Artikel-Schlagworte: „Aleph“

The Croatian President was one of the large numbers of VIP’s and spectators who came to witness the penultimate day’s racing at the Adris RC44 Cup. Although the sea-breeze didn’t make an appearance until late morning and the winds stayed light, the competition was as fierce as ever, right up to the spectacular finish of the third and final race of the day, inside the Port of Rovinj.

It was another outstanding day for Team Aqua (GBR) who didn’t seem to put a foot wrong. Chris Bake and Cameron Appleton took up where they had finished the day before, starting clean with space and winning the opening race of the day. They followed with two thirds, increasing their lead over the fleet to an impressive 16 points.

The other team that seemed to have mastered the conditions was the French Aleph Sailing Team. They won two races and coupled with their fifth place from the days opener only added seven points to their score-line. Tactician Mathieu Richard put their performance down to: “Very good boat speed and the driver (Hugues Lepic) and the trimmers doing a fantastic job to keep the boat fast all the time, it helps me a lot with the tactics.” The team are now third going into the final day of racing, on equal points with ORACLE Racing.

The third and final race of the day was probably the closest fought. AEZ RC44 Team from Austria led at the windward mark but made the wrong choice at the leeward gate. Aleph squeezed in front of the Austrians at the second top mark and proceeded to sail away. Behind them Aqua attacked AEZ as they entered the narrow channel to the Port of Rovinj. The two were locked in their own match race putting in multiple gybes, which allowed Team CEEREF (SLO) to creep into second place in the final metres of the race as owner Igor Lah explained. “The last race for us today was extremely exciting. At the first top mark there were only centimetres of space around the buoy and other boats. On the downwind we were able to keep our position entering the harbour and it was pretty special to be able to pass two boats in that last stretch.” Team CEEREF finished the day second overall four points ahead of Aleph.

Accompanying the Croatian President, Ivo Josipovi?, on his visit to the Adris RC44 Cup today were some of the Croatian Olympic Sailing Team in training for the 2012 Olympics. Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic (Finn), Sime Fantela / Igor Marenic (470 men), Tina Mihelic (Laser Radial), Tonci Stipanovi? (Laser) are all ranked in the top five in the world in their respective Olympic classes, showing the depth of sailing in Croatia right now.

The top six boats are all very much in contention for a podium finish tomorrow watch it play out in the final day of racing of the Adris RC44 Cup on Sunday 2nd October with the first start due at 11.30 CET.

Quotes of the day

Russell Coutts – tactician – ORACLE Racing
It was light winds today and the starts were really important, it was all about getting off the line clean and if you wanted to get in the top three that what you had to do. Our last two races we didn’t get away that well but still sailed ok through the fleet, it was all very close, it made great racing. Coming in to finish inside the harbour in the last race was great I’d like to see more of it.
Igor Lah – owner/driver – Team CEEREF

The last race for us today was extremely exciting. At the first top mark there were only centimetres of space around the buoy and other boats. On the downwind we were able to keep our position entering the harbour and it was pretty special to be able to pass two boats in that last stretch (through the harbour).

Paul Cayard – tactician – Katusha
We had some good races at the beginning of the day but I made a big mistake on the run of the last race where we just got trapped below the fleet with no wind. We were about last around the first leeward mark which was painful. It was light today and shifty which is a big factor, it becomes very difficult to manoeuvre when you’re in a lane, and expensive to get out of it.

Vladimir Prosikhin – owner/driver – Team Nika
This is probably one of the best days we’ve had in an RC44, we were doing well and what is just as important as a good result, is that we were quite sustainable and stable, which means what we learn in each race is gradually paying back. This is really important, it’s a lot of satisfaction getting things right and when you fail a few times but then you get some small parts right, it comes together to be a good result.

Coming in to finish in the harbour was challenging for us we had Synergy just in front and the light wind and we were lucky to do a slightly better gybe and get slightly more wind and crossed the line only two meters ahead.

Chris Bake – owner/driver – Team Aqua*
It’s pretty shifty out there with the light breeze today, we seem to get some decent lanes and stayed in front. Once you’re in front it’s much easier than trying to get through the fleet, we’ve had good starts apart from the last race, we were over a bit early and had to duck the fleet but we got a clean lane and just went for it.
Aleph and CEEREF are both doing really well and have good boat speed, Oracle and Artemis are up there so it’s still very competitive.

Mathieu Richard – tactician – Aleph Sailing Team
The wind today was a typical sea breeze conditions, it was a light one today, no more than 8 knots and also shifty. Not easy to predict the good wind shifts but everyday it seems there is more or less the same things that happen, there is a big left wind shift at the end of the beats and now everyone knows it they are fighting to get the left at the end of the beats which makes some very close sailing and compact fleet.

John Bassadone – owner – Peninsula Petroleum
We had a mixed day. I defiantly feel that were sailing in a position where we really shouldn’t be, the boat seems to be fast, but we seem to just be missing a little bit, but it’s still enjoyable. Sailing with Paolo (Cian) is fantastic, he’s a great guy and obviously very experienced and I’m learning a lot which is important.

Paolo Cian – tactician – Peninsula Petroleum
The fleet is very competitive and this team is working very well. We are still missing something in the sail programme which I think in the end on a very light day like today makes a huge difference. There are different areas that can be improved but the team itself I think is potentially very strong.

Today has been a little different two day, a little lighter, and when it’s light like this on the limit of 7 knots the wind is shifty and the course is more affected by the difference in pressure so today has been a tricky day for the tacticians.

Article source: http://www.rc44.com/news/view/presidential_visit_to_the_rc44_fleet_in_rovinj

With the race course repositioned to the north of Marstrand Island the first race of the day got underway in 16 knots of breeze and a difficult sea state. The RC44s were clearly keen to get going, three general recalls later and race officer Peter Reggio managed to get the fleet away, but it wasn’t a clean start. Overnight leaders No Way Back (NED) and second placed Aleph Sailing (FRA) were both called over.

No Way Back didn’t manage to get back into the race, but were quick to make amends winning the next by an amazing 2 minutes 57 seconds margin. Their 14th place in the day’s opener dropped them off the top of the leader-board to fourth. Ask why there had been so many false starts Pieter Heeremas’ analysis was.“Probably the current was pushing us more than anyone has taken in to account, maybe the fleet is getting nervous that it’s getting to the end of the season and the races are starting to count”

The comeback kids of the day had to be Aleph Racing. After their first premature start they managed to claw back to eighth. After another general recall in the second race, the fleet got away, but there were individual recalls for Islas Canarias Puerto Calero and… Aleph Sailing. Another comeback saw them finish fourth. “I don’t know how we got such good comebacks, we had pretty good speed up wind and especially in the second race we had good boat speed downwind as well,”  explained owner driver Hugues Lepic. The team drop one place on the overall leader-board to third.

It was consistency that paid on the penultimate day of the RC44 Sweden Cup.  A familiar boat rose to the top of leader board. Chris Bake, Cameron Appleton and the crew of Team Aqua (GBR) slotted in a second and a fourth to take the overall lead with one day to go, but it hasn’t been an easy ride for the RC44 Championship Tour leaders. “The sailing here is still pretty hard”, explained Bake.“It was pretty lumpy today and clearly if No Way Back didn’t have that early start, they would be right at the top of the leader board, it’s still incredibly tight and incredibly tricky.”

Team Ceeref also showed great consistency moving up to second overall.  

As for the home team Artemis Racing, unable to repair the damage from yesterday they were back on the race course thanks to Team KSSS’ offer to use their RC44 for the rest of the regatta.

Magnus Woxen and Olle Jo Johnson had entered KSSS with the Royal Swedish Yacht Club to give some young talented sailors in Sweden the chance to race against some of the best sailors in the world.

Magnus Woxen explained the decision. “It was a great opportunity for KSSS to compete over the last few days in the RC44 Sweden Cup.  After yesterday’s incident, we felt it was important to let Artemis Racing continue in the regatta which counts as part of the RC44 Championship Tour.”  The young team-members on KSSS will now get the opportunity to take the 9^th man spots on the RC44s for the rest of the regatta.

With just five points separating the top four boats it really is all to play for going into the final day of racing at the RC44 Sweden Cup.  Join us for racing starting at 10.30 (CET). You can follow the racing live via live tracking on both your computer and smartphone  http://tractrac.com/   and the live blog  www.rc44.com

Article source: http://www.rc44.com/news/view/tight_at_the_top

After a relaxing morning in Marstrand waiting for the breeze to fill in the sixteen teams competing for the RC44 Sweden Cup were sent afloat after a two hour delay. The breeze stayed long enough to complete one race and it was Team Ceeref who continued their great form to take the only race win of the day.

It was a day of comebacks and defending positions and a course that provided an interesting twist. The fleet sailed their normal windward leeward course in a light 8 knot NW breeze, but instead of finishing downwind on the second lap the teams had to sail through the southern inlet to Marstrand to the finishing line off the spectacular Strandverket Castle.

Artemis Racing (SWE) didn’t get out of the blocks too well, but caught the first shift well and were the early leaders at the first windward mark. France’s Aleph Sailing Team was just behind with Team Ceeref (SLO) making up the top three. Although the Swedish, French and Slovenian teams never fell out of the top three, all took the lead at different points of the race.

Having led around the first lap and extended away from the fleet Artemis looked in control, the wrong choice on the leeward gate dropped the team back to third position as owner Torbjorn Tornqvist explained. “We were not well positioned at the start but we managed to gain a strong lead on the fleet.  However, at the first leeward mark, we made a tactical error going left while the others went right and by the time we realized this it was too late to recover”

It was then Aleph’s turn to take the lead with Ceeref on their tail. Both rounded the right hand gate and slid ahead of Artemis. At the top of the second beat it looked as though Aleph were going to round first, but a double tack to make the layline saw Ceeref sail over the top of them.

For the team that only joined the RC44 circuit at the second event in Austria, Aleph were happy with their second place. “It was a fantastic day for us, we sailed the whole race at the front of the fleet and it’s a great feeling,” said the teams’ tactician Mathieu Richard after racing.

Team Ceeref entered the southern inlet to Martsrand with what should have been a comfortable lead, but with the breeze decreasing it was a tense ride to the finish for tactician Michele Ivaldi (ITA) and helmsman Igor Lah (SLO). In the end they won by just four boat lengths, concentration was key as Lah described. “There was really light shifty wind today, pretty tough conditions, so it was necessary to concentrate for the whole race which was hard, but it paid off.”

Behind the top three the fleet played a game of snakes and ladders, with places changing constantly. The team climbing the ladders had to be series leaders Team Aqua (GBR), after hitting the right side hard on the first beat they were buried at the first windward mark as owner Chris Bake explained. “It was an interesting day; we went from eleventh to fifth. The wind was shifting so much that on the second downwind leg we basically went far right and picked up a little bit more breeze than the others and that was what gave us the big comeback we had. We were fairly deep at the start, went right and unfortunately a wind shift lifted the middle and left side of the course in the first windward leg so it was really the second downwind that helped us out a lot.”

On the snakes, Ironbound (USA) sailed a nice first beat rounding seventh, a penalty at the leeward gate put them back and they slid further down the ladder to finish 12^th. Oracle Racing also slid from sixth at the first mark to 11^th as they crossed the finishing line inches behind Katusha.

Friday is expected to be a very different sailing day in Marstrand, with winds due to increase throughout the day, which should make for some exciting racing and great viewing for the expected crowds. 

Racing continues the RC44 Sweden Cup until Sunday 21^st August with racing due to start at 11.30 (CET). You can follow the racing live via live tracking on both your computer and smartphone  http://tractrac.com/   and the live blog  www.rc44.com

Article source: http://www.rc44.com/news/view/snakes_and_ladders

In Cascais

Posted on 30 July 2011

The three teams training up the coast have now relocated to Cascais, making the short ‘offshore’ passage this afternoon.

Team Korea, Energy Team and Aleph all sailed down the coast without major incident although the Aleph boat suffered some minor wing damage.

Meanwhile, Artemis Racing, Emirates Team New Zealand and ORACLE Racing have all assembled their AC45 platforms in their team bases, along with their wing sails, ready for the arrival of their crews next week.

Green Comm Racing too has been working on its boat on the forecourt in the race village.

Sunday is a scheduled off day for all of the teams, allowing the event organisers some time to rig TV equipment on the boats.

Some of the teams are expected to resume training on Monday.

See an interview with Team Korea Principal Kim Dong-Young here.

And a great time-lapse of the Artemis Racing base under construction here.

Article source: http://www.americascup.com/en/Latest/Blog/2011/7/In-Cascais/

Aleph keeps pushing

Posted on 27 July 2011

The Aleph team was the only one to train on Wednesday, with Team Korea and Energy Team taking maintenance days.

With the wind lighter than it’s been for most of the past few weeks, the French team did some load testing ashore with the wing on the AC45, before taking to the water near noon.

Before they left the dock, we caught up with helmsman Alain Gautier, who said his crew still had, “A lot of things to learn. We’ve learned a lot in the four days, but we have to learn more and more… We will have about 12 days of training (before racing). It’s not the same as the best teams, but it’s enough I think…”

Article source: http://www.americascup.com/en/Latest/Blog/2011/7/Aleph-keeps-pushing/

Practice and preparation

Posted on 26 July 2011

The teams are in full practice and preparation mode here in Cascais.  On Tuesday, Team Korea, Aleph and Energy Team all took to the water (see Aleph training here).

These teams are still climbing the steep side of the learning curve on their AC45s, and are making use of every minute as they prepare for racing, now just 10 days away.

And the action isn’t confined to the water. On shore, crews are hard at work preparing the race village at the Cascais Marina.

As well, a full programme of shoreside events has been released. Check out the schedule here.

Article source: http://www.americascup.com/en/Latest/Blog/2011/7/Practice-and-preparation/

Aleph makes its debut

Posted on 23 July 2011

With skipper Bertrand Pacé looking to win the Tour de France à la Voile for the eighth time this weekend, his Aleph teammates were busy in Cascais, taking out the team’s AC45 for the first time.

Alain Gautier was at the helm. “We had beautiful conditions for a first day with10 to 20 knots of wind. In this narrow body of water, we have been able to learn a lot and get in a lot of manoeuvres,” Gautier said. “Compared to a D35, the AC45 has more volume in the front, making it quite stable and, as might be expected, the rigid wing sail is very efficient.”

Today was Gautier’s baptism at the helm of the wing-sailed AC45. “Compared to a soft sail, the wing reacts much faster. One dose of power on demand and it is very easy to manoeuvre. After just a few hours on the water, we can already see that the AC45 has a lot of potential. It was also the first multihull experience for two of our teammates, Mikael Mergui and François Verdier, and they are not disappointed!”

Energy Team and Team Korea also took advantage of the more manageable conditions Saturday to get more practice in, making for a nice show for spectators on shore.  

“It’s beautiful here,” Gautier said. “We are currently housed within the River Tagus, while in Cascais, where I have been for eight years, everything is beginning to fall into place to host the event in two weeks.”

More images are available here and onboard images are here.

Article source: http://www.americascup.com/en/Latest/Blog/2011/7/Aleph-makes-its-debut/

French teams at the ready

Posted on 21 July 2011

There are two French teams chomping at the bit in Cascais, getting ready to sail their AC45s for the first time.

Photographer Gilles Martin-Raget captured Aleph and Energy Team as they prepare to launch their boats, and their campaigns for the 34th America’s Cup.

More images of Aleph can be found here.

More images of Energy Team can be found here.

Article source: http://www.americascup.com/en/Latest/Gallery/2011/7/French-teams-at-the-ready/

The 2011 RC44 Championship Tour moves to Lake Traunsee in Austria on the 10th May, where a second new team will join the Tour.

The French Aleph Sailing Team owned by Mr Hugues Lepic, will make their RC44 debut at the RC44 Austria Cup, the second event of the season, having purchased the RC44 formerly known as ‘17’. The boat has a good pedigree finishing third overall in the 2010 Tour and winning the 2010 World Championships in Lanzarote, under the guidance of America’s Cup winning helmsman James Spithill.

Lepic, head of the Merchant Banking Division of Goldman Sachs in Europe is looking forward to the challenge ahead. “The RC44 circuit combines very high level match racing with owner-driver fleet racing.  The boat is fast and technically interesting; the class is dynamic and the racing very challenging.”

The team’s pro skipper and match racing helm for the season will be World Match Racing Tour (WMRT) runner-up, Mathieu Richard and a number of his WMRT crew-members. The full crew are all French nationals. “Our team combines strong match racing experience through Mathieu and his team with good one-design fleet racing experience. Austria will be an interesting event to benchmark ourselves against more experienced teams in the circuit,” said Lepic after the new team spent time pre-event training in Cogolin, France.

Aleph Sailing Team crew list:

Mr Hugues Lepic  (FRA)– Owner / Helmsman
Mathieu Richard (FRA) – Match Racing Helm/Tactician
Greg Evrard (FRA)– Main trimmer
Thierry Briend (FRA)– Jib and Spinnaker Trimmer
Yannick Simon (FRA) – Bow
Olivier Herledant (FRA) – Pit
Nicolas Dore (FRA)- Floater
Jean Baptiste Marcon (FRA)– Grinder
Xavier Leroy (FRA)- Grinder
Axel Trehin (FRA) – 8th man in match racing
For more information about Aleph Sailing Team click here.

Article source: http://www.rc44.com/news/view/the_rc44_class_welcomes_aleph_sailing_team

Seventh team now confirmed

Friday, February 04, 2011

The Yacht Club de France is the sixth challenger to be accepted.

This brings the current total to seven confirmed and validated competitors for the 34th America’s Cup. The seven include ALEPH Equipe de France, Artemis Racing, Mascalzone Latino, ORACLE RACING, two undisclosed teams, and now the Yacht Club de France team.

There will be an announcement on Wednesday, 9 February, in Paris to reveal details of the challenging team.

“We’re pleased to be able to announce that a sixth challenger has been accepted for the 34th America’s Cup,” said Iain Murray, Regatta Director for the 34th America’s Cup and CEO of America’s Cup Race Management (ACRM).

“This is the second entry from France, confirming the country’s strong interest in sailing and the America’s Cup. In addition to a rich heritage in the Cup, France has a strong tradition in multihull design and racing, making this edition of the America’s Cup of particular interest.”

In fact, France is the only nation to challenge in every multi-challenger edition of the America’s Cup, a tradition which started with the inimitable Baron Bich in 1970.

The entry period for the 34th America’s Cup runs from 1 November 2010 to 31 March 2011.

The entry process and validation procedures for competitors are set out in the America’s Cup Rules and can be found at americascup.com/documents.

Article source: http://www.americascup.com/news/seventh-team-now-confirmed_64