Karol Jablonski, Synergy's skipper. Image copyright Alexander Peshnyak.
Anne Hinton caught up with Karol Jablonski after the Portugal Trophy of the Audi MedCup and before the Louis Vuitton Trophy (LVT) La Maddalena, where Synergy lie in the top three places in the round robin at time of publication (with a 4-3 win-loss score, while Artemis and ETNZ are on 4-1).
Synergy Russian Sailing Team has scored wins over BMW ORACLE Racing, Luna Rossa, ALL4ONE and Aleph Sailing Team, and finished just 4 seconds behind Emirates Team New Zealand, 6 seconds behind TEAMORIGIN and 8 seconds behind Mascalzone Latino Audi Team at the Louis Vuitton Trophy La Maddalena.
Synergy at the first event of the Audi MedCup 2010. Image copyright Ian Roman/Audi MedCup.
AH: Have you trained much with the TP52 this year, for the Audi MedCup?
KJ: We did one week of practice in April in Valencia. Obviously it would be great to spend more time on the boat improving communication, crew work and testing sails...
AH: How old is the Synergy TP52?
KJ: This boat is the original BOR [BMW ORACLE Racing] boat, which they raced only once, a year ago in Marseille.
Synergy leads Portugal Trophy winner Emirates Team New Zealand at the first stage of the Audi MedCup 2010, off Cascais. Image copyright Ainhoa Sanchez/Audi MedCup.
AH: Are you happy with the results from Portugal?
KJ: We missed the chance to get a better result due to two bad last days and problems with the sailcloth of our gennaker A4.
KJ: The good news is, that between the second and eight place there is only small different in the total points. So, it's going to be long, tough season where every race will count.
Synergy at the Audi MedCup Portugal Trophy. Image copyright Ian Roman/Audi MedCup.
AH: Moving on to the Louis Vuitton Trophy La Maddalena, have you had much time to train for this?
KJ: We had 5 very good days practice session in the beginning of May in Valencia. We were training with Luna Rossa and the wind conditions were excellent. So we have improved our crew work a lot and are much better prepared for this event [than in Auckland]. There won’t be any easy races and it’s very difficult to say now, where we are gonna end up.
Synergy's Audi MedCup team in Portugal. Image copyright Ian Roman/Audi MedCup.
AH: Did it help the crew to sail in the Audi MedCup before the Louis Vuitton Trophy La Maddalena, although the boats are rather different?
KJ: Our crew is coming together. On the TP52 we sail with 8 Russians, two Kiwis, one Italian and one Pole. Communication - it’s been and still is a big issue, but we are heading in the right direction. We all have to improve in our jobs a lot in order to be more competitive in Marseille [for the next Audi MedCup event].
Race Day 7, Louis Vuitton Trophy La Maddalena. Synergy Russian Sailing Team (RUS) leads BMW ORACLE Racing (USA), © Bob Grieser/outsideimages.co.nz/Louis Vuitton Trophy.
AH: What do you think of the conditions in La Maddalena?
KJ: It’s going to be a very challenging to race here: short courses, wind shifts, current and very competitive teams... We have now got 10 teams incl. BOR and Luna Rossa participating in this event. The level is for sure higher then ever, but this is good for this event and sailing.
AH: What sailing is Synergy doing this year?
KJ: The Synergy Team is mainly focused on the LVT and MedCup and this is pretty much a full on programme.
Race Day 7, Louis Vuitton Trophy La Maddalena. Synergy Russian Sailing Team (RUS) leads BMW ORACLE Racing (USA), © Bob Grieser/outsideimages.co.nz/Louis Vuitton Trophy.
AH: What sailing are you doing this year?
KJ: I’m involved in both of these programmes and I do a bit of racing on the super maxi yachts. That’s probably enough :)
AH: Will Synergy go for the next America's Cup?
KJ: Difficult to say now, as we still don’t know enough about the next Cup...
AH: Many thanks for your time and all the best with your sailing.
Synergy Russian Sailing Team
