Monday, May 27, 2013
Nicolas Grange's Okalys-Corum won the Grand Prix Les Ambassadeurs 2013. Image copyright Loris von Siebenthal/myimage.ch
by Spindrift Racing media
On Saturday and Sunday, 11 D35 catamarans raced on Lake Geneva in the second round of the 2013 Vulcain Trophy. The only notable absentee was the wind, which fluctuated between 0 and 10 knots. It meant that they could only contest three rounds of the Les Ambassadeurs Grand Prix.
par Natacha Borri
Le week-end du Grand Prix LES AMBASSADEURS a mis les nerfs des navigateurs à rude épreuve, le vent capricieux et évanescent leur a joué de nombreux tours. Okalys-Corum, barré par Nicolas Grange a brillamment remporté la victoire grâce à des choix stratégiques judicieux. Sur la deuxième place du podium, Guy de Picciotto et son team Zen Too sabrent aussi le champagne pour fêter leur première place au classement général du Vulcain Trophy. Ylliam-Comptoir-Immobilier de Guillaume Bureau et Bertrand Demole s’assure une très belle troisième place en gagnant notamment la dernière manche du week-end.
La première manche du week-end a démarré très fort. Impatients d’en découdre, les D35 se sont jetés sur la ligne de départ jusqu’à risquer le rappel individuel comme ce fut le cas pour Oryx et Realstone. Excellent départ bâbord pour Ylliam-Comptoir Immobilier qui va garder sa place de leader jusqu’au passage de la deuxième porte au vent. Bertrand Demole est heureux : Nous avons touché les airs en premier et sommes restés devant la flotte mais avons finalement été rattrapé par Okalys-Corum et Veltigroup.» Le dernier bord a été particulièrement laborieux suite à une chute du vent qui a subitement coupé les multicoques dans leur élan. Ladycat powered by Spindrift racing s’adjuge la quatrième place et Zen Too la cinquième. Oryx termine hors temps pour sa première régate mais se rattrape en terminant cinquième et huitième lors des deux manches du dimanche.
Pour Nicolas Grange, qui remporte le Grand Prix, «les conditions légères de ces deux jours permettaient de parier sur une stratégie différente de celle de la flotte, ça a plutôt bien marché.» Son équipage, riche de trois nouveaux membres, a eu peu d’occasions de s’entrainer pourtant le barreur d’Okalys-Corum raconte que « chacun était en phase et la vitesse très bonne. Le plus difficile et important consiste à rester régulier tout au long de la saison.»
Fred Le Peutrec sur Zen Too, deuxième du Grand Prix LES AMBASSADEURS et premier du Vulcain Trophy, rend hommage à la voilerie Europ’Sails et à l’expertise de Canard. « Notre performance est aussi une conséquence de l’excellente évolution de nos voiles, mais sur le Léman, les variations de vent obligent à être vigilants, acharnés et disponibles. Il faut persévérer jusqu’au dernier mètre avant l’arrivée, ici rien n’est acquis.» De son côté, Christophe Lassègue vainqueur du Bol d’Or sur Foncia en 2009 et régleur de voile avant sur Zen Too confirme le sentiment partagé sur le bateau : «Guy de Picciotto nous met dans les conditions favorables à la performance en plus de son rôle important à bord.»
Alinghi termine sixième du Grand Prix mais troisième au classement général suivi de près par Realstone et Ladycat powered by Spindrift racing. C’est très serré entre Ylliam-Comptoir Immobilier, Tilt et Nickel tandis que SUI9, Veltigroup et Oryx ferment le classement. Le championnat reste ouvert et sera très disputé lors de l’Open de Versoix II et la Genève-Rolle les 7-8-9 juin.
Classement du GP LES AMBASSADEURS:
1-Okalys-Corum
2-Zen Too
3-Ylliam-Comptoir Immobilier
4-Ladycat powered by Spindrift racing
5-Realstone sailing
6-Alinghi
7-Nickel
8-Tilt
9-Veltigroup
10-Sui9
11-Oryx
D35 Vulcain Trophy
by Stena Match Cup Sweden media
Staffan Lindberg and his Alandia Sailing Team has won an entry to Stena Match Cup Sweden after beating Danish skipper Joachim Aschenbrenner in the final of the GKSS Spring Cup this weekend. The Swedish skipper Henrik Eyerman and his crew were sensationally the only Swedes to advance from the Round Robin of the event, which gave them the Swedish qualifying ticket to Marstrand.
This weekend, the GKSS Spring Cup was sailed in perfect conditions at the Royal Gothenburg Yacht Club with sun and 25 knots of wind. The regatta serves as a qualifying event for Stena Match Cup Sweden, the third stage of the Alpari World Match Racing Tour, and several top ranked teams came to battle for a entry ticket to Marstrand. After the line-up of ten teams had boiled down during the Round Robin and Winner’s Round three Danish teams and Staffan Lindberg (FIN) were left in the Semifinals. The Finish skipper lost his first match against Nicolai Sehested but came back to outmaneuver his opponent in two straight matches and secure a spot in the final. There he was put against Joachim Aschenbrenner and his Danish team, the winners of the Winner’s Round. Lindberg got of to a good start in the first final match, was in control from start to finish in gusty winds, and continued with another victory in the second match - Alandia Sailing Team had won the Spring Cup and the ticket to Marstrand was theirs.
“Heading into this event, we knew that the competition was tough and that we had to perform our best to win and the whole crew has sailed perfectly; we have worked well as a team with good speed and maneuvering. It feels great heading for Marstrand and we can go there as underdogs which fits us fine”, says Staffan Lindberg, the Skipper of Alandia Sailing Team.
The Swedish skipper Henrik Eyermann and his team was the big surprise of the weekend as they grabbed the Swedish qualifying spot. Eyermann, 156 on the ISAF match racing ranking, was the only Swedish skipper to advance from the Round Robin, which meant his team had secured an entry to Stena Match Cup Sweden as the best Swedes in the GKSS Spring Cup.
“It’s a dream to get to compete at Marstrand and this is a complete surprise even for us. We are really happy and excited about qualifying, things have worked well in the team and we have just kept going”, says Henrik Eyermann.
The 51 year old Eyermann has never competed in a World Tour event before but he has a strong record as a sailor, with a fourth place in the 1984 Olympics in the Star Class together with Kent Carlsson. Now he and his crew will be one of the twelve teams competing in the Open Class of Stena Match Cup Sweden 2013.
Open Clas Stena Match Cup Sweden 2013:
Ian Williams (GBR)
Björn Hansen (SWE)
Phil Robertson (NZL)
Keith Swinton (AUS)
Pierre-Antoine Morvan (FRA)
Johnie Berntsson (SWE)
Taylor Canfied (USA)
Adam Minoprio (NZL)
Staffan Lindberg (FIN)
Henrik Eyermann (SWE)
Wild Card 1 - Mathieu Richard (FRA)
Wild Card 2 – To be announced
Stena Match Cup Sweden
ArMen Race
A bord de VIRBAC-PAPREC 70 sur l'Armen Race par Virbac-Paprec_SailingTeam
Convoyage entre Lorient et Nice
19 mai 2013. Destination Nice ! par Virbac-Paprec_SailingTeam
Bilou nous fait partager l'ambiance à bord de Virbac-Paprec 70 lors du convoyage entre Lorient et Nice : a voir, sans moderation !
22 mai 2013. Convoyage Lorient - Nice à bord de... par Virbac-Paprec_SailingTeam
Jean-Pierre Dick présente son équipage pour la Route des Princes
Jean-Pierre Dick présente son équipage pour la... par Virbac-Paprec_SailingTeam
Virbac Paprec Sailing Team
A bord de VIRBAC-PAPREC 70 sur l'Armen Race par Virbac-Paprec_SailingTeam
Convoyage entre Lorient et Nice
19 mai 2013. Destination Nice ! par Virbac-Paprec_SailingTeam
Bilou nous fait partager l'ambiance à bord de Virbac-Paprec 70 lors du convoyage entre Lorient et Nice : a voir, sans moderation !
22 mai 2013. Convoyage Lorient - Nice à bord de... par Virbac-Paprec_SailingTeam
Jean-Pierre Dick présente son équipage pour la Route des Princes
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Virbac Paprec Sailing Team
Winning the final race in Barcelona Quantum Racing, skippered by Ed Baird with Terry Hutchinson as tactician, contributed all that they could to lifting the Conde de Godo Trophy regatta for the second year in a row, but with long time event leaders Azzurra slumping to a dramatic seventh place at the same time, the American team did have a little unexpected assistance from their main rivals.
Race start. Image copyright Xaume Olleros/52superseries.com
Azzurra went into Sunday's only race with a lead of two points on Quantum Racing and four on Niklas Zennstrom's Ran Racing, but the defending 2012 52 Super Series champions Azzurra had only a modest first beat and then were penalised for fouling Interlodge at the spreader mark spinnaker hoist.
Required to take a penalty turn Azzurra's hopes of winning the regatta evaporated at that point. There was no coming back for them as Quantum Racing were already half a mile down the first run, sailing securely and confidently to take the winning gun and with it the Conde de Godo Trophy and draw first blood on the 2013 52 Super Series.
Ran Racing's second place, with Azzurra seventh gives Zennstrom's world champions crew second overall in Barcelona, the city where they won their first 52 regatta as a team in 2011.
Barcelona delivered a potent mix of breezes including two memorable days when the early season winds were consistently over 20kts, complemented nicely by Sunday's 11-15kts showdown.
Trofeo Conde de Godo, standings after eight races
1. Quantum Racing, USA, 18 points
2. Ran, SWE, 21
3. Azzurra, ITA, 22
4. Gladiator, GBR, 35
5. Interlodge, USA, 35
6. Rio, USA, 45
7. Provezza, TUR, 48
52 syuper Series
by Zoe Hawkins
Following a dismasting in March, TeamVodafoneSailing is back and almost ready to roll into the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron's Auckland to Musket Cove, Fiji Race starting this Saturday.
The boat is back in the water, but waiting on another stay before it can hoist sails.
“We won't miss the sprint to warmer climes if we can at all help at – arriving at Musket Cove is always a great experience,” says Skipper Simon Hull. “We will only have a few days to shake her down, but we will be there Saturday for the race start.”
With the help of Southern Spars, the rig has been modified to overcome the weakness that caused the failure, and the PBO stays have been replaced with EC6 Carbon rigging.
“We will race to Musket Cove, have a few days R&R, and bring the boat home for an overhaul,” says Simon. The refit will be its first in three years, and will make the boat race ready for the spring season.
The crew racing to Musket Cove are Simon Hull, Stu 'Disco 'Mackinven, Rod Chave, Nude Guy Hewson, Paddy O’Reily, Chris Smith, Scotty Simpson, Andy 'Twinkle Toes' Potter, and Harry Hull.
Atom Ant has withdrawn from the event, and the remaining starters are Outrageous Fortune, Wild Card, Equilibrium, V5, Venture 2, Squealer, and Vision (cruising rally).
A large high north of New Zealand is expected to make for a long slow race, and more information including PredictWind weather routing and predicted finishing times, will be issued soon.
The 1,150 mile marathon starts off Westhaven Marina in Auckland at midday on Saturday 1 June, and finishes at the resort of Musket Cove in Fiji. The race is supported by Manson Anchors, PredictWind.com, and TNL GAC Pindar, and all boats will carry a Yellowbrick Tracker with them on the race course, so that you can see where they are up to at any time by visiting www.rnzys.org.nz. For TeamVodafone tracker and Facebook updates, visit www.teamvodafonesailing.co.nz.
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