A new race reserved for Multi 50s has been created: the Vendée Saint-Petersburg.

The first edition of the race is due to start from Saint Gilles Croix-de-Vie on 16th May with a total distance there and back of 3790 miles.
Eight crews will be lining up at the start, including two of the latest racing machines in the class: Actual and Crêpes Whaou!
While most races see the competitors heading off to the west to cross the Atlantic, Vendée has come up with something new offering a brand new route to the Multi 50s, (50-foot trimarans), with the Atlantic, the English Channel, the North Sea and the Baltic ahead of them.
In all, the race will cover the territorial waters of 14 countries before they finish in Saint-Petersburg in Russia on around 20th May 2010.
The best boats like Franck-Yves Escoffier’s new Crêpes Whaou ! and Yves le Blevec’s Actual could complete the first stage of the race in less than five days at an average speed of 16 knots.
The race will be holding a stopover for around ten days in Russia, before the start of the return leg on 31st May 2010, with the finish forecast in the port of Saint-Gilles Croix de Vie on around 4th June 2010.
Sunday 30th May is a date to remember: It marks the anniversary of the founding of Saint- Petersburg by Tsar Peter 1st, and the Multi 50s will carry out a parade on the Neva, under the windows of the famous Hermitage museum.
With a crew of three
The other original feature of this race between Vendée/Saint-Petersburg is that it will be raced with a crew of three sailors, and the members of the crew can switch over between the two legs.
Mathias Lallemand has been appointed as Race Director, after serving as Assistant Director for the last two editions of the Vendée Globe and the Solitaire du Figaro. He will be able to count on the expertise of Alain Gautier, who will be the safety consultant for the event. It should be noted that the official race website will be updated in French and English, but also in Russian.
8 crews registered For the moment, eight Multi 50 crews have already signed up for this very first edition of the Vendée/Saint-Petersburg. Alongside Yves Le Blevec (Actual) and Franck-Yves Escoffier (Crêpes Whaou !), there will be Hervé Cléris (CLM), Erwan Leroux (Fenêtréa-Cardinal), Anne Caseneuve (Croisières Anne Caseneuve), Etienne Hochédé (PIR2), Philippe Laperche (Gamin) and Lalou Roucayrol (Région Aquitaine-Port Médoc).

For more information, log on to www.vendee-saintpetersbourg.org (website up and running in mid-April).

Η διαδρομή για το επόμενο Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 έκλεισε με την προσθήκη του Αuckland ως πέμπτου σταθμού του αγώνα.
Οι πόλεις και οι χώρες που θα φιλοξενήσουν τα σκάφη του αγώνα είναι οι παρακάτω:

1. Alicante/Spain,
2. Cape Town/South Africa,
3. Abu Dhabi/UAE,
4. Sanya/China,
5. Auckland/New Zealand,
6. Itajai/Brazil,
7. Miami/USA,
8. Lisbon/Portugal,
9. Lorient/France and
10. Galway/Ireland

Η Επιτροπή Ιστιοπλοΐας ΑΜΕΑ της Ε.Ι.Ο. διοργανώνει στις 26 Μαΐου την 1η ετήσια γιορτή των αθλητών ιστιοπλοΐας με αναπηρία στην αίθουσα Ανέμων του Ναυτικού Ομίλου Ελλάδος.
Η γιορτή έχει στόχο την αγορά ενός μονοθέσιου σκάφους 2,4 mR, που θα ενισχύσει την ομάδα μας, ενόψει του Παγκοσμίου Πρωταθλήματος 2010, στο οποίο οι αθλητές μας θα διεκδικήσουν την πρόκριση της Ελλάδας στους Παραολυμπιακούς αγώνες του 2012.
Η πρόσκληση κοστίζει 50 ευρώ και στην τιμή συμπεριλαμβάνονται φαγητά, γλυκά, όλα τα ποτά και το….γλέντι μετά μουσικής!!!
Γνωρίζοντας την ευαισθησία, αλλά και τις δυνατότητές σας, ευελπιστούμε στην κινητοποίηση όλων για την επίτευξη του στόχου μας.

Ευχαριστούμε εκ των προτέρων,
Η Επιτροπή Ιστιοπλοΐας ΑμεΑ

Υ.Γ. Εντός των ημερών τα μέλη της Επιτροπής μας ,καθώς και μέλη του Δ.Σ. του SAILABILITY HELLAS, θα επικοινωνήσουν μαζί σας για τη διάθεση των προσκλήσεων.

Σήμερα στην Πάλμα ο καιρός δεν επέτρεψε να γίνουν αγώνες στις περισσότερες κατηγορίες. Μεγάλα κύματα και άνεμοι πάνω από 30 κόμβους εμπόδισαν την επιτροπή να βγάλει τα σκάφη έξω.

Μονάχα το match race των γυναικών και τα RS:X ανδρών και γυναικών έγιναν το απόγευμα.
Η αυριανή πρόγνωση φαίνεται να είναι καλύτερη.
Όσον αφορά τους δικούς μας αθλητές σήμερα την καλύτερη επίδοση είχε ο Κοκκαλάνης στα RS:X που βρίσκεται στην τρίτη θέση της γενικής κατάταξης.
Περισσότερα αποτελέσματα εδώ.

Καλά πάνε οι αθλητές μας στην Ισπανία στο 41ο Trofeo SAR Princesa Sofía Mapfre.
Προσωρινά αποτελέσματα Ελληνικής Ομάδας:
470 Ανδρών (σύνολο σκαφών 100):
01. Καμπουρίδης - Ωρολογάς, 13 βαθμούς
15. Μάντης - Καγιαλής, 47 βαθμούς
33. Σταύρου - Παπαδόπουλος, 78 βαθμούς
77. Παπουτσόγλου - Δρούγκας, 141 βαθμούς
83. Τσάμης - Κούνας, 152 βαθμούς
Finn (σύνολο σκαφών 52):
28. Μιτάκης, 56 βαθμούς
RS:X Men (σύνολο σκαφών 72):
04. Κοκκαλάνης, 27 βαθμούς
28. Φράγκος, 114 βαθμούς
32. Λεονέττι, 135 βαθμούς
37. Καραγιώργος, 157 βαθμούς
48. Καπόνε, 191 βαθμούς
60. Οικονομίδης, 232 βαθμούς
49er (σύνολο σκαφών 61):
28. Δήμου - Πατενιώτης, 64 βαθμούς
Laser STD (σύνολο σκαφών 131):
16. Χειμώνας, 56 βαθμούς
50. Μπουγιούρης, 105 βαθμούς
55. Χρυσός, 113 βαθμούς
Star (σύνολο σκαφών 22):
05. Παπαθανασίου - Παπαστεφάνου, 33 βαθμούς
470 Γυναικών (σύνολο σκαφών 41):
33. Βουλγαράκη - Πάσχου, 117 βαθμούς
RS:X Γυναικών (σύνολο σκαφών 41):
11. Σκαρλάτου, 53 βαθμούς
30. Αντωνάτου, 118 βαθμούς
Laser RDL (σύνολο σκαφών 70):
34. Βλάχου, 117 βαθμούς
Elliot 6m Match Race
08. Μπεκατώρου - Μαντζαράκη - Οινοκομοπούλου (7 αγώνες - 1 νίκη)

Αναλυτικά τα αποτελέσματα εδώ.

Τελικά παραήταν επεισοδιακή η Ύδρα είχαμε για άλλη μια φορά ένα σπασμένο άλμπουρο, κάτι ακούσαμε και για ένα τιμόνι και φυσικά για πολλά πανιά με τις μαΐστρες να έχουν την τιμητική τους και πολλές εγκαταλείψεις, αλλά όλα αυτά ίσως σε έναν αγώνα να είναι και μέσα στο πρόγραμμα, το ευτύχημα είναι ότι κανείς απ' όσο ξέρουμε δεν τραυματίστηκε οπότε όλα τα υπόλοιπα διορθώνονται.
Για άλλη μια φορά βρέθηκαν κοντά σε όσους είχαν ανάγκη βοηθείας τα γύρω σκάφη και μπράβο σε αυτούς τους ιστιοπλόους που άφησαν τον αγώνα και έτρεξαν για βοήθεια.
Το μόνο μελανό σημείο που ακούσαμε ήταν για μια περίπτωση ανθρώπου στη θάλασσα που είχε το GALIS IV.
Όπως μας είπε η Μαριάννα Κυριακίδη, η οποία έπεσε στο νερό κοντά στα Τσελεβίνια και ενώ υπήρχε σκάφος, το MMBW NICOLE, που ερχόταν από πίσω και μπορούσε να βοηθήσει απλώς ορτσάρισε και πέρασε από δίπλα;! χωρίς να πετάξει ένα σκοινί, σωσίβιο ή να κάνει κάποια άλλη ενέργεια.
Την Μαριάννα την μάζεψε ο κυβερνήτης της (Γιαπαλάκης) και συνέχισαν τον αγώνα κανονικά όπου πήραν και την 1η θέση στην κατηγορία τους.
Αν όντως έτσι έγιναν τα πράγματα και κάποιοι είδαν ότι έπεσε ένας άνθρωπος στη θάλασσα και δεν βοήθησαν το λιγότερο που μπορούμε να πούμε είναι ότι αυτή δεν είναι ναυτική ή έστω και ανθρώπινη ενέργεια και σίγουρα δε θα πρέπει να επαναληφθεί.

Πρόσφατα ανακαλύψαμε μια νέα εφαρμογή για το iPhone που θα είναι ιδιαίτερα χρήσιμη στις επιτροπές αγώνων.

Είναι ένας αγωνιστικός χρονομέτρης για το iPhone/iPod Touch με ήχους και οπτικά σήματα, ώστε η επιτροπή να μπορεί να διεξάγει τους αγώνες με το iPhone συνδεδεμένο με ένα σύστημα μεγαφώνων και να δίνει χρόνους, ηχητικά σήματα και σημαίες από την εφαρμογή.
Η εφαρμογή ονομάζεται R/C Assist, και περισσότερες λεπτομέρειες μπορείτε να βρείτε στις παρακάτω τοποθεσίες:
http://www.bravojulietproductions.com/ και http://itunes.com/apps/rcassist.
Η τιμή της είναι $4.99USD.

Αποτελέσματα Αγώνα Ελληνικής Επανάστασης - ΥΔΡΑ 2010:
ORCi-A

1. ALPHA BANK (2, 1) 3
   
2. ERYTOS II-COSMOTE (1, 3) 4
   
3. ZANTINO-WIND (5, 2) 7
   

IRC

1. CLEOPATRA (2, 1) 3
   
2. ALBATROS II (8, 2) 10
   
3. ANEMOS 3A (3, 7) 10
   

ORCi-N

1. SERENDIPITY (1, 1) 2
   
2. DAPHNE'S SMILE (2, 2) 4
   
3. VIACOLVENTO (3, 4) 7
   

ORC-Club

1. GALIS IV (3, 1) 4
   
2. GIORGIO-HELLEN. POSTBANK (8, 2) 10
   
3. TRITON (1, 12) 13
   

Αναλυτικά τα αποτελέσματα μπορείτε να τα δείτε εδώ.

Το 41ο Trofeo SAR Princesa Sofía Mapfre έχει ξεκινήσει στον όρμο της Πάλμα ντε Μαγιορκα της Ισπανίας, με συμμετοχές από 40 χώρες και πάνω από 1.000 ιστιοπλόους.
Φέτος είναι η δεύτερη χρονιά που οι αγώνες μετράνε στο ISAF Sailing World Cup, και θα γίνει και το ντεμπούτο του γυναικείου match race ως Ολυμπιακού αθλήματος με τα 6μετρα Elliot.
Η πολυπληθής Ελληνική ομάδα απαρτίζεται από τους:
470 Ανδρών:

• Μάντης - Καγιαλής
• Καμπουρίδης - Ωρολογάς
• Παπουτσόγλου - Δρούγκας
• Τσάμης - Κουνής
• Καββάς - Ορφανός
• Σταύρου - Παπαδόπουλος

470 Γυναικών:

• Βουλγαράκη - Πάσχου

Finn:

• Μιτάκης
• Δραγούτσης

RS:X Ανδρών:

• Κοκκαλάνης
• Φράγκος
• Οικονομίδης
• Λεονέττι
• Καπόνε
• Καραγιώργος

RX:X Γυναικών:

• Αντωνάτου
• Καραγιώργου
• Σκαρλάτου

Laser STD:

• Χειμώνας
• Μπουγιούρης
• Χρυσός

Laser RDL:

• Βλάχου

Star:

• Παπαθανασίου - Παπαστεφάνου

49er:

• Δήμου - Πατενιώτης

Match Race Elliot 6m:

• Μπεκατώρου - Μαντζαράκη - Οικονομοπούλου

Η επίσημη ιστοσελίδα της διοργάνωσης εδώ.

Following three successful editions of the RC 44 Championship Tour in Central Europe and the Middle-East, the Class plans to develop a North American circuit.

An RC 44 will be displayed in Newport (RI) this spring, allowing potential owners to test-sail the boat.
A North American Championship Tour could be launched as early as 2011.
The RC 44 Class Association announces today its project to expand to North America.
Photo Copyright: Roberto Marci / RC 44 – Ten RC 44's competed in last year's Championship Tour in Europe and the Middle East.
Twenty-two One Design RC 44’s have been built to date. The latest one is currently being finalised, and will be shipped to Newport (Rhode Island) this spring, allowing pro sailors and potential owners to test-sail the boat.
Dee Smith, a professional sailor and project manager involved in top level yacht racing events, has been named RC 44 agent for North America. “This is a great opportunity to start a very exciting new One Design Class here in North America”, he commented. “The RC 44 has proven to be a huge success in Europe and we feel there is a need for a boat that is both exciting to sail and cost effective to run here in the States. We already have many established teams looking to acquire an RC 44 and get this party going.”
The RC 44 is a light displacement high performance One Design sailing boat. It was designed by four-time America’s Cup winner Russell Coutts, together with naval architect Andrej Justin. The RC 44 was created for top level racing in international regattas under strictly controlled Class Rules. The concept and the design features of the RC 44 are dedicated to the amateur helmsmen racing in fleet racing sailing events.
Photo Copyright: Ales Fevzer / RC 44 - The RC 44's can race in winds ranging between 5 - 30 knots.
“The North American circuit will be adapted to the owners’ desires”, explains the RC 44 Class manager Bertrand Favre. “Some characteristics of the Class are fundamental, such as the One Design aspect, the amateur owner driver and direct umpiring. However we are also open to new ideas regarding the format of racing. One thing is sure: thanks to the easy logistics of the Class, it will be possible to sail in great locations in the US, both on the East and West coast and even on lakes.”
When they started designing the RC 44, Andrej Justin and Russell Coutts immediately included the transportation and storage issues in their thoughts. As a consequence, the stern of the boat is removable to allow the transportation length to be less than 40 feet.
The keel fin attachment is also easily removable whilst the carbon mast is assembled in two parts. Therefore all equipment can be stored and transported on a flat deck container which can be transported in a cost effective way.
The RC 44 will be displayed and test sailed in Newport in the middle of June (dates tbc). A media day will be organised and media will have the opportunity to see the boat and talk to the founder of the Class Russell Coutts.
Website: http://www.rc44.com

The 2010 Audi MedCup Circuit is due to start in Cascais on May 11th, the first event of the new season.
The official names for the five trophies of the year have just been announced.

The Audi MedCup Circuit reaches its sixth season with an itinerary comprising five events between May and September in four countries of Southern Europe: Portugal, France, Spain and Italy, in that order.
The official titles of the five trophies which the TP52 Series and GP42 Series fleets will compete for have been announced by World Sailing Management, the Circuit’s organiser, as follows:

1. Portugal Trophy, Cascais (Portugal), May 11-16
2. Marseille Trophy, Marseille (France), June 15-20
3. Conde de Godó City of Barcelona Trophy (Spain), July 20-25
4. Caja Mediterráneo Region of Murcia Trophy, Cartagena (Spain), August 24-29
5. Region of Sardinia Trophy,Cagliari (Sardinia, Italy), September 20-25
   

ΔΕΛΤΙΟ ΤΥΠΟΥ Ι: Περιφερειακό Πρωτάθλημα ΝΔ Ελλάδας & Ιονίου Optimist και Laser 4,7

Ο Ιστιοπλοϊκός Όμιλος Πατρών θα συμμετάσχει στο Περιφερειακό Πρωτάθλημα ΝΔ Ελλάδας & Ιονίου Optimist και Laser 4,7 που θα διεξαχθεί από 24 έως 27 Μαρτίου στον Ψαθόπυργο με τους αθλητές Δανιά Κωνσταντίνα, Καρπούζα Βασίλειο-Πέτρο, Μαργαρίτη Γρηγόριο και Τσακαρισάνο Διονύσιο στην κατηγορία Optimist και τους αθλητές Γούδα Τατιάνα, Μπατιστάτο Κωνσταντίνο και Νικολάου Αντζελίν κατηγορία Laser 4,7.
Τον αγώνα διοργανώνει ο Α.Ι.Ο.ΡΙΟΥ «ΙΑΣΩΝ» σε συνεργασία με την Ελληνική Ιστιοπλοϊκή Ομοσπονδία.
ΔΕΛΤΙΟ ΤΥΠΟΥ ΙΙ: Αρχίζουν οι Ιστιοπλοϊκοί Αγώνες Ανοιχτής Θάλασσας του Ι.Ο.ΠΑΤΡΩΝ
Πρώτος ο αγώνας «ΘΥΣΙΑΣ», Πάτρα-Μεσολόγγι.
Το αγωνιστικό πρόγραμμα του Ι.Ο.Πατρών ξεκινά, όπως κάθε χρόνο, με τον αγώνα «ΘΥΣΙΑΣ» με διαδρομές Πάτρα-Φίδαρης-Μεσολόγγι (16ν.μ.) και Μεσολόγγι-Φίδαρης-Πάτρα (16ν.μ.).
Η εκκίνηση της πρώτης ιστιοδρομίας θα δοθεί το Σάββατο 27 Μαρτίου (11π.μ.) μπροστά από τις εγκαταστάσεις του Ιστιοπλοϊκού Ομίλου Πατρών στην Τερψιθέα.
Η δεύτερη θα ξεκινήσει την Κυριακή 28 Μαρτίου (12π.μ.) έξω από το δίαυλο Μεσολογγίου.
Από το Δ.Σ. του Ι.Ο.Πατρών

ISAF has published a new version of the ISAF Match Race Rankings Event Application/Grading Form.

The ISAF Match Race Rankings Event Application/Grading Form must be completed by all events wishing to be included in the ISAF World Match Race Rankings. The form must be submitted to ISAF at least four months prior the event. On completion of the event, the “actual data” and the event results must be completed, confirmed by the event Chief Umpire and returned to ISAF as soon as possible after the event.

The new form is available to download via the link below. Click here for the ISAF Match Race Rankings Event Application/Grading Form.

37oς ΑΓΩΝΑΣ της ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗΣ ΕΠΑΝΑΣΤΑΣΕΩΣ 2010.
Ο πρώτος μεγάλος αγώνας της αγωνιστικής σεζόν 2010 πλησιάζει και αναμένεται όπως κάθε φορά εδώ και 37 χρόνια να συγκεντρώσει πολλές συμμετοχές.
Την Παρασκευή στις 16:00 θα είναι η εκκίνηση από το Φάληρο, και όσοι τελειώσετε την βδομάδα λίγο νωρίτερα κατεβείτε στο Τουρκολίμανο για να δείτε την εντυπωσιακή εκκίνηση.

Ο καιρός φαίνεται να είναι καλός και θα είναι μάλλον φιλικός με τα πληρώματα και τα σκάφη, το χρειάζονται άλλωστε (τα πληρώματα όχι τα σκάφη) μετά από κάποιους μήνες απραξίας, ...ναι ξέρω λιώσατε στην προπόνηση όλο το χειμώνα... στο virtual skipper.

Για περισσότερα δείτε την Προκήρυξη του Αγώνα και το site του διοργανωτή http://www.horc.gr/

Racing under the colours of the host Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, Emirates Team New Zealand won the Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland regatta Sunday.

The Kiwi boat extended on every leg of the deciding five-mile race off Auckland’s East Coast Bays against the Mascalzone Latino Audi team representing Club Nautico di Roma, which is the Challenger of Record for the 34th America’s Cup.
Emirates won the first race yesterday, and with their second victory today they went 2-0 in the Finals, which race officials shortened to a best-of-three contest due to light and uncertain winds.
Right after the finish, the normally controlled and contained Emirates skipper Dean Barker had a broad smile on his face as he soaked his veteran team with champagne from a jeroboam of Moët et Chandon, not even sparing an event photographer who had climbed aboard for the occasion.
On their way to the finals, Emirates survived by one second a heart-stopping last-minute penalty turn in their match against Azzurra, the other Italian team. Today they left no doubts with a composed and clinical performance that only saw them threatened once.
Ashore after racing it was a flashback to the glory days of the America’s Cups of 2000 and 2003, as crowds thronged the quayside in the Viaduct Basin and spectators crowded every vantage point on the moored boats and surrounding balconies. Horns, sirens, cheers and applause greeted the Mascalzone Latino Audi boat as it docked at Market Square, its crew brandishing a giant banner that read “Thank you New Zealand.”
The Emirates boat arrived to more applause, flying a gigantic New Zealand blue ensign plus smaller national flags of all the competing countries. Before presenting the Louis Vuitton Trophy, Yves Carcelle, chairman and CEO of Louis Vuitton, congratulated Dean Barker, his team, and all the competing teams on the quality of their racing. “Now I hope the Cup will revive.
In the meantime, we have seen in the last few days an amazing sport competition. The fact that the boats are equalized means that it was all up to the teams and one more time, Team New Zealand has proved its domination.”
After the strong south-westerly winds that have characterized much of the regatta and forced the postponement of some races, there was a two-hour wait for wind today as the spectator fleet built in size.
Racing started at noon at the mouth of the Rangitoto Channel in a warm and shifty 10 to 12-knot westerly breeze. Barker wanted the right side of the course before the start.
Gavin Brady, the Kiwi skipper of ML Audi, wanted the left, and the pre-start was uneventful as they split away, even before they crossed the line. Brady’s tactician Morgan Larson said later that they realized in the last minutes before the gun that the right was favored but they had no option but to follow their game plan. The left finally paid off in the closing stages of the first leg, pulling the visitors back into the game.
As they closed, Emirates chose to tack short of the port tack ML Audi, only to be carried out beyond the starboard tack layline by the aggressive Italians. Brady had his opportunity to level the score and the boats were bow to stern as Emirates led around the weather mark. The Kiwi spinnaker blossomed instantaneously in a slick set the Italians couldn’t match. Just as swiftly, Emirates gybed over into the favoring left shift, catching the Italians flat-footed. Within seconds the home team enjoyed a four-boat length lead, one they never relinquished.
The finish margin was 53 seconds. “On the first beat, it didn’t look as though the right was going to come in early enough for us and it was amazing how the pressure came in and we had enough to be strong,” Barker said. “The guys did an amazing job. The first downwind was the key moment for us . . . to get the early gybe away and make a little gain there.”
Noting that his team had lost two races in the two weeks, Barker added: “It’s always satisfying when you feel that you’re sailing your best on the last day, and today we were sailing really well.”
Morgan Larson acknowledged the flawless performance of the New Zealand team. “We got a little bit of a miscommunication in the back of the boat at the weather mark and I’ll hold my hand up for that one,” he said. “If we’d gybed with them, we’d have been right on their tail.”
The overall results are:
1. Emirates Team New Zealand, New Zealand
2. Mascalzone Latino Audi, Italy
3. Azzurra, Italy
4. Artemis, Sweden
5. All4One, Germany/France
6. TEAMORIGIN, Great Britain
7. ALEPH Sailing Team, France
8. Synergy Russian Sailing Team, Russia

Η ομάδα Modus Vivendi-3Άλφα νικήτρια του March Match Race 2010. Εντυπωσιακές μονομαχίες εξελίχθηκαν σήμερα την δεύτερη και τελευταία ημέρα του March Match Race 2010 που πραγματοποιήθηκε έξω από το Μικρολίμανο με σκάφη Platu25 και την συνεργασία του ΠΟΙΑΘ.

Ο ανοιξιάτικος καιρός με τον άνεμο σε χαμηλές εντάσεις και νοτιοδυτική διεύθυνση ήταν σύμμαχος για την ολοκλήρωση του αγώνα. Τα 2 τελευταία flights του Round Robin ολοκληρώθηκαν το πρωί αναδεικνύοντας τις 4 πρώτες ομάδες που θα αγωνίζονταν στα Semi finals και στην συνέχεια στον μικρό και μεγάλο τελικό.
Η ομάδα Ωκύαλος με κυβερνήτη τον Θοδωρή Τσουλφά και πλήρωμα τους Δάφνη Κωστοπούλου, Λάμπρο Τσολάκη και Αλέξη Τσολάκη αν και έφτασε στον τελικό αήττητη, δεν κατάφερε να διατηρήσει τον τίτλο της, καθώς μονομαχώντας με την ομάδα Modus Vivendi-3Άλφα με κυβερνήτη τον Παναγιώτη Μάντη και πλήρωμα τους Παύλο Καγιαλή, Κώστα Καραγεωργίου και Αντρέα Παλερά, έχασε με 3-0 κατακτώντας τελικά την δεύτερη θέση, και δίνοντας τον τίτλο του νικητή στην ομάδα Modus Vivendi-3Άλφα.
Στον μικρό τελικό η ομάδα Αταλάντη με κυβερνήτη τον Στρατή Ανδρεάδη και πλήρωμα τους Στέλιο Σωτηρίου, Θοδωρή Πολυχρονίδη και Αναστάσιο Μηλιώνη αγωνίστηκε με την ομάδα Ursa Minor με κυβερνήτη τον Αντρέα Καραλή και πλήρωμα τους Αντρέα Θεοδωρίδη, Αλίνα Στρατηγίου και Αλέξανδρο Μοχαντάμ και κέρδισε με 2-0 την τρίτη θέση.
Αθλητές, Κριτές και Διοργανωτές αποχώρησαν ικανοποιημένοι και ανανέωσαν το ραντεβού τους για το Μ&Ν Match Race στις 7-9 Μάιου.
Φωτογραφίες και αποτελέσματα στο www.platu25.gr
photos credits Νίκος Αλευρομύτης

Τα κατάφεραν!!! Μπράβο στον Franck Cammas και το εννεαμελές πλήρωμα του.
Το Jules Verne Trophy πλέον ανήκει σε αυτούς τους δέκα άνδρες που έκανα το γύρο του κόσμου σε 48 μέρες 7 ώρες 44 λεπτά και 52 δευτερόλεπτα.
Μέση ταχύτητα 18.76 κόμβοι! (τα λόγια είναι περιττά...)
Το Groupama 3 πέρασε τη γραμμή τερματισμού στο Ushant το Σάββατο 20 Μαρτίου στις 21: 40΄45" UTC, 2 μέρες 8 ώρες και 35 λεπτά γρηγορότερα από το προηγούμενο ρεκόρ που είχε από το 2005 ο Bruno Peyron με το Orange 2.
To video του τερματισμού

Groupama 3 arrival in Brest Harbor 2010/03/21 - © Arnaud Pilpré / Studio Zedda

The acceleration is good for this final sprint thanks to a NW'ly wind of around twenty knots and the finish off the Créac'h lighthouse is scheduled during the course of tonight.

However Groupama 3 won't enter the harbour of Brest until after sunrise, at around 0830 hours UTC after a little more than 48 days at sea!
"We may have a little too much sail aloft at the moment with the solent jib and mainsail, but we can't afford to hang about. There's a ridge of high pressure coming up behind us and we mustn't get caught up in the calm conditions... We don't yet know what time we're going to cross the finish line and that's not that important, though it's always good to be as far ahead of the previous reference time as possible. We're being a bit shaken about! Our main focus is to arrive in one piece... We're sticking to the same habits though and we're maintaining our normal watch rhythm" indicated Franck Cammas during the 1130 UTC radio session with Groupama's Race HQ in Brest.
Groupama 3's log (departure on 31st January at 13h 55' 53'' UTC)
...
Day 45 (17th March 1400 UTC): 441 miles (lead = 412 miles)
Day 46 (18th March 1400 UTC): 579 miles (lead = 828 miles)
Day 47 (19th March 1400 UTC): 588 miles (lead = 1.165 miles)
Day 48 (20th March 1400 UTC): 600 miles (lead = 1.412 miles)

Emirates Team New Zealand pulled off two key victories today, first winning match point in a Semi-Final race and then prevailing in the first Finals race of the Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland regatta.

The host team will continue its best-of-five match in the Finals tomorrow, racing against the Mascalzone Latino Audi team representing Club Nautico di Roma, which is the Challenger of Record for the America’s Cup. Racing started in the approaches to the Rangitoto Channel off Auckland’s East Coast beaches in the early afternoon, after a long wait for an uncertain sou-west breeze to fill-in and settle.
The shifty breeze was moderate all day, ranging between 10 and 14 knots.Emirates and Azzurra were 1-1, after the Kiwi’s nail-biter one second win on Friday. There was plenty at stake. The Italian team won the Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice last November, beating Emirates. The host Kiwi team had won the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series event in Auckland last year and they were aiming for a repeat victory.
Emirate’s skipper Dean Barker wanted the right side of the course and, with the starboard entry, he wielded the advantage with clinical detachment.“It wasn’t easy that’s for sure,” Barker said. “Conditions aren’t exactly even or stable, it keeps you on the edge of your toes all the time. But it felt very controlled from our guys. The nice thing is the composure of our guys, which we’ve really been working hard on. Even though things got tight at times, the guys kept doing their job well.
”With their Finals berth safe, the Emirates team enjoyed a break until they returned to race Mascalzone Latino Audi. It proved to be a nail-biter for their Kiwi fans.Barker pulled off a come-from-behind victory after conceding the lead at the second mark. In the pre-start, the New Zealanders came within centimetres of a penalty as they tacked away from ML Audi’s Gavin Brady but the incident was green-flagged by the umpires. Brady took the lead at the second leeward mark only to concede it when Barker split away on the windward leg and got back ahead.
Emirates Team New Zealand Managing Director Grant Dalton, who also sails on the boat, summed up the day. “I think the bottom line is that we can still sail a lot better. We have to just keep working at it. It tends to click eventually,” Dalton said. “Brady is a bit more aggressive, he came close to copping a couple of penalties today on the start, one I thought was pretty close on the edge. But that’s up to Dean, he deals with it all the time.
The whole thing is a bit disjointed because you’re not flowing, week on week on week. So you can’t expect to be going at the normal rate of incremental improvement every day. But we’ve got to be reasonably happy at the moment, going one-up in the final."
Race One – Semi-Final: Emirates Team New Zealand def. Azzurra, 00:26
Emirates had the starboard end advantage and used it throughout the prestart to hold Azzurra’s Francesco Bruni out from the right side of the course. They came to the line at speed on starboard, in a shifty 10-knot breeze, well separated and with the Italians just bow out. Emirates held for a few seconds and then tacked away into a right shift. When they closed for the first cross 30 seconds later the Kiwis on starboard had a lead of nearly two boat lengths.
Approaching the top mark and above the port lay line, Italy pulled back into close contact on a big left shift, but NZ’s Dean Barker luffed them momentarily before the mark before bearing away and opening a lead of several boat lengths that he never relinquished.
Tommaso Chieffi, Azzurra tactician, said “we entered on port so it was already a difficult situation. On the second beat, we had the jib halyard come undone. We had to ease the jib out, and that lost us about 20 seconds. God knows, if it was closer in the last part of the race, it may have been a different story but it wasn’t our day.”
Race Two - 1st Final: Team New Zealand def. Mascalzone Latino Audi, 00:12
After his close miss, Barker coolly controlled the prestart, pushing Brady above the committee boat before returning and speeding off on starboard with the Italians trailing on his hip. Emirates first mark lead was 14 seconds but the Italians got on their wind on the run to round ahead at the leeward mark.
Barker said, “you’re happy sometimes to give up some distance if it means that you put yourself in a stronger position. And we did a nice job of that on the second beat – in the end we were able to extend quite a bit.”
Brady got out to the right but it didn’t pay. He let the boats get widely separated on a long port tack and the lead changed again as Barker found more favorable breeze on the left. Barker led by 12 seconds at the third mark and also at the finish. Brady’s tactician Morgan Larson took the long view. “We’re really happy, the guys are sailing the boat better than we have all week,” he said. “We’ve just got to get a little tighter in the afterguard and keep our communication good and look at it more like a match race.”
Race Three – Petit Final: Azzurra def Artemis
Italy’s Azzurra won their Petit Final match against Artemis as the Swedish boat copped two penalties in an early evening race. In the pre-start dial-up Terry Hutchinson in the port entry boat was late completing his initial tack and the blue penalty flag went up.
Francesco Bruni took Azzurra over the start line just to weather of Artemis and bow out. It was a one tack leg as the boats straight-lined at equal speeds all the way out to the port tack lay-line where Artemis was forced to follow their opponent into the mark.
The Italians dominated the next two legs until Artemis pulled level on the last run, only to be penalized again for failing to respond to a luff.
Azzurra pulled away to win as the Swedish boat began its penalty turn.

TEAMORIGIN’s new TP52 hit the water for the first time today and the team’s shore crew, sailors and designers were there in force to enjoy this exciting moment for the team.

Despite losing a key race yesterday in the Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland regatta, the TEAMORIGIN sailors were back in the gym and out for a fitness run first thing this morning and then headed out on the water with a new and exciting project on their hands.
The team sailed the impressive new boat close to the semi-final action of the regatta and turned a few heads David Duff, Shore Operations Manager for TEAMORIGIN, commented on the first day’s testing, “It went really well today, we’ve had a very tight schedule and have managed hit all the deadlines spot on so it was very pleasing to see the boat on the water today. It’s pretty impressive to take her out of the shed only two days ago and be sailing in 20 knots today. I’d like to thank everyone who has played a key part in this challenging project.
Juan Kouyoumdjian and his team at Juan Yacht Design, Greg Salthouse and the boat build team at Salthouse boatbuilders, North Sails, Southern Spars and our own TEAMORIGIN build and shore team of Nick Bice, Sam Bourne, Dylan Fletcher and Marty Oliver.”
The team will carry out another few days of testing and the boat then gets loaded onto a ship and heads to Europe for its racing season. TEAMORIGIN will compete in the YP52 Audi Med Cup series which consists of 5 regattas around the Mediterranean, with the first event taking place in Cascais starting on 10th May 2010.
Juan Kouyoumdjian (Juan K), Principal Designer of the boat, witnessed the maiden sail today and gave his views “I was really happy to see the boat on the water today, it went extremely well and we passed the structural test phase very quickly and were able to move on to pushing the boat. It performed exactly like we expected it to perform on the first day.”
Ben Ainslie, Skipper and Helmsman of TEAMORIGIN, ommented on the forthcoming TP racing, “We are looking forward to our first crack at the TP52 Audi Med Cup Series, it’s been a really useful project so far from both a design and sailing team perspective and will great to race against some top teams this coming season.”

Στην τελική ευθεία μπήκε η προσπάθεια του Cammas και του πληρώματος του για την επιτυχία της προσπάθειάς τους για το ρεκόρ στο γύρο του κόσμου με πολύγαστρο σκάφος.

Πριν μερικές μέρες η επιτυχία της προσπάθειας φαινόταν δύσκολη ως και αδύνατη, ειδικά όταν το Groupama 3 πριν μερικές μέρες είχε μείνει σχεδόν 500νμ πίσω από το χρόνο του Orange 2.
Τις τελευταίες όμως ημέρες τα πράγματα έχουν αλλάξει άρδην και με τη βοήθεια του καιρού το Groupama 3 κερδίζει συνεχώς μίλια έναντι του στόχου του. Μάλιστα έχει καταφέρει μέσα σε 7 μέρες να καλύψει σχεδόν 3.500νμ!
© Guilain GRENIER / Sea & Co
Οπότε αν όλα πάνε σύμφωνα με το σχέδιο το ρεκόρ είναι σχεδόν σίγουρο. Το μόνο που έχει να κάνει το εννεαμελές πλήρωμα του Cammas είναι να προσαρμόζεται στις συνεχείς αλλαγές του ανέμου που η πρόβλεψη δίνει και να εύχονται να μην σπάσει τίποτα πάνω στο σκάφος.
Groupama 3's log (departure on 31st January at 13h 55' 53'' UTC)
...
Day 44 (16th March 1400 UTC): 401 miles (lead = 72 miles)
Day 45 (17th March 1400 UTC): 441 miles (lead = 412 miles)
Day 46 (18th March 1400 UTC): 579 miles (lead = 828 miles)
Day 47 (19th March 1400 UTC): 552 miles (lead = 1.167 miles)

Η Πρόεδρος και τα Μέλη του Δ.Σ. του Ιστιοπλοϊκού Ομίλου Πειραιώς έχουν την τιμή να σας προσκαλέσουν στην παρουσίαση του Διάπλου του Ατλαντικού που επιτέλεσε το σκάφος του ΙΟΠ, ΑΡΜΕΝΙΣΤΗΣ, συμμετέχοντας στον αγώνα ATLANTIC RALLY FOR CRUISERS.
Την παρουσίαση θα κάνει ο Δημήτρης Λιαρούτσος, κυβερνήτης του σκάφους, μαζί με τα μέλη του πληρώματος Γεώργιο Νικολαΐδη και Παντελή Μυλωνά.
Η εκδήλωση θα γίνει στο Εντευκτήριο του Ομίλου μας την Δευτέρα 22/3/2010 στις 19:00μμ.

Emirates Team New Zealand came within one second of elimination from the Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland regatta today but kept Kiwi hopes alive with a brilliant finish. Tied 1-1, the host team will sail the third race of their Semi-Final with Italy's Azzura tomorrow.

The other Semi-Final went to three races, with the Italian team Mascalzone Latino Audi, representing the Challenger of Record for the America’s Cup, defeating Sweden’s Artemis in close competition. The southwesterly breeze was lighter than preceding days, but shifts and lulls and delays in starting several races did not prevent the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron Race Committee and PRO Peter Reggio from starting five of the six scheduled races. They tried for a sixth race but abandoned it at 7:15pm in a fading breeze and the fading light of dusk.
Although it was Friday in Auckland and a business day, a respectable-sized spectator grew in size as the afternoon wore on.
For its last two races, Artemis carried a distinguished 18th man. John Bertrand, the Aussie skipper who in 1983 lifted the America’s Cup from the clutches of the New York Yacht Club, rode on the stern of the Swedish boat, forbidden from offering advice but clearly enjoying the experience.
Paul Cayard, skipper of Artemis, was philosophical about his team’s dismissal. “We’re assembling a new team here, and we’ve got a lot of America’s Cup experience on board, and we need to get that all glued together,” he said. “We made a huge step forward here in Auckland, and we’re really happy with how we sailed.”
Asked about the quality of umpire calls, he added, “I think the umpires actually made good calls there, I think we slightly tacked in the last start and it was a fair call. All in all, the umpires are doing a good job and that’s part of the race.
Ray Davies, tactician for Emirates Team New Zealand described the penalty before the start that almost cost them their second race against Azzurra as “a bit of an unforced one.” He said, “we were in a real strong position, and we looked to gybe with them, but as they gybed, our jib just hit their sticks (wands) as we bore away. We were able to keep control of the start. It was a bit of a trade off.
After carrying their penalty all around the course, Emirates unloaded it on the finish line in a tight, foaming turn around the pin end as Azzurra bore down on them. The Kiwi boat had a 135-metre lead and Davies grinned as he estimated they needed a margin of 134 metres to pull off the win.
“That would be our absolute limit,” he said. “We couldn’t have done it with any less. It’s always pretty hard to slow down and try to do that. We talked about it at the top mark and we thought we were rounding in quite good pressure with a chance to extend, which we did. We sailed really good from there on.”
Morgan Larson, tactician on the winning Mascalzone Latino Audi, noted an extra layer in the competition between his boat and Artemis. “Terry Hutchinson and Gavin Brady are neighbours in Annapolis, so there was quite a bit on the line, more than we all know.”
Race One: Mascalzone Latino Audi def. Artemis, 00:11
Trailing all the first leg after losing the start, Gavin Brady and Mascalzone Latino Audi, rode a big right wind shift into the lead as they closed the top mark. Paul Cayard’s Swedish Artemis took the fight back to the Italians on the first run, pressing bow to stern into the gate, but ML Audi overcame a messy chute takedown to lead the rest of the way.
“It was a split breeze up there,” said Cayard who had benefitted from left shifts throughout the beat. “He had a lot more rightie than we did. It’s hard to do two tacks in 25 seconds in these boats so you’ve got to live it out. We’ve been living and dying by the shifts all week.
All the teams have and so far it’s worked good for us but, you know, we lost one.”
Race Two: Azzurra def. Emirates Team New Zealand, 00:18
The host team sailed a brilliant first leg, winning the start and controlling Italy’s Azzurra through a punishing 18-tack duel on the 1.3-mile leg that took both boats above the mark.
Emirates Team New Zealand tactician Ray Davies had the scenario planned as they got closer. “We’re gonna park it up here,” he said.
Park it they did, and in the subsequent head to wind luffing match the Italians were penalized for failing to keep clear. Emirates led around the top mark by 21 seconds but Azzurra came at them again. Francesco Bruni tacked hard around the leeward mark and got out to the left of Kiwi skipper Dean Barker and into an advantageous left shift that put him ahead.
Closing the weather mark, Bruni had a 200 metre lead and the margin for a 360 degree turn that cancelled his penalty. The Italians still led by 26 seconds at the top mark and were never seriously threatened.
Race Three: Artemis def. Mascalzone Latino, 00:21
Pushed over the line early by Hutchinson on Artemis, Brady was forced to restart and trailed by nearly five boat lengths just minutes after the start. Hutchinson had pounced with just 30 seconds remaining in the pre-start.
Both boats were leading in on parallel starboard tack courses with plenty of separation when Artemis bore off and hooked under ML Audi pushing them up and over the line. Hutchinson hit the line at the gun, with speed, while Brady went back.
Artemis was out to a five boat-length lead and never surrendered it.
Race Four: Mascalzone Latino def Artemis, 00:24
It was pay-back time for Brady in this pre-start. Thirty seconds before the gun, he risked a close quarter tack on port, before tacking back onto starboard and squeezing Hutchinson above the starboard layline. Artemis tacked away and the umpires flew a blue penalty flag for failing to keep clear. From out to the right of the committee boat, Mascalzone Latino Audi led back in, a boat length and a half clear ahead and with the penalty advantage.
On the run, a gybe set by Artemis put her on the right side of the course downwind and Hutchinson drew level, only for Brady to again hold him out above the leeward mark. Artemis got to the mark with a 270 deg. turn that negated the penalty but the third mark delta was 34 seconds and ML Audi had her berth in the finals.
Race Five: Emirates Team New Zealand def. Azzurra, 00:01
Saddled with a penalty before the start and facing elimination from the series, the host team sailed out to a 135 metre lead over four legs and nailed a heart-stopping victory by one second as they completed a turn to offset it.
After a relatively sedate dialup, Azzurra ran off deep into the start box on port and as she rounded up, Emirates Team New Zealand turned inside her with protest flag flying. It was green flagged. Azzurra bore off, Emirates turned to follow and her bow touched the safety wand on Azzurra’s stern.
The umpire’s flag went up. Beginning the beat, the Kiwi boat crossed ahead of the Italians on port with about eight metres clearance and then slowly extended over the following legs.

In the disturbed air flow spread all over the Atlantic, Groupama 3 carries on its rapid progress towards the finish line and substantially increases its lead over the reference time. The arrival at the Créac'h's lighthouse is still scheduled for Saturday, but the time frame remains open all day as the low pressure area could slow down the giant trimaran.
If the departure's weather window was narrow, the gates of arrival are now wide open! But 1 500 miles away from Ushant, Franck Cammas and his men are not done yet with changing conditions: by having to approach the center of low pressure which is currently pushing the giant trimaran, the wind will become more unstable and should suddenly change from South-West to North-West. The wind will also strengthen to over thirty knots with gusts in the squalls and the crew will therefore have many maneuvers to undertake until the entry of the Gulf of Biscay.
Groupama 3's log (departure on 31st January at 13h 55' 53'' UTC)
...
Day 41 (13th March 1400 UTC): 503 miles (deficit = 483 miles)
Day 42 (14th March 1400 UTC): 445 miles (deficit = 403 miles)
Day 43 (15th March 1400 UTC): 482 miles (deficit = 216 miles)
Day 44 (16th March 1400 UTC): 401 miles (lead = 72 miles)
Day 45 (17th March 1400 UTC): 441 miles (lead = 412 miles)
Day 46 (18th March 1300 UTC): 579 miles (lead = 828 miles)
Find all the latest about the Groupama trimarans on: www.cammas-groupama.com

Artemis moves into the Semi-Finals Another good win for Artemis today over the Brits on TeamOrigin. It was another tight race in tricky conditions.
Winds were 12-14 knots from the Southwest. We were on hold for two hours as the winds were absent at 1000 this morning.

The race committee informed the competitors that the best of three quarter final was reduced to sudden death as there would not be time to run 6 matches which would have been required had both quarter final matches gone the full three races.
At 1330, conditions were acceptable and the heat was on....win and go forward...lose and go home.
We wanted tight left but Ben Ainsle did a nice job in the prestart and had that spot occupied. He was in a bit of trouble as the wind went even further left in the last 30 seconds prior to the start. Terry Hutchinson was quick to take the race back at them and that got us out of phase and a tacking duel ensued. We kept it close up the first windward leg and trailed by two boat lengths at the top.
My strategy was to keep it close and not do anything that had low probability of paying off.
Down the run, we gybed first on a nice shift and closed in to round the gate just one length behind. We rounded the same gate as the Brits which plays to their advantage but the other gate was surely out in more adverse current so again...keep it close.
Up the second windward leg we had to tack away first and TeamOrigin tacked on us the next time we came back. We were forced out toward the worse current but we were on a big left shift.
So we rode it out patiently and sure enough a righty filled in. When we met the next time we were just ahead crossing on starboard tack. Normally in this position, we should have tacked on them and kept to the right as this puts you on starboard tack right of way the next time the boats meet. And I have gotten burned in the first race we had with TeamOrigin two days ago by not following this strategy.
BUT, we were on a big lift as we crossed and it is also important to "stay in phase" with the wind. So I took the risk and played the odds which were in my favor. Fortunately, the wind cooperated and we crossed them the next time but just 1/2 a boat length but with much more speed and on lay line.
So we simply sailed with full speed around the mark while they were slow and had to tack to round. We stretched to three lengths ahead there and that was pretty much it. The made a desperate gybe away from us, we chose not to match them as we stretched into the stronger current, now favorable, and kept it simple...one gybe and in. We won the race by 30 seconds in the end. In the other quarter final race, the Italians from Azzurra beat All4One. At the draw tonight, Emirates Team New Zealand the top ranked semi finalist, got to pick their opponent and they chose Azzurra.
That means that we will meet the other Italian Team, Mascalzone Latino. Racing resumes tomorrow at 1000 and the forecast is for 12-16 knots from the Southwest again.
For LIVE streaming of the racing plus other features go to www.istioselida.com.
source: cayard website

Τον πρώτο Αγώνα Match Race της χρονιάς είναι έτοιμη να πραγματοποιήσει η Ελληνική Κλάση Platu25 σε συνεργασία με τον Πανελλήνιο Όμιλο Ιστιοπλοΐας Ανοιχτής Θαλάσσης (ΠΟΙΑΘ) το Σαββατοκύριακο 20-21 Μαρτίου 2010.

Οι ομάδες που θα αγωνιστούν είναι 8, μια εκ των οποίων από την Κέρκυρα, και τα σκάφη που θα χρησιμοποιηθούν 4.
Μετά την Α’ Φάση του Πανελληνίου Πρωταθλήματος, το March Match Race είναι ένας πολύ καλός αγώνας προετοιμασία, για τους αθλητές των ομάδων των συναρπαστικών Ιστιοπλοϊκών Μονομαχιών.
photo credits Νίκος Αλευρομύτης
Μέσα στην χρονιά έχουν προγραμματιστεί 2 ακόμα Match Race.
Η επιτροπή αγώνων με την βοήθεια των καιρικών συνθηκών θα στήσει τον στίβο των αγώνων έξω από το Μικρολίμανο, πολύ κοντά στην στεριά, για να αποζημιώσει τους θεατές στην κερκίδα του μόλου.
Οι 8 ομάδες αναμένεται να προσφέρουν ένα μοναδικό θέαμα στους λάτρεις του αθλήματος, μονομαχώντας για τον τίτλο του νικητή.
Η πρώτη εκκίνηση είναι προγραμματισμένη για το Σάββατο 20/3 στις 11:00.
Περισσότερες πληροφορίες στο www.platu25.gr

The Swedish team Artemis and the Italian Azzurra squad both won thrilling matches on Thursday at the Louis Vuitton Trophy - Auckland, to advance to the semi-finals and dispatch their opponents out of the regatta.
Artemis came from behind to beat Britain’s TEAMORIGIN while Azzurra landed a penalty on the German/French boat All4One and led all the way around the race course.

Each pair in this elimination round were slated to race a best-of-three series but flat calm conditions on the Waitemata Harbour forced a change of plans to sudden-death single races for both pairs.
Principal Race Officer Peter Reggio told the competitors in the morning that he’d institute a single-race policy if he couldn’t start racing by midday. A southerly breeze began to fill in soon after noon and the first race started at 13:40 The semi-finals on Friday will see Emirates Team New Zealand, top of the table at the end of the Round Robin, face Azzurra after ETNZ skipper Dean Barker selected the Italian team as his opponent.
That leaves Mascalzone Latino Audi Team against Artemis. The winner of each ‘first to two points’ series will advance to the final.
Barker said it was always tough choosing an opponent, but he went with Azzurra, the team who triumphed over the Kiwis in the final of the last Louis Vuitton Trophy event in Nice. “We know the guys well and maybe we will get a little bit of revenge hopefully for Nice. We always have good races against those guys,” he said.
Azzurra skipper Francesco Bruni said he was confident going up against the home team, who may have a perceived advantage in stronger breezes and their own boats – especially after Azzurra’s victory over All4One today.
“I think we sailed the boat very well today in difficult conditions. It was a very, very nice performance from the whole team. I think we are getting better in strong winds. We learn day by day; there is no secret that we would prefer lighter conditions for a match with Team New Zealand. But we are also happy to have a chance to race against them in their conditions and in their boats - we have nothing to lose.”
The Swedish Artemis team is rounding into form at the right time and enters the semi-finals with confidence. “We have won four in a row, and had two fantastic races with the British, which were pretty epic battles in the list of America’s Cup races I’ve been in. I think it’s good training for us in preparation going into the rest of the series.”
For his part, Mascalzone Latino Audi Team strategist Cameron Dunn is sure it will be a difficult match. “We feel we are improving with every race – we started slowly, but we’ve been chipping away and getting better as a team. We had a very good race with Artemis in the round robins, so we know we’re in for a tough battle.”
Race One: Artemis def. TEAMORIGIN, 00:38
Britain’s Ben Ainslie seized the start of this sudden death match with flair and defended his lead through the first half of the race and multiple protests only to hand the lead to Paul Cayard’s Artemis on the second weather leg.
The Swedish boat made the most of its advantaged starboard entry and pushed TEAMORIGIN below the port layline before the start. Hutchinson, steering Artemis, reported massive shifts in the 16-knot southerly and Ainslie would ride a big leftie into the lead. Pushed outside the left side of the line in the remaining pre-start seconds, he tacked onto port on a big shift and skinned across the bow of the starboard tack Swedish boat right after the gun. The umpires green-flagged the encounter but Hutchinson saw it differently. “Our bowman was saying, “We’re going to hit him! But that’s the game.”
A minute later TEAMORIGIN led by a boat length. Ainslie came back on starboard with a small lead and tacked inches to leeward of the approaching Artemis, who again appealed to the umpires, but to no avail. A big shift on the left kept Artemis in the game and she was only one and half boatlengths behind at the top mark, and trailing by only seven seconds through the leeward gate.
It was Ainslie’s race until several tacks into the leg he let Hutchinson get to the right in the oscillating shifts, with 400 metres separation. When they converged again, Artemis led by 46 metres. Artemis extended on the run with a damaged spinnaker and the foot tape reinforcing fluttering in the breeze. “What a brilliant job from all our crew, getting back into the race,” said Hutchinson.
“In hindsight, we didn’t do it right up the second beat,” conceded Mike Sanderson, who handles the runners on board. “But you know, we need to make sure we don’t kill the tiger as well. We have amazing talent at looking up the course and picking up shifts, and if we kill the tiger, we are going to be an ordinary talent.”
Race Two: Azzurra def All4One, 00:20
It was all but over before the start as the German/French boat steered by Sébastien Col was trapped by Azzurra skipper Francesco Bruni and penalised for failing to keep clear. As the boats turned up for the line, Azzurra was able to hook in to leeward of All4One and Bruni luffed his opponent, drawing the foul, with his aggressive tactics.
“I have been criticised during the round robin by my team for being too safe," he said afterwards. "Today I changed a little bit, but the optimum is probably in-between.”
Azzura went on to lead across the line clear ahead and luffed up momentarily to gain weather gauge. Still bow ahead and to weather, she took the German/French boat out to the exclusion zone on the left side of the course and maintained her lead through eight short tacks.
The margin was nine seconds at the mark. Col overtook to weather on the run but as they both overstood the layline for the leeward gate and went to douse their gennakers, the All4One gennaker went under the boat, spelling the end of her challenge to the Italians. All4One joins TEAMORIGIN on the sidelines.

When the Farr 40s arrive in the Dominican Republic later next month, April 21-24, all eyes will be on the defending World Champion, Jim Richardson's Barking Mad (USA).
A three-time Rolex Farr 40 World Champion in 2009 (Porto Cervo), 2004 (San Francisco), and 1998 (Miami), Richardson will be back with most of his all-star crew, including tactician Terry Hutchinson, 2008 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year in the USA.

The 2010 venue - the second time the Rolex Farr 40 World Championship has been hosted in the Caribbean - makes full use of the stunning 7,000 acre Casa de Campo Resort and Marina located on the southeast coast of the Dominican Republic. The Marina offers great access to sailing conditions the Caribbean is well known for: steady south-easterly breezes, turquoise waters and shirt-sleeve sailing.
Fleet upwind, Photo by: Rolex / Kurt Arrigo
Lining up Barking Mad in their sights, will be more than a few teams who have proven in the past that they are capable of winning not just races, but more importantly whole series: Helmut Jahn on Flash Gordon 6 (USA) with tactician Bill Hardesty, won the 2009 Rolex Farr 40 North American Championship and is fresh from winning the Farr 40 class at the 2010 Miami Grand Prix last week. Finishing 2nd in Miami, behind Flash Gordon, was Massimo Mezzaroma, on Nerone, with tactician Vasco Vascotto onboard. Nerone was the 2003 Rolex Farr 40 World Champion and 2009 European Champion.
Still other teams offer up a strong challenge, including Guido Belgiorno-Nettis on Transfusion (AUS), with tactician Tom Slingsby, who last week in Sydney won the 2010 Farr 40 Australian Championship for the second year in a row;
Wolfgang Schaefer on Struntje Light (GER); Doug Douglass on Goombay Smash (USA), with tactician Morgan Larson; Alex Roepers on Plenty (USA), with tactician Tony Rey; Alberto Rossi on Enfant Terrible (ITA); Lisa & Martin Hill on Estate Master (AUS), with tactician Hamish Pepper; and Alessandro Barnaba on Fiamma (ITA).
New to the Farr 40 fleet this past year is Nico Poons on Charisma (MON), who is the reigning Swan 45 World Champion.
Jim Richardson's BARKING MAD (USA), Photo by: Rolex / Kurt Arrigo
Richardson, defending World Champion and Farr 40 Class President said, "we are very much looking forward to the 2010 Rolex Farr 40 Worlds at Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic. With 11 strong teams representing Italy, Germany, Australia, Monaco and the United States, we are expecting a highly competitive regatta. "Having scouted the venue personally, we are certain that the sailing conditions and ambience of this venue will be second to none. Great sailing, tropical weather and Casa de Campo, a spectacular five-star resort, make all the ingredients for a fantastic championship. We can't wait to get there next month!"
To date, the Farr 40 class is well represented with 11 entries from five countries. The fleet will warm up with two days of racing in the Rolex Farr 40 Pre-World Championships on Saturday, 17 April and Sunday, 18 April. The Rolex Farr 40 World Championship racing begins on Wednesday, 21 April and finishes on Saturday, 24 April.
Helmet Jahn's FLASH GORDON (USA) launched downwind
Photo by: Rolex / Kurt Arrigo
The Rolex Farr 40 World Championship is organised by the Casa de Campo Yacht Club and the Farr 40 Class Association. The racing will be held in the waters off La Romana, Dominican Republic. Racing will be led once again by Principal Race Officer Peter Reggio, with Henry Menin as Jury Chairman.
The Race Committee intends to conduct as many races as practicable on each scheduled day of racing, with up to a maximum of ten races for the series.
For more information about the 2010 Rolex Farr 40 World Championship, including entry lists and media accreditation please visit www.farr40worlds.com.

Sanya, the southernmost city on the golden coast of Hainan Province, China, has won the bid to host the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12.

Building on the success of the Qingdao stopover during the 2008-09 event, the resort city of Sanya will be the finish of leg three, which starts from Abu Dhabi.
As the 2011-12 route takes shape, the port of Sanya is now confirmed as the only stopover in Asia. Other ports on the course include the start in Alicante, where the Volvo Ocean Race now has its base, stopovers in Cape Town, Abu Dhabi, Lisbon, Lorient and the finish in Galway.
The resort city of Sanya in Hainan, China, will be a stopover on the 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race.
The entire route for this classic round the world race will be revealed by the end of March, when details on scoring, leg lengths and other details will be confirmed.
Speaking of the selection of Sanya as Asia’s only port of call, Mr Liu Gang, Deputy Director of the China Water Sports Administration Centre said, “The wonderful memories from the last edition of the race when it visited Qingdao remain fresh in our minds and I would like to congratulate Sanya for being chosen as the new stopover”.
The Vice Mayor of Sanya, Li Baiqing, echoed Mr Liu Gang’s comments and said, “Sanya is honoured to be the only stopover in Asia for the next race. The city will relish the chance to show its charm to the Volvo Ocean Race visitors from around the world”. He also confirmed that Hainan would showcase its achievements and development potential and try to capture the world’s attention during the event.
The resort city of Sanya in Hainan, China, will be a stopover on the 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race.
“The race was held very successfully in Qingdao and has inspired a passion among many Chinese people. It is with great pleasure that we are able to confirm that China will once again be part of the route for 2011-12 and it will be an honour to take the event to Sanya,” commented Volvo Ocean Race CEO, Knut Frostad.
Sanya on the southern tip of Hainan, the only tropical island province in China, features golden sandy beaches and enjoys a good year-round climate. The Sanya Municipal Government will use the Volvo Ocean Race as part of its plans to develop the city into a top international tourism destination.
It already has an excellent transport system, which will be integral to the building of a new high-level marina.
source: vovlooceanrace.com

The final charge towards Ushant began this Wednesday lunchtime as Groupama 3 gybed in a SW'ly wind of a little over twenty knots. Now without fear of being caught up in the calm conditions of an anticyclone, Franck Cammas and his men will still have to be on their guard all the way to the finish as the sea state deteriorates.

In the great round the world marathon, Groupama 3 is beginning the final sprint in a steady yet disturbed SW'ly wind. The current aim for Franck Cammas and his nine crew is to seek to position themselves ahead of a cold front, which should push them all the way to the finish off Ushant. However, the trajectory isn't likely to be direct, initially at least, as the giant trimaran is set to cover a little more ground to the North in order to totally extract herself from the high pressure of the Azores, before swooping on Brittany with the help of a few gybes.
Groupama 3's log (departure on 31st January at 13h 55' 53'' UTC)
...
Day 40 (12th March 1400 UTC): 288 miles (deficit = 473 miles)
Day 41 (13th March 1400 UTC): 503 miles (deficit = 483 miles)
Day 42 (14th March 1400 UTC): 445 miles (deficit = 403 miles)
Day 43 (15th March 1400 UTC): 482 miles (deficit = 216 miles)
Day 44 (16th March 1400 UTC): 401 miles (lead = 72 miles)
Day 45 (17th March 1400 UTC): 441 miles (lead = 412 miles)

Another good win for Artemis today over the Italians on Azzurra. No wild excitment like yesterday against the Brits, just steady control of the race, abeit in the upper wind range.

In fact we were on hold for 45 minutes as the wind had built to 25 knots at our scheduled start time. It came down to 20 knots and we were underway. It was still a race in which I felt keeping it simple would pay off. Our call for the start was "wide right" and we ended up with "tight right" which was still ok with me.
We hung on the hip of Azzurra for about 40 seconds while both boats rode out a lift on starboard tack. As that lift faded, and before we got weak, we tacked away onto a nice lift on port tack. Just as we finished building back up to full speed the wind faded back to the right and we tacked back onto starboard. Instantly, we were strong on Azzurra and from there on we just controlled them.
By tacking on them every time they came to the right, we forced them up against the exclusion zone on the left side of the course and carried a three length lead into the top mark. We kept it simple again down the run, one gybe and in to the right gate mark while the Italians attempted to go to the left gate and they had a few more issues than we did at the bottom mark.
From that point on things were pretty easy for us and we went into cruise for the remainder. In the other races, Origin beat All4One, Masclazone beat Aleph and Team New Zealand beat Synergy. So at this stage, Team New Zealand and Masclazone move straight to the semi final round as the top two winners and Synergy and Aleph go home as the bottom two teams.
The other four of us will race in two, two out of three series, to determine the other two semi finalists. Tonight we are having an "all teams" photo with the America's Cup which is on display here in Auckland, also signaling the America's Cup Defenders belief in the Louis Vuitton Trophy's importance in the road to the next America's Cup.
For LIVE streaming of the racing plus other features go to: www.istioselida.com
photos credits: Paul Todd/outsideimages.co.nz | Louis Vuitton Trophy, Auckland - New Zealand.