Anguilla News covers Anguilla
 |
|
Anguilla News
Bridging
Gaps & Expanding Horizons. |
|
|
|
|
|
Anguilla News covers Anguilla and the wider
Caribbean.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
x |
|
|
|
Transatlantic Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup
2007 race to St. Maarten comes to an end.
|
December 14, 2007, Sint Maarten,
Netherlands Antilles: As ocean
crossings go, the Transatlantic Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup 2007,
which started 26th November, will go down in yachting
history as relatively tame, save for humpback whale
sightings, flying fish frenzies and token moments of
equipment anguish in brisk winds. Perhaps it was the ample
size of the seven competing boats -- maxi yachts of 18
metres (70 feet) and above -- that granted enjoyable
crossings. Or maybe it was the fact that the traditionally
steady northeasterly trade winds on the 2700-mile course
from Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Canary Islands), where the race
started, to St. Maarten (Netherlands Antilles) where it
ended, only occasionally "broke up" to toy with best-laid
plans.
Whichever was the case, the smooth going for this first-time
event was greatly appreciated by both the competitors and
organizers from Italy's Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS).
And in the end, IRC handicap calculations handed overall
victory and a Rolex timepiece to Anders Johnson (Stockholm,
Sweden) and the crew aboard his Swan 70 Blue Pearl (GBR).
The sleeping giant, with its almost exclusively Swedish crew
-- including skipper Klabbe Nylof who has crossed the
Atlantic over a dozen times -- had finished an unassuming
fourth over the line on 8th December, after 12 days, 2
hours, 22 minutes and 41 seconds at sea.
"It was good for us on board," said Johnson. "Everybody had
fun and we are really pleased with the result. We had a few
problems with wrecked spinnakers and a lot of sails damaged,
but overall it went well. At the end of the race, we had two
days with not very much wind at all, which was quite
annoying; then the wind came back on the last night and we
were logging 18 and even up to 20 knots so that was really
good. This is my second Transatlantic and I’m sure I’ll do
more. I like the long haul!" |
Advertisement - Article continues
below
|
Second place went
to Oslo Norway's Morten Bergesen, whose predominantly
Norwegian crew aboard the Wally 105 Nariida (NOR) included
Volvo Ocean Race veteran Knut Frostad as skipper and the
equally famous Swede Roger Nilsen as tactician. Nariida, the
oldest boat in the fleet (launched in 1994), also received
the YCCS Line Honours Trophy and the International Maxi
Association (IMA) Challenge Trophy for the highest-placed
IMA member.
Early in the race, Frostad reported a small swell and blue
sky while running under spinnaker ahead of 16-20 knot trade
winds. "For those onboard used to racing in the Volvo Ocean
Race, it’s a huge difference sleeping in a proper bed and
eating nice food every day." On day seven (2nd December),
however, the skipper had more serious issues with which to
contend: "We are crossing a massive squall line with rain
and lightning. This is the beginning of the front we have to
go through to get to the northerly breeze on the other side.
Our strategy has been to position ourselves long-term for
this transition and to get the best approach to the finish.
It’s obviously a tricky and quite unusual situation with the
trades completely broken by the low pressure system ahead of
us."
At the time, Nariida's closest competitor on both corrected
time and for line honours was Sojana, which, according to
Frostad, "bailed out earlier and chose a completely
different strategy, heading south." As Frostad knew,
however, "corrected time calculations are never realistic
until every boat is finished, and if the smaller boats get
more breeze in the end, the picture can change."
Nariida finished first over the line on 7th December after
just more than 10 1/2 days at sea. Sojana wound up sixth on
corrected time although she followed Nariida over the line
in second place, less than seven hours behind her.
Gerhard Ruether’s Zefiro (Hamburg, GER) was the very last
maxi to cross the finish line on 10th December. The Solaris
76 completed the crossing in 14:1:21:5 and took third place
overall under IRC handicap.
"It was our first Atlantic crossing and bearing in mind that
we had the smallest crew, only eight, I am very proud," said
Ruether, noting that challenges included mending a blown-out
spinnaker and negotiating wind speeds from 6 to 46 knots.
"It was the first time they all sailed together as a team
and they did exceptionally well, great teamwork."
Rounding out the standings on corrected time were Andrè
Auberton's Wally 100 Dark Shadow (MON) in fourth; Will
Apold's Swan 78 Valkyrie (CAN) in fifth; Peter Harrison's
Farr 115 Sojana (GBR) in sixth; and Bernd Kortüm's Swan 100
Julie Marie (GER) in seventh.
Apold (Halifax), who couldn't help musing about crew antics,
sea life and falling stars in his log, admitted that this
was the first time his crew of 13 -- all from the Halifax
area of Nova Scotia on the east coast of Canada -- had
sailed in a format other than against each other on small
boats. "I would like to congratulate the YCCS, Rolex and the
IMA for proposing, planning and executing this fine race.
This is the right timing, the right start location and the
correct finish island and will draw more boats in the
future."
The Transatlantic Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup 2007, which the YCCS
plans to hold again next year with the same format, was
promoted by the IMA with the support of the Real Club
Nautico de Tenerife and the Sint Maarten Yacht Club. It was
created by the IMA in collaboration with YCCS in response to
requests from owners for a transatlantic race dedicated
specifically to maxi yachts. The regatta will also
contribute to the IMA’s efforts to establish a seasonal
circuit for maxis that will allow owners to compete in
summer offshore events in the Mediterranean and Europe
before moving to the Caribbean for the traditional winter
racing season.
The maxis will return to the YCCS, which is located in
Sardinia and administers the IMA, for the Rolex Boat
International Superyacht Regatta in June followed by the
annual Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in September.
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.
Results: Transatlantic Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup 2007
Finish, Yacht Name (Home Port), Type, Owner, Country,
Elapsed Time, Corrected Time
1) Blue Pearl (GBR), Swan 70, Anders Johnson , SWE,
12:2:22:41, 16:12:56:48
2) Nariida (NOR), Wally 105, Morten Bergesen, NOR,
10:14:1:48, 16:16:36:19
3) Zefiro (GER), Solaris 76, Gerhard Ruether, GER,
14:1:21:5, 17:14:42:5
4) Dark Shadow (MON), Wally 100, Andrè Auberton, FRA,
11:21:33:34, 17:22:3:9
5) Valkyrie (CAN), Swan 78, Will Apold, CAN, 12:8:55:57,
17:23:26:35
6) Sojana (GBR), Farr 115, Peter Harrison, GBR, 11:14:54:59,
18:4:30:15
7) Julie Marie (GER), Swan 100, Bernd Kortüm, GER,
12:19:14:20, 18:16:52:34
|
|
Anguilla Business Quick Links
|
