Detroit Cup : Wellington Spirit Defeats FMJ Racing from Auckland in Quarterfinals

by Matt Steven, Chris Jones and Jono Clough

We had a good day today, on Day 3 of the Detroit Cup. It was very long but worthwhile. We got two wins over our Auckland rival Will Tiller to knock him out of the quater finals and put ourselves in the semi finals. After we finished we watched Brad Funk and Jordan Reece experience some Wellington weather with broaches everywhere and Brad capsizing, having to jump on the keel to get the boat back up.



Wellington Spirit
Detroit Cup

America's Cup : Kevin Hall, Artemis Racing, on the AC45 in the ACWS at Cascais

Kevin Hall and Terry Hutchinson on the Artemis Racing AC45 in Cascais. Image copyright Sander van der Borch/Artemis Racing.

by Kevin Hall

Artemis Racing has just finished being a part of a watershed two weeks in the history of sailboat racing, at the first America's Cup World Series event in Cascais. I was once-in-a-lifetime fortunate to have a front row seat at the event, racing on the AC45 in the Camber position. Here are a few thoughts about what makes this different to everything we've ever done in our sport, and why I'm thrilled that this is the future of sailing.

I was terrible at ball sports as a kid. Pretty much the last one picked unless it was the County Science Fair team. So I never got to be a part of a basketball starting five. Which means I have less experience picking myself up after bouncing a bad pass or missing a catch in the endzone than most athletes. But picking yourself up off the tramp, or supporting a teammate who is running late to get over the spine and under the wing to the windward daggerboard is exactly what you better be able to do if you want to succeed in America's Cup World Series racing.


Artemis Racing at the America's Cup World Series in Cascais. Image copyright Sander van der Borch/Artemis Racing.

Sure, I've called too much time to kill in a semi-final in a Version 5 boat and gone on to sail a good race, and I've overstood a few laylines in the TP52, and sat myself down that night with my notes to figure out what I missed and how to increase my percentages next time. But none of that was meanwhile exerting at at 100% of max heart rate, with an average HR over 20 minutes of over 90% of max. And in those races, one little mistake - a half step shy of a perfect race - is about all you got if you wanted to win. There was plenty of time to plan ahead and not make them.

The AC45 feels onboard like the last 2 minutes of a basketball game that has had no subs, with the court bucking under your feet, everyone on the other team taller than you, and sometimes even the fans themselves between you and the hoop. There's grease on the ball, the backboard is changing from spongy to hard and back again, and don't forget the noise of three helicopters making the oxygen-starved space between your ears feel like the director's cut of Apocalypse Now.

You need to do your job. On our boat we call ourselves Monkey #1, 2, 3 and 4 from the bow back to remind ourselves that boathandling has to come first. On the Artemis Racing team website for the Cascais ACWS, my position was listed as "Camber". One little word which evokes the wing, but doesn't really mention the sub-roles as "Bowman Assist", "Trimmer Assist", "Runner if you get there first", and "Your call on this shift as long as you get it right…"

Time in the boat racing under pressure, as well as continued work on fitness, will make the boathandling more automatic and instinctual. But it won't change the fundamental newness of the AC45 class to all other sailing we've done : you can't do everything at the exact right time in any given maneuver with only 5 guys, so picking the right priority is a skill to be developed and honed. In the Olympic boards and dinghies they often sail at similar exertion levels, and for longer, but there tends to be a clear playbook for every maneuver, and not too many variations. There is lots of time between events to increase the base of repetitions of a maneuver, and a history in the class of what tends to work and what doesn't.

By contrast, we have a play right now called "freestyle", where because of a wave, or a late puff, or another boat, or a misstep, or a clearly unforced playbook error in loading a sheet or pre-setting the camber - partially, but not excusably, caused by being physically redline - or any number of other things, the normal sequence of events onboard just won't work.


Artemis Racing at the America's Cup World Series in Cascais. Image copyright Sander van der Borch/Artemis Racing.

I imagine the guys on the basketball court develop amazing peripheral vision for each other and their opposition, and even a loose form of telepathy whereby they know where that other guy is running to and can can throw the ball there with high confidence that it will get to him. We'll be working on similar skills for the bottom mark approach and gennaker drop, for two quick downspeed tacks, for a dial down in the prestart with the wind about to change dramatically for the first reach.

The reaching start has really grown on me, quickly. It's fair to say I have remained open minded about all aspects of the race format as they have evolved, trusting that some really smart and experienced people are developing it. As a forest the reaching start looks pretty straightforward - get reaching and hit the line with speed. When you get to the level of the trees though it becomes apparent that there are some very subtle choices at play. In a keelboat upwind start normally you have a good feel for how your setup is going to be with a minute to go, and it's all about execution.

In some of the windier starts we did some boats were still tacking away from the line at 40 seconds to find a new spot. Since 0-25 knots of boatspeed can take less than 10 seconds you can cover some distance! The slingshot is very powerful, but the margin for error at that approach speed, approaching perpendicular to the line, is extremely small. If you plan to roll over the top of everyone from the windward end that's great, as long as you are 100% sure you want to go straight out of the first mark. And even if you do roll over them but you get to the boundary before your plan yields significant gains, you won't have much clear air after the gybe.

What about light air? It would appear that a few wings between you and the breeze form what can essentially feel like a wall. Maybe even a back eddy. Secure your mask before attending to those around you. Pretty different to luffing sails next to you but perpendicular to the zephyr direction - the wings are straight upwind of you! Get too far away from the line and be at risk to be late or even very late, or get a little too close and be either poached and put head to wind or slungshot by the guys who held back a bit guessing there would be enough pressure, and pulled the trigger sooner than you. Now add shifts, reading whether the wind showing on the water is helicopter or ambient, whether the helicopter will move before or after the gun, whether when it goes right you will want to deploy - oh, and the fact that you just finished a race 8 minutes ago and haven't really caught your breath, and have gone straight into doing a jib change, hoisting the gennaker to unfurl and do an extra tight furl for the reach, drink some fluids. Try not to forget that the whole world is hearing pretty much every word you and your team are saying, while you're at all this through the ups and downs, too.


Artemis Racing at the America's Cup World Series in Cascais. Image copyright Sander van der Borch/Artemis Racing.

Boundaries - more tactical, as tactical but different, or simply an easy way for the leader to extend? Not sure yet. Might depend on the breeze and how one-sided the course is. Certainly if you lead around the favored gate and sail a high mode toward way more pressure and good current, it's going to be pretty hard on the guy behind to have the discipline to follow you. But the final beat of the Fleet Race Championship in Cascais, even with boundaries and usually more pressure top right, wasn't so straight forward that there weren't any passes. Time will tell, could be one of those big "it depends" questions which we love about our sport.

The question of whether pre-starts or match racing in winged cats are interesting never needs to come up again. Nobody misses jockey poles or the bulb either. Having to stay switched on between races to make sure you don't capsize is a new deal for many of us, as is the fact that you can't really entirely chill out after a race if you're coming out on the crane that day until the wing is in the shed.

The fleet lined up on the moorings along the shore in Cascais looked extremely cool. Bleeding edge comes to mind although I'm not sure those are the words the kids would use. What would be as obvious to them, sailor and skater alike, is the speed they must do when unleashed from the moorings : obvious just from the aesthetic. The onboard and helicopter footage of the racing provide a level of access to not just the fans but to the competitors which we have never had in the past but always wanted. How does ETNZ do their gennaker hoist? Just watch, from about 2 meters from where the halyard exits the wing. What do Jimmy and JK talk about in the middle of the run? Just listen, it's all there. Is there occasionally time for jokes onboard during a race? Most of the time we're too out of breath or brain power to even consider it. I did hear a replay in one race about getting a bag of chips which was good for a cautious laugh, but a very quiet one because I am quite sure there are at least 10 clips and soundbites that feature me as the class klutz or the village idiot : we're all pretty conscious of the glass houses we are operating in.

I am quite excited about having so much access to the inside of those houses on the other boats, not just vague memories of what went right or wrong on our own boat. The calibre of the racing in Cascais this week was already pretty good. Oracle Spithill and Emirates Team New Zealand showed solid preparation and a tiny bit more polish in the windier races than the rest of us to take first and second in the match race event. ETNZ slipped out in front in the winner take all fleet race. Thanks to a tremendous amount of work by the entire team, especially the shore team, wing and sail team, and coaching group, Artemis Racing was able to perform best when it counted most, and work through the fleet to finish just behind them in second.

The real winner in my mind was the event itself. There were clearly some doubts about what we might do and see in Cascais. Those can be put to bed, it was an excellent event on all fronts. Sure there are a few little niggles to iron out but considering the amount of innovation ACRM is taking on, they were minimal. Thank you to the hundreds of people who have toiled in the wee hours to bring the AC45 itself, and the racing we got to do, from vision to reality, and from something we read about a few days later to live in living rooms around the world.


Artemis Racing at the America's Cup World Series in Cascais. Image copyright Sander van der Borch/Artemis Racing.

There are unknowable unknowns between now and the first race of the America's Cup in 2013. One thing is for sure though - racing an AC72 on San Francisco Bay will be like leaving the bunny slopes to go hors piste.

Artemis Racing
America's Cup

Francis Joyon and IDEC Prepare to Attempt the Solo Trans-Atlantic Record Sunday 21st August

Record de l'Atlantique : Confirmation de la Fenetre Meteo


IDEC. Image copyright JM Liot/DPPI/IDEC.

by Trimaran IDEC media

Après une première tentative avortée le 15 août dernier, Francis Joyon devrait repartir à l'assaut du record de la traversée de l'Atlantique, entre Ambrose (New York) et le cap Lizard, dans la nuit de dimanche à lundi. La nouvelle fenêtre météo repérée avec l'aide du routeur-navigateur Jean-Yves Bernot semble en effet favorable pour tirer le maximum des performances du maxi trimaran IDEC et ainsi espérer détrôner Thomas Coville, détenteur du record depuis juillet 2008. Pour cela, Francis devra boucler les 2980 milles théoriques du parcours en moins de 5 jours, 19 heures, 30 minutes et 40 secondes.


A relaxed Francis Joyon on board IDEC in New York, 20th August 2011. Image copyright © Don Emmert / AFP / DPPI / IDEC.

« Cette fenêtre météo vaut le coup d'être tentée ». C'est Jean-Yves Bernot, le conseiller météo de Francis Joyon, qui le dit. « Des opportunités comme celle-ci ne se présentent pas 50 fois dans l'été d'autant que plus on avance en saison, plus les chances de trouver des conditions propices s'amenuisent » poursuit-il. A moins que la situation ne se dégrade brutalement, le marin de Locmariaquer s'élancera donc de New-York dans la nuit de dimanche à lundi à bord de son maxi trimaran IDEC, pour une traversée de l'Atlantique express. Il devrait évoluer dans un flux de sud-ouest de 20 à 25 nœuds et sur une mer peu formée, soit les conditions optimales pour battre ce type de record. Jean-Yves Bernot : « Il nous faut du vent portant raisonnablement fort. Les conditions recherchées sont assez pointues, d'autant que nous les voulons sur quasiment toute la traversée. Cette fenêtre météo est donc intéressante et semble un peu plus favorable que celle de la semaine dernière, au moins pour le départ. Elle devrait permettre à Francis de naviguer assez proche de la route directe et donc de faire moins de manœuvres, ce qui est toujours appréciable en solitaire ».


IDEC. Image copyright JM Liot/DPPI/IDEC.

L'idée pour Francis et son routeur : parvenir à se faire porter par ce système dépressionnaire le plus loin possible en Atlantique, idéalement jusqu'aux environs du cap Lizard, où sera jugée l'arrivée de ce record. Mais si la situation météo est assez claire jusqu'au milieu de l'Atlantique, l'incertitude plane en revanche sur la phase d'arrivée. « C'est d'ailleurs là que se jouent souvent les records, souligne Jean-Yves Bernot. Une traversée en solitaire à grande vitesse induit toujours une part de chance, notamment au niveau de la météo. C'est la loi du genre ».


IDEC. Image copyright JM Liot/DPPI/IDEC.

Francis est impatient d'en découdre. Et c'est tant mieux. Car pour espérer reconquérir un record qu'il a déjà détenu de 2005 à 2008, il devra maintenir une vitesse moyenne de 25 nœuds sur sa route. Ce ne sera pas une mince affaire. Mais le recordman du tour du monde à la voile en solitaire a déjà démontré à maintes reprises qu'il était de taille à relever les plus grands défis. A suivre...


IDEC. Image copyright JM Liot/DPPI/IDEC.

Follow IDEC's trans-Atlantic progress here

Trimaran IDEC

Rolex Fastnet Race : Rolex Fastnet Race Lives Up to its Reputation

Niklas Zennström's RÁN crossing the finish line off Plymouth to win the 2011 ROLEX FASTNET RACE. Image copyright Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi.

by Trish Jenkins

Records tumbled in the 2011 Rolex Fastnet Race, this year's event living up to its reputation as the most gruelling and tactically challenging of the classic offshore races. As usual the 608 mile long course took the boats from the start line off Cowes, Isles of Wight towards the Fastnet Rock off southwest Ireland, back around the outside of the Scilly Isles off southwest England to the finish line in Plymouth.


Race start in the Solent. Image copyright Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi.


Royal Yacht Squadron, Cowes. Image copyright Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi.


Starting cannons at the Royal Yacht Squadron, Cowes. Image copyright Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi.


Royal Yacht Squadron, Cowes. Image copyright Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi.

On Sunday 14 August, 314 boats set sail - the largest ever Rolex Fastnet Race fleet - up from the previous record of 303. This was due to a new initiative from race's organisers, the Royal Ocean Racing Club, to invite 'professional' offshore classes, able to compete under their own class rules, over and above the IRC fleet, that was capped at a maximum of 300 entries. The result was the most diverse selection of yachts ever assembled in a single offshore yacht race with the new initiative attracting many high-profile international racing teams. Thus in the same race some of the world's fastest multihulls such as the 140-foot long trimaran, Maxi Banque Populaire were lining up with Contessa 32s and pilot cutters with the complete pantheon of racing yachts in between.

A coup for the event was the participation of three Volvo Open 70s, the only occasion these boats would race together prior to this autumn's start of the fully crewed round the world race. The 'pro' classes also saw the race debut of the two Multi One Design 70 foot trimarans, and attracted six IMOCA 60s, best known for competing in the singlehanded non-stop round the world race, the Vendee Globe, plus an impressive fleet of 20 of their smaller cousins, the Class 40.


VO70 Groupama 4. Image copyright Rolex/Daniel Forster.

Leading the charge in the IRC fleet were the two 100 foot maxis Rambler 100 and ICAP Leopard, followed by the Farr 80 Beau Geste and Mini Maxis such as the 2009 Rolex Fastnet Race winner, Niklas Zennstrom's JV72, Ran, and Andres Soriano's Mills 68, Alegre, but the bulk of the record-sized fleet were more regular yachts with amateur crews from a total of 20 nations. For many, participation in the Rolex Fastnet Race was the highlight of their sailing seasons, for others the pinnacle of their sailing careers.


Banque Populaire V on her way to line honours and a record time. Image copyright Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi.


VO70 Team Sanya. Image copyright Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi.

Off the Royal Yacht Squadron platform, the fleet starts began with the multihulls and culminating with the canting keel monohulls and VO70s, the boats enduring a stiff beat out of the Solent and into the English Channel in the best Rolex Fastnet Race tradition. With winds gusting to 30 knots at the exit to the Solent at Hurst Narrows, there were the first dramas of the race with the Class 40, Eutourist Serv-System and the trimaran, Strontium Dog (GBR) dismasting, plus two collisions.
As expected Banque Populaire, Gitana 11 and the two MOD70s trimarans set off at lightning speed down the race course. While Gitana 11, skippered by Vendee Globe and Volvo Ocean Race skipper Seb Josse was constantly nipping at her heels, the world's fastest offshore boat, Maxi Banque Populaire, skippered by French offshore legend Loick Peyron, as expected proved the pace-setter. After being on the wind all the way to the Rock, the trimaran took off on a reach on her way back to the finish in Plymouth. Crossing the line Monday evening in a time of just 1 day, 8 hours, and 48 minutes, the world's fastest racing trimaran established a new outright record for the Rolex Fastnet Race - some 7 hours and 39 minutes quicker than that of the best previous time set by a multihull.


Banque Populaire V's victorious crew. Image copyright Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi.


MOD70 Veolia Environnement. Image copyright Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi.


Banque Populaire V. Image copyright Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi.


Banque Populaire V. Image copyright Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi.


Gitana 11. Image copyright Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi.

Unfortunately as this was happening, drama was unfolding close by the Fastnet Rock. While Mike Slade's ICAP Leopard, two-time line honours winner in this event, led the monohull fleet down the English Channel and into the Celtic Sea, George David's Rambler 100 finally overhauled them on the way to the Rock. Rambler 100 rounded the Rock at 17:25 BST and turned south for the Pantaenius offset mark into 25-30 knot headwinds and a sizable short sharp sea. Shortly after this, the fin for her canting keel snapped just below the hull exit causing her to capsize almost instantaneously.


Rambler 100 in rough weather, prior to losing her keel. Image copyright Rolex/Daniel Forster.


Rambler 100 capsized. Image copyright Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi.


Rambler 100's crew on the Baltimore lifeboat. Image copyright Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi.

Three crew were lucky and climbed straight on to the upturned hull as she capsized, the rest ended up in the water, including four who had been down below at the time. With a massive struggle in the difficult conditions, the majority of her 21 crew, managed to clamber up on top of the upturned hull, while five, including skipper George David, alarmingly drifted away from the boat. Fortunately, the five tied themselves together, and they were recovered after having spent 2.5 hours in the water, while the remainder of the crew were picked up by the lifeboat from nearby Baltimore. Incredibly, everyone was rescued - this through the combined heroic efforts of the Valentia MRCC, the Baltimore Lifeboat, and the dive vessel, Wave Chieftain. The shaken crew were taken to Baltimore while David's partner Wendy Touton was airlifted to hospital, suffering from hypothermia, and later released. Remembering the 1979 Fastnet disaster, many local residents in Baltimore offered the shaken Rambler crew unparalleled hospitality upon their arrival.


ICAP Leopard. Image copyright Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi.

After the terrible Rambler incident, Mike Slade's ICAP Leopard once again took the lead in the monohull fleet, but after rounding the Fastnet Rock and cracking off, the 100 foot maxi was rapidly overhauled on the leg back to the Scilly Isles by the three VO70s. After a spectacular race where each of the three boats, Abu Dhabi, Groupama 4 and Team Sanya held the lead at some point, Groupama 4 led back from the Fastnet Rock only to be pipped at the post by the Farr-designed Abu Dhabi, skippered by double Olympic silver medallist Ian Walker - with just 4 minutes 42 seconds separating her from Groupama 4, skippered by French non-stop round the world record holder Franck Cammas. In the process, Abu Dhabi also broke ICAP Leopard's monohull record for the Rolex Fastnet Race with an elapsed time for the course of 1 day, 18 hours, 39 minutes.


VO70 Azzam. Image copyright Rolex/Daniel Forster.


IMOCA60 PRB rounding the Fastnet. Image copyright Rolex/Daniel Forster.


IMOCA 60s Bernard Stamm's CHEEMINEES POUJOULAT and Jean-Pierre Dick's VIRBAC PARPEC 3. Image copyright Rolex/Daniel Forster.

Following them in mid-Tuesday morning, was a similarly tight finish between the IMOCA 60s with 2004-5 Vendee Globe winner Vincent Riou completing the course in 1 day, 23 hours, and 21 minutes, ahead of double Barcelona World Race winner Jean-Pierre Dick on Virbac Paprec 2 and double Velux 5 Oceans winner Bernard Stamm aboard his new Cheminees Poujoulat, the top three separated by less than five minutes.


Arndt rounding the Fastnet Rock at dawn. Image copyright Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi.

Prior to the start of this Rolex Fastnet Race the forecast for brisk winds for the first two days followed by light conditions mid-week, indicated that the event would favour the larger, faster boats on handicap.

After ICAP Leopard, the next IRC arrival was Niklas Zennström's Rán at 12:53:44 BST on Tuesday, in an elapsed time of 2 days 3 minutes and 44 seconds and even upon her arrival the silver hulled Judel Vrolijk 72 was looking strong to take the overall prize in the Rolex Fastnet for a second consecutive time. Her race had been made easier with her immediate competition retiring - the Farr 80 Beau Geste, with a crack in her deck and Andres Soriano's Mills 68 Alegre, with a broken rudder tip.


Banque Populaire V. Image copyright Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi.

On Wednesday, pace in the Rolex Fastnet Race slowed with the onset of a high pressure system over parts of the race course, leaving many yachts becalmed, particularly around the Scilly Isles and along the south coast of Cornwall. The light winds continued into Thursday as the bulk of the fleet approached the Plymouth finish. Boats arrived with wind, only to be stalled on a foul tide, so there were several virtual restarts approaching the line and on Thursday night after the tide turned over a period of just two hours, an armada of 105 boats crossed the finish line, the crews arriving with tales of prolonged periods they had to anchor to avoid going backwards.

Niklas Zennström's Rán was confirmed as the overall winner of the Rolex Fastnet Race, the first time a boat had won consecutive races since Carina II in the 1950s.

"It's fantastic, really, really good," said Zennström of his second victory. "Everyone on the team is very happy and very pleased. I think we've never sailed better as a team. We sailed the boat very hard, we were never kind of relaxed, we were very focused all the time and we pushed the boat a lot."


Class 40 INITIATIVES - ALEX OLIVIER rounding the Fastnet Rock. Image copyright Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi.

With the exception of Rán in IRC Z, ICAP Leopard in the Canting Keel class and Rives
Potts' McCurdy & Rhodes 48 Carina (USA) in IRC 2, French teams won the three other IRC classes and held the majority of positions on the podium. IRC 1 went to regular RORC race competitors Nicolas Loday and Jean Claude Nicoleau on their Grand Soleil 43 Codiam. Class 3 was won by Noel Racine's aboard his JPK 10.10 Foggy Dew, while once again in IRC 4 victory went to Jean Yves Chateau's Nicholson 33, Iromiguy, overall winner of the Rolex Fastnet Race in 2007.


Rolex Fastnet Race fleet in Sutton Harbour, Plymouth. Image copyright Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi.

Eddie Warden Owen, CEO of the Royal Ocean Racing Club, summarised: "It's been a really interesting race because it offered everything: It's been a tough race - not just because of the wind conditions on the first two days, but also tough getting back for the little boats because they have had very little wind, they've parked up. And we had the Rambler incident and the first boat arriving after just 32 hours. Then the Volvo guys finishing within five minutes was amazing and the Class 40s had a really close finish. Maybird and Morwenna, the two pilot cutters, are having their own battle out there - they'll be in next week. So this Fastnet's been full of opportunities for people, an experience for everybody involved in it."


RÁN. Image copyright Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi.


Banque Populaire V. Image copyright Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi.

As of 1200 BST there were six boats still racing, expected to finish today, including Edith Gray, Freebird, Brisbane Star, Rainbow UK, Morwenna, while Maybird is due in early Sunday morning.


Fastnet Rock at dusk. Image copyright Rolex/Daniel Forster.

Rolex Fastnet Race

Rolex Fastnet Race : Race Winners Reap Rewards

Richard De Leyser, ROLEX UK, presents a Rolex Yacht-Master to Steve Hayles of RÁN. Image copyright Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi.

by Trish Jenkins

The prizegiving for the Rolex Fastnet Race took place this evening at the historic Royal Citadel on Plymouth's famous Hoe.

Dating back to 1660s and standing on the site of the fort built in the time of Sir Francis Drake, the Royal Citadel over the centuries has been one of Britain's most important defences and today is the base for the 29 Commando Regiment of the Royal Artillery.

The main trophy for overall victory in the Rolex Fastnet Race, the Fastnet Challenge Cup, was awarded this year to Niklas Zennström's Rán and this was presented along with a Rolex Yachtmaster Chronometer. The Judel-Vrolijk designed 72-footer also won the Rolex Fastnet Race in 2009, making her the first back-to-back winner since Carina II in 1955/1957.

In addition, Rán won the Joe Powder Trophy for best corrected time at the Fastnet Rock, the Hong Kong Cup for first in IRC Zero, Erroll Bruce Cup for the first yacht home in IRC Zero.

Rán navigator Steve Hayles also won the Alf Loomis Trophy as the navigator of the yacht that wins IRC overall.


Finish line from the Plymouth Breakwater Lighthouse. Image copyright Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi.

Mike Slade's 100 foot maxi ICAP Leopard picked up a large quantity of silverware including the Erivale Trophy for first yacht home in IRC Canting Keel; the Gesture Trophy for first overall in IRC Canting Keel; the Clarion Cup for the first British yacht home; the Kees van Dam Memorial Trophy for second in IRC Overall and the Royal Thames Yacht Club Spirit Cup for the first Royal Thames yacht home.

A magnum of champagne and a Rolex Yachtmaster chronometer was presented to Ian Walker's VO70 Abu Dhabi for the line honours win and set a new monohull record for the Rolex Fastnet Race of 1 day, 18 hours, 39 minutes, and 0 seconds.


Rolex Fastnet Fleet at Sutton Harbour Marina, in Plymouth. Image copyright Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi.

The IRC class prizes included the West Mersea Yacht Club Trophy for first in IRC One to Nicolas Loday's Grand Soleil 43, Codiam; the Foxhound Cup for first in IRC Two to Rives Potts' McCurdy & Rhodes 48, Carina; the Favona Cup for first in IRC Three to Noel Racine's JPK 10.10's, Foggy Dew; the Iolaire Cup for first in IRC Four to Jean Yves Chateau's Nicholson 33, Iromiguy.

The Brunskill Trophy for the best Two Handed boat overall and the Berrimilla Dog Bowl for the best two handed boat in IRC Four were awarded to Will Sayer and Matthew Glasgow and their Sigma 36, Elmarleen.

The Jolie Brise Cup for the first yacht home in IRC classes One to Four was won by Piet Vroon's Ker 46, Tonnerre de Breskens.

Yachts and Yachting Catamaran Trophy for the first multihull home was awarded to the 140 foot trimaran, Maxi Banque Populaire, which set a new multihull record time of 1 day, 8 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds, while the MOCRA Musters Trophy for the first multihull home under 50 feet went to Will Claxton's 10m trimaran, Paradox and the MOCRA Crystal Trophy for the best multihull on corrected time under 50 feet went to Simon Baker's Dazcat D1150, Drama Queen.


2011 ROLEX FASTNET RACE trophies. Image copyright Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi.

The RORC IMOCA 60 Trophy for the first IMOCA 60 home went to Vincent Riou's, PRB, while the Philip Whitehead Trophy for first Class 40 home, for the second time running, was Initiatives - Alex Olivier, skippered by Tanguy de Lamotte.

Rolex Fastnet Race

Audi Hamilton Island Race Week : Georgia to sail at Hamilton Island

Georgia in Sydney, December 2010. Image copyright Rolex/Daniel Forster.

by Zoe Hawkins

Georgia was in Mackay, on the northern Queensland Coast, to gear up for one of the team's favourite regattas: Hamilton Island Race Week.

Last year the boat finished second in the Grand Prix IRC division, behind Australian IRC Champion Loki, and ahead of previous winners Wild Oats, and Living Doll. For this year the Grand Prix fleet will be no less impressive, and will be joined by Emirates Team New Zealand's former TP52, rechristened 'Hooligan', which won the Audi MedCup in both 2009 and 2010.

Hooligan and Georgia are built from the same mould, but the boats are different in many respects.

"Hooligan is a lighter and higher tech boat but Georgia has a better IRC rating. In the previous two regattas in Sydney Hooligan and Loki both beat Georgia. However, there have since been rating adjustments which favour Georgia and the racing should be close," says Georgia's owner and skipper, Jim Farmer.

Race Week begins on Saturday 20 August, running through to Saturday 27 August.

With Jim Farmer and Chris Meads (of Full Metal Jacket fame) helming, the crew will be joined by Chris Dickson, who will call tactics, and Harry Dodson as main trimmer. Harry, who owned Formula One until recently, was one of the original Georgia Racing crew, back in the days of the Mumm 36s, and he was onboard when the original Georgia 43 won the Kenwood Cup in 1996, and the two Air New Zealand International Regattas in Auckland.

"I am hopeful that we will once again do well, though we do not underestimate the strength of the opposition, which consists of very fine boats and in many cases largely professional crews," says Jim Farmer.

Georgia was delivered to Mackay by George Hendy, Shaun Mason (Geeza) and Bill Miller. George and Shaun will be joined by Jackie and Emma Hendy, for the final leg to Hamilton Island during this week.

Georgia Racing
Audi Hamilton Island Race Week

Audi Hamilton Island Race Week : Sailors and the Stars are all part of Audi Hamilton Island Race Week 2011

- Some of the biggest names in Australia’s social, sporting, fashion and media world will be part of the scene at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week
- In addition to both the America’s Cup and Admiral’s Cup being on display, one of the world’s great sailors is likely to make a surprise visit mid-week


Race Week sailing. Image copyright AUDI/Andrea Francolini.

by Rob Mundle

Superyachts, fashion designers, super models, celebrity chefs and the sailing fraternity will descend on Hamilton Island for Australia’s largest offshore yachting regatta, Audi Hamilton Island Race Week from Friday 19 – Saturday 27 August 2011.

Model, actress and TV personality, Megan Gale, will make her first visit to the annual regatta to emcee the launch of the Collette Dinnigan Cruise Collection 2011 held at the exclusive qualia resort on the northern tip of Hamilton Island. She will be joined by a number of famous faces attending the Island festivities including Collette Dinnigan, Matt Moran, Tom Williams, Catriona Rowntree, Shannon Bennett, Geoff and Sarah Huegill, Gail Elliott, Kate Waterhouse, Anthony Bell, Kelly Landry, Kylie Speers, Sandra Sully and Mark Beretta.*


Condor of Bermuda and a whale at Hamilton Island. Image copyright AUDI/Andrea Francolini.

Nearly 200 yachts have entered the regatta which will run over seven days on widely varying courses around the Whitsunday Islands. Fierce competition is expected between the 100-foot supermaxi Investec Loyal and five-time Rolex Sydney to Hobart winner, Wild Oats XI. Also $25 million luxury yacht Janice of Wyoming will attend the event for the first time in a spectator capacity.

To celebrate the start of the America’s Cup challenge which recently began in Europe, Audi Hamilton Island Race Week will display for the first time the America’s Cup, the oldest trophy in the history of sport and yachting’s ultimate prize. The spectacular silver trophy, which was first raced for in 1851, will be celebrating its 160th birthday while at the regatta. It will be joined at Race Week by another of the world’s great yachting trophies, the Admiral’s Cup - a symbol of world ocean racing supremacy which is currently held by Australia. These two magnificent trophies, which have never previously been seen together, will be on display at the Hamilton Island Yacht Club during the regatta.


The America's Cup is at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week, where forums on the new-style America's Cup racing will be held. Image copyright Anne Hinton, all rights reserved.

Two sailing forums will be held during Race Week to reveal the new formula for the next America’s Cup match. It will be hosted by Hamilton Island Yacht Club Commodore Iain Murray, who is also the Regatta Director for the 34th America’s Cup match and CEO of America's Cup Race Management. Murray, who has contested the America’s Cup on four occasions, will be joined by Tom Ehman, from the Golden Gate Yacht Club, the club which currently holds the Cup. And, mid-week, one of the world’s great sailors may be making a surprise appearance.

New announcements to the glittering social program include the Australian launch of Moet Ice Imperial with a ‘white chic’ dress code at the glamorous Moet & Chandon luncheon, a MAC Makeup Suite for race goers offering complimentary styling appointments prior to most major events, the return of the spectacular Roulettes Air Show on Monday 22 August and fashion parades by Henri Lloyd, Little Joe and Miskin Martinez. Leading jewellery designer, Pandora will also feature this year as they stage a first time event in conjunction with renowned fashion magazine Harper’s BAZAAR.


Wild Oats XI is at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week. Image copyright AUDI/Andrea Francolini.

Service staff and supplies have been ramped up across Hamilton Island in preparation for the influx of over 3,000 visitors to the island during the prestigious regatta. Top orders for the celebratory regatta include: 2,000 bottles of champagne and sparkling wine, 500 bottles of Moet, 8,400 punnets of strawberries, 12,000 oysters and 1,500 kilos of prawns.

Hamilton Island Race Week’s naming rights sponsor, luxury car maker Audi, is Australia’s largest corporate sponsor of yachting.

*Audi Hamilton Island Race Week program and presenters are subject to change.

Audi Hamilton Island Race Week