23 November 2019

RORC & IMA Transatlantic Race, Lanzarote to Grenada

Kali completes 2019 RORC Transat - Dockside interviews, Grenada

Dec 12, 2019: Benedikt Clauberg's Swiss First 47.7 Kali finished the RORC Transatlantic Race on 11 December, completing the 3,000nm race in 18 days 08 hours 28 mins and 18 secs. Kali was competing for the second year in a row and beat their finish time for 2018 by nearly 18 hours.
“It feels great to beat our time from last year as we have been working hard on the performance of the boat,” said Kali's Benedikt Clauberg. “This year was much harder due to a lot of squalls, but we have a very enthusiastic team who wanted to change sails even when they were tired, and that made a difference. It feels like coming home when we arrived in Grenada because we know Charlotte (Fairhead) and all the C&N Port Louis Marina staff.”
2019 Dec 10: Jangada IRC Overall winner of RORC Transatlantic Race 2019:

Jangada, Richard Palmer's JPK 1010 racing two-handed with Jeremy Waitt, crossed the finish line outside Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina, Grenada on Tuesday 10th December, 2019 at 21:11:06 UTC. Their elapsed time was 17 days 10 hours 11 mins 06 secs. See all results here.

Pata Negra dockside interviews, Grenada

Andy Lis and the young crew on board Giles Redpath's Pata Negra completed the 2019 RORC Transatlantic Race in 15 days 22 hrs 58 mins 13 secs. On arrival at Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina, they were interviewed about their experience by RORC Race Reporter, Louay Habib. “That was quite an adventure,” commented Skipper, Andy Lis. “Besides myself, this is the first time in the Caribbean for the rest of the crew. The most memorable moment for me was the boat flying through a squall - it was bucketing with rain and the sea went from a 4 metre swell to nothing, with the breeze pumping.”

Interview dockisde, Grenada: Andre Auberton-Herve/Dark Shadow

French Wally 100 Dark Shadow finished the 2019 RORC Transatlantic Race on Friday 6th December in an elapsed time of 13 days 9 hours 11 mins and 3 secs. Dark Shadow was sailed by Andre Auberton-Herve (FRA) and skippered by Yerin Hobson (AUS). "I did the transat almost 12 years ago with the almost the same team. This time it was great, but we had tricky winds and still enjoyed it," commented Andre Auberton-Herve. "Racing with the RORC means great organisation at the departure and a great reception here. The transat was perfect, we loved it - Dark Shadow was flying! We reached 25 knots finally and that was very nice. It was great to put the team back together - The Expendables Transat!"  Dark Shadow crossed the finish line outside Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina, Grenada on Friday 6th December, 2019 at 20:11:03 UTC.

See also Bouwe Bekking, Skipper Childhood 1 - RORC Transatlantic Race video. Skipper Bouwe Bekking (NED): "It's always nice to start building a team from scratch. This is the beginning of it. There's a couple of really interesting young crew members who have a lot in them. I was pleasantly surprised. It's really nice to be here in Grenada, I've never been here before. The Marina is splendid, and that is one of the things you wonder when coming across, and this is really nice, and a really warm welcome. Thank you Grenada."

Childhood 1 Wins the IMA Trophy | RORC Transatlantic Race (video)

Swedish VO65 Childhood 1, skippered by Bouwe Bekking, has taken Line Honours in the 2019 RORC Transatlantic Race. Childhood 1 crossed the finish line outside Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina, Grenada in an elapsed time of 11 days 11 hours 34 mins 49 secs. The International Maxi Association Secretary General, Andrew McIrvine, presented Bouwe Bekking and the team with the IMA Trophy for Monohull Line Honours in the RORC Transatlantic Race. With cold beers and big cheers Childhood 1 was welcomed by Charlotte Bonin, Marina Manager and the team at Port Louis Marina. Nikoyan Roberts presented a basket of Grenadian goods on behalf of the Grenadian Tourism Authority.

RORC Transatlantic Race 2019 LIVE Tracker 04 Dec 2019 23:00: Childhood 1 Finish & Line Honours - 11d 11h 39m 49s.

Dec 1, 2019: with less than 1200nm to the finish at Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina in Grenada, leading the fleet is the Swedish VO65 Childhood 1. All of the competing yachts are south of the rhumb line but there is over 900nm of latitudinal separation in the fleet. Jangada is furthest north and Childhood 1 furthest south. Childhood's deep dive south has paid dividends to take the lead for line honours, Jangada leads the race overall after IRC time correction and Pata Negra have come from behind to overtake Kali. After nine days at sea the RORC Transatlantic Race fleet are now well offshore in the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean - the next sighting of land will be the Caribbean. More news here.

Day 5 Update, Nov 27:  Wally 100 Dark Shadow Satellite Phone Call (video): After five days into the RORC Transatlantic Race the international fleet is experiencing shifty conditions with a light to moderate wind oscillating between nor' east and east. All of the teams are south of the rhumb line but different strategies are producing a range of tactics in the 3,000nm race to Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina in Grenada. Richard Palmer, competing Two Handed with Jeremy Waitt on his British JPK 10.10 Jangada are currently provisional overall leader after IRC time correction. French Wally 100 Dark Shadow is 2,285nm from the finish and leading the fleet for line honours. Swedish VO65 Childhood 1 has sailed the most miles (945nm) and is the furthest south. Pata Negra is back in the race having made a pit-stop in El Hierro. More news here.

LIVE Tracker here.

Nov 26: Fleet leaders Childhood 1 & Dark Shadow take a deep dive southward (LIVE tracker).

Nov 24, 2019 -- RORC Transatlantic Race 2019: As expected, Swedish VO65 Childhood 1, skippered by Bouwe Bekking, is firmly in front having raced 251nm in the first 24 hours. The fleet are currently experiencing downwind conditions, however the nor’easterly gradient wind is far from stable as frequent rain squalls, combined with land effects, have dramatically changed both the wind speed and direction. Childhood 1 gybed south of the rhumb line shortly after sunrise this morning, indicating that the team may well be turning south after negotiating the wind shadow of El Hierro - the last sight of land that they are likely to see for many days.

After noon on day two of the race, the Wally 100 Dark Shadow also gybed south having raced 240nm in the first 24 hours. Dark Shadow's David Martriano commented via satellite phone. “All is well on board and we are currently sailing in about 15 knots of breeze from the northeast. The conditions are beautiful and we are enjoying some fantastic fresh food prepared by Annina (Zaini). Last night the breeze was up and down, which kept us busy with quite a few sail changes. This morning we got into a light patch of wind north of Tenerife, but we are now in good breeze and looking forward to some great sailing ahead.” More here.

RORC Transatlantic Race 2019 Start Nov 23 (video): Farewell Lanzarote! The RORC Transatlantic Race gets underway! The 6th edition of the RORC Transatlantic Race got underway on time with the fleet starting from outside Marina Lanzarote at 1100 UTC on Saturday 23 November, 2019. After months of preparation, the international fleet have started one of the most iconic offshore races with a stiff breeze gusting up to 25 knots. Read more at http://rorctransatlantic.rorc.org/news/

See also: Jangada & Dark Shadow Dockside | RORC Transatlantic Race RORC video published Nov 22, 2019. 6th RORC Transatlantic Race Start: Saturday 23rd November 2019 - Marina Lanzarote; Notice of Race (pdf) and here (pdf), course: Lanzarote, Canary Islands, to Grenada, Caribbean. Approximate Distance: 2995nm.
Official website: rorctransatlantic.rorc.org and LIVE Tracking


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22 November 2019

SailGP – A Revolution in Yacht Racing (video)

SailGP – a revolution in yacht racing

In SailGP, five-member crews representing six countries race identical F50 foiling catamarans in the world’s most famous harbours. Complex control systems and high-end carbon-fibre materials, combined with supreme teamwork and athleticism, enable the boats to skim the water at exhilarating speeds. Australia won the inaugural SailGP title in 2019. After topping the table through five regattas, the team helmed by Tom Slingsby then beat Japan in the deciding match race in Marseille. Rolex is the Presenting Partner and Official Timepiece of SailGP. #Rolex #SailGP #Perpetual

See also Marseille SailGP 2019 Sep 20 - 22 LIVE and sailgp.com.

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21 November 2019

Pata Negra - RORC Transatlantic Race Preview (video)

Pata Negra | RORC Transatlantic Race

On board Giles Redpath's Lombard 46 Pata Negra ahead of the 2019 RORC Transatlantic Race.

The 2019 RORC Transatlantic Race will start from Marina Lanzarote in the Canary Islands on Saturday 23 November 2019, bound for Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina, Grenada.

#RORCTransatlanticRace

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20 November 2019

Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2019 Preview Video

Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2019 Preview

Over the past three-quarters of a century, the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race has developed a rich heritage and a revered status as one of the world’s toughest ocean racing contests. Organized by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia,  in conjunction with the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, the race has started from Sydney Harbour on 26 December each and every year since the very first in 1944. Rolex’s partnership with the 628 nautical mile offshore race began in 2002 as part of the company’s six-decade-long involvement in yachting. The event encapsulates a continuous quest for excellence and willingness to push the boundaries of human endeavour and achievement. 2019 marks the 75th edition with around 170 yachts entered. More here.

Official website: rolexsydneyhobart.com


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19 November 2019

44Cup Palma Best Shots & Team CEEREF (video)

Best shots - 44Cup Palma

All the best shot from the 44Cup Palma thanks to the team at Icarus Sports.

Team CEEREF - 44Cup Palma and 2019 Tour champions

Team CEEREF celebrate their double win on the dock!

See also: 44Cup Palma, Nov 13 - 17, Palma de Majorca, Spain (video)

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12 November 2019

44Cup Palma, Nov 13 - 17, Palma de Majorca, Spain (video)

Day 4 - 44Cup Palma 2019 - Far Behind Victory Decides 2019 44Cup

Nov 17, 2019, Day 4 (final day of racing): It was supposed to be a heavyweight bout between Chris Bake’s Team Aqua and Vladimir Prosikhin’s Team Nika. These two, among the oldest, most successful teams in the high performance one design monohull class, started the 44Cup Palma, the final event of the season, separated by just one point at the top of the 2019 44Cup leaderboard. Behind them Igor Lah’s Team CEEREF went into the 44Cup Palma five points off the lead with Aleph Racing of Hugues Lepic a further point behind. 

However this non-discardable final event of the season was to prove surprisingly dire for both the leaders who, against all expectation, began today’s final day of racing in last place. Meanwhile, two other teams were excelling – Nico Poons’ Charisma, the 2018 defending 44Cup champion, and Igor Lah’s Team CEEREF, winner in 2016-17, who prevailed once again.

Official results & rankings.

Day 3: 44Cup Palma 2019 - CEEREF Could Turn 44cup On Its Head

Nov 16: If Charisma and Aleph were the stand-out teams yesterday, today, the penultimate day of the 44Cup Palma, belonged to Igor Lah's Team CEEREF. In a return to their 2016-17 season-winning form, the Slovenian team won both of today's races. This elevated them to second overall astern of Nico Poons' Charisma which had another solid day leaving them with a six point lead going into the final day.

Day 2 44Cup Palma - Two Bullet Day for Charisma, but Aleph Leads

44Cup Nov 15, 2019: Yesterday racing was canned with the breeze gusting to 40 knots. Today, despite a large residual swell, conditions appeared more sailable, but for almost two hours the wind failed to settle, its direction pulled around due to the giant clouds crossing the Bay of Palma race area. Although light to moderate, the wind randomly shifted between southwest and northwest and back before finally settling close to the former when, on their fifth attempt, the race committee was able to lay a course successfully.

DAY 1 44Cup

Nov 14, 2019: Winds gusting up to 40 knots and a heinous seastate out on the Bay of Palma, kept the 44Cup fleet at the dock on the opening day of the 44Cup Palma. The wind began veering and dropping mid-afternoon but the left-over sea state precluded the deciding round of the 2019 44Cup from getting underway. 

“We had a steady 23-25 knots of wind, but the sea states was such, coming from various directions, that it was basically like a cauldron,” reported PRO Peter Reggio. “That combined with the velocity being at the upper end means it wouldn’t have been good racing at all. Fortunately the forecast for the next few days is looking better than it did this morning."

The secrets behind a tactician and his coach (video) features Artemis Racing's tactician Andy Horton and coach Tom Burnham on what makes their relationship work.See also 44Cup Preview (video).

44Cup Palma, Nov 13 - 17, Real Club Náutico de Palma, Palma de Majorca, Spain. The grand final is in Palma, Majorca, the fifth and final event of the 2019 season. Expect to see a a heated fight for the podium between the top three teams. Chris Bake’s Team Aqua currently leads the fleet, after the World Championship win in Marstrand Sweden during the summer which they followed up with a win in Cascais, Portugal last month. Having been at each other’s throats for the entire season Team Aqua’s biggest threat is Vladimir Prosikhin’s Team Nika with three second place event finishes this season and desperate to take an event win.
Official website 44cup.org and official results & rankings.
44Cup Cascais 'Best Shots' video:

The best moments from the 44Cup Cascais. See also 44Cup Cascais 2019 highlights video (Oct 3-6), as Team Aqua mastered the large Atlantic swell to take their second event win of the season. For more on Cascais: 44Cup Cascais Oct 3 - 6, Cascais, Lisbon District, Portugal.


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06 November 2019

GC32 Oman Cup 5-9 November 2019 (video)

GC32 Oman Cup - Best shots

GC32 Racing Tour video  of  all the best shots from the GC32 Oman Cup!

Day 4 GC32 Oman Cup - Clean Sweep for Alinghi

Nov 9: In yet another flawless display by the world’s top catamaran sailing team, Alinghi today won the GC32 Oman Cup and the 2019 GC32 Racing Tour. This Ernesto Bertarelli’s Swiss team adds to their GC32 World Championship title and victory in their own domestic D35 catamaran circuit.

Coming into the 2019 GC32 Racing Tour’s final event, Alinghi was tied on points with the Adam Minoprio-skippered Oman Air. This made for a simple battle: Whichever team won here in Oman would claim the 2019 GC32 Racing Tour.

Ultimately Alinghi never missed a beat, leading from the outset, although surprisingly her main competition here was Erik Maris’ Zoulou.

Day 3 GC32 Oman Cup

Nov 8: While it may have been their turn to be top scoring boat on day three of the GC32 Oman Cup, the math is not looking great for Oman Air in their fight with Alinghi to become 2019 GC32 Racing Tour champions. Going into the final day tomorrow, the team that comes out on top will win the big prize. Currently the local heroes, led by Adam Minoprio, are 10 points adrift of the formidable Swiss with potentially five races still to sail tomorrow and with the fleet down to five now following Argo’s untimely breakage yesterday. See also Day 2 and Day 1 videos.

 GC32 Oman Cup Day 2, Nov 7: Undisputed winner of the day was Zoulou, which, with French ace Gurvan Bontemps standing in on the helm for owner-driver Erik Maris (who arrives tonight and will take over tomorrow), put in a 1-2-2-2-1 scoreline, that was impressively consistent given the sea state and gusty conditions.

GC32 Oman Cup Day 1 - Alinghi on winning formNov 6, 2 019: with a light forecast, the opening day of the GC32 Oman Cup looked like it might be marginal. However in the end four out of five of the scheduled races were sailed just north of the Al Mouj marina with a challenging set of wind conditions at times enabling the GC32s to fly fully, sometimes to hull fly only and at other times leaving the ultra-high performance catamarans with both hulls firmly ‘low-‘riding in displacement mode.

GC32 Racing Tour results.

GC32 Racing Tour 2019 - TV Episode #4 (video): Icarus Sports documentary as the hydro foiling GC32 catamaran fleet took to the waters in the iconic sailing destination of Riva del Garda for the fourth event of the 2019 season. (Video published Oct 29, 2019, by GC32 Racing Tour.)

GC32 Oman Cup November 5-9, 2019 (Nov 5 practice race day): Oman is host of the final and deciding event of the 2019 GC32 Racing Tour, and the Oman Air team well placed to secure the overall Tour title on home waters. Muscat extends a warm welcome to the fleet of high-performance foiling catamarans as they race for the Oman Cup. The teams are based in and racing on the open waters off Al Mouj Marina in the heart of the city.

Official website: gc32racingtour.com
Overall Rank, Team, Total Points, prior to Oman Cup:
1 Alinghi 6
2 Oman Air 6
3 Red Bull Sailing Team  13
4 Zoulou  17
5 Argo  20
6 Black Star Sailing Team  23


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