Ran and Shockwave Copyright 2012 Tim Wilkes
With three races conducted in strong winds, there was opportunity for boats to make a significant move in the standings on the second day of Quantum Key West 2012. Or in some cases it was a chance to further increase leads taken on Day 1. Pisces fit into the former category, moving into the overall lead in Melges 32 class by winning two of three races on Tuesday. Skipper Benjamin Schwartz and company showed superb boat speed and made some sound tactical decisions and now lead the 19-boat fleet by tiebreaker over John Kilroy and the Samba Pa Ti team. “We are a new program so it is a tremendous feeling to be doing well in a big-time regatta like Key West. Hopefully, we can keep it going,” said Schwartz, who joined the class last summer and promptly placed fourth at U.S. Nationals. Schwartz has America’s Cup veteran Ed Baird calling tactics and Quantum professional Scott Nixon trimming the jib and spinnaker. “You have to give Ed and Scott a lot of credit for getting our boat up to speed,” he said. “I’m fortunate to have a great crew. Today was very challenging because the wind velocity was up and down and the sea state was not very forgiving, but the guys never stopped working and we were able to change gears pretty well.” Race committees on all three courses completed three races in 8-14 knot easterly winds.
With five races in the bag, organizers with Premiere Racing are already halfway to the stated goal of holding 10 races during the five-day regatta. There was a lead change in the Farr 40 class as well with Charisma (Nico Poons, Monaco) and Struntje Light (Wolfgang Schaefer, Germany) overtaking Groovederci (John Demourkas, Santa Barbara, Cal.). Struntje Light has posted a pair of seconds and finished no lower than fourth in the seven-boat fleet, but Charisma holds the overall lead via tiebreaker by virtue of winning Race 5. “We had a very good day on the water and are happy with where we stand at the moment,” Schaefer said. “We have nice boat speed upwind and our crew work has been excellent. We have a very good tactician and he’s made some fantastic calls that have kept me in phase.” Renowned Italian professional and America’s Cup veteran Vasco Vascotta is calling tactics aboard Struntje Light, which has competed in Farr 40 class at Key West ever since 2002 with a top finish of third. “Wolfgang is doing a good job of driving and is getting better every day. The guys onboard have a great attitude and are ready to fight to the end. The good news is that we can still improve our performance.” PowerPlay lived up to its name by making a strong move in IRC 2 class with a strong line of 1-3-4 on Tuesday. Owner Peter Cunningham, a resident of Georgetown in the Cayman Islands, has a nice mix of amateur and professional crew with tactician Tony Rey, trimmer Dave Scott and bowman Geordie Shaver among the superstars aboard. “We’ve only had the boat for six months and we’ve made a lot of modifications during that time,” Cunningham said. “We’re pretty happy with our performance so far. We’re sailing fairly well and having a lot of fun.” Quantum Racing, skippered by Doug DeVos, continues to set the pace in the 52-foot class and leads PowerPlay by six points. Terry Hutchinson, helmsman for the Swedish syndicate Artemis Racing that is Challenge of Record for the America’s Cup, has made strong tactical calls in leading Quantum to victory in three races and second in the two others. “Today was far from straightforward. The wind was very shifty and there are some tricky current patches to deal with,” Hutchinson said. In other classes, the three-race day merely served as an opportunity for the early leaders to extend on the competition.
Red (Copyright 2012 Ingrid Abery)
Ran, a Judel-Vrolijk 72-footer, continues to sail impressively in the Mini Maxi class (IRC 1), winning all five races so far. Red, skippered by Joe Woods of Great Britain with Paul Goodison aboard as tactician, has accomplished the same feat in the inaugural Farr 400 class. “I guess we’ve just figured the boat out a little faster than the other teams,” said Woods, who has previously sailed a Melges 32 at Key West. “We’re winning, but not by much. The racing has been awfully close.” West Marine Rigging/New England Ropes has posted straight bullets in Melges 24 class and built a commanding 10-point lead over Alan Field and the WTF team. Detroit resident Bora Gulari is steering and getting tactical advice from Australian native and North Sails pro Jeremy Wilmot as West Marine Rigging/New England Ropes seeks to follow up on its 2011 national championship. Groovederci, skippered by Deneen Demourkas of Santa Barbara, Cal., has won all five races in Farr 30 class. Teamwork, a J/122 owned by Robin Team of Lexington, N.C., has posted two bullets and a pair of seconds in grabbing a narrow one-point lead over the 1D35 Tres Hombres in PHRF 1. “We’re having a great time because the conditions have been terrific and the competition has been spectacular,” said Team, who has his brother and two sons in the crew. “We’ve been mixing it up with Tres Hombres and finished overlapped with them in the first two races today. Rush is also tough so I think it will be a dogfight the whole way.” Rush, a J/109 skippered by Bill Sweetser of Annapolis, was named Lewmar / Navtec Boat of the Day after posting a superb score line of 3-2-1. Tom Babel is calling tactics while Quantum pro Tad Hutchins is calling tactics on Rush, which is currently third in PHRF 1 and second in the J/Boats Subclass. “The conditions were very good for us today. When the wind is 14 knots or less we can fly our big jib, which is kind of like our secret weapon,” Sweetser said. “We pay for that jib in our rating so it’s good whenever we can use it.” It’s been close but no cigar for Rush at Key West as Sweetser’s boat has finished first or second in class several times, but never come away as overall winner at week’s end. “One of these years we’re going to finally break through and it’s going to be wonderful,” he said. Regatta dates are January 15 – 20, 2012.
Melges 32 Copyright 2012 Tim Wilkes
For more Key West Race Week photos by Tim Wilkes check out Tim Wilkes Photography
The weather, or more specifically the imminent threat of lightning, finally took its toll today off Cartagena where the first races for the TP52 Series at the Caja Mediterraneo Region of Murcia Trophy had to be postponed.
After a postponement ashore the TP52 Series fleet were sent out to the race area at a little after two o’clock in the afternoon. The GP42 Series fleet waited around as well, due to get their official practice session away as soon as the TP52 first race went.
Whilst there was a period during which it looked promising with 13-17 knots of breeze blowing from the East, the only initial excitement was watching the IMOCA Open 60 fleet on the Istanbul Europa Race passing along the horizon, some five miles further offshore.
The wait looked like it would be rewarded when the race committee brought the ten boat TP52 fleet under starter’s orders, but within seconds of the start gun the AP flag went back up. They set off upwind anyway, taking the chance to learn the beat in the easterly breeze and nasty, choppy swell, but it was clear that the breeze was shifting all over the place further up the course.
Terry Hutchinson (USA), skipper of the current Audi MedCup champions Quantum Racing (USA) recalled:
“ We were at 10-15 seconds before the start when they postponed the race. We sailed the first mile, mile and a half of the beat and clearly it was getting shiftier as we went further upwind. So we got our mains down and waited. Then another thunder storm rolled through. Here we sit at the dock. So she took a very good decision.”
Meantime the schedule stands with the Coastal Race still planned for Thursday, but the forecast is not much more promising for tomorrow, but the GP42’s now go straight into racing tomorrow.
GP42’s: straight into it
With the weather today keeping teams off the water for their practice racing, the tensions cannot be diffused before the GP42’s take to the water in anger tomorrow. The stakes are high: Islas Canarias Puerto Calero (ESP) and its young organic team from the Canary Islands are up against the veteran Roma 2 (ITA) team, led by match racing veteran Paolo Cian (ITA). Both are tied on points for the overall series title. Roma enjoyed an early lead in the series standings, but the young Canarias team have improved with each event, and are coming off a win in the class’s Owner Driver Championship in Cascais two weeks ago.
But there is also a new player on the GP42 field too: last year’s season champion Iberdola (ESP) is back, with the green machine led by skipper Laureano Wizner (ESP). For not having sailed for nearly a year, they had a credible showing two weeks ago in Cascais, and may find form to get into the fray quickly in this tight and tactically intense class.
The teams will also be using this event as a springboard towards their Global Championship event next month in Puerto Calero, Lanzarote, where trade wind breezes and Atlantic swells make for very exciting sailing in these pocket rocketships.
Ashore, around the Audi MedCup race village, the inclement weather did little to dampen the enthusiasm. In the morning visitors were treated to a spectacular fly past by the Patrulla Aguila, a famous Spanish aerobatic display team.
Quotes of the day:
Thierry Peponnet (FRA) helm of Bribón (ESP):
“ Marcel (navigator Marcel van Triest) had told me there might be a possibility of racing between three and four, but after that, it’s finished. He’s the champion in weather forecasting. I think that they took the right decision by sending the boats out, and also stopping the race, even if it was just 30 seconds before the start. That us right. Not after the race starts, but before because
Steve Hayles (GBR) navigator Matador (ARG):
“ As raced officer you have got to try. I really think a lot of us thought it would never happen today, it was a really tough forecast so I think you have to try. And you have to put yourself in her (race officer Maria Torcida’s) shoes. She had 13-14 knots of wind when we went out and we had one hour to get one race. After that it looked really unlikely so for sure they had to try.”
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=
Artemis, Bigamist and Valars Practice For Tomorrows Racing (Photo by Ian Roman / Audi Medcup)
Perhaps recalling positive memories of their success on this Cartagena race track last season José Cusi’s Bribón (ESP) crew started smartly off the left, pin end of the start line in the modest 7-9 knot SWW’ly breeze, and so were able to lead around the windward turn by more than 30 seconds over Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL). They won by over one and a half minutes from Emirates Team New Zealand.
The Kiwi team, overall leaders on the Audi MedCup Circuit 2009, were also able to reap the benefit on the left side of the first beat, gaining an extra helping of wind pressure before being able to earn additional rewards when the breeze shifted slightly to the left on the top third of this opening leg.
As expected this Caja Mediterranéo Region of Murcia Trophy race area proved a challenging one in this weight and direction of wind. The high, steep scrubby hills to the right of the race track, and a high promontory to the high right of the area affect the breeze and those who erred right, looking for a starboard tack lift, upwind were actually punished at times with lighter airs.
“We remembered from last year that this is a tricky race course and that is what it proved today. There is not really any rhyme or reason to what is happening. Really there was never a dull moment out there. It was shifty and it was puffy and hard to be consistent, so we are very happy with today.” Said Emirates Team New Zealand’s skipper Dean Barker (NZL),
“It is going to be one of these weeks, consistency in the end will be hard. Anything in the top three is a good result on this race course.”
The downwind legs were at least as hard to read. Synergy (RUS) were fifth at the windward mark at the first turn, but stayed offshore, to the right downwind for longest on the run and were able to steal third at the first leeward gate.
The new brains trust at the back of Artemis (SWE), challengers for second overall in the Series, made a steady fourth place. With Vasco Vascotto (ITA) steering, Paul Cayard (USA) on tactics and past 49er and 505 World Champion Chris Nicholson (AUS) on board for this regatta, initially Artemis were caught out just after the start when they had to avoid the starboard tack Synergy (RUS) at the last minute and ended up very slow, but they recovered quickly and served notice they will be contenders in these conditions.
Things looked promising for the Portuguese crew on Bigamist 7 after they made a sterling recovery from an early start. They were recalled for starting prematurely but rallied back to round the first turn in third place. But from there they slipped back to sixth on the first run, finishing eighth.
TP 52 Practice Day Rounding (Photo by Nico Martinez / Audi Med Cup)
Sailing as guest on Bribon was former Real Madrid footballer Ruben de la Red (ESP), while the VIP guest on Bigamist (POR) was a local golden labrador Nana (ESP) who is the star of a popular Spanish TV programme.
With three races scheduled tomorrow Emirates Team New Zealand start with a 52 points series lead.
Audi MedCup Circuit 2009
Caja Mediterráneo Region of Murcia Trophy
TP52 Series
Practice Race
1. Bribón (ESP)
2. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL), +01:33
3. Synergy (RUS), +01:40
4. Artemis (SWE), +02:16
5. Quantum Racing (USA), +02:20
Audi MedCup Circuit 2009
Overall (after 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
