Yachts Yachting February 2012 GB

5/12/2018 Yachts Yachting February 2012 GB

1/100

I SSUF E BR U

New dinghy on

9w w w y a c h t s a n d y a c h t l n g c


2/100

~acht& o\ngh~S,.he'while stocks lastor 31st Jan . ~ d o n ' t m i s s t h e s e g re a t s a v in g s H

T riden t 25% offDuffleBag

H i SpecWetsui ts40% offn ow 41 .9 7TridentTR40 DRYSUITon ly 21950% off f leece L.- ......I

www.tridentuk.com0191 490 1736

l'\~~F U L L R A N G ELASERREPL ICA

G ul S plit T oe B oots30% off n o w 24.95

10% offOutboardEng inesI M : l t A W J

10% offI nt e rna ti ona l An t i Fouli ng

Launch ing Trousers129.95 now99.95

Gul Shadow G ill DrysuitDrysuit only 225 now only 299FREE F leece FREE F leece

25% offWave lin e 2 .3M Round ta il

......fiI" 449 now 336.75

Tr iden tO r yBags1 2 1 t now 40150lt now 30

A ll Boa tco ver s10% off

FREETrolley Ci:::S~w ith .....every M i rr or D in g h yFREE Cove rw ith a K it

H u l l Cleaner40% off

n o w 4 .960 0 / 0offA l lChand le r y 10% offIc om IC - M 2 3Buo yan t VHFHandheldRad ionow 172.80

10% offSpinlockHardware

ALL BO OK S10%o~HawkWindIndicatorsnow fr om7 .34www.tridentuk.co0191 490 1736
http://www.tridentuk.com/http://www.tridentuk.com/http://www.tridentuk.com/http://www.tridentuk.com/


3/100

OPIN ION6 News

Insight into the world of sailing

1 1 Bob Fisher: Roving eyeThe America's Cup World Series is notimmune from the effects of politics ...

13 Andy Rice: DinghiesA celebration of team racing15 Andi Robertson: YachtsThe demise of the Audi MedCup1 7 Jeremy Evans: Multihulls

Looking forward to the 2012 season

ANALYS IS18 Trans-Atlantic triumphCover story Alex Thomson reveals

how he scored his best result in years

24 Niklas ZennstrornThe Skype founder talks about astunning 2011 for his three big boats

TopperformerI -: '" ;22

, S;iir l lhi l!~~b!l!Ilagr!lpimom ..Ien.mt~( O mg [ e , i t y o l ! k i l l s " ' d l l f f i i r 1 ( a ( h aU e J l l l i n g e n l ' i r o o r i i i ~

26 An Olympic battleThe inside story on the three-way fightfor selection in the Men's 470 class

32 The team that never wasBritain's top-notch 1980 Olympicteam was not allowed to compete ...

BEDER SA IL ING36 Mastering the stormCover story The strategies that won

the first leg of the Volvo Ocean Race

40 Class of '11y&Y's pick of the best events, classesand new boats from the past year

46 Technique - own the lineJon Emmett explains how to win yourchosen end of a crowded start line

50 Winter CheerLouay Habib on the Garmin HambleWinter Series after 30 years

TEST ING54 New boats

The latest designs including apotential Olympic skiff and folding tr

56 Boat test: Arcona 410A top-quality competitive cruiser-racer

60 Boat test: RSVentureRS brings its design skills to the famildinghy market

64 KitbagThe latest kit for performance sailing

67 Buyers' guide: RopeExplaining the complex choicesTRAVELL ING72 Antiguan retreatWe report from Nonsuch Bay79 New for 2012New beach base holidays for 2011ESSENTIALS80 2011 Racing yacht classesCover story Details of 73

performance cruisers and race boats

88 Clubs and ClassesGrassroots and grand-prix events98 Position of the month

When it all gets too much ...

February 2012 Yachts & Yachtin


4/100

ED ITOR IALe d i t o n a l @ y a c h t s a n d y a c h t i n g . c o m

E d it or G a e l P a w s o n' 44 ( 0 )7 8 55 8 4 92 7 3

D e p u ly E d it or R u p er t ~ o l m e sA r t E d it or C l ai re G r e en oP i ct ur e E d it or T o m G r u it tS u b E d it or R o b M e lo tt i

C l u b s & C l as s e s E d i to r P a u la I n shE d i to r ia l A s s i s ta n t F r a n c e s e aW a k e f i e ld

C o n tr ib u to r s J o n E m m e tt , J e re m y E v a n ; B o bF i s h e r, L o u ay H a b i b , N e a l P a w s o n . A n d y R i c e ,

A n d i R o b e r ts o n

C o v e r I m a g e b y G u li an G r e ni er /S e a & C o -B a tt li ng t he s to rm s n th e T r an s a tJ a qu e s

V a b re R a c eADVERT IS ING

A d v e rt is i ng M a n a g e r P a tr ic i a H u b b a rd' 44 ( 0 )2 0 7 90 1 8 0 0 0

S a le s E x e m ti ve R u p er t P a tt er s o n- W a r d' 4 4 ( 0 ) 2 0 7 9 0 1 8 0 2 7

S a te s E m u t iv e A n dr ew J a m e so n' 44 ( 0 ) 2 0 7 90 1 8 0 17PUBL ISH tNG

M a n ag in g D i re lto r P a ul D o b s o nD e p uty M a n ag in g D i re lto r S te v e R o s s

C o m m e rd a t D ir e lt or V ic k i G a v inP u b li sh in g D i re llo r S a r a h A r th u rP u b li sh i ng C o n s u lt an t M a r ti n N o tt

WEBS I T ESw w w . y a c h t s a n d y a c h t i n g . c o mW e b s i te E d it or M a r k J a r di n e

W e b s ite D e v elo p er M a g nu s S m it hw w w . y a c h t s a n d y a c h t i n g . c o . u kP u b li s he r l uk e B i lt onS M AL L P RIN TP r in te d i n E n g la n d b y

W y n de h am H e ro n , M a ld o n, l s s e xA d P r o d uc t io n A ll P o in t s M e d i a

w w w . a l l p o i n t s m e d i a . c o . u kO i s lr ib u ti o n C O M A G , T a vi st o ck R o a d ,

W e s I D r o y l o n , U B 7 7 Q E1 e l ' 4 4 ( 0 ) 1 8 9 5 4 J 3 0 0 0 w w w . ( O m a g . ( O . u k

SUBSC R I P T IO NSY a ch ts & Y a ch ti ng , T o w e r H o u s e. S o ve r ei gn P a rk ,

M a r k e l H a r b o r o ug h , L e lC s L E lo 9 E Fl e l :' 4 4 ( 0 ) 1 85 8 4 3 8 8 78

w w w . s u b s c r i p t i o n , ( o . u k / y a c h l sY a ch ls &Y a ch li ng i s p u b li sh e d b v

T h e C h e ls e a M a g a z in e C o m p a ny U d .1 2 7 - I l I S l o a n e S l r e e l . l o n d o n S W I X 9 A S

1 , 1 : ' 4 4 ( 0 ) 2 0 7 9 0 1 8 0 0 0 T h e C h e l s e a M a g a z i n e

( om p a ny li d 2 0 12 . A l l r i g h t s r e S N v e dI S S N 0 0 4 4 - 0 0 0

N o p a r t o f I his m a ga zin e m a y b e r e o r c u x e dw i th o ul pe rm i ss io n in w r it in g . E v er y c a r e i s t a ke nt o e n s u re t he a c cu ra e v o f i nf or m at io n in Y a ch ts &Y a c h t i n g , b ut no r e s o o r s b i i t v c a n b e a c c ep te df o r t h e c o n se q u ef l{ e s o f a c ti o ns b a s ed o n t h e

a d v ic e p o r tr a y ed h e r ei n . T h e C h e ls e a M a g a z in eI cm pa n y l td m ak es e ve ry e ff or t t o e n su re t he t l hea d v e rt is in g c o n ta in e d i n t h is m a g a z in e i s d e r iv e d

f ro m r e sp o n s ib le s o u rc e s . W e c a n ne l . b o w e e r a r c e p tr e sp o n si bi li ly f o r t ra n s ac \ io n s be lw e e n r e ad e r s a n da d v e r ll s e rs . Y a c h t s & Y a c h ti ng w e l co m e s l et te r s.THECHELSEAMAGAZINECOMPANYLTD

4 Yachts & Yachting February 2012

_ " " " " " ' . . - . . . . . . . ."Respect and understandingW hen I saw the first headlines I feltsick. What could this mean for theOlympics, for sailing? Was it as badas the initial reports suggested? Atfirst shocked, I then wondered why the thoughtof one of our sailors losing their cool seemed sounthinkable. I was minded to think of other sports.The situation in which Ben Ainslie found himself

have been out of order, at the least in my language.These are our top athletes. They are under

pressure to perform. They are competitive. Yes theyare professional sportsmen but they are human aswell. When provoked enough humans will react.Ben's reaction was wrong and the price he paid

was a world title. The television boat was found tobe at fault as wei!... what price did they pay?Ben earns my complete respect and support, in

particular for his actions afterwards. Not only didhe apologise, but he was very vocal in his supportof his compatriots and quick to congratulate GilesScott on his fabulous victory. Hopefully lessons willhave been learnt on all

(with a media boat creating waves through whichhe had to sail) was akin to a cameraman impedinga footballer taking a cup final penalty, a ball boydisrupting a serve for match point at Wimbledon,or a runner being impeded during a 100m final.We see tennis players get aggressive with umpires,altercations occur comparatively frequently on therugby, football and even cricket pitches betweencompetitors, referees and spectators. None ofwhich I'd condone, but we should put Ben's actionsinto context. The simple fact is that in many othersports much worse reactions are seen much morefrequently with much less provocation.

Ben is one of the world's top athletes. I don't ~have a fraction of the killer instinct that makes hima gold medal winner, and yet even I would havelost my cool. At Si t 4 and S9kg, I might not havebeen such a scary proposition, nonetheless I would Gael Pawson, Editor

sides to ensure the 2012Olympic Games hasboth a clear racetrackfor all our athletes, andtelevision coverage thatwe can all enjoy.

Writers this month include."l o ua y H a b ib i s af a m il i a r f a c e a m o n gs tth e r a c i n g v en u e s o fth e w o rld . q u i c k to f i n dth e i n s i d e t r ac k w ithth e to p n am e s ,

J e r e m y E va n s i s ar e n o w ne d v o i c e o nm u l ti h ul l s a il in gw ith y ea rs o fr a ci n g a n d c ru s in ge x p e r i e n c e .

R up e r t H o lm e s h a sr a c e d a n d c ru is ed o v e r6 0 , 0 00 m i le s . H e 's as o u g h t - a ft e r a u th o r it yo n n a v ig a ti o n , t r a ve la n d b o a t o w n er sh ip .
mailto:[email protected]://www.yachtsandyachting.com/http://www.yachtsandyachting.co.uk/http://www.allpointsmedia.co.uk/http://www.allpointsmedia.co.uk/http://www.yachtsandyachting.co.uk/http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/mailto:[email protected]


5/100


6/100

L E F T G i le s S c o t tr e ta in e d th e F in n w o r ldt i t le f o r T e am G BR -th e re w e re th re e B r i t i s hs a i lo rs in th e to p 1 0a nd th a t w a s w ith o u tB e n A i n sl ie !

F a s t e r C l ip p e r sT h e th ir d g e n e ra ti onC li p p e r R a ce f le e t i sn ow in b ui ld , w ith th ef ir st b o ats s c he d ule d tob e a flo a t th is s p rin g .T h e 7 0 ft T o n y C a s tr o

~ d e s ig n i s la rg e r a n dt'j m o re p ow e rf u l t h a n it s~ p re d ec e ss o rs , w i th b igOJ a s y m m e t ri c s p in n a k e rsSg f lo w n f r o m a 6 ft'" b o w sp r i t , tw i n w h e e ls~ a n d tw in r ud d er s.Gold for Scott in PerthBritain's Giles Scott walked away withgold at the Finn world championship,run as part of the Olympic classes worldchampionships in Perth, Australia. Scottshared the podium with fellow Brit EdWright who took bronze. Missing fromthe final was Ben Ainslie, whose nowinfamous confrontation of a photo boat

after sustained interference led to hisdisqualification from two races whichleft him out of the medal race (see p4and p98).Scott'sgold was part of a six-medal haul

for Skandia Team GBR. Silvermedals wenttoHannah Mills and SaskiaClark in thewomen's 470 and Luke Patienceand Sruart

Bithell in themen's 470. Also scoopingsilverwere Nick Thompson in the Laserand Lucyand KateMacgregor and AnnieLush in the women's match racing.Sadly gold medal prospects lain Percy

and Andrew Simpson retired from theStarr class due to injury as did StevieMorrison and Ben Rhodes in the 4ger.

Biscay Race entries openThe Royal Southern YC's Biscay2012 Offshore Race isa newbiennial event that will take placefrom September 16-29, 2012. It'sin three legs, over 950 miles, fromthe Solent, to La Rochelle, France,then returning with a stop-over inBrest, France. To date, expressionsof interest have come from 10

countries spanning four continentsand 50 boats are expected on thestartline, representing a mix ofowner's boats and charteredSunsail F40s. The final leg willalso see an additional fleet forcruisers, in IRC and White Sailclasses. Early bird entries close onMarch 1.

Saila medal rocelSunsail Racing has launched a new MedalRacing programme at the Weymouth andPortland National Sailing Academy. It's open toboth beginners and experienced sailors, with anumber of events between March and June, andthen, following the Games, in September andOctober. Racing is one design F40 cruiser racers.

T r a c k in g o p t io nT he W e ym o uth a ndP o r tl an d N a ti on a lS a ili n g A ca d em y n owh as th e o pt io n to u seT r a cT r a c t ra c k in g a tc h am p io n sh ip s a n dt ra in in g e v e n ts ,m a k in g th e a c t io nm o r e a c ce s si b le tos a i lo r s , c l ub s ,s p e c ta to r s, c o a c he sa n d s p o n so r s.

Cowes acts o n feed backEvaluation of feedback receivedfrom competitors and visitors toAberdeen Asset ManagementCowes Week identified commonthemes organisers will tacklebefore the next edition of theregatta, held slightly later thanusual (August 11-18) to avoidclashing with the 2012 Olympics.


They are working hard to ensurecompetitors experience value formoney across all aspects of theevent, improve racing andon-water communications, andinvestigate ways to fund fleettracking via smartphones.C o m pe tit o r e xp e r ie n ce i s th e k ey fo cu s f o r 2 01 2


7/100

Sponsor confirmed for SamSamantha Davies has announceda sponsor for her 2012 VendeeGlobe campaign. Brittany-basedSaveol, France 's biggest tomatoproducer, will be the lead partner

in a multi-partnership ofsponsors. Sam, who was fourth inthe last edition of the race, alsoconfirmed her new boat, RolandJourdain's former 'Veolia',

l E F T A s ta r o f t he la s tV e n de e , D a v ie s is th ef i r s t w o m an to g a ins p on s or sh ip f or 2 01 2

No Aud i M edCup in 2012After much speculation,organisers have announced thatthe Audi MedCup, the world'sdominant big-boat inshore racingcircuit for the past few years, willnot take place in 2012. WorldSailing Management cited threekey reasons for canning the seriesthis year: uncertainty in the

number of boats, mainly in theTP52 class, willing to commit toall of the events; the lack of localauthorities' financial resources toenable them to fund bids tobecome potential venues; and adecrease in support availablefrom title sponsor Audi. See p15for more comment and analysis.

M a x S ir e n a, P a ul C a m pb e ll - J am e s , A li s te r R ic ha rd so n a n d M a n ue l M o d en a to o k th e o v e ra ll t i t le in S in g a p o re

Ita lia n Extreme v ic to ry'Luna Rossa' won the final Act of the 2011 Extreme Sailing Series, andwith it the overall title. There were six different event winners during theyear, but by the final only the French and Italian teams could win overall.'Luna Rossa' went into the last day with a previously unheard of 56-pointlead over Groupe Edmond de Rothschild. Leigh McMillan's The Wave,Muscat' took second overall on countback in a nail-biting finale.

They sa id ..."I have never known this to happen before. I sort ofunderstand, when you race, with the pressure of therace, you might do things that you wouldn'tnormally do. This is an exceptional storm - Ihaven't seen many like this. Anything thatmakes things safe is good by me, but from asailor's perspective it is tough."MikeGoldingo m m en ti n g o n th e s ho rte n e d c ou rs e f o r th et r a n s -A tla n t i c B 2B r ac e , w h ic h e n a b le d th e f le e t to a vo id a s e v er es to rm in th e B a y o f B is ca y

"Imagine a round the world race wherenothing happens: it would be a hard sell.Drama is an integral part of the sport; it sellsand opens up the doors of the biggest media,TV or print."V o lv o O c ea n R ac e C E OKnutFrostadr ig h t) a d dr e s s es d e le g a te s a t th e W o r ld Y a ch tR a c in g F or um in P o rtu gu a l . P h oto - la n R om a n

"I had been watching the speedo at around 27knduring the run up and then a pointy gust hit and Icommitted to it. Shoulders back, sheet in, cant the boatto windward, clench and bear away."PeteBarton r a n ks h is fo il in g M o th p a st th e 3 0 - kn o t b a r ri e r

You sa id ...Forum users discuss whether on-waterjudges policing Rule 42 should be givenpowers to protest other infringements:"Part of the game is the risk vs reward decisions youmake when you decide to protest someone, you knowthere is a chance it will go against you and you chooseto protest or not based on how big that chance is."Quagerso in ts o ut w h a t o ft e n h ap pe n s o n th e r a ce c ou rs e"I can find nothing about that in the rules. If you areuncertain whether you will win a protest you can takea 720, then you're in a no lose situation. If you win theother boat is DSQ, if you lose you've already taken thepenal ty. J im ( h ig h li g h t s w h at s ho u ld h a p p en in th a t s itu at io n"If a boat T-bones another in front of the Jury boat butthere is no protest then, under current policy, the Jurycan do nothing. I can understand the frustration of somejudges in this case." gordonl lu str a te s a n e x tr e m e e xa m ple o f w h y ac ha n ge to th e r u le s m a y b e w o rth w h i le

Formore views go towww.yachtsandyachting.com/forum/

news

http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/forum/http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/forum/


8/100

newsI n b r i e f T h e l i t t l e B r i ta in C h alle ng e C u p c e le b r ate si ts 2 5 th a n n iv e rs a ry th is y e a r. T h e c o n str uc ti oni n d us tr y's a c ti o n -p a ck e d th re e -d a y r eg a tt a I nC o w e s h a s s o fa r g e n e r a te d [ 1 . 2 5m f o r c ha ri ty

M O L M ar i n a s h a s t e am e d u p w it h H a r b ou rH o te ls t o p ro p os e p la n s f or a s up e ry a ch t-i n sp ir ed [ 25 m i ll io n lu xu ry h o te l a t O c e an V i l la g eM a r in a i n S o u th a m p to n

O m a n S a i l 's a ll - w om e n c re w i n S a i l in gA ra b ia - T he T o u r 2 01 2 w il l b e s k ip pe re d b y D e eC a ff a ri . T h e to u r i s a s e rie s o f o ff sh o re r ac e sjo in in g t h e n a t i o n s o f th e A ra b ia n G u lf a n ds a ile d in F a r r ) O s

Y ac h ts & Y ac h ti n g h as la un ch ed a n ew iP ada nd iP h o ne a pp I t ' s f r e e a nd y ou c an f in d i t i nt h e A p p le S to re .

N au to r's S w an , b ui l d e r o f lu x ur y c ru is err a ce rs , i s l o o k in g f o rw a rd to a b um p e r 2 01 2 - th eF in n i s h y a r d i s a lm o s t a t c a p a c it y w ith ac om b in a t io n o f n ew b u i ld p ro je ct s a nd r e fi ts .

G AC P in da r h as b ee n a w a rd ed a th re e - y ea rc o ntr ac t t o p ro v i d e c o m p le te lo g is ti c s s up p o r tp a ck a ge to t h e E x tr em e S a il i n g S e rie s , i n c lu d in gt r a n s po rt i n g a ll th e E xt r e m e 4 0 s , p lu s o n s ho rei n fr as tr uc tu re , to e a ch lo c at io n a ro u nd th e w o rld .

A n ew I ta lia n te am I S se t t o jo in th e R C 4 4C h am p io n s h ip T o u r. M a ss im o B a rr an co , w h oa ls o o w ns a c om p e t i t iv e X -4 1 w as a tt r a c te d b yt h e fo rm a t o f r a cin g a nd th e h ig h q ua li ty o ft e c hn i c a l c o m p e t it io n

T h e s ec on d p h a se o f a p p li c a t i o ns f o r v iS ito rb e r t h in g a nd a nc ho ra ge in W e ym o uth a ndW e ym o uth B a y d ur i n g t h e 2 0 12 O l y m p ic a ndP a ra ly m p i c G am e s W i l l b e o p e n u n t i l F eb ru a r y 5 .h t tp : / /h a r b o u r . w e y m o u t h .g o v . u k / lo n d o n 2 0 1 2 /

D in gh y s ai l i n g s up re m o a nd Y & Y c o ntr ib u to rP e te r B a rto n h a s jo in e d t h e C re w sa ve r R &Dte am a s a r i d e r to t e s t p ro du ct s a nd p ro v id ef ee d ba c k o n fa b ri c , d e sig n a n d fe a tu re s .

B o a ts .c om i s s p on so ri n g t h e B o a rd w a lk a tt h e 2 0 12 l o n d o n B o at S h ow .

A z t e c M a r in e o f S o u th am p to n h as w onR ay m ar in e U K S e rv ic e D e ale r o f th e Y e ar a n d T C SC h a nd le ry th e U K R e ta il C e n tr e o f t h e Y e a r t it le .


A class event ...The RYAVolvo Dinghy Show, isa must for anyone passionateabout dinghy sailing, or wantingto discover how to start out orimprove in the sport. The show,sponsored by Y&Y and Suzuki,is held at Alexandra Palace,north London, on March 3-4.

The world's only dedicated dinghysailing show, the weekend offerssomething for everyone - young orold, novice or pro, cruiser or racer.As well as dinghies of all types,from timeless classics to the verylatest designs, there's loads of freeadvice, workshops and talks.

The show's unique atmospheremakes it a great place to get upclose to your sailing heroes, lookat and buy equipment, meetfriends, win great prizes, andchat with class associations.Further information atwww.dinghyshow.org.uk

Winning imagesThierry Martinez wins the Mirabaud Yacht Racing Image of the Yearfor this photo of Nathan Outridge at the International Moth worldchampionships in Belmont, Australia in January 2011. Imagessubmitted by 40 photographers were viewed online by over 25,000people and judged by 2,500 who cast their vote via the World YachtRacing Forum website and the event's Facebook page.

Games onthe HambleA sporting extravaganza onJuly 21 will see swimming,rowing, kayaking, sailing andrunning races on and aroundthe River Hamble. The aim isto encourage the communityto enjoy the river and drawsits inspiration from the 2012Olympics. It promises tocombine serious sportingcompetition with a large doseof fun. Up to 20 teams willcompete, each with 26 peopleage 12 and over. Individualscan also enter single ormultiple events. The event issupported by HampshireCounty Council, plus localorganisations and businesses,although further sponsors arewelcome. Money will beraised for charities includingthe Hamble Lifeboat and theJohn Merricks Sailing Trust.www.riverhamblegames.com
http://harbour.weymouth.gov.uk/london2012/http://www.dinghyshow.org.uk/http://www.riverhamblegames.com/http://www.riverhamblegames.com/http://www.dinghyshow.org.uk/http://harbour.weymouth.gov.uk/london2012/


9/100

Dehler 32 ~ot\a~-.)~:'Des igned fo r th6sew ho know ...

,/ Tiller or wheel steering,/ Elegant new interior with extra storage,/ Sleek and powerful design

wilen passion meets reason


10/100


11/100


12/100

Opin

Nothing good comes of letting politicians too near to sailingn this day and age of protest, those of us genuinelyinterested in sailboat racing should try to keeppoliticians away from our sport. They are a pain inthe transom and we should no longer brook theirinterference, but prevention is proving increasinglydifficult, as is the case in San Diego for the America's

Cup World Series.The Merchant Marine Act of 1920 is a United States

federal statute that regulates maritime commerce in USwaters and between USports. Section 27, better knownas the 'Jones Act', has the downside for the America'sCup community in that it limits the commerce offoreign built boats on US waters. This section hascreated a problem because the America's Cup eventshave tried to introduce a large number of foreign builtboats, which, it can be argued, would be used forcommercial purposes.lain Murray, the regatta director for the AC race

management, is caught between the devil and the deepblue sea. He has to organise the races for the WorldSeries in San Diego and the 34th America's Cup in SanFrancisco and the Jones Act is standing in the way ofprogress. He had hoped that a Bill, introduced intoCongress seeking exemptions to the law, might make forclear water, but that was without taking into accountthe actions of several politicians who, for reasons oftheir own, decided that they might benefit from theexemptions if they were able to add their own specialprovisions. That threw a spanner in the works and theadded complications led to time-wasting and added tothe huge costs of the event in San Diego.'The Jones Act is not new,' said Murray at the

opening press conference. 'We have long been aware ofits conditions. Ithas been a requirement of the host city

agreement that San Francisco would seek exemptions,so this was not a last minute occurrence. Unfortunatelyit has proved to be a complex matter, and because of it,we have had to spend a lot of money on sourcing boatsto satisfy the people who have guests [for the event inSan Diego]. It has been a huge waste of money, andthe boats we have sourced aren't as good as our boats.They are less fuel efficient, they are environmentallyirresponsible, but we need to abide by the rules. We hadplanned all along for this possibility.'ACRM had made deliberate plans for the supportboats that are used - committee vessels, judges' boats

and the television camera boats - at considerableexpense - taking into account such issues as fuelefficiency and environmental discharge. So it is hardlysurprising that Murray is irked. And then to have to payfor the use of American-built vessels only adds to hisfrustrations. Plus he knows that unless the authorities in

A I o r m e r C o m m o d o r e o f t h e S t. F r a n c i sY C d e c l a r e d t h a t t h e A m e r i c a ' s C u pW o r l d S e r i e s h a d b e e n ' J o n e s e a 'be further angst and added expense in June wheACWS is in Newport.Latest news was that the politicians had, maybe, seen

sense and passed the necessary bill through the Senateto the White House for the President's confirmation,meaning that the specially prepared boats that were notbuilt in the US (in order to save money and guarantee abetter ecological footprint) can be used at the America'sCup venues throughout the United States.While I usually rant against the American,

ungrammatical, verbalisation of nouns, I have to retractover one from a former Commodore of the St. FrancisYC who declared that the America's Cup World Serieshad been 'Jonesed'. John, you lifted my spirits with yourhumorous perspicacity.Finally, one more piece of political idiocy that crossed

the sailors' path in San Diego ... As I was boarding a RIBto go out to sail as sixth man aboard 'Oracle Racing4' with Jimmy Spithill and his crew, the driver leaptout and rushed towards the head on the dock. Whenhe returned, he explained the reason. There is an edictfrom the Port Authority that anyone taking a leak inSan Diego Bay will be fined US$2,000 and he didn'twish to contribute to the Authority's funds. It isn't as ifit would foul the waters, that has already been done; it'sjust that the SDPA seems to be taking the p""s! [J



13/100


14/100

Ding

Reunited with team racing after 20 years

T hrowing myself back into team racing after 20years was always going to be an ego-crushingreawakening. Of that much, I could be certain.The occasion was an inter-generationalcompetition between Oxford and Cambridgesailors past and present. I was reunited with afew of my team mates for the 1980s Cambridge team,and there were teams going as far back as the 1960s.Impeccably organised by Jeremy Atkins and staged

every October at Farmoor Reservoir near Oxford, theregatta took place on one of the hottest days of the yearat the height of Britain's recent Indian summer. Themain downside, from my point of view, was that wewould be racing in Fireflies. Even 25 years ago in myuniversity days, the Firefly felt small, cramped and slow.Meeting up with my team, put together by Vincent

Geake (Lawrie Smith's navigator in a couple ofWhitbread Round the World Races), it became prettyclear that my 1980s colleagues were as clueless aboutthe racing rules and the key moves in team racing as Iwas. We used to live and breathe this stuff, and the rulebook was our bible, but since giving up team racing andtaking up skiff racing for the past 20 years, all but thebasics of the rules have long since been forgotten.Fortunately the regatta takes account of rulesamnesia and the ageing process by giving you a point's

advantage for every decade since you graduated (at leastthat's how I think it worked). So if we were racing aNoughties team, we would get a two-point advantage.Three-boat team racing operates on the basis of winningcombinations, so for example, 2,3,5 trumps 1,4,6.However, with our points advantage this meant wecould still win with an inferior finishing combinationWithout the handicapping system, we wouldn't have

stood a chance against the current teams from Oxfordand Cambridge, who doubtless take team racing just asseriously as we did back in the day. As it was, we didOK, but the young teams still whopped us - and mostof the older teams - mostly winning their races with anunstoppable 1,2,3.Every time I come back to team racing - whether

to spectate or participate - I'm reminded what agreat part of the sport this is. Itwould be a greatOlympic discipline - fast-paced, unpredictable, ever-changing. And cheap, too. Although it would needclose and expert umpiring which, as in match racing,adds considerable expense in terms of flying andaccommodating umpires for international regattas.For Farmoor, there were no umpires, just self-policing.

There was one race where we (me and my crew MikeDunbar) came off the startline with one of the currentgeneration from Oxford behind and to leeward. Theytacked out to leeward and gave our transom a good

~ v e r t im e I c o m e b a c k t o t e a m r a c i n gI 'm r e m i n d e d w h a t a g r e a t d is c i p li n et h i s i s . I t s h o u l d b e i n t h e O ly m i n swhack on the way through. 'Didn't happen! Didn't'happen!' said the helm, holding his hand up as if todistract us from believing that the collision that had everoccurred. Itwas the worst attempt at a Derren Brown/Obi Wan Kenobi mind trick I think I've ever seen and itmade us more insistent on him taking his penalty turn.Eventually and with some reluctance, Obi Wan did

take his turn, although this time the Force was indeedwith him, as he emerged from the turn incrediblyquickly and still had a piece of us as we tried to crosshim on port. With another of his team mates crossingour stern, we did a slam dunk tack, only to find theleech of our mainsail scraped across his jib forestay.Oh dear, school-boy error, or old boy error, anyway.Suddenly a certain victory off the startline had beenconverted to another 1,2,3 drubbing. Getting whippedso comprehensively certainly makes you want to goback for more. Not more whipping, you understand,but rather a belief (misplaced, maybe) that a bit ofpractice might bring back the old competitive instincts.Fact is, team racing is all about practice, which

requires time, something that you have in spades whenyou're younger but which seems in ever shorter supplyas you get older. What you don't need is tons of money,though, and that's another reason why it deservesconsideration for the Olympics. Just not in Fireflies!0



15/100

Hartley~BoatsLtd

WWW.HARTLEYBOATSCHANDLERY.C0 .L lK

Hartley Boats Ltd, Parcel Terrace, Derby, DEll LVTel: 01332 369751www.HartleyBoats.com
http://www.hartleyboats.com/http://www.hartleyboats.com/


16/100

The end of the Audi MedCup leaves unanswered questions

T he Audi MedCup is no more - the consideredopinion being that Audi has been looking fora reason to get out and found one. Regardless,there has been a steady decline in the numberof TP52 owners or teams prepared to committo it.Why this situation has emerged is down to a lot of

factors. For sure this is a transition period and TP52class manager Rob Weiland has done some great workin the evolution of the TP52 rule to make it convergeagain with the existing, optimised IRC 52s. Thelikelihood seemed to be that at least two or three IRCboats were interested in taking part - enough to satisfythe contractual minimum fleet size. There were stillsome existing TP52 programmes that had to commit to2012 but the overall consensus was that there would bejust enough boats. And, if they could get through 2012,then it would get better. There was a strategy in placeand it seemed to be working.Things move quickly and it is difficult to predict what

might happen. There is a complement of between sevenand eleven 52-footers and probably 10 Soto 40's thatare keen to race in the Med. That is a critical mass forjust about anything ... just. There were certain splitsamong the TP52 owners. Audi for sure wanted to gointo northern Europe, but there were a few 52 ownersand probably some Soto 40 teams who did not see theattraction. Indeed for some owners it was a definiteno. Part of the draw of the MedCup was the Med (or aclose proximity to it), and not racing in Kiel.It would be easy to look back through rose-tinted

spectacles, back to the genesis of the MedCup in thehope it could have been re-instated as it was when itwas Breitling. But one component of the sponsor returnback then was the huge media interest in the King ofSpain and Bribon - an aspect which is no longer there.And of course it is easy to take the simplistic view that

the move to wing sailed cats had not been good for theTP52 and the Audi MedCup circuit. But in fact thereare as many owners who either lost motivation or wereprogressively driven away by the participation of thetier of America's Cup teams. Indeed Niklas Zennstromis on record as saying he would not have joined for the2011 season if the Cup teams were still there.As a finished product - if you wish to see it that way

- then the circuit had no equal. Unlike other dog andpony shows it was televised live in its raw, unalteredstate - the TV was intelligent and the audiencefigures were pretty good on the whole. The return oninvestment multiplier was, on 2010 figures, pretty good

P " a t o f t h e d r a w o f t h e M e d C u p w a st h e M e d ( o r a c l o s e p ro x im i t y t o i t ) ,a n d n o t r a c i n g i n K ie land there was no obvious reason why that return shouldhave shrunk significantly on last year.And other than the Volvo Ocean Race, the Audi

MedCup was the only premier sailing event which wasself-sustaining with headline sponsor support. But,unlike the Volvo, which is a property owned by thecompany itself, the rights to the Audi MedCup circuitwere owned by Santa Monica Sports, a very large sportsconglomerate which - among other properties - ownsthe commercial rights to the Spanish national footballteam. This is a cutting-edge, commercial, profit drivenentity that would not entertain any drop in profits.Contrast that with the Volvo - if a third party owned

the rights to the Volvo Ocean Race and Volvo was theheadline sponsor, would there be a race on now?The America's Cup has so far been unable to excite

global level circuit sponsors, neither so far has theExtreme 40 Circuit or the World Match Race tour.And, literally, as I write this the news comes in from

France that La Banque Postale has just announced thatit is plotting a new course away from the Route duRhum, the classic solo transatlantic which has a massivefollowing in France - much more so than the TransatJacques Vabre - second only to the Vendee Globe.Meanwhile Italy has announced austerity measureswhich will tax yachts. 0



17/100

~"a\\ab\e itotnse\ected dea\etSrot mote deta\\S\/\s\t t"e stoCKIstpage 0(\ out INebs\te


18/100

Multih

Looking forward to 2012

T he most eagerly awaited boats to appearin 2012 will be 72-foot America's Cupcatamarans. Unlike the one-design AC45s, theywill all be different, though built to parametersthat will hopefully ensure racing is as tight andfrantic as the inaugural 2011 series.It was depressing to read Sir Keith Mills quoted in

the Financial Times on the unfairness of Americansorganising the America's Cup to ensure they will beunbeatable. He gave this as the explanation for whyhe refused to challenge with Team Origin. Putting theAmericans on top was not the reason why RussellCoutts transformed the AC into a radical newcompetition - he just wanted to ensure its position asthe ultimate sailing trophy. Nor does it explain whyTeam New Zealand is leading after the first three events,pursued by Team Oracle Spithill (USA).Jimmy Spithill is under no illusion that TNZ will

be a formidable challenger in 2013, closely followedby Artemis (Sweden) and Energy and Aleph (France),which moved to the front at the third AC45 event inSan Diego. Team NZ's partnership with Luna Rossa(Italy) provides welcome extra funding, with the bonusof two rival teams based in New Zealand tuning andtraining on first generation Morelli & Melvin AC72suntil the end of 2012. In the meantime, TNZ has beenbusy testing wings on the M&M SL33 catamaran, alsobuilt in New Zealand.The America's Cup will not be a walkover for the

USA. Nor will it be the old style of AC regatta where 90per cent of races were decided at the start. It will be fast,furious and thrilling, with awesome racing fuelled bytriple or even quadruple element wings.

The most interesting decision of 2012 will bewhen ISAF picks the 2016 Olympic cat at its annualconference in November, following European trials inthe spring. Proposed equipment evaluation includessetting and dousing the gennaker, tacking, gybing,course keeping and helm balance. You'd expectany modern cat to cope perfectly with all thoserequirements. Evaluation also specifies the clumsilyworded, 'Divisions of tasks load between skipper andcrew.' I f ISAF really doesn't understand who does what(and why a mandatory mixed cat class is so tricky), thenthere's a witty animated film on YouTube called 'I am aCat Sailor-- V1.1' which explains it all perfectly.Which cat class will you be sailing in 2012? If you

want to join the world's most popular high performanceclass, the answer is Formula 18. This opens the door toshort course and long distance racing in the UK, witha plethora of superb international events includingEurocat at Carnac, the legendary Round Texel and

T H e m o s t i n t e r e s t i n g d e c i s i o n o f 2 0 1 2w i l l b e w h e n I S A F p i c k s t h e 2 0 1 6O l y m p i c c a t a t i t s a n n u a l c o n f e r e l i l c eannual world championship being held for the fiFsttime in the USA. At least half a dozen different designscould shine - take your pick from the Wildcat, Cirrus,Shockwave, C2, new Phoenix and the latest Infusion.Lighter weight crews up to around 130kg may get a

better ride with Formula 16 which is smaller, lighter andalmost as quick - choose from the established AHCPViper or exciting new Nacra F16.Heavier crews from 160kg upwards should think

about a 20-foot cat with more space, buoyancy andpower. Top choices are the ultra-refined Tornado forgreat value second-hand, or the thrilling Nacra 20Carbon which is the world's fastest standard beach cat.Those who prefer classics can choose from the single-handed Sprint 15, modestly behaved Dart 18, wildlybehaved Hobie 16, refined Hurricane 5.9 orultra-classic Shearwater.Cat sailors don't have nearly as many single-handers

to choose from as dinghy sailors. Apart from the Sprint,they can race the superb Shadow - now with a biggerspinnaker - or enjoy A-Class for ultimate single-sail performance. Sadly, these superb solo cats havenever made a big impact in the UK. Their lightweightconstruction and rigs are too expensive for Britonsimpoverished by the weak pound. Perhaps a solutioncould be provided by a White Formula A-Class! [J



19/100

TRANS-A T lANT C


20/100

"a r r i v i n g In P ue r to L im o n , C o s ta R ic a , t o ta, "

T h e T r a n s a t J a q u e s V a b r e i s o n e o f t h e i c o n i c r a c e s o n t h es h o r t h a n d e d c ir c u i t . A l t h o u g h w o n b y V i r b a c P a p r e c , s e c o n d -p la c e dH u g o B o s s c a p tu r e d t h e m o s t i n te r e s t , w i t h A l e x T h o m s o n f i n a l l yd e l i v e r i n g o n h is t a le n t . A n d i R o b e r t s o n r e p o r t s . . . c


21/100

Trans-Atlantic triumph

Before he arrived withSpanish co-skipperGuillermo Altadill,exhausted, frazzled almostshell-shocked, into PuertoLimon, Costa Rica, Alex

Thomson was in danger of becomingan ocean racer best known for his highprofile run of bad luck and hard tobelieve circumstances.That the marketing teams

supporting his multi million euroHugo Boss sponsorship had keenlyexploited many of the problems whichhave marked several low points in hisIMOCA Open 60 career, had certainlyleft Alex on the cusp of a credibilitygap, particularly in France, the crucibleof short-handed and solo ocean racing.In Le Havre, before the start of the

race, Thomson admitted that the timehad come to put a solid result on thetable, proving he us one of the fastestand hardest skippers around, and thathe could finish a race with a resultworth saluting.A tinderbox choice?Thomson's choices for a race of suchsignificance could be construed as atinderbox. For a start, he partnered avery, very experienced and underratedSpanish sailor whose reputation for hisopinions and Latin temperament oftenprecede him.And the boat? It was the onefrom which two French sailors were

evacuated by helicopter after it nearlysank in a storm off the Azores duringthe last Transat Jacques Vabre. In thatsame storm Alex and his then co-skipperRoss Daniels sustained damage and hadto retire in what, until this autumn, wasThomson's most recent ocean race.But, Roland Jourdain - who Alex

sailedwith in the 2003 edition on 'Sill'-

chartered the Farr design for last year'sRoute du Rhum solo race and won, onan almost identical course, other thanthe finish being in Guadeloupe ratherthan Central America. Despite being anolder generation boat, the Farr designsbetween 'BT', 'Paprec-Virbac' and'Gitana 80', were the most consistentleaders of the last VendeeGlobe and Seb

R I G H T C e le b ra ti n g as u cc e s sf ul r a ce


Josse and JF Cuzon were leading the2009 Transat Jacques Vabre just beforethey were damaged. These Farr boats arealso known to be simple and relativelystraightforward to sail up to speed.Guillermo Altadill, who hails from

Barcelona, was the first skipper ofthe boat when it was named 'EstrellaDamm', racing in the first BarcelonaWorld Race with Jonathan McKeebefore they retired into South Africawith rudder damage.Altadill's reputation for being

something of a firebrand, with strongopinions and a renegade spirit, hasnot endeared him to other IMOCAOpen 60 programmes in his homecountry. Maybe Thomson recognisedsomething of a kindred spirit and theyhave worked closely together sinceMay 2011.'We spoke with Guillermo and were

fully aware of his reputation, but wehave looked after him and his familyand he has been brilliant. He knowsthe boat well and has contributed somuch,' explained Stewart Hosford,


22/100

CEO of Alex Thomson Racing.

Ferocious weatherA storm of serious proportions thatwould have battered the fleet in theWestern Approaches, forced the startto be postponed for two full days. Itwas a prudent and widely applaudeddecision, even if most skippers werekeen to just get on with the race.One effect of the delay was to put

the fleet more on edge. Even with thefull spectrum of accurate weather dataflooding in for each team, strategies arestill influenced by expectation and gutfeeling. There is also a herd mentalitywhich has been seen before, whereif two or three boats take an optionperceived to be for safety reasons thenothers will follow.

KeystrategyThe key to 'Hugo Boss's' success wasstaying with the northerly option,sailing fewer miles, faster and closerto the rhumb line. There were threesuccessive weather systems that hit the

fleet one after the other. Though nonebrought very extreme winds, especiallyfor the boats which went to the south,the cross seas were potentially boatbreaking and, in the end, the level ofattrition was absolutely commensuratewith a race across what is essentially anorth Atlantic route in November.For all that Alex has a reputation for

being a sailor who is prepared to pushand take risks, on leaving the Channeland entering the Western Approaches.theirs was a relatively steady strategy.'Hugo Boss' stayed north but was notpushing at the edge as they might havedone given more training time togetherand with the boat.They left the Channel in a midfleet

position, concentrating on being withthe main pack, pacing themselvesinitially. As the pack passed to thesouth of Ireland they were seventh ofthe 13 starters.Initially 'PRB', 'Safran' and 'Virbac

Paprec 3' held slightly north, with'Hugo Boss' just to the south ofthem, having risen to fourth, chasing

'Cherninees Poujoulat'.Going through the initial high

pressure ridge 'Hugo Boss' was wellpositioned, but still not extreme. Theythen made their move progressivelywith 'Virbac Paprec 3', when they wereNE of the Azores, setting up for thesuccessive big low pressure systems.Thomson and Altadill were rewardedwith the race lead between November6-7, on days four and five.Rivals 'Cherninees Poujoulat' and

'PRB' suffered damage and were forcedto retire, while the pack had stayedsouth at the Azores high pressure totry and find trade winds, and initiallylost ground. From there it became atwo-boat drag race across the Atlantic.'Hugo Boss' hung relentlessly to thewake of 'Virbac-Paprec 3', some 35-45miles behind.By the entrance to the Caribbean

the gap had only stretched to 82 milesand at the finish, 'Hugo Boss' was 112miles behind the winners.

The prudent routeThomson is adamant their secondplace was a direct result of theirstrategy, but that their routing wasconventional and prudent, and thatthey were always confident of knowingwhat was coming their way. Thatassertion was backed up by several ofthe duos who went south - they sawmore wind for longer, with angrier,more confused seas.That aside, it was the slightly

unpredictable evolution of the Azoreshigh pressure ridge to the south whichreally did for those in the south.'Banque Populaire' and 'Macif lostmiles to those in the north, but 'Safran'and 'Groupe Bel', who had been firstand second, lost over 120 miles in one24 hour period, rooted to the spot innext to no wind.Thomson reported in Puerto Limon:

'To be honest I don't think we sailedany different to any other race I havedone. Two years ago we took thestrong option we went to the northand ended up with a broken boat. Thistime we looked at the option of goingsouth and avoiding the storm. Therewas no gain there. The routing saidgo west and there was a small feelingor trepidation inside me, the worry ofanother broken boat. But at the endof the day you have got to go for it,we are trying to win a yacht race here,and if that means going through somehardship you have to take a little bit ofrisk and go for it. CI

L E F T A f te r a c o n s e r va t iv es ta r t , s ta y in g to th en o r th o f t h e p a c k p a idd i v i d e n d s



23/100

Trans-Atlantic triumph

A B O V E l e a v in g le H a vr ea t t h e s ta rt o f t h e r a ce -i t w a s d e la y e d 4 8 h o u rsto a llo w a m a m m o ths to rm to p a s s

'This time was different from twoyears ago, when the low pressure wasthere for a long time and the waveswere horrendous. This time the pressuresystems came so quickly, although therewas a lot of wind, the waves were notthere. The passage to the north was notas bad as it was two years ago.'On reftectionAnd after a break in the CaymanIslands, prior to the Transat BtoB, hisfirst solo race since his ill-fated 2008-9Vendee Globe which lasted only fourdays, Alex added: c Our strategy was

" A l e x h a s

south that was not risky, we were veryclose to the rhumb line. "Virbac-Paprec3" was with us and so that felt okay,too. We crossed the front and then aswe went to get some southing we had aproblem with the lazy jacks and that costus, but routings of the guys to the southshowed them tacking back towards us.'

On reflection, Alex concedes theycould have done north earlier: 'Inhindsight, when we look back, therewas an option to go north earlier.'That would have out us on our own- we could have won the race had wegone for it then, but this was about

a r e p u t a t i o n f o r b e i n g a s a i l o rw h o i s p r e p a r e d t o p u s h a n d t a k e r i s k s "

not so much to go north, but to staynorth to get west quickly. When wecame out of the first light patch, andbear in mind we are running routes,every six hours, we could see that thewind was coming to us sooner.

'We were running what you wouldcall the statistically normal route, andeverything was telling us to stay north.Everything we saw showed us crossingthe fronts and then heading south insix or seven days, would give us theshortest number of days to the finish.For us, looking at the longest term wecould, we could never see a route to the


f inishing the race.'For the second low the routing

showed us tacking north, but we weremore worried as the wave data showed7-8m waves and the routing showed usgoing NW and that really would havebeen a bit of a battering.'So the goal really was just to stay in

the race, so we did not tack. And as wegot closer to the finish there was lessand less wind forecast.

'In the end the others had a spellheading east of south and so even bynot tacking we had saved ourselves 40or 60 miles against them.

'And we were going into it, the boatwas not slamming, we were carefulwith it and that really cementedour route. We thought, OK, we arecommitted. People, I think, tend to havelooked on this as a flyer to the west, butactually it is the other way round.

'It was a case of trying not to get ina situation where "Virbac-Paprec 3"tacked to the south and we were 100miles from the leader. We played thegame a little bit but we tried to be inone place and not stuck in the middleof the north-south divide.We were staying with "Virbac-

Paprec 3", which is a well-proven,well-found boat. But when youconsider the number of new boats inthe fleet, and from what I could see"Cherninees Poujoulat" and "Macif"were the fastest in the fleet, then youreally have to push very hard.'The right co-skipperGuillermo Altadill, who admitted hehad never slept as little on an oceanrace, earned himself a quali ty result inthe IMOCA Open 60 classic, and looksforward to having another go at theBarcelona World Race and perhaps theVendee Globe as a swansong to his career.He proved a sizeable component of

the Hugo Boss success story: 'After theGiraglia on the Juan K boat he [Alex]proposed we did a period of trainingwith the target of the TJV, includingthe Rolex Fastnet Race and theChannel Race. So we started trainingwith one of the boats, and I found theboat really hard. '

Guillermo added: 'I think Alex kindof wanted a second opinion and I saidI thought it would be hard for him tosail the Juan K boat around the world.It was a little bit difficult - I think hewanted a second opinion to change hismind a little bit, so that's why we triedto get this boat.

'From the time we took this boat Ithink it was easier because I knew theboat from before, it was my first boatand I knew it had a lot of potential,but was a very simple boat. It is exactlythe opposite to the Juan K boat. Butin saying that we did not sail this boatmore than 200 miles before this raceand we certainly had not raced it. Butit was always going to be easier forthe two of us to race this boat than theother one, always a bit more simple.'Simplicity it seems was the way

to go ... and could be a winningingredient for the Vendee Globe, dueto start in November 2012. [J


24/100

CORKWEEK

R oyal C ork Y ac ht C lub


25/100


26/100

9 a i l i n g h a s a l w a y s b e e n a g r e a t p a s s i o n . . . I e n j o y t h ec o m p l e x i t y o f s k i l l s a n d I e n j o y a c h a l l e n g i n g e n v i r o n m e n t

t has been an outstanding season forNiklas Zermstrorn's Judel Vrolijk72, Ran. After winning the RolexMini Maxi World Championshipfor a second year running, Ran alsosealed back-to-back overall victories

in the Rolex Fastnet Race - a feat notachieved for 50 years. There weren'ttoo many surprised faces then whenRan was announced as RORC's Yachtof the year .... but where did thissuccess start?In 2007, Niklas Zennstrorn created

Team Ran, purchasing a Marten 49and campaigning the yacht in variousIRC events in the UK and Europe. Thefounder of Skype says: 'I had sailedin my youth in Sweden, but I canhonestly say that I was quite a novicewhen it came to big boat racing, eventhough sailing has always been a greatpassion of mine.'I enjoy the complexity of the skills

required, and I enjoy a challengingenvironment. I have always been aperson who believes in combiningtalents with others, and that was thephilosophy behind building Team Ran.Also, it isimportant to me that the teamisenthusiastic, that they all have theincentive to do their best for the team.',

l o u a y H a b i b ta lk e d toth e w i n n e r o f th e p r e s t i g io u s

Y a c h t o f th e Y e a r ti t le -o n e N i k la s Z e n n s t ro m

Niklas always sails with his wifeCatherine. The Zennstroms are a close-knit couple who live, work and enjoylife together. Catherine explains: 'Weare very lucky to sail with an amazinggroup of people, and hugely enjoy it.Both the race and the shore crews arebrilliant, and there is a remarkablesense of teamwork. The team hasbecome a bit like an extended family,and I try my best to include the sailors'families when updating the team blogwhile at sea, and sending back photos.'Niklas was understandably

delighted to hear that Ran had wonthe prestigious title RORC Yachtof the Year. He says: 'I was elatedto hear that Ran had been chosenfor such an important award, but Iwould like to think of it as a prize for'Team' rather than 'Yacht' of the Year.The nucleus of the Ran team and theentire squad has been together for

over four years, and that has been amajor reason for our success.'Tim Powell, team manager, has

put together a tremendous group ofsailors who are extremely professionalin their approach and application,and I am very aware that the teamhas been instrumental in developingmy own personal skills. When I lookback at my skill level at the startof the program, and how the teamhas helped me to develop, I trulyappreciate their commitment.'The shore crew are also very muchpart of our success, and without their

meticulous preparation and diligentwork behind the scenes, Team Ranwould not have been so successful.'Team Ran will continue to race

in IRC events in the Solent with theFarr 45 and continue to strive forsuccess on the TP52 Circuit. The JudelVrolijk 72 will be racing in the RORCCaribbean 600 this winter. It isthefirst time we will be competing in thisrelatively new and exciting offshoreevent. We missed out last year due toshipping problems, but Ran is alreadyon its way across the Atlantic and weare very much looking forward to thechallenge in Antigua.' 0



27/100


28/100

L uk e P a ti e n ce a n d S tu a rt B lt h e ll a t. . 'I .


29/100

Olympic 470

R I G H T L u k e P a ti en c ea n d S tu a r t B it h e ll t o o ks ilv e r i n P e rth b e hin dth e A us tr al i a n d u oo f M a t B e lc he r a n dM a lc o lm P a ge W

hile in some classesthe athletes takingthe British Olympicberth was obvious,and in others, thewinner had been

decided back in the summer, in the470 class the battle continued rightthrough to December. The three-way contest looked to be heading indifferent directions at various points,which says a lot about the strengthand depth in the squad.For the recent world championship

in Perth, two teams made the medal-race cut, and Luke Patience and StuartBithell 's resulting silver medal couldjust be enough to decide the issue. Wetalk to the duo fresh from their worldswin and take a closer look at each ofthe three teams ...

T HE F AV O UR IT ESLuke Patience & Stuart BithellEver since teaming up in late 2009and making an immediate impactwith a silver medal at the worlds inDenmark, these two have been themost consistent podium performers.Before Perth, their highlight in 2011was a bronze at the Europeans.Then, in winning silver at the recent

worlds in Perth, Patience and Bithell

to the Tornado together, but duringthe regatta it was confirmed that theTornado was out for London.

'We sat down and had a drink andsaid "right we really need to make thiswork," and it did,' recalls Patience.And just as they emerged from some

dark days to win silver in Denmarkin 2009, so there is no doubt that thedisappointment at missing out to NickRogers and Chris Grube for selection forthe Pre Olympic test regatta provided anadded impetus to perform at the worlds,not that it was really needed.

'Our failure at Sail for Gold wascertainly a contributing factor to oursuccess here, but for us this is only astep along the way. There were not

I l f o n e B r i t i s h t e a m s t a n d s o u t a t t h e w o r l d s ,t h a t m i g h t b e s u f f i c i e n t t o c l i n c h s e l e c t i o n

upped their claim to the 470 Olympicberth. That they came out and won themedal race by a considerable distanceunderlined their confidence when thepressure IS on.Though they struggled at times

against Australia 's double worldchampions Mat Belcher and MalcolmPage, they left Perth determined to provethat they are the duo to overcome thestrength of an Aussie 470 programmewhich has delivered Page five worldtitles, and Olympic gold.Theirs is a team which came together

after some dark days - Patience hadall but given up because he felt thathe was not reaping the rewards forthe hours put in on the water whenhe succumbed to Bithell's suggestionsthey sail together. In fact Copenhagenwas a test with a view to moving


really any wrongs to right after Sailfor Gold, we never took our foot offthe pedal, though it was a pretty shittytime for us when the Pre-Olympicswere on, we felt we had failed todeliver and we really just concentratedon working even harder and we camehere even hungrier, ' explained Patience.

'I think the advances we havemade are in the ability to perform inevery windstrength and that has beenapparent here. But we are a team whichhas been together barely two and ahalf years, so we are still one of thenewest partnerships around but we havemedalled regularly since we got together.

'We'd sailed against each other foryears. We really knew each other welland are such very different sailors,but those skills have become verycomplementary. Stu is so good at

sniffing out the smallest shifts andI know I can sail the boat fast, butbeyond that we really are best mates,'says Patience.Having 'absolutely beasted it' in

the gym over the months precedingthe worlds Patience and Bithell puton extra muscle which they will likelylose for next season, Weymouth beinga venue where Patience says you canafford to be a lit tle under-weight.

'To be honest the 470 is so muchabout finesse and technique that wedon't get hung up on anything likethat. We make sure we are amongthe fittest on the race course, but it'snot the Finn, it is not that kind ofthat physical thing. It is more aboutthe way I steer to a few centimetresthrough a wave or how Stu bounces onthe wire.

'We can't really discuss the technicaldevelopments we might have made,but the same principle holds true. Wejust don't get hung up on who's gotwhat or not. We know that Weymouthis not a venue to put all your eggs inone basket in terms of preparation.You will need to adapt quickly and befast across the wind ranges. 'Their stall is clearly set and who

knows - by the time you read this aselection announcement may havealready been made ... but the decision'snot so easy when you also have anOlympic medallist to consider. . .

O LYM P IC EXPER IEN CENick Rogers & Chris GrubeNick Rogers and Joe Glanfield, leathermedallists in 2000 and silver medallistsin 2004, rewarded the selectors' faithin 2008 with a last-gasp silver medalfrom an epic medal race. The ability ofRogers and Glanfield to perform whenit mattered most was phenomenal.For Glanfield, Qingdao proved C


30/100

"Ih e classic racIng keel boat'I'-------------~~ ---n--~~~~

Great Racing - Great CompanyAsk about boats for sale, join a syndicate or charterComefor a trial sail. Enjoy the Sunbeam experience

uruno.solentsunbeam.co.uk. Tel:07836 768225

Please contact usabout bookinga voyage; to make a donation tosupport our charitable work throughoffering some places to disadvantagedand vulnerable young people; or fortraining for adult volunteers.

" I. ~ f ; ~ ~ ~ -~ ~.

Ocean Youth Trus t SouthA dv en ture un de r S a il fo r y oun g p eop le a ge d 1 2-2 5

R o y a lW e d d i n g C h a r it a ble G i ft F u n d C h a r it y

Exciting, fun, friendly sail ing in our72-foot ocean-going yacht, J oh n L ain g.Tall Ships Races and Baltic cruises fromWaterford, Greenock, Lerwick, Stavanger,Halmstad and Cuxhaven.Local voyages - Southampton and south coast.

V,S,twww.oytsouth.org call 023 9260 2278or email [email protected] e g is te re d c ha n ty n o 1 0 79 9 5 9
http://www.oytsouth.org/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.oytsouth.org/


31/100

C h a m p i o n s h i p W i n n in g S a i l sA t th e fo re front o f d inghy des ign and te chno logy. We havebeen des ign ing and mak ing any th ing from c lub ra ce rto wo rld champ ionship w inning sails fo r nea rly 30 years !Let us help you achieve the b est from Oppie to F F15!

l)SELDENForalling

Wo rld & N a tio na l le a d in g designs Compu te r la se r cut fo r consis te ncy Extens ive des ign and te sting Durable , re lia ble and fa st

R E S U L T SSome o f o ur 2011 Results1 st O K W o r l d s1 st O K N a t io n a l s1 st M e r l in N a t io n a l s1 st S c o r p io n N a t i o n a l s1 st S n i p e N a t io n a l s1 st & 2 n d G P 1 4 1 r is h N a t i o n a l s1 s t & 2 n d D u t c h S o l o N a t i o n a ls1 s t & 2 n d M e r lin I n la n d s1 " & 3 ,d lO R A N a t io n a l s1 st E n te r p r i s e I n la n d C h a m p i o n s h ip s2 n d S o l o I n la n d C h a m p i o n s h ip s2 n d F ly in g F if te e n E u ro p e a n s2 n d G P 1 4 S c o t ti s h N a t i o n a l s2 n d S o l o W in t e r C h a m p i o n s h ip s2 n d S o l o P r e N a t io n a l s

S P E E D S A I L SEpoxy Solo

C a l l N o w !

S A I L S B O A T C O V E R S A C C E S S O R I E

S P E E D S A I L S C L O T H I N G H A R D W A RVandercraft t)SELDENPhantom Item PriceGul Dinghy Top ~59.95 , m m l s u r e

Crewsaver Max 50 - ' f i f t : 1 n J ' 34.95 HARKENG i l l R a c e s k in ..a5:01J 69.95 @allenGul Long Sleeve Raceskin ~ 41.95 1 ' Q C K t i c kGill Shadow Drysuit . 3 4 a : O O 269.95 \II 1 R E L E S!.bySuUNTO+ FREE Polarsuit ~Gill Hiking Boots ~44.95 ~ Z t ~ [ V ]I n S t o c k + Gul Wet & Dry Bag . . & ! r . 1 H r 39.95C a l l N o w ! VE-OCTEK


32/100

to be his swan song after a decadecompeting at the highest level withRogers. A desire for more family timemeant the Exmouth sailor decidedto retire. Rogers, on the other hand,wanted to press on with anotherOlympic campaign. He convincedhis old Lymington mate Porn Greento climb into the front of the 470.In 1995 these two won the ISAFYouth Worlds together, but whileRogers carried straight on intofull-time sailing, Green more or lessstopped, following his father into theboatbuilding business.When Rogers got intouch, Green was

busy managing a boatbuilding facilityin Thailand, and juggling the demandsof a thriving business whilst workingto get back up to speed in small-boatracing was always going to be a bigask.After two seasons of trying, two friendsin a boat didn't work out, and Rogersdecided to call it a day.However Rogers hadn't managed to

shake the Olympic bug and decided to

Australian who won 470 gold in 2008- providing coaching, Rogers' falteringcampaign seemed well back on track.Ifit weren't for the fact that Rogers

has already won two Olympic silvermedals, perhaps he wouldn't still be inthe running. But proven performers ratehighly in the eyes of British selectors,and the lack of form at other events isnot necessarily as bad as itlooks, as

h e O l y m p i c G a m e s i s a b o u td e l i v e r i n g o v e r t h e c o u r s e o f o n e w e e kget back on the campaign trail, this timewith Chris Grube, whose slender 6ft 4inframe has earned him the nickname ofTwiggy. Twiggyhad already been on the470 circuit for some time, sailing withLuke Patience for a couple of seasons,and then with Phil Sparks, anotherup-and-coming sailor from Lymingtonwho had made a name for himself bywinning the Optimist Nationals andthen the ISAFYouth Worlds in the 420.Rogers and Grube teamed up

towards the end of 2010 and flewsouth to Auckland for some hard yardsin the 470, culminating in victory atthe Sail Auckland regatta. But thereal test would come when they threwthemselves into European competition.Early in the season the results weren'tsparkling, but then at Skandia Sail forGold in Weymouth they came goodwhen it mattered most. They beat theother Brits and came fourth, earningthe sole British place for the OlympicTest Regatta, where they came fifth.Once again, Rogers proved his

mettle under pressure, and thepartnership with Grube was startingto gel. With Nathan Wilmot - the

Stephen Park points out. 'If you lookat the results of other medallists youwouldn't see they had been the standoutperformers in their class across thecourse of the year.'W O RLD T IT LE W IN NE RSNic Asher & Elliot WillisThere isa third team, one that youmight have predicted to push aside theexperience of Nick Rogers for 2012, butillness has put those dreams on hold.How many British teams have

won the 470 World Championship?Alongside the Laser world title, itis perhaps the hardest to win in alldinghy sailing. Only two teams haveachieved this feat, as it happens. NigelBuckley and Pete Newlands won theworlds in 1988 - although they floppedat the selection trials in Weymouthlater that year and were not selectedfor the Olympic Games in Korea. Wehad to wait another 18 years beforeNic Asher and Elliott Willis won in2006, and then again in 2008. Youmight have thonght would be sufficientto earn them selection for the 2008

Olympics, but they had to step asidefor Nick Rogers and Joe Glanfield,already the Olympic silver medallistsfrom Athens 2004.Since winning the 2008 Worlds,

Asher and Willis have maintained apresence at the top of the 470 fleet,coming 4th at the 2010 Worlds andwinning the Rolex Miami OlympicClasses Regatta at the beginning of2011. But this past season Asherhas struggled with an illness that lefthim permanently fatigued. In Mayhe was diagnosed with autoimmunethyroiditis, a condition where theimmune system reacts against thethyroid gland. A highly talented team,certainly right up there at the start ofthe year must now be thinking moreabout whether to carryon for 2016 ...

A B O V E N ic k R o ge rs a n dC h r is G r ub e f in is h e d j u so ut o f t he m e da ls a t t heP r e 'O l ym p i c T e s t e v e n t

An imminent decision'The Olympic Games is aboutdelivering over the course of oneweek,' says Stephen Park. 'If any ofthese guys had got a medal at the Testevent, it could have been a differentstory. But Nick [Rogers] came backand delivered a great result at a timethat mattered, meaning he'd puthimself into the mind of the selectors.With a home Games we don't havesome of the pressures we had in Chinato select early.' IJ

B E L O W A y e a r a g o y oum ig ht h a v e b et o n N icA s h er a n d E ll i o t W i ll i s



33/100


34/100

The teom thatnever wasn 1980, with the world locked intothe politics of the Cold War, theUSA attempted to pressurise theUSSR, which had recently invadedAfghanistan, by boycotting theMoscow Olympics and trying to stopall other western countries attending.

Most ignored this request, but the newBritish government led byMargaretThatcher wanted to emphasise Britain'sspecial relationship with the USA andagreed to the boycott.All but a handful of the UK sporting

authorities ignored the government'swishes, but the RYAdecided to toe theparty line. 'It fellto the late VernonStratton [then manager of the BritishOlympic sailing team] to break the newsto us; the whole Olympic squad,' saysFlyingDutchman sailor Patrick Blake.'We were in Hyeres, it was pouringwith rain and there was no wind, sowe couldn't even go sailing while theenormity of what he had said sank in.'Imagine standing in front of the

present "Sail for Gold" team to tellthem that, in spite of everything theyhave achieved and are hoping to bringto a climax at the 2012 Games, they arenot going to be allowed to compete.''What was so ridiculous isthat

the RYAwas determined to make adecision before the athletes,' Strattonrecalled many years later. 'The reasonwas that the equestrians had alreadydecided not to go; Prince Phillip washeavily involved with them and was

I n th e r u n u p to th e 1 9 8 0O l ym p i c s B r i ta in h a d th e

m o s t ta le n te d , b e s t p r e p a re da n d m o s t p r o f e s s io n a l s a il in gte a m e v e r , y e t th e a th le te s

n e v e r g o t to c o m p e te .R u p e r t H o lm e s r e p o r t s

about to become president of the RYA.My argument was "We're only a part ofthe Olympic team, why not wait untilthe British Olympic Committee makesa decision on behalf of everyone?" Butthe RYAwouldn't listen.That decision completely killed ourOlympic hopes,' he continues. 'We had

a fantastic team of highly tuned people,but what did they do? They all wentoff and sailed big boats and never cameback. That's why we didn't do as wellas we should in Los Angeles.' [Britain'ssailors achieved just one bronze medal].Not surprisingly the decision was

also to have a devastating effect on theindividuals concerned. 'With no realexplanation for the RYA'sdecision ...I remember it being a dark period inmy life, watching British Olympiansreceive their medals. Reflecting back onthis over the last few months I'm trulynot sure that I ever got past that time,'recalls 470 sailor Jeremy Richards.

TornadoNames: Rob White andDavid Campbell-JamesAge in 1980: 25 and 30Background and preparationRob and David were dominant in theclass, winning the 1979 pre-Olympicsas well as the 1980 Europeans, helda fewweeks before the Games andat which all the top teams competed.They were subsequently selected forLos Angeles in 1984, but finished sixth.Rob went on to win the worlds andEuropeans in 1985 and 1986, crewedbyJeremy Newman and Tim Hancock.After 1980: Rob has remained at theforefront of the catamaran and dinghysailing world, where his expertise asa prolific designer and boatbuilder isevident across a huge variety of classes,from Topper International's products tohigh-tech racing multihulls, includingthe C Class. He was also a key figure inthe development of the Laser SB3.After retiring from competitive sailing

David has ploughed a huge amountback into the sport, and iswell knownas a world class race officer and coach,working at all levelsof the sport, fromOptimists to the World Match RacingTour. He will be 4ger race officer inWeymouth for the 2012 Olympics.1980 medal prospects: Rob and Davidwere at the peak of their Tornado sailingprowess and stood every chance of gold. CI

, I r e m e m b e r i t b e i n g a d a r k p e r i o d i n m y l i f e , w a t c h i n gB r i t i s h O l y m p i a n s r e c e i v e t h e i r m e d a l s



35/100

The team that never was

Ten members of the 1980 teom, led by Colin and GavinSimonds, have written on open letter to the RYAin therun up to the 2012 Gomes. Requests include formal andappropriate recognition of the losses they have suffered.They are also calling for the RYAto amend itsconstitution -

at the moment there's no formal mechanism to prevent theRYACouncil implementing another unilateral Olympic boycott.SirPeter Bottomley MP issupporting the 1980 athletes'

case, tabling on Early Day Motion in parliament calling foran end to boycotts and for those banned in 1980 to beinvited to join the current British Olympic team and walkbehind the Union Jack at the London Opening Ceremony.

F i nnName: Chris LawAge in 1980: 28Background and preparation: Chriswas an all-round sportsman, havingplayed rugby for England schoolboys,but his heart was in sailing. He startedin Cadets at Tamesis SCwith brotherTim, switching to the Finn while still atschool. Having sailed Finns for morethan a decade, Chris was perhaps thebest prepared of all the athletes in theclass in the run up to the 1980 Games.He won the worlds in 1976 and theEuropeans just three weeks beforethe Games, beating all the subsequentOlympic medallists with a race to spare.After 1980: Chris never sailed a Finnagain, but raced a Soling at the 1984Games, with EdLeask and Jerry Rich-ards (who qualified to sail the 470 in1980) and finishing an agonising fourth.Like many of the 1980 team, he went

on to sail big boats, including helming'Victory' in the 1983 America's Cupand 'White Crusader' in 1987. He alsosteered to victory in the Rolex Fastnetand SydneyHobart races. Later hebecame one of the world's top matchracers, winning 12 lSAFGrade 1 eventsand reaching second in the worldrankings. Chris also did a great deal ofcoaching, both of enthusiastic amateursand young people.However, the boycott hurt him inmany ways and after 1980 he endured

a long-running battle with depression,which eventually led to his death in 2007.

1980 medal prospects: There wasnever any doubt, either amongcommentators, or his fellow Finnsailors, about where Chris was heading- he was clear favourite for Gold.Sol ingNames: Colin Simonds (helm),Gavin Simonds, Chris OsborneAge in 1980:29,25,26Background and preparation: Aged12 Colin was lent a dinghy and wonthe first race he entered. By1976 hehad been borrowing his father's Solingfor several years, joined by one of hisbrothers, Gavin, and Chris Osborne,and was scoring top three results. Thetrio were reserve crew for the 1976Olympics and won the practice race bya good margin. These were the daysbefore Olympic sailors were funded anda Solingcampaign was not cheap. Colinworked in the Middle East from 1977-79 to earn the money for a competitivecampaign, raising 30,000 - enough tobuy a respectable house then.They won the 1980 trials very

comfortably with four wins, a secondand a third, ahead of Phil Crebbin andAlan Warren. The bronze medal at theGames went to a boat they had beatenin two events out of four in 1979-80.After 1980: Colin won selection for thelast helm spot on the Victory America'sCup campaign and qualified for the

1983 Admiral's Cup. He then moved toracing with a combination of his wifeCaroline, Chris Osborne, both brothersand other family in J/24s, taking asecond and fourth at the nationals, plusfivetop 10 European and world results.He also counts the 707 and Laser SB3among the six national titles he has wonin fiveclasses. The brothers have servedon numerous committees, includingcaptaining the 200-strong Seaviewdinghy class, with Colin also an SB3world council committee member andrules supremo for six years.1980 medal prospects: This wasa competitive campaign hamperedonly by Colin's need to be out of thecountry to earn the funding necessary.Although they perhaps never achievedfull potential, they certainly had thepossibility of winning a medal.StarNames: Andrew Hurst, lain WoolwardAge in 1980: 24, 31Background and preparation: Andrewand lain were based in California fortwo-years' full-time training in 1978-79, where they moved up the world'sthen strongest Star fleet. They shared astudio flat from which lain worked athis 'day job' for 4-5 hours until aroundlOam, by which time Andrew hadprepared the boat for training.They were supported byNorth Sails

Rob White David Campbell-James


Chris Low Colin Simonds Gavin Simonds Chris Osborne


36/100

San Francisco, headed by Star worldchampion Tom Blackaller, with whomthey tested and raced extensively, withemphasis on light air pace, and hada 'Tallinn special' boat built for lightair speed. Before returning to the UKthey were third in heavy air (not theiroptimised conditions) at the CaliforniaRegions, behind Blackaller and Buchanbut ahead of 25 top USand visitingOlympic crews. At the Weymouth trialsthey took fivestraight wins.After1980:Followingthe boycott and afive-week1984 Olympicmini-campaignAndrew turned to offshoreracing.Hesubsequentlyhelmedor skipperedboatswinning theAdmiral'sCup, SardiniaCup,Fastnet, Commodores' Cup, pluscountlessother major trophies.He also raced high-profile offshore rnul t ihul ls , including'JetServices','Spiritof Apricot' and 'Lakota'.He stillraces a Laser,taking the classprizeat the 2010 BloodyMary. After1980 lain returned to San Francisco,where he founded a successfulmarketingconsultancy,and competed in the 1984Olympicswith John Maddocks ascrew.1980 medal prospects: They put in ahuge amount of work and sacrifice totrain for light airs, and were frequentlythe fastest boat in these conditions - amedal was clearly within their grasp.

Flying DutchmanNames: Patrick Blake andChristian HouchinAge in 1980: 35 and 26Background and preparation: The FDclass had been dominated by RodneyPattison, who won gold in 1968, 1972,plus silver in 1976 and whose record asBritain'smost successful sailor was onlyrecently beaten by BenAinslie. Chris andPatrick sailed hard for four years, racingin as many European events as possible,and built a boat to a new shape. In therun up to the 1980 Games they wereclose to the front ofmost internationalregattas, beating Pattison easily, but JohnLoveday at times proved tougher. Chrisand Patrick won selection with a dayto spare, comprehensively beating the

Irish team of David Wilkins and JamieWilkinson, who won silver at Tallinn.After 1980: Patrick went back to hisroots, borrowing a Merlin Rocketand winning the championship.International14s followed, before amove into yacht racing with an X-99.He became X-99 class chairman, stillserves on the Merlin Rocket committee,and sails as regularly as possible.Christian also moved to yachts, first

with Patrick, then with Robbie Boulterwith successes including winning CorkWeek. He later shared a J124, winningat Falmouth Week, and was active inOptimist circles for nearly a decade,including a spell as vice chair of the UKclass. As a director of the Little BritainChallenge Cup he was instrumental inRYASailability being chosen as one ofthe event's charities, raising 150,000for the GBR Paralympic team.1980 medal prospects: A silver medalwas clearly well within their grasp andwinning gold was a possibility.470Names: Eddie Warden Owen andJeremy RichardsAge in 1980: 28, 24Background and preparation: Winnersof Weymouth Olympic Week in 1979and 1980 beating international rivalswho went on to great achievements.

After 1980: Both enjoyed considerablesuccess, with Jeremy sailing a Solingwith Chris Law and Edward Leask,winning the 1983 pre-Olympics and1984 Hyeres Olympic Week. Theycompeted at the 1984 Games, andin 1988, with Lawrie Smith as helm,finishing fourth both times. Jeremyalso won the JI24 worlds, with DaveCurtis from the USA.Eddie andJeremy competed together for about15 years, including the 1993 Admiral'sCup, when Graham Walker's 50ft'Indulgence' won the Fastnet by thetighest margin, to win overall. Jeremywas in the first non-USA team to winthe Congressional Cup match race, withHarold Cudmore, returning to win itwith Eddie. Jeremy, who works for GillUSA,now races stock cars and an MGBGTV8. Eddie is CEO of RORe.

A B O V E B y 1 9 80 P a t r ic ka n d C h r i s ti a n w e rer e gu la r ly b e a ti n g F ly in gD u tc h m a n s u p er s ta rR o d n e y P a t ti so n

1980 medal prospects: A realisticopportunity for a medal, with the duohaving just taken third place at HyeresOlympic Week.Olympic history: If you're interested inOlympic history, There will be a specialexhibition at the RYAVolvo Dnghy Showon March 3 - 4 2 0 1 2 , which will includeRodney Pattison's gold-medal-winningFlying Dutchman Superdocious - lookout for a piece on Superdocious, plusa free guide ot the show in the nextedition of Yachts & Yachting. [J

Andrew Hurst Patrick Blake Christian Houchin Eddie Warden Owen Jeremy Richards



37/100


38/100


39/100

Volvo Ocean Race

R I G H T C a m p e r lo s tg ro u nd a fte r c h an g in gs tr a te g y s h o rt l y a f t e re n te r in g th e A tla n ti c

The first leg of the 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Racewas nothing short ofextraordinary, with threeteams forced to retire. Withthis edition of the event

having the smallest number of entriesin its 38-year history, only three teams- Telefonica, Camper and Groupama -made Cape Town under sail. The otherthree - Abu Dhabi, Sanya and Puma -all arrived in Cape Town by containership, with a mountain of work to getready for the next leg.The leg was won convincingly by the

Spanish entry Telefonica, which is nowstatistically the firm favourite to winthe entire race - you have to go backto the first race, and 'Sayula' in 1973,to find the only overall winner not tohave won the first leg.

B E L O W A b u D h a b ih e a d in g b a ck to A li c a ntei n b ig s e as a fte r lo s in gh e r r ig

FirstfallenThe build up to the first leg hadgone extremely well for Abu DhabiOcean Racing. The team led by IanWalker had beaten rivals in the RolexFastnet Race and followed that with aconvincing win in the first in-port race.Confidence was flying high, but

disaster befell the team just hours into


the first leg, as skipper Ian Walkerexplains: 'Itwas dark, blowing closeto a gale and the boat launched off thetop of a huge wave. I was on the wheeland my feet left the ground, we werefully airborne and came down with abone-shaking thud.'The 3D-metre mast was felled, like

a giant tree, the mast, rigging, sailsand lines crashed down and the boatrolled through 40 degrees, it was a life-threatening situation. 'When we landedthe boat stopped, but the mast justkept going and fell around our ears.'Luckily nobody was hit by the mast

or thrown over the side - had anybodybeen standing on the windwardrail they would have been tossedoverboard. It was a scary moment,mixed with a lot of emotion. We hadmeticulously prepared for the race, andwe were all so looking forward to it,but nobody could have envisaged thatthis would happen.'Navigator Jules Salter immediately

contacted Volvo Ocean Race HQ, tonotify them of what had happened andfollowed that with an email to givemore detail. The VHF aerial was in thesea, but the handheld VHF was okay.''Very shortly after the dismasting,

~ Team Sanya was coming straight at us~ and we were not sure if th ey ha d s ee ng us - we had no navigation lights andiere right under their sails. We hailed~ them on the handheld VHF, they saw'" us and passed just 100 metres away.~ 'Once we had officially suspended

racing, we could contact our shore crewvia sat phone to get our logistics inplace. We had numerous conversationswith them, especially about the extentof the damage so they could prepare.'

More dramaVery soon after Abu Dhabi's dismastingthere was yet more drama, when TeamSanya launched off a monster wave,burying the bow some fivemetres underwater. Bowman Andy Meiklejohn badlyrotated his ankle in the incident andwas confined to his bunk, later to bediagnosed with a broken foot.'Once we got Andy comfortable we

fully focused on boatspeed but theyacht felt like it was sliding throughthick mud,' skipper Mike Sandersonexplained. 'We checked below to finda huge amount of water behind thewatertight bulkhead in the bow.'At first we didn't know the extent

of the damage but when we tacked wecould see a massive gash in the hulland we knew the leg was over, the realworry was getting everybody safelyback to shore. If the crack got anybigger I believe we would have sunk -that was the major concern.'Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi limped back

to Alicante to step the spare mast andtry to rejoin the race, which they diddays later, but the restart was shortlived. After a valiant attempt to catchthe fleet, they decided to retire fromthe leg and ship the yacht to CapeTown from Lisbon. Team Sanya's


40/100

and perhaps Puma was pushing toohard to catch up when high dramaended their challenge for a first legwin. Dismasted more than 2,500 milesfrom Cape Town, it was a desperatesituation with just a few days of foodleft and deep in the wilds of the southAtlantic. Puma had barely enough fuelfor a few hundred miles under engineand their miniscule jury rig. The Volvo70 was barely making three knotstowards the nearest land, the remoteisland of Tristan da Cunha.However, a mid-ocean rendezvous

with a container ship meant that they~ could take on fuel to make Tristan daCunha. The boat and the crew were

.. ....,~.,.,..,: then transferred to a ship for the long~ journey to Cape Town. 'Puma MariMastro' and the racing team arrived~ in on December 7, with barely enough~ time to get the new rig stepped for the~ in-port race three days later.

Volvo 70 was also shipped to CapeTown, where a large section of thebow would have to be replaced.Camper was the first boat into the

Atlantic. However, light airs beset thefleet and a tricky decision lay ahead.Normally the yachts would headwest to line up a good angle to takeadvantage of the trade winds, but analternative option had been createdby the unusual weather pattern.Groupama chose to hug the Africancoast and Camper initially followedbefore changing strategy and headingwest after Puma and Telefonica.Camper's indecision cost dearly -

the team never recovered the 40-miledeficit, and if the truth be known,looked slow on a reach. At firstGroupama made gains to the east, atone stage leading by 140 miles, butthis soon evaporated. Puma was first togybe south, with Telefonica followingand in two days Groupama lost thelead and never recovered, finishing theleg days after the eventual winner.Puma was first round the Fernando

de Noronha

Yachts Yachting February 2012 GB

Documents

Transcript of Yachts Yachting February 2012 GB