Luna Rossa AC45 launch and first sail

Monsoon Cup – Day 4 – 26 Nov 2011 – Bruni vs Williams

Monsoon Cup – Day 2 – 24 Nov 2011 – Bruni vs Hansen

Monsoon Cup – Day 2 – 24 Nov 2011 – Bruni vs Iehl

After the end of day 1 of the Monsoon Cup, the legendary Italian sailor talked to us about his involvement with Luna Rossa, the America’s Cup and his chances of being crowned World Match Racing Champion in a few days:

VSail.info: My first question is quite simple and straightforward. Are you or are you about to become the helmsman of Luna Rossa in the 34th America’s Cup?
Francesco Bruni: No, for sure I will not be the helmsman of Luna Rossa because I don’t feel I will be good enough for the job. It’s not a secret there are contacts between Luna Rossa and myself and there is no need to keep it a secret that we are in an advanced stage of negotiations to sign a contract but as tactician. I feel that I can do a much better job being a tactician than a helmsman because I think that you have to learn how to steer those boats and you need time to practice that. Luna Rossa is starting more than a year later than the top teams and I would really feel on the back foot having the responsibility to steer faster a catamaran. Had I been asked maybe a year ago I would have probably taken the chance to be the helmsman but with the Cup just a year and a half away, I feel I can do a much better job being the tactician.

VSail.info: We are right now in the home of the Monsoon Cup and in four days you can be crowned the 2011 World Match Racing Champion. Is it so difficult for the world champion to adapt to the America’s Cup catamarans?
Francesco Bruni: It’s completely different, I’m 100% sure about that. Having said that, it is very clear from what we saw in the America’s Cup World Series regattas that the people with match racing abilities, such as Spithill or Hutchinson, make the difference in the starting line. Then you have the French specialists, people that know how to steer a catamaran that can go faster. I don’t think I’m saying anything wrong because we saw the French overtake Artemis twice. I’m sure that someone that will steer the AC72 will need to have both. He will need to be experienced in helming multihulls but also have match racing experience. Otherwise, he will always start behind similar to what happened to Energy, people with very strong multihul skills but less match race experience. I really feel that the skipper of the AC72 should have both and, obviously, Luna Rossa at this moment has the person, Paul Campbell-James, that knows how to steer a catamaran and has also been a match racer. Maybe he wasn’t a world champion but still a very accomplished one. Again, it’s not a secret I’m having negotiations with Luna Rossa and we are very close to striking a deal and I will be very happy to join the team as the tactician.

VSail.info: You say you wouldn’t feel comfortable helming the AC45 because it’s entirely different but it seems that you don’t think being the tactician is so much different from one boat to another.
Francesco Bruni: As a tactician you only need to get used to two things, the speed and the difference in angles. There are indeed some differences in moves, there are no luffing matches like you see here, the dial up and dial down are different, some other particular aspects are different but, overall, adapting to the speeds and different angles is much easier than the task of going 100% fast with a catamaran. I feel I could do as good a job as any of the current tacticians with the big teams, such as Oracle, Team New Zealand or Artemis. I sailed many times against those guys without feeling inferior. I think that Luna Rossa did a fantastic job in entering the America’s Cup with a partnership. This partnership with Team New Zealand is really the key of Luna Rossa’s participation.

VSail.info: Would it have been impossible without that deal?
Francesco Bruni: Well, they could have done it with the standard design package, just in order to take part. This partnership, even if they start one year later, isn’t probably the best in the world but at least gives them an opportunity to be competitive, very competitive, I mean super competitive! You know in a two-and-a-half year campaign, one year corresponds to 40%, so it’s extremely important. In order to catch up that 40%, or even the 35%, the move by Luna Rossa has been very smart. Personally, for me it would have been impossible to make up that year. Don’t forget that Terry Hutchinson started helming an Extreme 40 yacht exactly 12 months ago so in a campaign lasting two and a half years he would have more than a year of advantage over me. That would make me feel nervous. I’m extremely happy with the opportunity to be the tactician.

VSail.info: How will your involvement with Luna Rossa affect your commitment to the World Match Racing Tour?
Francesco Bruni: I think it will be very hard to do both. What would probably be good, or even smart, to do would be not to entirely give up the WMRT. We could do 2-3 events in order to keep our match racing skills fresh but it will be impossible to commit to the World Match Racing Tour. Having done the Tour in the last two years, and the last one almost full time, I will, obviously, focus on the America’s Cup.

Francesco Bruni during the post-race press conference at the end of the first day. Kuala Terenggganu, 23 November 2011. Photo copyright Garth Cooke / SubZero Images / Monsoon Cup,

VSail.info: We’ll come back to the World Match Racing Tour and the Monsoon Cup but let’s first talk about the C-Class project you are involved with, Italia Challenge.
Francesco Bruni: This project started eight months ago, well before I was in contact with Luna Rossa and the America’s Cup. It is, obviously, a lot easier than building an America’s Cup campaign and a lot cheaper. I was asked to join by the project leader, Roberto Grippi, a guy from my own city of Palermo, in love with this catamaran that wanted to race the Little America’s Cup. Together with some other friends from Sicily we built the idea and the project. It is a very low-budget operation and we involved a lot of people that are doing it for free. Our design team comprises 12 people and three of them have America’s Cup background. They are currently very involved, working on the project and the lamination of the first boat has already started.

The C-Class catamarans have very simple rules, only five: Length, width, sail area and two more, one of them being a crew of two. They have very basic rules that give a lot of room to the designers and their imagination. It is a very interesting class because already 35 years ago they had wings on a catamaran. Ours is a sailing project but also a design challenge because all the catamarans are very different. They are similar in size because of the restrictions but one might have a wing with the main element twisting others might have just the flap twisting, the rudders coming up or down, the foils having every type of geometry you can imagine. It’s an interesting class that has become even more interesting now that the America’s Cup moved to catamarans. As you understand, now that I’m involved with the Cup this has even become more interesting for me.

VSail.info: You said lamination of the first yacht has already started. What is the rest of the schedule?
Francesco Bruni: We will launch that boat on February 15th and the plan is to have four boats in total. We might stop earlier than that but at least at this moment the plan is to build four boats. The first two will be identical and very basic and not sophisticated so that we learn how to use the wing. The other two will be a little bit more advanced and sophisticated. I don’t know whether we will finally build four hulls but the plan calls for four hulls and five wings. They are a very good idea because with very little money you can test a lot of things.

What Emirates Team New Zealand are doing now with their SL33′s is quite similar. They are testing all their ideas, even the stupid ones that you don’t know whether they will work or not, on a smaller platform. For the AC45 it’s better to have a 33-ft boat because the C-Class boats are just 22 feet. They also have trapeze, so it’s more like small toy.

VSail.info: When is the C-Class International Championship?
Francesco Bruni: It’s just one month before the actual America’s Cup so I doubt I could have the time to do the event but this doesn’t matter to me. Just sailing on that platform for one year, even if it’s only for fun, will only improve my catamaran skills.

VSail.info: It’s funny how everybody now wants to have catamaran skills, tomorrow if possible. Assuming the America’s Cup remains on the same platform, winged catamarans, what future do you see for the World Match Racing Tour?
Francesco Bruni: Let’s forget match racing for a while and look at the wider picture. The monohull sailing world will go on with its life exactly the way it has been doing.

VSail.info: Sure, but will the young guns continue coming?
Francesco Bruni: Absolutely. I’m sure there will be more people coming event better than us. There is no doubt the big names will always try to go to the America’s Cup but the WMRT will keep having its own life. Maybe they should change their focus and attract people to watch it. There is no doubt whatsoever that the game is exciting, regardless of whether Russell Coutts is here or not. He hasn’t participated since 2005 but I haven’t seen the WMRT disappearing because of that. Not only that but the action hasn’t lost any of its excitement.

The World Match Racing Tour isn’t interesting simply because you have the big names of sailing. It’s interesting because it’s full of action and takes place very close to the spectators. It’s relatively easy and cheap to organize because you can have a fleet of boats and organize a match racing event. So, I’m convinced it will go on striving. In addition, I haven’t seen an inflection point in the quality of the event since the very big names last raced.

For sure, the link to the America’s Cup might have been lost but this is just one of the ingredients of the Tour. By focusing on their other strong points they can go on living their life the same way.

VSail.info: What about your own life, shorter term, let’s say the next 4 days? How do you feel on the doorstep of the championship title.
Francesco Bruni: For me these four days are extremely important because you don’t get the opportunity to win the Tour every day. In addition, I feel confident because we can win hard matches. Mathieu Richard has huge experience and we won on the opening day, even if he, admittedly, isn’t in great form, neither today nor during the entire season. We managed to beat many of these guys, Mirsky, Williams, many times and they beat us many times.

If you look at our performance in the season, we had our ups and downs, like everybody, but we have shown we are a strong team. If it’s our moment and it goes a little bit our way, we are there to grab the opportunity. Those guys need luck as well. Williams also needs luck to win. The difference in level between all of us is so small that even someone like Pierre-Antoine Morvan can knock out Williams from the semis of St. Moritz Match Race with a 3-0 score! I’m sure that this year there is no predominant figure. Even last year, when Ben Ainslie won the Tour, he has some swings as well, getting knocked the quarterfinals in Denmark.

The aspect of the Tour I truly like is that the results are not decided in one race or one event. The Monsoon Cup might have a higher coefficient but the reality is that the world champion needs to be consistent throughout the year and not just one race. As a sportsman, I prefer that.

[Source: Team Challenge Italia] Team Challenge Italia was introduced today at a press conference in Palermo Challenge Italia is a group of sailors, designers, and boat builders determined to bring a challenge in C-Class catamarans for the “Little America’s Cup” in 2013 in Falmouth England.

The challenge represents the state-of-the-art in Italian yacht research and sailing.

Team Challenge Italia is based in Palermo and promoted by Roberto Grippi. It was formed in September 2010 with the specific purpose of winning the “Little America’s Cup”.

There has not been an Italian challenger in this prestigious regatta for 31 years.

Sailing team
Francesco Bruni
Pierluigi De Felice
Lamberto Cesari
Vittorio Bissaro
Luigi Blancato
Gaetano Pennino
Gabriele Bruni

Team Manager: Roberto Grippi

The experience and success of this sailing team can be measured from their record of victories:
o Two athletes ranking first in ISAF world match racing;
o Four participations in past Olympics;
o Five in past America’s Cups;
o Eight world championship in various sailing classes;
o Eight European participants in various other world classes;
o 33 Italian National champions in various classes;
o Othes wins from world classs competetions that are too many to mention.

Design Team

Benedetto Inzerillo: Project manager
Attilio Albeggiani: Project manager, construction manager
Richard Korpus: CFD analysis, wing-sail design and engineering
Claudio Cairoli: CFD analysis, wing-sail design and engineering
Giorgio Provinciali: VPP analysis
Davide Tagliapietra: Structural analysis, FEM analysis
Massimo De Luca: Hull CFD analysis
Beppe Musca: Hull design, CFD analysis
Francesco Belvisi: Preliminary hull parameter design
Luca Caruso: Wing-sail structure design

The design group is built around the Palermitan yacht design firm of Inzerillo & Albeggiani. The Challenge Italia team has designed many sailing yachts winning at world level regattas.

The group has four specialists that should be singled out because of their extensive experience in America’s Cup design: Giorgio Provinciali worked for Luna Rossa and BMW/Oracle; Davide Tagliapietra for +39 Challenge; and Richard Korpus and Claudio Cairoli who helped design the current America’s Cup winner for BMW/Oracle.

Design Goals
The press conference coincided with a meeting of the complete design group. Until now, most members have worked together using the conveniences of internet such as skype and email. The meeting was held over the last few days in Palermo; during which time the team
decided its next design goals.

It was decided to construct three distinct prototypes between 2011 and 2013. The first prototype is already under construction, and will be used to produce two identical boats. The first boat will launch mid February 2012 and the second by the end of March 2012. The hulls will be ready as early as December 2011, while construction of first wing will require until mid-February 2012.

Design of the second prototype has already started, and the boat is expected to launch before the end of November 2012. Wing number 3 will be completed by the end of July 2012, and tested on one of the first prototype boats.

The sailing team is working together with designers and structural specialists to supply high-level functional feedback. Compared to sailing teams from other classes, this group is more comparable to boat test pilots who will investigate the limits of design and construction.

The test program for prototype number one has been designed keeping in mind the design goals of Challenge Italia. The usual secrecy associated with design projects at this level is being avoided. Challenge Italia will offer their “Little America’s Cup” competition the opportunity to compete in regattas organized by the team as soon as spring 2012.

Open cooperation with University of Palermo

Challenge Italia design activity is not limited to a closed group of designers, but open to cooperation with the University of Palermo. The team signed a memorandum of understanding with the Faculty of Engineering at the University intended to publicize the results of their design research and technology. These public conferences will be held jointly between the Engineering faculty and Challenge Italia designers, and conducted at the university.  The faculty will also provide support for the team from within the University. Academic research subjects will be selected that are of mutual interest between the faculty and team. This plan confirms that Challenge Italia is encouraging advanced research, and utilizing the value of academics known to advance the standing of Palermo and Sicily in the eyes of the world.

[Source: World Match Racing Tour] The race to win the ISAF World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) just got harder with today’s announcement that Tour Cardholders Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team and Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing are to be given wildcard entries to the season finale, the Monsoon Cup.

Despite sitting 9th and 10th on the overall WMRT leaderboard – and therefore not automatic invitees for the World Championship deciding regatta  –  both Richard and Robertson will pose a major threat to all the crews competing in Malaysia and could play a crucial role in deciding the eventual winner of the coveted 2011 ISAF World Match Racing Tour title.

The news that last year’s Championship runner-up Richard and Robertson, who showed his world-class credentials when knocking Championship leader Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar out of the Argo Group Gold Cup 3-0, will be competing in Kuala Terengganu will pile on the pressure for all the crews taking part and leaves the race for the World Championship wide open.

The Monsoon Cup sees the top 8 crews in the WMRT standings qualify for the showdown in Malaysia from 22-27 November where USD480,000 is on the line, along with a USD500,000 tour bonus pool. With all of the top 8 teams, as well as Richard, still in with a mathematical chance of winning the title the regatta promises to be one of the closest and most fierce battles in the Championship’s history.

Britain’s two-time former Champion, Ian Williams heads the standings going into the final regatta but has Francesco Bruni (ITA) Bruni Racing and Torvar Mirsky (AUS) The Wave Muscat breathing down his neck with just over 6 points separating the three, and with both skippers chasing their maiden WMRT title the pressure on Williams will be intense.

Leading the rest of the teams is four-time World Champion Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing who has proved himself a past master at the Monsoon Cup having won it twice. Gilmour will be joined by Korea Match Cup Champion Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Mekonomen Sailing Team, Match Race France Champion Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team and tour cardholders Johnnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team and Jesper Radich (DEN) Adrian Lee & Partners.

Completing the line up of 12 crews will be Asian Match Racing Championship winner William Tiller (NZL) Full Metal Jacket Racing and Malaysian Match Racing Champion Jeremy Koo (MAS) Abdullah Chan/KRT. Having won through rigorous qualifying events to stake their place at the Monsoon Cup both teams are capable of causing some upsets to the form book. No match will be taken for granted.

THE STORY OF THE SEASON SO FAR

The 2011 season got off to a flying start in Marseille, France where Iehl defeated countryman, Bertrand Pace (FRA) Aleph Sailing Team 2-0 in the final at Match Race France.

The action then continued in Langenargen, Germany where Bruni claimed his first ever victory on the WMRT after defeating four-time World Champion Gilmour to take home the Match Race Germany title. However things weren’t to go so smoothly for Bruni at the Korea Match Cup in Gyeonggi, South Korea when he fell to Hansen  3-2 in a thrilling finale.

The Portimão Portugal Match Cup in Portimão, Portugal saw Bruni suffer the same fate, this time to Williams who took home his first WMRT win in three years. Williams’ victory over Bruni continued a pattern of different winners at each of the four completed stages which promised to be one of the most hotly contested seasons in recent years. Williams’ win shot his team up the Tour standings from 10th to third place, which at the halfway stage of the Tour was a huge boost for the 2007 and 2008 World Champion. In Marstrand, Sweden, Williams scored his second consecutive win over arch rival Hansen in an exciting five-match finale at the Stena Match Cup Sweden.

Williams’ winning streak came to an end at the St. Moritz Match Race in St. Moritz, Switzerland, when Mirsky was crowned the new ‘King of the Mountain’ after what had been a difficult season for the young skipper. It wasn’t all bad news for Williams however as his third place finish was enough to move him up into first position in the overall Championship standings.

It seemed Mirsky’s taste of success left him wanting more and a 5th match sudden death decider in the final against Berntsson at the Argo Group Gold Cup in Hamilton, Bermuda saw him claim his second consecutive victory. A win in the petit final for Bruni over Robertson allowed the gap between the top trio of Williams, Bruni and Mirsky to be reduced to just over six points.

The 2011 ISAF Match Racing World Championship will be decided at the Monsoon Cup which takes place from the 22-27 November in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia.

-Ends-

Overall Championship Standings – after 7 stages:
1 Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar – 106pts
2 Francesco Bruni (ITA) Bruni Racing – 100pts
3 Torvar Mirsky (AUS) The Wave Muscat – 99.8pts
4 Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing – 78.8pts
5 Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Mekonomen Sailing Team – 75pts
6 Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team – 74pts
7 Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team – 73.2pts
8 Jesper Radich (DEN) Adrian Lee & Partners – 71.2pts
9 Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team – 69.6pts
10 Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing – 64.4pts

2011 Monsoon Cup Teams:
Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team
Francesco Bruni (ITA) Bruni Racing
Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing
Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Mekonomen Sailing Team
Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team
Jeremy Koo (MAS) Abdullah Chan/KRT
Torvar Mirsky (AUS) The Wave Muscat
Jesper Radich (DEN) Adrian Lee & Partners
Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team
Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing
William Tiller (NZL) Full Metal Jacket Racing
Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar

[Source: World Match Racing Tour] After a dominant mid-season catapulted Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar to the top of the Tour standings, a recent run of comparative poor form has crept in – he was beaten 3-0 at the first opportunity in the knockout rounds at both the St Moritz Match Race and the Argo Group Gold Cup. Add the fact that Torvar Mirsky (AUS) The Wave Muscat won both those events together with Williams’ indifferent form at the Monsoon Cup over the past 3 years and he could be forgiven for feeling the pressure as he bids to claim a third world title.

The Brit though is not surprised that it’s come down to the last event especially after 2010 saw five teams head to Malaysia each with a legitimate title chance, but believes his experience will only serve to help him:

“Looking back over the past years it’s always come down to the Monsoon Cup and has often been just three teams vying for the championship title. It’s also usually the team that wins the Monsoon Cup that wins the title so while there really is all to play for it’s not an unexpected position to be in.

“We are definitely confident heading into the Monsoon Cup. We’ve been in this position before and it’s gone well for us in the past.”

Williams sailing to victory at the Stena Match Cup Sweden. Marstrand, 10 July 2011. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / VSail.info

While confident, Williams knows he’d be foolish to ignore the growing threat posed by Mirsky and that he needs to at least match the Australian’s form if he’s going to claim the Monsoon Cup and potentially his third title with it:

“Torvar is really on a roll and is the guy on form going into the event so we really need to pick up our game and get our rhythm back.”

If his dip and Mirsky’s rise give possible cause for concern, Williams will be buoyed by his win rate against his nearest rivals this season – he has won 86% of his races against Bruni (ITA) Bruni Racing Team and 80% against Mirsky respectively. Small margins often decide match races and these statistics could be telling at an event where 1.5 times more points are on offer than the standard event points.

Williams will back those statistics up with typically meticulous preparation as he believes that if his team can produce their A-game then they can beat anyone including a resurgent Mirsky: “We just focus on our game because when we are sailing well we can beat anyone so we just focus on doing our job as best we can. We’ve sailed Bruni and Mirsky a lot over the past few years so we know them well and while every team have their traits – the areas they do well in or not so well in that you may look to exploit, the most important thing is that we focus on us.”

“We’re going to Perth before Malaysia to get some practice in and then will hopefully get another 3-5 days in Kuala Terengganu before the event. It’s always good to get there early and prepare so we have time to get the feel of the boats again and come together as a team.”

Williams has turned his fortunes on the Tour around this season, something he puts down to being ‘a lot more professional’, ‘doing a few training events before the season’ and ‘locking down [his] crew early and keeping it consistent’. The last time he won the Monsoon Cup in 2007 he also won the ISAF Match Racing World Championship. Time will tell if he has got his preparations right this season to repeat that double feat.

The 2011 ISAF Match Racing World Championship will be decided at the Monsoon Cup which takes place from 22-27 November in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia.

Overall Championship Standings – after 7 stages:
1 Ian Williams (GBR) Team GAC Pindar – 106pts
2 Francesco Bruni (ITA) Bruni Racing – 100pts
3 Torvar Mirsky (AUS) The Wave Muscat – 99.8pts
4 Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing – 78.8pts
5 Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Mekonomen Sailing Team – 75pts
6 Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team – 74pts
7 Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team – 73.2pts
8 Jesper Radich (DEN) Adrian Lee & Partners – 71.2pts
9 Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team – 69.6pts
10 Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing – 64.4pts