Saturday, August 13, 2011

The AC45 World Series

I'm not a sailing racer and I don't follow any fleet racing, but I'm always intrigued by the America's Cup. I'm still not completely supportive of the move several years ago to the multihull format with a rigid wingsail, but since that's where the Cup went, I guess I have to accept it in order to appreciate it. There's more speed in the new format, but the Cup has lost the beauty associated with single-hull vessels. At least that's my feeling.

The next America's Cup will be held in San Francisco Bay in 2013, but there's lots of energy and excitement on tap before then. It all began last week in Cascais (kashkaish), Portugal with the AC45 World Series. The venue is reknowned for its superb sailing conditions, lots of sun and brisk winds. Nine teams are entered in the competition: two from the US, two from France, and 1 each from Sweden, New Zealand, Korea, China, and Spain. If I'm not mistaken, this is a first for both Asian teams.

So in 2011 and 2012, the racing will take place using the 45-foot cats that have been developed for training purposes by Oracle Racing, the defending America's Cup champion. James Spithill, the skipper of one of the two Oracle boats, has been the test pilot during development.The regatta in CasCais will be followed by another in Plymouth, UK in September and a third in San Diego, California in November.

In 2013, the teams will switch to the new standard in America's Cup racing, the AC72s, multihulls that are 30% larger than the practice boats. The challengers series, the Louis Vuitton Cup, will be first, followed by the America's Cup Championship.  There are no firm dates for either of these events yet. I'm going to be watching closely for the first hint of a solid schedule. San Francisco Bay? Sailing? Yes!




Sunday, August 7, 2011

Tall Ships 2011 Has Run Its Course

Wylde Swan
Last Thursday, Tall Ships Races 2011 finished in Halmstad, Sweden after a four-day race that began in light winds in Stavanger, Norway. This was the longest racing leg of the summer series. The Class A winner was Wylde Swan from the Netherlands and the Christian Radich finished in 4th position on corrected time. So for the three races the Christian Radich fnished 1st in class from Waterford to Greenock, 3rd in class from Lerwick to Stavanger, and 4th in class from Stavanger to Halmstad.

Christian Radich
I'm still dumbfounded that I was able to be a bit player in this incredible summer odyssey that brings together dozens of tall ships from around the world for racing, cruising, and camaraderie with thousands of other sailors. Hats off to Sail Training International for organizing this adventure year-after-year and thanks to the host cities of 2011: Waterford, Ireland; Greenock, Scotland; Lerwick, Scotland; Stavanger, Norway; and Halmstad, Sweden.

Waterford crew parade
I encourage young people who love the water and love adventure to find a way to get on board in the coming years. And those of you who don't consider yourself young anymore, but have always wanted to take on a voyage like this, DO IT!