Torbjorn Tornqvist and Artemis, fantastic winners of the RC 44 Malcesine Cup.

The fight for the podium positions, between Team Aqua, Artemis, BMW ORACLE Racing and No Way back has been fantastic. Showing great stamina, Chris Bakes squad managed to overcome a backstay breakage to remain in the fight. But Artemis dominated the last race and won the event.

Vodcast of the RC44 Malcesine Cup. Video copyright RC44 Class Association

Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Valencia Sailing) and software by Elliott Back

The Argentinean sailing war machine fired on all engines this afternoon in Alicante. A second place and a bullet in the day’s two races as well a mediocre last race by both Emirates Team NZ and Quantum, gave the Alicante Trophy to the boat helmed Guillermo Parada.

Matador is the winner of the trophy with 36 points, followed by Artemis with 37, Emirates Team NZ with 38 and Quantum Racing with 40. Four boats separated by just 4 points guarantee a long, tough and close season.

The first race was simply an Oscar-winning performance by the winners of the 2007 Louis Vuitton Cup. Emirates Team New Zealand led from start to finish despite the tough pressure put on by Matador and Quantum. Dean Barker got off the starting line with clear air on the pin end and the first part of the beat turned into a drag race against Quantum and Matador. Having a slight speed advantage, NZL-380 got on the lead and rounded the top mark 9 seconds ahead of Matador and 15 ahead of Quantum.

Neither of the two trailing boats was able to threaten Emirates Team New Zealand that, on the contrary, increased their lead by 5 seconds at each mark. Still, in the last run Matador was able to shorten the kiwi advantage, crossing the finish line a mere 10 seconds behind them. Quantum finished third close behind.

Guillermo Parada helms Matador to overall victory in the Alicante Trophy. Alicante, 17 May 2009. Photo copyright Jesús Renedo

After the end of the race, Emirates Team NZ were overall leaders, holding a 3-point margin over Quantum and a 4-point lead over Artemis and Matador. All they had to do was sail conservatively, keep clear and avoid trouble. Well, nothing of that took place. In pure Latin style, the Argentineans imposed themselves and left the other contestants no chance whatsoever.

Matador had a brilliant start on the pin end and started a drag race with the kiwis towards the left side of the course. The Argentineans came on top, rounding the top mark 6 second ahead of Pisco Sour. Vasco Vascotto’s boat was the one to have opted for the furthest left edge of race track, a strategy that paid off. Artemis was close behind third.

On the other hand, Quantum, being the first of the leading boats to have tacked to the right, paid dearly their move and came into the 1st run eighth. From that point on, Matador kept their lead until the finish line while the New Zealanders and Quantum sailed poorly, finishing 7th and 6th respectively.

@Nico Martinez / AUDI MedCup

We knew in the morning that we did have a chance for first place and we were conscious it depended upon us and that we had to fight until the finish. This result clearly shows us, and the rest of the teams, that we are alive and that we will fight.”

@Chris Cameron / ETNZ

Finishing just 2 points from the lead means that we are very, very close to the best teams here in the TP52 circuit. In the light and shifty conditions it’s a little bit a roll of the dice so we have to work in our light air percentage gains. Overall, we are quite satisfied. In this very first regatta we wanted to survive and make sure we are in contagion. We feel we have to keep improving as the season goes on. We are very, very happy to be just points from the lead. There is a long way to go yet but of course people always expect the best from Emirates Team New Zealand.”

Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Valencia Sailing) and software by Elliott Back

The quiz we posted earlier today was apparently quite easy. Two of our readers almost instantaneously had the correct answer. The team is the newly-founded Marazzi Sailing and the boat is the 2008 Artemis TP52.

Marazzi Sailing is led by Swiss Star champion Flavio Marazzi and German Olympic and America’s Cup champio Jochen Schuemann and flies the colors of the Gstaad Yacht Club. They have been training for a week in Valencia with a crew that comes mainly from the former Platoon and Team Germany with the addition of sailors from other teams, such as John Cutler, former tactician on Desafío.

The team was formally presented on Wednesday in Zurich and an official press release will provide all the details of this brand new TP52 team. In the meantime, we publish a selection of photos from their training in Valencia.

Marazzi Sailing carries out first training. Valencia, 4 May 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Marazzi Sailing

Marazzi Sailing carries out first training. Valencia, 4 May 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Marazzi Sailing

Marazzi Sailing carries out first training. Valencia, 4 May 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Marazzi Sailing

Marazzi Sailing carries out first training. Valencia, 4 May 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Marazzi Sailing

Marazzi Sailing carries out first training. Valencia, 4 May 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Marazzi Sailing

Marazzi Sailing carries out first training. Valencia, 4 May 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Marazzi Sailing

Marazzi Sailing carries out first training. Valencia, 4 May 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Marazzi Sailing

Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Valencia Sailing) and software by Elliott Back

[Source: RC44] Team Artemis scores an impressive 9 / 0 and wins the match race event ahead of No Way Back, Ceeref and BMW ORACLE Racing; all three on a tie with five points each.

Showing great mastery of the tricky air conditions, and superb boat handling, Dean Barker and his crew on board Artemis have exploded out of the blocks, winning all of their matches and the overall ranking ahead of Philippe Presti and Sébastien Col.

Today will be remembered as the longest, and certainly one of the hardest match-racing days in the RC 44 Championship Tour history. The racing started on schedule, under a blue sunshine and with a very light breeze. It finished eight hours later under a stunning red sky and with a lovely 10-12 knots breeze. Race Officer Peter Reggio had to postpone racing on several occasions, re-establishing the course according to the wind variations. Luckily it all finished well, with fantastic sailing conditions and great matches.

Highlights from the second day of the RC44 Cagliari regatta. Cagliari, 23 April 2009. Video copyright RC44

On great form, Dean Barker managed to win the first start – and match – of the day despite being dominated by Cameron Appleton’s Team Aqua in the pre-start. Reacting one second too late at the crucial moment, Appleton let his fellow citizen escape and win the race.

All other teams opposed to Barker and his “fab-seven” were to suffer the same fate later on in the day, succumbing to Barker’s aggressiveness, perfect positioning and great tactics. The best example was the match between Artemis and Ceeref. The Slovenian team, with Seb Col at the helm, was in the lead but Barker and his team kept pushing harder and harder until Ceeref made a first mistake, touching the windward mark, before getting a second “killing” penalty a few minutes later.
Also well inspired however unable to beat Artemis, Team Puerto Calero bravely tempted everything against Artemis during the fifth flight but could only humbly congratulate their opponent past the arrival line: there was nothing to do against this team today.

The racing became really interesting in the middle of the afternoon, once the breeze had established itself. At this stage, four teams were in a position to grab the second overall spot: Ceeref (Sébastien Col), No Way Back (Philippe Presti), Team Aqua (Cameron Appleton) and BMW ORACLE Racing (Larry Ellison). As the day went by, the sailors’ muscles started to hurt and concentration and focus became the deciding factors for victory. Team Aqua, who was struggling to adapt to the new Class rule regarding bowsprit management – and its consequences on crew work – struggled in the end of the day and let the three others fight for the podium.

Dean Barker ends the match race event with a perfect score. Cagliari, 23 April 2009. Photo copyright Nico Martinez

Both No Way Back and Ceeref had the best run, winning one more match then BMW ORACLE Racing; they were however both penalised for a light touch against one of their opponents. As a consequence, they finished on a tie with the American team. Ceeref had beaten Oracle, who had beaten No Way Back, who had beaten Ceeref whilst the three teams had been beaten by Aqua… It took the Jury a while to listen to – and reject – Ceeref’s request for redress, and announce that No Way Back was second overall, ahead of Ceeref and BMW ORACLE Racing.

Many other extraordinary matches took place today. Team Austria won its first ever match race, against Puerto Calero. This is with no doubt only the start for this promising team. Team Sea Dubai also had its moment of glory, beating BMW ORACLE Racing and Team Austria. As for the craziest match of the day, it was with no doubt the one between No Way Back and Organika; a fabulous fight that looked more like a boxing match than a regatta.

Organika, team Sea Dubai and Puerto Calero also finished the day on a tie, illustrating how close racing is in the RC 44 Class.

The fleet regatta starts tomorrow morning. It promises to be another fantastic event.

Larry Ellison ends the match race event in 4th position. Cagliari, 23 April 2009. Photo copyright Nico Martinez

They said:

Dean Barker, helmsman, Artemis: “I am really pleased. We worked really hard on our speed and crew work. It takes time, but it has paid off and it is great for the team. We had some really close races today, but we tried to always keep the pressure. It was a long day, with bits of waiting in the middle which made it hard to keep the focus.”

Philippe Presti, helmsman, No Way Back: “This was a very long day and very hard mentally, but I am extremely pleased with the way it went. The team was great, and everyone remained focus all along, showing a great desire to win. We have made enormous progress as a team. We sailed in many different configurations today, sometimes at the contact and sometimes just trying to make our best out of the conditions. The team showed a great capacity to adapt to those different situations.”

Daniel Fong, jib trimmer, BMW ORACLE Racing: “The wind was changing a lot today, which made it sometimes hard to find the right sail for the right race. We also had to constantly adapt our trimming, which was tough; we had to constantly keep an eye out of the boat. But we did pretty well. There is just one match, against Team Sea Dubai, which we should have won. Other than this, we are quite happy with our day.”

Ben Graham, grinder, Team Aqua: “Today was tough physically. It wasn’t too windy but the boats were fully powered, and finesse in trimming was essential. We needed to adapt constantly.”

Match-race, final results after 9 flights:

1) Artemis, Dean Barker, 9/0, 9 points
2) No Way Back, Philippe Presti, 6/3, 1 penalty, 5 points
3) Ceeref, Sébastien Col, 6/3, 1 penalty, 5 points
4) BMW ORACLE Racing, Larry Ellison, 5/4, 5 points
5) Team Aqua, Cameron Appleton 4/5, 4 points
6) Puerto Calero Islas Canarias, José Juan Calero, 2/7, 2 points
7) Team Organika, Karol Jablonski 2/7, 2 points
Team Sea Dubai, Markus Wieser, 2/7, 2 points
9) Team Austria, Christian Binder, 1/8, 1 point

Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Valencia Sailing) and software by Elliott Back

As we said earlier today, one of the 3 TP52’s training on Wednesday morning in Valencia was the 2008 Artemis, flying a Swiss flag on her stern.

Our friend Carmen Hidalgo happened to be close to the Swedish yacht and snapped a couple of interesting pictures. Jochen Schuemann is aboard but we don’t know what role the 3-times German Olympic medalist has in the team.

Artemis TP52 sails in Valencia flying the Swiss flag. Valencia, 22 April 2009. Photo copyright Carmen Hidalgo

Artemis TP52 sails in Valencia flying the Swiss flag. Valencia, 22 April 2009. Photo copyright Carmen Hidalgo

Artemis TP52 sails in Valencia flying the Swiss flag. Valencia, 22 April 2009. Photo copyright Carmen Hidalgo

Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Valencia Sailing) and software by Elliott Back

[Source: Sail World NZ] The second of two TP52’s was launched in Auckland this evening adjacent to the Emirates Team New Zealand base and with the Louis Vuitton Cup winner’s own TP 52 in the dock alongside.

The Judel & Vrolijk TransPac 52 is the third for owner Torbjorn Tornqvist (SWE) and was built by Cookson Boats – the tenth TP52 to be built by the Glenfield yard.

Artemis features spars by nearby Southern Spars and sails by North Sails NZ.

She was weighted tonight before her launch and was due to be inclined later in the evening.

The launch ceremony was performed by the daughter of Artemis’ project manager, Jared Henderson (NZL)

Artemis will now start a two boat work up campaign with Emirates Team NZ through to the end of the month, when the yachts will be shipped to Valencia for the start of the AUDI MedCup circuit.

Go to Sail World NZ for more pictures.

TP52 Artemis launched. Auckland, 10 March 2009. Photo copyright Sail World NZ

TP52 Artemis launched. Auckland, 10 March 2009. Photo copyright Sail World NZ

Stern section of the Emirates Team NZ TP52 yacht. Auckland, 10 March 2009. Photo copyright Sail World NZ

Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Valencia Sailing) and software by Elliott Back

[Source: Sail World NZ] The second of two TP52’s in as many weeks has emerged from Cookson Boats and is being fitted prior to launching on Tuesday at Auckland’s Viaduct harbour.

The Judel & Vrolijk TransPac 52 is the third for owner Torbjorn Tornqvist (SWE) and the tenth TP52 to be built by Cooksons.

Artemis features spars by nearby Southern Spars and sails by North Sails NZ.

After launching on Tuesday she will start a two boat work up campaign with Emirates Team NZ through to the end of the month, when the yachts will be shipped to Valencia for the start of the AUDI MedCup circuit.

Go to Sail World NZ for more pictures.

The new TP52 Artemis gets a final fitout before her mast is stepped. Auckland, 9 March 2009. Photo copyright Richard Gladwell / Sail World NZ

The new TP52 Artemis gets a final fitout before her mast is stepped. Auckland, 9 March 2009. Photo copyright Richard Gladwell / Sail World NZ

Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Valencia Sailing) and software by Elliott Back

You can’t just turn up in the RC44 class and expect to win, but today saw the new owners come to the fore in the Puerto Calero RC44 Gold Cup in Lanzarote. Torbjorn Tornqvist steered Artemis to victory in the long distance race for the DHL Trophy, and local owner Daniel Calero came second.

Puerto Calero, December 13 2008 – Saturday saw the RC44 fleet compete for the DHL Trophy, the long distance race which on this occasion was a 15-mile race along the coast to Arrecife Airport and back to Puerto Calero. Dean Barker called some good wind shifts up the windward leg to the first turning mark near Puerto Calero, allowing Torbjorn Tornqvist to steer Artemis into a small lead ahead of the chasing pack.

The RC44 fleet races in the RC44 Gold Cup. Puerto Calero, 13 December 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

However, Patrick de Barros is the proven master of the long distance format in the RC44 fleet, and gradually the Portuguese owner steered Banco Espirito Santo to within striking distance of Artemis on the final reach to the finish. Just as it looked like these two might be in for a photo finish, one of the Portuguese crew lost his footing and suddenly de Barros was forced to tack round and fish his man out of the Atlantic.

It was a quick man-overboard recovery, and no one was harmed, but it did allow Artemis to race home to an easy victory, with local boys on Islas Canarias Puerto Calero sweeping past to second place ahead of Banco. Daniel Calero was delighted after a frustrating week of gear breakdowns and poor crew work. Today his team showed real signs of improvement and they could well be a force to be reckoned with by the time the fleet returns next February for the first event of the 2009 RC44 season.

Locals Islas Canarias Puerto Calero sailing into second place in the DHL Trophy. Puerto Calero, 13 December 2008. Photo copyright Nico Martinez

Even if Patrick de Barros was upset not to win the day, his third place at least secured him a comfortable overall season victory for the DHL Trophy. He also had a good outing in the two windward/leeward heats which took place before the long distance race.

In the first race it didn’t start at all well for de Barros as he was called back after breaking the line by little more than a second. Russell Coutts now had his work cut out as tactician, but managed to grind Banco back into the pack, eventually claiming third across the line. This race should have been Artemis’s for the taking, as Tornqvist led nicely into the leeward mark. Instead of rounding it, though, the Swedish boat smacked the mark, forcing Tornqvist into a penalty. In so doing, he failed to keep clear of BMW ORACLE Racing and by the time he had completed all his penalty turns the Swede was back in last place, although Artemis would eventually pull back to fourth at the finish.

It was an average day for Igor Lah and his Team Cereef. Puerto Calero, 13 December 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Team Aqua was the boat to profit most from this leeward mark mayhem, with Chris Bake stealing the lead up the final beat and taking the winner’s gun ahead of Team Ceeref.

In the second race, Aqua had a brief spell at the front of the fleet on the first beat, but with the 18-knot wind flicking from side to side in dramatic fashion, the United Arab Emirates lead was shortlived. In fact Aqua would eventually slide to the back of the fleet through no major error other than falling out of phase with the wind shifts. It was Larry Ellison’s turn to lead around the windward mark as BMW ORACLE Racing surged down the run ahead of the pack. Towards the top of the final beat, however, Coutts had found some good shifts and Banco Espirito Santo sneaked around ahead of the Americans. De Barros did a gybe-set out to sea, Ellison continued shoreside, but the Portuguese move proved to be a winner. A good day for de Barros and his crew.

Not such a good day for Team Ceeref, with Igor Lah just turning in average set of scores. Fortunately for him, no one else has managed to find much consistency. So going into the final day of competition the Slovenian boat still holds a useful points advantage over a tight-knit bunch of three – Banco Espirito Santo, BMW ORACLE and Team Aqua.

Tomorrow the Puerto Calero RC44 Gold Cup concludes after the final three fleet races, with the prizegiving due to take place later in the afternoon.

The RC44 fleet races in the RC44 Gold Cup. Puerto Calero, 13 December 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Quotes of the day

Patrick de Barros, owner, Banco Espirito Santo: “In the inshore racing we had a third and a first, we’re very pleased. We were very fast downwind, the crew did a fantastic job downwind. On the long distance we lost one of our crew overboard. We tacked back and grabbed him, threw him back in the boat. We were racing with Artemis for the lead at the time.”

Igor Lah, owner, Team Ceeref: “A tough day. The distance race is not our speciality. We tried to do our best but it didn’t work out. I don’t know why, something doesn’t work. In the other races it was an average day. We didn’t lose a lot, so everything is still open.”

The absence of Russell Coutts from the BMW Oracle boat was evident today. Larry Ellison had a mediocre day, scoring a last in the DHL Trophy. Puerto Calero, 13 December 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Mark Mendelblatt, tactician, BMW ORACLE Racing: “Apart from Ceeref, it’s probably pretty darn close between us. Whoever does the best job is going to get second. We don’t want anything horrible to happen to Ceeref, but anything’s possible. Hopefully tomorrow we’re going to come out blazing.”

Daniel Calero, owner, Islas Canarias Puerto Calero: “I feel very good. The motivation was really high among the crew. That counts for a lot in a boat. In my opinion, 90% of the performance of a boat is motivation. After days of try and fail, try and fail, try and fail, finally we are getting somewhere. We didn’t fail too much today. We really enjoyed the long distance race.”

The RC44 fleet races in the RC44 Gold Cup. Puerto Calero, 13 December 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Torbjorn Tornqvist, owner, Artemis: “Good moments and bad moments. We had a good start in the first race, but we came too close to the leeward mark and hit it, and had to do a turn. It’s not a fun thing to do, but these things happen. It’s a new boat, our first regatta. Finally in the coastal race we got a good start, found the groove, we did a good race tactically, didn’t make any mistakes. The RC44 – it’s a fun boat to drive and I enjoy it a lot.”

Chris Bake, owner, Team Aqua: “We got the first race right, crew work was good, we were back to our old selves. To do well in these boats, everything has to go right. If you’re slow off the start, or slip up at a mark, or get out of phase with the wind, then you’re toast. In the second race our two upwinds were just sailed badly, going in the wrong direction for too long in the wrong breeze.”

Torbjorn Tornqvist won the coastal race but had average results in the other 2 windward/leeward race. Puerto Calero, 13 December 2008. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Valencia Sailing) and software by Elliott Back

Hi from Puerto Calero. The TP52 World Championship is taking a toll on Valencia Sailing but there is hardly any time left after the day is over.

Yesterday, Thursday, the 14 TP52 yachts sailed the long coastal race, approximately 55 miles, under spectacular conditions. Desafío, helmed by Paul Cayard, won and with a second place Terry Hutchinson is leading overall, 8 points ahead of second-placed Mutua Madrileña that also had an average race yesterday, after being over the line. Artemis broke their jib while Bribón got disqualified after failing to give room to Synergy in the first top mark. The Russian boat went on to hit Platoon’s stern but fortunately the two boats didn’t suffer any serious damage.

Please check the official website for all the news, photos and videos at www.tp52worldchampionship.com.

Here’s the exclusive sequence of Artemis breaking their jib after hitting a wave, courtesy of Spanish photographer Luis Fernández.

Artemis break their jib in the long coastal race of the TP52 World Championship. Puerto Calero, 23 October 2008. Photo copyright Luis Fernández

Artemis break their jib in the long coastal race of the TP52 World Championship. Puerto Calero, 23 October 2008. Photo copyright Luis Fernández

Artemis break their jib in the long coastal race of the TP52 World Championship. Puerto Calero, 23 October 2008. Photo copyright Luis Fernández

Artemis break their jib in the long coastal race of the TP52 World Championship. Puerto Calero, 23 October 2008. Photo copyright Luis Fernández

Artemis break their jib in the long coastal race of the TP52 World Championship. Puerto Calero, 23 October 2008. Photo copyright Luis Fernández

Artemis break their jib in the long coastal race of the TP52 World Championship. Puerto Calero, 23 October 2008. Photo copyright Luis Fernández

Artemis break their jib in the long coastal race of the TP52 World Championship. Puerto Calero, 23 October 2008. Photo copyright Luis Fernández

Original post by noreply@blogger.com (Valencia Sailing) and software by Elliott Back

[Source: Breitling Medcup] Job done.

It was neither particularly pretty nor was it winning ugly, but Russell Coutts, skippering the crew of owner-helm Torbjorn Tornqvist’s Artemis, today finally lifts the Breitling MedCup trophy on the final day of his third season competing on the world’s leading fleet racing circuit.

In 2005 on the last day of the season Coutts had to settle for second to Vasco Vascotto and the crew of Pisco Sour.

Today a nervous tenth followed by a solid fifth was enough for Coutts and the hand- picked team on Artemis to clinch the 2007 Breitling MedCup Circuit. In a light easterly breeze with a 17 points cushion to protect Artemis made a shaky start to the first of two final windward leeward races.

Forced to the wrong side of the left favoured track Coutts, Tornqvist and team rounded the first windward mark 13th, with only one boat behind them. They recovered two places on the second beat, and one on the final run.

The second race start went marginally better, but with four boats recalled for jumping the start gun at the pin end of the line, Artemis effectively had the title secured by the first windward mark.

With Swedish businessman Tornqvist driving the 2007 Judel Vrolijk design, and at least six present or past America’s Cup winners among the afterguard and crew, Artemis won the 2007 title by just eight points after 32 windward leeward races and six coastal races over the five series regattas this season. Winning the Hyères Trophy, Artemis became the fifth different boat to win a regatta overall this season after Bribon in Alicante, CxG Caixa Galicia in at Breitling Regatta, Siemens Matador in Copa del Rey, Palma and the outgoing 2006 champions Valle Romano Mean Machine in Portimao, Poretugal.

It is the second consecutive year of the three year old circuit that the winning boat has been steered by an owner-driver, Tornqvist also winning the Corinthian Trophy for the season and for the Hyères Trophy regatta.

“We did what we had to do today. We knew going out today that we needed a minimum of a ninth and a tenth for victory. So we would have liked to have finished off a little bit better today, but the main thing is that we achieved what we had to do today.” Said three times America’s Cup winner Coutts.

“It was tough conditions out there today and five different winners in five different regattas show that winning this has certainly not been easy.”

“It is obviously one of the top events on the calendar these days and now we have a good group of owners who are passionate about trying to win and it is always nice to somehow end up on the top of the heap at the end of the season.”

“I though these sailing conditions here have been great, very interesting and it was a tricky day and no side of the course was definitely. It was an interesting racing area.”

“I think the high standard will surely attract new owners. Torbjorn Tornqvist our owner this is the first time he has done something like this, and so clearly it is achievable for new owners and that is good for the sport.”

“It is great working with an owner like Torbjorn he gives the people a lot of freedom to put the programme together the way they want to, he is a very successful businessman who likes to go sailing for his passion.”

“Torbjorn put the necessary funds in to build a really nice boat. We put together a good programme, we always had good boatspeed, we had nice equipment and well prepared crew so these things usually combine to get a good result.”

“I hear that there is nine new boats for next year and the competition is going to be very tough again next year.”

“Next year I have some other projects on and but I intend to compete in the TP52 class next year and I look forward to more of this type of sailing in the future.”

The winning owner, Geneva based Tornqvist commented.

“As Russell has said before this has been about the whole package. From the moment the design, the boatbuilding process, the way we have prepared ourselves for the season, plus the fact that we have had the same crew, plus the fact that we have had the same crew – more or less – through the whole season. And I think that the team has grown stronger through the season. And we really have a good team spirit. There is always a positive word, even if we don’t do so well.”

“And it is good to show that as an amateur you can do well. Mind you we have a great team, the best sailors in the world.”

Bribon, Jose Cusi’s Judel Vrolijk design won the Santa Ana trophy as the season’s top performer in the 24 boat fleet across the coastal race.

Original post by Valencia Sailing and software by Elliott Back