[Source: Finn Class] Awesome is an overused word, but today it doesn’t really come close to adequately describe the performance of Ben Ainslie (GBR) on day five of the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Finn Gold Cup in Falmouth. In the toughest, roughest conditions that much of the fleet have sailed in for many years he took three race wins and is now within a whisker of his sixth Finn World title. Ed Wright (GBR) remains in second while Jonas Høgh-Christensen (DEN) moves up to third.

The morning forecast was somewhat daunting as the fleet set out under the threat of 30 knots winds and big seas by the afternoon. Three races were scheduled to make up for those lost on Wednesday, and though 85 boats made the first start, by the third race there were only 53 boats left on the water. The wind rose from 15-16 knots for the first race of the day to 20-25 knots in the third, and the wave also built to reach 2-3 metres in height, providing for some stunning downwind sailing so even those who were having a bad day were also having a fantastic day.

Pieter-Jan Postma (NED) obviously liked the conditions and had his best day yet, rounding the first mark in race seven in the lead from Greg Douglas (CAN) and Mark Andrews (GBR). Tapio Nirkko (FIN) rounded in fifth and moved up on the downwind to round level with Postma, but at the opposite gate. Postma still led at the second upwind mark, while Ben Ainslie (GBR) had moved up to second. Then on the final run to the finish, there were lots of position changes. Ainslie stormed through to the lead to win the race from Ed Wright (GBR) and Daniel Birgmark (SWE).

Ben Ainslie proves he's in form. Falmouth, 17 May 2012. Photo copyright Mark Lloyd

The conditions worsened (or improved depending on your viewpoint) for the next race with big rolling waves coming down the course. Matts Coutts (NZL) was the clear leader at the top mark from Douglas and Andrews. Wright had moved to third at the gate and then took the lead up the beat to lead down the first reach. Ainslie had recovered from a poor first beat to third place, but was handed his second victory of the day on a plate when Wright capsized on the gybe and Douglas went wide. Ainslie slipped through the gap and screamed off to the finish. Douglas crossed in second with Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic (CRO) in third. Wright righted his boat and crossed in 14th.

The final race of the day was an epic of big winds, big waves and downhill sleigh rides that needed nerves of steel. Ainslie now had the measure of the day and rounded the first mark with a nice lead which he extended on every leg to win by 200 metres at the finish. Wright was again in second for much of the race but slipped on the final reaches to fourth. Kljakovic Gaspic crossed in second with Zach Railey (USA) sailing his best race of the regatta into third to grab the final place in Friday’s medal race.

Ainslie described the day, “It was a pretty big day, amazing conditions. There were massive waves. It was an amazing day’s sailing for everyone I think. It is not often we race in conditions like that so it was great, I think there will be a lot of tired sailors but I think most people had a smile on their face most of the time.”

“It has been a good week and this event is important but really the main focus this year is the Olympics coming up. It is good with that in mind but of course it is a great achievement to win a Finn Gold Cup. This fleet is very tight, there are a lot of good sailors so I’ve still got to keep pushing and making improvements. Obviously I am very happy with the way this week has gone.”

Wright summed up his day, “Today was probably the craziest days sailing I’ve had for a long time. It was enormous waves, really windy and it built all day. It was really exciting probably my favourite day. I wasn’t really sailing just trying to keep control, it was quite a nice feeling.”

“Today was even more about survival than Tuesday. Downwind was just survival, there were quite a few capsizes and in my second race on the last couple of reaches I was winning by quite a way relaxing in survival mode. I went in for the gybe and capsized. It was hard because I went in the water and after that pretty difficult to get yourself back up and into the boat so I probably lost about 10 places there. The good thing is I can discard that race. Going into medal race tomorrow it’s going to be close racing but we will just have to wait and see what happens.”

Ed Wright holds on to second place overall. Falmouth, 17 May 2012. Photo copyright Mark Lloyd

Kljakovic Gaspic said, “It was a lot of fun out there. To be honest it was great rounding the mark and watching the other guys capsize behind and get in trouble on the downwind, watching as you pass them by it was a good feeling to be fast but cautious. Today was quite a good day for me I had two really unlucky moments today, the first and third start a really big wave broke on my deck and flooded my boat with water, so about 30 seconds after the start my boat was totally sinking and I was trying to get it out as quick as possible.”

“Tomorrow will be good experience for the future and for the Olympics. I hope it will be windy to take advantage of the guys that are tired from today’s racing, maybe I am a bit fresher than the rest.

It has been quite a tough week but I’m fit and strong and I have confidence in myself. I don’t doubt my fitness.”2

For Douglas, this event forms his Olympic trials and had a great day to move up to 14th overall, while his main rival Chris Cook (CAN) unfortunately fell ill and didn’t complete the last two races, to drop to 27th and now too far back to catch up.

Douglas said, “I saw the forecast this morning and put a little post on Facebook that I was going to teach the old boys how its done today and the wind picked up, the waves got big, it was a really good one out there today. In the second race coming around the reach Ed capsized at the gybe and then Ben got inside me at the gybe, but getting passed by Ben Ainslie was not the worst.”

Oleksiy Borysov (UKR) is the only dinghy sailor from Ukraine to qualify for the Olympics and his week hasn’t gone quite to plan. He sits in 21st place. “To my mind it’s the most difficult start to this season. I was ready to take the challenge physically, yet in conditions I didn’t reach my target. Having said that I’m quite happy with the outcome and my results. My aim and the most important thing was to finish in the top 20 regardless, so I had pretty consistent results in today’s races.

“It’s quite important for me to get down to Weymouth as soon as possible. Because of lack of financial support I didn’t have a chance to compete in last years Skandia’s Sail for Gold, nor in the Pre-Olympic test event”

In Friday’s medal race Ainslie just has to finish cleanly to win a sixth Finn world title. Wright also has to just finish to win the silver. The real interest is the bronze, where technically any of the next six boats can take it out of the hand of Jonas Høgh-Christensen (DEN).

Following the medal race, the 11th and final race will be sailed for the rest. For some this is an important race as will determine the final places at the Olympics. Poland has already qualified. Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, China and Norway currently occupy the next six places, though some are dependent on National Authority requirements.

The medal race will feature GoPro stern cameras on each of the 10 boats, so hopefully by the end of the day we will have a idea what it take to be a world class Finn sailor.

Results after nine races (1 discard)
1 GBR 3 Ben Ainslie 10
2 GBR 11 Edward Wright 30
3 DEN 2 Jonas Høgh-Christensen 64
4 CRO 524 Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic 72
5 FIN 218 Tapio Nirkko 72
6 POL 17 Piotr Kula 80
7 GBR 88 Mark Andrews 81
8 GBR 85 Andrew Mills 82
9 NED 842 Pieter-Jan Postma 85
10 USA 4 Zach Railey 93

Highlights Day 1 – America’s Cup World Series Venezia

[Source: Energy Team] Loïck Peyron, who was back at the helm of Energy Team today (Thursday) for the AC World Series in Venice, showed all his skill on what was an exceptional day by grabbing the overall lead ahead of the Italians on Luna Rossa Swordfish (Chris Draper) and Team Korea led by the rising star Nathan Outteridge. The French Energy Team came third in the first race and finished on top in the second race.

Race 1: Energy Team make it to the podium

It was at 1415hrs that the fleet of nine AC45s set off on the race course outside of the lagoon in Venice. Team New Zealand and Energy Team crossed the starting line too soon and the French were back in sixth place at the first mark, before they headed off to the left-hand side of the race course. At the third mark, Energy Team were still sixth, while Team Korea grabbed the lead, and the two overall leaders in the rankings, Team New Zealand and Oracle Spithill were still back at the rear. Energy Team overtook Luna Rossa Piranha to move up to fifth place. As they rounded mark 4, Energy Team still fifth, set off on the upwind leg chasing the Swedish Artemis Racing team leading to a gybing battle. At mark 5, Energy Team was just behind Artemis, as they were attacking Luna Rossa Swordfish for third place. Nathan Outteridge and Team Korea extended their gains at the front to be the clear leader in the race. It was after mark 6 that Energy Team in fifth place, right behind Oracle Bundock, started to move up, when the latter had a problem unfurling their gennaker in the downwind leg. Energy Team managed to move into fourth place chasing Luna Rossa Swordfish, skippered by Chris Draper, whom they were then able to catch on the final downwind run to finish in third place.

Race 2: Energy Team wins

The fleet got off to a good start with Energy Team in fourth place at the first mark. They had already made it to third position by the second mark, before grabbing second place ahead of Team New Zealand. The Italians on Luna Rossa Swordfish were at the front and the battle began with the French, while TNZ and Oracle Spithill were having their own little fight making gains on the frontrunners. At Mark 4, Energy Team were still in second place ahead of Dean Barker (TNZ), who was 10 seconds behind the French, who were only just ten seconds behind the leader, Luna Rossa. At mark 4, Energy Team held on to second place, still ten seconds behind the Italians and ahead of TNZ et Oracle Spithill.
As they rounded mark 5, Energy lost a little ground to Luna Rossa, who headed off to the right-hand side of the race course, while Loïck Peyron’s team went left on this downwind leg to be followed by Team New Zealand and Oracle Spithill. A major upset occurred at mark 6 after an excellent downwind leg from the French, which enabled them to cross in front of Luna Rossa Swordfish with a lead of 5 seconds at the gate. It looked like it was going to be a closely fought duel between the two leaders. Energy Team remained in front keeping their Italian opponent in check, with the gap between the two boats across the race course reaching 90 metres. The final upwind leg would be the decider for the French. As they passed through Gate 7, Energy managed to extend their lead and the French found themselves out in front some 28 seconds ahead of the Italians on Luna Rossa, while the Kiwis were rapidly narrowing the gap from behind. The French took off ahead of Luna Rossa to finish with a lead of 26 seconds.

Loïck Peyron’s reactions: “Energy Team made it to the top of the mountain today. We’re extremely pleased about this result. We’ve been out there training hard all week. I’m delighted to be back at the helm and to be able to consolidate on the results obtained by Yann Guichard in Naples. We’ve got a great crew and I’d like to congratulate the lads. These boats are fantastic to sail.”

Overall rankings – Day 1

1. Energy Team : 18 pts
2. Luna Rossa Swordfish : 16 pts
3. Team Korea : 15 pts
4. ETNZ : 13 pts
5. Artemis : 13 pts
6. Luna Rossa Piranha : 12 pts
7. Oracle Spithill : 10 pts
8. Oracle Bundock : 7 pts
9. China Team : 4 pts

[Source: America's Cup] For the first time in the history of the America’s Cup, young, talented sailors have a clear pathway towards competing for one of the most prestigious trophies in sport. The Red Bull Youth America’s Cup, launched today with ceremonies in Venice, Italy and San Francisco, USA, opens the door for young sailors to gain the experience they need to contribute to a Cup team.

“I think this is one of the most exciting developments in the America’s Cup in a very long time,” said ORACLE TEAM USA skipper Jimmy Spithill, who became the youngest skipper to win the America’s Cup at age 30 in 2010.

“Breaking into the America’s Cup is hard. I was very fortunate when I was 19 to get a break with the Young Australia team, which allowed me to get into the game and get noticed. But this is going to give many more young sailors the same type of opportunity. We are talking about literally turning tradition on its head by opening up the America’s Cup to younger sailors, rather than it being closed off and difficult to get a foot in the door.”

Racing will take place in the same high performance, wing-sailed AC45 catamarans currently used in the America’s Cup World Series. The Red Bull Youth America’s Cup is scheduled for August/September 2013, in San Francisco, during the heart of the 34th America’s Cup racing season.

Red Bull has a long tradition in giving wings to young talent, athletes or even whole disciplines. The Red Bull Youth America’s Cup is opening up the highest level of sailing to young people – on new catamarans that are extreme performance machines.

The Red Bull Youth America’s Cup is open to up to 10 national teams of six sailors, aged 19 to 23 in 2013 (full requirements are detailed in the Notice of Race). Teams can apply for entry to America’s Cup Race Management beginning this summer. One team per country will be accepted and each crew member must hold a valid passport of the country their team represents.

The event will benefit from the global attention the existing platform receives, including television, web and mobile coverage. The sailing stars of tomorrow will be born in the spotlight in San Francisco next summer.

Equipment, including the AC45 platform and wing, will be supplied to teams who have their entry accepted. More details about the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup are available in the Notice of Race.

Quotes:

Ben Ainslie, skipper, BAR: “The Red Bull Youth America’s Cup is a great new initiative. When I was a kid I had two aims, to win an Olympic medal and the America’s Cup. The route into the Cup has always been tough, but this will give a whole new generation of sailors the opportunity to get into the America’s Cup early in their sailing careers.”

Nathan Outteridge, skipper, Team Korea: “I think the Red Bull Youth America’s Cup is a great chance for younger sailors to explore the avenue of the America’s Cup. Up until now, it’s something that’s been so difficult to get in to. I feel lucky that I was in the right place at the right time to be approached to be here with Team Korea. To get on to one of these teams has been nearly impossible until you’re in your late 20s or early 30s, so this gives young sailors that chance. I think you’ll see a lot of talented sailors come out of this.”

Chris Draper, helmsman, Luna Rossa: “I wish I was younger! This is really good news for youth sailors. The change to catamarans means the teams are already looking for younger people, with skill on fast boats. The Red Bull Youth America’s Cup will bring the best young sailors from around the world to one place – San Francisco – where they’ll be able to show us all what they can do.”

One of the two Red Bull branded AC’45 is already assembled in San Francisco’s Union Square, ready for the presentation that will take place there today, Thursday, at 10:30am local time. Nine hours earlier, at 10:30am Central European Time, Iain Murray, CEO of America’s Cup Race Management, will have made a similar presentation and announcement in Venice, Italy, just before racing kicks off.

As per the logos on the AC45 wing in San Francisco, Red Bull will be the title sponsor of the Youth America’s Cup, scheduled to take place next summer, in the gap between the Louis Vuitton Cup and the proper America’s Cup. As a major sailing website we can only rejoice with such an announcement and the entry of such an important brand in the America’s Cup.

However, the devil is in the details and in particular in the involvement of the America’s Cup Defender, Oracle Team USA. It appears that, in addition to the Youth America’s Cup, Red Bull will also sponsor the American team. If true, this will make it the second company, after Puma, that partners with both the Defender and the Organization, blurring the lines of “independence”. Similarly, it seems that the AC45′s used in the YAC, will either be from now-defunct teams (such as Green Comm or Aleph) or from Oracle Team USA. If true, this, once again, prove the “incestuous” nature of sailing’s pinnacle event.

Just to give a small example, PUMA’s red container shop has a prominent location in the race village and sells PUMA-branded merchandising. This gives Oracle Team, PUMA being an official supplier to the event and the team, a clearly advantageous spot to sell its own merchandise. Larry Ellison is one of the world’s richest men and an extremely shrewd businessman. It would be naive to think he would give up the prerogatives that come from owning the America’s Cup.

If Oracle has brokered a similar deal with Red Bull it will further leverage its privilege of being the judge, jury and executioner. Not that there is anything wrong with that!! That’s the essence of the America’s Cup and the reason it is so special. The real challenge lies in winning an event where the cards are, almost, all stacked in favor of the Defender. Nevertheless, all that flies in the face of Oracle Racing’s PR and preaching in the last five years…

Ready to announce the America's Cup deal. San Francisco, 16 May 2012

Ready to announce the America's Cup deal. San Francisco, 16 May 2012

Ready to announce the America's Cup deal. San Francisco, 16 May 2012

Ready to announce the America's Cup deal. San Francisco, 16 May 2012

[Source: Oracle Racing] Three-time America’s Cup winner Grant Simmer has joined the America’s Cup champion team ORACLE TEAM USA as General Manager.

His role gives him day-to-day operational responsibility for the American team that is currently designing and building the race boats to defend the America’s Cup in San Francisco in 2013.

CEO Russell Coutts, four-time winner of the America’s Cup, remains in overall strategic charge of the team whilst also fulfilling his role of ensuring that the 2013 America’s Cup is the most successful in the 161-year history of the most iconic event in sport.

The careers of both men have coincided before. Simmer was brought into the Swiss team Alinghi by Coutts for the 2003 America’s Cup and acted as consultant to Ben Ainslie Racing, which will be entering the 2012/13 America’s Cup World Series in August. Ainslie, the British Olympic quadruple medalist, is also an ORACLE TEAM USA sailing squad member for the 2013 America’s Cup.

“From navigating the challenger in 1983 that was the first ever to win the America’s Cup in 132 years to his current role, Grant’s capital of experience is unmatched,” said Coutts. “Few sports I can think of test a team’s talent, skills, knowledge, commitment and management as the America’s Cup.”

“Having won the America’s Cup with and without Russell, and then having been beaten by his team in 2010, I think we have healthy respect of each other’s abilities and what it is required to win,” said Simmer. “It’s good to be working together again.”

[Source: Finn Class] If any proof is needed that Ben Ainslie (GBR) is at the top of his game, then today was proof indeed. After dominating and winning both races in the brutal environment of the cold and windy Falmouth Bay, he now takes a 10 point lead over Ed Wright (GBR) and Andrew Mills (GBR) at the half way stage of the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Finn Gold Cup.

Tuesday was always going to be the big wind day in Falmouth and it didn’t disappoint though it wasn’t the epic day many were forecasting. However, with temperatures plummeting in the northerly winds, the 16-20 knot wind felt like a lot more. The sea remained relatively flat for the wind speed, with the wind coming off the land and making the racing tricky and very tactical with large shifts as the fleet approached the windward mark.

Most of the fleet favoured the left side on the first beat of race five, with the leaders crossing tacks several times before they rounded. Rafael Trujillo (ESP) rounded first from Jonas Høgh-Christensen (DEN) and Ed Wright (GBR). Ben Ainslie (GBR) rounded in fifth but had moved up to second behind Høgh-Christensen at the downwind gate. The two traded tacks on the second beat, before Ainslie sailed further to the right and found a way through. Ainslie rounded the top mark clear ahead ahead while Piotr Kula (POL) had sailed a great second beat to move up to third.

Day 3 of the Finn Gold Cup. Falmouth, 15 May 2012. Photo copyright Mark Lloyd

The race ended with two fast and thrilling reaches down to the finish. Ainslie and Høgh-Christensen extended on the fleet by several hundred metres, while Kula capsized and lost ground. Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic (CRO) took advantage of that and crossed in third.

The race committee was keen to get things moving fast as by now everyone was extremely cold. Høgh-Christensen was again in good form, rounding the top mark ahead of Mark Andrews (GBR) and Ainslie. Ainslie was impressively fast down the run sailing past his rivals to round the gate with a 50 metre advantage. From there he played the shifts on the left on the second upwind to lead down the reaches for a substantial win.

Høgh-Christensen had dropped back on the second upwind as it became a battle of perseverance in the tough conditions. Finally Tapio Nirkko (FIN) emerged into second with Andrew Mills (GBR) in third. Nothing much changed down the reaches and they finished in that order.

At the half way stage Ainslie has yet to put a foot wrong with nothing below third place in winds from 8 to 22 knots. He is already looking hard to beat. Ed Wright continues to be consistent enough to maintain second while Andrew Mills is able to discard his 21st from race five today to remain in third overall. However with the discard kicking in the points are getting closer. Høgh-Christensen is just one point behind Mills while the next four boats are all within six points of each other.

The race for Olympic selection is increasing its pace now for the six nations that will qualify here. Top performer so far is Piotr Kula who picked up a 12th and a fifth today to end up in seventh overall, ten places ahead of his main rival Rafal Szukiel (POL) who didn’t have such a good day.

Other nations currently in qualifying positions are Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, China and Turkey. While Germany and Austria have lone sailors here, China, Czech Republic and Turkey have several here and those trials also need to be decided.

Despite his capsize in race five Kula still sailed a counting race. “I was in third place at the time, actually it was my mistake because I didn’t see the gust coming and my boom just touched the water and I capsized. I lost quite a few positions but I gained them back in the next race because I finished fifth in the last one, I’m really really tired, but happy.”

“It’s been going really well so far, there’s been three days of sailing and I’ve had four races in the top ten so this is really good. We’ve already had two trial regattas for the Olympics, in Majorca and Hyeres, and after Hyeres I was leading with one point over my colleague, Rafal, so far I’m keeping this so hopefully it will stay like this.”

Second overall Ed Wright summed up his week so far, “I got a first on the first day, then slipped to second over the last couple of days. Ben’s been sailing pretty well, and I’ve been struggling with the tactics on the last couple of days. I’ve been rounding the top mark always pretty good but then the second beat is not so great. But I’m pretty happy with the way I’m sailing. They are great conditions out there and I’m really enjoying being in Falmouth and racing against these guys; it’s tough competition.”

“Today it was pretty windy and upwind I was going pretty fast but I’ve only done a small amount of sailing this year and I just pretty much went into survival mode on the run. I slipped a little bit on the run actually but I did come out today with a fourth and a fifth and I’m really happy.”

Day 3 of the Finn Gold Cup. Falmouth, 15 May 2012. Photo copyright Mark Lloyd

Hoegh-Christensen said, “The first race was quite tricky. I didn’t get a good start but I managed to fight my way back and sail a very good first beat and got back up to second, rounded in second and passed Rafa down the run and I was first at the bottom, and then I was duking it out with Ben all the way up the beat and I did a small mistake and he passed me.”

“In the second race I led around the windward mark by quite a bit and it was looking pretty good all the way round, then I got into a bit of a hole down the first run and Ben and Mark Andrews passed me and then on the second beat I couldn’t hit a shift to save my life and I ended up rounding in tenth so it was a total catastrophe. I got back up to eighth. I think there’s a good chance I could climb back up the leader board. I got a little closer to Ed and Mills so there’s a good chance I can hopefully pass them tomorrow.”

Another sailor having a great regatta is Tapio Nirkko, currently in seventh overall. “Today was a really brutal day, conditions were extremely tough, the temperature is quite low and it’s quite gusty and windy today so it was challenging for everyone. In the first race I had some troubles in the first upwind, my tactics were quite bad and I was completely in the wrong corner but it was a good recovery and decent result. In the second race I started better and I got perfect lines right from the beginning. I was pretty much picking up places the whole race until the end so I’m quite happy with that. It’s challenging and it’s the same for everybody, but that’s why we are here.”

Mark Andrews has improved his position every race, ending up with a seventh and sixth today to sit in 11th overnight. “The regatta started off pretty bad for me but it seems to be getting better and better as each race goes on so that’s good and hopefully I’ll be somewhere near the top of the pile at the end of the week. Obviously Ben’s got a good lead at the moment but I hope to be somewhere near the top five, and a chance of a medal would be good.”

The final word today comes from regatta leader Ben Ainslie, “It was a great day and really awesome sailing but hard work. Tactically it was hard and physically it was harder but I had a good day. It was mainly about getting the shifts right but the left played well at the top of the beat. There were quite a lot of shifts out there so I was just trying to be on the right side of the big ones.”

There will hopefully be some respite for the sailors tomorrow with very light winds forecast. There are just four more races before the split for the medal race on Friday. Wednesday’s two races are sheduled to start at 11.00am.

Top 10 after six races (one discard)
1 GBR 3 Ben Ainslie 7
2 GBR 11 Edward Wright 17
3 GBR 85 Andrew Mills 28
4 DEN 2 Jonas Høgh-Christensen 29
5 EST 2 Deniss Karpak 41
6 FIN 218 Tapio Nirkko 42
7 POL 17 Piotr Kula 44
8 CAN 41 Christopher Cook 47
9 FRA 112 Jonathan Lobert 51
10 CRO 524 Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic 54

Day two at the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Finn Gold Cup in Falmouth, UK

In the year 2012 one has to go to great lengths to escape the ubiquitous smartphones, mobile phones and cameras. In particular, when you sail on a Sunday afternoon, in the middle of the busiest canals in Venice, a city where everybody has a boat, yacht, gondola or dinghy, you have to be naive to think you’ll get unnoticed.

In addition, with Italians making nearly 10% of our thousands of readers, it was just a matter of time before we got the photos of James Spithill’s crew sailing with their Red Bull helmets on.

According to sources close to Red Bull, the famous energy drink will sponsor the Defender of the 34th America’s Cup and hold the naming rights of the Youth America’s Cup Championship. We are still working on getting more details. As we wrote yesterday, the Reb Bull-branded AC45 will most probably appear at some stage in Venice.

James Spithill's crew sailing with their brand new Red Bull helmets on. Venice, 13 May 2012. Photo courtesy of Bepe Totò

James Spithill's crew sailing with their brand new Red Bull helmets on. Venice, 13 May 2012. Photo courtesy of Bepe Totò

We have three main reasons that drive us to dig a little bit more on the issue of the Spanish vote in favor of ditching the windsurf from the 2016 Olympics and substituting it with kiteboarding.

First of all, it is by no means a purely Spanish issue. It’s not about whether a national championship will be held in Valencia or Barcelona and its repercussions go well beyond the country’s borders and deeply affect one of the world’s most popular watersports.

Secondly, it was a decisive vote that tipped the balance in favor of the kites and against the windsurf. Had the Spanish delegate voted what he was supposed to vote, always according to the official line of the country’s federation, the two disciplines would have tied at 18 votes each and windsurf would have retained its status of Olympic discipline.

Last, but certainly not least, Spain is the only national authority to have publicly stated that its representative was “confused” and didn’t understand what he was voting for. Gerardo Seeliger, according to the press release, was meant to give his vote to the windsurf but due to some error he did the contrary and the rest is history.

On Sunday we were contacted by the press officer of the Spanish Federation, Neus Jordi. Regarding Seeliger’s vote, she repeated the press release, stating again that it was the result of a “confusion”. According to her, Seeliger was absolutely convinced he had voted in favor of the windsurf but realized his “error” only when the official voting list was published by ISAF.

According to reports we had received, Seeliger had given a speech in favor of kiteboarding prior to the vote and had Gerardo Pombo, President of the Spanish federation, sitting behind him during the meeting. The information regarding the speech was also confirmed by the federation spokeswoman. However, according to her, Seeliger’s speech was in favor of adding it, together with windsurf and not in substitution of it. If the two disciplines can coexist, the Spanish federation would be in favor of it but opposed to windusrf getting dropped. It appears, according to the Spanish federation, that Seeliger thought that what was voted was the addition of kiteboard.

Again, it is extremely difficult to believe that a person with Seeliger’s credentials and qualifications would make such a childish mistake. The federation spokeswoman couldn’t clarify what the voting procedure was and where Seeliger erred. However, she wouldn’t put us in contact with Seeliger stating that he wasn’t allowed to talk to the media. The only one allowed to publicly talk on the issue is her and nobody else, as she stated. We can’t understand why he shouldn’t be allowed to clarify the situation, after all, he was the only one out of all the delegates to get “confused”.

There are two additional issues that make us doubt about the sincerity of the Spanish federation. First of all, reliable sources informed us that Spain’s kiteboarders were convened in Santander in order to be informed about the federation’s decision to support kiteboarding, a week before the vote. Secondly, it is a known fact that both Gerardo Pombo and Gerardo Seeliger wanted to include kiteboarding in the Santander ISAF World Cup in 2014. The logic behind the vote was that they wanted to show their support to kiteboarding, in order to try it, but didn’t think it would win the vote last week.

This website has no vetted interests in any of the two disciplines. We don’t carry any advertizer directly or indirectly related to either windsurf or kiteboarding and we have to admit we have barely covered either of these disciplines. As a result, we don’t have any reason to be in favor of one or the other. Nevertheless, it is difficult to understand why the Spanish Sailing Federation would lie about their vote…

[Source: Finn Class] It was a great day for the British sailors on the second day for the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Finn Gold Cup in Falmouth. Ben Ainslie (GBR) won the opening race to take the overall lead while Ed Wright (GBR) dropped to second and Andrew Mills (GBR) had another good day to move up to third. The second race of the day was won by Chris Cook (CAN).

The big question for the sailors today was whether to favour the left or the right. With dark clouds, moderate to strong winds and intermittent rain all day, there were some big gains to be made by choosing the correct side. Race officer Peter Reggio was delighted that the 94 boat fleet got away cleanly on both starts at the first attempt, perhaps an indication that they didn’t want to hang around any longer than necessary in the inclement conditions.

The left side was favoured on the first beat with overnight leader Ed Wright (GBR) leading round the top mark from Andrew Mills (GBR) and Anders Pedersen (NOR). Jonathan Lobert (FRA) then found more pressure on the right on the first downwind to take the lead at the gate from Ainslie and Wright.

Ben Aisnlie takes overall leadership. Falmouth, 14 May 2012. Photo copyright Mark Lloyd

On the second upwind, Ainslie and Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic (CRO) favoured the right side and rounded the top mark in the lead. Mills moved from third into second on the final downwind with Ainslie extending for a second race win to the the overall lead of the championship.

Race four started very quickly with the left side again proving popular. This time Mark Andrews (GBR) led Ainslie round the top mark, but they went the wrong way on the first downwind, while Pieter-Jan Postma (NED) found more pressure in the right to round the gate ahead of Lobert and Chris Cook (CAN).

The second upwind sealed the fate of many with a big right hand shift as the clouds cleared. Cook was just under the leading bunch and lifted up to the mark to lead down the final run. Lobert went high and Postma went low, but Ainslie found a way through in third. At the finish, they were separated by no more than 20 boat lengths, with Cook taking a well deserved win from Lobert and Ainslie.

Ainslie said, “It was really tough out there today, it was quite windy, a lot of rain and low visibility so it was a difficult day for everyone and physically a real challenge. In the first race a front came through with quite a big wind shift to the right hand side, and made it a little bit difficult, but that’s part of the challenge of sailing in these conditions. In the second race I went the wrong way, there was a big clump down the right hand side and also the wind shifted a little bit to the right. It was a difficult run but I managed to contain the loss and then catch up with the rest of the race so I overall I’m happy with my day. It was great racing out there despite difficult conditions.”

After a good day, Jonas Hogh-Christensen (DEN) moved up to fourth overall. “It was pretty shifty out there, but actually pretty good racing. In the last race we got a big shift in the end and that kind of ended the race for most but I think pretty much the both races were fair. I got a terrible start in the first race but I managed to claw my way back and finished in fourth. The second race was pretty much the same story, but I lost a couple because of that big shift and had a sixth so it was a pretty good day, could have been a little better, but I’m pretty satisfied.”

Someone who also had a better day was Postma. “Today we had two good races; it was interesting. I haven’t found my rhythm yet, but today was better. On the last run I let Ben through, sometimes you have to be gentleman! When the wind changed they put a change of mark but it was not clear where we should go so it was not really clear where the finishing line was, so I had a little bit of difficulty to find it.”

Race four winner, Cook said, “On the first beat I thought that the right side was going to have something in it, I think it’s the typical thing that’s been happening in all the races is a little bit of left and a little bit of right, it’s just how you play your side. So I got to the top in decent shape, and I got to the right side of the run as fast as I could and the pressure filled in from there and it sort of set up the opportunity to round with the top guys. Then the second beat again I was worried about the right side and I was forced to the left gate, I was up quite a bit on the right so I just had to wait. I got in front just in time for that big right shift and then it was a nice easy reach on the way in.”

Lobert is up to fifth overall, “In the first race I was leading at the downwind mark and on the second beat I didn’t manage very well. I lost a lot of places so I finished sixth. In the second race I was leading again, so I said this time I need to take care and not miss the shift, so I was playing more on the right hand side. I saw this rain coming on and then this light, stopping the rain so it means that usually it’s going to the right hand side so I was playing more on the right. But I was a little bit too much on the right so two guys managed to pass me at the top mark, then on the last downwind it was freaky because we didn’t see the finishing line so we were all looking around wondering where the finishing line was. I managed to end up second though so I am very happy with that.”

So after day two in Falmouth, The British team fill the top three places, while behind them the form is beginning to establish itself. Several top sailors had better results today so there could be a significant change after Tuesday’s two races, again scheduled for 11.00. The forecast is for some sunshine, and strong winds. At least some in the already tired fleet will be thankful for the sunshine,

Top 10 after four races
1 GBR 3 Ben Ainslie 8
2 GBR 11 Edward Wright 15
3 GBR 85 Andrew Mills 25
4 DEN 2 Jonas High-Christensen 33
5 FRA 112 Jonathan Lobert 35
6 CAN 41 Christopher Cook 37
7 POL 17 Piotr Kula 42
8 FIN 218 Tapio Nirkko 45
9 NED 842 Pieter-Jan Postma 51
10 AUS 1 Brendan Casey 54

[Source: Alpari World Match Racing Tour] The Racing Rules have been amended in order to continue the positioning of the Alpari World Match Racing Tour (AWMRT) as the most compelling, competitive and pioneering action on the water. Craig Mitchell, Alpari World Match Racing Tour, Tour Director, expects the alterations to have a positive effect on the Tour, as well as match racing in general: “Match racing has evolved to the point where we currently have a great set of rules, producing some fantastic sporting action, as we saw quite clearly in the 2011 series.

“Nothing major has changed in the past few years and we are enthusiastic in our responsibility to keep developing the rules to challenge our world class athletes and create the best possible spectacle we can.”

Following the decision by the America’s Cup to move away from monohull sailing and subsequent revision of their rules, organisers at the Alpari World Match Racing Tour began a re-think of the rules, inviting comment from sailors and event organisers to establish what, if anything, they would like to see changed for the 2012 season. The resulting discussion paper identified a number of areas which were generally agreed to be open for experimentation and ultimately permission was given by the International Sailing Federation to implement the final decisions under RRS86.

Several changes have been included in order to tidy up existing wording and define certain aspects more clearly but amongst the slightly more controversial additions are a revision of the penalty process, limiting boat requests for redress and an amendment of proper course restrictions which it is hoped will allow the trailing boat increased chances to overtake – expected to get a mixed reaction amongst sailors and sailing aficionados alike.

The removal of proper course restrictions which will allow a trailing boat to gain an overlap from astern and luff their opposition away from the mark should increase opportunities for a trailing boat and may well see a change in how the leading boat will choose to defend their advantage. The added opportunity afforded to challenge the match leader is designed to encourage a tighter margin between teams. Mitchell, said:“We are the most competitive sailing series in the world and we hope that these changes, amongst others, continue to create the closest, most intense battles out on the water.”

The major change in the penalty process for 2012 is the removal of double penalties for serious rule infringements. It was felt the old process tended to ‘kill-off’ a match and officials will now award a red flag instead of a double penalty, for which the infringing team will need to take an immediate penalty turn. Should that same team still be in control of the match after the turn, umpires can award another penalty.

Limiting boat-requested redress is aimed at cutting time wasted on the water and lessening breaks in play mid-match. The increased empowerment of officials is expected to reduce gamesmanship from competing boats, whilst giving umpires the opportunity to step in when things go wrong. Craig Mitchell, said: “The Tour is a dynamic proposition and we are always looking to improve the spectator experience at our events and for our TV viewers. Like all big sports, being in control of match timeframes is vital in maintaining our appeal commercially.”

With Match Race Germany just under two weeks away, the changes will come under scrutiny as the season develops and their true effect becomes clear. Mitchell, said: “We are committed to trying out new things on the Tour and if it doesn’t work as we’d hope, we’re not opposed to returning to previous rules.”

Full list of changes for 2012 are as follows: 

NOR APPENDIX 1 – MAJOR ALTERATIONS TO THE RRS
The following changes to the rules of Part 2 and rule 42 of the RRS have been authorized by ISAF under RRS86.2
Change rule C2.1:
C2.1          The definition Finish is changed to
A boat finishes when any part of her hull crosses the finishing line in the direction of the course from the last mark after completing any penalties. However, when penalties are cancelled under rule C7.2(e) after one or both boats have finished each shall be recorded as finished when she crossed the line.
Add new rules C2.13 to C2.20:
C2.13        Add new rule 16.3: ‘If two boats are inside the zone of a windward mark on opposite tacks and the proper course for the right-of-way boat is to tack at the mark, she shall be exonerated if she breaks rule 16.1 while luffing to tack at the mark.’
C2.14        Rule 17 is deleted.
C2.15        Rule 21.3 is deleted
C2.16        Rule 31 is changed to ‘While racing, neither the crew nor any part of a boat’s hull shall touch a starting mark before starting, a mark that begins, bounds or ends the leg of the course on which she is sailing, or a finishing mark after finishing.
C2.17        Rule 42.3(b) is changed to ‘A boat’s crew may increase the speed of the boat through exaggerated crew movements to facilitate steering the boat through a tack or gybe and to adjust the trim of the boat while within 1 boatlength of the completion of the tack or gybe.’
C2.18        Except when flag Victor is displayed on the race committee starting vessel before or at the attention signal for a match, or when flag Victor has been displayed from an official boat during a match, rule 42.3(c) is changed to: ‘A boat sailing a downwind course after the starting signal is permitted to pump the sheet and the guy controlling any sail.’
C2.19        Add new rule 41(e): ‘help to recover from the water and return on board a crew member, provided the return on board is at the approximate location of the recovery.’
C2.20        Add to the end of the last sentence of RRS 47.2: ‘unless that person was placed on board by the OA and they have been retrieved from the water by a support boat or official boat.’
Add new rule C6.2(e) and Change rules C6.3 and C6.5(b) to:
C6.2(e)      rule 28.1.
C6.3          A boat may not request redress under RRS 62.1(a). The protest committee may decide to consider giving redress under that rule if it believes that an error has been made. The race committee or match umpires may request the protest committee to consider this. This changes RRS 60.1(b) and 62.1(a). A boat intending to request redress under 62.1(b) or (c) because of circumstances that arise before she finishes or retires shall clearly display a red flag as soon as possible after she becomes aware of those circumstances, but no later than two minutes after finishing or retiring.
C6.5(b)      The red-flag penalty in rule C5.3 shall be used when a boat has gained a controlling position as a result of breaking a rule.
Changes to Rule C7.2 All Penalties
Add new C7.2(a) and change current C7.2(d) then renumber all points.
C7.2(a)      After being signalled under rule C5.2 and within the limitations of rule C7.3, a penalized boat may elect to take a penalty immediately by crossing behind the stern of the other boat.
C7.2(e)     A penalized boat shall not be recorded as having finished until she takes her penalty and sails completely to the course side of the line with her hull and then finishes, unless the penalty is cancelled before or after she crosses the finishing line.
Delete rules C8.3(a) and C8.3(b) and add new rules C8.3(a), (b) and (d)
C8.3(a)      retained a controlling position after taking a penalty under C7.3(d).
C8.3(b)      gained an advantage after barging at a starting mark when approaching the line to start.
C8.3(d)      made excessive attempts to verbally coerce, coach or influence an umpire decision;
objected repetitively to an umpire decision (verbally or otherwise); or abused the umpires before or after an umpire decision
Add new rule C10.2(b):
C10.2(b)    When one of the boats in a match fails to sail the course in accordance with rule 28.1, she shall be scored DNF without a hearing.

An AC45, hidden in a tent in Venice, completely branded with the Red Bull logos and James Spithill’s crew sailing with Red Bull helmets point to a deal between the Defender of the 34th America’s Cup and the energy drink company. According to, yet uncofirmed, information, Red Bull will become a sponsor of Oracle USA Team and in exchange will put its branding on a number of AC45 yachts that will be used during the Youth America’s Cup, to be held in San Francisco between the Louis Vuitton Cup and the America’s Cup match.

The AC45 red Bull-branded yacht currently in Venice is believed to be the former Green Comm yacht and, it is also believed, the four Oracle Team USA AC45′s will be also rebranded with the energy drink colors once the AC45 circuit is over, a year from now. Finally, a couple of other AC45′s could be added, coming from current challengers that could potentially drop from competition, due to lack of funding, such as China Team.

This is a developping story and we will have more information as soon as possible.

[Source: Finn Class] The opening day of the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Finn Gold Cup in Falmouth, UK produced a mixed bag of results for many sailors with a shifty offshore breeze. After two races Ed Wright (GBR) leads Ben Ainslie (GBR) and Deniss Karpak (EST), while many sailors picked up high scores in the tricky conditions.

The fleet was initially held ashore but there was a further delay on the water as the wind clocked round to the west before a line was set. The first race finally got going under black flag at around 14.00 with one boat disqualified; Egor Terpigorev (RUS) led at each and every mark but unfortunately for him he crossed the finish line in silence as the winner’s gun went to Ben Ainslie (GBR).

Terpigorev led Dimitar Vanelov (BUL), Ainslie and Ed Wright (GBR) round the top mark and though Ainslie moved through to second on the first downwind he couldn’t pass the Russian. Wright moved up to third across the line to place second in the race behind Ainslie, while Rafal Szukiel (POL) climbed from fifth at the first mark to end up third.

He might be behind Ben Ainslie in the photo, but Ed Wright is leading on the first day. Falemouth, 12 May 2012. Photo copyright Mark Lloyd

The second race was started very promptly with another black flag start following a general recall. Wright, along with Jorge Zarif (BRA) and Timo Haggort (NED) started on port tack from the pin end while Jonathan Lobert (FRA) started at the committee boat.

At the top mark Wright just held the lead from Lobert with Oleksiy Borysov (UKR) and Jonas Høgh-Christensen (DEN) close behind. On the first downwind Wright and Lobert had a great battle, made more exciting with the Oscar flag up for free pumping. Wright rounded the gate ahead of Lobert and these two extended on the second beat to build a nice lead.

On the final downwind Wright extended even further for a comfortable win with Ainslie moving into third and putting some pressure on Lobert in the closing stages. Zarif had a great race crossing in sixth.

Ainslie commented, “It’s great to be racing in Falmouth on home waters in an event as important as the Finn Gold Cup. We had a great day on the water with good breeze. However, it was coming off the land so it was quite difficult and hard work tactically to take the right side of the course. Overall, I’m pleased with my day, the first race I managed to get near the front of the fleet and had a great race with the Russian sailor. Unfortunately, he was over the line at the start so he was disqualified from the race, but it was a good race and he sailed very well.”

“As you’d expect with the World Championships it’s a very tough level of competition. There’s quite a big range throughout the fleet; it’s great to see some of the older sailors from the UK racing, and also the younger sailors coming through for the future. Then we have a lot of the Olympic sailors who are training or competing here with half an eye on the Olympics in a couple of months’ time.”

“We’ll see what the conditions are like tomorrow; but potentially we might have some more wind, which will be quite physical. There’s a long way to go so we just keep looking forward and try to get some good races in.”

Second over the line in race two, Lobert summed up his day, “Today was a pretty good day, the first race was so so, I had a crash in the first start but I managed to come back pretty well after the first beat and the first lap. I then lost out again in the second beat so it was really up to the second race for me to do well to make up for it.”

“In the second race I started from the committee boat, I went to the right and tried to be as fast as possible to get to the top mark just next to Ed. From there we had a big fight on downwind which was good fun before the second upwind where I tried to pass him, but the timing wasn’t perfect so he gained some distance and got away. For the rest of that race I was just managing to keep my second place, but I’m pretty happy with that.”

“It was great sailing out there; it was windy and really sunny so perfect conditions for sailing, the course was really well organised so we had a lot of fun. I hope to have good races this week, that’s the plan, but I will take it day by day and and try to do my best every time.”

“I started at committee boat Ed at the pin end. Ed was really surprised after racing when he found out I started at the committee boat and tacked across immediately; it just shows that the wind is pretty shifty and you have to make the most of where you are to do well.”

This champion is the Olympic selection trials for many sailors, including the Canadians. After two races, Chris Cook (CAN) sits in 6th place, while main rival Greg Douglas (CAN) is in 19th, though he did pick up a useful seventh in the second race. He said, “Today I had a good second race – the first race was not so good. I got a little stuck in the fleet. It was a big fleet so it was tough to get out of it, but the second race went really well, I finished seventh so I’m really happy with that.”

“In the second race the pumping flag went up, which plays to my strengths, so I was really happy with that. I got a good start and tacked on the first shift, which made it easy. The tide I think was pretty slack today at the time we were sailing, so it wasn’t too much of an issue. The shifts were pretty even, I think it was more from the pressure, you could see the big pressure lines coming down out there.”

“I’m happy with today overall, one good race, one bad race, so I can’t complain. This is the trials so every point counts really, we’re working hard, the top boat goes so we’ll see how it turns out in the end.”

World number 2 Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic (CRO) didn’t have the best day. However despite placed 26 and 16 today he was upbeat about the rest of the week. “It’s still just the beginning. Two races are just the beginning of the week. The rest of the week I think is going to be interesting and anything is possible. Same way like I did today, anybody else can do a bad day so we can see also some other good sailors have bad days. I think it just the beginning so I’ll clear my head, tomorrow is a new day so I’ll wake up in the morning and go for it.”

“It was difficult, extremely difficult. From the beginning it was just going bad, the decisions that I took were questionable, it turned out quite bad so I hope it’s going to be my worst day.”

So after two races, the 2010 world champion Ed Wright leads the five time champion Ben Ainslie by one point, with the new world number five Deniss Karpak, who scored two fifth places, ending the day in third.

Racing continues Monday with two more races scheduled from 11.00, and with stronger winds forecast, it should prove to be another great day of racing in Falmouth.

Top 10 after two races
1 GBR 11 Edward Wright 3
2 GBR 3 Ben Ainslie 4
3 EST 2 Deniss Karpak 10
4 GBR 85 Andrew Mills 12
5 POL 17 Piotr Kula 19
6 CAN 41 Christopher Cook 20
7 POL 7 Rafal Szukiel 23
8 DEN 2 Jonas Høgh-Christensen 23
9 FRA 112 Jonathan Lobert 27
10 FIN 218 Tapio Nirkko 28

[Source: Artemis Racing] Huge crowds lined the Grand Canal in Venice this afternoon for the Arzana’s City of Venice Trophy race. With more than 25 knots of breeze it was fast and furious racing for the €50,000 in prize money.

Artemis Racing sailed a solid race, with a clean start and good tactics throughout to win the top prize. Italy’s Luna Rossa Pirana and Luna Rossa Swordfish finished second and third respectively.

Plenty of current and tight boundaries, translated into several penalties at the start, but Artemis was unscathed. Then a glitch with the port daggerboard saw ORACLE Team USA and Emirates Team New Zealand roll Artemis, but the Swedish team hit the reset button and made a good recovery to come out on top of the leaderboard.

Artemis Racing cross the finish line victorious. Venice, 12 May 2012. Photo copyright Gilles Martin-Raget / America's Cup

“Jimmy and the Emirates Team New Zealand guys sailed a good race. The reach into the finish was dodgy. We were certainly in the right place at the right time,” said Skipper Terry Hutchinson (USA). “It was a narrow course. Nerve wracking, fairly windy and we were in asset preservation mode thinking ahead to next week’s ACWS regatta.”

Commenting on the vast fleet of spectator boats, both yesterday and today, Hutchinson said: “It’s amazing! The America’s Cup and yachting is alive and well in Italy.”

Racing starts on Thursday for the penultimate America’s Cup World Series event here in Venice. Artemis Racing currently leads the match racing element for the ACWS, while ORACLE Team USA Spithill is in combined first place overall (fleet and match racing), one point ahead of Emirates Team New Zealand and Artemis Racing lies in third.

Artemis Racing cross the finish line victorious. Venice, 12 May 2012. Photo copyright Gilles Martin-Raget / America's Cup

Artemis Racing cross the finish line victorious. Venice, 12 May 2012. Photo copyright Gilles Martin-Raget / America's Cup

[Source: 49er Worlds] Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen secured history by winning the 49er World Championship, although under not as joyful times as they would have liked. News arrived as sailors awoke in Croatia that Frank Bethwaite (91), father of Julian and an instrumental partner in the design and continued development of the 49er, had passed away overnight. While many of the current sailors may not have known Frank, they certainly were enjoying his product and more than likely many had read one of his books on high performance sailing.

Two races were held in the morning for the silver and gold fleets and the bronze fleet results stood on the previous days score. Six to eight knot winds mixed the fleet up a bit as last attempts were made to make the medal race. As a tribute, the medal race winners carried a black card in their sails in memory of Frank Bethwaite. Young guns Marcus Hansen and Josh Prebski (NZL) sailed a brilliant medal race to move them up in the standings with the medal race held directly in front of the S.C. Uskok to the delight of the crowds that had gathered on the beach and pier to cheer on the sailors.

Second overall was the team of Peter Burling and Blair Tuke (NZL) who had incredible speed and amazing ability to pick the right shifts on the water all week. Danish Olympic team members Allan Norregaard and Peter Lang moved into the bronze medal position by having two great races earlier in the day and finishing 4th in the medal race.

Silver fleet was won by Matthieu Frei and Yann Rocherieux (FRA) who maintained a consistent series. The Bronze fleet was won by Jan Hauke Erichsen and Max Lutz (GER).

The medal ceremony was held directly afterwards and began with a moment of silence by all competitors.

Although champions were crowned the Class was saddened by such a great loss. As the sun set in Zadar, friends bid farewell to see each other at another championship and Olympic teams prepared for the Games this summer.

[Source: America's Cup] On the day the AC Village opened in the historic Arsenale in Venice, Luna Rossa Challenge thrilled the home crowd by winning all three races on the day to grab a commanding lead in the Arzanà City of Venice Trophy, a prologue, invitational regatta to the AC World Series next week.

Chris Draper’s Luna Rossa Piranha dominated the day in extremely light, challenging conditions on the offshore Lido race course, where the wind rarely exceeded 5 knots.

“Today we had some good starts, which is something we’ve been working on,” Draper said. “It was good to put the training into practice. It was great to come through and win the races, but more importantly we learned a lot.”

The afternoon couldn’t have started better for the Italian team when in race one, Paul Campbell-James guided the Swordfish crew to a second place behind Draper, to give the Prada boats a one-two finish.

Luna Rossa dominates the Arzanà Trophy. Venezia, 12 May 2012. Photo copyright Carlo Borlenghi / Luna Rossa

“We felt pretty good after that first race,” Campbell-James said. “It was light winds all day and pretty shifty, with lots of opportunities to slide up and slide down. It’s been a great day for Chris (Draper) but hopefully we’ll be able to push them tomorrow.”

Over the course of the day the Swordfish crew, with skipper Max Sirena on board, held off Loick Peyron’s Energy Team and Jimmy Spithill’s ORACLE TEAM USA to post the most consistent score behind Draper for second place.

Crowds were brisk in the Arsenale, traditionally closed off to the public, on this sunny Saturday, while the race course was ringed by the biggest spectator fleet the crews had seen.

“That was unbelievable. Naples was incredible for the number of people on shore, but the number of boats on the water was ridiculous,” Draper said.

Seven teams were on the water Saturday for the prologue regatta, with ORACLE TEAM USA only fielding one crew on the afternoon and Emirates Team New Zealand forced to remain ashore with damage to their boat.

But ORACLE TEAM USA Bundock is expected to race on Sunday as are the Kiwis, meaning nine boats are expected to be on the starting line for the first start at 1400 CEST.

Two more fleet races are scheduled Sunday, followed by a final race between a starting line offshore to a finish just of St. Mark’s Square, right in the heart of Venice.

(Provisional) Results after three races

1. Luna Rossa – Piranha…27 points
2. Luna Rossa – Swordfish…21 points
3. Energy Team…20 points
4. ORACLE TEAM USA Spithill…19 points
5. Artemis Racing…16 points
6. China Team…12 points
7. Team Korea…11 points
8. Emirates Team New Zealand…0 points
9. ORACLE TEAM USA Bundock…0 points

Luna Rossa dominates the Arzanà Trophy. Venezia, 12 May 2012. Photo copyright Carlo Borlenghi / Luna Rossa

Luna Rossa dominates the Arzanà Trophy. Venezia, 12 May 2012. Photo copyright Carlo Borlenghi / Luna Rossa

[Source: Emirates Team New Zealand] CAMPER with Emirates Team New Zealand today announced a crew change ahead of Leg 7. Bowman Mike Pammenter will step down for the leg due to a prolapsed disc in his back. Mike sustained the injury during the sixth leg from Itajai to Miami. Reserve crew member Nick Burridge will move into the role for the transatlantic leg from Miami to Lisbon starting on May 20th.

CAMPER skipper Chris Nicholson says that the decision to rest Mike for the leg was made after a full medical assessment.

“Our team physio Paul Wilson has carried out a full assessment of Mike, and as with any injury of this nature the biggest issue can be time, so we are keen to make sure he has the opprotunity to rest and recover so that he can rejoin the team as soon as possible.

“While Mike is obviously disappointed to miss this leg it will be a great opportunity for Nick. As our reserve crew member, Nick has been with the sailing team since day one. While his day to day duties are within the rigging area on the shore side, he still joins us at every fitness session and for training on the water so he is very much a part of the team and we look forward to having him out there.”

Emirates Team New Zealand Physiotherapist and Medical Advisor Paul Wilson, “Due to the amount of heavy lifting onboard, lower back injuries are common in this sport. I am confident that with effective treatment and rest he will make a full recovery, but it is important he has a few weeks on land to allow the disc to heal. We hope to see him back onboard CAMPER in Lisbon for the remainder of the race.”

[Source: Star World Championship] Robert Scheidt and Bruno Prada (BRA) made it two Star World Championships in a row after a light wind final day in Hyeres, France.

Iain Percy and Andrew Simpson led by five points going into the Medal Race but despite after some strategic racing by the Brazilians the Brits finished one place ahead of them in 38th and 39th. And with both teams discarding these scores it handed the title to the Brazilians.

Bronze went to Denmark’s Michael Hestbaek and Claus Olesen who also qualified in one of the four spots for London 2012. The three remaining places went to New Zealand, Greece and Croatia.

Atlantic Cup 2012 – Gearing up for the Race

[Source: China Team] China Team, the official Chinese Challenger for the America’s Cup, has selected the line-up of sailors for the Venice World Series; for Venice, the team will focus on the new generation of sailors, the ones who represent the future of sailing. Phil Robertson, already a skipper with China Team, will be at the helm in Venice. Phil is one of the youngest skippers in the America’s Cup, and at only 25 years old, he is ranked 8th worldwide in the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) and is eager to show his skills at the helm for China Team. He has been a skipper for China Team already since 2011. Joining Phil in Venice will be the same crew as the last race, Garth Ellingham, James Williamson, Tudur Owen, Adam Martin, Nick Catley and Graeme Spence. Fred LePeutrec, China Team’s other skipper, will be preparing for future activities.

Update 4pm Valencia time: We have contacted Gerardo Seeliger asking for clarification on the alleged confusion during the voting procedure and his subsequent error, claimed to be a direct result of the said confusion. We will update as soon as we have any information.

The same people that were behind the Club Náutico Español de Vela (CNEV) and the three-year legal dispute that mired the America’s Cup are now back in action and seem to be the cause of yet more trouble at another of our sport’s top events, the Olympics!

As most of our readers certainly know, the ISAF Mid-Year Meeting, held last weekend in Italy, took a number of very important decisions that will shape the future of the Olympics as well as some of its classes. One of the most impacting decisions was to drop the windsurf from Rio 2016, replacing it with the kiteboard.

According to the voting list published by the ISAF, one of the persons that voted in favor of kiteboarding was Gerardo Seegler. First of all, it seems that even when there are only 38 people involved the ISAF can’t get their names correctly. The correct spelling is Gerardo Seeliger and he’s the representative of Spain, together with Portugal and Andorra, in the ISAF Council.

It is indeed strange that a representative of a country with two of the world’s best female windsurfers, Marina Alabau and Blanca Manchón, would vote against them and in favor of a discipline hardly practiced in the country and with no near-term potential. Marina Alabau is a five-time European champion and finished fourth in the Qingdao Olympics while Blanca Manchón is a five-time world champion and ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year in 2010. In addition, according to information from reliable sources, the President of the Portuguese Sailing Federation had informed his Spanish counterpart that his country strongly supported maintaining the RS:X as an Olympic class. Therefore, one would think that the Spanish vote would unquestionably be for windsurf.

Gerardo Pombo, President of the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation

However, Seeliger voted in favor of introducing the kiteboard in the 2016 Olympics and it now appears he did so, if one is to believe yesterday’s press release by the Spanish Sailing Federation, mistakenly due to the “complex” voting system. Mr Seeliger’s pedigree, at least according to his public LinkedIn profile, is impressive. He’s senior advisor at PricewaterhouseCoopers, one of the world’s biggest consultancy groups. He claims to have “significant experience in the world of sports and business consulting specifically related to Corporate Governance, event management, business and product development and general management.” He also consults to a “diverse set of companies and organizations with an interest in sports, entertainment and media.”

He was the “Executive Director of the Association of National Olympic Committees.” He served as “General Manager of the Adidas Holding Co” in Switzerland and as “Managing Director Europe for an early stage Sports Media Co. Quokka.” He also claims to be “Academic Director at Master of Sports Management” at the IE Business School, one of Europe’s most prestigious business schools. He’s also “Member of the Organizing Committee” of the Barcelona Boat Show, again one of the biggest ones in Europe and will be the Director of the ISAF World Championship that will take place in Spain in 2014.

Finally, always according to his LinkedIn profile, he has served as “President of International Olympic Finn Class, Olympic 49er Class and President of The America’s Cup CORC (Challenger of Record Committee) in San Diego in 1995.”

So, we now have to believe that Mr Seeliger, a university professor, top international business consultant, long-time sailor and sailing executive, got “confused” and didn’t understand what he was voting for. What part of the “complex” voting system didn’t he understand? He was a in room with another 35 people and when asked to raise his hand, didn’t he understand he was voting in favor of the kiteboard and not windsurf? Being a professor at a top business school I guess he must be fully proficient in English, unless they claim the voting procedure was conducted in Swahili or Northern Uto-Aztecan…

Why not use the old-age excuse my daughter would have used and state that a stray dog ate his vote?

It is strange though that the official press release from the Spanish Federation was sent only AFTER the names of the delegates and their votes were made public by the ISAF. Adding insult to injury, the Federation is now encouraging sailing fans in Spain to participate in an internet campaign (!!!) to bring back the windsurf in the Olympics.

It seems these people will never learn. Whatever the real reason for the vote might have been they could have found a better excuse. The Spanish Sailing Federation will elect a new president later this year, probably in November or December, when the mandate of Gerardo Pombo comes to an end. Let’s hope that the most serious candidate, Paco Coro, will put the interests of the sport above his personal ones. As we have seen in the last 5 years, a number of decisions by the Spanish Federation have an impact well beyond the borders of the country!

This is the statement, issued by the RFEV on Thursday. As always, the original text was in Spanish and the English translation is ours:

The Royal Spanish Sailing Federation (RFEV) announces with great regret that in the mid-year meeting of the International Sailing Federation (ISAF), held last weekend in Italy, made a mistake while voting between kitesurfing and windsurfing as Olympic classes for Rio 2016.

Spain supported and is supporting maintaining windsurfing (RS: X) in the 2016 Olympics. In fact, during the recent years RFEV has heavily invested in the development of future windsurfing promises, through the National Plan for Modernization. Moreover, the current Spanish Olympic sailing team has some of the best windsurfers in the world that have been and are all serious contenders at a medal both at the previous Olympics and the next ones this summer.

Furthermore, in other committees of the ISAF, where Spain is represented, such as the Event Committee, the Spanish representatives had voted in favor of windsurfing. These committees had almost unanimously supported the maintenance of the RS:X, although they were only advisory to the Council.

Despite this, at the last moment the Spanish representative in the ISAF Council gave his vote for the kite, an error caused by the confusion of the voting system. The federation president, Gerardo Pombo, takes responsibility for this error and wants to apologize to all Spanish windsurfers.

The windsurfing community has launched a campaign to collect signatures in order for the RS:X to regain its Olympic status for Rio 2016, a change that could occur in the ISAF Annual Conference in November. The RFEV supports this campaign and invites all interested parties to sign in favor of it, in http://www.change.org/petitions/isaf-keep-windsurfing-as-olympic-discipline

[Source: Laser World Championship 2012] Australia’s Tom Slingsby reaffirmed his position as the world’s best Laser sailor after he claimed his fifth Laser World Championship title in Boltenhagen, Germany.

“This could be my last Laser World Championship and it’s great to finish it so well,” said Slingsby. “I sailed my best this week in conditions that I traditionally haven’t done well in, so to win it like this feels really good. This is my fifth Laser world title but it’s my first in light conditions which is really satisfying.”

“Hopefully this win sends the message that I’m definitely no light wind pushover,” he said. “Heading into the Games I know that I still need to improve and that I still have work to do. The rest of the fleet is going to be trying to topple me so I’ve got to be on my game and keep pushing.”

Going into the final day Slingsby held a comfortable 20 point lead over Tonci Stipanovic (CRO) in second place and with 14-18 knots of wind the conditions were ideal for the defending World Champion.

Finishing ten places ahead of Stipanovic meant that there was no need for Slingsby to compete in the last race of the series and he was able to get his injured ankle looked after before the prize giving ceremony where he will receive his fifth World Championship title.

Stipanovic was also able to sit out the fourteenth race due to his 24 point lead over Juan Maegli from Guatemala after the first twelve races. Stipanovic’s silver is his first medal in a world championship. “I’m probably even more happy than Tom”, says the Croatian who will be sailing for his country at the Olympic Games in Weymouth, like Slingsby.

Andrew Maloney (NZL) gave everything in the last two races and with a third and a twelfth place managed to beat Maegli Juan (GUA) to the bronze medal.

New Zealand as nation fared well, with three out of the top 15 sailors hailing from there, followed by hosting nation Germany and Sweden with two sailors each.

Olympic gold medallist Paul Goodison (GBR) did not seem able to recover from his three yellow flags and finished in 20th position. He was able to use this world championship to test the waters for the Olympics and try out some different techniques before the Games in Weymouth. Andrew Murdoch who will be representing New Zealand at the Olympic Games did not have a particularly successful regatta series and finished in 24th place but managed a win in the last race of the gold fleet.

The nations qualified for the last remaining Olympic tickets are the following, subject to ISAF ratification: Portugal, Ireland, Lithuania, Tunisia, Ukraine, Thailand, Czech Republic, Columbia, Venezuela, Malaysia, Trinidad and Tobago and Mexico.

[Source: AUDI Laser World Championship 2012] Tom Slingsby (AUS) is on course for a third consecutive Laser title after another consistent day on the water. “Today was a good day with a third and a 10th,” said Slingsby. “Race one I had a good first beat rounding seventh and pulling up to third. In race two I was lucky to have a really good comeback, I rounded 36th and was able to get some good shifts and pull back to 10th, so a good day.

“It was a day where things weren’t always going to go right for you and it just depended on how much you were able to pull back I think,” he said. “I was lucky I saved one of my best comebacks for today and hopefully it will be important at the end.”

Tonci Stipanovic (CRO) sits 20 points behind the Australian in second place but Guatemala’s Juan Ignacio Maegli has been the surprise package of the regatta. The 23-year-old Beijing 2008 Olympian has moved into a well deserved top three spot following consistent results.

Tom Slingsby on his way to a third consecutive world title

Only a slip up on Slingby’s side would allow Stipanovic to overtake him during the last two races. Both competitors have been described as good strong wind sailors though so watching tomorrow’s races unfold will definitely prove to be interesting.

Very close together after some ups and downs in the results are Andrew Maloney (NZL) in fourth, Andreas Geritzer (AUT) in fifth and Tom Burton (AUS) in sixth place.

Six of the twelve Olympic tickets available in Boltenhagen have been decided after the fleet was divided into the gold, silver and bronze fleet. Thailand, Ireland, Portugal, Lithuania, Tunisia and the Ukraine will have the opportunity to send a Laser sailor to Weymouth for the Olympic Games. Ten sailors in the silver fleet are now fighting for the last six tickets. Unfortunately none of the bronze fleet sailors will be able to secure a ticket for their country.