparel

Harrison's Landing Yachting Centre  

Corpus Christi, Padre & Mustang Islands Convention & Visitors Bureau

Valls Group

Omni Hotels

Melges USA

Corpus Christi Marina

Sail 22  

 

Visit the Official Event Website of the 2011 Melges 24 World Championship

 

Visit the International Melges 24 Class Association Website 

 

The Melges 24 is designed by Reichel Pugh and considered the most unique one design sportsboat in the world as well as one of the fastest-growing classes of high performance yachts.  For more information please visit the official websites of the International Melges 24 Class Association and theUnited States Melges 24 Class Association.






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