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November 19, 2010 |
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On this page, LVT Dubai Round Robin 2/Day 6
Statements:
After the end of racing today at the Louis Vuitton Trophy Dubai the top of the leaderboard remained unchanged from yesterday. However it stayed that way only because Emirates Team New Zealand redeemed itself in the last race of the day with a double-points victory against Sweden’s Artemis Racing. Earlier in the day, the Kiwi boat skippered by Dean Barker, had dropped to third place after losing at the hands of fellow Kiwi Cameron Appleton steering Artemis Racing. Their match, the opener of the day, was the last single-points race in Round Robin One. In Round Robin Two competition the USAs BMW Oracle Racing, Italy’s Mascalzone Latino Audi and ETNZ all won their matches and posted double points. Conditions for racing off the Dubai International Marine Club were ideal with a shifty northerly breeze that built to 14 knots and flat seas. Serene and seemingly untroubled, the American boat skippered by Americas Cup winner James Spithill, now has an 11-point record, four and a half points clear of the New Zealanders. The rest of the field remains tightly bunched with only two and a half points between second and sixth boat. “Spithill’s doing a fantastic job,” said Rod Dawson, tactician for the Synergy Russian Sailing Team that lost to Oracle. “He certainly got the better of us in the pre-start today. Being behind with a deficit is one thing but carrying a penalty as well is just about impossible.” Ian Moore, navigator for the American team, provided a glimpse from the inside. “We’re a lot more prepared than the last two regattas we did, with more practice time. Practice makes perfect. There’s no doubt about that.” “One of the things you’re seeing is that were starting very well. Everyone’s firing on all cylinders. It makes my life easy because you know what’s going to happen next. Everything is running smoothly. It’s a joy to behold, really. However you’ve got to keep that intensity and momentum up. You can’t let it go.” Speaking of their second match against Emirates Team New Zealand, Artemis tactician Iain Percy said: “We had a pretty even start and backed ourselves in a big shift. In the end it became almost too good because we overstood and gave away that gain. At the top mark it came down to a few meters and unfortunately it wasn’t quite enough.” Ray Davies, tactician on the Emirates boat said: “The start is very important on this course. We wanted to be to the right and we were to the right. It was close at the top mark but we had a piece of them by a couple of meters.” There will be no Louis Vuitton Trophy racing tomorrow. Instead, the skippers and ten crew members from each of the International Americas Cup Class boats will join Arab sailors to compete in a 60-foot traditional dhow race. Organized by the Dubai International Marine Club, it will be the first time that outsiders have ever competed in the sleek, lateen-rigged craft that celebrate centuries of Arab commerce, fishing, and pearl diving. The six dhow skippers attended a special press conference and joined their counterparts, taking part in the draw to decide choice of boats for the race that will start tomorrow afternoon. Flight One, Race One, Artemis Racing def Emirates Team New Zealand, 00:27 - The Swedish boat steered by Kiwi Cameron Appleton won handsomely, claiming second place overall for Round Robin One, half a point ahead of Emirates Team New Zealand, his opponents in this race. The New Zealand afterguard performed dismally in the pre-start, gifting the race to the Swedish team. The Kiwis were trailing Artemis on starboard 20 seconds before the gun when Dean Barker tacked onto port. He was late. Unable to lay the committee on port, he tacked onto starboard on the line three boat lengths behind Appleton, losing the right-hand advantage and any chance of redemption. From there, it was a procession. Flight Two, Race One, BMW Oracle Racing def Synergy Russian Sailing Team, 00:48 - Oracles James Spithill held Francesco Bruni away from the start line as the seconds ticked down. At the start gun the boats were still luffing head to wind well below the committee. The Russians made an attempt to hook Spithill and the umpires flagged a penalty. Spithill took another 43 seconds to gather momentum and cross the start line, with the Russians tucked away three boat lengths astern. Bruni never got close and finished still carrying the penalty. Flight Three, Race One, Mascalzone Latino Audi def All4One, 00:24 - Gavin Brady skippering the Italian boat held Sebastien Col above the start line before circling the committee, making a perfect start and claiming the right side of the course. Col and the French/German boat were delayed getting back and conceded a boat length as racing started. Col drew level in fresher conditions at the top mark but Brady was again able to push him away from the mark to round first. Col kept it close on the run and was only one a half boat lengths behind as they gybed for the bottom mark. Then the French/German spinnaker pole went overboard in an untidy spinnaker drop that left sail plastered all over the foredeck. Flight Four, Race One, Emirates Team New Zealand def Artemis Racing, 00:32 After losing their first race today to Artemis Sailing, Emirates Team New Zealand lined up for their second start side by side with the Swedish team. Both boats were head to wind nine seconds before the start and they started together on starboard with Artemis to leeward. Dean Barker had claimed the right side of the course and he quickly split away. When they met again at the weather mark the Swedish boat had slightly overstood and Barker used his starboard tack advantage to herd Cameron Appleton away from the mark. The delta was ten seconds. Provisional Results after Day One of RR2: 1. BMW Oracle Racing, 10-1, 11 pts 2. Emirates Team New Zealand, 6-5, 6.5 pts * 3. Artemis Racing, 5-6, 5 pts =4. All4One, 4-7, 4 pts =4. Mascalzone Latino Audi Team, 4-7, 4 pts * =4. Synergy Russian Sailing Team, 4-7, 4 pts * A scoring penalty has been assessed by the umpires In Round Robin One, each team sailed every other team twice, with each win worth one point. In Round Robin Two, each team will sail every other team once, with each win worth two points. At the conclusion of Round Robin Two, the top four teams will advance to the semi finals. The bottom two teams are eliminated. The Louis Vuitton Trophy Dubai is under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, the principal sponsor of the event. -- From Louis Vuitton Trophy
BMW Oracle Racing today ran its record at the Louis Vuitton Trophy Dubai to 10 wins in 11 starts with a 48-second victory over Synergy Russian Sailing Team on Day 6 of the two-week regatta, the start of Round 2. The win allowed BMW Oracle Racing, led by skipper James Spithill of Australia, to retain the top spot on the leaderboard with 11 points, 4.5 points ahead of second-placed Emirates Team New Zealand. “We’re in a pretty solid position,” said mid-bowman Brad Webb of New Zealand, who has been with the team since its inception in 2000. “Jimmy’s been starting the boat brilliantly, and between JK (John Kostecki, tactician) and Murray (Jones, strategist), they’re putting the boat in the right place on the racecourse.” By many accounts, the race was over before it started. With about 80 seconds to the start, Spithill lured Synergy into a trap, locking the Russian yacht on his windward aft quarter with no avenue for escape. In full control, Spithill slowed the match down by sailing close to the wind. When the start gun sounded both boats were a couple of lengths behind the committee boat. Then Synergy’s bow drifted to leeward and the port side grazed the starboard keep-off wand on the transoms of these 80-foot America’s Cup Class yachts. The on-water umpires penalized the Russian yacht for failing to keep clear. Spithill entered the racecourse with a two-boatlength lead, and the race was all but over. BMW Oracle led by 34, 37 and 50 seconds at the three mark roundings en route to the finish. “It was an error on Synergy’s part,” said Webb, who mans the running backstays in the back of the boat during the pre-start. “With a minute to go they were locked out, and it’s one of those situations where they have to sit back and wait it out. When their bow went down I think they were trying to build speed, but fortunately for us they incurred a penalty.” “We’re pretty confident in our boathandling,” Spithill said. “The guys are doing a good job on the winch handles and trimming the sails. At the end of the day, the penalty was a bonus. I’m happy with how the guys are sailing the boat. Everyone’s getting better and learning every day. There’s a long way to go so that’s exciting.” Tomorrow is an off day for the regatta as the sailors have been invited to participate in a local dhow race. The regatta schedule resumes Sunday with BMW Oracle slated to race All4One and Artemis Racing. Webb said that in this morning’s crew meeting coach Dean Phipps of New Zealand emphasized not to get too comfortable with the early success. There are still four races to sail, each worth 2 points, before the semifinals next Friday. “I like our chances, but we can’t get too carried away,” Webb said. “We need to keep doing what we’ve been doing and stay focused on our jobs. At any minute the wheels could fall off. We’ve seen it happen to other teams and it’s happened to us. If we keep doing what we’re doing all will be fine.” Louis Vuitton Trophy Dubai Standings 1. BMW Oracle Racing (USA) James Spithill – 11 points (10-1) 2. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) Dean Barker – 6.5 points (6-5)* 3. Artemis Racing (SWE) Cameron Appleton – 5 points (5-5) 4. All4One (FRA/GER) Sebastian Col – 4 points (4-6) 4. Mascalzone Latino Audi Team (ITA) Gavin Brady – 4 points (4-6)* 4. Synergy Russian Sailing Team (RUS) Francesco Bruni – 4 points (4-6) (* Points deducted for collision) --From BMW Oracle
The sixth day of racing in Dubai finished on a truly positive note for Mascalzone Latino Audi Team. In the second flight of today’s schedule for Round Robin 2 of the Louis Vuitton Trophy, the Italian team took a well-deserved revenge against the French-German alliance of ALL4One, getting even with Jochen Schümann (GER) who, just three days ago, dealt Mascalzone Latino a blow with two consecutive wins. It is the first time in this Louis Vuitton Trophy that Mascalzone Latino Audi Team scores a victory against the powerful All4One. It is an irony that, once again, the fate of the races against All4One is decided in the very first moments of the matches. Today it was the turn of Mascalzone’s opponents to commit the errors and barely avoid crossing the starting line early. In order to avoid being over early, the additional tack cost Schümann precious meters that resulted in a deficit that marked the rest of the race. The first beat was an intense tacking duel with the two boats bow to bow but the “Latin Rascals” were able to defend the right and maintain a small but constant lead. Mascalzone’s skipper, Gavin Brady, not without sweating, rounded the first weather mark in the lead and held on to it during the ensuing spectacular battle in the first run. Despite the fierce attacks by the French-German boat, Mascalzone‘s bow was always ahead. The fate of the race was sealed exactly half-way through: While approaching the leeward gate a series of sloppy maneuvers onboard the German-French yacht was the second fatal error of the day. Poor communication onboard All4One during the spinnaker drop resulted in the spinnaker pole going overboard, taking a swim on the Arabian waters with no possibility of recovery. This error cost Mascalzone Latino’s opponents another three boatlengths and from that point on the race was practically over. Mascalzone Latino Audi Team crossed the finish line ahead of All4One, bagged two points, having now four points in the overall leaderboard. This excellent result opens up the regatta and leaves the Italians with serious chances to reach the finals of the Louis Vuitton Trophy Dubai. Tomorrow, the “normal” schedule of the Louis Vuitton Trophy Dubai will have a pause, the 6 AAC V5 yachts will rest, but the 6 crews will busy taking part in a Dhow regatta, the traditional 60-foot boats of the United Arab Emirates. It’s the very first time in the 200-year history of those yachts that their Arab owners will be the hosts to foreign sailors. Racing is scheduled to start at 2:30pm local time and will finish close to the famous Burj Al Arab, the impressive sail-shaped hotel that has become a landmark and symbol of Dubai. Regular racing will resume on Sunday, November 21st, with the remaining matches of Round Robin 2 and Mascalzone Latino Audi Team is scheduled to race against Emirates Team New Zealand. Quotes of the day: Morgan Larson (USA), tactician onboard Mascalzone Latino Audi Team, comments on the victory against the French-German team of ALL4One: “Gavin Brady had a great start; we were just on time coming around the committee boat. ALL4One could have come OK out of the start but they turned up a hair early and had to do another bear away. That gave us the one and half boatlength lead we had off the line and in this race track it is very difficult to pass somebody if they hold on right. In the first beat they made some gains and closed in on us at the top mark. So, we decided to lock them in and play it safe. We could have taken some more risk in order to extend our lead but we just locked them in to beat them around the track. Boat handling was excellent in the first run and the guys did some great gybes taking care of all the little things. So we extended the lead a little bit but we probably gave them a little bit too much room on the left, in the second beat, and when the wind went 10-15 degrees to the left they came back into the race. I think they had problems with their spinnaker at the leeward gate and maybe they broke it, so the last run they had problems sailing without a pole.” --From Mascalzone Latino Audi
For starters Artemis defeated Emirates Team New Zealand to conclude Round Robin One. The Swedish team grabbed fifth win and climbed to second spot, so Synergy finished this stage at fourth position. Then The Russian crew opened Round Robin Two with a race against BMW Oracle Racing and lost it by 48 seconds. Synergy and BMW Oracle Racing competed in Round Robin One. The defending America’s Cup holders won both races at that time. They were faster again on Friday. At the start gun The Russians made an attempt to hook the opponents and the umpires flagged a penalty. BMW Oracle Racing took another 43 seconds to gather momentum and cross the start line, with Synergy tucked away three boat lengths astern and finished still carrying the penalty. The Americans added two points. In Round Robin Two, each team will sail every other team once. Boat allocation is reversed for each pairing in Round Robin One. Start line entrance for each pair will continue to alternate from Round Robin One. A win in Round Robin Two is worth two points. --From Synergy Russian Sailing Team
Today was a pretty solid day on a lot of fronts. We were up against Emirates Team New Zealand in the first and last matches and for the first race we had Chris Bake, owner of Team Aqua (RC44) onboard as our 18th man. It was really nice to have Chris come out and do a race with us, as well as to have the chance to show him another side of the sport. We had a good first race, I think we were all pleased with how we controlled the pre-start. We wanted the pin end and tacked soon after, to head over to the right side of the course. Emirates Team New Zealand were late over the start line and had to go left. By the time we reached the top mark, we we were close to 3 boat lengths ahead of ETNZ. They did their best to try to catch us, but this time the short course was in our favor and we wrapped up Round Robin 1 in second place overall. We stayed out on the water and watched the next two races which saw Mascalzone Latino win over Synergy (RUS), then All4One (FRA/GER). By the time we were back onboard the boats, the seabreeze had filled in and was up to about 14 knots. Early on in the pre-start of the second race, Dean (Barker) had quite a lot of control over us, but we managed to turn that around and come off the line fairly even. ETNZ got the right and it was a big split on the first windward leg. It really came down to a bit of a bow to bow situation at the top mark, but we couldn't quite cross the New Zealanders. We were only missing quarter to half a boat length and I chose the conservative option. All in all the guys are doing a great job. They are really working hard and getting the boat around the track in a good manner. From that side of things, it's all positive. We are all looking forward to celebrating Nitro's birthday tonight at the Baristi Bar. Then tomorrow we are going paddle boarding in the morning and Dhow racing in the afternoon. Bring on the breeze! Cameron -- From Artemis Racing Links of Interest: Louis Vuitton Trophy:
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