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TMYRC 2007:
Transatlantic Maxi Race Starts from Tenerife |
November 26,
2007: Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands. 26th
November 2007. The seven maxi yachts taking part in the
first edition of the Transatlantic Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup set
off at 13.05 UTC today, bound for the Caribbean island of St
Maarten, just over 3,000 miles (2,600 nautical miles) away
across the Atlantic Ocean.
Organizers the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, with the support
of the local Real Club Nautico de Tenerife, positioned the
starting line just north of the port of Santa Cruz de
Tenerife and set a windward mark at approximately 1.5
nautical miles, thereby providing the many spectator boats
with a breathtaking sight as they followed some of the
largest sailing boats in the world up the coast against the
backdrop of the magnificent Mount Teide volcano. Winds on
the starting line were light, approximately 10 knots, and
north-easterly, but would soon increase as the fleet left
the shelter of the coast and moved into the channel between
Tenerife and its southerly neighbour the island of Gran
Canaria, with gusts reaching up to 30 knots.
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With seven maxi
yachts competing and crews ranging from eight to 15, a total
of around 100 sailors assembled in Tenerife for the start,
ranging from an all amateur crew aboard Will Apold’s
Valkyrie (CAN) to Volvo Ocean Race and Whitbread Race
veteran Knut Frostad on Morten Bergsen’s Nariida (NOR) and
America’s Cup sailors such as Mal Parker (Victory Challenge)
on board Peter Harrison’s Sojana (GBR). The atmosphere on
the docks was jubilant before the maxis cast off today with
many smiles raised when Valkyrie began blasting out, quite
appropriately, a rousing chorus of Wagner’s “Ride of the
Valkyries” that was followed by a round of applause from
competitors, press and spectators alike.
Once out on the race course things got more serious. The
largest two maxis in the fleet, Sojana (115 feet) and
Nariida (104 feet) got off to an excellent start despite the
light winds which would normally tend to favour the smaller
yachts. The Norwegian boat rounded the windward mark just
ahead of Sojana with Anders Johnson’s Blue Pearl (GBR) in
third place. The majority of the fleet then headed towards
the middle of the channel before turning southwest and
proceeding down around the southern tip of the island where
only La Gomera and El Hierro, the smallest of the Canary
Islands, lie between them and a 3,000 mile stretch of
Atlantic Ocean. Only Julie Marie (GER), a newly launched
Swan 100 owned by Bernd Kortüm, and Gerhard Reuther’s Zefiro
(GER) chose to stick close to the Tenerfie coastline for the
descent towards open seas.
IMA President Peter Offen, who was part of the driving force
behind creating this event, was unfortunately unable to
compete with his Y3K due to mechanical problems but was on
the starting line to see his fellow maxi owners off. “There
were perfect conditions at the start, the start was nicely
organized. It was bit of a surprise to see some of the boats
start so cautiously: one had a reef main and one had a
number three jib which may have been over-cautious. Of
course it’s great to be able to follow the ships on the
tracking system and to see the two Wallys in the lead, they
are used to racing so much you see. It is also interesting
to see Blue Pearl, which is the smallest boat in the fleet
and she is in third position. Of course, over the next ten
days there will be many wind shifts and many changes of
position but if you look at Nariida’s speed at the moment,
around 18 knots, if she keeps that up it will be a very
quick passage."
Late this afternoon the fleet was rounding the southern tip
of Tenerife led by Nariida. Provisions for the next 24 hours
see winds moving around towards east and dropping to
approximately 10 to 15 knots. Competitors are free to choose
their own course as there are no marks to be observed along
the route. The Prizegiving is scheduled for 14th December
2007 in St Maarten.
Full details of the event, including entry lists, sailing
instructions, photographs and live tracking, are available
at www.yccs.it.
The Yacht Club Costa Smeralda was founded on May 15th 1967
by its current President, His Highness the Aga Khan, and a
small group of Founder Members, as a non-profit sporting
association for those passionate about the sea and marine
sports.
The YCCS clubhouse, overlooking Porto Cervo Marina, is
considered one of the most prestigious and beautifully
functional structures of its kind anywhere in the world and
offers members and regatta participants 24 guest suites, a
modern Wellness Centre and a Bar and Restaurant on the
panoramic Poolside Terrace. The adjoining Piazza Azzurra,
the nerve centre of the Race Village during sporting events,
hosts a series of cultural initiatives throughout the rest
of the year. The YCCS is twinned with the New York Yacht
Club and the Yacht Club de Monaco and has reciprocal
agreements with the Royal Yacht Squadron |
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