SailingPR - Sailing & Regatas

The 2007 edition of the RORC’s Rolex Fastnet Race will also be used as the official prologue to the two-handed Barcelona World Race. The Barcelona World Race duos will be racing in the same two-up format for the 608-mile race that starts this Sunday, 12th August. The Barcelona World Race now counts nine official entries, following the announcement of the all-Spanish crew of Mutua Madrileña and the Franco-Catalan duet aboard Educacion Sin Fronteras who have joined this highly competitive fleet.

And then they were nine! The Barcelona World Race organisers are delighted to officially announce the participation of two new Spanish teams: Javier Sansó and Pachi Rivero will be lining up onboard Mutua Madrileña (Mike Golding’s former Ecover 2), while Albert Bargués and Servane Escoffier are currently carrying out the last preparation phase of Ellen MacArthur’s former Kingfisher. Both duos will take the start of the Rolex Fastnet next Sunday (12th August) in Cowes.

Mutua Madrileña – Sansó / Rivero

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Spaniards Javier Sansó, and Pachi Rivero have confirmed their entry in the Barcelona World Race. Javier Sanso Widmann, 38, is no stranger to the Open 60 class. He has competed in two Transat Jacques Vabre races – 2001 onboard SME Negoceane, finishing 4th, and 2003 onboard Objectif 3. Sanso was co-skipper of 4th place Gartmore in the EDS Atlantic Challenge in 2001, and also competed in the 2001/01 Vendée Globe but unfortunately had to retire. He has done 18 transatlantic crossings, and was the 2001 Spanish sailor of the year.

Pachi Rivero, aged 43, father of two is also one of Spain’s most accomplished sailors, with two America’s Cup under his belt as crew member in the Spanish team Desafio Español in 1992/1995 and having competed in more than 20 World Championship regattas in the Maxi and Swan class. He was also part of the winning crew onboard Caja Madrid Open 60 in the Regata Cadiz-La Habana in 2000, and won this race in 2006 onboard the Volvo 60 Cantabria Infinita.

The two men have completed the majority of their Barcelona World Race qualifying passage, onboard the very competitive Owen-Clarke designed Ecover (today Mutua Madrileña), which finished 3rd in the 2005 Vendée Globe, and won The Transat in 2004. After finishing the Rolex Fastnet Race they will have completed the total 2800 miles required for the qualification.

Educacion sin Fronteras – Bargués / Escoffier

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Albert and Servane will sail onboard the ex-Kingfisher, now re-named ‘Educacion sin Fronteras’ (Education without Frontiers). While ‘Educacion sin Fronteras’ will sail for the Calella de Palafurgell Yacht Club and the Fundació Navegació Oceànica Barcelona (FNO), it has been agreed that if FNO attract other sponsors for the team, some of the funds will go towards the ‘NGO’ (Non-Government Organisation) programme which have among their priorities, creating schools and education programmes for children in developing countries. Albert Bargués, aged 47, from Barcelona has an impressive sailing CV as an ocean sailor including the 1985/6 Whitbread Round the World Race onboard Fortuna Lights, the 1997 Transat Jacques Vabre onboard Budapest Open 60, two Mini-Transats in 1987 and 1999. He has also worked on the shore team of several IMOCA Open 60 campaigns including PRB in 2000 and more recently Sill-Veolia last year, as project manager.

Female French sailor Servane Escoffier, aged 26 from Saint-Malo, also has a very respectable list of accomplishments to her name including podium positions in the 2006 Route du Rhum and 2005 Transat Jacques Vabre, and winning the 2006 Record SNSM onboard her previous boat, the Open 50 Vedettes de Bréhat. Servane has had some valuable experience working behind the scenes on IMOCA Open 60 campaigns including being part of Nick Moloney’s shore team for his 2004 Vendée Globe onboard Skandia.

First confrontation!

These two new teams alongside six other Barcelona World Race IMOCA 60s will be taking part in the famous Rolex Fastnet Race, which this summer doubles as the official Barcelona World Race prologue. This mythical event, organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club and established in 1925, starts Sunday, 12th August from Cowes, Isle of Wight. In total 17 IMOCA Open 60 Boats, each of them having a media person onboard, will line up on the start line along with close to 300 other boats who will race the 608-mile course via the Fastnet Rock finishing in Plymouth.

© A major event on the IMOCA Class calendar, this year’s edition will see several new-generation monohulls compete against each other for the first time. Recently launched Alex Thomson’s Hugo Boss and Guillermo Altadill’s Estrella Damm, both future Barcelona World Race adversaries, will be closely observed following the initial foray in the Channel Race. And if Vincent Riou and Seb Josse, onboard PRB, are clearly the ‘team to beat’, all the entrants know they should fear the fast Delta Dore while Roland Jourdain’s Veolia has been thoroughly optimised this winter and is making her major comeback and the duo of Dominic Wavre and Michèle Paret on Temenos II have already proved themselves competitive!

Unfortunately for Jean-Pierre Dick and Damian Foxall, Paprec-Virbac is not able to compete in this Rolex Fastnet Race due to keel problems, but this Barcelona World Race prologue promises to be an exciting first race test for the campaigns all looking to get the psychological advantage before the 11th November start of the non-stop,two-handed Barcelona World Race.

Roland Jourdain, Veolia Environnement
“All the great boats sailed that course. It’s one of those races that have become mythical. We will of course observe the boats which will be our rivals on the Barcelona World Race, but most of all we’ll check out how Veolia Environnement behaves. The boat has been re-launched last week, and we’re not going to push her hard for the first outings. We have to learn her new subtleties.”

Jérémie Beyou, Delta Dore
“This race has an unequalled aura. For the IMOCA 60 monohulls, it will be the match of the year. During the Calais Round Britain Race, we were able to examine the potential of the boats. During the Fastnet, the potential of the crews is what will be put to the test. We’ll try and obtain a result of course, but the boat is now optmised for a round-the-world race, not a coastal course.”

Alex Thomson, Hugo Boss
“I look forward to lining up against some of the world’s best sailors in a fiercely competitive fleet on Sunday. This will be my first race with Capey, my co-skipper for the Barcelona World Race, and our first offshore race on the new HUGO BOSS. We want to learn as much as we can about this new boat in order to optimize her performance in preparation for the Barcelona World Race. The Rolex Fastnet Race will be an ideal training ground and we will certainly be keeping a close eye on the other competition.”

During the Rolex Fastnet Race, the Barcelona World Race organisation will be testing several new systems due to be used during the round-the-world event. All information, including live tracking, will be available on the ‘race ready’ website which will go online for the start of the prologue on Sunday.

Today has been a satisfactory day for the Estrella Damm Sailing Team. As part of their preparation and training, Spanish skipper Guillermo Altadill and American co-skipper Jonathan McKee have taken the start this morning of their very first race together, the Artemis Challenge.

Part of Skandia Cowes week, the race saw a fleet of seven IMOCA Open 60 head for the start line as Dame Ellen Mac Arthur shot the gun at 10 o’clock from the Royal Yacht Squadron. Each boat was racing for a charity and Estrella Damm was competing for Africa Viva, a charity based in Barcelona and working on development programmes in Burkina Faso in Western Africa.

Estrella Damm sailing in the Artemis Challenge - 8th August 2007
© Mark Lloyd
With a crew of seven including Brian Thompson, Nick Moloney and England rugbyman Will Greenwood MBE, Estrella Damm took thelead early on and kept her position firmly until the finish line was crossed. Over the pone during the race, Will Greenwood reported: “I have been the winch man which is unbelievably hard but it has been amazing!”

The Artemis Challenge has been raced in mild weather conditions but has unfortunately seen the dismasting of fellow competitor Mike Sanderson onboard his brand new Pindar early on in the course.

At the prize giving ceremony, Will Greenwood delivered his comments about his first sail ever: “In terms of physical endurance, it was as tough a session as I have done for a long time. We took the lead, nearly messed it up but we were determined, everyone pulled their weight and we have won a great trophy and donated a lot of Money to charity.”

Jonathan McKee thanked Artemis for a great event as well as his team for their hard work over the past few weeks, followed by Guillermo Altadill’s summary of the race: “It was a great day for us but we are sorry for Mike and the Pindar crew. We made a small mistake just before the Needles and were having a good race with Pindar before the accident. The race was a good and intensive race with lots of sail changes. Will did a good job on the winch and got to see how tough this sport really is. It is a great race to win and we are pleased to give the money to Africa Viva where it will go to people who need it far more than us.”

For further information about Africa Viva, please visit http://www.africaviva.org/

Final podium:
Estrella Damm – Guillermo Altadill and Jonathan McKee
Roxy – Samantha Davies
Akena Vérandas – Arnaud Boissières

Neustadt located in Holstein, Germany, on the sheltered western side of the Bay of Luebeck is more than a renowned sailing centre. Set picturesquely at the end of a fiord-like harbour on Schleswig-Holstein’s Baltic coast, the town will host the 4th edition of the Rolex Baltic Week from 17 to 23 August.

Cultural variety is a key value for Neustadt, and this European town in the Holstein region will welcome visitors from all over the world with high-class music, arts and sports. The Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival concerts, opera performances in Eutin’s castle park and an arts and crafts fair in Cismar’s cloister, the European Folklore Festival, the Europe running contest, and of course international sailing regattas such as the European Championships of the international Melges 24 class and the final series of the Farr 40’s European Circuit at the 2007 Rolex Baltic Week.

Since 1986, the surroundings of Neustadt have hosted the renowned Schleswig-Holstein Musikfestival (SHMF) every year. This year’s SHMF focuses on Hungary, and the festival will once again attract a number of international artists to the East Holstein district (Ostholstein). From 14 July to 2 September, more than 135 concerts, six music festivals in the country-side and two children’s music festivals will take place at 75 attractive venues between the North Sea and Baltic coasts.

Among these SHMF locations are the manor and barn of the Gut Hasselburg estate near the Bay of Neustadt, the sailing area of the Rolex Baltic Week. The Hasselburg estate is an outstanding example of a complete and excellently restored 18th century building. Its gate-house is the biggest and most elegant of its kind in Schleswig-Holstein. Guided tours of the manor and the private collection of historic keyboard instruments from the 17th and 18th century can be attended during cultural events at Hasselburg.

Every three years over the past 50 years, the market place of Neustadt sees an international gathering of folklore fans at the Week of Traditional Dresses (Trachtenwoche). Neustadt’s European outlook is rooted in this event, which has brought the town and its citizens much acclaim in Germany and abroad. The festival takes place from 28 July to 4 August this year. And there is also the Europe running contest, near the time of the Rolex Baltic Week in August.

There are plenty of events to enjoy with all senses: In July and August, the opera festival attracts more than 40,000 visitors to the tranquil “city of roses” of Eutin. The capital of the Ostholstein district is only 20 minutes by car from Neustadt, so attending great opera performances such as this season’s “Aida” by Verdi, or operettas such as Strauß’ “A Night in Venice”, as well as gala performances of beautiful voices, are all within easy reach to visitors in Neustadt. The open air performances on the “green hill” near the ducal castle on the lake shore do not need acoustic amplifiers. This image has brought much acclaim to the “Opera in the Castle Park” festival (Oper im Schloßpark), which was founded in 1951 in honour of one of the city’s great sons, composer Carl Maria von Weber.

In the 18th century, the castle park had been one of the most extensive baroque gardens in Schleswig-Holstein. The Eutin castle was re-opened to the public after lavish restorations a few years ago. Its’ four red-brick wings with baroque windows and two balconies enclose a Mediterranean-style courtyard.

The venerable brick cloister Cismar, a few miles northeast towards the seaside resort of Groemitz, is an important cultural centre. In the summer, the cloister presents high-class art exhibitions. The Cloister Festival Cismar is known well beyond Schleswig-Holstein as a high-level nostalgic arts and crafts market. On the second weekend of August, about 150 stalls lure up to 80,000 visitors to Cismar.

But the surrounds of Neustadt also offer glimpses of quite a different lifestyle. Timmendorfer Strand, only a few kilometres down the coast towards Luebeck, is the jet-set refuge and definitely worth a visit. To see and to be seen is the motto at the so-called “Café Important”, officially named “Engelseck”, right in the centre of the trendy resort. Leaning back with a coffee latte, guests may watch extravagant cars of all kinds and from all over. Of course there is shopping too. High-end brands abound in the shops lining Timmendorf’s fashionable pedestrian zone.

Last but not least, Neustadt would not be hosting the renowned race week of the Norddeutscher Regatta Verein (NRV) Hamburg, if it were not a true sailing paradise. The town harbour at the end of the fiord-like sea arm with the ancora Marina at its entrance is a popular water sports base and logistics centre. Sailors find all they need here from general equipment to speciality yachting accessories, including a sail-maker’s shop. With 1,400 berths, yachts up to 35 metres can visit the Rolex Baltic Week from the sea. The Marina has been received several awards for its ecological design.

Ten kilometres of fine white sand and shallow waters make the Bay near Neustadt a Mecca for windsurfers. For several years, the area has also become very popular with kite-surfers, who indulge in their spectacular and very “hip” sport in front of awed onlookers. But with a long southward facing beach, a true rarity on the German Baltic coast, everyone will find a perfect spot to simply enjoy the wind, the water and the waves.

“Baleària”, de Gonzalo Araújo, consigue su segundo podio de la temporada, aunque le supo a poco la tercera plaza

Valencia.- Con la victoria de “Caixa Galicia”, en la clase TP’52, y del “Quebramar-Chrysler”, en GP’52, ha finalizado hoy sábado, la novena edición del Trofeo S.M. La Reina en aguas de Valencia, una competición que ha estado organizada por el Real Club Náutico de Valencia y que, gracias a las buenas condiciones de viento que han existido durante estos últimos tres días, se han podido disputar las siete mangas previstas en las Instrucciones de Regata.

El equipo gallego que dirige el coruñés “Chuny” Bermúdez de Castro consiguió apear del primer escalón del podio al que, hasta antes de iniciarse la competición de hoy, el “Baleària”, lideraba la general provisional. La segunda plaza conseguida por el “Caixa Galicia” en la primera prueba de hoy, y el primer puesto alcanzado en la segunda, le han supuesto al equipo que arma Vicente Tirado, vencer en esta edición del Trofeo S.M. La Reina y revalidar el título logrado el pasado año.

Por su parte, el “Baleària”, del vigués Gonzalo Araújo, no pudo culminar la buena actuación de ayer viernes y finalizó en el tercer escalón del podio. Un role del 105º al 115º, en la segunda ceñida, le hizo acabar con todas sus expectativas de alzarse con el triunfo. No obstante, esta tercera plaza le supone al equipo de Araújo su segundo podio de esta temporada ya que se suma a la victoria alcanzada, en Barcelona, con motivo del 34º Trofeo Conde de Godó.

El “Mutua Madrileña”, por su parte, tampoco se sintió gratificado tras el título de subcampeón conseguido hoy en Valencia. De nada le sirvió al equipo de Vasco Vascotto conseguir la victoria en la primera prueba ya que el “Rusal Synergy” se interpuso entre este equipo y el “CaixaGalicia” en la segunda manga, lo que hizo a Vascotto descender hasta la segunda plaza de la general.

Por otro lado, el “Quebramar-Chrysler” que patronea Laureano Wizner, y arma Gonçalo Estévez, se ha merecido con toda la autoridad que le permite haber realizado seis primeros puestos, alzarse con el primer escalón del podio en esta competición que cierra el circuito de alto nivel en la Comunidad Valenciana. La segunda plaza ha sido para el “Zurich” mientras que el tercero ha sido el italiano “Sea Wonder”.

Clasificación General 9º Trofeo S.M. La Reina

Transpac 52
1º.- Caixa Galicia, Roberto B. De Castro, 19 puntos

2º.- Mutua Madrileña, Vasco Vascotto, 20 puntos

3º.- Baleària, Gonzalo Araújo, 25 puntos

Grand Prix 42

1º.- Quebramar-Chrysler, Laureano Wizner, 8 puntos

2º.- Zurich, Jordi Calafat, 26 puntos

3º.- Sea Wonder, Flavio Favini, 27 puntos

Modesto Sánchez
BALEÀRIA - Equipo de Regatas
Gabinete de Comunicación
modesto@cadifornia.com
647 89 37 37

Sailors racing in Ilhabela, Brazil have had to face extremely diverse conditions at the 34th edition of the Rolex Ilhabela Sailing Week. The week began with fabulous weather and an offshore race to Alcatrazes Island, with the entire city of Ilhabela stopping to watch the start of the 55-nautical mile race. While no records were broken, the Alcatrazes Race proved once again to be a great welcome for the 187 boats competing in this weeklong event that is the largest and most traditional regatta in South America. The week is composed of six windward-leeward races and two distance races.

The weather maintained a summer-like ambience for Monday and Tuesday’s races and boats from Brazil managed to maintain their overall lead in the IMS 500, IMS 600 and ORC Club classes, all three of which are eligible for Rolex timepieces.

However, everything changed with the 30-knot winds that shook up all of the standings in Ilhabela, also blowing snow into Buenos Aires for the first time in 89 years. After a gruelling day on the water on Wednesday, sailors once again had to readjust when Thursday’s race was postponed due to a lack of wind. The constant changes have made this year’s Rolex Ilhabela Sailing Week a continuous challenge, and the number of talented sailors on the water have raised competition levels here off of São Paolo.

Although two races were scheduled for Friday, most classes only raced one as the breeze only reached 6 knots. The ORC Club class was the only class to finish the second race of the day, completing seven races overall.

In the IMS class, Eduardo Souza Ramos’ Mitsubishi/Gol had their first win in yesterday’s race. “Technically it was a perfect race and we did all the manoeuvres correctly. The win at the end was beautiful,” said Souza Ramos.

Even with Mitsubishi/Gol taking first, it is Argentinean Personal who has the most constant results after finishing second in Friday’s race and who is now first overall in the class after one result for each of the boats was discarded. “We maintained regular results but there is still one day of racing to come and nothing is guaranteed,” said Personal’s Jose Estevez. The Brazilian boat Sorsa III, with helmsman Lars Grael, is second overall in the IMS Class followed by Cristabella in third and Mitsubishi/Gol in fourth.

With a second place in Friday’s race and the throwout of their 11th place from the first racing day, Handycam, skippered by Marcos Ferrari, has now moved into the lead of the IMS 600 Class. “We made a lot of progress- we began the regatta in 11th place and now we are in first because we didn’t give up after our unlucky start,” said Ferrari.

Saturday is the last day of the Rolex Ilhabela Sailing Week and two windward-leeward races are scheduled to start at noon, though only one race may be completed depending on wind conditions. Directly following the last race, there will be a closing party and prize-giving ceremony at the Yacht Club Ilhabela. For the first time, three Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner timepieces will be awarded to the winning boats in the IMS 500, IMS 600 and the ORC Club classes.

Results after 6 races (after discard)

IMS-500
1- Personal (ARG/Jose Estevez Samela), 9 points (7-1-1-4-1-2)
2- Sorsa III (BRA/Celso Quintella), 13 points (1-4-2-1-6-5)
3- Cristabella (BRA/Dario Galvão), 13 points (3-2-3-3-2-4)
4- Mitsubishi Motors/Gol (BRA/Eduardo Souza Ramos), 14 points (4-3-4-2-7-1)
5- Cutty Sark (BRA/Jorge Zarif), 21 points (2-5-7-5-3-6)
6- Loyal/Polijohn (BRA/Marcelo Massa), 25 points (5-6-6-6-5-3)
7- Asa Alumínio (BRA/Mário Martinez), 29 points (6-7-5-7-4-7)

IMS-600
1- Handycam (Marcos Ferrari), 11 points (11-3-1-2-3-2)
2- CapinCanela (BRA/Marcos Soares), 12 points (7-1-3-3-4-1)
3- Mer.K2 (ARG/Carlos Oliva Vélez), 19 points (3-5-2-5-14-4)
4- Ventaneiro (BRA/Renato da Cunha Faria), 21 points (2-14-4-6-1-8)
5- Bijupirá (BRA/Escola Naval), 21 points (6-4-5-4-2-10)

Results after 7 races (after discard)

ORC CLUB
1- Matrero (ARG/Toribio de Achaval), 24 points (4-9-5-1-1-19-4)
2- Manos Champ (BRA/Avelino Alvarez), 30 points (1-1-17-8-9-8-3)
3- Ângela Star (BRA/Peter Siemsen), 43 points (14-2-20-10-2-13-2)
4- Catuana Kum (BRA/Paulo Cocchi), 51 points (16-5-13-3-4-10-30)
5- Mahalo (BRA/Ricardo Silveira Filho), 52 points (11-4-6-13-16-2-30)

Focus on Brazilian Sailors

Although the number of people who sail in Brazil is low, they are a competitive and successful group, bringing Brazil the most Olympic gold medals compared to other sports. The success of Brazilian sailing began almost 50 years ago, when North American and European immigrants introduced the sport. Sailing has always been represented by technically-advanced athletes in the Olympics, World Championships and the Pan American Games. Since 1948, Brazil has qualified for every Olympic games in sailing and has finished in the top ten in all of them. Robert Scheidt is an ideal example: a six-time Laser World Champion, 2007 Star World Champion, ISAF Rolex Sailor of the Year winner in 2001 and 2004, three-time Olympic medallist (2 Gold, 1 Silver). “I feel bad that I am not in Ilhabela competing because it the biggest sailing event in South America and because Ilhabela is the ideal place to host a regatta. This year I had a very conflicting schedule, but I know already that for 2008 I will be there,” said Scheidt, the most recent Star World Champion (Cascais 2007). “Ilhabela is a wonderful place where you can combine training and tranquillity. Many of the steps I take in my training program happen in Ilhabela,” Scheidt added.

In total Brazil has won 14 Olympic medals, 55 Pan American medals and some 77 World Championship medals. The Rolex Ilhabela Sailing Week brings all of the best Brazilian sailors together for the biggest and most traditional regatta in all of South America.

“Ilhabela is a great event because it has both a competitive aspect and a social aspect. On land there is a great ambiance for families, while on the water the competition is fierce. Ilhabela has a perfect geographic location, and it attracts all the sailors from Santos, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro as it is right in the middle of the country,” said Lars Grael, helmsman of Brazilian boat Sorsa III. “It’s great to participate this year and I believe that Rolex coming to this regatta will really help leverage the event,” Grael added.

Another recognized sailor sailing on Sorsa III is gold medallist Eduardo Penido. “The nice thing about Ilhabela is that even though it is a small city, it lives and breathes sailing. Here you find a sort of sailors’ Mecca, and no matter where you go you will find a connection with sailing.”

The first Ilhabela Sailing Week took place in 1973, and the event has continued to grow since. Today there are over 1600 sailors taking place in the 34th edition of South America’s biggest regatta. Top sailors that compete against one another on the water come together on land to celebrate and enjoy the week of sailing that takes place in Ilhabela for the 2007 Rolex Ilhabela Sailing Week.

To download high-resolution images, copyright free for editorial purposes, register online at www.regattanews.com

Further information about the Yacht Club Ilhabela and the Rolex Ilhabela Sailing Week may be found at www.risw.com.br

International Media Contact:
Key Partners (KPMS)
Alex Bocage/ Marina Kienitz
Media Centre in Ilhabela: +55 12 38 96 3121
Alex Mobile: +55 11 86 42 8161
Email: alex@regattanews.com/ marina@regattanews.com

Web:
www.regattanews.com
www.kpms.com

Yacht Club Ilhabela
T: +55 (12) 3896-2300
F: +55 (12) 3896-1748
Email: nunes@zdl.com.br

With only two points between the two leaders at the beginning of the last day, the last fleet races of the Malcesine Cup were full of promises. And they delivered, Chris Bake’s Team Aqua getting a first and a second places and overtaking Russell Coutts’ Team Omega to win the event.

Malcesine (ITA), 15 July 2007 – Winner of the match-racing event on Friday and leader of the fleet ranking with a two points margin over Team Aqua, Russell Coutts’ Team Omega was the favourite to conquer the Malcesine Cup (combination of the fleet and match racing ranking). However, Chris Bake and his team members had another idea; they dominated this last day, winning the fleet racing and conquering the Malcesine Cup.
For the first time this week, the start of the first race got postponed because of the light and fluky winds. But the famous thermal breeze finally kicked in, allowing a couple of fleet races to be completed in light airs.
Back in good shape and speed, Cro-A-Sail took a great start and seriously challenged Team Aqua throughout the first race, finally finishing second. As for Team Omega, it never managed to recover from a bad start, finishing the race in fourth, a couple of meters behind the brilliant Antigua Ekipa 44 led by Carlo Falcone.
It all got down to the last race, Team Aqua leading the new ranking with one less point than Team Omega. Once again, Chris Bake managed to take a good start and sail in fresh wind whilst Team Omega struggled to find clear air. But it is Miroslav Reljanovic’s Cro-A-Sail who had the best race, winning with a comfortable margin over Team Aqua and Team Omega. Chris Bakes team conquers both the fleet racing title and the Malcesine Cup, on a tier with Team Omega (but the fleet race ranking is the final judge in case of equality).
The races of the Malcesine Cup took part alongside the shore, a few meters away from the beautiful new yacht club of Fraglia Vela di Malcesine. Perfectly organised, on the water as well as on shore (with a beautiful social program), the event turned out to be a great success. The RC 44 fleet definitely wants to come back here next year, probably In June.

They said:

Chris Bake, Team Aqua:
“Our strategy today was to sail clean and fast, and to try to get good starts, which we managed. The courses were very short, so the starts were even more important than earlier in the week. The last mark rounding was decisive, as we almost lost the event as we were kind of stuck between Magia Carbon Affairs and Team Omega. But we remained focused and just made it.”
“This event was great; the location is phenomenal and the regatta was very well organised.”

Russell Coutts, Team Omega:
“The breeze was very different today than it was during the last few days, and we struggled to read it properly. We just had one of those days where things go wrong.
Despite this, I absolutely loved this event. Malcesine is one of the best places I know in Europe, and Gianni Testa did a fantastic job organising this race.”

Jesper Radich, tactician, Cro-A-Sail:
“Four of us are new on the boat, so our goal was to learn and improve. I think we achieved our goal today; it was really the highlight of the week for us. It was a great event.”

Malcesine Cup overall ranking (fleet race points, match-race points, overall points):

1) Team Aqua (1 /2) 3 points
2) Team Omega (2/1) 3 points
3) Cro-A-Sail (3/3) 6 points
4) Magia Carbon Affairs (4/5) 9 points
5) Antigua Ekipa 44 (5/4) 9 points

Fleet racing: Final results after 9 races (no discard):

1) Team Aqua (3, 2, 2, 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 2) 15 points
2) Team Omega (1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 2, 2, 4, 3) 17 points
3) Cro-A-Sail (2, 3, 3, 3, OCS, 3, 3, 2, 1) 25 points
4) Magia Carbon Affairs (5, 4, 4, 4, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5) 38 points
5) Antigua Ekipa 44 (4, 5, 5, DNF, 4, 5, 5, 3, 4) 40 points

Match racing: Final results:

1) Team Omega (4 wins / 0 defeats) 4 points
2) Team Aqua (3 /1) 3 points
3) Cro-A-Sail (2 / 2) 2 points
4) Antigua Ekipa 44 (1 / 3) 1 point
5) Magia Carbon Affairs (0 / 4) 0 point

The conditions were once again superb on Lake Garda today, allowing a complete match race round robin to be completed. Team Omega and Team Aqua dominated the series, but the suspense lasted until the last match.

Malcesine (ITA), 13 July 2007 – The professional sailors were back at the helm this afternoon in Malcesine for the match-racing event. A complete round robin got completed in superb sailing conditions (10-15 knots).
On great form, Cameron Appleton (Team Aqua) and Russell Coutts (Team Omega) left absolutely no chance to their opponents, winning all their starts and regularly inflicting penalties to their opponents. The final match - between Team Aqua and Team Omega - reached summits as the two teams were competing for victory a few meters away from the shore, providing an extraordinary show to the public. Team Aqua took the best start and controlled the first beat. But Team Omega benefited from a nice gust of wind and a good strategy during the downwind leg to take the lead. Despite Appleton’s numerous attacks, Team Omega remained in the lead, controlling the situation and winning the match and the round robin.
Cro-A-Sail, with Jesper Radich at the helm, finished third after winning its matches against Team Magia Carbon Affairs and Antigua Ekipa 44. Having changed part of his crew recently, Miroslav Reljanovic was expecting a better result. But once again, the teams with most experience proved to be difficult to beat. Both Team Antigua Ekipa 44 and Magia Carbon Affairs made the same analysis at the end of the day; both of them were sailing with new crewmembers, who were discovering the class and match-racing at this level. Team Omega and Team Aqua were clearly out of reach for them.
Once again, Malcesine and Lake Garda proved to be one of the best locations in the world to host a top level sailing event.
Tomorrow, the RC 44 teams will set sails at 6:30 AM and sail freely in the strong morning breeze for television purposes, before competing a coastal race and a fleet race.

They said:

Russell Coutts, Team Omega:
“I am absolutely thrilled by this event. Malcesine is just one of the best places I know in Europe for sailing. The breeze is steady and strong and the scenery is superb. I really want the whole fleet to come back here next year.”

David Lees, International umpire & judge:
“It is very interesting for me to work with this class, because the level of racing and boat handling is much higher than in the other classes I usually work with. The racing is very close and come-backs are always possible because of the speed of the boats. On top of this, the RC 44’s are lovely and they have an aggressive look, which makes it even more pleasant.”

Jesper Radich, Cro-A-Sail:
“This boat is very rewarding when it is being sailed well. Indeed, it needs to be trimmed constantly; there is nothing static and it requires constant effort and concentration. I am discovering it, so I feel that I have a lot to learn. But it is great fun.”

Rasmus Kostner, Team Magia Carbon Affairs:
“If you are not having fun on this boat, then you should seriously consider doing another sport. It’s absolutely awesome. And the venue is great. This morning, we were having coffee at 11:30 and the lake was as flat as a mirror. However, we all knew that the breeze was going to come soon and of course it did. It’s magic!”

Match racing: Final results after one round robin:

1) Team Omega (4 wins / 0 defeats) 4 points
2) Team Aqua (3 /1) 3 points
3) Cro-A-Sail (2 / 2) 2 points
4) Antigua Ekipa 44 (1 / 3) 1 point
5) Magia Carbon Affairs (0 / 4) 0 point

Photo: Team Aqua and Team Omega during the decisive match of the Malcesine Cup. Photo Fabrizio Prandini.

For more information, high resolution photos and video footage, please contact:

Bernard Schopfer
MaxComm Communication (www.maxcomm.ch)

T: +41 22 735 55 30
M: + 41 79 332 11 76
E: media@russellcoutts.net
Website: http://www.rc44.com

The RC 44 is a light displacement, high performance One Design sailing boat. It was designed by three-time America’s Cup winner Russell Coutts, together with Slovenian naval architect Andrej Justin. The RC 44 was created for top level racing in international regattas under strictly controlled Class Rules. The concept and the design features of the RC 44 are dedicated to the amateur helmsmen racing in fleet and match racing sailing events.

Dos tripulaciones nacionales se clasificaron entre los diez primeros del Campeonato del Mundo de la clase 49er, que finalizó hoy en aguas portuguesas de la bahía de Cascais, cerca de Lisboa, con lo que aseguraron por partida doble la plaza española en los Juegos Olímpicos de Pekín. Los mejores fueron los hermanos asturianos Federico y Arturo Alonso, que se marcaron un segundo en la regata final y acabaron en la sexta plaza de la tabla definitiva.

La Medal Race de la clase 49er, regata final que sólo disputan los diez primeros y que puntúa doble, se disputó con muy poco viento, con siete nudos de media pero con muchas clapas con apenas tres nuditos. “No eran las condiciones idóneas para disputar una Medal Race, pero es que no hemos tenido condiciones idóneas ningún día del Campeonato”, comentó Federico Alonso al respecto.

España consiguió meter a dos tripulaciones nacionales en esta importante regata final, que sólo corren los diez primeros, pero ninguna de las dos optaba a medalla, debido a la diferencia de puntos de los primeros clasificados. Aún así, ambos equipos salieron a por todas.

A los hermanos asturianos Federico y Arturo Alonso les fue más o menos bien la salida, y enseguida optaron por la parte derecha del campo de regatas. Los vascos Iker Martínez y Xabi Fernández no tuvieron tanta suerte. Los oro olímpicos en Atenas estaban muy bien colocados en el barco del visor, pero a raíz de un role inesperado de viento se quedaron sin ángulo suficiente para salir, por lo que tuvieron que trasluchar y dar la vuelta, saliendo los últimos.

En la primera baliza de barlovento el equipo asturiano pasó en la tercera posición. Perdieron un puesto en la segunda ceñida, y en la tercera volvieron a recuperarlo. En el último tramo hacia la línea de meta, en rumbo abierto, los Alonso se lucieron y consiguieron remontar otro puesto, con lo que entraron en la segunda plaza. Con esta magnífica actuación, se clasificaron en la sexta plaza de la general, asegurando la plaza para España en los Juegos Olímpicos de Pekín.

“Estamos muy contentos. Nuestro objetivo era entrar en la Medal, porque en el Mundial del año pasado quedamos octavos pero fue un campeonato con muy poco viento, que son las condiciones en las que navegamos mejor; por eso aquí, con tanto viento, ya estábamos contentos entrando entre los diez primeros, y encima la Medal Race ha ido bien, así que estamos encantados”, comentó Federico Alonso al término de la regata.

Por su parte, tras esa desafortunada salida los regatistas vascos intentaron remontar posiciones. Lo consiguieron y se llegaron a colocar octavos, pero se quedaron atascados en una clapa sin viento y al final entraron en la décima posición. En la tabla final, se clasificaron también en la décima plaza.

Clasificaciones en http://www.cascaisworlds2007.com

Luisa Bambozzi, helmswoman onboard Team Omega, got three bullets and a second place on day one of the Malcesine Cup. Team Omega leads the fifth stage of the RC 44 Championship Tour ahead of Team Aqua and Cro-A-Sail.

Malcesine (ITA), 12 July 2007 – The Malcesine Cup started today with four fleet races held in moderate wind conditions (10-15 knots). The five one-design RC 44’s were fully powered, and offered a great show to the public.

Sailing on an RC 44 for the first time, Luisa Bambozzi, a young (25 y.o.) talent from Parma, left absolutely no chance to her opponents, taking excellent starts and sailing precisely under Russell Coutts’ supervision. Luisa Bambozzi and Team Omega won the first three races, before finishing second of the last race behind Chris Bake’s Team Aqua. All four races were extremely close and Intense, all boats crossing the arrival line within seconds. Despite the close action, there were clearly two groups within the fleet, with Team Omega, Team Aqua and Cro-A-Sail (with Jesper Radish at the tactics) finishing all races in the top three whilst the newcomers onboard Magia Carbon Affairs and Antigua Ekipa 44 finished a few boat lengths behind.

Aged 25, Luisa Bambozzi found out that she was going to steer Team Omega the day before the event started. A member of the Fraglia Vela di Malcesine, she travelled to lake Garda in order to give a hand to the Organising Committee. Gianni Testa, the President of the club, was supposed to steer Team Omega but he realised that organising the event and sailing was too much. So he offered the job to Luisa. “I thought it was a joke”, she said. “But then I realised that they were serious. For me, this is just a once in a lifetime opportunity and I feel extremely lucky.”
A match racing round-robin is scheduled tomorrow, whilst the teams will sail a coastal race on Saturday. The event will finish on Sunday with more fleet races.

They said:

Luisa Bambozzi, helmswoman, Team Omega:
“Russell told me to concentrate on boat speed and not to look at the other boats, so that’s what I did. I was quite nervous before the start, but I relaxed as soon as the racing started. This was an amazing experience for me.”

Andrej Justin, RC 44 co-designer:
“It is very important for me to sail on the RC 44’s whilst racing. This is the best way for me to understand what goes well and what can be improved. It’s the best way top progress as a designer. I’m very lucky, because Russell always brings me a great feed back. His input is really fabulous. We want this class to be alive, so we need to permanently question ourselves.”

Carlo Falcone, Antigua Ekipa 44:
“I think that the boats are great. But what will make the difference with the other classes is the container concept. These boats are so easy to transport, it is just great. It reduces the costs tremendously, without compromising the performance. It is a very clever concept. Next winter, we want to organise an event in Antigua and it will be very easy to ship the boats there. I think that this Class will boom.”

Fleet racing: Provisional results after four races:

1) Team Omega (1, 1, 1, 2) 5 points
2) Team Aqua (3, 2, 2, 1) 8 points
3) Cro-A-Sail (2, 3, 3, 3) 11 points
4) Magia Carbon Affairs (5, 4, 4, 4) 17 points
5) Antigua Ekipa 44 (4, 5, 5, DNF) 20 points