Day Three Report from PUMA International Moth Worlds

Simon Payne (GBR) edges out Brad Funk (USA) for lead after day three


The PUMA Moth Worlds Mach 2 fleet in Dubai. Image copyright Th. Martinez/Sea&Co.

by Bridgid Murphy

Andrew "Amac" McDougall’s nine point lead evaporated today in the difficult patchy Dubai breeze of the third day of the PUMA International Moth World Championship. The first race of the day, race five of the prestigious event, was a carbon copy of the final race yesterday, with US Laser sailor Brad Funk scoring a bullet. European Moth Champ Arnaud Psarofaghis (SUI) scored a second on the same race, and at the end of the day Psarofaghis moved into third place. "Today I lost a few positions I shouldn't have, but overall I was going pretty fast in some difficult conditions," the Swiss racer said. Simon Payne captured third in the race.


Brad Funk (USA). Image copyright Th. Martinez/Sea&Co.

Seattle, USA skiff sailor Dalton Bergan pulled off the move of the regatta at the exciting start of race six, when he port-tacked the entire fleet – a sailor’s dream at a World Championship. The manuver payed off and guaranteed victory for Bergan. Australian Scott Babbage grabbed second place, with Funk again scoring big with a third. Payne continued his strong performance with a fourth and 2009 World Champ Bora Gulari rounded out the top five.

The last race of the day started in a lighter and dying breeze, with Psarofaghis edging out Brad Funk for the race win after Funk broke his boom vang. Funk also lost a sail control called a camber inducer, greatly reducing the power in his rig. The gear failure cost Brad one point, leaving his just two points from race leader Payne, whose consistency has proved his biggest advantage. "I was good but not great today, not quite as fast as yesterday just before I broke my mast, but then the conditions weren't quite the same so you have to take that into account," explained Payne.

Thursday is a lay day for the fleet.


Andrew McDougall (AUS). Image copyright Th. Martinez/Sea&Co.

Results to date, top 12 places with one discard

1. GBR5 Simon Payne 5,2,1,41,3,4,3 18pts
2. USA3451 Brad Funk 3,11,10,1,1,3,2 20pts
3. SUI3 Arnaud Psarofaghis 17,9,3,3,2,6,1 24pts
4. USA4 Dalton Bergan 10,20,4,4,4,1,4 27pts
5. AUS3380 Andrew McDougall 1,1,11,2,13,8,11 34pts
6. USA1 Bora Gulari 12,10,2,7,6,5,5 35pts
7. AUS7 Scott Babbage 8,4,9,5,10,2,9 37pts
8. UAE3679 Chris Graham 4,7,7,10,5,7,7 37pts
9. GBR3708 Michael Lennon 2,8,8,6,8,9,10 41pts
10. GBR3604 Adam May 6,5,6,16,9,14,18 56pts
11. SIN3700 Mark Robinson 16,23,5,14,11,15,6 67pts
12. AUS9 Rob Gough 11,18,12,12,12,12,8 67pts

PUMA Ocean Racing

JVT: Atlantic Roll for Groupama 3

by Vincent Borde and Caroline Muller

The current phase offshore of the Brazilian coast isn't the easiest section on this round the world, with a mass of storm squalls making it difficult to anticipate the trajectory. Navigator Stan Honey, in collaboration with the onshore router Sylvain Mondon, is constantly having to adapt Groupama 3's course in order to extract her from this zone and finally make it through to the tradewinds to the North of the 22° parallel...

The forecast wind report isn't yet tallying up with the current situation on the water... The atmospheric sounding didn't predict the gale which ripped through the navigation zone to the SE of Rio de Janeiro at 40 knots with very choppy seas last night. The fatigue related to this round the world is beginning to weigh on them now and the crew has lost weight since leaving Ushant. Furthermore this transition around 300 miles to the North, at the mercy of the wind, may well prove to be the key to this Jules Verne Trophy...

"We didn't expect this phase of strong winds to be so long! The bad weather with 35-37 knots of breeze was only set to last from 0400 to 1000 hours on Tuesday. In reality it lasted four extra hours and increased to 42 knots with heavy seas... We had two watch systems on deck at the same time for a while because it was impossible to sleep in any case and you couldn't even stand upright down below. We've reduced the sail area to three reefs in the mainsail without a jib up forward! The platform is holding up well but the deck fittings are beginning to suffer from wear. This lunchtime, the wind has really dropped away, to as little as 10-17 knots according to the squalls, with a very changeable breeze. It's been three hours now that we've had a big cumulonimbus on our tail... The sea is flat at the moment, the water temperature is 25°C, there's a sticky heat as well as a stifling atmosphere" indicated Loïc Le Mignon at the 1130 UTC radio link-up with Groupama's Race HQ in Paris.

No way out to the right, nor the left...

Right now there are zones of high pressure to the left and to the right. Indeed the calm zones have got Groupama 3 surrounded and she is having to zigzag her way between the squalls, which are causing massive changes in both the strength and direction of the wind, with shifts of over 60° and a breeze oscillating between 10 and 20 knots... As such Franck Cammas and his men are having to constantly be on the alert for the incessant shifts, linking together a series of tack changes to optimise the course. Fortunately the giant trimaran is very at ease in these conditions and has been able to rack up twenty-eight knots of boatspeed with just twelve knots of breeze on the nose. Rather less encouraging news for the crew of Groupama 3 is that this situation will last until the latitude of Vitoria, some 300 miles to their North...

"We hope to make it into the tradewinds during the course of Thursday night. However, for the time being, our progress northward is really being hampered. When we head to the left towards the Brazilian coast, the wind heads us as it switches round to the NW and we stumble in a line of squalls. And when we head to the right, the wind veers to the NE as it eases! We're forced to tack on a constant basis to remain in the centre... weaving our way along in line with the breeze. Fortunately, given that Groupama 3 makes such great headway in light winds, we're managing to manoeuvre well. Orange 2 wouldn't have made such good progress in winds like this!"

An uncertain outcome

We won't have to wait till the weekend to know the outcome of this "Brazilian ejection": in this region, the wind is either stormy and inconsistent due to a neo-tropical low, otherwise it's steady and on the beam along the northern edge of the Saint Helena High! Heckled by the squalls, the crew of Groupama 3 is scanning the horizon and still stands a good chance of winning on this giant trimaran's first circumnavigation of the globe. However, there's just a week and a half to go to `carry the day'!

"Groupama 3 is an extraordinary boat! This trimaran can be manoeuvred very easily and we can put in a tack very quickly. The speeds obtained with slightly eased sheets and in the downwind conditions of the Deep South are incredible! Furthermore, after nearly a complete loop of the world, she's in perfect condition, though we're really looking after her... Personally it's a very enriching experience to sail with this French crew: we eat well, there's a very pleasant atmosphere and the average speeds are amazing. Right now it's not proving very easy with the squalls, but we hope to make it through into the tradewinds as quickly as we can. Franck, Sylvain and I are working very well together and the exchanges between us are proving very fruitful. I remain confident about the next stage of this Jules Verne Trophy as the whole crew is extremely motivated to get to the finish within the time limit..." indicated Stan Honey, the American navigator onboard.

Groupama 3's log (departure on 31st January at 13h 55' 53'' UTC)
Day 1 (1st February 1400 UTC): 500 miles (deficit = 94 miles)
Day 2 (2nd February 1400 UTC): 560 miles (lead = 3.5 miles)
Day 3 (3rd February 1400 UTC): 535 miles (lead = 170 miles)
Day 4 (4th February 1400 UTC): 565 miles (lead = 245 miles)
Day 5 (5th February 1400 UTC): 656 miles (lead = 562 miles)
Day 6 (6th February 1400 UTC): 456 miles (lead = 620 miles)
Day 7 (7th February 1400 UTC): 430 miles (lead = 539 miles)
Day 8 (8th February 1400 UTC): 305 miles (lead = 456 miles)
Day 9 (9th February 1400 UTC): 436 miles (lead = 393 miles)
Day 10 (10th February 1400 UTC): 355 miles (lead = 272 miles)
Day 11 (11th February 1400 UTC): 267 miles (deficit = 30 miles)
Day 12 (12th February 1400 UTC): 247 miles (deficit = 385 miles)
Day 13 (13th February 1400 UTC): 719 miles (deficit = 347 miles)
Day 14 (14th February 1400 UTC): 680 miles (deficit = 288 miles)
Day 15 (15th February 1400 UTC): 651 miles (deficit = 203 miles)
Day 16 (16th February 1400 UTC): 322 miles (deficit = 376 miles)
Day 17 (17th February 1400 UTC): 425 miles (deficit = 338 miles)
Day 18 (18th February 1400 UTC): 362 miles (deficit = 433 miles)
Day 19 (19th February 1400 UTC): 726 miles (deficit = 234 miles)
Day 20 (20th February 1400 UTC): 672 miles (deficit = 211 miles)
Day 21 (21th February 1400 UTC): 584 miles (deficit = 124 miles)
Day 22 (22nd February 1400 UTC): 607 miles (deficit = 137 miles)
Day 23 (23rd February 1400 UTC): 702 miles (lead = 60 miles)
Day 24 (24th February 1400 UTC): 638 miles (lead = 208 miles)
Day 25 (25th February 1400 UTC): 712 miles (lead = 371 miles)
Day 26 (26th February 1400 UTC): 687 miles (lead = 430 miles)
Day 27 (27th February 1400 UTC): 797 miles (lead = 560 miles)
Day 27 (27th February 1400 UTC): 560 miles (lead = 517 miles)
Day 29 (1st March 1400 UTC): 434 miles (lead = 268 miles)
Day 30 (2nd March 1400 UTC): 575 miles (lead = 184 miles)
Day 31 (3rd March 1400 UTC): 617 miles (lead = 291 miles)
Day 32 (4th March 1400 UTC): 492 miles (lead = 248 miles)
Day 33 (5th March 1400 UTC): 445 miles (lead = 150 miles)
Day 34 (6th March 1400 UTC): 461 miles (lead = 58 miles)
Day 35 (7th March 1400 UTC): 382 miles (deficit = 100 miles)
Day 36 (8th March 1400 UTC): 317 miles (deficit = 326 miles)
Day 37 (9th March 1400 UTC): 506 miles (deficit = 331 miles)
Day 38 (10th March 1400 UTC): 321 miles (deficit = 384 miles)

WSSRC record from equator to equator
Orange 2 (2005): 33d 16h 06'

Cammas - Groupama

LVT: Artemis Win over Aleph on Day 2

Artemis (SWE) wins their second race of the round robin against Aleph (FRA). Auckland, New Zealand, March 10th 2010. Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland (8-21 March 2010). Image copyright © Sander van der Borch / Artemis.

by Paul Cayard

Light winds held the start of the first match of the day back until 1415. The first two matches were sailed in a light northwesterly wind. At the finish of that second match, the wind did a 180 degree turn and came in from the south at about 5-8 knots for the last two matches.

On Artemis, we were in the third match of the day, so the first one in the southerly wind. We were up against the home team, Emirates Team New Zealand. We wanted the left at the start and our helmsman, Terry Hutchinson did a nice job of getting it for us. The Kiwis lived to windward of us off the line, on starboard tack, but soon the current advantage that we had on the left started working for us and we forced them off to the right. We stretched a bit more to the left and tacked. The Kiwis had a private lift for the first three minutes of the port tack and that ate up our lead. Then the wind shifted 20 degrees right and they tacked and crossed us. Then when the got to our left, the wind went left 25 degrees. Pretty amazing really. Anyway, we reeled them in on the run to round the gate one boat length behind. They tacked immediately to go to the left and this time the left was good and they went on to win easily. Not a lot of fun but that is just one race.


Artemis (SWE) wins their second race of the round robin against Aleph (FRA). Auckland, New Zealand, March 10th 2010. Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland (8-21 March 2010). Image copyright © Sander van der Borch / Artemis.

In the other matches, All4One led Mascalzone Latino all the way around the course, Azzurra beat Team Origin after Origin led at the first mark, and in the final race, the French Team Aleph beat the Russian team of Synergy. The Russians controlled the start for 4:45 of the 5 minutes, but just at in the last 10 seconds, a mistake by the Russians in their final approach let the French cross clear ahead on port tack to take the start. Synergy kept it close until the gate when they had some problems dropping their spinnaker and the French got a very comfortable lead.

Tomorrow’s forecast is for a bit better wind, so maybe we will get underway closer to the scheduled 1000 starting time. Artemis is in the final match of the day, the 4th, and we will be racing the French team Aleph.

Artemis Racing
Louis Vuitton Trophy

LVT: Second Win for Emirates Team New Zealand

by Warren Douglas

Emirates Team New Zealand today won its second match of the Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland round robin.

After trailing for more than half the race, Emirates Team New Zealand had got its bow in front and taken control of the match when the genoa clip on the Mascalzone Latino yacht broke, ending any chance of a win.

Sailing NZL84 on the second day of the regatta, Emirates Team New Zealand trailed Mascalzone Latino or the first beat, rounding the mark 22sec behind.

Dean Barker and his crew applied the pressure on run; reducing a four-boat length lead to less than two. At the leeward gate, Mascalzone took the left mark and Emirates Team New Zealand took the right.

With the delta down to 8sec and gaining the favoured right hand side of the course, the New Zealand crew set about taking the advantage.

It was painstaking work. The yachts converged for the first cross and Barker, coming from the right, had clearly made further gains. The Italians tacked away and when they came together again, Barker was in control and would have been able to force the Italians out to the left-hand layline.

Then the halyard clip broke on NZL92 and it was match over for the Italians.

Dean Barker: “We didn’t get a great start and gave them a bit more momentum off the line and also the favoured right side. We had a fair amount of work to do to minimize the damage...

‘Down the run we took advantage of a couple of mistakes they made and rounded the favoured end of the leeward gate at almost the same time as Mascalzone Latino rounded the other end.

“At the first cross on the second beat we got a nice lee-bow tack and took control. Then they had the gear breakage when the match was shaping up as a very, very close race.

“We’re pleased to get the point but we would rather not win through a breakage. Fortunately we were in control when it happened.”

Today, just as on the first day of the regatta, the breeze was reluctant to fill in and settle. The race yachts were held on the dock for an hour and the scheduled 10am start for the first match drifted past noon.

Today’s course, set for the south-westerly breeze, was in the inner harbour, with the weather mark well west of Orakei wharf and the yachts sailing close in to Devonport wharf and north head.

Results:
TEAMORIGIN beat ALL4ONE by 1min33sec
Emirates Team New Zealand beat Mascalzone Latino

Emirates Team New Zealand
Louis Vuitton Trophy

LVT: A Point on the Board for TEAMORIGIN with a race win against ALL4ONE

An impressive display in challenging conditions




TEAMORIGIN on Day Two in Auckland. Image copyright Ian Roman/TEAMORIGIN.

by Leslie Greenhalgh

TEAMORIGIN showed strong form this morning with a stylish victory over the French/German All4One team. The British team won the start and went on to use the shifts and extend their lead to win by an impressive 1 minute and 33 seconds.

In the other races so far today, ETNZ took a win over Mascalzone Latino after the Italians suffered gear failure; In race 3 Azzurra beat Synergy and Artemis beat Aleph in race 4.

A short delay to today’s racing allowed the wind to settle in from the South West and be blowing at 7 knots at the time of the first start. The first warning signal was fired at 1245 lining up TEAMORIGIN with All4One. A still building breeze and an incoming tide made for challenging conditions, where neither the wind nor the tidal choice was clear. From a spectator’s point of view however it was perfect as the course was laid within the confines of the Waitemata Harbour and Auckland City’s waterfront, race fans on the Okahu Bay waterfront to the South and the Devonport waterfront to the North listening to the FM radio commentary had front row seats.


TEAMORIGIN on Day Two in Auckland. Image copyright Ian Roman/TEAMORIGIN.

TEAMORIGIN skipper Ben Ainslie controlled the start beautifully leading All4One into the start box, judging perfectly the return and final approach to the start line to win the right hand side of the course in spite of the Franco/German team’s posturing in the final countdown. The right side of the course proved to be strongly favoured with a stronger tide in the deeper water, something that then put the British boat in a position to benefit first from the wind oscillations before its opponent could get to them. The pair were split for most of the first beat converging only twice before TEAMORIGIN rounded the first mark with a healthy 26 second lead.

At the first mark, All4one did a gybe set to get to shallower water and less adverse tide and TEAMORIGIN quickly gybed to cover. The pair worked hard on the downwind leg with the trailing boat attempting to cast some wind shadow on TEAMORIGIN, initially making some inroads but with both teams very polished with their manoeuvres downwind, it was all about not making any small mistakes. At the approach to the gate ALL4ONE may have gybed a little late allowing the leading boat to gain some more ground to start the second lap with a lead of 24 seconds – all still very close.

Up the second beat however, TEAMORIGIN kept to the right side and played the shifts with precision. At the first cross TEAMORIGIN was ahead by 80m and seemed to be totally in phase, extending in the building breeze and shifty conditions. At the approach to the second windward mark, TEAMORIGIN tactician Iain Percy, talked of right hand windshifts for the last downwind leg. The British team made impressive gains down the final leg building the lead to almost 320m (13 boat lengths) and took the race by more than 90 seconds, the biggest winning margin of the regatta so far.

Iain Percy, TEAMORIGIN tactician, was talking about a big right hand windshift for the last downwind leg, the two teams headed down to the finish. TEAMORIGIN made impressive gains down the final leg building the lead to almost 320m (13 boat lengths) and they took the win by 1 minute and 33 seconds – an impressive final leg to say the least.

Iain Percy, TEAMORIGIN Tactician, commented after the race, “We had a great start, Ben and the boys gave us a nice advantage off the line and picked the right side of the first beat. Despite being in the lead throughout the race, it was a scary one as we were seeing 30-40 degree wind shifts. We kept our cool and sailed a good race, in those conditions it is easier from the front!”

Jochen Schumann, Skipper of the French/German All4One team added, “We sailed a good race but were behind from the start which was critical. We tried to stay close playing the shifts but really the race ended at the start. TEAMORIGIN sailed really well and they deserved the win.”

Mike Sanderson, Team Director and doing runners on the race boat, gave his input to the day’s performance, “A very satisfying race after a bit of a frustrating race yesterday. Beautiful timing on the committee boat at the start between Ben, Ian Moore and Matty Mitchell on the bow and we got the side we wanted and won the first cross. The guys then did some tight tactics and solid crew work to seal the win.”

In Race 2, the Italian Mascalzone Latino team took an initial lead over the Emirates Team New Zealand local favourites, the Kiwis managed to get back into them and shortly after a lead change, the Italians suffered headsail halyard clip failure and trailed to the finish giving a 2nd win to ETNZ.

Race results Wednesday:
Race 1 : TEAMORIGIN (GBR) beat All4One (FRA/GER) by 1min33s
Race 2 : ETNZ (NZL) beat Mascalzone Latino (ITA) by 4min43s
Race 3 : Azzurra (ITA) beat Synergy (RUS) by 41s
Race 4 : Artemis (SWE) beat Aleph (FRA) by 1min21s

Race schedule for tomorrow, Thursday 11th March, is as follows:
Race 1: TEAMORIGIN (GBR) vs ETNZ (NZL)
Race 2 : Azzurra (ITA) vs All4One (FR/GER)
Race 3: Aleph (FRA) vs Mascalzone (ITA)
Race 4: Synergy (RUS) vs Artemis (SWE)


TEAMORIGIN on Day Two in Auckland. Image copyright Ian Roman/TEAMORIGIN.

‘UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT’ : TEAMORIGIN FEATURE STORY OF THE DAY
A WINNING TEAM : BRITISH & INTERNATIONAL WORLD CLASS TALENT KEY FACTS AND FIGURES!!

The TEAMORIGIN sailing squad for the LOUIS VUITTON AUCKLAND REGATTA brings together a world class group of sailing talent with a few interesting facts and figures behind them:

• Nationalities: (17 sailors, 2 back-up sailors, 3 on-water coaches)
o 9 Great Britain
o 5 New Zealand
o 3 Australian
o 1 France
o 1 Poland
o 1 Argentina
o 1 Denmark
o 1 USA
• Number of Olympic medals: = 10
o 7 Gold Medals
o 1 Silver
o 2 Bronze
• Number of America’s Cup wins =
• Number of America’s Cups competed in = 46 AC’s (including 2 coaches)
• Number of Volvo Ocean Races competed in = 11
• Number of Volvo Ocean Race wins = 3
• Number of ISAF Sailors of the Year Awards = 4 (Mike Sanderson and Ben Ainslie)

TEAMORIGIN
Louis Vuitton Trophy

LVT: One Win and One Loss for ALL4ONE at end of second day in Auckland

ALL4ONE in Race 2 of Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland. Image copyright Frank Socha/www.franksocha.com

by Stephanie Nadin

The key of the regatta in today's conditions was to win the right side of the race course after the start. Everything was very good on the right: current, line and positioning. So both teams took a lot of risks to take this side of the race course, and ALL4ONE which entered on port side of the start line has had a bit more difficulties to set its timing to come back at the end of the start process.

The start was very close, and won by half a second by TeamOrigin. Even if ALL4ONE also took a good start, the team skippered by Jochen Schümann was forced to tack on the left of the race course quite early. From there both teams sailed well, ALL4ONE putting pressure behind TeamOrigin during all the race that sailed a well-managed regatta.

The French-German team didn't make any big mistake, but TeamOrigin deserved this point.

Sebastien Col, Helmsman: "TeamOrigin is a serious opponent. We had a very nice race with close situations, particularly on the start. They took some risks and it paid back for them because they took the right side of the race course and they managed to keep control. On our side, we managed to sail quite well behind them, with nice manoeuvres and keeping ourselves close to them, except on the last leg downwind where we tried something to come back. It didn't really work, but we didn't have much to lose trying at this stage of the race. The level of the competition is very high here. We have one win and one loss for the moment on our scoreboard, but we sailed well today with consistency, without making any big mistake. We just have some small details to work on for the rest of the competition."

ALL4ONE will sail against Azzurra (ITA) tomorrow for its third match in the Round Robin.


ALL4ONE in Race 2 of Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland. Image copyright Frank Socha/www.franksocha.com

Sebastien Col: "The challenge will be to be fast all along the race, as that team is almost never weak on that aspect. They know how to use opportunities and they are patient. So we have to be careful not to make any mistake that they could be using as they usually do, and for example like they did yesterday against TeamOrigin. We have our chances as there will be a bit more wind tomorrow, and our team is confident. We sailed well since the beginning of the event, so we are working on good bases in this Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland."

RESULTS DAY 2
Race 1: TEAMORIGIN wins by 1'33 sec over ALL4ONE
Race 2: Emirates Team New Zealand wins by 4'43 sec over Mascalzone Latino (with technical problem on board)
Race 3: Azzurra wins by 41 sec over Synergy
Race 4: Artemis wins by 1'21 sec over Aleph

ALL4ONE
Louis Vuitton Trophy

LVT: Second Consecutive win for Azzurra in the Louis Vuitton Trophy

Azzurra vs. Synergy. Image copyright Stefano Gattini/Azzurra.

by Jill Campbell

Second convincing win for team Azzurra of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, who in the second day of the Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland defeated the Russians of team Synergy with a superb match held in perfect sailing conditions. Wednesday the race course was positioned very close to the shore of downtown Auckland with its futuristic SkyTower in the background. Francesco Bruni, skipper and helmsman of the all-Italian team Azzurra, gained an early lead at the first top mark and comfortably controlled his opponent, helmed by match racing veteran Karol Jablonski from Poland with New Zealander Rod Dawson calling the tactics. The great precision and determination that Bruni displays during the races comes from the great experience that the skipper from Sicily has gained in two America’s Cup campaigns and three Olympic Games sailed in the Laser, 49er and Star.

Wednesday the Louis Vuitton Trophy enjoyed a great turnout of public, both on the water near the action and on shore in the race Village that is the heart of this City of Sails, that this week is also hosting the Auckland International Boat Show. “Today we had a great race, with perfect sailing conditions and an amazing scenery,” commented Riccardo Bonadeo, Commodore of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda and President of team Azzurra, adding: “the crew of Azzurra sailed a superb match and the merit goes not only to the afterguard but also to the rest of the crew who completed each maneuver with great precision and perfect timing. I admire how Francesco [Bruni] manages the stress of the races with great calm and determination.” Bonadeo is the key figure that links the first Italian challenge to the America’s Cup in 1983 to the participation of the new Azzurra team at the Louis Vuitton Trophy.

Giovanni Maspero, Team Principal of Azzurra, today went out again as 18th man and enjoyed a great day of sailing. Tomorrow the 18th man probably won’t have such a comfortable ride, since a cold front is expected over Auckland with winds of up to 25 knots gusting to 30 knots and frequent rain squalls. Tommaso Chieffi, tactician of Azzura, wished to dedicate today’s victory to the memory of Alberto Ormas, a friend of his son’s who tragically died at the beginning of the year.

In the first match of the day the British of Team Origin, with triple Olympic gold Ben Ainslie at the helm and Iain Percy calling the tactics, vindicated yesterday’s loss to Azzurra with a convincing win against the French/German team of All4One, who have an all-star afterguard with Jochen Schuemann as skipper, New Zealander John Cutler calling the tactics and French Sebastien Col at the helm. The following match between Mascalzone Latino Audi Team, the other Italian team who has only three Italians out of 17 sailors on board, and the local favourite Emirates Team New Zealand was very close right until the moment when the jib clip broke on the Italian boat; the match ended with a second consecutive win by the Kiwis. In the final match of the day, Artemis helmed by American legend Paul Cayard who has seven world titles, five America’s Cup campaigns, two round the world races and two Olympic games to his credit, defeated the French team Aleph with America’s Cup veteran Bertrand Pacé at the helm.


Azzurra defeats Synery at the Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland. Image copyright Stefano Gattini/Azzurra.

The Race Committee is doing a really great job in managing the regatta on this course that can be really complicated due to currents, tides, channels, islands and shifting winds. The director at sea is Peter “Luigi” Reggio, one of the most respected Principal Race Officers of the international yachting scene. In his career Reggio has managed many events including the America’s Cup and the Olympics. Reggio has been President of the Louis Vuitton Trophy Race Committee since its debut.

Reggio feels at home in Sardinia, since the Sporting Director of YCCS Edoardo Recchi often calls him to manage the major regattas of the YCCS. Recchi is a key figure for the success of the sporting events of the Club, which every year hosts an impressive racing calendar.

Thursday, Azzurra will face All4One in the second match of the day.

Results
ALEPH Sailing Team (France) 1
All4One (France/Germany) 1
Artemis (Sweden) 1
Azzurra (Italy) 2
Emirates Team New Zealand 2
Mascalzone Latino Audi Team (Italy) 0
Synergy Russian Sailing Team (Russia) 0

Azzurra Crew
Francesco Bruni – Skipper/Helmsman
Tommaso Chieffi – Tactician
Tom Burnham – Strategist
Bruno Zirilli – Navigator
Daniele De Luca – Mainsail trimmer
Stefano Rizzi – Jib Trimmer
Pierluigi De Felice – Spi trimmer
Gabriele Bruni – Runner trimmer
Piero Romeo – Runner grinder
Nicola Pilastro – Mainsail grinder
Massimo Galli – Left grinder
Francesco Scalici – Right grinder
Cristian Griggio – Pitman
Luca Albarelli – Mast
Pietro Mantovani – Mid Bow
Matteo Auguadro – Bowman
Michele Cannoni – Pit Assist
Gabrio Zandonà – Coach
Ben Durham – Reserve
Michele Gnutti – Reserve
Giuseppe Leonardi – Reserve

Azzurra
Louis Vuitton Trophy