The biggest French multihull sailing champions will meet once again in the five-round 2010 Extreme Sailing Series. Loick Peyron, holder of the most multihull championship titles, Yann Guichard, a favourite for the forthcoming Route de Rhum, and Franck Cammas, who convincingly won the Jules Verne Trophy just one month ago, will meet on the water for the first time this year on 27 May at the first event in Sète, France.
 
In Detail:
Winner of two of the six stages in the 2009 series (Venice and Amsterdam), the catamaran racing under the colours of baron Benjamin de Rothschild will be again helmed by Yann Guichard this year and renamed Groupe Edmond de Rothschild. He will be looking to improve on his overall second place in 2009, just three points behind the overall winners, Oman Sail Masirah, skippered by Pete Cumming (GBR).

“2009 was the year we discovered the Extreme Sailing Series and the style of Extreme 40 regattas: the notion of sport as a spectacle! We soon learnt that consistency pays and to perform well in this series and to post good results, you need to navigate really well and not have any on-the-water contact with your competitors. The Extreme Sailing Series is a good school to learn self-control. I really like the intensity of the regattas the shot of adrenalin you get. In an Extreme 40, racing is never clear cut and it isn’t over until you cross the finish line.”

“I find this format totally motivating and interesting and it allows me to grow as a sailor. Second in 2009, we are aiming to have Groupe Edmond de Rothschild on the top of the podium this year. And that’s not forgetting our team’s sporting objective for the team this year: the Route de Rhum with Gitana 11, which will start from St Malo at the end of October,” explained the Breton Skipper.

Also on the circuit this year is his Route de Rhum competitor, another favourite for the Extreme Sailing Series title Franck Cammas; recent winner of the Jules Verne Trophy for the fastest, non-stop assault around the world, Cammas is also preparing for the next Volvo Ocean Race.

“We’ve spent the winter capturing the Jules Verne Trophy with an amazing team onboard Groupama 3, and so Groupama 40 looks pretty small! But we like these close-quarter regattas. Our business is all about sailing so, big or small, in a team, or alone, it’s not important. It’s all about the sailing.”

Franck will be joined onboard Groupama 40 by his regular team mates Tanguy Cariou, as tactician with whom he has won a number of titles on the ORMA Grand Prix circuit, as well as two new team members for the first leg in Sète: ” For the first event on the 2010 circuit, we have modified the team with the arrival of Christophe Espangnon and Devan Le Bihan. And with Tanguy Cariou as the tactican we have a great team. Whether it is enough to win against Oman Sail Masirah or Groupe Edmond de Rothschild, both of whom shone last year, I don’t know. But we have been training and preparing for Sète with the same determination as all our other projects. The format and situation in the city will be great with the racing so close to the public and Sète also has the America’s Cup history. It promises to be a great event.”

The third French skipper joining the circuit this year is Loick Peyron, a sailor with the most titles in the history of multihull sailing and recently returned from Valencia as helmsman of Alinghi’s America’s Cup entry in the battle of the giant multihulls. Peyron will be helming the winning boat of 2009, Oman Sail Masirah with no change to the rest of the team. Mark Bulkeley, who represented Great Britain in the Tornado class at the Athens Olympics, will stay in his role of mainsail trimmer and tactician; David ‘Freddie’ Carr, one of the most experienced Extreme 40 sailors, will use his knowledge at the front of the boat as bowman and Pete Cumming, the skipper in 2009, will this year be the trimmer and overall sailing team manager for the Oman Sail team. After a winter of training in Sultanate, the Oman Sail Masirah team will be hoping their experience and close teamwork will be a force to be reckoned with in 2010.

With just one month to go until the first vent, the pressure is increasing for the teams, and for organisers OC Events. “Sète is a new venue for us, so a new challenge,” commented OC Events Director Gilles Chiorri. “We have great support from the municipality, the Port de Sète as well as the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Societe Nautique de Sète [Sailing Club of Sète]. The courses will be directly in front of the harbour walls so the public will have the perfect viewpoint, with all the action being played out right at their feet. It will be a unique spectacle,” he concluded.

The 2010 Calendar is confirmed as follows

27 – 30 May: Sète, France
31 July – 5 August: Cowes, UK
26 – 29 August: Kiel, Germany
23 – 26 September: Trapani, Italy
9 – 12 October: Almería, Spain

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Some of the world’s largest sailing yachts – with rigs towering upwards of 180′ off the water — have been streaming into the picturesque harbour of Porto Cervo, in advance of tomorrows start of the Perini Navi Cup. In fact the 2nd largest traditionally-rigged sailing yacht in the world, Felicita West is here, all 210′ of gleaming teak decks.

This annual gathering, the third edition, is being hosted and organized by Perini Navi in conjunction with the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda.

From the (not-so) smallest, the 80-foot Elettra to the 288-foot Maltese Falcon, a technological marvel with it’s three rotating masts, and a boat easily full of superlatives: 26,000 sq ft of sail area, 180′ masts, and a maximum draft of 36 feet.

Racing will take place on Friday and Saturday with one race planned each day; the first warning signal will be at 1200. The thought of all 19 boats on a starting line is enough to give even the most hardened race officer pause, so the fleet will start pursuit-style, with individual boats going off at two-minute intervals. In theory, this allows boats to finish close together.

Principal Race Officer Peter Craig and the YCCS race committee have laid out courses in and around the nearby La Maddalena islands, a scenic yet challenging course, which will allow these behemoth yachts to show their true potential. The weather forecast for tomorrow is calling for westerly winds 18-20 knots.

Bruce Brakenhoff Jr, general manager of Perini Navi USA, said the number of entries has grown since the 2006 event. With 46 sailing yachts built to date, the company currently has eight yachts under construction, ranging from 125′ – 184′, which in the current economic climate is no mean feat.

Brakenhoff explained the genesis of the Perini Navi Cup weekend, saying, “It was more about a rendezvous than the race. We really wanted to get all of our owners together in one place, for one big weekend. The first one in 2004, we were overwhelmed — it was such a fantastic hit. The owners loved it, the crews loved it, so we decided to do it again. This year is the biggest turnout, especially in this economic climate. The owners clearly wanted to go out and have some fun.”

With a fleet of 46 sailing yachts cruising the world’s seas, Perini Navi is a highly respected mega sailing yacht designer and builder. The company is known for it’s revolutionary automatic sailing systems as well as meticulous craftsmanship and attention to detail.

The latest launch in the Perini stable is the 184-foot ketch-rigged Riela, delivered in June 2009. The company seems to have hit a chord with this model: Riela is the seventh hull out of ten built to date. The boat has great appeal and plenty of room to accommodate family and friends, with five staterooms. The yacht requires a crew of ten to eleven, which is a relatively low number given the size of the boat.

Dockside at the YCCS, there are some surprising guest crew members here to sail in the Perini Navi Cup, including Andrew Cape, fresh from the Rolex Fastnet Race (sailing on an Open 60, the other end of the design/performance spectrum) former America’s Cup skipper Mario Pelaschier, and Dawn Riley, a former America’s Cup and Whitbread round the world race sailor. Riley who arrived straight from a women’s sailing clinic in the midwest US, is more used to stripped out racing machines, but this week she’s traded up in the luxe living department sailing on board the 148-foot sloop-rigged Helios.

Talking about the differences between her usual rides, she said, “It’s a boat with an engine to start with. I’m amazed at the size of these things: the lines, the sails, the mast.I was walking the docks and (the STP 65) Rosebud looks like a dinghy. It’s really impressive, a photo doesn’t do it justice.”

With Helios’ beam of 32 feet and a displacement of 362 tons, the racing is surely different than what’s she used to, but then it’s a fleet of somewhat similar gigantic boats going around the race course. Riley added, “I’m trying to temper my competitive spirit, because it’s all about fun, but we’re still going to adjust the leads, and put telltales on the sails. I think anytime you put more than one boat on the water, it’s a race.”

Further down the quay, the slate gray-hulled 164-foot Ron Holland-designed Baracuda stands out in a sea of mainly navy blue or white hulls. Delivered in January of 2009, the yacht has hit the sea running as it were, racking up 16,000 nautical miles over the past seven months. After launching, the boat sailed across to the Caribbean, then back to the Mediterranean to Spain and finally Greece, from where the yacht and crew arrived five days ago.

Sergio Lottini, the skipper, was understated when he said, “We had to try out the boat.” Baracuda’s non-stop schedule is likely to continue, after a brief yard period in Viareggio, the yacht will sail to the Canaries in the fall and across to the Caribbean. In fact, Perini Navis are extremely well-suited to distance and round-the-world voyaging — in the last ten years, almost every year, there has been one family in a circumnavigation.

Baracuda is in Porto Cervo, says Lottini, because “the owner loves sailing; he enjoyed the St Barth’s Bucket and then wanted to come here and sail in the Perini Cup.”

Baracuda’s stark interior was designed by John Pawson, the foremost proponent of a minimal aesthetic in architecture and design. Certainly the lavender-colored sails make a design statement, but Lottini and his crew aim to do well on the race course as well

Entry List

Andromeda la Dea
Antara
Atmosphere
Baracuda
Elettra
Felicità west
Gitana
Helios
Heritage
Heritage M.
Independence
Klosters
Ohana
Parsifal III
Perseus
Phryne
Riela
Salute
The Maltese Falcon

 

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Emirates Team New Zealand ( Photo by Ian Roman/Audi MedCup)

 

 

Emirates Team New Zealand became the first team ever to win three consecutive MedCup Circuit regattas when they clinched the Portugal Trophy for the TP52 Series today off Portimao, winning by just 1.5 points from Torbjorn Tornqvist’s Artemis.

With wins in Marseille, Cagliari and now Portimao, the Kiwi team, skippered by Dean Barker, now lead the Audi MedCup Circuit by 52 points heading to the final regatta of the season, next month in Carthagena, Murcia Spain.

The GP42 Series saw the first regatta win this season for Caser Endesa (ESP), skippered by Juan Luiz Paez. Their third place today was enough to secure the Portugal Trophy on countback from Roma Mk2 (ITA), but Islas Canarias Puerta Calero (ESP) still lead the Series.

Seventh for Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) to Artemis’ (SWE) disappointing tenth in today’s one and only race was enough for the Kiwi team to prevail, but the final contest was a difficult one to call throughout with a streaky 5-9 knots of sea breeze mixed with some north westerly gradient wind, especially towards the windward mark.

With a 1.5 points lead in the regatta Artemis, missing tactician Paul Cayard (USA) for the final day, could only make a modest opening at the pin end of the start line, while Bigamist 7, the Portuguese entry lead to the windward mark.

On the first downwind the Russian pair Valars and Synergy mined the left, inshore line and passed the Portuguese team with the Synergy winning from Valars, the first time the two Russians have taken the top two places.

The key move for Emirates Team New Zealand was on the second beat when they were able to halt the recovery of Artemis, tacking on top of them and bouncing them above the lay line, but even down the final run the breeze looked shaky, ready to shift or collapse at any minute.

Relief, once again, rather than elation was the mood among the hard working New Zealand outfit. As the time limit expired at 1600hrs and with it the chances of a second race, general satisfaction with another job well done was evident. The steely, professional face drops when the champagne comes on board, and they are getting rather used to it.

With Artemis in second for the regatta, Terry Hutchinson’s Quantum Racing finished in third, just 1.5 points ahead of Bigamist 7, who finished fourth overall for the third time this season.

Emirates Team New Zealand lead the Audi MedCup Circuit, 52 points astern are Matador (ARG) on 170.5 points but only five points behind them are Quantum Racing, third, and Artemis, fourth, both on 175.5 points.

Winning skipper Dean Barker (NZL) commented that throughout the regatta they had never felt like they were sailing as well as last month’s win in Sardinia, confirming that they still have plenty to work on before Carthagena, Murcia, a venue which proved extremely challenging last year.

CEO and mast-man Grant Dalton (NZL), agreed:
“We are relieved. It was a pretty tough regatta. I think we identified that as soon as we got here, that this was going to be tough, and I think we also identified Artemis as the boat which could beat us. And it felt that all the way. So we are just pleased to have got through another one really.”

He continued: “It’s a big lead now, but we know what can happen, you can still sail badly, it changes pretty quickly. There are always improvements to be made and we made plenty of mistakes in this regatta.”

GP42 Series: Endesa wins the battle

Today’s single race in the GP42 Series was never easy to predict, as the lead changed several times depending on who was where on the shift cycle, the game of tactical chess, and lanes of leftover pressure in the dying seabreeze.

Caser-Endesa (ESP), for example, seemed to have a horrid start, late on the line by three lengths and having to tack early to port. But that move may have been fortuitous, as a right shift on the first beat got them right back into the game. That very same shift benefited Islas Canarias Puerto Calero (ESP) even more, as they vaulted beyond the tacking duels into a commanding lead at the top mark, one that would never be challenged except by Roma 2 (ITA) on the final fluky run into the finish.

And Roma’s runner-up finish was remarkable in itself, as they were no better than last around the first top mark, redeemed only by having split from the pack to the left on the second beat to vault into second.

Caser-Endesa’s two victories to Roma’s one wins them the Portugal Trophy, but Islas Canarias Puerto Calero’s win gets them tied up in the war for the lead in the overall GP42 Series. With one event left, Roma 2 and the Kids from Canarias are now tied on 82 points, making for a final showdown at Stage 5 in Cartagena.

“We think for the excitement of the circuit, this is a really good scenario,” says Daniel Calero (ESP), owner of Islas Canarias Puerto Calero. “But it means the pressure will really be on in Cartagena!”

Audi MedCup Circuit 2009
Portugal Trophy

TP52 Series
Overall – Final
1. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL), 2+3+6+3+1+3+7= 25 points
2. Artemis (SWE), 3+4+2+2+4+1,5+10= 26,5 points
3. Quantum Racing (USA), 1+1+4+8+3+6+6= 29 points
4. Bigamist (POR), 5+5+1+1+8+7,5+3= 30,5 points
5. Bribón (ESP), 6+2+3+7+8+10,5+5= 40,5 points
…

GP42 Series
Overall – Final
1. Caser Endesa (ESP), 3+1+3+2+1+3= 13 points 
2. Roma (ITA), 2+2+2+1+4+2= 13 points
3. Islas Canarias Puerto Calero (ESP), 1+3+1+5+5+1= 16 points
4. Turismo Madrid (ESP), 4+5+4+3+2+5= 23 points
5. Airis (ITA), 5+4+5+4+3+4= 25 points
 
Audi MedCup Circuit 2009
Overall (4 events)

TP52 Series
1. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL), 38+27,5+28+25= 118,5 points
2. Matador (ARG), 36+47,5+42,5+44,5= 170,5 points
3. Quantum Racing (USA), 40+41,5+65+29= 175,5 points
4. Artemis (SWE), 37+62,5+49,5+26,5= 175,5 points
5. Bigamist (POR), 46+55,5+57+30,5= 189 points
…   

GP42 Series
1. Islas Canarias Puerto Calero (ESP), 20+23+23+16= 82 points
2. Roma (ITA), 22+17+30+13= 82 points
3. Caser-Endesa (ESP), 33+27+26+13= 99 points
4. Airis (ITA), 21+38+28+25= 112 points
5. Turismo Madrid (ESP), 35+35+43+23= 136 points

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Newport Bucket Regatta Image Gallery by George Bekris

 

(click on image below to view gallery)

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Athena, the 295′ Huisman yacht and this year’s race committee boat, was even hard to make out in the foggy start conditions on Saturday for the first race start .  Soon after the start the sea breezes kicked in and blew the fog out leaving a beautiful New England summer day. The breeze held for the afternoon at around 20kts. The 19 boat  Bucket Regatta fleet flew around the course in the ideal conditions.

Timoneer, the 147′ DuBois/Vitters Ketch, dominated the day. Her seasoned crew racing flawlessly and furnishing first by 5 minutes. The new Perini Navi Performance 125′ Sloop, P2, came in second.

The two J Class yacht entries Ranger and the newly launched  Hanuman (Endeavour II)  were reminiscent of the old America’s Cup days with their beautiful long lines. The New Hanuman took third place after a close contest between the two boats. They beat Ranger ,who placed fourth, by only 38 seconds. Avalon finished fifth, followed 13 seconds later by the Swan 100, Virago in 6th, and the Swan 80, Selene 36 seconds later in 7th.

(click on images to enlarge)

Broken down into classes the results were: Les Gazelles des Mers (Racing Division), P2 finished first, Hanuman second, with Ranger in third place. Among Les Grandes Dames des Mers (Cruising Division), Timoneer is in first place, Avalon in second and Taza Mas in third place.

It was hard to tell which boat team won the party following the race.  Clearly a great time was had by all the crews.

In another Bucket first, the 156′ Pendennis Shipyards, MITSEAAH, engineered to power at over twenty knots and sail with respectable performance, was challenged on day one in keeping up with the racing yachts on the upwind leg.  Respecting the fact that the Bucket is also here to showcase the best attributes of each yacht while cultivating good racing, MITSEAAH was invited to start the race under full power, then execute a high speed 360 degree turn and roar off to the windward mark, where she re-converted to a sailing yacht, shut down the power and got into the race!   Her left-field handicap worked well too; she crossed the finish line in fifth position.

Sunday’s racing started out with Mitseeah blasting across  the start line  at 20 kts without a bit of sail up.

The  racing  started out with light wind but sea breezes filled in during the afternoon. Summer Wind placed first, followed by Taza Mas in second , Sea Diamond took third for Sundays racing.

Jerry Kirby must not have gotten enough sailing time in during the Volvo Ocean Race. He was onboard Hanuman  as Bowman.

These awards, first through third, are presented for the best performance overall for combined results, all classes, all races
Overall

1st     P2
2nd   Avalon
3rd   Timoneer

Les Gazelles   (Racing Class)

1st       P2
2nd    Hanuman
3rd      Wild Horses

Les Grand Dames   (Cruising Class)

1st       Summerwind
2nd     Taza Mas
3rd      Timoneer

All Star Crew Award presented by Holland Jachtbouw
(also presented by The Yacht Report and Crew Report Magazines)

At each Bucket Event, every yacht is asked to cast a ballot for the yacht crew among the fleet that demonstrates the most professional service in all tasks, while maintaining the best voie de vivre, camaraderie, teamwork and respect among the crew.  This is the crew that displays the pinnacle of the profession and has the most fun at it – the yacht that everyone wants to work aboard.   Because the award is earned by peer recognition, it has earned serious stature within the marine industry.

Sea Diamond

Vitter’s Shipyard Seamanship Trophy

The Vitters Seamanship Trophy is awarded to the yacht that demonstrates the best seamanship and sportsmanship in the interest of promoting safety on the race course.  All participants in the Bucket acknowledge that superyachts have serious limitations operating safely in close quarters and therefore, the RC has always valued safety well above performance.  This award will recognize the yacht that best demonstrates that understanding.  It also goes to prove that nice guys don’t always finish last!!

Taza Mas

Skullduggery Cravat

Avalon

Newport Bone

Easterner

The  Chippewa Bomb

MitSeaah.

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     Hanuman On Narraganset Bay, Rhode Island, USA  (Photo by George Bekris)

 

Most of the yachts are docked at Newport Shipyard.   They are making the last of preparations for this weekend’s events.   The First Gun/First race for the Newport Bucket will be at 12 noon Saturday July 18.  Courses to be announced.   Fair Weather Courses will be sailed in Rhode Island Sound. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 No, they are not planning to Grill Out on P2.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Challenge and Adventure Image Galleries of Newport Bucket Regatta by George Bekris

(click on image to view gallery) http://www.challengeandadventure.com/Newport_Bucket2009/ http://www.challengeandadventure.com/Newport_Bucket2008/ http://www.challengeandadventure.com/Newport_Bucket2006/ http://www.challengeandadventure.com/Newport_Bucket2005/ .

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The wind gods served up a magnificent 15 knot ENE sailing breeze for the first days race of the 14th Annual St Barths Bucket Regatta Yesterday.  A record 34 yachts sailed the 25 mile course, counter-clockwise around the island.  This was a spectacular day of sailing, enhanced by a “yellow alert” warning for heavy seas and swells that left the fleet sailing against the backdrop of huge breaking seas against the rock promotories that create the turning marks for the course.  The photographers were really happy (and a little soaked) at the end of the day!

The big winner of the day was METEOR, the 51M Dykstra design Schooner by the Royal Huisman Shipyard.  Finishing 23 seconds later in second place was SHAMOUN the 33M Classic sloop by Holland Jachtbouw, with GANESHA, the new Dubois design 39M performance sloop, finishing 40 seconds later in Third Place.

Among LES GAZELLES DES MERS (racing division), GANESHA finished first, KALIKOBASS II the 32M Trehard sloop was second and  P2, the new Perini Navi  high performance 38m sloop by design, was third.  Among LES GRANDES DAMES DES MERS (Cruising Division), METEORr was first, SHAMOUN second and PERSEUS, the 50M Perini Navi was third.

The large surge and swell created some excitement alongside as well, and unfortunately made it impossible for most of the fleet to come alongside for the evening in the turbulent harbor seas.  This put a serious damper on the scheduled “Fleet Open House” which is typically the high point of each Bucket Regatta.  Fortunately, four of the largest (and most hospitable yachts) were able to tie up safely, and invite the other sailing crews aboard for a great night of celebration of the first day of racing!

Race #2 of the St. Barths Bucket Regatta was sailed today on the 20 mile “Wiggley Course” around and between the Islands north and east of St. Barths

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