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NANOQ, HRH Prince Frederik , winner of Race 9. Tactician: Bouwe Bekking. © ROLEX/Daniel Forster

Hi Arne, the key of the Farr 40 class being so successful is that the owners are driving their own boat. Only up to 4 professional sailors are allowed onboard and the rest of the crew is made up with amateur sailors, who’s level are getting very high. Besides that there is sail restrictions for the season, so that everybody has the same amount of new sails available….. Another very strong point of the class is that it is a real one–design and they keep a strong lid on this. All the boats got weighed, the keel and rudders were templated and all the sails measured before the event started.

The farr40 worlds is probably one of the toughest sailing events to score a good result. It would be interesting to see how many Olympic, World and Euro champions were there ………… not to forget a strong contingent sailors of the last Americas cup . With 36 boats on the line, you have to keep your head cool.

In general you know from previous events that if you finish every race in the top 10, you have a good chance winning the event and for sure you will be on the podium.

Once you are behind it is a very tough one to get back in the front, as the boats ahead of you are all sailing smart.You are getting dictated, which means very often you have to sail through a shift as there are no lanes with clear air.

On Nanoq we were going well, and we are having the luck of having a helmsman who has a good feel for the boat and who is very competitive and allways open for suggestions. There is no fear for broaches, which makes life easier for the tactician, as you can place the boat wherever you want. If you see the amount of hours we sailed this year together compared most of the teams, we can be very proud of what we have achieved in Copenhagen. The more hours you can make on the water the better you get, practice makes kings. The first couple of days we had to get used to have 36 boats on the starting line. But like in all other events the performance curve was going up. We always said if we finish in the top 15 we can be satisfied, so an 8th place overall and winning the final race made the worlds a successful event for our team.

Next year the worlds will be in Miami, and the class is expecting 40+ entries. If work and obligations are permitting we will be there, and of course the bar will be raised.

But said that, the worldchampion of 2002 finished 33rd, that says something about the level of the class.

BB

NANOQ bowman during the spinnaker drop. Foto ROLEX Carlo Borlenghi
regattanews

Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup. Porto Cervo, Sardinia, Italy. September 2 - 8, 2007

Race two of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup was a day of high drama. The 65 nautical mile Coastal Race took all four divisions all the way up the outside of the Maddalena Islands to Lavezzi and the southern tip of Corsica, returning back down the channel and beyond to the islet of Mortoriotto before a final return leg to the finish off Porto Cervo. This time the critical moment in proceedings was shortly after the start. But, once again, it involved the 30-metre supermaxi, Wild Oats XI (AUS). Within a few minutes of the start, her mast was seen to explode into three pieces. Four crew were launched into the water as the 12-tonne canting keel, then at maximum tilt and with nothing left above to balance it out, rolled the yacht violently to windward. All crew were safely recovered and, fortunately, only one crew was slightly injured during the catastrophe that brought to an abrupt end Bob Oatley’s quest for victory and the continuation of the duel with her near sistership, Neville Crichton’s Alfa Romeo (NZL).

This is going to be a bad start, Arnie.
Last week Jeremy Gale sailed with me in Dalarö near Stockholm for the Swedish National in CB66. Jeremy is a very nice guy, but he has a wild temperament and a strong will to win. Here is our dialogue at the prestart for the last race. The leeward mark was closer to the wind.

(Ca 40 seconds before the gun)

J: This is going to be a very, very bad start, Arnie.

A: No, this is going to be a great start, Jeremy.

(Ca 20 seconds before the gun)

J: This is going to be a fucking bad start, Arnie.

A: No, Jeremy, this is going to be a great start. SHEET THE FUCKING SAILS, JEREMY. (Now even I had learned to say fuck).

(Full speed at the gun, crossing the line at the gun, with lots of boats under us, trying to reach the line)

A: As I told you, Jeremy. This was going to be a great start.

J: Just luck, Arnie. Just luck.

I you want to see more pictures from Dalarö just klick seglingsbilder and find 77 new pictures by Olle Högdahl.

From left to right: Bloggmaster, in the middle Jeremy Gale, promising junior Philip Carlsson.

Magic Glove’s IRC rating is 1,277. She raced the IRC 2 8 boats fleet, and was the winner after 9 races. She got 14 points, with TP 52 Samba Pa Ti very close behind with 15 points.

Colm Barrington spared no expense after commissioning his latest keelboat. The financier from Ireland hired renowned designer Jason Ker to draw the IRC racer then had it specially-built in South Africa.

Barrington, a Dublin resident, has done most of his racing on The Solent and Irish Sea, but decided to bring his new boat to the United States Acura Key West 2007. “It’s an expensive boat so I figured we might as well get a lot of use out of it,” the good-natured Irishman said with a chuckle.

Ker, chief designer for the South African America’s Cup contender Shosholoza, seems to have drawn Barrington a hot boat. Magic Glove, a Ker 50, earned Boat of the Week honours at the prestigious Cork Regatta and placed third overall at Cowes Race Week shortly after being launched this past summer.

“I’ve been very pleased with the boat so far. It is a very competitive IRC racer in almost all conditions,” said Barrington, whose finance firm Babcock & Brown specializes in aircraft.

Barrington raced just about every one-design dinghy he could get his hands on as a young man. He has spent time in an International 14, Laser, 5o5, Enterprise and Dragon among others. This Ker 50 is his seventh keelboat and will get a stiff test in IRC 2 class at Acura Key West. Two other brand new designs - Michael Brennan’s Reichel-Pugh 45 and David Aisher’s Rogers 46 - will be joined by the swing keel Cookson 50 Chieftain and four Transpac 52s.

“Winning class is always the goal, but it certainly will be tough,” Barrington admitted. “We are up against some extremely strong teams and are looking forward to a very competitive week.” Robert Greenhalgh, a past International 14 World champion and member of the victorious ABN Amro crew in the last Volvo Ocean Race, is calling tactics aboard Magic Glove.

This is Barrington’s initial appearance in Key West and after two days spent practising in 17 - 20 knot winds he was dutifully impressed by the entire scene. “It’s absolutely gorgeous here with the wind and the sun. We are having a wonderful time so far,” he said. “It’s much bumpier than I thought it would be, but overall the sailing has been fantastic.”

Magic Glove has won three straight races to move inte second overall in IRC 2 at Acura Key West 2007.

(Excerpted with permission from Acura Key West 2007 Race Week News)

David Aisher has been working on this design, Rogers 46, for three or four years with Simon Rogers. He wanted a boat that could do well around the buoys, but also good enough to take offshore. He said it’s a fantastic boat. The boat’s IRC rating is 1,268. Yeoman 32 was sailing in the 8 boats IRC-2 fleet in Acura Key West and ended nr 5.

In the United Kingdom, the term “Yeoman stock” refers to farmers or freemen who were known to be sturdy and self-reliant. Owen Aisher came from Yeoman stock and felt that attribute would apply perfectly to his first sailboat - a Camper Nicholson-designed 50-foot ketch. Because she was sturdy and reliable, Aisher thought it appropriate to name the ketch Yeoman.

By the time of his death in 1993 at the age of 87, Sir Owen Aisher had campaigned 27 sailboats named Yeoman. He won the 1951 Fastnet Race aboard a Camper Nicholson 44 and captured numerous other major regattas aboard assorted designs over the years with his last boat being a Sigma 38.

Robin Aisher, a well-known British sailor, continued his Uncle Owen’s tradition of naming all the family boats Yeoman and captured class honors at the Admiral’s Cup aboard an IOR 50 of that name. Robin was a multi-time Olympic sailor for Great Britain, capturing a silver medal in International 5,5 class at the Mexico City games.

David Aisher developed a passion for sailing through his grandfather and uncle and has been sailing his own line of Yeoman yachts for many years. He has sailed everything from a J24 to a Sigma 33 to a Judel Vrolik 44 that was built by his uncle Robin for the 2000 Commodore’s Cup.

The 32nd edition in the fabled Yeoman line is a Rogers 46 that David Aisher is debuting at Acura Key West 2007. Designed specifically for IRC competition by Simon Rogers, the brand new boat has performed so well so far - notching a pair of thirds through two days of racing in IRC 2.

“I’ve been working with Simon on this design for three or four years,” Aisher said. “We wanted a boat that was nimble enough to do well around the cans, but sturdy enough to take offshore. We got everything we wanted in that regard. I think it’s a fantastic boat”.

Aisher, 55, has a top-notch crew aboard Yeoman 32 with tactician Ian Walker the most notable name. Walker captured a silver medal at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and was a member of the GBR Challenge for the America’s Cup. “This is the first time I’ve sailed with Ian, but I’ve known him a while. He’s obviously a first-rate sailor and it’s been a pleasure to have him at my side,” Aisher said.

Tim Aisher is working the bow for his brother, who plans to keep Yeoman in North America to do Acura Miami Race Week, Antigua Race Week and Block Island Race Week among other events. He will return the Rogers 46 to Europe in time to compete in the next Fastnet Race.

(Excerpted with permission from Acura Key West 2007 Race Week News)

Yeoman, GBR, and Sjambok, USA, in a tight rounding, Acura Key West 2007.

Michael Brennan was one of the first United States owners to get into the Transpac 52 class, but sold it when the class went to Breitling Med Cup in Europe, because he didn’t want to spend the summer in Italy and Spain.

He decided to buy a new design that would suit his sailing purposes better. He received the new IRC boat on Dec 17 and his first start was the Fort Lauderdale-to-Key West Race.

Brennan said the boat, built by Hakes Marine in Wellington, New Zealand, hit a top speed of 28 knots in 30 knots of breeze during the feeder race for Acura Key West 2007. He asked designer Jim Pugh for a boat that could be fast in ocean distance racing, but also was competitive in windward-leeward regattas.

Paul Eldrid, Quantum loft in Perth, Australia, is aboard Shambok as tactician. Rodney Keenan, Quantum New Zealand, is serving as jib trimmer. Navigator Mike Jones and most of the other crew members are Annapolis residents who regularely sail with Brennan. Eldrid said it’s evident the RP 45 performs best going downwind under spinnaker.

(Text excerpt from publication Key West 2007 Race Week News.)

RACE RESULTS IRC 2 ACURA KEY WEST RACE WEEK 2007:

1. Magic Glove, Ker 50
2. Samba Pa Ti, TP 52
3. Windquest, TP 52
4. Chiftain,Cookson 50
5. Yeoman, Rogers 46
6. Rusal Synergy, TP 52
7. Sjambok, RP IRC 45
8. Trader TP 52

premiere-racing

Photo by Dan Nerney/Rolex

Paige Railey earned 3 penalties for excessive rocking. Result - RAF, Retired After Finish. All her results at the scoreboard were changed into RAFs. Excessive rocking - this is a big problem. Who decides when you pass the line of acceptable amount of artificial propulsion. It is a question of subjective judgement.

It seems that Paige Railey has a problem with knowing when she is too aggressive and pushing too hard. She was also disqualified from the Laser Radial Women’s Worlds because of kinetics in August 2006.

What we find hard to understand is why she does not pay attention to the problem when she already has 2 penalties in one regatta.