Statement from Tom Ehman, Golden Gate Yacht Club Spokesman

[Source: BMW Oracle] In its continuing effort to host the 33rd America’s Cup in Ras Al Khaimah, today Société Nautique de Geneve asked the Appellate Division to reverse the October 27 Supreme Court decision which had declared RAK as non-compliant with the governing Deed of Gift.

In recent weeks, SNG has publicly committed to Valencia as the venue, even while attempting to re-instate Ras Al Khaimah via appeal, as well as floating Australia as a possible venue.

Today SNG also requested that, if the Appellate Court does not reinstate RAK in February, the 33rd Match be delayed from February until May 2010. SNG argued that this was to allow it to choose a venue in the Northern Hemisphere that would be Deed- compliant even though both SNG and GGYC had previously agreed to Valencia by mutual consent.

Additionally, SNG asked the Appellate Court to reinstate SNG’s own peculiar measurement method that would include rudders in the crucial Length on Load Water-Line calculation. The effect of this abnormal practice, never before used in the America’s Cup, would be to disqualify GGYC’s yacht. The Supreme Court ruled against SNG’s measurement method last month.

We appreciate the Appellate Court having handled SNG’s appeal on an expedited basis, and we look forward to its decision.

America's Cup Defender hopeful that tradition and rights are upheld by Appellate Division

[Source: Alinghi] The America's Cup Defender, Société Nautique de Genève (SNG), today argued before the Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court in defence of two of the Defender's fundamental rights as per the Deed of Gift: the right to choose the venue and the right to race a challenger that complies with the Deed of Gift measurement requirements.

“The Defender is hopeful the five Judges of the Appellate Division will respect and uphold its Deed of Gift right to select the venue and to define the rules as has been the case for 158 years and 32 editions of the America's Cup. If Justice Kornreich's decision is upheld, it would be the first time in the history of the America's Cup that the Defender is deprived of its fundamental right to choose the venue. We expect a swift decision from the court in order to move ahead with the 33rd America's Cup and at last return it to the water,” said SNG vice-commodore Fred Meyer.

Note to the editor:
On the matter of selecting a venue and on the matter of the rules of the America's Cup, the Deed of Gift clearly states: ‘These ocean courses shall be […] selected by the Club holding the Cup; and these races shall be sailed subject to its rules and sailing regulations […]'

The Deed of Gift stipulates that racing for the America's Cup between 1 November and 1 May must take place in the Southern Hemisphere, but Justice Cahn's 12 May 2008 New York Supreme Court Order ‘that the location of the match shall be in Valencia, Spain, or any other location selected by the SNG' led the America's Cup defending yacht club, Société Nautique de Genève, to select Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates.

The Emirati venue was selected for several reasons: the suitability of the weather conditions for a February Deed of Gift Match, the infrastructure offered by the country and the experience of the UAE in organising world class sporting events.

Racing cancelled due to the lack of wind on day one of the Sea Dubai RC 44 Gold Cup

[Source: RC44 Class Association] The RC 44 Championship Tour match race could unfortunately not begin today as expected due to the lack of wind. The strong “Shaman” that was blowing over the past few days is gone and the sea breeze is not established yet. Chief Race Officer Peter “Luigi” Reggio stayed out on the water all day, looking for the breeze and trying to find a solution. He waited until 4:00 PM to take the only possible decision as the night falls at 5:30 PM.

The match racing event will be held in one day tomorrow. The ten strong RC 44 fleet will be split in two groups, with every team completing a total of five flights. There will then be a final series between the first and second, third and fourth, fifth and sixth etc.

The racing will start according to the schedule at 11:30 AM.

No wind, no race. The Spanish crew of Puerto Calero Islas Canarias is waiting, in vain, for the breeze to appear. Dubai, 25 November 2009. Photo copyright Nico Martinez / Puerto Calero Islas Canarias

World’s Best Skippers in Perth to pursue Australia Cup Glory

[Source: Sunseeker Australia Cup] With a cohort of sailing greats arriving in Perth for the Sunseeker Australia Cup, Western Australia is again on the world sporting stage.

The ten world ranked skippers and their teams touchdown mid-week for this exclusive invitation only event from 26-29 November.

The action packed racing schedule will see the who’s who of professional sailing battle it out in Foundation 36 one design Yachts, marking the first time city waters has hosted competitive sailing in Perth’s 145 year history.

Swan River Sailing Executive Officer and former America’s Cup winner, Skip Lissiman said the four day event is sure to produce some exhilarating match racing, with unprecedented close shoreline viewing and a tight course sure to flaunt the skill and team work of these elite athletes.

“With the course so close to land and a tight challenging space you can be guaranteed some fast action-packed sailing. This is your chance to see the world’s best yacht racing right on the city’s doorstep, the opportunity to see a mini America’s Cup on Perth waters - don’t miss it!” Lissiman said.

The impressive line-up of world ranked competitors, featuring America’s Cup teams and skippers, consists of:

- Triple gold and silver Olympic medallist, Ben Ainslie from Great Britain, 6th ranked on the Tour

- Current World Match Racing Tour leader, New Zealand’s Adam Minoprio

- Perth’s own rising superstar, Torvar Mirsky, current 2nd ranked on the Tour

- Reigning double World Match Racing Tour champion, Ian Williams from Great Brittan, 3rd ranked on the Tour

- 4th ranked on the Tour, skipper Mathieu Richard from France.

- 25th ISAF ranked, skipper Phil Roberston from New Zealand

- 21st ISAF ranked, Keith Swinton from Australia

- 27th ISAF ranked, Francesco Bruni from Italy

- 61st ISAF ranked, Evan Walker from Australia

- 455th ISAF ranked, Seve Jarvin from Australia

Perth has built a reputation as one of the World’s more renowned and reliable sailing cities; and this unique event promises to cement Perth’s place a prestigious sailing hub of the Southern Hemisphere – a precursor to next year’s America’s Cup and Malaysia’s Monsoon Cup next month.

The Monsoon Cup is the ultimate decider of the 2009 Match Racing Tour, and with final positioning and considerable prize money at stake; top Tour skippers are keen to fine-tune crew skills and experience at the Sunseeker Australia Cup just one week prior to the showdown.

Sydney rising talent and current Australian Match Racing Champion Seve Jarvin said Perth is a popular sailing location for competitors as it boasts some of the best sailing conditions in the world.

“Perth is a great location for match racing as there is always a good breeze and warm weather, which is a pleasant change compared with many of the other events on the Tour,” Jarvin said.

“The Sunseeker Australia Cup is great for us young teams to get back into match racing and compete against some of the best teams in the world. The international teams treat the Sunseeker Australia Cup is as a warm up to the Monsoon Cup finals next month, so there will be some tough competition with teams trying their best to take out the first place,” he said.

Local Perth skipper Keith Swinton is looking forward to competing in his hometown, and believes it is the excellent quality boats, well-structured events and some of the best sailing conditions in the world year round which keep the top teams coming back.

“It is always a good experience to be a part of another regatta, particularly the Australia Cup where I can compete in front of family and friends,” Swinton said.

“Match Racing is definitely the most spectacular type of sailing, and when combined with great sailing conditions and facilities and the excellent Foundation 36 yachts, you can understand why such an event is appealing to the best skippers on the tour,” Swinton said.

For more information visit the event's website at www.australiacup.org.au

The RC44's carry out their practice race in Dubai

[Source: RC44 Class Association] The Sea Dubai RC 44 Gold Cup practice race took place in spectacular conditions this afternoon. Making the best of the big surf, Team Aqua, Team Austria and BMW ORACLE Racing dominated the opposition.

The RC 44 Championship Tour final event started today with the practice race. The conditions were absolutely perfect, with 15 knots of breeze and a big swell. “This particular wind is very rare in Dubai”, commented the Regatta Chief Executive Saeed Harib during the event’s opening press conference this morning. “It was blowing last time the RC 44’s were in Dubai, and it is there again today. I think the Class has taken a subscription.”

RC44 practice race. Dubai 24 November 2009. Photo copyright Raffaello Bastiani / RC44 Class Association.

Starting perfectly at the Committee boat end of the line and tacking immediately to the right of the course, Team Austria - helmed by René Mangold - dominated most of the race, giving the victory away to Team Aqua and BMW ORACLE Racing in the last gibe. The Team from the UAE chose not to cross the line, letting the Americans win the regatta. Unfortunately, the forecast for the coming days isn’t as good and the usual sea breeze should be back.

Ten RC 44 one-designs representing nine nations are competing this week for the Sea Dubai RC 44 Gold Cup and the season’s overall trophies. Organised by Dubai International Marine Club (DIMC), the event starts tomorrow and Thursday with a full match race round robin and carries on until Sunday with the fleet regatta. The points will count for double.

RC44 practice race. Dubai 24 November 2009. Photo copyright Raffaello Bastiani / RC44 Class Association.

Talking about their strategy for the event, both Dean Barker and Cameron Appleton – skippers of the two leading teams – said that they would sail their race without looking too much at their opponent. “We will sail this race like any other race”, commented Appleton. Barker replied: “We hope to be as lucky as we were last time.”
Skipper of the local entry Team Sea Dubai, Markus Wieser explained that his team had been training hard over the past few days and that he expects a good results, at least in the top five. “The pressure is on”, he concluded.

The teams involved:
(Name of team, owner, pro sailor)

Team Aqua, Chris Bake / Cameron Appleton
Team Ceeref, Igor Lah / Rod Davis
Team Sea Dubai, Yousef Lahej, DIMC / Markus Wieser
BMW ORACLE Racing, Neville Crichton / Ian Vickers
Team Organika, Maciej Nawrocki / Karol Jablonski
Puerto Calero Islas Canarias, Daniel Calero / Jose Maria Ponce
Artemis, Torbjorn Tornqvist / Dean Barker
No Way Back, Pieter Heerema / Ray Davies
Team Austria, René Mangold / Christian Binder
Team Katusha, Paul Cayard / Bob Little

Flying the wing

Without any doubt, the newly created BMW Oracle blog and their YouTube channel are truly spoiling us with the amount of multimedia content they produce on an almost daily basis.

So, here's another video where "Kiki" Karcher, a former Alinghi grinder, becomes our guide while we follow BOR90's test sailing sessions inside the San Diego bay. If one is to believe Kiki's words, BOR 90 can fly with a mere 6 knots of wind and can tack and gybe like a dinghy. Unfortunately it needs no grinders any more. What a shame...

Transat Jacques Vabre: Safran winner in the IMOCA Open 60 Class

[source: Transat Jacques Vabre] At 08:52:10hrs GMT/UTC (02:52:10hrs local time Tuesday 24th) after 15 days 19 hrs 22 mins 10 secs on course Safran co-skippered by France's Marc Guillemot and Charles Caudrelier-Bénac crossed the finish line off Puerto Limon, Costa Rica to win the 14 boat IMOCA Open 60 Class in the Transat Jacques Vabre transatlantic race which started on Sunday 8th November from Le Havre. Safran sailed 5263 miles at an average speed of 12.46 knots.

Safran wins the IMOCA Open 60 Class Transat Jacques Vabre. Costa Rica, 24 November 2009. Video copyright Transat Jacques Vabre

Transat Jacques Vabre, Crepes Whaou First to finish

[Source: Transat Jacques Vabre] A huge, noisy Costa Rican welcome greeted Franck Yves Escoffier (FRA) and Erwan Le Roux (FRA), co skippers of the Crêpes Whaou when they emerged out of the Caribbean darkness, comprehensively winning the Multi 50 class and taking line honours for this ninth edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre race which started from Le Havre on Sunday 8th November.

Emerging out of the darkness to break the finish line off the historic port town of Peurto Limon at 2231hrs local time Monday 23rd (0431hrs UTC/GMT Tuesday) the French duo with their new build Crêpes Whaou! 3, only launched in August, maintained Escoffier's unbeaten record in this biannual classic, also scooping the IMOCA Open 60's to take line honours for the third consecutive time.

Escoffier and Le Roux took 15 days, 15 hours, 31 minutes and 50 seconds to complete the course which took the Multi 50 fleet south of Barbados on a course which for the winning pair was 5805 miles, which they completed at an average speed of 13.41 knots.

Crêpes Whaou wins the Multi 50 class Transat Jacques Vabre. Costa Rica, 24 November 2009. Video copyright Transat Jacques Vabre

The new destination for the coffee route race, finishing in Costa Rica, served up a carnival greeting for the winners, Escoffier remarking immediately that without doubt the high point of their race was the warmth of finish. Sailing with Le Roux, a successful former Mini 650 Class 40 and multihull sailor who has completed two previous Transat Jacques Vabre races, the pair chose a prudent southerly routing to avoid the very worst of a very active depression before then building a big lead over their Multi50 Class rivals.

Asked about the memories, the key moments, Escoffier said, "You have to start with this finish, the arrival here has been an extraordinary reception. We have seen some great welcomes but here in Peurto Limon between the fireworks and the whole world out to greet us on the dock, that was a great moment. But so, too the start was interesting too. There is always a build up of adrenalin you need pumping as a competitor, and I felt like we made the strongest start of the Multi 50's. And a strong memory yesterday when we just stopped ourselves from tipping the boat over. It was not funny. Erwan, who is younger than me really had to rein me in from time to time. We can smile looking back..."

Crêpes Whaou wins the Multi 50 class Transat Jacques Vabre. Costa Rica, 24 November 2009. Photo copyright Marcel Mochet / AFP

On the subject of the Class 50, and asked if they did not feel out on a limb without much competition in the end, Escoffier explained: “ We are about to succeed in making it (the Multi 50) take off with the new boats in the class. Unfortunately the two other newest boats are not at the finish too. We missed competition a little, but we should not forget Guyader pour Urgence Climatique who are a good crew. In the multihull there is not much to teach them, but they lack the finance to have a boat like Crêpes Whaou! And it would be good if they could find it. And I hope that before I leave this class there will be a proper class of boats like ours. But the objective was always, as well to beat the IMOCA Open 60's in and we pushed hard to do that.”

AYRE Challenge presents its Volvo Ocean Race project

[Source: AYRE Challenge] AYRE Challenge presented today in Denia its project to take part in the next three editions of the Volvo Ocean Race, all of which will start in the Spanish port of Alicante.

The presentation of this 10-year-long project and milestone in Spanish yacht racing took place in Denia, a city that has strong ties with AYRE Challenge. Two years ago, the Spanish team presented its challenge for the 33rd America’s Cup representing the Real Club Náutico de Denia (Royal Yacht Club of Denia).

The city of Denia also belongs to the province of Alicante, starting point of the next three editions of the Volvo Ocean Race, highlighting AYRE’s firm commitment to participate in all of them.

AYRE Challenge presents its firm intention to take part in the next 3 editions of the Volvo Ocean Race. From left Ana Kringe (mayor of Denia), Knut Frostad (Volvo Ocean Race CEO), Arantxa Vallés (General Director of the Sociedad Gestora para la Imagen Estratégica y Promocional de la Comunitat Valenciana) and Pedro Perelló (AYRE Challenge CEO). Denia, 23 November 2009. Photo copyright Pedro Martinez / AYRE Challenge

The speakers in the presentation were Ana Kringe, mayor of Denia, Knut Frostad, Volvo Ocean Race CEO, Pedro Perelló, General Manager of AYRE Challenge, Manuel González-Devesa, President of the Denia Royal Yacht Club, and Augusto Sanguinetti, Sports and Technical Director of AYRE Challenge. In addition, during the act were present, among others, Arantxa Vallés, General Director of the Sociedad Gestora para la Imagen Estratégica y Promocional de la Comunitat Valenciana –showing the institution’s support of the project-, Edouard Legendre, AYRE Challenge Commercial and Marketing Director, as well as José Juan Parets, AYRE Challenge Financial Director.

Knut Frostad, Volvo Ocean Race CEO, expressed his satisfaction with the firm intention of AYRE Challenge: “We are very happy that teams such as AYRE present their firm intention to take part in our competition, proving the sport and commercial appeal of the Volvo Ocean Race as a platform with international reach and impact” and pointed out that “AYRE Challenge is a project with a long-term commitment that will guarantee its participation in at least 2 editions”.

Pedro Perelló, founder and CEO of AYRE Challenge, outlined the main lines of action of the team: “AYRE Challenge was born as a new reference in yacht racing on a national and international level, based on 3 fundamental foundations. It will be a winning project, spanning various yacht classes and various aspects (sport, cultural and social).” Perelló wanted to highlight that the team opted for the VOR as the first important sailing event in which to kick off the AYRE project mainly because of “its international reach, its international values and positioning, its prestige, and the solidity it provides to our sponsors”. Regarding AYRE Challenge’s participation, “the key of the project is the ability to have continuity in time in order to break away from the usual cycles in yacht racing and for that reason the team commits to participate in the next 3 VOR editions that will start in Alicante in 2011, 2014 and 2017”.

Augusto Sanguinetti, gave a first brief overview of the project’s main technical and sports aspects: “Our latest-generation VO70 boat will be built in the Region of Valencia in 2010 and according to our initial schedule the boatbuilder will be Richard Gillies”. As far as boat design is concerned, the team is currently studying proposals from 2 designers of the highest international caliber and a decision will be taken before the end of 2009.

Team AYRE Challenge will rely on 2 active bases during the preparation and actual competition of the next VOR: The base in the Valencia Region will be the Team’s permanent one, housing its headquarters and used for both logistics and maintenance operations as well as for the organization of various events by the Team. The sports base, on the Atlantic Ocean coast, will be where the most important tests for the new boat development will take place.

The aim is to have 3 key persons in the sailing crew: the skipper and 2 watch captains. They will be the ones to decide and ultimately select the sailing crew that will compete in the next Volvo Ocean Race and in addition they will actively take part in the buildup and evolution of the Team.

Sanguinetti concluded that, “we have 24 months ahead of us from today before the start of the next VOR and our objective is to make the most of our time in order to build a great team with the best preparation possible.”

The countdown towards the 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race has just started for Team AYRE Challenge.

Video: Grant Dalton talks about the Louis Vuitton Trophy

Grant Dalton talks about the LV Trophy. Nice, 22 November 2009. Video copyright BTS Broadcast

Video: First reaction from Dean Barker on his team finishing 2nd in LV Trophy

Dean Barker talks about his team's result in the LV Trophy. Nice, 22 November 2009. Video copyright BTS Broadcast

Azzurra scores 2-0 shut out of Emirates Team New Zealand to win Louis Vuitton Trophy

[Source: Louis Vuitton Trophy] The team from the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda makes a triumphant return after a 22-year hiatus.

Even before the Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Côte d’Azur began, Azzurra skipper Francesco Bruni spoke of his passion and honour to be leading an iconic sailing brand back into the fray after a long absence. This afternoon he could barely describe his joy.

Bruni and his Azzurra crew, including tactician Tommaso Chieffi, defeated Emirates Team New Zealand 2-0 in the Grand Final to win this match race regatta.

Azzurra, from the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, made its international sailing debut at the 1983 Louis Vuitton Cup but has been in hiatus since the 1987 event off Western Australia. The team was re-launched last month and today Azzurra won the first race by 25 seconds and the second by 17 for a well-deserved championship.

“It’s an amazing sensation. I can’t find the words to describe it,” said Bruni, the 40-year-old skipper from Sicily. “We knew we could do a good job. We had very good training before the event. But we never thought about beating New Zealand in the final.”

Emirates Team New Zealand entered the final as the favourite. It won the round robin, suffering just one loss in 10 starts, and then defeated the upstart Synergy Russia Sailing Team in a hard-fought semi final match.

Team New Zealand has won many regattas this year, including the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series in February and the TP52 World Championship in September. Today, however, the Kiwis lost the first cross in both races and could never find a way around the Italians on the short courses of less than 5 nautical miles.

“I think we sailed well today but Azzurra was clearly better than us. They did everything right,” said Dean Barker, skipper of Emirates Team New Zealand. “Sometimes that’s just the way it is. You’re either in the right place or you’re not. Today Azzurra sailed very, very well.”

The two races were sailed early in the morning as the race committee was intent on deciding the regatta on the water and not on countback, which might’ve happened if racing couldn’t be conducted. The best winds of this two-week event were often early in the morning, and today the first warning signal was sounded at 0800 CET, one hour earlier than scheduled.

The northwesterly wind blew between 6 and 10 knots for the two races and was very shifty and patchy. Pressure differences often accounted for different sailing angles as 1 or 2 knots more wind can lift a yacht as much as 10 degrees higher than its opponent.

Chieffi, who won the 1992 Louis Vuitton Cup as tactician of Il Moro di Venezia, thought the Kiwis’ success played against them in the final.

“Beating TeamOrigin yesterday was a big plus for us; we’d done our share of work,” said Chieffi. “So we came in with smiley faces today despite the early morning. I could sense the Kiwis were more tense because they were the favourite; they were leading throughout the regatta. This played a role in our favour.”

The winning crew included skipper Bruni and tactician Chieffi, Tom Burnham (strategist), Bruno Zirilli (navigator), Daniele De Luca (mainsail trimmer), Stefano Rizzi (jib trimmer), Pierluigi De Felice (spinnaker trimmer), Gabriele Bruni (trimmer), Piero Romero (runner grinder), Nicola Pilastro (mainsail grinder), Massimo Galli (port grinder), Francesco Scalici (starboard grinder), Cristian Griggio (pitman), Luca Albarelli (mastman), Pietro Mantovani (mid-bow), Matteo Auguadro (bowman) and Michele Cannoni (pit assist).

Despite the win, Azzurra had its mishaps on the racecourse. The skipper and tactician both described three problems in the two races. In Race 1 a helicopter got too low to the water and disrupted the wind flow, reducing a four-boatlength lead to one.


In the second race the crew didn’t judge a bias in the leeward gate. They made a starboard rounding, but the mark was farther downwind and again they gave away three boatlengths.

The biggest mishap came at the top of the second beat in the second race. Approaching the windward mark on starboard tack with Team New Zealand two or three lengths behind, Mantovani, the mid-bowman, slipped overboard while preparing the spinnaker for the rounding. As the yacht sailed past the aft grinder, Romero, ran into the scoop and grabbed him out of the water “like a fish,” according to Bruni.

Chieffi said: “Even with the mishaps, the crew did a solid job to not lose concentration. Yes, we had five-boatlength leads, but one length is enough. The crew did an outstanding job keeping it calm, steady and tidy. We’re very pleased with the result.”

Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Cote d’Azur Final Standings
Team (Country) Skipper (Nationality) Won-Lost

1. Azzurra (ITA) Francesco Bruni (ITA), 11-5
2. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) Dean Barker (NZL), 11-4
3. Synergy Russia Sailing Team (RUS) Karol Jablonski (POL), 8-6
4. TeamOrigin (GBR) Ben Ainslie (GBR), 9-6
5. All4One (FRA/GER) Jochen Schumann (GER), 5-8
6. BMW Oracle Racing (USA) Hamish Pepper (NZL), 5-8
7. Artemis (SWE) Paul Cayard (USA), 5-7
8. TFS – PagesJaunes (FRA) Bertrand Pacé (FRA), 1-11

Video: Highlights from the 3rd day of Semifinals of the Louis Vuitton Trophy.

Video highlights from the 3Rd day of Semifinals of the Louis Vuitton Trophy. Nice, 21 November 2009. Video copyright Louis Vuitton Trophy

Video: La semifinale di Azzurra

With approximately 10% of our viewers from Italy, I thought it would be fair to post a nice video Team Azzurra produced on Friday. The Italian "newcomers" are on a roll and Bruni, Chieffi & Co have proved they are from being the outsiders. After today's comfortable win over Team Origin, Azzurra will face Emirates Team NZ on Sunday for the Trophy in a best-of-three final, weather allowing.

The semifinals according to Azzurra. Nice, 20 November 2009. Video copyright Azzurra

Groupama 3 is now sound and safe in Cape Town

[Source: Cammas-Groupama] Groupama 3 arrived in Cape Town early this Saturday afternoon and immediately tied up alongside so as repairs could begin to reinforce the aft beams.

It was at around 1300 hours UTC that Franck Cammas and his nine crew made landfall after two weeks at sea: Groupama 3 had to abandon her Jules Verne Trophy record attempt on the eleventh day after breaking the port beam bulkhead. As such it has taken five days for the giant trimaran to make South Africa where Groupama's shore crew were waiting to install a `floating' workshop, given that it won't be necessary to lift the boat out onto the hard. The giant trimaran is tied up to the pontoon at the Shosholoza base, which is the South African entry in the America's Cup.

Groupama 3 arrives in Cape Town for repairs. Cape Town, 21 November 2009. Video copyright Groupama

After the gales which Groupama 3 had to avoid just after suffering damage, followed by the tradewinds fuelled by the Saint Helena High, which propelled her along towards Cape Town at over twenty knots, Franck Cammas and his men had to be towed in the last few miles as the engine had been left behind on leaving Brest on 5th November. The wind totally dropped away as they approached port before picking up just enough to enable Groupama 3 to finish the journey under sail, although she had to sit out in the harbour for a while due to the shipping. The crew were able to fill up on fresh produce the minute they arrived, prior to setting to work to get the trimaran back in shape in order to set sail for Brest during the first few days of December.

Emirates Team New Zealand to meet Azzurra for Louis Vuitton Trophy

[Source: Louis Vuitton Trophy] Petite Final wraps with Synergy overcoming TeamOrigin.

One of sailing’s most revered brands will square off tomorrow against one of its most iconic brands when Emirates Team New Zealand races Azzurra in the Final of the Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Côte d’Azur.

The final was scheduled to commence this afternoon, but light winds again frustrated competitors and organizers in their attempt to race. Although the championship was put on hold around 1440 CET, three races were held earlier in the day to wrap up the Semi Final Round and the Petit Final.

Azzurra of Italy advanced to the championship by defeating TeamOrigin of the U.K. in their showdown match. After a close first beat, the Italians luffed the British at the top of the leg to gain an advantage at the first mark.

Yesterday the Italians suffered in the strong winds and big waves. But today skipper Francesco Bruni and crew revelled in the 8-knot winds and won by 29 seconds.

Synergy grabs 3rd place overall after a crushing victory over Team Origin. Nice, 21 November 2009. Photo copyright Ian Roman / Team Origin

“I think that we, as Italians, are used to sailing in lighter wind. We all know that,” said Bruni. “I think that we were driving the boat fast today as trimmer and skipper. Also the acceleration on the start line and how the boat reacts in turns, we’re just more confident in those conditions.”

Emirates Team New Zealand then took to the racecourse and booked its place in the final by defeating the pesky Synergy Russia Sailing Team.

Team New Zealand and Synergy had sailed three ding-dong battles, highlighted by yesterday’s second race when each team was penalised 1 point by a combination of the on-water umpires and International Jury. But this morning’s anticipated showdown proved to be more of a let down.

In a fashion similar to the day’s first match, the crews were evenly matched on the first leg. With both yachts on port tack and Team New Zealand to leeward, skipper Dean Barker, reigning champion of the Louis Vuitton Cup, luffed Synergy near the first mark.

During the incident the on-water umpires penalized the Russian-flagged yacht and Team New Zealand opened an advantage it wouldn’t relinquish. The Kiwis won by 4 minutes although the delta became skewed as Synergy completed a penalty turn on the finish line in light winds.

Bullet camera mounted on Synergy Russian Sailing Team for the pre-start. Nice 21, November 2009. Video copyright BTS Broadcast

“We sort of parked it up and they didn’t give us enough room when we bore away,” said Barker of the incident at the windward mark. “It’s tough as the windward boat because you’re trying to not lose the race at that point. It was close through the manoeuvre. I don’t know if there was contact, I couldn’t see, but it was nothing like yesterday.”

After a break for lunch the four crews returned to the water to resume racing, but the Petit Final between Synergy and TeamOrigin was the only match sailed in winds between 4 and 6 knots. After trailing by 22 seconds at the first mark, Synergy scored a comeback win when it overtook the British on the first downwind leg.

“Not making the final is very disappointing,” said TeamOrigin General Manager Mike Sanderson, a past round-the-world race winner. “We put a lot more effort into this regatta than we did Auckland. We were here to win and to win it you need to get to final. I’d be lying if I said not making the final was a big disappointment.”

Racing tomorrow is scheduled to begin early with the warning signal slated for 0800 CET.

For detailed information about today’s matches please visit the official event Web

Video: Highlights from the 2nd day of Semifinals of the Louis Vuitton Trophy.

Video highlights from the 2nd day of Semifinals of the Louis Vuitton Trophy. Nice, 20 November 2009. Video copyright Louis Vuitton Trophy