Team Sea Dubai and Team Hiroshi - Città di Milano take the lead in the fleet regatta of the RC44 Malcesine SLAM CUP, Lake Garda, Italy

Start of the second fleet race. Image copyright Gilles Martin-Raget.

Report by Bernard Schopfer (www.maxcomm.ch)

The team from the UAE, led by Markus Wieser, had an excellent day. Sea Dubai leads the event alongside Armando Giulietti's Team Hiroshi – Città di Milano, ahead of Igor Lah's Ceeref and Patrick de Barros' Banco Espirito Santo.

Malcesine, July 11 2008 – The fleet race event of the RC 44 Malcesine SLAM Cup started this afternoon on Lake Garda. As required by the rules, the team owners were back at the helm today, with their pro skippers whispering advice in their ears. The tandems Markus Wieser / Joki Hellmich and Armando Giulietti / Sébastien Col got the best combination today, with a race victory and two good results for both teams: an achievement in the difficult conditions encountered today on Lake Garda. Team Sea Dubai and Hiroshi – Città di Milano lead the provisional ranking with nine points apiece, one point ahead of Igor Lah's Ceeref and two points ahead of Patrick de Barros' Banco Espirito Santo.

The first race started soon after lunch, at a time when the local southerly thermal breeze – called the Ora - was not yet well established. Both Team Ceeref and Team Sea Dubai started at the pin end of the line, opting for the left of the course; clearly the side that had proved to be favoured most of the time since the beginning of the event. However, Team Organika and Team Aqua tacked immediately and sailed straight into a windless area where they remained for way too long to hope for a come back.

Ceeref rounded the windward mark in the lead, comfortably ahead of Team Sea Dubai. However, the Slovenian team suffered from a technical failure at the leeward mark, letting Sea Dubai, BMW ORACLE Racing and Banco Espirito Santo sail past before managing to hoist their genoa. There were no surprises during the second beat and run, Markus Wieser’s Team Sea Dubai claimed their second victory on the circuit after the one obtained in Cagliari.

The wind reached 12-15 knots for the start of race two, allowing a more regular race to be completed. The fight for the pin end was much harder this time, with Ceeref making the best of it whilst BMW ORACLE Racing, Hiroshi – Città di Milano and Banco Espirito Santo chose the right of the course. Benefiting from a steadier wind, the fleet remained compact throughout the race, with Armando Giulietti's Team Hiroshi – Città di Milano winning from Patrick de Barros' Banco Espirito Santo and Team Sea Dubai, all separated by a few boat lengths at the finish line.

The pressure was on the helmsmen for the start of race three, with Team Sea Dubai and Banco Espirito Santo sharing the initial lead. The set up was different once again, with a lighter and less regular breeze, certainly disturbed by the big clouds that were surrounding the top of the mountains. Maciej Navrocki and his crew on board Team Organika had a fantastic race, sailing ahead of the fleet with a comfortable margin over Ceeref until they failed to hoist their spinnaker at the last windward mark, letting Ceeref sail alone to victory. The most intense race within a race came from Team Sea Dubai and Banco Espirito Santo, who controlled each other during the first run as if they were in the final race of the event. Hiroshi benefited from this to grab third place and jump into the lead in the provisional rankings, tied with Sea Dubai.

They said :

Markus Wieser, tactician, Team Sea Dubai : “We had a new crew combination today, so it wasn’t that easy. But we are definitely improving a lot. Our strategy was good, and Joki Hellmich did a great job at the helm. Our goal here is to make it to the top four, so obviously we are very happy to be in the lead after three races.”

Philippe Presti, tactician, Team Organika : “We were out of tune in the first two races but we got our act together in the last. We took a good start and chose the right strategy. We had a big lead until we failed to hoist our spinnaker. The team did a good job today. This is all new to me. I am discovering this Class and I am enjoying it a lot. It’s a great boat, very well thought. It’s hugely fun, it’s fast, I am enjoying it a lot.”

Patrick de Barros, helmsman, Banco Espirito Santo: “The three races were very different from each other. There were enormous wind shifts, up to 40 degrees. It was unusual for Lake Garda. There are now four boats within two points so it’s all open and the next races will be very interesting.”

Isao Mita, helmsman, Beecom: “It was very good fun and exciting today. We sometimes have difficulties finding the right angle downwind, but we are improving. The Class is very nice, the people are great and the level is improving constantly.”

Nicolas Verwilghen, Carbon Affairs: “We didn’t take very good starts but we always managed to get back in the game. Our biggest problem is speed and manoeuvres. This is a fascinating project. The level has increased a lot and a new team needs some time to get in tune. It’s a matter of time more than money.”

Fleet-race, provisional results after 3 races:

(Ranking, name of team, helmsman, results, points)

1) Sea Dubai, Joki Hellmich - 1, 3, 5 – 9 points
2) Team Hiroshi - Città di Milano, Armando Giulietti – 6, 1, 2 - 9 points
3) Team Ceeref, Igor Lah – 4, 5, 1 - 10 points
4) Team Banco Espirito Santo, Patrick de Barros – 3, 2, 6 – 11 points
5) Team Beecom, Isao Mita – 5, 4, 8 – 17 points
6) Team Aqua, Chris Bake – 7, 6, 4 - 17 points
7) BMW ORACLE Racing, Larry Ellison, 2, 7, 9 - 18 points
8) Team Organika, Maciej Navrocki – 8, 8, 3 – 19 points
9) Team Carbon Affairs, Nicolas Verwilghen – 9, 9, 7 - 25 points

RC44 website

Ellison, Coutts and BMW Oracle Racing take RC44 Lake Garda match racing

BMW ORACLE Racing, Continental Champions of the RC 44 Class. Image copyright Gilles Martin-Raget.

Report by Bernard Schopfer (www.maxcomm.ch)

The scenario for the match race event couldn't have been any better, with four teams sharing the lead before the last race, illustrating the closeness and the intensity of the event! Larry Ellison, Russell Coutts and their crew made the best of it; they are the 2008 RC 44 Continental champions.

Malcesine, July 10 2008 – The second and last day of the match racing event of the RC 44 Malcesine SLAM Cup has been rich in surprises and upsets. Indeed, many teams who struggled yesterday managed to get convincing victories today against top teams, proving once again that everybody can win races in this Class.

Sailing against the provisional leader Team Hiroshi – Città di Milano, Philippe Presti and his team on board Organika got the first bullet of the day. After dominating the start in great style, Presti struggled to counter Col's come back – until Hiroshi's spinnaker blew during the last run.

At the same time, the Japanese Team Beecom sailed perfectly against James Spithill’s Ceeref, obtaining its first victory in the event. Team Aqua, who had a bye on the first race, couldn't have dreamed of a better outcome before its race against Ceeref, scheduled just afterwards. However, the team from the UAE didn't make the best of it. After a good start and a very close beat, both Ceeref and Aqua reached the windward mark at the same time; Aqua tried to dunk Ceeref but its bow crashed into Ceeref's transom. Consequence: a penalty, a loss and a broken bow, luckily replaceable in 10 minutes thanks to the wise crash box system established on all boats.

Carbon Affairs, with Michel Vaucher at the helm, had their moment of glory, dominating BMW ORACLE Racing on the starting line and up the first half of the beat; however, the Swiss entry could not keep up with the Americans' boat speed and lost the race. Finally, Organika - definitely on great form today - managed to dominate Dean Barker's Banco Espirito Santo in the starting sequence and the first half of the beat, until they got (a self-inflicted) penalty in a classic port-starboard situation that cost them the race.

At this stage, and before the last flight of the event, four teams were sharing the lead – and they were all going to sail against each other, putting great pressure on all the teams involved!

James Spithill and Ceeref, winner of two match race events this season (Dubai and Traunsee) were not scared by the pressure. They dominated Hiroshi on the starting line and during the entire race, taking provisional lead of the event until completion of the other races.

At this stage, all Larry Ellison and his team on board BMW ORACLE Racing had to do was win the race to win the event. However, their opponent was no other than Banco Espirito Santo, with a certain Dean Barker at the helm. This was definitely going to be the match of the day!

The two teams started the first beat on split tacks, with Barker choosing the usually favoured left hand side of the course, just a few metres away from the shore. Despite the different tactics, only two boat lengths separated the opponents at the windward mark. Larry Ellison immediately started attacking the leading boat, putting huge pressure on the crew. The fight carried on until BMW ORACLE Racing managed to squeeze in at the second windward mark, inflicting a penalty on Banco Espirito Santo and taking the lead to win the race.

Larry Ellison, Russell Coutts and their team on board BMW ORACLE Racing are crowned match race Continental champions of the RC 44 Class, ahead of James Spithill and Igor Lah’s Ceeref and Sébastien Col and Armando Giulietti’s Team Hiroshi – Città di Milano, with Barker and Banco Espirito Santo in fourth (but level on points with Col).

They said :

Larry Ellison, helmsman, BMW ORACLE Racing : “After a very tough day yesterday, we won all our races today and we won the regatta so we’re very happy. This is the most beautiful place I have ever sailed in. The sailing is just fantastic and the venue is great.”

Ross Halcrow, crewmember, BMW ORACLE Racing : “Our last race yesterday, against Ceeref, was definitely the turning point for us. There are many of our team members on this boat, and it was good to beat them. It was the same in the final race today, against Banco Espirito Santo: we knew it would be hard, and we wanted to beat our team mates who were on board. We are very happy we did!”

James Spithill, helmsman, Team Ceeref: “It’s interesting to note that we have lost our two races against the two owners steering in the match: Isao Mita and Larry Ellison. Both have done a fantastic job, and particularly Larry, who has improved a lot today. It’s amazing to see that four boats could win before the last race. It shows how close the fleet is.”

Chris Bake, owner, Team Aqua: “Obviously, we knew how important our match against Ceeref was. But I don’t think it added extra pressure. We were very positive about it. Of course, we knew we had to push. At the windward mark, we tried to dunk them and we hit their transom. It cost us the race.”

Dean Barker, Team Banco Espirito Santo: “We are obviously sad to have lost our last race, but it was a great event. The boats are difficult to sail, and you need a lot of time to improve. This is my third RC 44 event and I feel like I am improving.”

Match-race, final results after nine flights:

(Name of team, helmsman, No of victories / defeats, points)

1) BMW ORACLE Racing, Larry Ellison, 6/2 - 6 points
2) Team Ceeref, James Spithill, 6/2 - 6 points
3) Team Hiroshi - Città di Milano, Sébastien Col 5/3 - 5 points
4) Team Banco Espirito Santo, Dean Barker, 5/3 – 5 points
5) Sea Dubai, Markus Wieser, 4/4 – 4 points
6) Team Aqua, Cameron Appleton, 5/3 - 4 points (1 point penalty)
7) Team Organika, Philippe Presti, 3/5 – 3 points
8) Team Beecom, Isao Mita, 2/6 – 2 points
9) Team Carbon Affairs, Michel Vaucher, 0/8 - 0 points

RC44 website

Kiwis at the RC44 Macelsine SLAM Cup, Lake Garda, Italy

Dean Barker bears away ahead of Cameron Appleton in match racing at the RC44 Macelsine Slam Cup, Lake Garda, Italy. Image copyright Gilles Martin-Raget. There were only two seconds between the two boats at the finishing line in their match race. Barker took the win for Banco Espirito Santo over Appleton on Team Aqua.

Report by Bernard Schopfer (www.maxcomm.ch)

The match race event of the RC 44 Malcesine SLAM Cup couldn’t have started any better, with six flights held in 8-14 knots of typical Lake Garda thermal breeze.

The races took place alongside the beautiful local club, Fraglia Vela di Malcesine, an eco-club-house with a grass covered roof, hardly noticeable from the water. The set up was ideal for the public and the partners' guests, with a starting line splashed hundred metres away from the shore, often forcing the RC 44’s to tack less than ten metres away from the shore and the crowd.

The leaders of the RC44 Championship Tour confirmed their status today, with Team Hiroshi – Città di Milano (Sébastien Col) and Team Aqua (Cameron Appleton) sharing the lead, with five wins and one loss each, ahead of James Spithill’s Team Ceeref (4 points), Team Banco Espirito Santo (Dean Barker) and BMW ORACLE Racing (Larry Ellison), both with three points.

On great form, Team Aqua only lost to Banco Espirito Santo by a couple of seconds. The two helmsmen, Cameron Appleton and Dean Barker, know each other well: they were both doing helming duties for Team New Zealand in the lead up to the 2003 America's Cup.

Team Aqua and Team Hiroshi – Città di Milano have five points each; however, Aqua has beaten Hiroshi today. Tomorrow, both teams have a bye and both have to sail against James Spithill’s Team Ceeref, who will sail three races. Needless to say, these matches will be intense!

Banco Espirito Santo has a good card to play tomorrow, with three matches scheduled against BMW ORACLE Racing, Organika and Carbon Affair. Also competing for a place on the match race event podium, Larry Ellison, Russell Coutts and their crew on board BMW ORACLE Racing are the only team to have beaten Ceeref since the Cagliari Cup in April. They will sail their three last races against Sea Dubai, Carbon Affair and a final match against Banco Espirito Santo.

They said :

Cameron Appleton, helmsman, Team Aqua : “We are very happy. We worked very hard on our sailing and it paid off. The level carries on increasing and I am grateful to the guys in the crew who helped us keep in control and in the front.”

Marco Constant, crewmember, Team Hiroshi – Città di Milano: “It was a pretty good day points wise, but not so much regarding our sailing. We still have lots to improve. Our speed is good but our starts were mediocre. We like those conditions, when the wind is steady and fairly strong.”

Michel Vaucher, helmsman, team Carbon Affairs: “The level has hugely increased since last year, it is very impressive. We have only put our team together recently, and the boat is not very well prepared; this is just not enough to achieve results in this class.”

James Spithill, helmsman, Team Ceeref: “It was a very technical day, with shifty winds. Our speed is good and we are pretty happy. However, there are not many passing opportunities; the other guys really have to make a mistake to be overtaken.”

Russell Coutts, helmsman, BMW ORACLE Racing : “We didn’t have a great day and made many errors. It’s been a while since we sailed in fairly strong winds, and the courses are very short. It’s hard to overtake and you need to make perfect manoeuvres, which we didn’t. All in all, we are happy with our three wins although we didn’t really deserve many of them.”


Match race, provisional results after six flights:

(Name of team, helmsman, No of victories / defeats, points)

1) Team Aqua, Cameron Appleton 5/1 - 5 points
2) Team Hiroshi - Città di Milano, Sébastien Col 5/1 - 5 points
3) Team Ceeref, James Spithill, 4/1 - 4 points
4) Team Banco Espirito Santo, Dean Barker, 3/2 – 3 points
5) BMW ORACLE Racing, Larry Ellison, 3/2 - 3 points
6) Sea Dubai, Markus Wieser 2/3 – 2 points
7) Team Organika, Philippe Presti 2/4 – 2 points
8) Team Beecom, Isao Mita 0/5 – 0 point
9) Team Carbon Affairs, Michel Vaucher, 0/5 - 0 point

RC44 website