Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup at Yacht Club Costa Smeralda - Day 2
by Yacht Club Costa Smeralda 2 Sep 2014 23:42 BST
1-6 September 2014
Clear skies and a fresh mistral breeze marked the start of the second race day in the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup 2014. After yesterday's coastal race for the entire fleet, the Race Committee decided to shake things up, setting windward-leeward courses for the Mini Maxi Racing, Wally and J-Class yachts while the remainder of the fleet sailed two slightly different coastal courses. In the fiercely competitive Mini Maxi fleet, battling for their annual World Championship, Andres Soriano's Alegre remains in the top spot as do Firefly (Supermaxi), Highland Fling (Maxi) and Lupa of London (Mini Maxi Racing/Cruising) in their respective divisions. Among the classic J Class boats the 40-metre Rainbow moves up the overall classification to claim first place and Y3K takes command of the nine- boat Wally fleet.
While the Mini Maxi Racing, Wally and J Class divisions completed two windward-leeward races just off Porto Cervo, the rest of the fleet completed a 29 mile coastal course which was adjusted to 24 miles for the Mini Maxi Racing/Cruising boats. The route visited many of the famous "natural buoys" of the Costa Smeralda regatta course - Monaci Island, the Secca Tre Monti rock, the strait off Capo Ferro and the island of Mortoriotto to the south - and provided spectators and photographers with some stunning images.
Thanks to top-rate performances in both of today's races - producing a second place and a bullet - YCCS Member Roberto Tommasini's Judel-Vrolijk 72 Robertissima climbed from fourth place to second overall. Alegre, with John Kostecki calling tactics, holds on to first place and Niklas Zennstrom's Rán 5 with tactician Adrian Stead remains in third.
Robertissima's tactician, Vasco Vascotto had mixed feelings about the day's performance: "It was a great day even if we weren't too pleased with the first race, we didn't sail brilliantly, we can do better than that. Everything went right for us in the second race though, we were a bit worried about the wind shift on the final upwind leg but we were able to control the boat well and get the result. We are happy today but we know that this week will be a real battle."
The spectacular battle among the J-Class yachts continues with the giant of the fleet, the 43-metre Lionheart, posting a 1-2 scoreline in today's windward-leewards. It wasn't enough to put them at the top of the classification, however, as Rainbow claimed a convincing win in the final race of the day despite blowing a spinnaker on the first downwind leg. Rainbow now leads the division by just one point ahead of Lionheart and Ranger who both sit on 7 points ahead of Velsheda.
The results in the Supermaxi division were an exact replica of yesterday's and leave Firefly heading up the classification ahead of the Swiss yacht Inoui and Italy's Viriella with Mauro Pelaschier at the helm.
In the Wally division IMA President Claus Peter Offen's Y3K took a second place and a bullet in the windward-leewards to move up to first place overall ahead of J One while the Wally Cento Magic Carpet 3 slipped back to third place after coming fifth in the second race of the day.
The Mini Maxi Racing/Cruising division saw Jeremy Pilkington's Lupa of London dominate for the second consecutive day, taking victory in real and corrected time. Russia's Bronenosec in took second place in today's coastal race and climbed to second place overall in the overall classification ahead of French yacht Arobas.
Vladimir Liubomirov, at the helm of Bronenosec, was cautiously oprimistic for tomorrow: "The wind was a bit shifty today, but we got a race in which was good and it was a really tight finish on the course. The same type of conditions are forecast for tomorrow, we will try to hold our position and if we were able to beat Lupa of London we would be happy, but we will see. This regatta is very important for us but we are also working as a team and adjusting the boat as we'll be here next week as well for Rolex Swan Cup."
No change in the Maxi division as Sir Irvine Laidlaw's 25-metre Highland Fling claimed another bullet ahead of the Swan 90 Odin.
For the full entry list, programme, photos and video visit www.yccs.com and www.regattanews.com
Hard yards by regattanews.com
Leaving nothing to chance on water requires dedicated preparation. The working day for the Mini Maxi crews begins in earnest as the sun rises; physical conditioning and mental wellbeing are treated seriously. All teams have their own approach; whether it be hours in the gym, cycling northeast Sardinia's mountain bike trails or swimming lengths in the sea.
Alex Schaerer's Caol Ila R have their own personal trainer to ensure the crew are in shape to face the demands of each day's racing. "Exercises and a stretching class help the boys wake up ready for the day's sailing," explains the crew's Swiss fitness coach Andre Winterfield, who runs a beach session each morning. "On the boat you have to sprint quickly in different directions, lift heavy sails, be flexible when the boat is moving. We do a lot of group exercises: this improves spirit, creates trust between teammates."
The emphasis on physical preparation is embraced by Caol Ila R's rivals. "It's a heavy boat so everything you do is loaded, especially for the grinders," explains Terry Hutchinson, a key member of the afterguard on 2012 champion Bella Mente. "These guys train hard, go to the gym everyday. It's a balance between physical and cardiovascular strength."
"The 72-footers are simply the top boats that exist in monohull racing," reveals Vasco Vascotto, calling tactics on Robertissima III. "The boats are powerful, great to sail, versatile and the owner/driver rule allows the owners to go out and win," explains Niklas Zennström whose Rán crew is the defending champion, winner of three of the four titles to date. The team to beat.
The Mini Maxi fleet arrived in Porto Cervo in the week ahead of the event, allowing themselves crucial training days. The Costa Smeralda is a sailing paradise, but a challenging one. "Time on the water and on the boat is the most valuable thing," reveals Alegre bowman Matt Cornwell. "The ethos of our team is to keep guys together year on year and build on it. It's a strength of ours."
"You need a well-honed crew of professionals, we are racing and practicing for up to 75 days a year," reveals Bella Mente's American owner Hap Fauth. "It's a big programme, we move with 2-3 containers, our travelling crew now is 30, 22 sailing and the rest support crew: cooks, carbon fibre and winch guys, sailmakers. It's not for the fainthearted, it needs to be organised and orchestrated a year ahead."
Each training session and race is closely analysed, the boat's performances assessed, data crunched and analysed, the results shared with the team. The quest is continual improvement. "We have a full time data analysis person who collects information and debriefs on the boat's performance," says Hutchinson. "When you get to 100% of the boat's performance and you still get someone going faster than you that's when you scratch your head and see what you can do in specific situations to race the boat better. It's the pinnacle of our sport, you fight for every single inch." "Each day we will make mistakes," admits Vascotto, "but every day we try to improve, this is the important part."
There is widespread belief that this is the toughest Mini Maxi Rolex World Championship to date. Last year's runner up Alegre, owned by Andres Soriano, appears to have found her 'sailing legs' having been the new entry in the 2013 Championship. Meanwhile Zennström is helming a new boat having launched Rán 5 earlier this year. Zennström's crew can rely on the latest thinking in Mini Maxi design including a wider hull and narrower waterline, but have had little time to adapt; Bella Mente is hungry to regain her crown after disappointment in 2013; Robertissima III and Jethou are consistent performers; Caol Ila R and Shockwave may be the two smaller, older boats but remain highly competitive especially in light air.
"Everyone is strong and has their different modes and conditions they are good in," adds Cornwell. "We consider Rán the benchmark in this Class, they have won the championship so any times. However, this year all the teams can win races and the championship." "This is the event that these boats are built for," explains Bella Mente's Mike Sanderson, ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year in 2006, "all seven Mini Maxis are slightly different approaches with the same goal. There are some very successful businessmen and multiple world champion sailors racing against each other. Everyone is used to winning."
"The 2014 Mini Maxi Rolex World Championship is going to be the toughest one ever because competition is getting better every year - we are improving yet so is every team. There's going to be tight racing," promises Zennström.