Louis Vuitton Pacific Series at Auckland, New Zealand Day 2
by Keith Taylor 31 Jan 2009 09:31 GMT
30 January - 14 February 2009
Barker beats Coutts in Waitemata racing
Russell Coutts was gracious in defeat today after losing a race in the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series to Dean Barker, his old crew mate from Emirates Team New Zealand. Sailing the BMW Oracle Racing boat USA 87, Barker beat the Coutts-led American crew in USA 98 by 28 seconds in the first race of the day.
At a press conference in the Race Village afterwards and in front of a big public gallery, Coutts was asked what it felt like when the apprentice beat the master. Coutts answered dryly and with a smile: “It’s happened before!” He added, “We would have been happier with a different result but they won that one pretty convincingly.”
After eight races over the first two days, Emirates Team New Zealand has two points in Pool A, while Pataugas K-Challenge from France and Damiani Italia Challenge each have one point. In Pool B, Switzerland’s Alinghi is the leader with two points while Britain’s TEAMORIGIN has one point.
A shifty, gusty southwest breeze averaging 16 knots delivered challenging racing conditions as the boats raced twice-around 1.7-mile legs from a start line off Rangitoto to a windward mark just off the Orakei Basin. The racers took a break after the third race while commercial ships and a barge moved through the area.
In the first race the promise inherent in the series was realized with a tough, tight race between old rivals Emirates Team New Zealand and BMW Oracle Racing. The Kiwis got the right after a pre-start battle and Coutts fought back, rounding the first leeward mark only two seconds behind. Coutts enjoyed a brief lead, only to see Barker use the leverage of the favored right hand side and kill any chances of an American victory.
Gavin Brady, the Kiwi skipper of the Greek Challenge, and his mixed Greco-Kiwi crew had something to prove after suffering a penalty from a collision yesterday that put them in minus scoring territory. In the second race Brady pounced on the South African boat Shosholoza in the pre-start and the umpires had landed a penalty on his opponents before the start gun had fired. Brady started in frront and worked to a clear 56 second win over South Africa’s Italian skipper and helmsman Paolo Cian.
In similar fashion Francesco Bruni at the helm of the new Italian team Damiani Italia Challenge put his stamp early on the third race. He shut out two-time World Match Racing Tour champion Ian Williams aboard China Team, forcing him above the start boat just before the gun. The Italians won by 1 min 17 sec in a race when the deltas were never less than one minute and the lead at times as much as 500 metres.
In the last race of the day, Alinghi won handsomely by 50 seconds over Virgin Islands match racer Peter Holmberg at the wheel of the Italian boat Luna Rossa. Holmberg mis-timed his last minute manoeuvres approaching the start line and in an effort to win clear air he conceded 40 metres to Ed Baird on Alinghi as they crossed. The Swiss were never threatened again.
The event web site www.louisvuitton-pacificseries.com went live this week in English French and Italian. Race reports, press reports, features and photographs are being updated daily. The site includes a link to live streaming radio commentary about the racing originating from Auckland’s radio BSport Sailing 103FM.
The Louis Vuitton Pacific Series is being organised in association with the New Zealand Government, Emirates Team New Zealand, the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, Auckland City and SKYCITY Entertainment Group.
Saturday Results:
ETNZ beat BMW Oracle racing by 27sec
Damiani Italia beat China Team by 1min 18sec
Greek Challenge beat Team Shosholoza by 1min 04sec
Alinghi beat Luna Rossa by 52sec
Sunday Matches:
Damiani Italia Challenge v Patuagas K-Challenge
China Team v BMW Oracle Racing
Alinghi v Team Origin
Luna Rossa v Shosholoza
ETNZ takes the win in BMW Oracle clash (from Warren Douglas)
Emirates Team New Zealand got the win it wanted today – giving the organizers of the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series the tight, dramatic race they wanted.
For skipper Dean Barker and the team, the 27sec margin was a proof that patience can be rewarded even on very short race courses, where punishment for a mistake can be swift and severe.
Race organizers were hoping for a close race and that’s what they got. For most of the first beat there was nothing in it. ETNZ rounded the mark 14 sec ahead. ETNZ defended hard down the run rather than risk extending in the shifty breeze and Oracle closed on the approach to the leeward gate.
ETNZ tactician Ray Davies called for the right mark and Barker rounded 2 sec ahead of Russell Coutts who went for the left mark.
That paid off for BMW Oracle. They took the lead in the left and held it. ETNZ stayed right, resisting the temptation to tack and close the separation. Then came the first cross and Oracle dipped under the ETNZ stern, continuing on port tack to the right.
Barker continued to the left, got the shift and quickly took the lead and started extending. On the second cross ETNZ was clear ahead. The margin at the top mark was 24sec to Barker and at the finish 27sec.
Racing today was run in shifty south-westerly breezes of 12-19 knots. The race was sailed in BMW Oracle yachts.
Barker said: “We worked hard for this win. Our plan was to start on the right and get a bit of separation between us. We achieved that and were able to control the beat.
“We didn’t sail very well on the first run but in the end we were able to take the favoured side and retake the lead.
“We gave ourselves enough of a buffer at the top of the second beat to make the last run pretty comfortable, but with the shifts and tidal current it wasn’t a time to be complacent.
Barker said he would be more comfortable racing BMW Oracle in the ETNZ boats. “We have to be adaptable because that’s the way this event is set up. We are still learning about these boats and hopefully will continue to improve.”
He said crew work today was great. “We’ve got through two races in good shape and that’s because the crew is on song.”
Greek Challenge scores historic victory in Louis Vuitton Pacific Series (from Pierre Orphanidis)
A new chapter in sailing history was written on Saturday on the waters of Auckland’s harbor. For the first time ever, a Greek team won a race in a sailing event of America's Cup level. Despite lacking the years of experience in the America’s Cup and the world match racing circuits, Greek Challenge beat Shosholoza, a South African team whose afterguard is composed of Italian match race champions.
With a brisk southwestern breeze and two aggressive match racers, Gavin Brady and Paolo Cian, the prestart was guaranteed to be spectacular and close. And so it did. Not only did Brady manage to put a hold on the ambitions of the Italian match race champion, he also forced him to receive a penalty for a classic port-starboard incident.
Once the Greek boat crossed the starting line ahead and clear of Shosholoza, the key was to keep them close, whether they were behind or ahead. And this is what Gavin Brady did. Paolo Cian threw a fierce tacking duel in the first beat but Greek Challenge on NZL-92 replied perfectly, rounding the first weather mark 30 seconds ahead of Shosholoza.
In the first run, Paolo Cian put even more pressure on the Greeks, pushing them to the right side of the course but again the Greek-Kiwi crew showed its ever improving skills, despite having sailed on America’s Cup yachts for less than 2 weeks. Yet, Shosholoza managed to reduce the Greek lead and rounded the leeward gate 21 seconds behind them.
In the second beat, and with a penalty on his shoulders, Cian had no option but try to stay far from the Greeks. While the Greek boat opted for the right side, Shosholoza distanced itself by some 800 meters at times, hoping to take advantage of a slight left shift and favorable tide. Nevertheless, once again, Greek Challenge did a good job and left Shosholoza no options for a recovery.
In the final beat Greek Challenge played it safe, stayed ahead and won the race with a 56-second lead.
With this victory, Greek Challenge is back at zero points. On Sunday, third day of the event, Greek Challenge has a bye. Another tough opponent expects the Greeks when they return on the water on Monday when Greek Challenge will have to face Luna Rossa.