With winter weather persisting in northern parts of the U.S. and Europe, sailors could be envied for heading to the Caribbean to extend their racing calendars. As it is, over 60 yachts and crew are currently on the island of St Barths, in the French West Indies, preparing for tomorrow’s start of Les Voiles de St. Barth. The fourth edition of this regatta will offer up four days of racing on a mix of courses and a social schedule equally as demanding, with dockside entertainment each evening and a lay day (Thursday) full of activities at Nikki Beach on St. Jean Bay.

As it has for its prior three editions, Les Voiles de St. Barth again has drawn a competitive mix of international yachts and crews from the UK, USA, France, Italy, Ireland, The Netherlands, Belgium, and South Africa, as well as a strong Caribbean contingent from Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, Anguilla, Antigua, and Trinidad.

The inaugural event in 2010 drew 27 boats, and since then, entries have steadily grown as the media and sailing’s coconut telegraph helped spread the word. Event Director François Paul Tolède was enthusiastic as yachts tied up stern-to at the Quai General de Gaulle in Gustavia. “The atmosphere is great on shore and the weather looks perfect,” he said. “With 62 boats entered so far (registration closes at 5 p.m. today) and considering the current economic climate, the turnout shows what great regard the yacht owners have for the Voiles de Saint Barth.”

Tolède continued: “Luc Poupon (Course Director) has come up with some new courses, slightly longer in some cases, as many of the sailors wanted to spend more time on the water, and so racing will start a little earlier. We expect anywhere between 15 to 20+ knots of wind this week — ideal conditions for the fleet, which ranges from 24 feet (Melges) to 100 feet (the Swan 100 Varsovie).”

The fleet is divided into eight classes: Maxis; Spinnaker 1, 2, and 3; Melges 24; Non-Spinnaker; Classics; and Multi-hulls. Organizers can chose between 28 course variations, from 11 to 40 nautical miles. Racing begins tomorrow, Tuesday April 9, with the first signal at 1100.

Jim Swartz, owner/skipper of the TP52 Vesper, is the anointed “godfather” of this year’s regatta. An enthusiastic competitor, he has participated in all four editions. For Swartz it is a do-not-miss event. “The conditions are fabulous,” he said.  “Sailing around this island is beautiful — the winds are always predictable, they are always a lot of fun, particularly when we get a good breeze on the back (windward) side of the island.” Sailing onboard Vesper will be former America’s Cup sailors Gavin Brady (tactician), Rob Salthouse (jib trim), Kazuhiko Sofuku (mid bow), and Jamie Gale (navigator), past Volvo Ocean Race crew.

After Vesper competed in the TP52 Worlds in Miami last month, the boat was shipped to St. Thomas to get it race ready and then delivered to St. Barths this week. “Les Voiles is always on our calendar,” Swartz said,  “It’s the atmosphere — the racing is great, the people are great, as is the organization.  It all runs very well. And the dining and shopping (for the ladies)…all that St. Barths is about, we enjoy the same thing!”

Over half the boats and skippers are return competitors. Notable new editions this year include Jens Kellinghusen’s Ker 51 Varuna, which has raced in the year since its launch at Kiel Week and Les Voiles de St. Tropez; the Volvo 60 Cuba Libre (ex-Heineken) in Non-Spinnaker (while the V60 Ambersail will be in Spinnaker 1); Phil Lotz’ Swan 42 Arethusa, which is fresh off winning the Rolex Swan Cup Caribbean; Jolt 2, a Baltic 45 that has already stretched its legs on the recent RORC Caribbean 600; in the Classic class, Heroina, a 74’ cold molded Frers design build in the ‘90s; and the 51’ Aage Nielsen-designed ketch Saphaedra, a seasoned ocean racer.

At this morning’s media briefing at Hotel Carl Gustaf on the hill overlooking the harbor of Gustavia, Nils Dufau, Vice President of the Collectivity of St. Barth’s and president for the Tourism Committee, said, “Les Voiles de St. Barth has become a formidable communication tool for our island as an up-market destination. This event conveys to all the “state of mind” of an island that has built up over time and which today has become a haven of peace and stability — the very basis of its reputation.”

In a further nod to this relatively new event, the Caribbean Sailing Association named Les Voiles de St. Barth and the BVI Spring Regatta “Best Events of 2012.”

This evening is the Skipper’s Briefing after which event organizers will kick off the week with the Opening Ceremony and party in the Race Village on the Quai General de Gaulle.

The event enjoys the continued support of watchmaker Richard Mille as well as sportswear brand Gaastra. Other event partners include leading St. Barth villa rental agency WIMCO, which offers a gorgeous portfolio of private villas for rent on St. Barth. WIMCO’s sponsorship includes presenting eight Les Voiles class winners with a complimentary week in one of their top villas, inclusive of a concierge ready to attend to every request.
 

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2013 ENTRIES

MAXI Racing – MAXI Racing Cruising
DYNAMITE IDEA
Design : MAXI 80
Loa: 80′
Skipper: Tony McBRIDE

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WHISPER
Design : Souther Wind 78
Loa: 78′
Skipper: Mark DICKER

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MAXIMISER
Design : FARR
Loa: 73′
Skipper: Jose DIEGO-AROZAMENA

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VARSOVIE
Design : Swan 100
Loa: 100′
Skipper: Tomek ULATOWSKI

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SELENE
Design : Swan 80
Loa: 80′
Skipper: Benjamin DAVITT

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IRC 52
VESPER
Design : TP 52
Loa: 52′
Skipper: Jim SWARTZ

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VARUNA
Design : KER 51
Loa: 51′
Skipper: Jens KELLINGHUSEN

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Spinnaker
CUBA LIBRE
Design: VOLVO 60
Loa: 60′
Owner: Benedikt Clauberg

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PUFFY
Design: Swan
Loa: 53′
Owner: Patrick DEMARCHELIER- Skipper: Karl Spijker

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MUSIC
Design: Swan
Loa: 53′
Owner: James BLAKEMORE

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AEZ OPTIMIX
Design: Swan 45
Loa: 45′
Skipper/Owner: Gideon MESSINK

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AMBERSAIL
Design: Farr Vo 60
Loa: 60′
Skipper: Simonas STEPONAVICIUS

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RAMANESSIN
Design: Beneteau First 40
Loa: 40′
Skipper: Christian ZUGEL

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HAMACHI
Design : J 125
Loa: 41′
Skipper: Greg SLYNGSTAD

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LEFORT CLIM
Design: MELGES 24
Loa: 24′
Skipper: Antoine LEFORT

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Boost’n Sail
Design : MELGES 24
Loa: 24′
Skipper: Mowgli FOX

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TEAM ISLAND WATER WORLD
Design : MELGES 24
Loa: 24′
Skipper: Frits BUS

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Budget Marine/Gill
Design : MELGES 24
Loa: 24 ‘
Skipper: Andrea SCARABELLI

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AMCON Express
Design : MELGES 24
Loa: 24 ‘
Skipper: John GIFFORD

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FRENCH CONNECTION
Design : MELGES 24
Loa: 24′
Skipper: Didier Roulault/Bernard Sillem

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LAZY DOG
Design: J 122
Loa: 40′
Skipper: Sergio SAGRAMOSO

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VOILES au FEMININ
Design: J 109
Loa: 35′
Skipper: Sophie OLIVAUD

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StBarthSailRacing
Design : A40
Loa: 40′
Skipper: Alain CHARLOT

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JOLT 2
Design: BALTIC 45
Loa: 45′
Skipper: Peter HARRISON

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MAELIA
Design : X 34
Loa: 34′
Skipper: Raphael MAGRAS

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LANCELOT SBH
Design : First 31,7
Loa: 31,7′
Skipper: Serge MAZEIRO

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NINA
Design : BORDEAUX 60
Loa: 60′
Skipper: Nicolas CHALAPHY

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MERENA
Design :
Loa: 40′
Skipper: Alexis GUILLAUME

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SPEEDY NEMO
Design : DUFOUR 34
Loa: 34′
Skipper: Raymond MAGRAS

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ARETHUSA
Design : SWAN 42
Loa: 42′
Skipper: Philip LOTZ

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ANATOLE
Design : JPK 9,60
Loa: 31′
Skipper: J-L LEFEBVRE

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TRISKELL
Design : DUFOUR 45
Loa: 45′
Skipper: Jean Michel MARZIOU

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TEAM BOSTON
Design : FIRST 40,7
Loa: 40,7′
Skipper: John “Jack” WATSON

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Performance Yacht Charter-Northern Child
Design : Swan 51
Loa: 51′
Skipper: Christian REYNOLDS

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FISER
Design : B 28
Loa: 28′
Skipper: Jean-Michel FIGUERES

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Ptits Filous Lipton
Design : A 40
Loa: 40′
Skipper: Philippe CHARRET

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White Rhino Holdings
Design : Swan 56
Loa: 56 ‘
Skipper: Jack DESMOND

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SLIPPERY
Design : Reichel Pugh 37
Loa: 37 ‘
Skipper: Peter PEAKE

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MARTINIQUE PREMIERE – CREDIT MUTUEL
Design : SUNFAST 3200
Loa: 32 ‘
Skipper: Andrzej KOCHANSKI

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Kick ‘em Jenny 2
Design : MELGES 32
Loa: 32 ‘
Skipper: Ian HOPE-ROSS

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WHISTLER
Design : J-105
Loa: 35 ‘
Skipper: Peter LEWIS

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VOILES 44 CAVA
Design : POGO CLASS 40
Loa: 40 ‘
Skipper: Rodolphe SEPHO

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ORMEAU
Design : Beneteau 47
Loa: 47 ‘
Skipper: Alain CHARLOT

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BACHATELLE
Design : Swan 57
Loa: 57 ‘
Skipper: Joan Navarro Guiu

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TEAM HAN
Design : HANSE 47
Loa: 47 ‘
Skipper: Han de Bruyn Kops

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DEFIANCE
Design : MARTEN 49
Loa: 49 ‘
Skipper: Steve CUCCHIARO

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Non-Spinnaker
GIRLS for SAIL
Design : ELAN 37
Loa: 37′
Skipper: Annie O SULLIVAN

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NIX
Design : X-612
Loa: 60′
Skipper: Nico CORTLEVER

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Jaguar Island Water World
Design : J 120
Loa: 40′
Skipper: Ben JELIC

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FRENCH KISS
Design : Beneteau Sense 50
Loa :50′
Skipper: Alexandria KILMON

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ALPHA CENTAURI
Design : SWAN 57
Loa : 57′
Skipper: Bruno CHARDON

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HOTEL CALIFORNIA TOO
Design : SANTA CRUZ 70
Loa : 70′
Skipper: Stephen C SCHMIDT

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HIGH TENSION
Design : MUMM 36
Loa : 36′
Skipper: Bernie EVAN-WONG

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COSTA MESA
Design : DUFOUR 425 GL
Loa : 45′
Skipper: Pascal REY

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SHAMROCK VII
Design : J/95
Loa : 31′
Skipper: Thomas MULLEN

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L’ESPERANCE
Design : Beneteau 45 f
Loa : 45′
Skipper: Sir Robert VELASQUEZ

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VOILACTUS
Design : JEANNEAU 44
Loa: 44 ‘
Skipper: Eduardo LENTZ

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VANILLE
Design : First 300
Loa: 30 ‘
Skipper: Garth STEYN

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SPIRIT
Design : Swan 65
Loa: 65 ‘
Skipper: Alan EDWARDS

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Racing Multihull
DAUPHIN TELECOM
Design:
Loa: 50′
Skipper: Erik CLEMENT

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FILDOU
Design: F 40
Loa: 40′
Skipper: Stéphane CATTONI

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PARADOX
Design: Irens 63′ Trimaran
Loa: 63′
Skipper: Olivier VIGOUREUX

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PLAN D’ENFER
Design: Trimaran F40 Montesinos
Loa: 40′
Skipper: Bruno ESCALES

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CLASSIC
WILD HORSES
Design: W Class
Loa: 76′
Skipper: Donald TOFIAS

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The Blue Peter
Design: Alfred MYLNE
Loa: 65′
Skipper: Mathew BARKER

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SAPHAEDRA
Design: Classic wood ketch
Loa: 51′
Skipper: Jamie ENOS

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S/Y HEROINA
Design : Frers
Loa: 74′

 

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New York Yacht Club 158th Annual Regatta Presented by Rolex

 
After a rousing 19-mile Around the Island Race on Friday, sailors at the New York Yacht Club (NYYC) 158th Annual Regatta presented by Rolex had to face light winds on Saturday and Sunday and a subsequently abbreviated race schedule where every move counted as critical to final results.  With 104 boats entered in Friday’s race (separately scored and optional) and 133 entered in weekend racing, this 2012 edition of what is revered as America’s oldest regatta will go down in sailing history as having its biggest fleet ever…and, for some, the most intriguing last-minute victories.
 
One for the record is Alex Jackson’s (Riverside, Conn.) trumping of the nine-boat Melges 32 class with Leenabarca in the second of two races today.  Two of the class’s world champions (Doug Douglass on Goombay Smash and Pieter Taselaar on Bliksem) were tied for first going into that race, which was the last of three in the regatta series, and Jackson trailed in scoring by one point.  According to Douglass, who exchanged friendly banter with Jackson back onshore, “We both went right, and Alex schooled us by going left and winning—he stole (the series) from us!”  Jackson joked that while the competition was incredible, “we were just better,” but in all seriousness, the stakes are high for this class as it prepares for its world championships here later this summer.  “More teams will be showing up as we get closer to that event,” said Jackson, who finished sixth two years ago at the worlds, “so I wouldn’t say that this was the biggest fleet of Melges 32s we’ve ever had, but it sure included some of the toughest teams.”
 
Also winning on the final note today was defending champion Mike McCaffrey (Newport, R.I.) aboard Osprey in the Herreshoff S class.  Stephan Sloan’s (East Greenwich, R.I.) Argument was leading the regatta until it was forced over the start line prematurely in today’s second race and had to restart. “That gave us the opportunity to salvage a first out of what was looking to be a second or third,” said McCaffrey.
 
Andrew Fisher (Greenwich, Conn.), winner of the Swan 42 class with Bandit, said his team also had an “incredibly bad start” in today’s first race, but it battled back to finish fifth.  “Luckily, we were very much in phase in the second race,” said Fisher, “and we picked more of the right wind shifts than the wrong ones and won.  It was a little bit of luck, a little bit of skill.”  His closest competition was John Hele’s Daring, which represented the Royal Canadian Yacht Club to win last year’s New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup presented by Rolex and is helmed by Canada’s Terry McLaughlin, an America’s Cup veteran and 1984 Olympic silver medalist in the Flying Dutchman class.
 
Among the largest boats in the fleet was George Sakellaris’s (Framingham, Mass.) Mini Maxi 72 Shockwave, which won IRC 1. “We had a conservative day,” said the boat’s captain and crew member Reggie Cole (Newport) after today’s single race. “We just wanted to beat (George David’s) Rambler today, because that’s what we had to do to win, but it was just by happenstance that we also beat (Hap Fauth’s) Bella Mente.  She  blew out a spinnaker and we passed them to finish first.”
 
Ptarmigan, Larry Dickie’s (Greenwich, Conn.) Ker 43, came from behind to win today in IRC 3.  Skipper Bill Lynn (Marblehead, Mass) said that Saturday it had been hard to get out of the shadow of James Madden’s (Newport Beach, Calif.) Swan 601 Stark Raving Mad, which won the day on the merit of posting victory in a single race. “There was massive wind sheer and shifts to deal with,” he said, explaining that on the first beat his team had looked good, but “after that, we were struggling” and finished third.  Though today proved more manageable, playing shifts was still the name of the game and Ptarmigan made the most out of them to finish first to Stark Raving Mad’s fourth and post four points to its five (for second place).
 
Steered by Lexi Gahagan, Dennis Williams’s (Hobe Sound, Fla.) Victory 83 dominated the 12 Metre class, posting three victories in as many races, while in IRC 5 class, Leonard Sitar’s (Holmdel, NJ) J/44 Vamp took class honors with a 2-1 in his series.
 
Past J/122 North American champion Mike Bruno and Tom Boyle (Irvington, N.Y.) finished 2-1 in the regatta’s two races to take IRC 6 on his J/122 Wings, while past J/109 North American champion Bill Sweetser (Annapolis, Md.) on the J/109 Rush topped IRC 7.
 
David and Sandra Askew’s (Annapolis, Md.) IRC 52 Flying Jenny 2 won IRC 2, while winning IRC 4 was the Taylor 45 Africa, skippered by Rolex Yachtsman of the Year Jud Smith (Marblehead, Mass.).  Peter Kellogg’s (Short Hills, N.J.) Catboat 33′ Silent Maid won CRF 2 Non-Spinnaker, and Lars Forsberg’s (Greenwich, Conn.) S&S Yawl Black Watch took CRF 1 Non-Spinnaker.
 
In PHRF Navigator’s class, 22 boats competed, proving that this relatively new concept (begun last year) is popular for those who prefer a classic government buoy course to the more prevalent short-course racing on Saturday and Sunday.  Defending champions Ben Hall and Bill Berges (Tiverton, R.I.) won Class 5 on their Evelyn 32 Bluto, while Paul Koch’s (East Greenwich, R.I.) Freedom 35 Jazz Fish took Class 6.
 
A Rolex timepiece was awarded on Friday evening to the overall IRC winner in that day’s Around the Island Race.  Accepting the Rolex was Takashi Okura (Tokyo, Japan), owner and skipper of the IRC 52 Sled, which also won its IRC 2 class
 
Rolex also will award a timepiece to the overall winner (determined by the organizers) of Saturday’s and Sunday’s combined series of races, which officially constitutes the NYYC 158th Annual Regatta presented by Rolex. This special prize, as well as engraved overall trophies in each class and the Great Corinthian Trophy for yacht club teams of three or more boats posting the best class finishes, will be announced and awarded at the November 8 Annual Awards Dinner at the NYYC’s main clubhouse in New York City.
 

Known for attracting a diverse range of boats, NYYC’s Annual Regatta presented by Rolex is the first major sailing contest of the season in historic Newport, Rhode Island.  In even-numbered years, the regatta draws a large number of competitors who compete a week later in the Newport Bermuda Race and who use the Annual Regatta to gear up prior to the start of that distance race.  Part of the 2012 US-IRC Gulf Stream Series, NYYC’s Annual Regatta presented by Rolex is the first event in the NYYC Classic Yacht Series.  Additionally, IRC yachts are eligible to enter the Onion Patch Series which consists of the Annual Regatta, the Newport Bermuda Race and the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club Anniversary Regatta.  The first race completed on Saturday and Sunday during NYYC’s Annual Regatta counts toward the Onion Patch Series. 
 
For daily results, releases, photos and video by T2p.tv, please visit the New York Yacht Club’s website at nyyc.org. 
 

 

Final Results
NYYC 158th Annual Regatta presented by Rolex
June 9-10, 2012
 
Blue Class 1 – IRC 1 (IRC – 3 Boats)
1. Shockwave, Mini Maxi 72, George Sakellaris , Framingham, MA, USA – 1, 1, ; 2
2. Bella Mente, J-V Mini Maxi 72′, Hap Fauth , Minneapolis, MN, USA – 3, 2, ; 5
3. Rambler, RP 90 W B 90, George David , Hartford, CT, USA – 2, 3, ; 5
 
Blue Class 2 – IRC 2 (IRC – 5 Boats)
1. Flying Jenny 7, IRC 52 52, David and Sandra Askew , Annapolis, MD, USA – 1, 2, ; 3
2. Vesper, TP 52 52, Jim Swartz , Park City, UT, USA – 3, 1, ; 4
3. Interlodge, IRC 52 52, Austin and Gwen Fragomen , Newport, RI, USA – 2, 4, ; 6
 
Blue Class 3 – IRC 3 (IRC – 9 Boats)
1. Ptarmigan, Ker 43 43, Lawrence Dickie , Greenwich, CT, USA – 3, 1, ; 4
2. Stark Raving Mad, Swan 601 60, James Madden , Newport Beach, CA, USA – 1, 4, ; 5
3. Defiance, Marten 49 49, Hamnett Hill , Montreal, Que, CAN – 4, 2, ; 6
 
Blue Class 4 – IRC 4 (IRC – 13 Boats)
1. Africa, Taylor 45 45, Jud Smith , Marblehead, MA, USA – 1, 2.5, ; 3.5
2. Nasty Medicine, Corby 41 41.5, Stephen Sherwin , Hamilton, BER – 2, 2.5/Protest, ; 4.5
3. After Midnight, CTM 41 41, Paul Jeka , Atlantic Highlands, NJ, USA – 4, 1, ; 5
 
Blue Class 5 – IRC 5 (IRC – 9 Boats)
1. Vamp, J 44 44.9, Leonard Sitar , Holmdel, NJ, USA – 2, 1, ; 3
2. Carina, Custom 48 48′, Rives Potts , Essex, CT, USA – 1, 2, ; 3
3. Cygnette, Swan 441 44.36, William Mayer , Dover, DE, USA – 5, 3, ; 8
 
White Class 6 – IRC 6 (IRC – 12 Boats)
1. Wings, J 122 40, Mike Bruno & Tom Boyle , Irvington, NY, USA – 2, 1, ; 3
2. Christopher Dragon, J/122 40, Andrew Weiss , Mamaroneck, NY, USA – 1, 5, ; 6
3. Old School, Farr 395 39.5, Ganson Evans , Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, USA – 3, 6, ; 9
 
White Class 7 – IRC 7 (IRC – 10 Boats)
1. Rush, J 109 35.25, Bill Sweetser , Annapolis, MD, USA – 1, 1, ; 2
2. Dorade, S&S Yawl 52.5, Matt Brooks , Fremont, CA, USA – 5, 2, ; 7
3. Picante, J 109 36, Rober Salk & John Sahagian , Jamestown, RI, USA – 4, 3, ; 7
 
White Class 8 – Swan 42 (One Design – 10 Boats)
1. Bandit, Swan 42 42, Andrew Fisher , Greenwich, CT, USA – 3, 5, 1, ; 9
2. Daring, Swan 42 42, John Hele , Newport, RI, USA – 1, 3, 9, ; 13
3. Vitesse, Swan 42 42, Jon Halbert , Dallas, TX, USA – 6, 1, 6, ; 13
 
White Class 9 – Melges 32 (One Design – 9 Boats)
1. Leenabarca, Melges 32 32, Alex Jackson , Riverside, Conn., USA – 5, 1, 1, ; 7
2. Bliksem, Melges 32 32, Pieter Taselaar , Newport, RI, USA – 2, 3, 4, ; 9
3. hedgehog, Melges 32 32, Alec Cutler , Pembroke, BER – 4, 5, 2, ; 11
 
Green Class 1 – 12 Metres (One Design – 8 Boats)
1. Victory 83, 12 Metre 65, Dennis Williams , Hobe Sound, FL, USA – 1, 1, 1, ; 3
2. Courageous, 12 Meter 68, Ralph Isham / Alexander Auersperg , New York, NY, USA – 2, 4, 2, ; 8
3. USA, 12 Metre 65′, Guy Heckman , Newport, RI, USA – 4, 2, 4/Protest, ; 10
 
Green Class 4 – Herreshoff S Class (One Design – 9 Boats)
1. Osprey, Herreshoff S Class 27.6, Michael McCaffrey , Newport, RI, USA – 2, 2, 3, ; 7
2. Argument, Herreshoff S Class 27.5, Stephan Sloan , East Greenwich, RI, USA – 1, 1, 7, ; 9
3. Swallow , Herreshoff S Class 27.5, Leeds Mitchell IV , Providence, RI, USA – 3, 4, 2, ; 9
 
Green Class 2 – CRF 1 Non-Spinnaker (PHRF – 6 Boats)
1. Black Watch, S&S Yawl 67.86, Lars Forsberg , Greenwich, CT, USA – 3, 1/Protest, 1, ; 5
2. Angelita, 8 Metre 50.33′, Samuel Croll , Greenwich, CT, USA – 1, 5/Protest, 2, ; 8
3. Sonny, S&S Custom 53 53, Joseph Dockery , Newport, RI, USA – 2, 2, 4, ; 8
 
Green Class 3 – CRF 2 Non-Spinnaker (PHRF – 7 Boats)
1. Silent Maid, Catboat 33′, Peter Kellogg , Short Hills, NJ, USA – 1, 4, 1, ; 6
2. Belle, Luders 24 38.25, Jonathan Loughborough , Newport, RI, USA – 2, 2, 2, ; 6
3. SYCE, 6 Metre 34, Bob and Farley Towse , Stamford, CT, USA – 3, 5, 3, ; 11
 
Green Class 5 – PHRF Navigators Race (PHRF – 14 Boats)
1. Bluto, Evelyn 32-2 32, Benjamin Hall , Tiverton, RI, USA – 2, 2, ; 4
2. Tonto, J 105 34.5, Fred Darlington , Cumberland, RI, USA – 6, 1, ; 7
3. Blockade Runner, Farr 30 30, Bruce Bingman / Taran Teague , Annapolis, MD, USA – 1, 8.5, ; 9.5
 
Green Class 6 – PHRF NS Navigators Race (PHRF – 8 Boats)
1. Jazz Fish, Freedom 35 35, Paul Koch , East Greenwich, RI, USA – 1, 3, ; 4
2. Duck Soup, C&C 40 39’6, Bill Clavin , Warwick, RI, USA – 2, 2, ; 4
3. True, J 160 52, Howard Hodgson , Ipswich, MA, USA – 5, 1, ; 6
 

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Sailors on over 100 boats enjoyed classic Newport weather for today’s 19-mile Around the (Conanicut) Island Race, a traditional prelude to the New York Yacht Club (NYYC) Annual Regatta presented by Rolex, which will mark its 158th edition this weekend. The oldest regatta in America is enjoying a record number of 146 entries, with 133 of those signed up for weekend racing. (Today’s Around the Island Race was separately scored and optional.)

“It was southwest 8-12 knots, building to Beavertail,” said Tom Erskine (Marblehead, Mass), main trimmer on Ken Colburn’s Swan 42 class winner Apparition, explaining that with that much horsepower to the wind, the race committee had no problems sticking to a scheduled noon start for a clockwise course that started just south of the iconic Newport (Pell) Bridge. “Then it was 12-15 on the backside of the island and 15-16 on the nose coming home — just great conditions.” It didn’t hurt, either, that the sun shone all day after several days of relentless rain.

“The Race Committee started the smaller boats first,” added Erskine, “which made it fun to see all those classics like Black Watch and Dorade sailing near us, and then at the top of the island Rambler (the largest boat in the fleet at 90 feet) came ripping by us at 17 knots!”

Though Rambler was first to finish in just under two hours, but it was the IRC 52 Sled’s performance that earned owner Takashi Okura (Tokyo, Japan) a class win in IRC 2 and the overall victory in IRC class, which meant he goes home with the coveted Rolex watch as prize for his efforts today. Sled circumnavigated the island in just over two hours.

 

“I am still jet lagged,” said Okura, who arrived only yesterday to join his mostly-Japanese team on a charter boat that bears the name Interlodge. (Austin and Gwen Fragomen also sailed their newly built IRC 52 named Interlodge and finished third in the class behind Jim Swartz’s IRC 52 Vesper.) “We tried to sail calmly and quietly and just think about the wind and the tide.” Okura added that for ten minutes after the start, Vesper was leading, but the Sled team was able to play the current to its advantage and succeed at a takeover. Okura also won a Rolex watch here in 2006 when he sailed the Farr 40 North Americans as part of the New York Yacht Club Race Week at Newport presented by Rolex and he has every intention of adding an Annual Regatta victory to his resume after he competes this weekend. (Rolex also will award a timepiece to the overall winner of Saturday’s and Sunday’s combined series of races.)

Fourteen class winners today included Hap Fauth (Minneapolis, Minn./Newport, R.I.) with his newly built Judel-Vrolijk 72’ mini maxi Bella Mente in IRC 1 and Annual Regatta defending champions Rives Potts (Westbrook, Conn.) in IRC 6 aboard his custom 48 Carina; Michael McCaffrey (Newport) in the Herreshoff S class with Osprey; Dennis Williams (Hobe Sound, Fla.) in the 12 Metre class with Victory 83; and Joseph Dockery (Newport) in CRF 1 (classics) with his custom S&S 53 Sonny. (Ken Colburn’s Swan 42 Apparition is also a defending champion.)

Since 1845, the tradition of the Annual Regatta, first hosted at the New York Yacht Club’s original clubhouse in Hoboken, N.J., has been interrupted only by war. The event – in even years — is part of the Onion Patch Series, which also includes the Newport Bermuda Race and the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club Anniversary Regatta.

Racing for the NYYC Annual Regatta presented by Rolex takes place on Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island Sound for all classes, with a PHRF Navigator Class — for those who prefer a classic government buoy course to the more prevalent short-course racing on Saturday and Sunday — having the option of racing either one or both of the weekend days. Live music, refreshments and daily prizes greet the sailors as they come ashore after racing each day to the rolling lawn at NYYC’s Harbour Court clubhouse.

For daily results, releases, photos and video, please visit the New York Yacht Club’s website at nyyc.org.

Results New York Yacht Club Around the Island Race

Friday, June 8, 2012

Place, Sail, Yacht Name, Yacht Type, Owner/Skipper, City, State, Country, Finish Date-Time, Elapsed, Corrected, Class Finish/Fleet Finish

Class 1 – IRC 1 (IRC – 4 Boats)
1. USA 45 Bella Mente, Judel-Vrolijk Mini Maxi, Hap Fauth , Minneapolis, MN, USA — 08Jun12-02:56:37PM / 0:01:56:37 / 0:03:06:07 — 1 / 3
2. USA 60272 Shockwave, Mini Maxi, George Sakellaris , Framingham, MA, USA — 08Jun12-02:58:22PM / 0:01:58:22 / 0:03:07:22 — 2 / 6
3. USA 4511 Team Tiburon (Wizard), R/P 74, Mark E. Watson III , Newport, RI, USA — 08Jun12-02:59:16PM / 0:01:59:16 / 0:03:08:47 — 3 / 9

Class 2 – IRC 2 (IRC – 6 Boats)
1. USA 5206 SLED, IRC 52, Takashi Okura , Tokyo, JPN — 08Jun12-03:07:54PM / 0:02:12:54 / 0:03:03:00 — 1 / 1
2. USA 52007 Vesper, TP 52, Jim Swartz , Park City, UT, USA — 08Jun12-03:09:09PM / 0:02:14:09 / 0:03:05:15 — 2 / 2
3. USA 5210 Interlodge, IRC 52, Austin and Gwen Fragomen , Newport, RI, USA — 08Jun12-03:10:45PM / 0:02:15:45 / 0:03:08:41 — 3 / 8

Class 3 – IRC 3 (IRC – 8 Boats)
1. USA 79 Ptarmigan, Ker 43, Lawrence Dickie , Greenwich, CT, USA — 08Jun12-03:19:12PM / 0:02:29:12 / 0:03:07:14 — 1 / 5
2. IVB 4915 Defiance, Marten 49, Hamnett Hill , Montreal, Que, CAN — 08Jun12-03:25:27PM / 0:02:35:27 / 0:03:13:04 — 2 / 21
3. USA 50069 Temptation – Oakcliff, Custom Ker 50, Arthur Santry – Oakcliff Sailing , Arlington, VA, USA — 08Jun12-03:24:52PM / 0:02:34:52 / 0:03:15:17 — 3 / 31

Class 4 – IRC 4 (IRC – 9 Boats)
1. USA 52915 White Witch, King 40, Larry Landry , Newport, RI, USA — 08Jun12-03:32:39PM / 0:02:47:39 / 0:03:08:36 — 1 / 7
2. USA 52830 Barra, Morris 486, Bruce MacNeil , Lincoln, Ma., USA — 08Jun12-03:35:41PM / 0:02:50:41 / 0:03:12:52 — 2 / 17
3. BER 1000 Nasty Medicine, Corby 41, Stephen Sherwin , Hamilton, BER — 08Jun12-03:31:00PM / 0:02:46:00 / 0:03:13:53 — 3 / 25

Class 5 – IRC 5 (IRC – 10 Boats)
1. USA 49 Gold Digger, J 44, James D. Bishop , Jamestown, RI, USA — 08Jun12-03:31:33PM / 0:02:51:33 / 0:03:07:09 — 1 / 4
2. USA 43600 Vamp, J 44, Leonard Sitar , Holmdel, NJ, USA — 08Jun12-03:34:32PM / 0:02:54:32 / 0:03:10:04 — 2 / 14
3. USA 60003 Pugwash, J 122, David Murphy , westport, CT, USA — 08Jun12-03:36:51PM / 0:02:56:51 / 0:03:12:35 — 3 / 16

Class 6 – IRC 6 (IRC – 11 Boats)
1. USA 315 Carina, Custom 48, Rives Potts , Essex, CT, USA — 08Jun12-03:35:16PM / 0:03:00:16 / 0:03:08:55 — 1 / 10
2. USA 16 Dorade, S&S Yawl, Matt Brooks , Fremont, CA, USA — 08Jun12-03:44:10PM / 0:03:09:10 / 0:03:09:09 — 2 / 12
3. USA 1976 Mischief, Lyman-Morse 40, David Schwartz , Smithfield, RI, USA — 08Jun12-03:44:19PM / 0:03:09:19 / 0:03:10:04 — 3 / 13

Class 7 – 12 Metre GP/M (One Design – 5 Boats)
1. K 22 Victory 83, 12 Metre, Dennis Williams , Hobe Sound, FL, USA — 08Jun12-03:02:22PM / 0:02:32:22 / 0:02:32:22 — 1 /
2. USA 61 USA, 12 Metre, Guy Heckman , Newport, RI, USA — 08Jun12-03:08:57PM / 0:02:38:57 / 0:02:38:57 — 2 /
3. KZ5 Laura, 12 Metre, Kip Curren , Warwick, RI, USA — 08Jun12-03:10:30PM / 0:02:40:30 / 0:02:40:30 — 3 /

Class 8 – 12 Metre Traditional (One Design – 3 Boats)
1. USA US 21 American Eagle, 12 Metre, Cynthia Alten-DeLotto , Newport, RI, USA — 08Jun12-03:15:50PM / 0:02:45:50 / 0:02:45:50 — 1 /
2. USA 16 Columbia, 12 Metre, Alain Hanover , Weston, MA, USA — 08Jun12-03:16:10PM / 0:02:46:10 / 0:02:46:10 — 2 /
3. USA 19 Nefertiti, 12 Metre, Jon Wullschleger , Sarasota, FL, USA — 08Jun12-03:16:24PM / 0:02:46:24 / 0:02:46:24 — 3 /

Class 9 – Swan 42 (One Design – 8 Boats)
1. USA 4235 Apparition, Swan 42, Ken Colburn , Dover, MA, USA — 08Jun12-03:07:25PM / 0:02:42:25 / 0:02:42:25 — 1 /
2. USA 4227 Hoss, swan 42, Glenn Darden & Paul Williamson , Fort Worth, Texas, USA — 08Jun12-03:10:46PM / 0:02:45:46 / 0:02:45:46 — 2 /
3. USA 4214 Daring, Swan 42, John Hele , Newport, RI, USA — 08Jun12-03:10:57PM / 0:02:45:57 / 0:02:45:57 — 3 /

Class 10 – CRF 1 Non-Spinnaker (PHRF – 6 Boats)
1. USA 50 Sonny, S&S Custom 53, Joseph Dockery , Newport, RI, USA — 08Jun12-03:32:59PM / 0:03:12:59 / 0:02:38:07 — 1 / 1
2. USA NY 6 Spartan, NY 50, Charlie Ryan , Providence, RI, USA — 08Jun12-03:20:07PM / 0:03:00:07 / 0:02:43:09 — 2 / 2
3. US 71 Black Watch, S&S Yawl, Sam Earle , USA — 08Jun12-03:26:38PM / 0:03:06:38 / 0:02:43:36 — 3 / 3

Class 11 – PHRF 1 spin (PHRF – 9 Boats)
1. USA 34 Blockade Runner, Farr 30, Bruce Bingman / Taran Teague , Annapolis, MD, USA — 08Jun12-03:19:48PM / 0:03:04:48 / 0:02:48:29 — 1 / 7
2. USA 51109 Capella, Sabre 452, David Millet , Needham, MA, USA — 08Jun12-03:24:41PM / 0:03:09:41 / 0:02:53:03 — 2 / 16
3. USA 56 Spirit, J 92S, EC Helme , Newport, RI, USA — 08Jun12-03:40:29PM / 0:03:25:29 / 0:02:54:46 — 3 / 17

Class 12 – PHRF 2 spin (PHRF – 3 Boats)
1. USA 8 Osprey, Herreshoff S Class, Michael McCaffrey , Newport, USA — 08Jun12-04:02:48PM / 0:03:52:48 / 0:02:47:33 — 1 / 6
2. USA 22 Argument, Herreshoff S Class, Stephan Sloan , East Greenwich, RI, USA — 08Jun12-04:04:59PM / 0:03:54:59 / 0:02:49:44 — 2 / 10
3. USA 5 Surprise, Herreshoff S Class, Fred Roy , Newport, RI, USA — 08Jun12-04:08:17PM / 0:03:58:17 / 0:02:53:02 — 3 / 15

Class 13 – CRF 2 Non-Spinnaker (PHRF – 2 Boats)
1. T 82 Silent Maid, Catboat, Peter Kellogg , Short Hills, NJ, USA — 08Jun12-03:54:12PM / 0:03:44:12 / 0:02:52:42 — 1 / 13
2. USA US 53 Cherokee, 6 Metre, Molly Savard , Middletown, CT, USA — 08Jun12-04:07:22PM / 0:03:57:22 / 0:03:08:06 — 2 / 23

Class 14 – PHRF Non-Spinnaker (PHRF – 9 Boats)
1. USA 1968 Hermie, Columbia 50, Gerald Harris , Rowayton, CT, USA — 08Jun12-03:36:02PM / 0:03:26:02 / 0:02:46:03 — 1 / 4
2. USA 414 Coup d’ Etat, McCurdy Rhodes 46, Michael Shea , Farmington, CT, USA — 08Jun12-03:34:26PM / 0:03:24:26 / 0:02:47:19 — 2 / 5
3. USA 42700 Duck Soup, C&C 40, Bill Clavin , Warwick, RI, USA — 08Jun12-03:32:51PM / 0:03:22:51 / 0:02:48:37 — 3 / 8

For More Images Of the NYYC Around- the- Island Race 2012 by George Bekris click HERE

 

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The serious countdown to the start of the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race has officially begun, with the SOLAS Big Boat Challenge taking place on Sydney Harbour today.
The SOLAS Big Boat Challenge is traditionally one of the busier days on the Harbour for spectator vessels. This year the 15 or so entrants, ranging in size from 100 foot super maxis to 50 foot grand prix racers can expect less traffic around them, but a ton of on board action.
“It’ll be an exciting race,” said Wild Oats XI skipper Mark Richards yesterday as he and Wild Oats XI’s race crew were preparing to don wet weather gear and complete a practice run around the 14 nautical mile SOLAS Big Boat Challenge track, which today takes them two and a half times around Sydney Harbour to the finish off the Opera House.
For the sailing novices on Anthony Bell’s 100 foot INVESTEC LOYAL, today’s challenge will provide some insight into what might be around the corner come Boxing Day. Olympic wheelchair racer Kurt Fearnley, Roosters five-eighth Anthony Minichiello and Channel 9’s Karl Stefanovic will taste plenty of salt water and better understand the rigours of ocean racing when they join rugby legends and past participants, Phil Waugh and Phil Kearns, and the rest of the professional race crew for today’s SOLAS Big Boat Challenge. Former racing great and record breaking winner Neville Crichton will also join Anthony Bell’s loyal for SOLAS big boat race.
Peter Millard, co-owner of the 98 foot Lahana arrived back on a flight from the US yesterday and when told of today’s forecast, said, “Then we definitely need to go out training today.”
Two of Lahana’s 21-strong crew have flown in from Europe and a handful more have arrived from interstate to take part in the annual Harbour spectacle, with the largest yachts in town preparing for the 12.30pm start off Steele Point, Vaucluse.
“It’ll be good to have testing conditions today, but we won’t be taking any risks that might put a speed bump in our Rolex Sydney Hobart preparations,” said Millard. “We want to see a lot of pressure today and for the great race. We’re hoping for a southerly all the way to Hobart.”
Making her Australian debut in the race will be Victorian Rob Hanna’s recent acquisition, theTP52 Shogun. Hanna purchased the near-new former Audi Azzurra from Europe, where it has been successfully competing on the MedCup circuit. Hanna’s main intention is to beat the other Australian ownedTP52’s at major events, including Marcus Blackmore’s Hooligan, which is also contesting the SOLAS Big Boat Challenge.

 

List of Entries

10000	BRINDABELLA	Jim	Cooney	Jutson 80		1.4100
ESP6100	DUENDE	Damien	Parkes	IMS 52		1.2900
5980	FUTURE SHOCK	Craig	Ellis	Elliott 57		1.3500
601	GINGER	Leslie	Green	Swan 60		1.3769
AUS521	HOOLIGAN	Marcus	Blackmore	TP52	1.382
SYD100	INVESTEC LOYAL	Anthony	Bell	Elliott 100	1.911
10081	LAHANA	Millard/	Honan	Bakewell White 30m	1.683
AUS60000	LOKI	Stephen	Ainsworth	Reichel Pugh 63	1.517
SM11	SCARLET RUNNER	Robert	Date	RP 52	1.363
AUS280	SHOGUN V	Robert	Hanna	TP52	1.383
NOR2	SOUTHERN EXCELLENCE	Andrew	Wenham	Volvo 60		1.3200
AUS21	SPIRIT	Graeme	Wilson	IACC		1.3658
SM24	TERRA FIRMA	Nicholas	Bartels	Cookson 50	1.327
10001	WILD OATS XI	Robert	Oatley	Reichel Pugh 100	1.954
M10	WILD THING	Grant	Wharington	Jones 98 Maxi	1.805

To view the course maps go to http://www.cyca.com.au/editorial.asp?key=760

By Lisa Ratcliff/CYCA media

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The first day of racing at the 2nd edition of Les Voiles de St. Barth dawned with 25 knots of tropical tradewind breeze and showers sweeping over the picturesque French island located midway down the Caribbean chain. The regatta’s fleet of maxis, racing and cruising yachts, multi-hulls and classics – 48 confirmed on race day – set off on a race course around the nearby archipelago, and met with plenty of wind and bumpy seas, especially on the islands’ exposed eastern side.

You certainly couldn’t have asked for a prettier race course, which today sent fleets on jaunts of either 16-, 22-, or 25-nautical mile jaunts.  Most intriguing was the trip around the northern tip of St. Barth and through the nearby archipelago, which in a typically French way makes one ready for a meal with names such as Ile Chevreau (baby goat), Ile Fregate (bird), Ile le Boulanger (the baker), Ile Fourchue (fork), Grouper et Petite Groupers (fish), Le Boeuf (beef), and Le Pain du Sucre (sugarloaf).

Today’s later start at 1300 did nothing to diminish the wind and sea, as the first two classes off – Maxis and Multihulls – with eleven boats, started in 22 knots and encountered two meter seas and were sent on a 25-nautical mile course. George David’s Rambler 100 with Ken Read as skipper, got away at the pin end of the starting line and lead Hugo Stenbeck on Genuine Risk up into the outer harbor to an offset turning mark. Once around, Rambler set a huge asymmetric spinnaker and was on her way for the day.

On the eastern, and windward, side of the island the big boats reveled in the conditions which eventually topped out above 30 knots – Genuine Risk, with their combined crew Swedish/ American crew, recorded 30 knots of boat speed surfing downwind through the islands.

Also racing in the Maxi class was the 86’ CNB sloop Spiip, owned by Robin de Jong, who is making his way westward to Tahiti with the boat. Onboard Spiip is Bruno Trouble, well known for creating and overseeing the Louis Vuitton Challenger Series (for the America’s Cup) that originated in 1983. Trouble is racing at the regatta for the first time, and he said, “Les Voiles de St. Barth reminds me a lot of the early days of the Nioulargue with boats from all over the place taking part.  Things are going to really build and it is just great, it really reminds me of the first Nioulargue!”

In the Racing Class, the crew work aboard Jim Swartz’s Vesper looked well-honed as the team traded tacks with Peter Cunningham’s Farr 60 Venomous (CAY) up the first short beat. Back on the quay, Venomous’ tactician Tony Rey recounted the day, “We had some great sailing   – St. Barth’s is such an awesome place to sail, every time you turn around an island, or a piece of land, the view just gets better and better. It’s just that the race course is a minefield because the wind twists and turns up the corners and the crevices – but it’s a fascinating place to sail! We also had the added challenge that our instruments went down, so we were guessing on our wind speed and direction, and guessing at our boat speed for part of it too, which turned us into good seat-of-the-pants sailors.”

Before scores were tabulated, though Rey suspects, “We think we were probably 2nd or 3rd, we’re pretty sure Vesper beat us handily, because downwind you just can’t stay with a boat like that.  We could have sailed better for sure, we left a few seconds on the race track, but generally we’re thrilled, it was a great day of sailing!”

In the 24-boat Racing Cruising class, the Swan 60 Fenix closely led Jereon Hin’s First 50 Black Hole (NED) after the first upwind beat. This class has a gamut of boats including two all-women entries, Annie O’Sullivan’s Diamonds Are Forever (UK), and Henneke Stegweg’s iLost (NED). As well, there are two Moorings 50.5 charter boats with two crews from Oakville, Ontario, Canada, headed up by Andre Beese and Patrick Festing. Both crews are comprised of friends and fellow Etchells sailors, who were originally headed to Antigua to race when a friend suggested they race at Les Voiles de St. Barth.

The Classics class, while low on numbers with just five boats, were high on style points with the 76’ W-class White Wings, the 80’ Fife yawl, Mariella, the 60’ dark-hulled gaff-rigged yawl Kate from St Kitt’s, and the 26’ Friendship sloop La Sirene, gracing the line.
Carlo Falcone, from Antigua, is a frequent competitor with Mariella in both classic and offshore races around the world, which he, more often than not, wins. He enjoys sailing in St. Barth because it has, he says, “more European style than other parts of the Caribbean.”

The yacht was designed by American naval architect Alfred Mylne, and built by Fife in Scotland in 1938. As Falcone says, “The beauty of this boat is the mix of the two. Mariella is well sailed and immaculately maintained, and Falcone says,  “I believe the more you use the boat the better it is. But it’s never-ending work – not buying the boat, but keeping it. They say, ‘the owners are just taking care of the boat until the next one.’” His regular crew is a mix of family and friends including his daughter Sylvia, his long-time navigator, 89-year old Henry Pepper (Marblehead, Mass), and crew from Italy, Australia and Dominica. Les Voiles de St.Barth is a way to prepare the boat for this summer’s classic yacht series in New England.

With a relatively new event, one may wonder what goes into the thinking for the course on day one. Following this morning’s skipper’s briefing, the, Les Voiles Race Committee Principal Race Officer, Jean Coadou offered some insight, “There were three main elements: the weather forecast, looking at the strength and direction of the wind around all of the islands. Also it was important with such a large fleet to avoid any boats crossing paths. And first and foremost, the enjoyment of sailing was a key factor. We try to ensure that the competitors encounter all the different points of sail, upwind, downwind and reaching. The idea is to come up with three hours of exciting racing each day; that is why the courses are around 30 miles in length for the fastest boats and 16 miles for the smaller craft.”
Key information: Les Voiles de St. Barth is being hosted from April 4 – 9 2011 by the St. Barth Yacht Club

 

Entries

Yacht Name   Sail Design LOA Skipper Status

SOJANA
 GBR 115 FARR 115 Peter HARRISON /Marc FIDZGERALD  

HIGHLAND BREEZE
 888 SWAN 112 RS/GPR 112′ ALBERT KEULARTS
 
SPIIP
 FRA 8686 CNB 86 86′ ROBIN DE JONG 
 
RAMBLER 100  USA 25555   READ Ken
 
GENUINE RISK
 8390 DUBOIS/MC CONAUGHY 97′ HUGO STENBECK

ICARUS
  JONGERT 90′   
 

 
PANIC ATTACK
 750 OPEN 750 24′ JAN VANDEN EYNDE
 
TECHNOMARINE
 FRA 27917 Farr 36,7 DEREDEC Christian 
 
PUFFY
 USA 45454 Farr 45 DEMARCHELLIER Patrick
 
ANTILOPE
 GRB 1513L GRAND SOLEIL 43′ WILLEM WESTER
 
SPEEDY NEMO  SBH 26   MAGRAS Raymond

VESPER
  TP 52 54′ JAMES SWARTZ 
 
VENOMOUS
 GBR 60006 FARR DESIGN 60′ PETER CUNNINGHAM
 
MAE-LIA     MAGRAS Raphael

SOLANO  FRA 34625   

Classic
Yacht Name   Sail Design LOA Skipper Status
 
 
WHITE WINGS
 US2 W CLASS 76′ DONALD TOFIAS
 
KATE
 ES5 MYLNE 60′ Walwyn 
 
LA SIRÈNE
 3 FRIEND SHIP SLOOP R WILSON 26′ DAVID PERTEL  
 
MARIELLA
 464 YAWL/FIFE 80′ CARLO FALCONE Pre-entry
 
Racing Cruising
Yacht Name   Sail Design LOA Skipper Status
 
 
FENIX
 GBR 9660R SWAN  60′ MORITZ BURMESTER  
 
L’ESPERANCE
 123 Beneteau 45 VELASQUEZ Robert 
 
BLACK HOLE
 GER 150L FIRST 50 50′ JEROEN HIN  
 
COSTA MESA
 88 DUFOUR 425 GL 43′ REY PASCAL
 
ORMEAU
  FINOT BENETEAU 47.3 ALAIN CHARLOT 
 
MR. WALKER
 FRA 491 REQUIN 33 MELISSA RIMBAUD
 
LIL’E
 FRA 479 REQUIN 33 FOX MOWGLI
 
SUGAR CANE
  BERRET 50.5 ANDRE BEESE
 
MAE-LIA
  X-YACHT 34 MAGRAS Raphael
 
TRITON
  BERRET 50.5 PATRICK SMITH
 
SPEEDY NEMO
  DUFOUR  34′ RAYMOND MAGRAS
 
THULA
 51952 BALTIC 39 39′ MAX IMRIE  
 
TARA II
  SUN ODYSSEY 54 DS 54′ HENRY ALBERT
 
SPLENDIDO
 FRA37407 GRAND SOLEIL 40′ PHILIPPE HERVOUET
 
NIX
 IVB 612 X-YACHT 60′ NICO CORTLEVER
 
AFFINITY
 US 50007 SWAN  48′ JACK DESMOND 
 
SOLANO
 FRA 34625 LATINI 52 FELCI 52′ FREDERIC RIALLAND  
 
DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER
 GRB 1007L ELAN 37′ ANNIE O’SULLIVAN 
 
COYOTE 2
 GBR 9949 T FIRST 40.7 41′ KEN ACOTT 
 
iLOST
  HARMONY 42 42′ HANNEKE STEGWEG
 
SHAMROCK VII
 USA 1 J 95 31′ THOMAS MULLEN
 
WILD DEVIL ISLAND WATER WORLD
 NM 1993 KIWI 35 35′ BEN JELIC
 
TANGRA  413 REQUIN 35′ QUERE Pre-entry
 
Racing Multihull
Yacht Name   Sail Design LOA Skipper Status
 
 
PHAEDO
 399BC GUNBOAT 66′ PAUL HAND 
 
DAUPHIN TELECOM
  COULOMBEL 40′ ERICK CLEMENT 
 
BLANCA
  SEACART 30′ HERVE DE MARJOLIE
 
SPIRIT 
 GBR 565  40′ JASON GARD
 
BLUE CAT   VAN PETEGHEM 40′ CHAYER
 
CARIB CAT
CATAMARAN MY CAT 26′ CONSIDERE CLAUDE

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It is day 40 of this 12,300 nautical mile jaunt from Qingdao, China to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and in the closing stages, the leading boat, Ericsson 3, has opted to play her stealth card.  She has gone into hiding and will only reappear 24- hours later, or once she is within 50 nm of the finish in Rio.

This is the first time on this leg that the stealth card, newly introduced for the 2008-09 Volvo Ocean Race, has been played.  Ericsson 3 began her ‘StealthPlay’ to give it its official title,  immediately after the 1000 GMT position report this morning and her position in the fleet and all her onboard data will now be secret. 

However, at 1000 GMT this morning, the last position report before she ‘disappeared’ from the world’s radar, Ericsson 3 had 194 miles to run to the finish as was parallel with Sao Paulo.  She was averaging a double-figure boat speed of 10.5 knots and had achieved a run of 262 nm in the past 24 hours. 

Her nearest and deadliest rival, Ericsson 4, with the hugely talented Torben Grael at the helm in what are his home waters, was a safe 103 nm behind her. But, spicing things up in the last hours of the leg, Grael too opted for StealthPlay shortly after today’s 1300 GMT positions were released and now the whereabouts of the man who has five Olympic medals to his name and who knows the waters off Rio like the back of his hand, will be unknown for 24-hours. 

At 1300 GMT today, prior to announcing their StealthPlay, Ericsson 4 had 254 nm to run to the finish, with third-placed PUMA a further 86 miles astern.

Yesterday, PUMA’s skipper Ken Read was questioning the motives of the Wind Gods.  “Do they really need to play with us like this?” he asked.  He answered his own question when he said, “We have a choice.  We always have a choice, but now, we really have a choice.  We can feel sorry for ourselves and bitch about the weather and the winds and everything else that is preventing us from the ‘all we can eat in Rio’, or we can suck it up and deal with our situation the best we can.  Continue to race and continue to do our jobs.” 

Read’s crew clearly chose the latter option and Read is very proud of all involved.  “Not a single ‘feeling sorry for ourselves’ comment.  We continue to race,” he said.

The top four boats, including the beleaguered Green Dragon have all been set free of the high pressure and are making good speeds towards the finish, while Telefónica Blue is the latest victim of the light spot and her speed is nearly half that of the Dragon’s, at 7.5 nm average over the last three hours.   

After closing to within 50 nm of Ian Walker and his men yesterday, Bouwe Bekking’s blue boat has now slipped back to 164 nm, as she too now has to fight her way through the high pressure. 

“What could have been a case of just counting down the miles to Rio has become for us an exciting duel to the finish,” declared Telefónica Blue’s helmsman Simon Fisher. 

As well as keeping Telefónica Blue at bay, Green Dragon has her own issues onboard.  Their fuel situation has become critical as the alternator on the generator isn’t working and crew has to use the main engine, which takes more fuel. 

“We have calculated we have six days [of fuel] left,” says skipper Ian Walker, who reckons it will take them the full six days to reach Rio. 

Ericsson 3 is expected to complete this leg in the early hours of tomorrow morning, followed by Ericsson 4 and PUMA later the same day.  Computer routing software is predicting a finish for both Green Dragon and Telefónica Blue on 28 March, but with 450 nm still to run and the possibility of the wind fading, the finishing order for these two is far from a done deal. 

Leg Five Day 40: 1300 GMT Volvo Ocean Race Positions
Ericsson 3 SWE (Magnus Olsson/SWE) STEALTHPLAY
Ericsson 4 SWE (Torben Grael/BRA) DTF 254
PUMA Racing Team USA (Ken Read/USA) +86
Green Dragon IRL/CHI (Ian Walker/GBR) +459
Telefónica Blue ESP (Bouwe Bekking/NED) +623
 
Delta Lloyd IRL (Roberto Bermudez/ESP) DNS
Telefónica Black ESP (Fernando Echávarri/ESP) DNS
Team Russia RUS (Andreas Hanakamp/AUT) DNS

Cape Horn Scoring Gate
Ericsson 3: 17.03.09 1222 GMT: 4 points
Ericsson 4: 17.03.09 1448 GMT: 3.5 points
PUMA: 17.03.09 2046 GMT: 3 points
Green Dragon: 18.03.09 0215 GMT 2.5 points
Telefónica Blue: 19.03.09 1339 GMT 2 points

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As leg five draws out even further due to a complete lack of wind, the crews are longing for the finish in Rio and everything that it brings: results, families, cool beers, big steaks, showers, warm beds, and not necessarily in that order.

Ericsson 3 still holds her lead (DTF 424 nm) and although there have been a few blips in the last 24 hours, no one has taken any significant miles out of her deficit, and the chasing pair are due south of her. Ericsson 3 has only covered 172 nm in the past 24 hours and while Ericsson 4 has gained seven miles (DTL 65 nm) PUMA languishes a safe 154 nm astern.

“The light airs are making are lives a mess,” wrote MCM Gustav Morin this morning.  For many of the crew, their families will be arriving in Rio, and they wanted to be there to take care of them when they arrived.  For others, the chance of returning home for a break are becoming slimmer as time runs out with each windless day. 

“Since we are late in, most of the families will arrive before us and all the fathers onboard are talking more often about their kids and wives,” Morin says. 

Jules Salter, the navigator on Ericsson 4, has almost lost track of the number of days he has been at sea, and he is frustrated with the weather maps, which only seem to make part sense.  “When you expect a gain, you make a loss,” he says. 

But, he warns, “inventing weather is ‘bad science’ and expecting to know more than the men and women in beige at the weather centres is pretty dumb, but you have to try and do something.”

“If your hokum theory lines up, you can make a plan for the next few hours.  Usually the plan works for about two hours, then the wind shifts and drops and you are back to square one, trying to conjure up another scenario from your onboard observations.”

The real boat race now seems to be between becalmed Green Dragon (DTF 918nm) and the limping Telefónica Blue (DTF 983 nm), who has made a more sophisticated repair to the checkstays on the mast.  The team is looking for a surprise ‘comeback’, reckoning that Green Dragon is fighting more current than the maps show.

“Right now they [Green Dragon] are still well ahead, but it will be a good laugh if we could actually manage to pass them,” said skipper Bouwe Bekking, who has closed to within 65 miles. 

Unlike the other teams, who are rationing food and diesel, Telefónica Blue has been well provided for by MCM Gabriele Olivo, who even brought onboard a huge bag full of mature, three-year old parmesan cheese to add variety to the daily snacks as well as some grated pieces to make the freeze dried food more enjoyable. 

Not a day has passed when leftover food has been thrown away and there is enough food for the team to have extra breakfasts if they want to, something that would be the envy of the rest of the fleet, if only they knew… 

They do now!

Leg Five Day 39: 1300 GMT Volvo Ocean Race Positions
Ericsson 3 SWE (Magnus Olsson/SWE) DTF 424 nm
Ericsson 4 SWE (Torben Grael/BRA) +65
PUMA Racing Team USA (Ken Read/USA) +154
Green Dragon IRL/CHI (Ian Walker/GBR) +494
Telefónica Blue ESP (Bouwe Bekking/NED) +559
 
Delta Lloyd IRL (Roberto Bermudez/ESP) DNS
Telefónica Black ESP (Fernando Echávarri/ESP) DNS
Team Russia RUS (Andreas Hanakamp/AUT) DNS

Cape Horn Scoring Gate
Ericsson 3: 17.03.09 1222 GMT: 4 points
Ericsson 4: 17.03.09 1448 GMT: 3.5 points
PUMA: 17.03.09 2046 GMT: 3 points
Green Dragon: 18.03.09 0215 GMT 2.5 points
Telefónica Blue: 19.03.09 1339 GMT 2 points

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