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Leg 3 Addendum inc amendment 2

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Video: We need to sail better and we need to sail faster

Onboard video from CAMPER on Day 10 of Leg 3 as they leave the Malacca Straits behind and focus on making up lost miles in the 1200 mile beat to Sanya.

Jordan Reece, who came into the event as the top ranked skipper, has six wins on the scoreboard, while David Chapman scored five.

“It was a good first day for us,” said Reece, “we are not used to sailing these bigger boats, so it’s good to do well, we like them, they are a bit more challenging than the smaller boats we usually sail.”

Holding third place at this stage is local skipper David Gilmour chalking up four wins against one loss, his only defeat came at the hands of his younger brother Sam in his first encounter of the day.

For the first half of the day the crews battled a blustery easterly breeze, that required the mainsails to be reefed, but the wind faded through the afternoon turning the battle of brawn into a battle of brains and stealth.

Both Reece and Chapman are products of the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron’s youth training scheme, which is led by round the world sailor David Adams, and in recent years has started to eclipse their rival Cruising Yacht Club of Australia from the opposite side of the famous harbour.

Filling the middle order on the leaderboard are three more local skippers Peter Nicholas, Tristan Brown and Sam Gilmour, all of the host club.

The Warren Jones International Youth Regatta is managed by Swan River Sailing, and hosted this year by Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club, racing started Tuesday 31st January, with the final on Friday 3rd February.

London, UK – 26 January, 2012: Match Race Germany, the opening event on the 2012 World Match Racing Tour, has announced world renowned car manufacturer Porsche as a new event partner. This year marks the 15^th anniversary of Match Race Germany which will take place on Lake Constance, Langenargen from 23 to 28 May 2012.
 
Following a successful trial sponsorship by MHP, a subsidiary of Porsche, at Match Race Germany in 2011, Porsche AG will now become a sponsor and boat partner to this year’s event which attracts over 30,000 sailing fans. A marketing campaign, including on-event activation, will allow the brand to engage with current and prospective customers at the annual event. 

Porsche AG is noted for its motorsport heritage and feels this venture into sailing is a natural progression for the brand. “Sailing is a very popular and highly respected sport amongst our customers,” said Klaus Zellmer, President and CEO of Porsche Germany GmbH. 

“Both sailing and motorsport rely on clear rules, teamwork, strategy, tactics and of course good fortune – and these values are also reflected in our management style. Sailing is clean, fair, free of doping and essentially comes down to one thing – working out how to get from start to finish in the fastest possible way.” 

“Match Race Germany is what the Carrera Cup represents to us,” said Zellmer. “It offers an enthusiastic sporting audience, all within touching distance, delivering a live experience and not just a satellite transmission.”

Speaking about the announcement, Harald Thierer, Match Race Germany Organiser, emphasised that Porsche is joining a group of corporate event partners, including STIHL, MHP, Ultramarin, Rolf Benz and Bavaria, who will each benefit from a year-round activation: 

“Our partners can expect much more than the five-day appearance and exposure at an international sporting event, with enthusiastic spectators and associated media coverage. Porsche and all our other partners will benefit from our wider offering which includes an event centre, business coaching, training programmes and yacht charter department.” 

As a partner Porsche will also benefit from the Tour’s international broadcast both on television and the internet. Sailing fans can follow each event online via a live blog as well as a few hours of live coverage each day including expert commentary from on and off the water. In addition morning and evening shows are produced daily by Red Handed TV showing interviews with sailors, event organisers and sponsors as well as highlights from all the day’s action on the water. 

Bring on the rough and tumble

Hamish Hooper blogs from onboard CAMPER

Last night we finally got to say goodbye to the Malacca straits as we passed by Singapore just after darkness, which wasn’t actually very dark because of the phenomenal light cast from the city and all of the surrounding ships. There was no moon, yet it was like there was the brightest moon lighting everything up.

It was hard to distinguish what lights were on land, and what lights were just a multitude of ships banked up one behind the other. I saw what I thought was a high rise building moving from left to right which turned out to be an massive ship leaving in the same direction as us. It wasn’t until I saw a giant ferris wheel that I realized I was looking at land.

Seeing all the ships we have in the last few days gives a very interesting snap shot of worldwide trade in motion, and there is certainly no shortage of it that’s for sure.

In a way the race starts again from today for CAMPER, except we are just 25 miles late for the start. Despite this it’s fair to say everyone is happy to see some open water again, although one thing that hasn’t changed is the debris and rubbish still in abundance.

Abu Dhabi is still in our sights, they are target number one to pass. We still have 1200 miles of upwind sailing to do before the finish, the forecast is for it to get pretty rough, which after the sailing we did around New Zealand last year would have to be a positive thing for the team, for me I’m not sure it sounds positive at all, but if it’s good for the team it’s good for me.

There are 2 ways to get to Sanya, the more easterly route which will take you through the Spratly Islands (of which there are over 750 of them) and has been described to me as having ‘unseen danger everywhere’ in its relatively unchartered waters but potentially more favourable current.

Or the other option- just go north straight to the Vietnam coast to work the geographical breezes that curve around there. The down side of this option is you are battling quite big current and the good old fishing nets, which research tells me in some places off the Vietnam coast can be up to 16 miles in length… that’s quite a detour- or quite a tangle.

It remains to be seen what route we will take, but it won’t be long until we do. There are pro’s and con’s to each, but it sure isn’t for me to decide.

Either way one good thing is it is going to get cooler, which is already a welcome reprieve from the sweat fest.

Oh yeah, and no matter what way we chose to go the inherent risk of piracy is still elevated. Apparently these pirates around here have guns and long knives and like to smash and grab. I’m over pirates.

Animal again mentioned he couldn’t wait to get to China.

Here’s a fact for you:

The Spratly islands contain less than four square kilometres of land area but spread over more than 425,000 square kilometres of sea.

That’s a long way to go and see your neighbour for some sugar- that is if there was actually any population.
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GOLDEN QUOTE: “ Its going to be rough and windy, and teams will have trouble in that, including us. So it will be who can manage not having much down time, not having to bear away for sail changes and keeping everything in one piece, so that should play to our hand. But at the end of the day there is still 1200 mile of upwind to go- it’s a lot of sailing.”
CHRIS NICHOLSON

29 Jan 2012

Malacca melee

Catch up on today’s action as Telefónica leads the Volvo Ocean Race fleet down the Malacca Strait.

Leg 3 Addendum inc amendment 2

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This entry was posted

on Saturday, January 21st, 2012 at 5:58 pm and is filed under Sailing Instructions

The good news – cats all round

Coach Rod Davis blogs on why the end of the multihull era ushers in a era for chaseboats …. 

While we following along in the wake of our SL33  development/testing cats,  I was struck by how different life on the chase boat is these days.

Whereas we used to be loaded to the gunnels with test sails now we now carry very few. We used to  motor along at 10 knots behind the Version 5 boat, to get sail shots; now race at 20 knots to get wing shots.  All day motoring a 20+ knots takes a toll. It’s going to get a lot worse.

You hear a lot about how the next America’s Cup winged 72ft cats will be fast, really, really fast.  How fast?  Forty knots is not out of the question in the right conditions.  With wave piercing  bows it will be somewhat smooth, and very wet for the crew.

For the support boats times have changed too, especially  in the type of boats we need.  Just a year ago, a typical support fleet consisted of a tender, or mother ship, and two 40ft chase boats.  The mother ship towed the AC boats, carried the spare sails and parts and served as the brain of the operations.  The tests were run and data collected from relative comfort.  It was a place on calm and quiet away from the ‘chaos” in the rest of the fleet.

It is all different now.  For starters the traditional mother ship topped out at 20 knots, that won’t keep up with our 33 foot cats, let alone the new 72.  Towing speed was 12 knots, 14 if you wanted to drag half the ocean behind you.  Now, we tow at 22 knots, minimum.  Like big battleships, the mother ship is relic of the past.

Even the 40ft chase boats are doomed for the scrap heap come the July launch date.  Their down fall is multi-fold.  Top speed is OK, well…. in smoothest of water at 40 knots, but in a seaway the boat breaking pounding is untenable.

Picture for a moment of trying to coach while going 30 knots, in 4ft waves, shooting video, fighting wind noise as you shout instructions in the radio. You might as well try to give an interview while riding a bucking bronco!!  Crazy I know.  Welcome to our world.

Then there is the simple fact the current chase boats can’t carry enough fuel to last a whole day chasing the 72.

Breaking News:  New boats are on the way.  Cats.  What’s good enough for the sailors is good enough for the coaches and support staff.  Fifty feet long, two Yamaha 250 V8s and 30% lighter than the current boats.  Range of 500+ miles and top speed of 55 knots in smooth water and 35 in waves.  Suspension seats and a small cabin.

That’s a whole new world of life in the fast lane.

It’s going to be wild ride…….on both cats!!!

COACH

London, UK – 26 January, 2012: Match Race Germany, the opening event on the 2012 World Match Racing Tour, has announced world renowned car manufacturer Porsche as a new event partner. This year marks the 15^th anniversary of Match Race Germany which will take place on Lake Constance, Langenargen from 23 to 28 May 2012.
 
Following a successful trial sponsorship by MHP, a subsidiary of Porsche, at Match Race Germany in 2011, Porsche AG will now become a sponsor and boat partner to this year’s event which attracts over 30,000 sailing fans. A marketing campaign, including on-event activation, will allow the brand to engage with current and prospective customers at the annual event. 

Porsche AG is noted for its motorsport heritage and feels this venture into sailing is a natural progression for the brand. “Sailing is a very popular and highly respected sport amongst our customers,” said Klaus Zellmer, President and CEO of Porsche Germany GmbH. 

“Both sailing and motorsport rely on clear rules, teamwork, strategy, tactics and of course good fortune – and these values are also reflected in our management style. Sailing is clean, fair, free of doping and essentially comes down to one thing – working out how to get from start to finish in the fastest possible way.” 

“Match Race Germany is what the Carrera Cup represents to us,” said Zellmer. “It offers an enthusiastic sporting audience, all within touching distance, delivering a live experience and not just a satellite transmission.”

Speaking about the announcement, Harald Thierer, Match Race Germany Organiser, emphasised that Porsche is joining a group of corporate event partners, including STIHL, MHP, Ultramarin, Rolf Benz and Bavaria, who will each benefit from a year-round activation: 

“Our partners can expect much more than the five-day appearance and exposure at an international sporting event, with enthusiastic spectators and associated media coverage. Porsche and all our other partners will benefit from our wider offering which includes an event centre, business coaching, training programmes and yacht charter department.” 

As a partner Porsche will also benefit from the Tour’s international broadcast both on television and the internet. Sailing fans can follow each event online via a live blog as well as a few hours of live coverage each day including expert commentary from on and off the water. In addition morning and evening shows are produced daily by Red Handed TV showing interviews with sailors, event organisers and sponsors as well as highlights from all the day’s action on the water. 

One new city and four old favourites have been announced as the host venues for the 2012 RC44 Championship Tour. The competing teams will again be challenged by a mixture of lake, ocean and harbour racing in 2012.

2012 RC44 Championship Tour Calendar:

8 – 12 February         Puerto Calero – Lanzarote

28 March – 1 April    Cascais – Portugal

30 May – 3 June       Gmunden – Austria

18 – 22 July               Marstrand – Sweden

3 – 7 October             Rovinj – Croatia

The 2012 Tour will start where it finished in 2011, Puerto Calero in Lanzarote, a favourite venue for the fleet and one of the best open sea sailing venues in Southern Europe.

From Lanzarote the class will head to Cascais, Portugal, a city frequented by many global sailing events including the Americas Cup World Series in August 2011, the venue will be well prepared for the arrival of the RC44’s.

The 2012 Championship Tour will then move on to familiar territory for third and fourth events of the season returning to Lake Traunsee in Austria for the fifth consecutive year. Flat water, unpredictable weather conditions and a Lake that is surrounded by mountains can often catch out even the most experienced skippers.

The fleet will then head north to the sailing mecca of Marstrand Island in Sweden. In 2011 the Island provided some spectacular stadium sailing for spectators to watch and a diverse range of conditions to challenge the teams.

The final event of the Tour will be held again in the beautiful setting of Rovinj, Croatia. The fleet returns for a second year after the city proved itself a fantastic host to the Class in 2011.

RC44 Class founder Russell Coutts. ”Next year’s Tour will offer the teams 25 days of diverse and challenging racing at some very different venues across Europe. With some new teams expected to join the Tour in 2012, we are looking forward to another great year for the class.”