by Rob Kothe
The final and most crucial round of the 2009 World Match Racing Tour, the Monsoon Cup, is being sailed in Terengganu, eastern Malaysia from December 1st to 6th. Once, the weeks before this major event provided time for the match racing crews to recharge their batteries, but not any more.
In 2008 young Perth match racer Torvar Mirsky cheekily issued personal invitations to the World Match Racing Tour Champion Ian Williams and the then third placed Mathieu Richard, to come to Perth to train with him on the Swan River, in Foundation 36 match racing boats. The issued invitation was for practice racing before the Monsoon Cup, which is also sailed in the Foundation 36's.
The pre-event preparation yielded results with Mirsky making it to the Monsoon Cup Semi Finals. Williams also made it through, giving Williams the points to take the overall 2008 World Match Racing Tour crown.
A year later and 23 year Mirsky and his New Zealand rival 24 year old year old Adam Minoprio are the top two on the World Match Racing Tour leader board. This year, just a week before the Monsoon Cup, they will be two of the crews participating in the premier international match racing event on the Australian calendar, the Sunseeker Australia Cup.
The Australia Cup was first held in January 1982 at the Royal Perth Yacht Club. The inaugural winner John Bertrand, went on to win the 1983 America's Cup in Newport, Rhode Island onboard Australia II. Since the last series in 2002, the Australia Cup has remained in the Trophy cabinet at the Royal Perth Yacht Club.
Skip Lissiman, CEO of Swan River Sailing, and part of that famous Australia II crew, has been working with the Royal Perth Yacht Club to reintroduce the Australia Cup. This year Sunseeker has come onboard as the primary sponsor.
In a first for Perth, much of the racing will take place on the CBD waterfront, on the city side of the Narrows Bridge, with boats coming within a few metres of the shoreline.
The Sunseeker Australia Cup will be sailed from November 26th through to November 29th and features a heavy weight line up, with seven of the eleven crews chosen for the final World Match Racing Tour event of the year, deciding they need to be on Perth's waterway for some serious pre-Monsoon Cup training.
The Sunseeker Australia Cup pre-race favourite must be Adam Minoprio, the number one ranked match racer in the world, who has 100 points ahead of the Monsoon Cup. Perth's own Torvar Mirsky is second on the Tour with 88 points and Ian Williams, the current World Champion, is on 75 points. Mathieu Richard, who is currently fourth on tour with 74 points, has also chosen to test his skill on the Swan River.
Triple gold Olympic medallist Ben Ainslie, arguably the world's best known sailor, will be fresh from the Louis Vuitton Trophy in Nice, France where he helmed Britain's entry TeamOrigin. Ainslie currently sits in sixth place on the Tour leaderboard and will prove a threat to the other top teams.
Francesco Bruni, twelfth on the Tour, will also be making an appearance at the Perth event. He is in excellent form having just sailed Italy's Azzurra Team into the final of the Louis Vuitton Trophy.
Phil Robertson is the newly crowned Asian Match Racing Champion and will be out to make an impression and gain valuable experience against the world's best match racers at the Sunseeker Australia Cup. Robertson and his team have spent six months of this year on the Tour, steadily improving their ranking and will not be taken lightly by their competitors.
Defending Tour Champion Ian Williams was looking forward to his Perth visit and said 'We'll be doing our best to win the Sunseeker Australia Cup and to try to build some momentum going into the final event of the year. With the way the points are, we have to win in Malaysia, so getting into the habit of winning would be a big boost for us going into the Monsoon Cup.'
Hometown favourite Torvar Mirsky commented 'Our training has been going well and the Sunseeker Australia Cup is going to be a great chance to measure ourselves against the other teams.'
Mirsky Racing Team (MRT) tactician Kinley Fowler said 'The Sunseeker Australia Cup is a really exciting event for us. We want to show the people of Perth what MRT is all about.
'We are going to be sailing right in front of the City on a tight course, with spectators very close to us and in tricky conditions, so it will be non stop action.
'Minoprio and his team have a bit of a jump on us going into the Monsoon Cup, but we only need to put one or two places between us (and them) to take out the title. All of the teams are going to be in their top form, so really anything could happen. It's all going to come down to who sails best on the day.'
Australia Cup
World Match Racing Tour
Tuesday, 24 November 2009
18ft Skiffs - Race 3 NSW Championship
Asko. Image copyright Frank Quealey.
by Frank Quealey
Michael Coxon, Aaron Links and Trent Barnabas have taken a tight grip on the NSW 18ft Skiff Championship after only three of the five scheduled races when they scored their third successive win in Thurlow Fisher-City on Sydney Harbour today.
The trio, however, didn’t have it all their own way as they had to recover from fourth place on the final lap of the course before going on to a 45s victory.
After leading for a majority of the race, Asko Appliances (Archie Massey, Dan Wilsdon and Cameron Mc Donald) had to be content with second placing, with a fast finishing appliancesonline.com.au, skippered by John Winning Jr., a further 1m6s back in third place.
Gotta Love It 7 (Seve Jarvin) finished fourth followed By Gill (Dave Alexander) and Yandoo (John Winning).
With just two more races left in the championship, Thurlow Fisher-City has a perfect score of 3 points to lead Gotta Love It 7 on 8 points, Asko Appliances 16, appliancesonline.com.au and Smeg (Nick Press) on 21 and Yandoo on 23.
Today’s race was sailed over a four-lap windward-return course in very fluctuating NW winds.
Jacqui Bonnitcha, sailing as replacement skipper for Matthew Searle on Red Claw won the start near Clarke Island but Thurlow Fisher-City led narrowly from Gotta Love It 7 mid way up the windward leg with Kinder Caring Home Nursing (Brett Van Munster) in third place.
Appliances Online. Image copyright Frank Quealey.
At the windward mark in Athol Bay, Thurlow Fisher-City led Gotta Love It 7 by just three secs., followed by Kinder Caring, Asko Appliances, Thurlow Fisher-Bankstown (Bruce Savage), Gill, De’Longhi (Simon Nearn), Red Claw and Smeg, skippered by replacement Hugh Stodart.
Thurlow Fisher-City retained her lead back to the twin bottom marks. The only change in the leading group was Asko moving into third place ahead of Kinder Caring.
The LHS of the course was favoured on the second windward leg and the Asko team took full advantage to grab a 25s lead from Gotta Love It 7 and Thurlow Fisher-City.
Another big improver was James Francis’ Pure Blonde which wrked through the fleet to be in fourth place, just ahead of Gill and Kinder Caring.
Asko Appliances increased her lead over the next lap of the course and held a margin of 1m25s at the windward mark the third time.
Gotta Love It 7 was still in second place but Pure Blonde had continued her charge to be third, just ahead of Thurlow Fisher-City.
Smeg was fifth ahead of Gill with a gap then to Yandoo, which had recoverd extremely well from a disastrous first lap.
The race was turned on its head near the bottom mark when there was a combination of wind shifts and a large ship leaving the harbour.
Asko was on the wrong end of these changes near Clarke Island which allowed Gotta Love It 7, Smeg (which was now third), Thurlow Fisher-City and Pure Blonde to reduce the leading margin.
The winners: Michael Coxon, Aaron Links and Trent Barnabas of Thurlow Fisher - City. Image copyright Frank Quealey.
Coxon and his team were superb in the difficult conditions on the final windward leg and led narrowly from Asko Appliances and Gotta Love It 7 (only 3secs. separated the three teams) as they turned for home.
A brilliant spinnaker set saw Thurlow Fisher-City quickly open up a race-winning break on the run to the finish.
Race 4 will be sailed next Sunday with the last race of the championship scheduled for Sunday 6 December.
Aussie 18 Footers League
LVT: Azzurra Wins the Louis Vuitton Trophy Final
Azzurra crosses Emirates Team New Zealand. Image copyright Frank Socha/Louis Vuitton Trophy.
by Warren Douglas
The Italian team Azzurra has won the final of the Louis Vuitton Trophy regatta at Nice. In light and shifty conditions, Azzurra won the best of three final 2 – 0.
Skipper Dean Barker said Azzurra had sailed well in difficult conditions to win the final. The margin was 23 seconds on the first race and 17 on the second.
Dean Barker: “The breeze was very light for the first race. Azzurra got a small advantage off the line. We worked really hard and crew work was faultless but we could never quite close them down. In the light conditions there were no opportunities to get back into the race.
“In the second race we had Azzurra bundled up in the pre-start. They had to tack away on the line and sailed straight into a right-hand shift.
“From there they took control. We closed right up a number of times but could not get around them.
Tactician Ray Davies:”Azzurra had a few tough decisions to make on which side to cover and unfortunately for us made the right ones. In both races, they did a great job of hammering home the advantage they had.”
Emirates Team New Zealand
Blue Water sailors win New Zealand Sailor of the Year
Brad Jackson and Stu Bannatyne, watch captains on Ericsson 4, the outstanding winner of the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009, have been jointly named Singapore Airlines Sailor of the Year, at the 2009 Yachting New Zealand Excellence Awards. Supplied image.
by Zoe Hawkins
Jackson and Bannatyne, two of the world’s most experienced and successful ocean racers, are now in an elite group of three, joining another New Zealander Mark Christensen as the only sailors to have won the famous round the world race three times. The VOR 08/09 was the tenth edition of the Round the World Race that started as the Whitbread in 1973 and has since become a very significant race for New Zealand sailors.
Brad Jackson and Stu Bannatyne sailed on New Zealand Endeavour in the 1993-94 race winning the maxi class. Then, in the 2001-02 race, Bannatyne, collected his second win in three races as a member of the illbruck crew. Jackson made it two as watch captain on the all conquering ABN AMRO ONE crew in the 2004/05 race. This latest win now means both Brad Jackson and Stu Bannatyne have three wins each, from five races.
“We think that Brad and Stuart’s longevity in the sport, and the significant input that they have had in the repeated successes of their teams, is highly admirable,” says Yachting New Zealand Chief Executive Des Brennan. “There are very few yachtsmen who have stood the test of time as this pair have done.”
Broadcaster Peter Montgomery said Brad Jackson and Stu Bannatyne had a major influence on the success of the Ericsson 4 campaign even before the race started, making key decisions during the build up before the race and prior to replacement skipper Torben Grael’s appointment.
“Their relentless hard driving leadership during the race was also the secret to the success of E4,” he said.
Brad Jackson and Stu Bannatyne have joined offshore yachtsmen Peter Blake (1982 and 1989, and in 2001 with the Steinlager 2 crew), Grant Dalton (2001), and Mike Sanderson (2006) in winning the Sir Bernard Fergusson trophy for New Zealand Sailor of the Year.
The Young Sailor of the Year title also went to joint winners: Sam Meech, for his victory in the Laser at the ISAF Youth Worlds in Brazil this July, and the combination of Bianca Barbarich-Bacher and Alex Maloney, who won the Women’s 420 World Championships earlier this year.
New Zealand Sailor of the Year Stu Bannatyne, and Young Sailor of the Year Sam Meech, have something important in common: in 1989, Bannatyne won the same World Youth Championship title for single handed sailing that Sam Meech did twenty years later.
“To have exciting young World Champions emerging from these highly competitive classes is very promising for New Zealand’s future sailing success,” says Des Brennan. “These exceptionally talented young sailors will make New Zealand proud in the future.”
The Team New Zealand 2000 Trust was awarded the Presidents Award for its work in promoting and supporting the interests of yachting.
Nearly sixty sailors and sailing teams were honoured at the Yachting Excellence Awards, held at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron on Friday 20 November and officiated by yachting broadcaster Peter Montgomery.
Those honoured were:
Singapore Airlines Sailor of the Year Finalists
Black Match Racing Team – Match Racing
Brad Jackson and Stu Bannatyne – Ocean Racing
Mark Perrow – OK Dinghy Class
Michael Bullot – Olympic Laser Class
Bianca Barbarich Bacher and Alexandra Maloney – 420 Class
Blair Tuke – Olympic 49er and 29er Class
Hamish Pepper and Craig Monk – Olympic Star Class
Young Sailor of the Year Finalists
Declan Burn – Splash Class
Finn Drummond and Francisco Lardies – 420 Class
Paul Snow-Hansen and Jason Saunders – Olympic 470 Class
Sam Meech – Laser Class
Bucklands Beach Yacht Club Team Racing Team – Youth Teams Racing
2009 New Zealand 420 Worlds Team
2009 New Zealand Splash Worlds Team
Bianca Barbarich-Bacher and Alexandra Maloney – 420 Class
Blair Tuke – Olympic 49er and 29er Class
Yachting New Zealand Merit Awards
Michael Bullot – Olympic Laser Class
Emirates Team New Zealand – Louis Vuitton Pacific Series and Audi MedCup
NZB2 Blind Sailing Crew - Blind Sailing
Roger Pagani and crew – International BMW Sailing Cup
Reuben Corbett and crew - Teams Racing
Thomas Saunders – Starling Class
Bucklands Beach Yacht Club Team Racing Team - Youth Teams Racing
2009 New Zealand 420 Worlds Team
2009 New Zealand Splash Worlds Team
Blair Tuke - Olympic 49er and 29er Class
Sam Meech – Laser Class
Adam Minoprio - Match Racing
Brad Jackson and Stu Bannatyne – Ocean Racing
Mark Perrow – OK Dinghy Class
Bianca Barbarich-Bacher and Alex Maloney – 420 Class
Declan Burn – Splash Class
Finn Drummond and Francisco Lardies – 420 Class
Paul Snow-Hansen and Jason Saunders – Olympic 470 Class
Hamish Pepper and Craig Monk - Olympic Star Class
Tony Mutter - Ocean Racing
David Endean - Ocean Racing
Phil Jameson - Ocean Racing
Karl Purdie - OK Dinghy Class
Neville Crichton - Offshore & Coastal Racing
Yachting New Zealand Honour Awards
This category recognises long-term service and achievement in yachting, bringing hard-working volunteers and unsung heroes into the spotlight. While awards are not what these people pursue, their hard work and dedication make them deserving recipients.
Neville England – (deceased) Christchurch Sailing Club
Bryan Robson Leckie (deceased)- Waihola Yacht Club
Brian Peet - Glendowie Boating Club
Ross Currie – For Coastal Rescue Efforts (Tauranga Yacht & Powerboat Club)
Gary Smith - For Coastal Rescue Efforts (Tauranga Yacht & Powerboat Club)
Greg Harrex - Macandrew Bay Boating Club
John Bullot – Murrays Bay Sailing Club & Richmond Yacht Club
Jon Olds – Timaru Yacht & Powerboat Club
Judy Francis – Muritai Yacht Club
Justin Hurst - Waiuku Yacht Club
Terry Coles - Wanganui Sailing Club
Trevor Hawke – Wanaka Yacht & Powerboat Club
Vera Mummery - Richmond Yacht Club
Bill Mitchinson - Tauranga Yacht & Powerboat Club
John Buck - Tauranga Yacht & Powerboat Club
Kevin Whitehead – Wakatere Boating Club
Graham Catley - Auckland Sailing Club
President’s Award Finalists
Team New Zealand 2000 Trust
Tauranga Yacht & Powerboat Club
Napier Sailing Club
Queen Charlotte Yacht Club
Wairoa Yacht Club
KORC Trophy for IRC Nationals
Hard Labour (owned by Steve Barton, skippered by Cameron Thorpe)
Yachting New Zealand
LVT: The Bruni Brothers
Francesco Bruni. Image copyright Stefano Gattini/Azzurra.
by Chloe Daycard
It's not always smooth sailing being on the same boat as your brother, but overall Francesco and Gabriele Bruni are happy to be reunited on the Azzurra team.
Azzurra have sailed impressively at the Louis Vuitton Trophy in Nice, gelling as a unit very quickly. Perhaps it helps that two of the key players in the afterguard are brothers: Francesco Bruni, the skipper and helmsman, and Gabriele, the windspotter up the mast.
Ten years ago they were racing a 49er two-man skiff together and represented Italy in the Olympic Games in Sydney 2000. Then in the Louis Vuitton Challenger Series of Valencia 2007, they were racing against each other on two rival Italian teams, Francesco on Luna Rossa and Gabriele on +39 Challenge. Now they are reunited under the Azzurra banner.
Francesco is happy to be back on the same side as Gabriele. “I think that my brother has a very good feeling for the wind and doing his job very well here. After sailing on different teams it is good to back on the same side again.” Fraternal relationships do not always run smoothly, however, as Francesco admits. “I think that the relationship between brothers is always hard, you don’t have any filter. So communication sometimes is not the best because we are too direct with each other. When he does something good, I’m very warm with him. When he does something bad sometimes I’m too hard on him. But on average, if you count plus and minus, it’s a good plus to have someone very close to you - I mean family wise - on the boat with you.”
Likewise Gabriele is enjoying being reunited with his brother, who occupies the skipper’s role for the first time. “We are happy to be together again and sail together again in an important situation, as we did at the Olympics in 2000. We will grow together in this team. I think I know what he wants to hear and at which moment, although my direct communication is with the tactician Tommaso Chieffi. Tommaso is a good intermediate between Francesco and me. He is a very experienced guy and this is what we need, because we are still young at this game.”
While the brotherly bond between the Brunis is certainly strong, Francesco points out that everyone on the Azzurra boat feels a strong connection. “For us it is a big plus that we are all from the same nation and speaking the same language. We all speak Italian on the boat, and we share the same passion for the sport.”
Louis Vuitton Trophy
LVT: Azzurra Wins the Louis Vuitton Trophy
Azzurra leads Emirates Team New Zealand in the Louis Vuitton Trophy finals. Image copyright Stefano Gattini/Azzurra.
by Jill Campbell
Azzurra, skippered by Francesco Bruni with tactician Tommaso Chieffi, has taken victory over Emirates Team New Zealand to win the Louis Vuitton Trophy – Nice Cote d’Azur 2009. The Italian sailing team born just a few months ago of the partnership between Giovanni Maspero and the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda bears the name of the first Italian America’s Cup challenger launched by the club for the 1983 edition. Twenty-six years on and this young team has more than lived up to its aim to relaunch an iconic sailing brand.
“A fantastic day, I can’t describe how happy we are.” Confirmed skipper and helmsman Bruni. “The team did an excellent job, we had so many problems today – a helicopter which stole our air on the first upwind, the mark which was repositioned in a very strange way and finally the spinnaker in the water with our pit assistant hanging on to it! Luckily we got him back though. Both Tommaso Chieffi and my brother Gabriele up the mast did an excellent job. We really felt the support of the fans, when we won they put on the Italian national anthem, I think the fact we are all from the same country and speak the same language really pushes us to win.”
Azzurra's crew celebrate winning the Louis Vuitton Trophy in Nice. Image copyright Stefano Gattini/Azzurra.
Tommaso Chieffi, an America’s Cup veteran with 4 campaigns to his name, was proud of the team’s victory: “It has been great getting back on these ACC boats, so many teams want to keep racing despite the problems with the America’s Cup. The event has been great, my thanks go to the organization. Our victory is particularly special because Azzurra is a name that dates back 26 years: after the first challenge people in Italy began to call their daughters Azzurra, their shops, their businesses and everyone started talking about sailing. Hopefully this victory will bring back that same enthusiasm to young and old alike.”
Azzurra certainly had plenty of support as YCCS founder and President, His Highness the Aga Khan followed proceedings, together with Princess Zahra Aga Khan, Commodore Riccardo Bonadeo and a formidable group of friends and supporters aboard the 85 metre tall ship “La Signora del Vento”, which is serving as the team’s support base in Nice this weekend.
H.H. the Aga Khan: “An unforgettable day for me, for my daughter Zahra and for the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda. The sporting quality is excellent, on this basis we will go forward.”
1st match: Azzurra wins by 25 seconds. Azzurra took the start and the first cross and led a close race on the first upwind leg to round the mark 14 seconds ahead of Emirates Team New Zealand. The Italians extended their lead to as much as 120 metres downwind but New Zealand were able to gain back some ground towards the end of the run and rounded the downwind mark 18 seconds behind Azzurra. Bruni and company steadily built their advantage to 23 seconds at the third mark and crossed the finish line 25 seconds ahead of their adversary.
2nd match: Very close racing saw the Italians lead from the start and round the first mark 18 seconds ahead of the Kiwis. Azzurra held this lead until the second half of the final downwind leg when in a nail biting final run ETNZ managed to slip into the lead by approximately 20 metres and take starboard. Azzurra fought back the advantage and crossed the line 17 seconds ahead to take overall victory.
Azzurra
Louis Vuitton Trophy
LVT: Azzurra scores 2-0 shut out of Emirates Team New Zealand to win Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Côte d'Azur
The team from the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda makes a triumphant return after a 22-year hiatus
Azzurra's skipper, Francesco Bruni, holds the Louis Vuitton Trophy. Image copyright Bob Grieser/OutsideImages.co.nz
by Chloe Daycard
Even before the Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Côte d’Azur began, Azzurra skipper Francesco Bruni spoke of his passion and honour to be leading an iconic sailing brand back into the fray after a long absence. This afternoon he could barely describe his joy.
Bruni and his Azzurra crew, including tactician Tommaso Chieffi, defeated Emirates Team New Zealand 2-0 in the Grand Final to win this match race regatta. Azzurra, from the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, made its international sailing debut at the 1983 Louis Vuitton Cup but has been in hiatus since the 1987 event off Western Australia. The team was re-launched last month and today Azzurra won the first race by 25 seconds and the second by 17 for a well-deserved championship.
“It’s an amazing sensation. I can’t find the words to describe it,” said Bruni, the 40-year-old skipper from Sicily. “We knew we could do a good job. We had very good training before the event. But we never thought about beating New Zealand in the final.”
Louis Vuitton Trophy, Nice, Finals
Emirates Team New Zealand entered the final as the favourite. It won the round robin, suffering just one loss in 10 starts, and then defeated the upstart Synergy Russia Sailing Team in a hard-fought semi final match.
Team New Zealand has won many regattas this year, including the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series in February and the TP52 World Championship in September. Today, however, the Kiwis lost the first cross in both races and could never find a way around the Italians on the short courses of less than 5 nautical miles.
“I think we sailed well today but Azzurra was clearly better than us. They did everything right,” said Dean Barker, skipper of Emirates Team New Zealand. “Sometimes that’s just the way it is. You’re either in the right place or you’re not. Today Azzurra sailed very, very well.”
Azzurra to leeward and ahead of Emirates Team New Zealand. Image copyright Frank Socha/Louis Vuitton Trophy.
The two races were sailed early in the morning as the race committee was intent on deciding the regatta on the water and not on countback, which might’ve happened if racing couldn’t be conducted. The best winds of this two-week event were often early in the morning, and today the first warning signal was sounded at 0800 CET, one hour earlier than scheduled.
The northwesterly wind blew between 6 and 10 knots for the two races and was very shifty and patchy. Pressure differences often accounted for different sailing angles as 1 or 2 knots more wind can lift a yacht as much as 10 degrees higher than its opponent.
Chieffi, who won the 1992 Louis Vuitton Cup as tactician of Il Moro di Venezia, thought the Kiwis’ success played against them in the final.
“Beating TeamOrigin yesterday was a big plus for us; we’d done our share of work,” said Chieffi. “So we came in with smiley faces today despite the early morning. I could sense the Kiwis were more tense because they were the favourite; they were leading throughout the regatta. This played a role in our favour.”
Azzurra ahead of Emirates Team New Zealand downwind. Image copyright Frank Socha/Louis Vuitton Trophy.
The winning crew included skipper Bruni and tactician Chieffi, Tom Burnham (strategist), Bruno Zirilli (navigator), Daniele De Luca (mainsail trimmer), Stefano Rizzi (jib trimmer), Pierluigi De Felice (spinnaker trimmer), Gabriele Bruni (trimmer), Piero Romero (runner grinder), Nicola Pilastro (mainsail grinder), Massimo Galli (port grinder), Francesco Scalici (starboard grinder), Cristian Griggio (pitman), Luca Albarelli (mastman), Pietro Mantovani (mid-bow), Matteo Auguadro (bowman) and Michele Cannoni (pit assist).
Despite the win, Azzurra had its mishaps on the racecourse. The skipper and tactician both described three problems in the two races. In Race 1 a helicopter got too low to the water and disrupted the wind flow, reducing a four-boatlength lead to one.
In the second race the crew didn’t judge a bias in the leeward gate. They made a starboard rounding, but the mark was farther downwind and again they gave away three boatlengths.
The biggest mishap came at the top of the second beat in the second race. Approaching the windward mark on starboard tack with Team New Zealand two or three lengths behind, Mantovani, the mid-bowman, slipped overboard while preparing the spinnaker for the rounding. As the yacht sailed past the aft grinder, Romero, ran into the scoop and grabbed him out of the water “like a fish,” according to Bruni.
Chieffi said: “Even with the mishaps, the crew did a solid job to not lose concentration. Yes, we had five-boatlength leads, but one length is enough. The crew did an outstanding job keeping it calm, steady and tidy. We’re very pleased with the result.”
Azzurra's crew arrives dockside after winning the Louis Vuitton Trophy, Nice. Image copyright Frank Socha/Louis Vuitton Trophy.
Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Cote d’Azur Final Standings
Team (Country) Skipper (Nationality) Won-Lost
1. Azzurra (ITA) Francesco Bruni (ITA), 11-5
2. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) Dean Barker (NZL), 11-4
3. Synergy Russia Sailing Team (RUS) Karol Jablonski (POL), 8-6
4. TeamOrigin (GBR) Ben Ainslie (GBR), 9-6
5. All4One (FRA/GER) Jochen Schuemann (GER), 5-8
6. BMW Oracle Racing (USA) Hamish Pepper (NZL), 5-8
7. Artemis (SWE) Paul Cayard (USA), 5-7
8. TFS – PagesJaunes (FRA) Bertrand Pacé (FRA), 1-11
(Note: Win-loss records do not reflect penalties assessed by on-water umpires or the International Jury.)
Image copyright Frank Socha/Louis Vuitton Trophy.
Emirates Team New Zealand chase Azzurra during the finals. Image copyright Frank Socha/Louis Vuitton Trophy.
Final Match summaries
Skipper Francesco Bruni and the Italian crew sail flawlessly to defeat the strong New Zealand crew
Louis Vuitton Trophy, Nice, Finals - Race 2, Virtual Eye
M1: Azzurra d. Emirates Team New Zealand – Delta: 25 seconds
Azzurra 1, Emirates Team New Zealand 0
The first match of the Final of the Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Cote d’Azur was a straightforward match race. There wasn’t a lot of boat-on-boat action, but the Azzurra crew deserves credit for sailing a smart race. Skipper Francesco Bruni and crew gained the advantage on the first beat and then covered smartly around the course for the win.
With the course axis set at 340 degrees and the range at 1.2 nautical miles, the course was short and placed a premium on winning the pre-start. But with the wind strength around 7 knots, the pre-start was mostly sedate. Azzurra had the starboard-tack advantage, but the two crews seemed more intent on positioning off the line rather than trying to pin a penalty on their opponent.
Azzurra leads Emirates Team New Zealand to the leeward gate. Image copyright Frank Socha/Louis Vuitton Trophy.
Both boats started on starboard with Azzurra at the pin end and Team New Zealand three lengths to windward. Team New Zealand quickly tacked to port off the line. Azzurra tacked to port about a minute into the race and both boats enjoyed a slight left-hand shift. Azzurra enjoyed it more as the Italians won the first cross, on port tack, by a boatlength. Bruni and tactician Tommaso Chieffi crossed to the right and then employed covering tactics. Azzurra led by 14 seconds at the first windward mark.
There wasn’t much difference between the yachts on the run. Azzurra gained nicely when the two crews first jibed to starboard. Then Team New Zealand gained back later on the leg when they both jibed to port. The gains and losses seemed due to how much pressure the crews had during their manoeuvres. Such is match racing in patchy winds. On the crews’ final jibes to starboard for the leeward gate, Azzurra got directly in front of Team New Zealand, which allowed the Italians to begin the second beat with an 18-second advantage.
Azzurra had an initial loss at the bottom of the second beat, but made that back later on the leg once it got into similar pressure as the Kiwis. The Italians gained nicely on the top of the leg when they were able to tack on the Kiwis’ air. Azzurra led by 23 seconds beginning the run to the finish.
Azzurra’s tactician Chieffi made a bold call on the final leg when he gybed his crew to port after the windward mark rounding. They gybed out of a covering position, but seemed to find more wind on the left side (looking upwind) of the course and were making 1.5 knots more boatspeed. When the two yachts converged moments later Azzurra had firm control halfway down the leg. The finish was in sight, and the 1-0 lead was secure.
M2: Azzurra d. Emirates Team New Zealand – Delta: 17 seconds Azzurra 2, Emirates Team New Zealand 0
Azzurra sailed another solid race, winning the first cross and covering around the racecourse to win the Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Cote d’Azur 2-0 over Emirates Team New Zealand.
A left hand wind shift skews the first run of the second race between Azzurra and Emirates Team New Zealand. Image copyright Frank Socha/Louis Vuitton Trophy.
Azzurra entered the pre-start of Race 2 on port tack. In the light, 8-knot winds the sailors consider that a death sentence because it’s hard to escape your opponents’ control. But Azzurra skipper Francesco Bruni was up to the task. With about 2 minutes to the start he’d gone far enough forward on Team New Zealand skipper Dean Barker to tack to port and lead the match to the outside of the committee boat. At the start Azzurra tacked to port and headed to the right side of the course while New Zealand took starboard onto the course before tacking to port.
With both boats on port tack Azzurra seemed to foot out to leeward of Emirates Team New Zealand. Azzurra tacked to starboard on the right side and when the two yachts converged about 5 minutes after the start Azzurra crossed so easily that Team New Zealand ducked behind to get to the right and minimize its loss. At the top of the leg Azzurra tacked to port and crossed with a boatlength advantage to round the windward mark 18 seconds in the lead.
The first run became skewed when the wind shifted left and both boats reached on starboard jibe. Azzurra led by 21 seconds at the leeward gate. Up the second beat the Italians protected the left side of the course and halfway up the leg got Team New Zealand pinned to leeward on starboard tack. The two yachts rode out to the port layline in that manner before tacking for the windward mark. Azzurra led by 18 seconds at the second windward mark.
Azzurra heads to victory over Emirates Team New Zealand. Image copyright Frank Socha/Louis Vuitton Trophy.
Barker and Team New Zealand attacked on the run to the finish and after one cross halfway down the run appeared to gain the lead on the right side (looking upwind), but when Azzurra jibed back to port and converged with Team New Zealand, on starboard, the lead was back to 50 meters. Azzurra hung on for a 17-second win and won the series, 2-0.
Louis Vuitton Trophy
Azzurra's skipper, Francesco Bruni, holds the Louis Vuitton Trophy. Image copyright Bob Grieser/OutsideImages.co.nz
by Chloe Daycard
Even before the Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Côte d’Azur began, Azzurra skipper Francesco Bruni spoke of his passion and honour to be leading an iconic sailing brand back into the fray after a long absence. This afternoon he could barely describe his joy.
Bruni and his Azzurra crew, including tactician Tommaso Chieffi, defeated Emirates Team New Zealand 2-0 in the Grand Final to win this match race regatta. Azzurra, from the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, made its international sailing debut at the 1983 Louis Vuitton Cup but has been in hiatus since the 1987 event off Western Australia. The team was re-launched last month and today Azzurra won the first race by 25 seconds and the second by 17 for a well-deserved championship.
“It’s an amazing sensation. I can’t find the words to describe it,” said Bruni, the 40-year-old skipper from Sicily. “We knew we could do a good job. We had very good training before the event. But we never thought about beating New Zealand in the final.”
Louis Vuitton Trophy, Nice, Finals
Emirates Team New Zealand entered the final as the favourite. It won the round robin, suffering just one loss in 10 starts, and then defeated the upstart Synergy Russia Sailing Team in a hard-fought semi final match.
Team New Zealand has won many regattas this year, including the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series in February and the TP52 World Championship in September. Today, however, the Kiwis lost the first cross in both races and could never find a way around the Italians on the short courses of less than 5 nautical miles.
“I think we sailed well today but Azzurra was clearly better than us. They did everything right,” said Dean Barker, skipper of Emirates Team New Zealand. “Sometimes that’s just the way it is. You’re either in the right place or you’re not. Today Azzurra sailed very, very well.”
Azzurra to leeward and ahead of Emirates Team New Zealand. Image copyright Frank Socha/Louis Vuitton Trophy.
The two races were sailed early in the morning as the race committee was intent on deciding the regatta on the water and not on countback, which might’ve happened if racing couldn’t be conducted. The best winds of this two-week event were often early in the morning, and today the first warning signal was sounded at 0800 CET, one hour earlier than scheduled.
The northwesterly wind blew between 6 and 10 knots for the two races and was very shifty and patchy. Pressure differences often accounted for different sailing angles as 1 or 2 knots more wind can lift a yacht as much as 10 degrees higher than its opponent.
Chieffi, who won the 1992 Louis Vuitton Cup as tactician of Il Moro di Venezia, thought the Kiwis’ success played against them in the final.
“Beating TeamOrigin yesterday was a big plus for us; we’d done our share of work,” said Chieffi. “So we came in with smiley faces today despite the early morning. I could sense the Kiwis were more tense because they were the favourite; they were leading throughout the regatta. This played a role in our favour.”
Azzurra ahead of Emirates Team New Zealand downwind. Image copyright Frank Socha/Louis Vuitton Trophy.
The winning crew included skipper Bruni and tactician Chieffi, Tom Burnham (strategist), Bruno Zirilli (navigator), Daniele De Luca (mainsail trimmer), Stefano Rizzi (jib trimmer), Pierluigi De Felice (spinnaker trimmer), Gabriele Bruni (trimmer), Piero Romero (runner grinder), Nicola Pilastro (mainsail grinder), Massimo Galli (port grinder), Francesco Scalici (starboard grinder), Cristian Griggio (pitman), Luca Albarelli (mastman), Pietro Mantovani (mid-bow), Matteo Auguadro (bowman) and Michele Cannoni (pit assist).
Despite the win, Azzurra had its mishaps on the racecourse. The skipper and tactician both described three problems in the two races. In Race 1 a helicopter got too low to the water and disrupted the wind flow, reducing a four-boatlength lead to one.
In the second race the crew didn’t judge a bias in the leeward gate. They made a starboard rounding, but the mark was farther downwind and again they gave away three boatlengths.
The biggest mishap came at the top of the second beat in the second race. Approaching the windward mark on starboard tack with Team New Zealand two or three lengths behind, Mantovani, the mid-bowman, slipped overboard while preparing the spinnaker for the rounding. As the yacht sailed past the aft grinder, Romero, ran into the scoop and grabbed him out of the water “like a fish,” according to Bruni.
Chieffi said: “Even with the mishaps, the crew did a solid job to not lose concentration. Yes, we had five-boatlength leads, but one length is enough. The crew did an outstanding job keeping it calm, steady and tidy. We’re very pleased with the result.”
Azzurra's crew arrives dockside after winning the Louis Vuitton Trophy, Nice. Image copyright Frank Socha/Louis Vuitton Trophy.
Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Cote d’Azur Final Standings
Team (Country) Skipper (Nationality) Won-Lost
1. Azzurra (ITA) Francesco Bruni (ITA), 11-5
2. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) Dean Barker (NZL), 11-4
3. Synergy Russia Sailing Team (RUS) Karol Jablonski (POL), 8-6
4. TeamOrigin (GBR) Ben Ainslie (GBR), 9-6
5. All4One (FRA/GER) Jochen Schuemann (GER), 5-8
6. BMW Oracle Racing (USA) Hamish Pepper (NZL), 5-8
7. Artemis (SWE) Paul Cayard (USA), 5-7
8. TFS – PagesJaunes (FRA) Bertrand Pacé (FRA), 1-11
(Note: Win-loss records do not reflect penalties assessed by on-water umpires or the International Jury.)
Image copyright Frank Socha/Louis Vuitton Trophy.
Emirates Team New Zealand chase Azzurra during the finals. Image copyright Frank Socha/Louis Vuitton Trophy.
Final Match summaries
Skipper Francesco Bruni and the Italian crew sail flawlessly to defeat the strong New Zealand crew
Louis Vuitton Trophy, Nice, Finals - Race 2, Virtual Eye
M1: Azzurra d. Emirates Team New Zealand – Delta: 25 seconds
Azzurra 1, Emirates Team New Zealand 0
The first match of the Final of the Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Cote d’Azur was a straightforward match race. There wasn’t a lot of boat-on-boat action, but the Azzurra crew deserves credit for sailing a smart race. Skipper Francesco Bruni and crew gained the advantage on the first beat and then covered smartly around the course for the win.
With the course axis set at 340 degrees and the range at 1.2 nautical miles, the course was short and placed a premium on winning the pre-start. But with the wind strength around 7 knots, the pre-start was mostly sedate. Azzurra had the starboard-tack advantage, but the two crews seemed more intent on positioning off the line rather than trying to pin a penalty on their opponent.
Azzurra leads Emirates Team New Zealand to the leeward gate. Image copyright Frank Socha/Louis Vuitton Trophy.
Both boats started on starboard with Azzurra at the pin end and Team New Zealand three lengths to windward. Team New Zealand quickly tacked to port off the line. Azzurra tacked to port about a minute into the race and both boats enjoyed a slight left-hand shift. Azzurra enjoyed it more as the Italians won the first cross, on port tack, by a boatlength. Bruni and tactician Tommaso Chieffi crossed to the right and then employed covering tactics. Azzurra led by 14 seconds at the first windward mark.
There wasn’t much difference between the yachts on the run. Azzurra gained nicely when the two crews first jibed to starboard. Then Team New Zealand gained back later on the leg when they both jibed to port. The gains and losses seemed due to how much pressure the crews had during their manoeuvres. Such is match racing in patchy winds. On the crews’ final jibes to starboard for the leeward gate, Azzurra got directly in front of Team New Zealand, which allowed the Italians to begin the second beat with an 18-second advantage.
Azzurra had an initial loss at the bottom of the second beat, but made that back later on the leg once it got into similar pressure as the Kiwis. The Italians gained nicely on the top of the leg when they were able to tack on the Kiwis’ air. Azzurra led by 23 seconds beginning the run to the finish.
Azzurra’s tactician Chieffi made a bold call on the final leg when he gybed his crew to port after the windward mark rounding. They gybed out of a covering position, but seemed to find more wind on the left side (looking upwind) of the course and were making 1.5 knots more boatspeed. When the two yachts converged moments later Azzurra had firm control halfway down the leg. The finish was in sight, and the 1-0 lead was secure.
M2: Azzurra d. Emirates Team New Zealand – Delta: 17 seconds Azzurra 2, Emirates Team New Zealand 0
Azzurra sailed another solid race, winning the first cross and covering around the racecourse to win the Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Cote d’Azur 2-0 over Emirates Team New Zealand.
A left hand wind shift skews the first run of the second race between Azzurra and Emirates Team New Zealand. Image copyright Frank Socha/Louis Vuitton Trophy.
Azzurra entered the pre-start of Race 2 on port tack. In the light, 8-knot winds the sailors consider that a death sentence because it’s hard to escape your opponents’ control. But Azzurra skipper Francesco Bruni was up to the task. With about 2 minutes to the start he’d gone far enough forward on Team New Zealand skipper Dean Barker to tack to port and lead the match to the outside of the committee boat. At the start Azzurra tacked to port and headed to the right side of the course while New Zealand took starboard onto the course before tacking to port.
With both boats on port tack Azzurra seemed to foot out to leeward of Emirates Team New Zealand. Azzurra tacked to starboard on the right side and when the two yachts converged about 5 minutes after the start Azzurra crossed so easily that Team New Zealand ducked behind to get to the right and minimize its loss. At the top of the leg Azzurra tacked to port and crossed with a boatlength advantage to round the windward mark 18 seconds in the lead.
The first run became skewed when the wind shifted left and both boats reached on starboard jibe. Azzurra led by 21 seconds at the leeward gate. Up the second beat the Italians protected the left side of the course and halfway up the leg got Team New Zealand pinned to leeward on starboard tack. The two yachts rode out to the port layline in that manner before tacking for the windward mark. Azzurra led by 18 seconds at the second windward mark.
Azzurra heads to victory over Emirates Team New Zealand. Image copyright Frank Socha/Louis Vuitton Trophy.
Barker and Team New Zealand attacked on the run to the finish and after one cross halfway down the run appeared to gain the lead on the right side (looking upwind), but when Azzurra jibed back to port and converged with Team New Zealand, on starboard, the lead was back to 50 meters. Azzurra hung on for a 17-second win and won the series, 2-0.
Louis Vuitton Trophy
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