Seven days of racing, 147 competing boats, 11 divisions, two National Championships, one North American Championship, 1200 sailors and one great sailing town of Newport. It all adds up to New England’s favorite regatta – New York Yacht Club’s (NYYC) Race Week at Newport presented by Rolex. Kicking off on Saturday, July 17 with three days of one design and Classic, 12 Metre and PHRF-rated competition, Race Week’s “first half” welcomes the Beneteau 36.7, J/105, J/109, J/122, J/80, Classics, S Class, 12 Metre, 6 Metre and NYYC Swan 42 classes. In all, 109 boats are registered for the first half of Race Week.

After a lay day featuring a classic New England Lobster Bake hosted at the New York Yacht Club’s on-the-water clubhouse Harbour Court, the “second half” is scheduled for four days of racing to determine the Rolex US-IRC National Champion. To date 38 IRC-rated racers are registered for the fourth annual competition. Preliminary entry lists, sailing instructions and daily results can be found online at www.nyyc.org.
The largest One Design Class is the J/105 with 22 boats currently entered including the top three finishers from 2008 Race Week: Eclipse, owned by Damian Emery (Shoreham, N.Y.); Savasana, owned by Brian Keane (Weston, Mass.); and Live Edge, owned by Michael Mountford.

“My team is looking forward to a great event,” said Mountford, who is based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. “We really enjoy sailing in the New England area as sailing on the East Coast is good training for us. I decided to keep Live Edge in the Newport area this year after sailing in Rye in the fall. The NYYC runs a great regatta, the location is excellent and the people and sailing are terrific.”

The second largest One Design fleet is the NYYC Swan 42 Class with 15 registered boats competing for the national championship. The 2008 Race Week champion Tiburon, owned by Mark Watson (San Antonio, Texas/Newport, R.I.) and 2009 national champion Arethusa, owned by Phil Lotz (Newport, R.I.), are expected to compete.

“Each year, the Swan 42 Nationals represents the premier event for the fleet,” said Paul Zabetakis (Jamestown, R.I.), NYYC Swan 42 class president and owner of Impetuous. “The teams use the regattas prior to this event to prepare for what has become the most competitive racing of the year. The teams consist of some of the most talented Corinthian competitors in the sailing community. The racing is so close that even minor mistakes are very costly – it can mean the difference between first or last at the rounding marks. Clearly, the winner of this regatta is acknowledged by the fleet as the ‘best of the best.’”

North American championship title is on the line in the J/109 class where 13 boats are registered, including defending champion Storm, owned by Rick Lyall (Wilton, Conn.) and 2008 champion Gut Feeling, owned by Ted Herlihy (South Dartmouth, Mass.).

Elan, John Hammel’s (Arlington, Mass.) Beneteau 36.7, is looking to defend its 2008 victory against an increasingly competitive fleet.  “This year we are fortunate to have six of the eight competing boats traveling to Newport specifically for this event,” said John Hammel, the local fleet captain. “Five are from Long Island Sound and one is from Boston.” The event is one of five events that are used to determine the North East Fleet 36.7 Boat of the Year award. Last year’s winner was Bill Purdy’s (City Island, N.Y.) Whirlwind, which is frequently at the top of Long Island Sound 36.7 events, and finished fourth in the 2006 North Americans, held in Newport, and third overall in 2008. 

Other skippers and boats to watch include Chick Pyle (San Diego, Calif.), 2005 North American Class champion, skippering Kea/Slipstream, a name mixed with his chartered Slipstream and his own, 36.7 Kea.  Lou Mellio’s (Middletown, N.J.) Surface Tension and Junius Brown’s (Ridgefield, Conn.) Resolute are also strong competitors in the Long Island Sound fleet.

In total, 120 boats are registered for the first half of the week of racing, July 17-19, which will take place on Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island Sound.

Second Half of Week to Showcase IRC-Rated Racing

After taking a one-day break on Tuesday, July 20 to allow boats to switch to IRC configuration, the second of half kicks off on Wednesday, July 21 featuring four days of IRC racing with a mix of short course and middle-distance racing planned. To date, 36 IRC-rated boats are entered with George David’s Custom 90-footer Rambler the largest competing. The Rolex US-IRC National Championship will end with a Rolex gala and awards party on Saturday, July 24. 

 Swan 42 Class 2 Weiss New York Christopher Dragon 12204

J-109

Kamisher New York Blue Rider 71

Filippelli Caminos 52202

Kenny / Ames Gossip 274

Herlihy Gut Feeling 72

Jannetti Breakwater Jibber Jabber 272

Gutshall Maddogs & Englishmen 260

Schwartz Manhasset Bay Nordlys 267

Salk New York picante 126

Sweetser New York Rush 51

Vos Skoot 369

Lyall New York Storm 146

Milo Vento Solare 266

 

BLUE FLEET

Class 3 Shachoy Beverly August West 54

 

 Tortorello Partnership 12

Furnary New York Patriot 61220

Murphy Pugwash 60003

Chapman Screaming Eagle 52920

Gold New York Sundari 12235

Boyle / Bruno / Callahan New York Wings 12241

Shaw New York Tumbleweed 52770

Class 1 Clarke Newport Next Wave 31113 36 Farrv395

Tofias Royal Thames Race Horse US-1 42 W 37

Milligan/Roche New York Act One 52915 60 sloop

Rich New York Settler 31200 61 Cust. Peterson 42

Janney Eastern Die Fledermaus 73179 75 J/35

Armstrong St. Croix Good Girl ISV68 82 J/100

Tyler Hyannis Straight Jacket 3333 84 Quest 30

Hall Bluto 53194 89 Evelyn 32

Hyde Freightrain 40926 93 Frers 36

Stookey / Hallowell New York Jest 50686 93 Quest 32

Beneteau 36.7

Class 2 Powers Agora 52475

Palmer New York A C Breakaway 69

Hammel New York Elan 51920

Pyle San Diego Kea/Slipstream 52498

Raczkowski Mischief 93206

Brown Saugatuck Harbor Resolute 230

Melillo Atlantic Highlands Surface Tension 4444

Purdy City Island Whirlwind 52134

J-105

Class 3 Lewis Annapolis Bat IV 328

Bloom Falmouth Bear Spirit 51682

Henderson / Edegran Larchmont Conundrum 170

Wagner Buzzards Dark ‘n Stormy 413

Emery Eclipse 50

Rugg New York Jaded 92

Groobey Annapolis Java 674

Weiderman Kima 300

Esdorn New York Kincsem 324

Mountford Royal Canadian Live Edge 267

Koten Planet Claire 630

Stone St. Francis Power Play 37

Keane Beverly Savasana 523

Brauer/Neff New York Scimitar 526

Mindich LHYC/HYC Shakedown 488

Allen Riverside Strange Brew 175

Weglarz Chicago The Asylum 673

Darlington East Greenwich Tonto 493

Masur New York Two Feathers 344

Beane New York Vixen 657

 

Class 1 Kane New York Bolero 134 48.5

Fetter New York Black Watch 71 48 

 1

 Class 2

Cholerton-Brown Manhattan America II US 46

 Heckman New York USA US 61

Isham / Auersperg New York Courageous US 26

 Williams Corinthian Victory 83 K-22

Swift New York American Eagle US 21

 Class 3

6 METRE

C

S Class 

 

 

 

Skipper Yacht Club Boat Sail #

Class 5

 Davis Aquila 51

Sloan New York Argument 22

Silken Firefly 7

McCaffrey Newport Osprey S8

Herreshoff New York Lady Luck 2

Patterson Pirate 63

Hutchinson RIYC Shona 15

Hagen Sturdy Beggar 17

Roy Newport Surprise 5

Boylan Whistler S3

Migliaccio Wistful 14

PHRF 2 

 

 

 

Skipper Yacht Club Boat Sail # Rating Model

Class 6 Lavin East Greenwich Dirty Harry 40561 111 J-29

Nauber Wolverine 41354 111 Frers 33

Rasadi New York Showdown 31628 111 J-29

Walters IYAC Poia 22956 121 Catalina 38

Mentelos Park Place 41976 150 O’Day 34

  CRF 2

 2 Metre

Towbin New York Sumurun 14 58

Class 1  

Colburn New York Apparition 4235

Lotz New York Arethusa 4216

Fisher New York Bandit 4208

Brownyard New York Barleycorn 4224

G. Rojek New York Better Than… 18

Culver New York Blazer 4243

Gefter New York Celeritas 42021

Cahoots Syndicate New York Conspiracy 4201

Hele New York Daring 4214

Darden / Williamson New York Hoss 4227

Zabetakis New York Impetuous 4206

Kane New York Mutiny 4204

Widmann New York Quintessence 4210

Watson New York Tiburon 4223

Halbert Vitesse 4240

 

 

Rodes New York Ranger US112

Towse / Towse New York Syce US14

Fair New York Madcap US21

Loughborough New York Belle L24-2

lass 4

 

Glassie New York Fortune 312 36.6

Pearsall New York Chips 13 36.1

Croll New York Angelita 18 34.9

Colie Mantoloking Silent Maid T 82 29

 

 

 

 

Owned and sailed by Rives Potts (Westbrook, CT) with a crew blending four families, Carina is the 46th winner of the race’s top trophy in the 104-year history of the race, which runs 635 miles from Newport, RI to St. David’s Light, Bermuda.
The 48-foot McCurdy & Rhodes designed sloop won on corrected time under the Offshore Racing Rule by the very large margin of 3 hours, 35 minutes over Gregory B. Manning’s Sarah  (Warwick, RI). Belle Aurore, a Cal 40 owned by R. Douglas Jurrius (Easton, MD) was third, seven minutes behind Sarah.

Carina’s chances for winning looked good but hardly certain when she finished the race at dawn Tuesday. Her chief challenge came from Belle Aurore and three other boats in Class 1, the small-boat class. Any of them could save their time and elbow Carina off the victory podium should she finish by about 7 PM. Many sailors at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club and elsewhere spent much of Tuesday following the quartet’s progress on the online iBoattrack tracker. In the end, nobody was able to save their time on Carina.

Those four smaller boats still did well. Belle Aurore won Class 1 and took third place in the St. David’s Lighthouse Division. Two other Cal 40s, Peter Rebovich’s two-time defending champion Sinn Fein (Metuchen, NJ) and Bill Leroy’s Gone with the Wind (Tiburon, CA), took second in the class and seventh in the division, and third in class and eighth in the division, respectively.  The fourth boat, David G. Dickerson’s Peterson 38 Lindy, was fourth in class and 20th in the division.

Carina also won the North Rock Beacon Trophy as the top boat under the IRC Rule, with a margin of nearly four hours over Gracie, a custom 69-footer owned by Stephen and Simon Frank (Darien and Rowayton, CT). Gracie was also designed by McCurdy & Rhodes. Third under IRC was Arbella, a First 44.7 owned by James Shaughnessy (Greenwich, CT).

As of Noon ADT Wednesday, 9 boats in the 183-boat fleet were still on the race course. This is the third largest Newport Bermuda Race since it was founded in 1906. The St. David’s Lighthouse Division, for amateur crews, is the largest of the race’s five divisions, with 103 boats this year. 

  Invictus At Start (Photo by George Bekris)

FOR NEWPORT BERMUDA RACE START PHOTOS CLICK HERE

2010 Newport Bermuda Race

PROVISIONAL RESULTS

Place, Yacht, Owner, Origin, Results (ORR(Cls, Div) / IRC(Cls, Div))

Class 1 (11 Boats) - St. David’s Lighthouse Division 1. Belle Aurore, Cal 40, R Douglas Jurrius, Oxford, MD, 1, 3 / 1, 8 2. Sinn Fein, Cal 40, Peter S. Rebovich, Sr., Metuchen, NJ, 2, 7 / 2, 10 3. Gone With The Wind, Cal 40, William M. LeRoy, San Francisco, CA, 3, 8 / NA, NA 4. Lindy, Peterson 38, David G. Dickerson, Niantic Bay, 4, 20 / NA, NA 5. Aurora, Tartan 41, Andrew F. Kallfelz, Jamestown, RI, 5, 22 / 3, 26 6. Frolic, Sabre 362, Peter G. Brown, Greenwich, CT, 6, 26 / 4, 37 7. Hiro Maru, Swan 43 Classic, Hiroshi Nakajima, Stamford, CT, 7, 34 / 5, 40 8. Spirit, Baltic 38DP, A. John Gregg, Philadelphia, 8, 90 / 6, 98 Class 2 (15 Boats) - St. David’s Lighthouse Division 1. Cygnette, Swan 441, William J. Mayer, Jamestown RI, 1, 5 / 1, 19 2. Swift, Navy 44 MK1, US Naval Academy, US Naval Academy, 2, 13 / 2, 24 3. Avenir, C&C 41, Joseph T. Murray, Bristol, RI, 3, 16 / NA, NA 4. Jacqueline IV, Hinckley SW42, Robert S. Forman, Jr, West Islip, NY, 4, 28 / 3, 47 5. Akela III, Swan 43, Djoerd Hoekstra, Oxford, MD, 5, 36 / NA, NA 6. Flirt, Navy 44 MK1, US NAVAL ACADEMY, US Naval Academy, 6, 44 / 4, 60 7. Mojoe, Peterson 43, Joseph M. Naroski, Marblehead, MA, 7, 45 / 5, 65 8. Rainmaker, Swan 40, Kenneth P. Hylwa Mr., Jamestown, RI, 8, 58 / NA, NA 9. Misty, J-40 WK, Fred A. Allardyce, Watch Hill, RI, 9, 62 / 6, 69 10. Beausoleil, Beneteau 456SD, Richard A Parent, New Harbor, ME, 10, 64 / 7, 79 11. Zwerver, S&S 57′ Berm Cut, Frans van Schaik, Rotterdam (NLD), 11, 65 / 8, 83 12. Morgan Of Marietta, Centurion 42, Colin G Golder, Newport RI, 12, 85 / 10, 93 13. Greyghost, Zaal 38, Philip W. Parish, Georgetown, MD, 13, 89 / 9, 87 14. Zest, Hinckley SW42, Brian E. Swiggett, Jamestown, RI, 14, 93 / 12, 97 15. Regatta, Carter 41, Constantine G. Koste, Oxford, MD, 15, 97 / 11, 95 Class 3 (14 Boats) - St. David’s Lighthouse Division 1. Carina, Ctm 48, Rives Potts, Westbrook, CT, 1, 1 / 1, 1 2. Dolphin, J-42, Henry S. Morgan, Annapolis, MD, 2, 10 / 2, 13 3. Xenophon, Swan 44 MKII, Jeffrey V. Rabuffo, MD, Newport, RI, 3, 12 / 5, 27 4. Triple Lindy, Swan 44 MK II, Joseph Mele, New York, NY, 4, 15 / 6, 32 5. Finesse, J-42, Newton P.S. Merrill, St. George, ME, 5, 17 / 3, 21 6. Babe, Swan 46, Colin E. Couper MD, Newport, RI, 6, 18 / 4, 25 7. Amigo VI, J-42, Bernie P. Coyne, Marblehead, MA, 7, 33 / 7, 45 8. True, J-42 (mod), Howard B. Hodgson, Jr., Newport, RI, 8, 37 / NA, NA 9. Whisper, Canning 48, Sheldon Brotman, Martha’s Vineyard, 9, 43 / 9, 56 10. Kalevala II, Grand Soleil 37, Tapio O. Saavalainen, Annapolis, MD, 10, 49 / 8, 55 11. Apsara, J-109, Mike Sleightholme, New Rochelle, NY, 11, 76 / 10, 76 12. Jade, J-42, Robert W. Thuss, Jr., Atlantic Highlands, 12, 81 / 11, 90 13. Tiger, Swan 46, Thomas & Nancy Grieb, Newport, RI, 13, 82 / NA, NA 14. Sailor Bandido, Quest 33, Christopher A. Palabrica, Chicago, IL, 14, 96 / NA, NA Class 4 (13 Boats) - St. David’s Lighthouse Division 1. Windborn, J-120, Richard W. Born, Annapolis, MD, 1, 31 / NA, NA 2. Lapin, Benn Frst 40.7, Christopher Clark, Greenwich, CT, 2, 32 / 2, 41 3. Thejackal, Beneteau 40.7, John DeFilippo, Annapolis, MD, 3, 35 / 3, 43 4. Slide Rule, First 44.7, Scott Bearse, Barnstable, MA, 4, 46 / 1, 5 5. Hound, Ctm 60, Eberhart Frank, Vinalhaven, ME, 5, 50 / 9, 74 6. Shinnecock, J-120, James C. Praley, Annapolis, MD, 6, 51 / 4, 48 7. Valkyrie, First 44.7, David Andril, West River, MD, 7, 55 / 8, 72 8. Ricochet, J-120, USCGA, New London, CT, 8, 57 / 5, 61 9. Terrapin, Beneteau 40.7, Jonathan Litt, Riverside, CT, 9, 59 / 6, 62 10. Dogsled, Kaufman 47, Todd F. Barnard, Halifax, NS, 10, 60 / NA, NA 11. Ragana, Cape Fear 38R, Darius Peleda, Stmford, CT, 11, 71 / 10, 75 12. Star Chaser, Swan 51, Wijnand (Boogie) van den Boogaard, London, UK, 12, 74 / 7, 66 13. Rocket Science, J-120, Rick F. Oricchio, Black Rock, CT, 13, 84 / 11, 85 Class 5 (9 Boats) - St. David’s Lighthouse Division 1. Glory, J-44, Jack Neades/ USCGA, New London, CT, 1, 29 / 2, 36 2. Runaway, J-44, Lawrence R. Glenn, Oyster Bay, NY, 2, 40 / 3, 38 3. Vamp, J-44, Leonard J. Sitar, Atlantic Highlands, 3, 41 / 1, 34 4. Resolute, J-44 WK, Fred Madeira, Cumberland, ME, 4, 42 / 5, 53 5. Beagle, J-44, Philip H. Gutin, New York, NY, 5, 53 / 4, 46 6. Gold Digger, J-44, James D. Bishop, Jamestown, RI, 6, 73 / 6, 70 7. Charlie V, J-44, Norman H. Schulman MD, Glen Cove, NY, 7, 83 / 7, 80 8. Sirena Bella, J-44, Joe Murli, Mystic, CT, 8, 91 / 9, 94 9. Akubra, J-44, Reginald H. Goodday Dr., Halifax, NS, 9, 99 / 8, 91 Class 6 (13 Boats) - St. David’s Lighthouse Division 1. Sarah, X-41, Gregory B. Manning, Warwick, RI, 1, 2 / 2, 4 2. Arbella, First 44.7, James P. Shaughnesy, Greenwich, CT, 2, 9 / 1, 3 3. Relativity, Beneteau 53F5, Hall Palmer, St. Thomas, USVI, 3, 48 / 3, 42 4. Buzz, Sydney 38, Richard E. Stevenson, Jr, Falmouth, ME, 4, 54 / NA, NA 5. Sirensong, J-133, Thomas J Carroll, Larchmont, NY, 5, 61 / 4, 63 6. Cilista, J-130, Jeffrey L. Eberle, Manchester, MA, 6, 63 / 5, 64 7. Merlin, Swan 57, John H Duerden, Stonington, CT, 7, 68 / NA, NA 8. Avra, J-120 Mod, George Petrides, New York, NY, 8, 70 / 7, 77 9. Fearless, Farr 395 OD, Shaun J. Ensor, Branford, CT, 9, 75 / 6, 68 10. American Girl, King 40, Daniel Galyon, Stamford, CT, 10, 87 / 10, 92 11. Amadeus, IMX-40, Jack R. Yaissle, Royal Oak, MD, 11, 88 / NA, NA 12. Upgrade, Farr 395, Peter Gibbons-Neff, Annapolis, MD, 12, 94 / 8, 84 13. Bacci, Swan 53, Lorenzo Vascotto, Oyster Bay, NY, 13, 95 / 9, 88 Class 7 (16 Boats) - St. David’s Lighthouse Division 1. Temptation, Taylor 45, Arthur & Peter Santry, Newport, RI, 1, 4 / 2, 9 2. Barleycorn, NYYC Swan 42, Brendan J. Brownyard, Newport, RI, 2, 11 / 1, 6 3. Vortices, J-145, Christopher L Saxton, Plymouth, MI, 3, 21 / NA, NA 4. White Rhino, Swan 56, Todd Stuart, Wilmington, DE, 4, 23 / 3, 12 5. Bombardino, Santa Cruz 52, James W. Sykes, Rye,NY, 5, 25 / 4, 17 6. High Noon, Tripp 41, Colin Rath, Norwalk, CT, 6, 27 / 5, 33 7. Xcelsior, IMX-45, Alice O. Martin, Chicago, IL, 7, 38 / 7, 51 8. Reindeer, Morris 47, Peter/Tony Driscoll/Parker, Annapolis, MD, 8, 47 / 6, 50 9. Cybele, IMX-45, Richard M. Burnes, Jr, Boston, MA, 9, 52 / 9, 71 10. Jacknife, J-133, Andrew Hall, Caernarfon, 10, 56 / 8, 54 11. Nasty Medicine, Corby 41.5, Stephen J. Sherwin MD, Hamilton, BDA, 11, 66 / 12, 82 12. Threebeans, Santa Cruz 37, Christopher Rosow, Southport, CT, 12, 79 / 11, 81 13. Magic, Santa Cruz 52, Kenneth Laudon, Rye, NY, 13, 86 / 13, 86 14. Convictus Maximus, Farr IRC 42, Donald W. Nicholson, Perth Amboy, NJ, 14, 92 / 10, 78 15. Wazimo, Aerodyne 38, W. Barrett Holby, Jr., Barrington, RI, 15, 98 / NA, NA 16. Flying Goose, Ctm 56, Daniel C. van Starrenburg, New York, NY, 16, 100 / 14, 96 Class 8 (12 Boats) - St. David’s Lighthouse Division 1. Gracie, Ctm 69, Stephan A. & Simon W Frank, Newport, RI, 1, 6 / 1, 2 2. Aurora, Reichel/Pugh 66, Gus Carlson, New York, NY, 2, 14 / 5, 22 3. Brand New Day, J-65, James C. Madden, Newport Beach, CA, 3, 19 / 2, 11 4. Denali, Nelson Marek 70, Michael A. D’Amelio, Buzzards Bay, MA, 4, 24 / 3, 16 5. Sforzando, Ker 55, Clayton G. Deutsch, Newport, RI, 5, 30 / 4, 18 6. Kodiak, Swan 601, E. Llwyd Ecclestone, Newport, RI, 6, 39 / 6, 29 7. Vanquish, STP 65, Rego / Riker Lucas / USMMA, Kings Point, NY, 7, 67 / 7, 39 8. Mischievous, Ctm 65, Albert J. Fitzgibbons,III, Stonington, CT, 8, 69 / 12, 89 9. Donnybrook, Ctm Sloop, James P. Muldoon, Annapolis, MD, 9, 72 / 9, 57 10. Invictus, TP52, US Naval Academy, US Naval Academy, 10, 77 / 8, 52 11. Starlight, Simonis Voogd 56, Michael Dybvik, Kings Point, NY, 11, 78 / 11, 73 12. Big Booty, Lutra 42, Patrick Eudy, Charleston, SC, 12, 80 / 10, 67 Class 9 (8 Boats) - Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Division 1. Noonmark VI, Swan 56, Sir Geoffrey Mulcahy, Hamble, UK, 1, 1 / 1, 7 2. Snow Lion, Ker 50, Lawrence S. Huntington, New York, NY, 2, 2 / 2, 14 3. Hoi An, Ctm 50, Heilner Marc, London, UK, 3, 3 / 6, 44 4. Natalie J, TP52, Philip D. O’Niel III, D.D.S., Newport, RI, 4, 4 / 3, 15 5. Catapult Racing, SouthernCross 52, Marc Glimcher, Essex CT, 5, 5 / 5, 30 6. Vela Veloce, Southern Cross, Richard H Oland, RKYC, Saint John, NB, 6, 6 / 4, 23 7. Captivity, Farr 60, Samuel T. Byrne, Newport, RI, 7, 7 / 8, 59 8. Rima2, R/P 55, John Brim, Newport, RI, 8, 9 / 7, 49 Class 10 (5 Boats) - Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Division 1. Ran, JV 72, Niklas Zennstrom, Ramsey, Isle of Man, 1, 8 / 1, 20 2. Bella Mente, Mini Maxi, Hap Fauth, Newport, RI, 2, 10 / 2, 28 3. Beau Geste, Farr 80, Karl Kwok, BVI, 3, 11 / 4, 35 4. Titan Xv, Ctm 75, Tom Hill, Mr., Newport, RI., 4, 12 / 3, 31 5. Rambler, Ctm 90, George David, New York, NY, 5, 13 / 5, 58 Class 11 (7 Boats) - Cruiser Division 1. Shearwater, Morris 40, Conrad Hall, Norfolk, VA, 1, 2 / NA, NA 2. Bluebird, Migrant 45 Ketch, Harry Bird, Essex, CT, 2, 3 / NA, NA 3. Temptress, IMX-45, Arent H Kits van Heyningen, Newport, RI, 3, 8 / NA, NA 4. Eclipse, Hinckley 59, Barbara & Robert Cavanagh, Sakonnet Point, RI, 4, 17 / NA, NA 5. Restive, Alden 48 Ctm, George P Denny III, Saunderstown, RI, 5, 31 / NA, NA Class 12 (16 Boats) - Cruiser Division 1. Laura B, Isl. Packet 45, Joseph R. Triggs, Jr., Avalon, NJ, 1, 4 / NA, NA 2. Cadence, Apogee 50, R. David Warters, Houston, TX, 2, 5 / NA, NA 3. Poeske, First 42, Richard Donn, Thornwood, NY, 3, 6 / NA, NA 4. Bonspiel, Nordic 44, James J. Richter, East Boothbay, ME, 4, 9 / NA, NA 5. Nostos, Alden 44, Lorenzo D. Weisman, Sag Harbor, NY, 5, 11 / NA, NA 6. Bermuda Oyster, Oyster 435, Paul B. Hubbard, Hamilton, BDA, 6, 14 / NA, NA 7. Pilgrim, Alden 44, Mark Rice, Old Lyme, CT, 7, 20 / NA, NA 8. Shindig, Pearson 39-2, Kevin G. Flannery, Newport, RI, 8, 21 / NA, NA 9. Convergence, Jeanneau 43 DS, James Linsley, New York, NY, 9, 24 / NA, NA 10. Freedom, Sabre 452, Cary W. Thomson, Georgetown MD, 10, 25 / NA, NA 11. Liberty Call, HR 43, Matthew G. Pilon, Newport, RI, 11, 27 / NA, NA 12. Eagle, J-40, Dana Oviatt, Mystic, CT, 12, 29 / NA, NA 13. Misty, Little Harbor 54, Eric G. Thorkilsen, Pt. Judith, RI, 13, 32 / NA, NA 14. Haerlem, Swan 55, Hendrikus (Henk) P L Wisker, Newport, RI, 14, 33 / NA, NA Class 13 (15 Boats) - Cruiser Division 1. Clover III, Swan 56, Neal F. Finnegan, Newport, RI, 1, 1 / NA, NA 2. I’Ll Think About It, Beneteau 523, Marc Tandourjian, Baltimore, MD, 2, 7 / NA, NA 3. Cetacea, Hinckley 59, Christopher J. Culver, Newport, RI, 3, 10 / NA, NA 4. Nova, Swan 56, Mark DiStefano, Newport, RI., 4, 12 / NA, NA 5. Lilla, CNB 76, Simon M. De Pietro, Kingstown, SVG, 5, 13 / NA, NA 6. Whiskey Girl, Hinckley 70, Michael McAllister, Providence, RI, 6, 15 / NA, NA 7. Windwalker II, Lyman Morse 60, Daniel Levangie, Newport, RI, 7, 16 / NA, NA 8. Nirvana, Maxi 80, Charles F Kiefer III, Marblehead, MA, 8, 18 / NA, NA 9. Isola, Baltic 52, Howard M. Eisenberg, Newport, RI, 9, 19 / NA, NA 10. Fox, Swan 53, Ruth M. Pecherek, Chicago, IL, 10, 22 / NA, NA 11. Manana, Swan 48, Michhael V. Johnson, Nantucket, MA, 11, 23 / NA, NA 12. Angel, Ctm 84, Edward T. Anderson, George Town CI, 12, 26 / NA, NA 13. Sceptre’D Isle, Ctm 63, Rex G. Herbert, Newport RI, 13, 28 / NA, NA 14. Blue, C&C 51xl, Dan Epstein, Newport, RI, 14, 30 / NA, NA 15. Rutaine, C&C 37/40+, David P. McLoughlin, Wickford, RI, 15, 34 / NA, NA Class 14 (12 Boats) - Double-Handed Division 1. Paladin, J-35, Jason A Richter, Port Jefferson, NY, 1, 1 / NA, NA 2. Great Scot, J-35, Darren T Garnier, Marblehead, MA, 2, 2 / NA, NA 3. Lora Ann, Express 37, Richard T. du Moulin, Larchmont,NY, 3, 3 / NA, NA 4. Kiva, Hinkley SW51CB, Mark Stevens, New Castle, NH, 4, 4 / NA, NA 5. Dirigo, C&C 41, Eric M. Johnson, Annapolis, MD, 5, 8 / NA, NA 6. Esmeralde, Sabre 386, Bruce R. Beard, Jr., Newport, RI, 6, 9 / NA, NA 7. Choucas, Jeanneau SF36, Frederic Cosandey, City Island, NY, 7, 11 / NA, NA 8. Ocean Wanderer1, Montivideo 43, Erwin Wanderer, Halifax, NS, 8, 12 / NA, NA 9. Plum Crazy, Sabre MK II, Michael R. Berg, Stage Harbor, MA, 9, 14 / NA, NA 10. Whisper, Hinckley 48, Thomas J. Vander Salm, Salem, MA, 10, 16 / NA, NA Class 15 (14 Boats) - Double-Handed Division 1. Seabiscuit, J-46, Nathan C. Owen, Mount Desert, ME, 1, 5 / NA, NA 2. Alibi, J-120, Gardner L. Grant, Jr., Westport, CT, 2, 6 / NA, NA 3. Delawana, Swan 51, Hans F. Himmelman, Lunenburg, NS, 3, 7 / NA, NA 4. Heron, J-120, Greg R. Leonard, Annapolis, MD, 4, 10 / NA, NA 5. Mireille, J-120, Edwin Gaynor, Southport, CT, 5, 13 / NA, NA 6. Resolute, J-122, D. Scott Miller, Blue Hill, ME, 6, 15 / NA, NA 7. Dawn Treader, Swan 48 MK II, Lawrence G. Cohen, Gloucester, VA, 7, 17 / NA, NA 8. Next Boat, Morris 45, Mark Ellman, Mamaroneck, NY, 8, 18 / NA, NA 9. Sir Edmund, Ctm 49, Vince E. Todd, San Francisco, CA, 9, 19 / NA, NA 10. Bolands Mill, Class 40, John Ryan, Dublin, 10, 20 / NA, NA 11. Kamoa’E, Class 40, Eric Lecoq, Portsmouth, RI, 11, 21 / NA, NA 12. Dragon, Class 40, Michael S. Hennessy, Mystic, CT, 12, 22 / NA, NA 13. Cutlass, Class 40, Alex / Nick Mehran / Halmos, Newport, RI, 13, 23 / NA, NA 14. Toothface, Akilaria Class40, Michael W. Dreese, Boston, MA, 14, 24 / NA, NA Class 16 (3 Boats) - Open Division 1. Genuine Risk, Dubois 90, Mark E. Watson III - USMMA, Kings Point, NY, 1, 1 / NA, NA 2. Ilmostro, VOR70, Ken Read, Malta, 2, 2 / NA, NA 3. Speedboat, Maxi, Alex Jackson, Georgetown,GC, 3, 3 / NA, NA

Bermuda executive Mark Watson made his first race to Bermuda memorable with a corrected time win in Genuine Risk in the Open Division for cant-keel boats. Speedboat, owned by Alex Jackson, took line honors for the race, finishing just before dawn at 3:47:56 with an elapsed time of 59:17:56, well off the course record.  Rán, the Fastnet and Sydney Hobart race winner, finished first in Class 10 and is a strong contender for the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse trophy.

Il Mostro (Puma) skippered by Ken Read, crossed the line second and corrected just behind Genuine Risk. “We were ahead of Il Mostro and Speedboat after we all came out of the Gulf Stream west of the rhumb line,” Watson said. “We decided to take a more easterly angle to avoid a cold eddy with negative current, but that let Speedboat separate from us.” Ralph Steitz, Sailing Director for the US Merchant Marine Academy (owner of Genuine Risk, which Watson sponsored), was one of many sailors who said how much they had enjoyed the race.  “This was the easiest Bermuda Race I’ve ever done and I’ve done a few.”  

Photos of Bermuda Race Start By George Bekris  HERE

PUMA Ocean Racing’s IL Mostro (Photo by George Bekris)

  Rán, Niklas Zennstrom’s JV 72, is the provisional winner in Class 10 for big professional boats in the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Division after being pushed hard by Tom Hill’s Titan XV for more than 600 miles. George David’s Rambler matched up with Karl Kwok’s Beau Geste and took line honors for these fixed-keel boats. “I’ve never sailed a Bermuda Race when you’re head to head with another boat for so long,” said Rambler’s tactician, Jerry Kirby.  “It came down to the last tack to St. David’s Light.”
 
Vanquish, co-skippered by Bermudian Buddy Rego and Americans Russell Lucas and Jamie Hilton, crossed the line first in Class 8 for the big boats in the amateur St. David’s Lighthouse Division, but Gus Carlson’s Aurora is the provisional class winner. Some smaller boats have a good shot at winning the division. Carina, skippered by Rives Potts, has a 60-mile lead over her Class 3 competition. In the highly competitive Class 1, Sinn Fein, Peter Rebovich’s Cal 40 and the two-time defending St. David’s winner, has sailed farther west than anybody and is fighting for the lead with David Dickerson’s Lindy.
 
In the Double-Handed Division, iBoattrack showed Michael Hennessy’s Dragon at the head of the pack, 160 miles from the finish, with the four-time winner Lora Ann not far behind. The Cruising Division’s leader, Clover III, was about 70 miles out on Saturday afternoon with a healthy lead on the 80-footer Nirvana.

 

The Challenge and Adventure Team spent an afternoon with Russell Coutts aboard the RC 44 in Newport.  The  RC44 is in Newport, RI  to introduce the boat to an American audience before the Miami Cup, on December 7 – 12, 2010. This will be the first ever RC 44 regatta in North America.  

We caught a RIB out and met the boat off Goat Island.   The crew let us know where to hold on and more importantly what not to grab.   They set the sails and the fun began.  She rose up and took off.   What a  ride.  The boat is sleek and sexy and flying across Narragansett Bay she is a head turner.  Any questions I had thought of asking Russell about how the boat performs were gone.  

The winches grunt as we power up.  Everyone hikes a bit further.  For a while we fly up and down Narragansett Bay.   Past the tour boats filled with tourists waving and cheering as they see Russell Coutts  is at the wheel of this BMW Oracle  racer blasting past them.  I  looked around at  Russell and the rest of the guys and realized that even though they had done this many times before,  they were proudly enjoying showing off the boat and her abilities.   All fun aside though, this is a serious racer. 

The RC44 is a light displacement high performance One Design sailing boat. It was designed by four-time America’s Cup winner Russell Coutts, together with naval architect Andrej Justin. The RC44 was created for top level racing in international regattas under strictly controlled Class Rules. The concept and the design features of the RC44 are dedicated to the amateur helmsmen racing in fleet racing sailing events.

The objective of the Class is to develop a high level and entertaining racing program and to keep the absolute one design aspect of the RC44 by ensuring that all boats are as identical as possible in terms of construction, shape of hull and appendages, weight and weight distribution, deck layout and equipment, sail plan and performance.

 

“We wanted to include a degree of complexity so an owner can experience what a top-end race boat is like to sail, and it delivers on that”, explains Russell Coutts. “Yet we also wanted it to be easy to own – you can race this boat in summer and if you wish put it away relatively easily in winter.”

“While the RC44 have some distinctive America’s Cup features, they are light-displacement, high performance racers and designed to sail with eight person crew, or for a professional match racing format they could be sailed by just six crew. When we started to formulate this concept I wanted to create a boat that would be exciting to sail downwind and powerful in light winds because most of the harbour and lake sailing is staged at lighter wind venues.  I also wanted a boat that could be sailed short-handed with a deck layout incorporating many non-standard adjustments.

The trim tab on the keel was an example of that thinking, to reduce keel area and yet still achieve good upwind performance and maneuverability.  It adds to the complexity of the boat, but the racing enthusiast will enjoy exploring the different tab angles and the resulting benefits in performance.”

With a powerful sail plan, the RC44 is intended strictly for racing, either match racing or day sailing fleet races. The boat is targeted at the day sailor who wishes to sail a high performance one-design class.  It has no comforts for cruising, and with a big open cockpit, a fairly narrow beam and the huge sail plan it produces a lot of excitement. The philosophy was to create something special for the racing sailor – a bit like owning a sports car versus a 4-wheel drive!

The boat features a removable stern scoop with a two-piece mast, both developed to provide for easy transportation, assembly and winter storage.  The fact that the boat can be shipped, trucked or sent by rail to the next event by container is a definite plus.  It saves on transport costs. 

The class rules and the construction of the boat are being tightly controlled to protect the one-design concept and reduce development costs for participants. For fleet racing it will be an owner driver class with strict limitations on the number of professional crew.

Thank you Russell and all of the crew for  an afternoon I will not forget.   As we were getiing off the boat Russell asked how we like it .    Still feeling giddy, not normally a word I use to describe myself.  All I could say was “I want One !”

 

 

For More Photos Of Russell Coutts’ RC44 Taken By George Bekris Click HERE

 

More information about The RC44 can be found at The RC 44 Class site

 

BOAT DIMENSIONS:            LOA                13.35m               43.8′       Bmax                 2.75m               9′    Draft                  2.90m               9.5′           Displ                 3560kg            7850lbs            Keel                  2200kg           4850lbs           Crew                   680kg                       Engine              20HP inboard diesel with retractable drive

SAIL DIMENSIONS:           G -3                 39m²                517sqft            G -1                 60m²                646sqft            Main                 70m²                753sqft           Gennaker   y;      170m²              1722sqft          Gennaker         150m²              1399sqft

The Newport Bermuda Race fleet made their upwind starts in 16 classes over a period of more than two and a half hours on Friday afternoon. There now are 183 boats, after Avatar didn’t start. In addition, Blue sailed back to the shipyard to get her broken centerboard cable fixed; she’s expected to start again after the repair.

The start found some skippers were surprisingly aggressive. Apparently forgetting that this isn’t a day race but a 635-mile marathon running several days, they also seem to have experienced a touch of amnesia about the tide table.  As the new ebb tide ran with every great velocity out of Narragansett Bay, it pushed them inexorably toward Bermuda, but also over the starting line a little earlier than their tacticians had planned.

Of the 13 boats in Class 4 (St. David’s Light Division, 45-55 footers), four found themselves over early at the pin end, with Star Chaser getting what one of her crew called “the best start in the fleet” in an email to media@BermudaRace.com. “We were at the committee boat end of the line with some of the J-Boats but higher and faster. We all chose to be slightly late on the gun: no use being OCS  on a race of 635 nm!”

In Class 8 (St. David’s Light, 65-footers) two boats were premature. One was Aurora (with Gary Jobson in the afterguard), and she had to pick her way back to the line, losing at least three minutes in the process.

The current new on the Newport Bermuda Race  is that  Speedboat took the lead from Titan XV at sunset Friday night as the big 183-boat fleet raced toward Bermuda on a fast close reach in a flat sea, clear visibility, and a moderate southwest wind that gradually strengthened and clocked toward the west.  Two boats set Code Zeros.

For current boat positions click HERE

 Chris Museler reports from Titan XV:  a collision, a Code Zero, and a champagne wake

 Friday, 2045 EDT.  What an incredible day we’ve had! When I woke up to clear skies and glassy conditions, I knew the sea breeze was setting up nicely. After our delicious hot lunch aboard Tom and Dotty Hill’s Titan XIV, we set out in a relaxed mood, everyone smiling about the conditions. The spectators were all smiles and cheers. There were so many people camped out on the Castle Hill lawn that you couldn’t see any grass.

We started well to weather of the other mini maxis in Class 10 (Gibbs Hill Division) and from then until sunset (a few moments ago) it’s been champagne sailing conditions – sailing at 13-15 knots in a steady wind.   We’ve been the lead boat for a few hours, but now as it’s getting dark, Speedboat is passing us to leeward.  She started at 4:30, an hour after we did, and it’s now after 8.  Rán (in our class) isn’t far behind.

At about 5:30 we hit a large marine animal of some kind.  It may have been a basking shark, maybe as long as 20 feet. The hit was soft and we almost stopped. The fish made a few squiggles, spun off, and swam away in our wake.  The boat appears to be undamaged.

We’ve switched to a Code Zero, and as our grinders are getting busy they look a lot bigger than before. Mark Strube, who finished second at the Star Class Europeans two weeks ago, is 250 pounds of muscle.  The crew has just had dinner – hot rice and chicken with pineapple, which took an hour to cook in two large pots, plus the usual Snickers and Pringles for snacks . . . and apples, too.

Photos By George Bekris

More Photos Of The Newport Bermuda Race Start by George Bekris click HERE

 The leader for several hours was Titan XV, in the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Division. She was caught by Speedboat (Open Division, which started an hour later) at about 8:45 pm.  Other positions have been changing in the extremely competitive group of mini maxis sailing in the Gibbs Hill Division, with Hap Fauth’s Bella Mente overtaking Niklas Zennstrom’s Rán soon after midnight, and Rán then catching Rambler and Beau Geste in parking-lot conditions. The wind slowly faded during the night, swung into the north for a while. After dawn, two boats reported a very light breeze from the southeast, which is the course to Bermuda.  Later on Saturday morning the wind filled in nicely with a report of 15-plus knots, whitecaps, and the first sighting of cumulus clouds over the Gulf Stream ahead.  There also were reports of U.S. Navy exercises in the area of some boats.

By John Rousmaniere

While history didn’t quite repeat itself today, it came pretty close.  The final races of the 2009 12 Metre World Championships were sailed on a sparkling Rhode Island Sound as helicopters buzzed and spectator boats jockeyed for front row seats to the action – evoking memories of 26 years ago to the day when the longest winning streak (132 years) in sporting history ended with the loss of the “Auld Mug” to Australia.  On this day, however, instead of just two Twelves there were 17 making their way around the old America’s Cup stomping grounds off Brenton Point and with many of the same spectators there to pay homage as the helicopters droned above.

Notable for traveling the furthest to be part of this largest gathering of Twelves since the Cup left Newport:  Challenge 12, which William Borel (Paris, France) had shipped from Europe early in the summer, and Australian Skip Lissiman who was onboard the Cup-winning Australia II in 1983.  “It’s fantastic to be back in Newport,” he said.  “I wanted to be back in particular for the anniversary and [to celebrate] I will be going down to O’Brien’s Pub where they have the original boxing kangaroo flag.  We’re going to exchange it with one that the entire crew signed last year when we celebrated the 25^th and take the original flag back to the museum in Australia.”

For the final act of the world championships, two races were sailed in all four divisions – Grand Prix, Modern, Traditional and Vintage – before The Candy Store Cup was re-run after being abandoned on day two of racing. Bill Koch (Palm Beach, Fla./Osterville, Mass.), on Kiwi Magic-KZ7, won the  Grand Prix division after adding finishes of 1-3 for a net total of seven points.  Lexi Gahagan (Wilmington, Del.), driving Wright on White-KZ3, finished 3-2 to place second overall in the division standings, one point back.

More Photos Of The Action Can Be Seen HERE

The Traditional Division saw the only real upset of the championship as Charlie Millikin and Carol Swift (both Newport), on American Eagle-US21, fought back from a three-point deficit with a 1-2 today to tie Weatherly’s Clay Deutsch (Newport) who finished 2-3.  With eight points apiece, the tie-break went in favor of American Eagle earning Swift a surprise swim off the dock at Bannister’s Wharf courtesy of the crew.  In the Vintage division, Einar Sissener (Oslo, NOR), on Gleam-US11, was one point out of first when the day began and placed first in both races to win by three points over Kip Curren (Middletown, R.I.), on Northern Light-US14.

“In the Modern fleet, on any given day any boat can win, they’re all that close,” said Dennis Williams (Hobe Sound, Fla./Mashpee, Mass.) after winning that division on Victory ‘83-K22.  He explained that it was Courageous who was their biggest competition after they had “two good races today and in conditions that were really pretty crazy.  They had a first and second and I think we were two points apart with one throw out, so very close.  The wind was shifting left and right and the velocity was up and down …it was a very crazy day, it was not predictable.  Everybody worked hard trying to keep the boat on track with the shifting winds.”

In addition to winning his first world championship title, it was “nice to put a little icing on the cake,” said Williams about winning The Candy Store Cup which gave a single start for all divisions and sent them on a course back from Rhode Island Sound, past Castle Hill Light, and into Newport Harbor for a finish off Bannister’s Wharf where champagne was awaiting all the teams.  “It was great,” said Williams of the 2009 12 Metre World Championship.  “Everyone on the boat enjoyed it, we had a great time, great crew.  It was just fabulous.  The competition was great.”

2009 12 Metre Worlds Final Standings

Place, Boat Name-Sail Number, Skipper (Hometown), Finish positions, Total Points

Division I – Grand Prix

1. Kiwi Magic-KZ7, Bill Koch (Palm Beach, Fla./Osterville, Mass.) 2-2-1-1-1-(3), 7

2. Wright on White-KZ3, Lexi Gahagan (Wilmington, Del.) 1-1-2-2-(3)-2, 8

3. USA-US61, Richard Matthews (W. Mersea, GBR), 3-3-3-(3)-2-1, 12

4. America II-US46, Michael Fortenbaugh (New York, N.Y.), 4-4-DNF-4-4-4, 20

Division 2 – Modern

1. Victory 83-K22, Dennis Williams (Hobe Sound, Fla./Mashpee, Mass.), 1-1-2-1-3-(3), 8

2. Courageous, US26, Stephen Glascock (New York, N.Y.), 3-2-(DSQ)-2-2-1, 10

3. Freedom-US30, Ernest Jacquet (Boston, Mass.), 4- 5-1-4-1-(5), 15

2. Intrepid-US22, Jack Curtin (Toronto, CAN), 2-3-4-5-(5)-2, 16

5. Challenge 12-KA10, William Borel (Paris, FRA), (DSQ)-4-3-3-4-4, 16

Division 3 – Traditional

1. American Eagle-US21, Charlie Millikin/Carol Swift (both Newport, R.I.), (4)-2-2-1-1-2, 8

2. Weatherly-US17, Clay Deutsch (Newport, R.I.), 2-1-1-2-2-(3), 8

3. Columbia-US16, Alain Hanover (Weston, Mass./Palm Beach, Fla.), 1-3-3-3-3-(DNS), 12.5

4. Nefertiti-US19, Sears Wullschleger (Nantucket, Mass.), 3-4-4-4-4-(DNF), 19

5. Easterner-US18, Paul Callahan (Ft. Meyers, Fla./Newport, R.I.), 5-5-(DNS)-5-5-1, 21

Division 4 – Vintage

1. Gleam-US11, Einar Sissener (Oslo, NOR), (3)-1-2-1-1-1, 6

2. Northern Light-US14, Kip Curren (Middletown, R.I.), 1-2-1-2-3-(3), 9

3. Onawa-US6, Morten Kielland (Geneva, SUI), 2-DNF-(DNS)-3-2-2, 13

More Photos Of The Action Can Be Seen HERE

In race 4 of the first day of the iShares Cup Amsterdam, a collision between Oman Sail Masirah and BT on the first windward leg has put Masirah out of action. A port/starboard incident, saw BT trying to duck Masirah but to no avail. Oman Sail Masirah are waiting anxiously for the crane to haul them out. A big blow for Pete Cumming and his crew who are the overall iShares Cup series leader going into this penultimate round, and they will be looking for redress for the races they miss today. In the strongest breeze of the day so far, gusting over 10 knots, there was plenty of action from the start with LUNA, over the line at the start searching to go back made contact with BT, who had been forced to tack on top of them as Holmatro called starboard. On this tight racecourse here in Amsterdam the building breeze makes the racing even more fraught. Race 4 was won by Gitana Extreme with Franck Cammas on Guichard’s heels but this win puts them at the top of the iShares Cup Amsterdam leaderboard, halfway through today’s racing.

Pete Cumming takes up the story: “It was the first beat of race 4 and it was a clear case of port and starboard. BT were coming in on port and we could see from about 10 seconds out they were going to hit us. The wind had got up and we knew as they accelerated, the bows dug in and holed us under the waterline and the crack goes right underneath. The damage is about 2-foot forward of the back beam on the port hull and it compressed the whole side of the boat in - it’s quite a big job to rebuild that. We didn’t have our best races in the first couple today so we’ll get average points from those races - we’ll just have to see how it goes. It’s an unfortunate situation and we’ve ended up sitting on the shore with our boat full of water.”

A total of 8 races were staged today on the tiny IJ-Haven – the racecourse just 750-meters long and 250-meters wide - on the start line you could literally step from one boat to the next and then on to the canal wall! There is only just enough room for the nine-boat fleet to line up and as soon as they cross the line, the boats, just a few feet from the concrete walls, are yelling for water causing a domino effect across the fleet. The conditions were generally light but on a fairly regular basis the breeze built up to over 10 knots making the IJ-Haven become a hazardous place to be, although the crowds loved it! There were plenty of penalties and at least one other collision and probably a few more scrapes and close shaves that were not visible from the shore.

Team iShares skipper, Shirley Robertson, who scored a win in the penultimate race today and lies in 5th place overall: “Many of us remember the first year we came to Amsterdam… it was pretty windy and it brings back all of those memories of all the points around the canal where you had a few moments! You just have to sail slightly differently and be prepared to see things that you might not before - look for opportunities and be a bit punchy!” It was certainly a case of avoiding the wind holes and taking advantage of the gusts, which resulted in many place changes throughout the fleet. Two wins apiece for Oman Sail Renaissance (Loick Peyron)and Gitana Extreme – Groupe LCF Rothschild (Yann Guichard) and individual race wins for Holmatro (Mitch Booth), Groupama (Franck Cammas), iShares (Shirley Robertson) and LUNA (Erik Maris) have kept the points close on the Round 5 leaderboard. Only 2 points separate Loick Peyron from Guichard and Guichard from Cammas, and 1 point between Mitch Booth, Robertson and Maris (see leaderboard for full results).

Forecast is for slightly lighter winds tomorrow which may reduce the ‘incident’ rate but at this crucial stage of the race, no one is giving an inch and that counts here on the IJ-Haven!