SailRaceWin

Saturday, 28 August 2010

Baltic Match Tour - Sweden: Frustration for WAKA Racing

by Garth Ellingham

It has been a tough couple of days onboard our boat. We have now been knocked out of the tough formated, first event of the Baltic Match Tour, missing out on the semi-finals.

The event started yesterday with an extremely frustrating day in light, very shifty conditions. Our first opponent was no slouch, top ranked skipper Bjorn Hansen (ISAF 7th) and this pretty much set the tone for us for the day. Our start was not good but we came back strong to be right behind and enforce a penalty on him on the final run to the finish. We were in a very strong position and as we were approaching the finish we had managed to gain mark room on the finish mark so the race was pretty much ours.

However, Bjorn never gave up and illegally forced us to the other side of the finish bouy so we couldn’t finish. The umpires penalised him for doing so, which meant he now had two penalties owing. By doing so he had pushed us into a really bad position and was able to complete one of his penalty turns and then line us up on starboard to wipe his remaining turn.

In this situation normally Bjorn would have been penalised twice for pushing us outside the mark as it disadvantaged us so much and therefore would have been black flagged from the race. However in the heat of the moment the umpires were gun shy on getting out the black flag, handing the race to Bjorn. We were furious as we were completely robbed and on reflection the umpires apoligised for not disqualifying him from the race. After this we talked about not letting the race affect us and hoped it would not come back to haunt us.

However the frustration continued not only with umpires but wind also. Next race against Mike Perris. He ran into the back of us in some close quarter action and the umpires completely missed the incident.

In two other races we were right behind or ahead with penalties on our opponent on the final run and wind that was not visible on the water hit our opponent but not us allowing them to extend enough to complete their penalty and finish in front of us.

By the end of the day we were pretty much pulling our hair out as we were sailing really well for 85% of the race and then using the remaining 15% to give away all we had worked for. At the end the day we sat down and could honestly say we were the ones that should have won all 8 of our races but through our own fault and others had lead us to a 3/5 win-loss ratio.

Coming into day two our previous days performance had pretty much certified that we had no chance of making the top 4 after the single round robin was completed. This meant that today we were racing for pride and to try and move forward from this rut in form that the team seems to be in. Full credit to the boys, as we came out firing for our final two races to demolish both Eugeny Neugodnikov and fierce rival/great mate Keith Swinton.

Onboard today everything clicked for the first time in a long time and the confidence definitely jumped up a level. So luckily for us we have our next event starting on Monday in Tallin, where we are 100% focussed on redemption!

Watch this space...

The Waka boys.

Waka Racing would like to thank our main sponsor Tax Management NZ and all the support we receive from the RNZYS, Frontend, Zhik , Wells and Co, PredictWind and Devine Consultants.

WAKA Racing
Baltic Match Tour

CMRC Chicago Cup: Buckley Wins Chicago Match Cup

CMRC Chicago Cup. Image copyright CMRC.

Lowest-ranked, dark horse team defeats highest-ranked team in fantastic final day of ISAF Grade 2 event

by CMRC media

What a difference a day makes: near-perfect conditions produced a dark horse winner and the most exciting action yet in today’s final day of the 2010 Chicago Match Cup. Mike Buckley (USA) and his team of Nathan Hollerbach, Dave Hughes, Danielle Soriano, and Mark Pinney have claimed the top prize in this ISAF Grade 2 event, the first of the August Grade 2 Trifecta. Buckley has also earned an invitation to next month’s Danish Open, the next event on the ISAF Grade WC World Match Race Tour.

Being the lowest-ranked team coming into the competition, Buckley’s win in an exciting 2-1 Final over runner-up Reuben Corbett (NZL) and his Black Sheep Racing team was made all the more remarkable for the fact that this was only the third match race regatta the Annapolis-based Buckley has sailed as skipper, the rest being as a trimmer or tactician.

“I would love to skipper in more events,” said Buckley, “provided I can get the invites. I really had fun, but I want to thank my team, they carried me throughout this regatta.”

Will Tiller's Full Metal Jacket Racing (NZ) in Chicago. Image copyright CMRC.

In front of a crowd of hundreds assembled along the Lakefront shoreline, the day started with many contradictions: reigning US Match Race Champion Bill Hardesty (USA) and his Team Line Honors was winner of the Round Robin on an 8-1 score yet fell in the first-to-two point Quarter Final round to Buckley 2-1 in an action-packed series with numerous lead changes and multiple penalty flags flown.

“We just got too aggressive and got in trouble with that,” said Hardesty. “We had many opportunities but just missed them, and Mike and his team sailed well.”

But the team that had earned more flags than any in a single match, including a black flag, was the Tre-For Match Racing Team led by Nicolai Sehested (DEN). In their 3rd and final match with rival Laurie Jury (NZL) and his SLAM Kiwi Racing Team, the Danes first earned a penalty at the start, then another on a port-starboard encounter on the first beat.

“We didn’t hear the whistle or see the flag,” claims Sehested, “ so we just kept focusing on sailing. Next thing we saw was the black flag – the first I ever got!”

With the breeze filled in from the west, but varying wildly in direction and velocity, race managers gave the Semi-Finals a first-to-three point format, and it was the Jury versus Corbett “Battle of the Kiwis” that provided the most excitement of any rivalry in the event. Trading match wins all the way to the deciding fifth match, both teams hammered at each other all around the track, from entry to finish.

In typical understated deadpan Kiwi style, Jury said “Yeah, we usually have some good matches.”

But Corbett pointed out an interesting irony to his runner-up climb out from his 8th-place 3-6 score in the Round Robin: “We actually lost more matches than we won!”

Corbett, along with fellow Kiwi William Tiller (NZL) and his Full Metal Jacket Team will be traveling later this week to the second event on the next event in the Trifecta, the Toyota International Match Race for the Detroit Cup, held at Bayview YC. Other invitees from this event going to Detroit are Sergei Musikhin (RUS), Taylor Canfield (ISV), Chris VanTol (USA), Hardesty, and Sehested. Most of these teams will also be going on to the third event of the Trifecta, the Knickerbocker Cup, held over 25-29 August at Manhasset Bay YC in Port Washington, NY, with the overall winner getting an invitation to the Long Beach YC’s Congressional Cup in March 2011.

"This was a great competition, and we're very excited to see this level of match race sailing growing in the US," said Chief Umpire Steve Wrigley. "The quality of the competitors, race officials, and event managers has now truly reached world-class standards."

Will Tiller's Full Metal Jacket Racing (NZ) in Chicago. Image copyright CMRC.

Official Partners of the CMRC and the Chicago Match Cup include CME Group and the City Inns family of hotels, and NYSE LIFFE is CMRC’s official Boat Sponsor.

For more information about the other two August Grade 2 Trifecta events, visit www.detroitcup.com and www.manhassetbayyc.org.

Final Results, 2010 Chicago Match Cup:

1. Mike Buckley (USA)
2. Reuben Corbett (NZL), Black Sheep Racing
3. Taylor Canfield (ISV)
4. Laurie Jury (NZL), SLAM Kiwi Racing
5. Bill Hardesty (USA), Team Line Honors
6. Nicolai Sehested (DEN), Tre-For Match Racing Team
7. Don Wilson (USA), Team CMRC
8. William Tiller (NZL), Full Metal Jacket Team
9. Chris VanTol (USA)
10. Sergei Musikhin (RUS)

CMRC Chicago Cup

CMRC Chicago Cup: SLAM Kiwi Match find Chicago Shifty

SLAM Kiwi Match in Chicago. Image copyright CMRC.

by Logan Fraser

It was another case of close but not quite close enough for SLAM Kiwi Match in Chicago. It came down to the last couple of hours of racing on Sunday afternoon but unfortunately the shifts didn't quite go our way; and boy, they were some serious shifts!

Things were looking a bit shaky on the Saturday afternoon for the Chicago Match Race Centre to complete a full programme of racing. After several futile attempts in a light fickle breeze to hold the second round robin it was decided to send everyone ashore and a new plan was developed for Sunday, weather permitting. Fortunately the weather mostly played along on Sunday and a wise decision to hold quarter finals instead of a full second round robin was made. This was a great decision for us as a slow start in the first round robin meant we would have struggled to make the top 4 without a full second round robin.

SLAM Kiwi Match in Chicago. Image copyright CMRC.

We were paired with Nicolai Sehested in the first to 2 point quarter finals which we were comfortable with, having felt solid against him in our round robin race. Our confidence was proven justified winning our quarters with relative ease including a black flag win in our last race. This put us in the very familiar position of racing fellow Kiwi Reuben Corbett in the semi finals. Reuben was also coming off a slow start in the regatta and only just scraped through into the top 8, however we knew never to underestimate the Black Sheep Racing team.

The gentle northerly breeze held in nicely for the start of the semi finals and the racing was living up to everyone's expectations. With penalties, luffing, close crosses and closer mark roundings, things were swinging in our favour taking a 2 – 1 lead in the first to 3 point semi. This unfortunately, was the end of the breeze playing along and a complete shut down for over an hour put the regatta on hold once again.

When the breeze did return it came from a new direction and changed the racing into a completely new game. Blowing directly through the Chicago city buildings we were having 60 degree shifts and 15knt puffs. It was literally a mine field for match racing with the top mark set barely metres from the breakwall. It became less about match racing and more about winning a lottery, but even so, the close racing between us and Reuben continued. It came right down to the wire but didn't go our way as we lost our next 2 races to come up short.

This put us in a sudden death sail off against Taylor Canfield for 3rd and 4th which we also came out on the wrong side of. It was a bitter pill to swallow after feeling confident at the start of the day and another case of what might have been. We will continue to build as a team from here though as we hit the road to Detroit for our next regatta.

It is always a pleasure sailing in Chicago; the setup here is first class and completely unique. If only the conditions were as ideal as the setup it would almost be perfect. Thanks to everyone who followed the racing both on our website and the great coverage on the CMRC website, your support is appreciated. Also a huge thank you to Peter and Suzannah who kindly hosted our team in Chicago, your hospitality was amazing.

SLAM Kiwi Match
CMRC Chicago Cup

CMRC Chicago Cup: Black Sheep Racing Make the Finals

Reuben Corbett and Black Sheep Racing (NZ) versus Mike Buckley (USA) in the finals. Image copyright CMRC.

by Reuben Corbett

They do it differently here in Chicago as the top qualifier chooses their opponent and boat for the quarter finals. Surprisingly we were the last team to be chosen despite our results leading into the quarter finals. Don Wilson (USA) was nominated our competitor. Don beat us in the round robin but our team sailed well leading from start to finish in both quarter final races, winning 2-0.

Black Sheep Racing at the CMRC Chicago Cup. Image copyright CMRC.

Laurie Jury (NZL), Taylor Canfield (USVI) and Mike Buckley (USA) were the other successful quarter final competitors. Taylor Canfield, being the top ranked chose to race Mike Buckley who again caused an upset to beat Taylor 3-0 in there semi final. Laurie Jury and Black Sheep were once again paired together for a semi final, where all five races included penalties, lead changes and overall some thrilling match racing for the spectators. After being down 2-1 Black Sheep pulled through to win 3-2 thanks to some great team work.

Black Sheep Racing during the Chicago Cup. Image copyright CMRC.

Come finals time the wind started playing tricks shifting 90deg+ in either direction, predominantly offshore. That combined with an ever increasing sloppy sea state with a race track held a couple of lengths from the shore made for a fleet racing style final. Mike Buckley and his team who had been sailing the boats really well the entire regatta continued to do so and took out the final 2-1. Black Sheep are happy to have improved their placing from eighth at the beginning of the day to second at the end, however, it isn’t first.

Black Sheep Racing during the Chicago Cup. Image copyright CMRC.

The team now heads for Detroit to compete in the Detroit Cup, grade 2 match race.

Black Sheep Racing during the Chicago Cup. Image copyright CMRC.

Final Standings
1st Mike Buckley
2nd Black Sheep Racing
3rd Taylor Canfield
4th Laurie Jury
5th Bill Hardesty
6th Nicolai Sehested
7th Don Wilson
8th William Tiller
9th Chris VanTol
10th Sergey Musikhin

The winners: Mike Buckley (USA). Image copyright CMRC.

Black Sheep Racing would like to thank the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, friends and family for their support. Thank you!

Black Sheep Racing
Chicago Match Cup

Black Sheep Racing Win York Cup

Black Sheep Racing with the York Cup. Supplied image.

by Reuben Corbett

Black Sheep have begun their North American tour starting with a road trip from New York to Toronto, Canada. The team has a series of regattas including the York Cup, Chicago Match Cup, Detroit Cup and then back to New York for the Knickerbocker Cup.

Black Sheep Racing proved the goods in Toronto, Canada where we won the York Cup.

After a poor start to the regatta, the team gradually came together throughout the event to qualify for the semis in second place. We then won the semi final 2-0 before taking out the final 3-1 against Peter Wickwire.

Black Sheep Racing on tour in North America. Supplied image.

The aim of this event was to hone the teams skills prior to the Chicago Match Cup held August 13th-15th as Andrew Clouston has joined the team for the next set of regattas. With Andrew doing his maiden regatta on the bow and Tom doing main for the first time in a long while we were all a little out of our comfort zone but it came together in the end.

We also continue our rise up the rankings, the latest of which includes our second placing at the Manu Minard Trophy in France. We moved up seven places to 18th.

We would like to thank the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, friends and family for their support. Thank you!

Black Sheep Racing is Tom Bentham, Andrew Clouston, Brad Farrand and Reuben Corbett.

Black Sheep Racing

Oman Air Majan Smashes Singlehanded Round Britain and Ireland Record

Sidney Gavignet crosses the finishing line off the Lizard, Cornwall, England. Image copyright Mark Lloyd/Lloyd Images/Oman Sail.

by Lucy Harwood

At 09:03:55 GMT Tuesday (24/08/10) skipper Sidney Gavignet (FRA) onboard OMAN AIR MAJAN crossed the finish line off Lizard Point, Cornwall to smash the single handed Round Britain and Ireland record. The A100 trimaran broke the existing record held by Thomas Coville by a massive 1 day 15 hours 30 minutes and 44 seconds.

This incredible achievement also means Sidney has beaten the existing fully crewed record time by 1 hour and 7 seconds. This record was set by Steve Fosset onboard Playstation in 2002.

The record attempt has seen OMAN AIR MAJAN sail 1,787 miles along one of the most challenging coastlines in the world. Sidney has tackled huge low pressure systems and sailed through squalls of over 40 knots. This is the first major test for OMAN AIR MAJAN and Sidney ahead of the single handed Route du Rhum race this coming November.

New single handed Round Britain and Ireland record (subject to ratification by WSSRC)
Distance miles: 1,787
Boat: OMAN AIR MAJAN – 100 foot trimaran
Skipper: Sidney Gavignet (FRA)
Record time: 4 days, 15 hours, 9 minutes, 47 seconds (subject to ratification by WSSRC)

Previous record around Britain and Ireland, Non stop singlehanded
Distance miles: 1,787
Set: August 2006
Boat: Sodebo - 60 foot Trimaran
Record time: 6 days, 6 hours, 40 miniutes, 31 seconds
Average speed: 11.86 knots

Round Britain and Ireland fully crewed record
Distance miles: 1787
Set: October 2002
Boat: Playstation - 125 foot Catamaran
Record time: 4 days, 16 hours, 9 minutes, 54 seconds
www.sailspeedrecords.com

Quote from skipper Sidney Gavignet:
"I am incredibly happy, this record around British Isles is the cherry on the cake for all team at OMAN AIR MAJAN and Oman Sail. I’ve learnt so much from the boat. We made some good sail choices and I feel really happy with the setup onboard. I still have a lot to improve, managing my sleep onboard making sure I eat enough to keep myself in the best possible shape for the challenge ahead. The Route Du Rhum is going to be a huge race for us and I need to raise the level of my performance again for this event. The record attempt was a massive challenge and I have enjoyed every minute of it. Huge congratulations to the whole team we’ve done it!”

“As part of Oman’s Air sponsorship of Oman Sail at the Route du Rhum, the iconic sail regatta which will take place at the end of October, we are excited to be witnessing that all the preparatory stages in the run-up to the race get under way. Following the display of the 100-meter Arabian Trimaran Oman Air during Cowes Week at the Isle of Wight, world famous skipper Sydney Gavignet now readies himself for the single-handed Round Britain and Ireland raid and his attempt to break yet another record. We at Oman Air are both proud and thrilled to be part of the Route du Rhum, this very special event which offers us a great opportunity to promote our airline offering and its unique destination, the Sultanate of Oman.”
Philippe Georgiou, Chief Officer, Corporate Affairs, Oman Air

"A massive congratulations to Sidney and the whole team behind OMAN AIR MAJAN. This is an amazing feat and everyone in Oman is very proud of this great achievement. This a new team, a new boat and a new skipper who have proven to the whole world that they are record breakers. A huge well done from sunny Oman to Sidney and the superb technical & shore team behind him." David Graham, CEO Oman Sail

Reference marks of the West-east course chosen by OMAN AIR MAJAN
Total Distance: 1.785 miles
Departure Cape Lizard (49° 57,5N-5° 12 W) - Dover: 260 miles
Dover - North Sheltand /Muckle Flugga (60°52N-0°53W): 600 miles
North the Shetland - Flannan Isles/Northern Scotland: 300 miles
North Scotland - Fastnet (51°23N-9°36W): 420 miles
Fastnet - Scillies/Bishop Rock'n'roll (49°52N-6°27W): 160 miles
Scillies - Cape Lizard: 45 miles

OMAN AIR MAJAN FACTS
Length: 32 meters (105 feet)
Width: 16.50 meters (54 feet)
Largest Sail: 550 m ²
Designers: Nigel Irens - Benoit Cabaret
Built: Boatspeed, Australia (following the example B& Q/Musandam)
Assembled: Salalah, Oman

Oman Sail
Sail Speed Records