Rogers 46 - drei IRC-Turbos in der Ostsee

In diesem Jahr bebt die Ostsee. Und so soll es auch bleiben. Der Designer Simon Rogers hat hat mit der Rogers 46 einen Hochsee-Cruiser/Racer gezeichnet (bei den Cockpits wohl mit deutlich mehr Racer als Cruiser in der Blutbahn), der dank hohem Ballastanteil sehr steif und seetüchtig ist, leicht zu handeln und ein enormes Geschwindigkeitspotential hat (es wurden von David Aishers YEOMAN XXXII knapp 32 kn Speed vor dem Wind berichtet).

Die drei Rogers 46 DANEBURY (Bau-Nr. 1, 2005, links im Bild oben), gerade von Jens Kellinghusen (Hamburg/NRV) erworben, YEOMAN XXXII (Bau Nr. 2, 2006, oben rechts) von RORC Commodore David Aisher und GUTS'N GLORY (Bau Nr. 4, 2008, oben mitte) von Christopher Wuttke (Bückeburg/NRV), messen sich derzeit beim Baltic Sprint Cup. In der Klasse Racer1 (IRC) liegen die drei nach 5 Etappen entgegengesetzt zu ihrem Alter mit GUTS'N GLORY auf Platz 3, YEOMAN XXXII auf Platz 2 und DANEBURY auf Platz 1. Die Elliott 52 OUTSIDER von Tilmar Hansen hat sich lange zwischen der Dreieriege auf Platz 3 nach IRC gehalten und ist erst ganz am Ende auf Platz 4 verwiesen worden. Bemerkenswert übrigens, dass OUTSIDER als Canting Keel-Yacht berechnet direkt bei den drei Festkielyachten liegt. Die verschiedenen Kieltypen werden von der IRC-Formel offenbar gut erfasst.
Bei den Rogers liegt also nicht der neuste Bau vorn, sondern die erfahrenste Crew. Im Bild rechts sieht man bei YEOMAN (links in grün) die Länge des Bugspriets gut, GUTS'N GLORY (mitte) ist auch damit ausgerüstet, hat ihn aber eingefahren, DANEBURY fährt mit konventionellem Spinnakerbaum. Entsprechend niedrig ist das IRC-Rating der DANEBURY mit 1,270. YEOMAN hat 1,278, GUTS'N GLORY 1,284. Der Unterschied im Rating der beiden neueren Booten mit Rüssel liegt vor allem in den Segelflächen.

Wir werden diese Hochseerenner weiter beobachten. Damit hat es endlich eine neue Generation von Designs in unsere Gewässer geschafft, die Hochsee-und Langstreckentauglichkeit mit Spaß und ungehemmter Geschwindigkeit verbinden.

Ein ganz herzlicher Dank geht an Nico Krauss, der die drei Rogers 46 in Danzig für Lobster One eingefangen hat.

MCCONNELLS CHIEFTAIN - Ger O'Rourkes VOR70-Projekt vor dem Aus?

Irlands Green Dragon Team hatte wohl am wenigsten mit Konkurrenz aus dem eigenen Hinterhof gerechnet. Ger O'Rourke hatte sich die alte ABN AMRO ONE gekauft und machte einige Schlagzeilen als das sympatische Underdog-Team, das es mit dem verlässlichen Gewinner des Volvo Ocean Race 2005/06 gegen die neue Riege der VOR70 antreten wollte (Lobster One berichtete am 20. Juni).

Kurz vor dem Start zum stürmischen BMW Round Ireland Yacht Race verhinderte ein Loch im Rumpf die Teilnahme (Lobster One vom 24. Juni - Ger O'Rourkes VOR70 beschädigt). Seit dem wurde die Yacht umfassend mit einem neuen Kiel, neuer Elektronik, neuem Deckslayout etc. ausgerüstet, um der neuen VOR70-Regel zu entsprechen. Ger O'Rourke fehlen weitere € 2 Mio zu einem € 4 Mio Budget, das er alleine nicht stemmen kann. Bis zum nächsten Freitag wird er noch weitere Anstrengungen bei der Suche nach Sponsoren machen, aber die wirtschaftliche Lage scheint für solche Sponsoringaktivitäten wenig hilfreich.

Wir drücken Ger und der Kampagne weiter die Daumen.

[Quelle: Irish Times - David O'Brien]

Transpac '08 Tahiti Race - der schmale Schuh

Das Transpac Tahiti Race war neben allen sportlichen Leistungen auch ein Treffen von Klassikern, den klassischen California Sleds, die federführend von Bill Lee (Santa Cruz Yachts) und Alan Andrews (Andrews Yachts) entwickelt wurden, um den langen Vorwindsgängen und vorherrschend leichten Winden vor der kalifornischen Küste möglichst wenig Gewicht entgegenzusetzen. Magels leichter Materialen griff man damals zu besonders schmalen Designs. Das Bild von Ragtime oben zeigt sehr schön das extreme Läange/Breite-Verhältnis. Dazu muss man sagen, dass Ragtime keine Plastikzigarre der 90er ist, sondern 44 Jahre auf dem Buckel hat und ganz aus Holz gebaut ist.
An unserer Küste gab die Santa Cruz 50 mod. NORDDEUTSCHE VERMÖGEN HAMBURG (Baujahr 1990) einen Blick auf das Design dieser Zeit. Ihre aktuelle Nachfolgerin (Andrews 56) ist bereits deutlich breiter, weil ihre Gewichtsersparnis durch den Carbonrumpf erreicht wurde und nicht mehr an den Maßen gespart werden muss.

Hier noch Rich Roberts Epilog zum Transpac Tahiti '08:

July 25, 2008 - Epilogue

Ragtime, Mag 80 relive Tahiti Race; next one in 2012

LOS ANGELES---For Chris Welsh a victory, for Doug Baker a record, and both accomplished what they set out to do in the Transpacific Yacht Club's 13th Tahiti Race.

"First overall on our bucket is pretty neat," said Welsh, reflecting on the hard-earned handicap honors his 44-year-old classic wooden ocean racer Ragtime achieved to earn engraved immortality on the Fritz Overton Perpetual Trophy at the Tahiti Yacht Club.

And Baker, whose four-year-old Magnitude 80 speedster ripped about 3 1/2 days off Kathmandu's 1994 elapsed time record in 11 days 10 hours 13 minutes 18 seconds (average speed 13.0 knots), said, "When you have a boat like this, any record is always your goal."

But Baker also said, "It's an adventure, not just a race."

According to organizers and all who participated after a 14-year hiatus, the event was not at all diminished by having a fleet of only four boats---and, in fact, enhanced immensely by the hospitality of their Tahitian hosts at the finish.

"They couldn't have done better for us," race chairman Dave Cort said.

So much so that the TPYC directors voted this week to do it again in 2012.

The memories will forever warm the souls of the 37 who sailed the 3,571 nautical miles to French Polynesia, defeating the Doldrums, crossing the equator, dealing with breeze sometimes big, often baffling, suffering drenching rain Text Box: "Compared to doing Tahiti, Hawaii is a walk in the park." --- Chris Welsh and dark nights but also marveling at dazzling constellations of stars from the Big Dipper to the Southern Cross, fore and aft.

Mag 80 got the record---no surprise there---but the other three boats took well-deserved bows. Boat for boat, Ragtime and Bob Lane's 17-year-old Andrews 63, Medicine Man---both significantly modified from their original forms---also beat the record. Jim Morgan's much smaller, 26-year-old Santa Cruz 50, Fortaleza, corrected out second overall to Ragtime and logged the race's sixth best elapsed time ever (16:15:36:50), faster than all but Kathmandu and Sorcery in their two-boat race in '94.

"We had a great fleet," Baker said. "There were only four boats but they all finished, and in a race like that you could easily have a problem, so there's a lot to be said for all of them, especially Ragtime."

Indeed, Ragtime had a boatload of problems, including a worrisome wobbly keel to a torn main sail---blown-out sails were common among the fleet---to a ruptured gooseneck to a disabled engine, which cost them power for their electronics until they strapped a small, noisy auxiliary motor to a grinder post. It all created a challenge for an eight-person crew consisting entirely of Pollywog rookies, who included Genny Tulloch, 23, of Morning Light distinction and perhaps the race's youngest participant ever, Daniel Caponetto, 16.

Click here to view Ragtime's race video clips.

"I was very happy with the crew's performance," Welsh said, "because where the breakdowns get you is in the morale of the crew. Everybody held up very well and worked well together to get things taken care of. We lost a quarter-knot of speed the whole time [the main sail] was down. Genny is a very strong driver and dedicated to the effort, and tireless, and at [Daniel's] age it's unusual to have the patience and the drive and stamina to make it all the way through. I think being immersed in an older crowd brought his game up."

Caponetto, recruited only a week before departure, had sailed on Ragtime twice before---about 3,500 miles before, on deliveries back from Hawaii last summer and from San Francisco to Long Beach.

"That was part of my confidence in him," Welsh said.

Welsh had recently installed a modern fin-and-bulb keel on the boat, and on the second day out Mark Ivey was startled to feel a small stream of water squirting up on him as he emerged from his bunk. Two keel bolts had worked loose and pushed up through the deck.

"You could feel [the keel] move with your hand," Welsh said. "It wasn't a leak, per se, but it would squirt when there was a lot of pressure when we were heeling."

He managed to secure it somewhat from inside and informed race headquarters of the problem but requested it be kept confidential so as not to worry the folks at home. Fortaleza, the nearest boat about a day away, also was alerted, just in case.

A few days later Ragtime sailed thought the middle of tropical storm Boris and found winds up to 37 knots.

Then, Welsh said, "We went through the eye where the winds were 15 knots in about 2 1/2 hours."

Their main tore apart near the top 106 miles from the finish; they patched it back together with sheets of Stickyback.

And still they were racing. The four boats were diverse in design and performance, but it was a contest to see if Mag 80 could cover the handicap time it owed its rivals.

Welsh said, "I just wonder what would have happened if they'd chosen our route. When we made that first jibe [south into the Doldrums] we were the breakout boat. That's what paid off for us. They were far west of us, but when we were going south we were matching them on latitude mile by mile. For a while they were in lighter breeze so we actually had a few six-hour runs where we put miles on them."

Last summer Ragtime sailed the 2,225 nautical miles in the Transpac to Hawaii in just under 12 days. Tahiti, half-again as far, took less than three days longer.

But, Welsh said, "Compared to doing Tahiti, Hawaii is a walk in the park … yeah, 12 light-air days where the boat is flat and nothing broke and it's all easy, versus [14 3/4] days, eight days of which we didn’t see sun or stars and it was blowing 25 to 30 knots the whole time, [and] the boat's heeled over because you're reaching really hard, so getting around the boat you’re a monkey the whole time . . . [and] everything in the world broke."

Ragtime also had an anxious moment when one of its crew seemed to be stricken with appendicitis, which may have just been dehydration.

Welsh said, "It was a tension-filled race for me, trying to be skipper, navigator and head boat maintenance person [Ed.—not to mention e-mail writer to those at home]. My sleep patterns are still messed up. There's more re-entry after this race because it's a little longer and harder and you're more alone. This race you know you're on your own."

Four boats was the same number as sailed the first Tahiti Race 83 years earlier when the winner, L.A. Morris' 107-foot Mariner, took much longer than any of these four: 20 1/2 days. And now, more than ever, it's prohibitively expensive, time-consuming and demanding of crew members.

No wonder only 76 boats have ever done the race.

"They'd have 50 boats if it was easy," Baker said.

Next month Welsh will move Ragtime along to Tonga or Fiji and on to New Zealand in October where the sailing season in the boat's homeland starts. The Kiwis plan a colossal welcome. Delivery crews for Mag 80 and Medicine Man are making their way back to Long Beach via Hawaii, while Fortaleza will return on a Dockwise freighter.

The other sailors will scatter to the winds as new and envied members of a very exclusive sailing club: no longer Pollywogs but Shellbacks who have traversed zero latitude under sail.

Baker gave proper credit to his navigator, Ernie Richau---"He did a great job, as always … very under-rated"---and to Bob Lane, his Long Beach Yacht Club colleague who initially suggested it was time to do the race again.

"Bob Lane got it rolling and developed enough interest," Baker said. "Otherwise, who knows?"

Lane, home for a week, said, "I'm still tired. I just thought it was a good idea, and it was a good year for breeze. We had 1,200 miles with just a blast reacher and 12 to 18 knots of breeze, and that's all waterline [length], nothing to do with surfing. There was less wind in Southern California last weekend. It's a great race for big boats. If they had these 90- or 100-footers, they'd easily break [Mag 80's] record."

The race was organized by the TPYC and hosted by the Tahiti Yacht Club at the finish. It started in dense fog off Point Fermin at the edge of Los Angeles on June 22 and everyone finished not in South Pacific sunshine but at night.

"If you like ocean racing, if it comes up again, this is something you should consider," Baker said. "I mean, you only go around once. I'd never seen the Southern Cross."

Tahiti Race 2008 final results

1. Magnitude 80 (Andrews 80), Doug Baker, Long Beach, finished, elapsed time 11 days 10 hours 13 minutes 18 seconds (betters record of 14:21:15:26 by Kathmandu, Santa Cruz 70, Fred Kirschner, 1994); corrected time same.

2. Medicine Man (Andrews 63), Bob Lane, Long Beach, ET 13:08:35:23; CT 11:13:57:05.

3. Ragtime (Spencer 65), Chris Welsh, Newport Beach, ET 14:16:24:23; CT 10:22:11:18.

4. Fortaleza (Santa Cruz 50), Jim Morgan, Long Beach, 16:15:36:50; CT 11:05:20:23.

Das Foto aus dem Mast von RAGTIME hat Eric Berzins geschossen.

mcel Vasco da Gama Race - Maputo to Durban

Regatten in Afrika sind nicht immer das Hauptthema in unserer Segelpresse. Umso mehr erfreut mit 20 Teilnhemern die Länge der Starliste des mcel Vasco da Gama Race 2008 von Maputo (Mosambik) nach Durban (Südafrika). Der Start ist am 31. Juli. Organisiert wird die Regatta vom Royal Natal Yacht Club und dem Clube Naval de Maputo.
Die Hamburger Reederei MACS Shipping hat sich bereit erklärt, vier Boote in Kapstadt nach Durban zu verladen, um an der Regatta teilnehmen lassen zu können.

Hier einige Links:
- NoR
- Teilnehmerliste
- News

Transpac '08 Tahiti Race - Alle im Ziel

Inzwischen sind alle im Ziel, aber die Stories gehen weiter. Rich Roberts berichtet:

July 8, 2008 Polynesian sun sets on last Tahiti finisher tonight The sun is yet to shine on any finish in the Transpacific Yacht Club’s Tahiti Race, and Jim Morgan’s Fortaleza seemed likely to complete a nocturnal sweep Tuesday when it closes out the contest by crossing the line offshore from---appropriately---the Point Venus lighthouse near Papeete around midnight.

“Last day,” was the message from the boat. “Racing in for last call at the bar.”

For the race committee, it’s as anxious and sleep-depriving as waiting up for your daughter on her first late date, with one upside: “Gorgeous stars,” said Dave Cort, the race chairman from TPYC.

Meantime, the pause allowed time to reflect on Magnitude 80’s record run of 11 days 10 hours 13 minutes 18 seconds, in the words of navigator Ernie Richau, who charted the course for Doug Baker’s Andrews 80:

“The conditions were very similar to what we expected when we left. The start of the race was a typical Transpac start when we go to Hawaii and the Pacific High is down south. Typically we [follow] a course of around 200 degrees, and that’s what we did here, but at about Longitude 132.5, instead of continuing on to Hawaii, we jibed and headed south toward Tahiti.

“The weather was forecast. We got out past Catalina in about 10 knots of breeze and then began reaching in 20 to 24 knots of wind. After a day the wind started to free up and we went to our first spinnaker, and after another day we actually started running with our running spinnaker---a typical Hawaii race up to that point---until we jibed south to go to Tahiti.

“Once we jibed, we continued to run in 16 to 20 knots of wind. By that time we were into the [northeast] trade winds [and] the sail was very nice. The skies were very, very clear. It really was incredible.

“We ran all the way down to approximately 9 North Longitude as the weather continued to be fantastic, and then the wind started to lighten as we entered the ITCZ [Intertropical Convergence Zone, i.e. the Doldrums], which was about 5 North. For the three days prior, 140 West [Latitude] looked like a pretty good crossing, but within 12 hours before we got there it really changed. It was quite ominous the night we went into it . . . pitch black, very cloudy, one of the darkest nights we’d ever seen. We were reaching in maybe 12 knots of wind and we could see lightning strikes in the sky [above the area] we were sailing into. A big low [-pressure area] had flared up right in front of us, so it was a little slow there . . . wind from all directions through there, very light.

“It rained buckets in the ITCZ . . . very wet. At 3 or 4 North we were beating upwind. Once we got through that we were once again reaching, and the wind had shifted to the southeast trade winds and, as forecast, the wind had built from 10 knots up to about 20. We continued to sail in the southeast trades until we made our approach . . . reaching with a jib and a main or a jib, staysail and main in 15 to 20, until we approached the Mataiva atoll. We went within maybe a half-mile of the coast there. [Ed.: Mataiva was the second and last mark of the course, after Catalina.]

“This part of the race was a little different. A low had passed south of Tahiti, and that had softened the trade winds dramatically . . . maybe 8 to 12 the rest of the race from just north of Mataiva. [Tahiti was] like the pictures I’d seen of it where you could see the island from about 55 miles out with the tall mountains and the trade wind clouds.”

In finishing, Mag 80 set the pattern. It missed sundown by 2 or 3 hours on a moonless night. Otherwise, it was a good ride. “We probably did three to three-and-a-half days of the 11 days spinnaker sailing and the rest was reaching with jibs and genoas,” Richau said. A dozen of the crew, including Richau and Baker, had never sailed across the equator and thus graduated from Pollywogs to Shellbacks.

“Fantastic!” Richau exclaimed. “I’ve gotta tell you, this race is the best race I’ve ever done. You hit everything, and sailing out in the ocean and crossing the equator, there’s a lot more to it when you start doing that stuff, versus the Mexican races we do on the West Coast or Bermuda races on the East Coast. To go to Hawaii we do sail in the ocean---and that is real ocean racing---and when you throw the ITCZ into it, that really adds a big piece of the puzzle that makes it fun. I want to do this again. It was great.”

Blogs from the boats

Fortaleza: As Jim Brown summarized, "Another day, just like the last, only wetter." After we finished the reef as mentioned in my last post, we came back to course and continued to "slide on down the line." Lots of big waves on the beam and lots of sliding make for about 10 degrees of leeway. Somehow, even when it’s blowing 25 knots, we are still making 10 knots.

The night was beautiful again, makes you sad for what we've lost since electrifying our nights. Waxing crescent moon to starboard, the Milky Way to port and the Southern Cross on the bow ... now with some pretty good height. That's it ... getting a tad monotonous. Actually, got a dictionary here, let’s see … yup, third meaning, monotony: “beam reaching in the southeastern trades in the South Pacific ocean.”

Tahiti Race 2008 standings (boat for boat at 6 a.m. PDT Tuesday)

1. Magnitude 80 (Andrews 80), Doug Baker, Long Beach, finished, elapsed time 11 days 10 hours 13 minutes 18 seconds (betters record of 14:21:15:26 by Kathmandu, Santa Cruz 70, Fred Kirschner, 1994); corrected time same.

2. Medicine Man (Andrews 63), Bob Lane, Long Beach, ET 13:08:35:23; CT 11:13:57:05.

3. Ragtime (Spencer 65), Chris Welsh, Newport Beach, ET 14:16:24:23; CT 10:20:11:18.

4. Fortaleza (Santa Cruz 50), Jim Morgan, Long Beach, 238 miles in last 24 hours; 200 miles to go.

Mehr dazu beim Transpacific Yacht Club.

Der Dank für das Foto von MEDICINE MAN beim Zieldruchgang geht an Louis Laplane, für das von RAGTIME im nächtlichen Hafen an Dave Cort.

ERICSSON 4 - die flachste aller VOR70-Wannen

Harte Knicke im Rumpf statt gefälliger Kurven und "Spray Rails" sind wir von der neuen Generation von VOR70-Booten inzwsichen gewöhnt. Der Rumpf der neuen ERICSSON 4 hat einen so flachen Boden, dass der Designer Juan Kouyoumdjian sich die Rails sparte.

Das Foto von Oskar Kiehlborg/Ericsson Racing Team zeigt ERICSSON 4, als sie aus der Werft in Kista, Stockholm gerollt wird.

TELEFONICA AZUL wurde unterdessen auf Herz und Nieren geprüft. Um zu testen, ob die Hydraulikstempel den Canting Keel auch jeder für sich halten, wir das Boot mit angekipptem Kiel so weit gekrängt, dass der Kiel waagerecht zur Wasseroberfläche frei hängt. Auf dem Foto von Maria Muina/Equipo Telefonica ist die Spray Rail des Farr-Designs gut zusehen.
David Branigan/Oceansport fotografierte das irische GREEN DRAGON TEAM beim Training auf dem Solent. Das Reichel/Pugh-Design fährt ohne Landeklappen (oder was machen die Spray Rails doch gleich?) am Bug.
Das DRAGON im Namen kommt von dem neuen Titelsponsor, einem chinesischen Blue-Chip Händler. Wem bei "Green Dragon" Terry Pratchett einfällt, hat zu viel Fantasy inhaliert.

Einen Blick auf den von Humpreys gezeichneten Bug des russischen VOR70 KOSATKA zum Vergleich gibt es hier.

Rolex Commodores' Cup - GBR Red siegt, France Blue auf Platz 4

Team GBR Red holte sich mit insgesamt 122 Punkten vor Ireland White (144 Puntke) und Ireland Green (161 Punkte) den Sieg, die beide die Cup-Verteidiger France Blue noch am letzten Tag überholten und diese mit 166.5 Punkten auf den vierten Platz abrutschten.

GBR Red hatte sich am Vortag mit 3 ersten Plätzen so weit nach vorn gekämpft, dass ein zweiter Platz für FAIR DO'S VII in Klasse 1 (vor ANTIX EILE, Anthony O'Leary, Ireland White), ein neunter Platz für das Klasse 2 Boot QUOKKA 7 und ein vierter für ERIVALE III in Klasse 3 noch ausreichten, um die Spitzenposition zu halten.

Peter Rutter erkämpfte seinen Platz an diesem letzten Tag wohl am härtesten mit seiner QUOKKA 7, als er nach zwei Strafkringeln letztes Boot der Flotte war und am Ende gesegelt 12 Boote aus seiner Klasse wieder hinter sich ließ.

Der stürmischste Tag des Rolex Commodores' Cup mit über 30 kn Wind kostete einiges an Material und trug damit auch nochmal ganz anders zum Endergebnis bei. Bei Gery Trenteseauxs LADY COURRIER brach der Baum und rückte die Verteidigung des Cups in weite Ferne. SLAINTE, der Salona 37 von Frank Policky (Netherlands White), brach der Mast. Zahlreiche Sonnenschüsse gaben den anderen Chancen, Plätze gut zu machen.

Im Endergebnis schlug sich das Debutteam Hong Kong mit einer Grand Soleil 44, einer X 41 und einer J 109 beeindruckend auf den fünften Platz mit 180.5 Punkten, also nur 14 Punkte hinter den Cupverteidigern France Blue. Netherlands Red liegt mit seinem Team aus einer Swan 42, einer Grand Soleil 43 und einer Dehler 36 auch nicht viel weiter zurück. Die Dehler 36 ROSETTA FROM THE ROCKS kaufte der Niederländer Radboud Crul von einem Schweden, der das Boot ROSETTA getauft hatte. Nachdem er es von einer Schäre kratzen mußte, um es beim Verkauf zu übergeben, verewigte Radboud diesen Teil der Bootshistorie im Namen.

Hier geht es zu den
Einzelergebnissen
Teams
Newspage

Der Dank für die Fotos von FAIR DO'S VII (GBR Red, Ker 46), PAPREC RECYCLAGE (France Blue, Archambault 40 RC)/CONNECT LESONAL (Netherlands White, Sinergia 40) und ERIVALE III (GBR Red, Ker 39) geht an ROLEX/Kurt Arrigo.

Transpac '08 Tahiti Race - Der Medizinmann und sein Rekord

MAGNITUDE 80 ist im Ziel und nun erzählen die anderen:

July 5, 2008

Medicine Man: records are all in the timing

Eleven years ago pharmacist Bob Lane skillfully sailed Medicine Man, his Andrews 56 from Long Beach, to a record elapsed time in the Transpacific Yacht Race to Hawaii, beating Merlin’s 20-year-old record.

The only catch was that two days later five other boats that had started in another class three days after Medicine Man beat his time, ending his 48 hours of fame.

It’s not exactly déjà vu, but here’s Lane again---same boat, just twice since modified into an Andrews 61 and now an Andrews 63---about to break the old record in the TPYC’s 3,571-nautical mile race to Tahiti when he finishes, as expected, around 11 o’clock PDT Saturday night.

Only catch: two nights earlier Doug Baker’s Magnitude 80 blew away Kathmandu’s 1994 record by 3 1/2 days, finishing about 48 hours earlier in 11 days 10 hours 13 minutes 18 seconds.

Alan Andrews, the design genius for three of the four boats in the race, including Chris Welsh’s Ragtime, is on board Medicine Man to share in the irony with Lane and his loyal crew members who go back a decade or two.

Navigator Mike Priest, new to the crew, reported early Saturday: “Looking forward to arrival this afternoon/evening. Timing, boat clean-up and ‘last clean shirt’ is a fine art!”

Meanwhile, Baker and his crew reveled in their success amid the palm trees and French Polynesian hospitality, a rare treat for ocean racers these days. There have been 13 Tahiti Races over 83 years but none since 1994.

Baker said, “They should run this race again in 2012. It is not just a race; it is an adventure.”

Keith Kilpatrick, a Mag 80 watch captain and Shellback veteran of a Volvo Ocean Race, said: “We broke some things on this trip. Nothing major, but we usually never break anything on Magnitude. This race is so much longer than any other race we have done. It is completely different from a Hawaii race.”

The six-man Los Angeles Yacht Club crew on Jim Morgan’s Santa Cruz 50, Fortaleza, might agree.

“The night was wonderful,” Morgan reported Friday. “Plenty of high speeds as we rode the tight-reaching spinnaker over unseen swells. Then at 2242 we crossed the equator at Lon 139-40.9'W, and five new Shellbacks were born. This all merrily continued until 0600 ... almost exactly one day since it began as the wind started building to 24 knots.

“We decided first to change spinnakers to our heavy 1.5 oz, allowing us to also check the spin halyard for wear. But very soon we were headed in the wrong direction and we took it down to put up the #3 and get back on course. Ten minutes later the wind died and the rain started and we switched headsails to the #1. Shortly thereafter, it was more appropriate to have the chute back up.

“When we had cleaned up the other changes, taking a couple of hours of hard work ... we relaunched the 1.5 oz. The wind dropped and we couldn't fly it, so we changed again to the 0.75 oz, but immediately the wind changed direction and we were off course again. So, finally, we put the #1 back up (which we hadn't yet put away). This all cost us probably 20 miles to our competitors ... ouch. But now we're back on course (and speed). Ahh, yacht racing.”

Blogs from the boats

Ragtime: Fast and wet all night long. The backup genset in action. Louder than you can imagine, unmuffled air cooled diesel. But the water maker is flowing, and we are keeping most of the batteries up. Can't make it through the night … ended up sailing with compass light only several times. Won't be trying the SSB or much else. We flip a breaker on and the instruments go under. Beautiful sailing day, gribs not matching the breeze, as usual.

Fortaleza: After a light and shifty morning breeze (and seven sail changes!) we settled into a strong beam reach. Our 12th day was fantastic. We launched the chute yesterday at 0600 and sailed flat and fast all day. The sun was out as we rode the lifting shift preceding a frontal passage that was giving our closest competitor (Ragtime) a header causing them to sail off course. And of course, we met with King Neptune. As we knew that the equator passing would be in the darkness, King Neptune made his appearance about 30 miles north at 1800. As we Pollywogs bowed before his highness, we shared wine and rum, the story of Jim Nash, and lots of laughs as we rocketed down 6-foot swells at speeds up to 13 knots. Right now we're bombing along, on course at 10.5 kts. Good pace for us, and I think a winning one.

Tahiti Race 2008 standings
(boat for boat at 6 a.m. PDT Saturday)

1. Magnitude 80 (Andrews 80), Doug Baker, Long Beach, finished, elapsed time 11 days 10 hours 13 minutes 18 seconds (betters record of 14:21:15:26 by Kathmandu, Santa Cruz 70, Fred Kirschner, 1994); corrected time the same.

2. Medicine Man (Andrews 63), Bob Lane, Long Beach, 297 miles daily run/188 miles to go.

3. Ragtime (Spencer 65), Chris Welsh, Newport Beach, 271/540.

4. Fortaleza (Santa Cruz 50), Jim Morgan, Long Beach, 216/914.  

Mehr dazu beim Transpacific Yacht Club.

Rolex Commodores' Cup - Team GBR Red zieht die Daumenschrauben an

Den 35 sm-Kurs am Samstag beendeten die drei Boote von Team GBR Red mit FAIR DO'S VII (John Shepherd), ERIVALE III (Jerry Otter) und QUOKKA 7 (Peter Rutter) mit drei ersten Plätzen jeweils in ihren Klassen und setzten sich damit mit 32,5 Punkten Vorsprung bequem vom Vorjahressieger Team France Blue ab.

Was an diesem Tag ein Round the Isle of Wight-Rennen hätte werden sollen, legte die Wettfahrtleitung als langen Kurs auf dem Solent aus, da vor St. Catherine's Point auf der Südseite der Insel Wind mit Sturmstärke herrschte. 

Kees Kaans ROARK (Grand Soleil 43, Team Netherlands Red) beendete das Rennen mit einem für ihn ungewöhnlichen 6. Platz, nach wie vor ist er mit seinem Boot aber der Verwalter der wenigsten Punkte in der Einzelwertung.

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Inzwischen sind die Würfel gefallen, mehr dazu wenn die Bilder verfügbar sind.

Dank an ROLEX/Kurt Arrigo für die Fotos von QUOKKA 7 (Peter Rutter, Team GBR Red) und ROARK (Kees Kaan, Netherlands White) vor dem Horse Sand Fort (oben),  und FAIR DO'S VII (John  Shepherd, Team GBR Red).

Transpac '08 Tahiti Race - MAGNITUDE 80 unterbietet Rekord um 3 1/2 Tage

MAGNITUDE 80 packt ihr Großsegel ein:

July 3 , 2008 - Magnitude 80 breaks Tahiti record by 3 1/2 days

Magnitude 80 sailed out of the dark into a French Polynesian welcome Thursday night to cross the Tahiti Race finish line offshore from the Pointe Verde lighthouse near Papeete at 11:13 p.m. PDT (8:13 p.m. local time) and break the record by almost 3 ½ days.

Doug Baker’s high-tech, four-year-old Andrews 80 with a canting keel system, forward dagger board and pivoting bow pole sailed the 3,571 nautical miles from Point Fermin at the edge of Los Angeles in 11 days 10 hours 13 minutes 18 seconds, an average speed of 13.02 knots for the course.

The former record, set by the late Fred Kirschner’s Kathmandu, a Santa Cruz 70, in the previous race of the series in 1994, was 14 days 21 hours 15 hours 26 minutes.

Despite the hour, the 14-member crew was met at the line with a traditional Tahitian welcome of three Polynesian boys playing Toere drums carved from logs and the blowing of a big shell horn. Power boats also carried the presidents of Tahiti Yacht Club and the Tahitian Sailing Federation. Race chairman Dave Cort of the organizing Transpacific Yacht Club came directly from the airport to follow the last couple of miles into the harbor, where Mag 80 was tied up at the yacht quay honor berth in the center of Papeete.

Cheri Lane, daughter of Medicine Man skipper Bob Lane, and Stephanie Betz of Tahiti Tourisme provided flower leis and cold beer. The local Hinano brew flowed like a monsoon rain. Medicine Man’s crew will taste it next---probably Sunday night.

While Baker looked after the securing of the boat, navigator Ernie Richau said, “I want to do this again. It was great!”

Other crew members were watch captains Keith Kilpatrick and Jeff Scott, Mark Sims, Hogan Beatie, Eric Fisher, Jeff Grange, Mike Van Dyke, Eric Mayol, Ty Pryne, Zack Maxam, Rob Snyders and Chris Hamel.

Beatie, 38, is the third generation of his family to sail the race, following his father and grandfather.

Blogs from the boats

Fortaleza: King Neptune accepted six (including the boat) new Shellbacks to his court. Great night of sailing on the back of the front moving across the course.

Medicine Man: Great job, Mag 80, and welcome Fortaleza to the southern side of the world. Counting down the miles ... but did have ICE CREAM after dinner last night!

Ragtime, Chris Welsh: Mag 8, congrats. Great effort; this is a very long race, as we are all finding out. Looking forward to sharing some mai tais in a few days. Appreciate all to look out for us when we arrive. Our motor is trashed and we will have no power to get to the dock. Crew laughed when I opted to add the 80 pounds on top of the spare alternator to have a spare single cylinder motor, too; turns out to have been very lucky as it is keeping the lights on and the water maker going. Biggest concern will be docking now.

Seriously, we have seen it all. Wind was forecast 12-15 @ 080 degrees. We got 22-27 @ 135 degrees. Single and double headsail with reefed main all day. The engine overran yesterday, then would not run anymore. We worked on it all today – turns out it is seriously fried internally. So we got out the backup generator. Yep, the backup generator. Before we left, I bought a 6HP single-cylinder diesel, and Dwayne at Dencho rigged up a spare alternator I had to make a mini genset. We have it on deck and strapped into the cockpit. Ran heavy gauge wires to the batteries, and fired her up (hand start). Voltage again, water maker back online, power for instruments, etc. Main loss is reefer is powered by the big engine, so the last of the land food is being served up ASAP. The mini genset is really loud; we are all eager to see it turned off after 1.5 hrs of charging.

In the afternoon, the wind backed a little, the skies cleared and conditions turned into what we all thought we would have all along: beautiful sailing in the tropical trades, although pretty windy. Getting close to the Marquesas, so more bird life around. Crew in great spirits and all looking forward to hitting land, cocktails, soft beds and showers in the next few days. As of today, we have sailed the equivalent of across America – 2,600 miles. Now it’s just an LA-Denver run left.

More Fortaleza: We are winding down Day 11 with much improved morale aboard. How, you may ask, is that ... you just dropped into last place! Ah, but I know something you do not. This morning at 0630, just after the morning roll call email ... we started sailing to Tahiti … the way you're supposed to. What way is that? With color! The wind has backed and we launched the trusty ¾-oz spinnaker and suddenly Fortaleza was dancing. After days of doing 9 kts and getting 7 kt progress because of the "blessed" equatorial counter current, it feels incredible to look at the GPS "speed over ground" and seeing 11 kts.
Yesterday we tried all the sail combinations on board to get up some speed. Given the sore state we're in from leaning over, I questioned, "I don't think there's enough Advil left on board to lift the #1 again." So, the chute is up and we've gone from looking at a long losing final third of the race to being back in the game.

Down below, Chuck has launched our "mini kite" air scoop and we can actually get some good rest. Last night was a beautiful, starry night with almost no clouds and no moon. Looking back at Polaris, just above the horizon and then up to Cassiopeia and the Milky Way and past Jupiter to the bow where the Southern Cross provided a great mark to steer by. One Shellback and five Pollywogs have a date with King Neptune.

Tahiti Race 2008 standings
(boat for boat at 6 a.m. PDT Friday)

1. Magnitude 80 (Andrews 80), Doug Baker, Long Beach, finished, 11 days 10 hours 13 minutes 18 seconds (betters record of 14:21:15:26 by Kathmandu, Santa Cruz 70, Fred Kirschner, 1994).

2. Medicine Man (Andrews 63), Bob Lane, Long Beach, 261 miles daily run/483 miles to go.

3. Ragtime (Spencer 65), Chris Welsh, Newport Beach, 251/809.

4. Fortaleza (Santa Cruz 50), Jim Morgan, Long Beach, 246/1,127.

Mehr dazu beim Transpacific Yacht Club.

Thanks to S. Renard for the shot of MAGNITUDE 80 wrapping her main after finishing.

Rolex Commodores' Cup - Ergebnisse vom Channel Race

Die Boote der Klasse 3, die auf einen kürzeren Kurs geschickt worden waren, kamen als erste zurück nach Cowes. Die J109 YEOMAN OF WIGHT (Team Hong Kong), geskippert von Jamie McWilliams, kam 17 Minuten vor Radboud Cruels ROSETTA FROM THE ROCKS (Team Netherlands Red) und 25 vor FELIX (France White, Skipper Samule Prietz) ins Ziel.

"Die einzigen Segel, die wir nicht benutzt haben, waren das Try und die Sturmfock" konstatierte FAIR DO'S VII Steuermann John Greenland (Team GBR Red).

Auf dem letzten Stück kämpften die großen Boote der Klasse 1 gegen 3.5 kn Tide an, so dass die Wenden jeweils bis auf Armeslänge an die weißen Felsen von Dorset heranfuhren, um dem Strom zu entgehen. Maurice O'Connell, Taktiker und einziger Profi auf JUMP JUICE (Team Ireland White, Ker 37): "78 Wenden in 70 Minuten ... Wir, BATISTYL [A 40 RC] und die Jungs aus Hong Kong auf ORIENT EXPRESS [X 41] und ARIA [A 40 RC] kreuzten dicht beieinander bis an die Steinwand und fuhren nie weiter als 100 Yards raus, bevor wir wieder umgelegt haben."

Das Offshore Race zählte 2.5-fach, so dass die Ergebnisse bei den Top Teams noch enger aneinanderrückten.

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Der Dank für die Fotos von HOLMATRO (Team Hong Kong, Grand Soleil 44) und ROARK (Team Netherlands Red, Grand Soleil 43) geht an ROLEX/Kurt Arrigo.

Transpac '08 Tahiti Race - Tag 11

Neues von Rich:

July 2 , 2008
All about Shellbacks, Pollywogs and other odd birds

LOS ANGELES—One more day, seven more members inducted into ocean sailing’s Shellback club.

Two of Medicine Man’s crew of nine were already christened as crossers of the equator, and the other seven, including owner/skipper
Bob Lane and designer Alan Andrews of Long Beach, shed their Pollywog ignominy Tuesday, a day after Magnitude 80 flew through on its way to a record in the Transpacific Yacht Club’s 13th Tahiti Race.

A brief report from Medicine Man: “Nine happy shellbacks on board. Too bad there WERE cameras ... no one can run for public office now!”

The photos were expected to be available upon the big blue boat’s arrival in Papeete this weekend. Or maybe not.

Watch captain Keith Ives later wrote: “Crossed the equator a couple hours ago. Good times, had a rum drink and Szabo tunes jammin’. The Doldrums were a bit wacky [with] 180 [-degree] wind shifts and rain that came down harder than you could imagine. Currently tight-reaching in 14 knots wind with boat speed around 13 knots. Things are good on board; the boat seems to be holding together. ETA in Tahiti is looking like Saturday.”

Farther back, Jim Morgan’s Santa Cruz 50, Fortaleza, found strange company in a Kahoola Kahoola bird (see blog below).

The tricky part near the finish is negotiating a new mark of the 3,571-nautical mile course. To avoid an area of strong adverse current that has affected previous races, the boats must leave Mataiva Atoll in the Tuamotus Archipelago north of Tahiti to port, then finish a half-mile offshore from the Pointe Venus lighthouse to avoid an inshore reef.

At its current 14-plus-knot rate of speed, Doug Baker’s Mag 80 was projected to finish at about 2:52 a.m. PDT Friday---midnight Thursday in Tahiti---with Medicine Man about 48 hours behind, also on pace to break the record of 14 days 21 hours 15 minutes 26 seconds set by Fred Kirschner’s Kathmandu in the last Tahiti Race in 1994.

Mag 80 logged 352 miles in the latest 24-hour cycle to 6 a.m. Wednesday and had 575 miles to go, a pace that put it more than two days under the record. Medicine Man also could eclipse the record by a matter of hours.

Blogs from the boats

Ragtime: One of the best nights of sailing we have all had … stars and Southern Cross in view for the first time in days, perfect temp, beam-reaching down, boat a delight to drive. Islands coming into view on the charts, equator in 60 miles.
We're all Pollywogs, including the boat---last time [in 1971] she crossed by freighter. Strange moment … on course, little tactics left most likely except make the boat go fast, and yet we have over a thousand miles of racing left. Never done that before.

Fortaleza: Heaven was only 25 degrees away. Amazingly fun night of blasting away, now cracked off ... not really shown by progress is we are still dogged by current. While we were entering the ITCZ at the beginning of our second week, we were making pretty good time in light winds. The day was sunny and we watched birds swoop around the boat as they pick off flying fish who are trying to escape predators below. One decided it wanted a rest and landed (after about 14 attempts) on the bow pulpit. It then proceeded to "balance" on the pulpit, as the waves took it up and down. Turns out, wet web feet don't make a very good grip on a polished stainless rail. And one point, it hung on by its neck. This entertainment went on for a good ten minutes. As most of us had never seen such a thing, our resident graduate of the California School of Nautical Knowledge informed us that it was a specimen of the rare Kahoola Kahoola bird: Born in the equatorial zone
destined to fly in an easterly direction around the world
with each rotation, climbing one degree of latitude
until it finally reaches the north pole and flies up its own bunghole. Having met our young and tired friend at Latitude 10, we're thinking he might not make it.

Magnitude 80 (Ernie Richau): We have under 700 miles to the finish now. We have the same sail combination up as we did when I sent my last note. The jib top, genoa staysail and main. The wind is averaging about 14 knots and our average boat speed is well above 14. Today we really have turned our focus back to racing after yesterday’s equatorial crossing ceremony. All the crew is back to hiking on the weather rail, the sail stack has been cleaned up and we are putting a good effort into sailing the boat as fast as possible.

Tahiti Race 2008 standings

(boat for boat at 6 a.m. PDT Wednesday)

1. Magnitude 80 (Andrews 80), Doug Baker, Long Beach, 352 miles daily run/575 nautical miles to go.

2. Medicine Man (Andrews 63), Bob Lane, Long Beach, 254/1,020.

3. Ragtime (Spencer 65), Chris Welsh, Newport Beach, 237/1,281.

4. Fortaleza (Santa Cruz 50), Jim Morgan, Long Beach, 170,1,565.

Mehr dazu beim Transpacific Yacht Club.

Rolex Commodores' Cup - Channel Race

Heute morgen sind die 45 Yachten zum Channel Race aufgebrochen.
Die Boote in Klasse 1 segeln einen Kurs von 191 sm, die Teilnehmer in Klasse 2 eine Strecke von 173 sm und die kleineren in Klasse 3 segeln 137 sm. Damit wird der Rolex Commodores' Cup zum wirklichen Offshore-Event.

Aktuelle Positionen und den Verlauf der Regatta bisher gibt es im Race Player.

Das Bild von YEOMAN OF WIGHT (Team Hong Kong) beim Start zum Channel Race haben Rolex/Kurt Arrigo zur Verfügung gestellt.

Rolex Commodores' Cup - Tag 2 mit einer Schippe mehr Wind

Tag 2 bescherte nach dem ruhigeren Auftakt am ersten Tag 2 Knoten Wind aus SW. Die beiden Windward-Leewards wurden im zentralen Solent vor Hill Head gesegelt. Die irische BLONDIE IV (Eamonn Rohan, King 40) hatte einen perfekten Start im ersten Lauf des Tages und konnte vor dem Feld die Parade abnehmen und frei vor dem Feld den Tagessieg in ihrer Klasse einstreichen. Die anderen beiden Boote vom Team Ireland Green konnten mit einem dritten und einem vierten Platz dem Team France Blue den ersten Platz in der Gesamtwertung abnehmen, das nur drei fünfte in diesem Rennen ersegelte.

Im vierten Rennen legten die Franzosen (France Blue) mit zwei ersten in Klasse 1 (LADY COURRIER, First 45, Gery Trentesaux) und Klasse 3 (PRIME TIME, Archambault 35, Marc Alperovitch) wieder zu und konnten wieder auf Platz 2 in der Gesamtwertung vorrücken. Lachender Gewinner war Team GBR Red (QUOKKA 7, FAIR DO'S und ERIVALE III).

Hier der Zwischenstand nach vier Rennen:

Team Name	Team Points	Team Place
GBR Red	40	1
France Blue	43	2
Ireland Green	43.5	3
Hong Kong	67	4
Ireland White	68	5
Netherlands Red	92	6
GBR Black	93	7
Netherlands White	93	7
GBR White	106	9
France Red	115	10
France White	116	11
France Green	123.5	12
GBR Blue	140	13
Netherlands Blue	140	13
Spain	169	15

Am Mittwoch startet das Channel Race und kann auf dem bewährten OC Tracker verfolgt werden. Klasse 1 wird einen Kurs über 191 sm segeln, Klasse 2 über 173 sm und die Boote in Klasse 3 über 137.

Der Dank für das Foto von der spanischen BIZKAIA MAITENA und BLONDIE IV (Ireland Green) geht an Rolex/Kurt Arrigo.

Transpac Tahiti Race '08 - Tag 10 Äquatortaufe

Es geht an die Äquatortaufe:

July 1 , 2008 - For Pollywogs, a memorable day at the equator

LOS ANGELES—Magnitude 80, closing in on the record in the Transpacific Yacht Club’s 13th Tahiti Race, crossed the equator Monday afternoon---always a memorable experience, especially for Pollywogs.

A Pollywog is a sailor who has never sailed (airplanes don’t count) from the Northern Hemisphere to the Southern Hemisphere, or the reverse. A Shellback is one who has, and there is a traditional ceremony emphasizing the distinction between the two.

Doug Baker’s Magnitude 80 crossed the line between 2 and 3 p.m. PDT Monday as Bob Lane’s Medicine Man was just breaking out of the Intertropical Convergence Zone and preparing for its own ritual in anticipated fair southeasterly breeze, as was Jim Morgan’s Fortaleza to the east.

“Two Shellbacks and seven Pollywogs await visit from King Neptune,” Medicine Man navigator Mike Priest reported.

What can Medicine Man’s Pollywogs expect? Magnitude’s chief correspondent, navigator Ernie Richau, offered this account early Tuesday:

“This morning I awoke to see our watch captains Keith Kilpatrick and Jeff Scott in the galley with a bucket, mixing up more gruel for our equator crossing. A quick look at the GPS showed us we were just a few minutes from Latitude 00. After they finished with the gruel they began making their clothes. Keith was King Neptune while Jeff played the part of his mistress, Queen Codfish. I went on deck with the other crew and waited for our crossing.
“At Latitude 00 Jeff and Keith appeared on deck. King Neptune wore a plastic trash bag with holes cut for his arms and head. His hair was gorilla tape with yards of red and white yarn stuck to it. Finally, he sported a triton---our spare jib batten with three forks taped to the end. Queen Codfish was a hysterical site. She wore a matching trash bag as a skirt. Under her skirt and taped to her leg was a full water bottle that also holstered a pair of scissors. She had no shirt but covered her chest with more gorilla tape tightly applied to make a sort of 'tube top.' Long flowing yarn made up her hair.

“They both made their way to the deck behind the wheels. King Neptune and Queen Codfish took two sail ties and attached them to the leeward rail. They then began initiating the 12 slimy Pollywogs in the equatorial crossing ceremony. King Neptune started handing down the sentences.

“ ‘Hogan [Beatie], come forward ... you will receive three scoops of gruel for your past generations ... and another two for your crimes.’ Hogan made the mistake of opening his mouth to speak. ’Silence! One more scoop!’

“One at a time each Pollywog was called aft, tied to the transom and treated to humiliation in front of all with the slimy bath of the gruel. Next they were required to offer a lock of hair. It was cut by Queen Codfish and her scissors, then thrown in the ocean in order to show respect to the sea god and his mistress. Finally, the Queen would shower the Pollywog with water.

“[Skipper] Doug [Baker] was the final Pollywog to be sentenced. King Neptune was at a loss. ‘How many scoops should a man who has committed as many crimes as thee be given?! Ten scoops!!!" Everyone had a great time.”

Back to the task, Richau added: “We now have under 1,000 miles to the finish. This is a fun point of sail. The wind is about 13 knots, we have a jib top and genoa staysail up and we are going a consistent 15 knots with bursts of boat speed to 18.”

Ay Tuesday’s 6 a.m. position reports, Mag 80’s ETA to the finish was 7:28 a.m. PDT Friday, the Fourth of July, which should be an occasion for fireworks even for French Polynesians, whose predecessors were allies in the 18th century battle against the Brits.

Meanwhile, the only apparent problems in the race were data outages between the race committee on the mainland and Medicine Man---no data, but voice---and no transponder pings coming through the complex system from Magnitude 80 due to unknown issues.

The racing fleet and RC have worked out a communications plan employing a unique jury-rigged "left-handed data-splice" that relies on the inventiveness and generosity of all parties involved, in order to get the missing information to and from RC and the fleet and thus carry on with the race.

Blogs from the boats

Fortaleza: Tough night … 20-25 kts on the nose, non-stop. Horrible 2-kt counter current. Short 3-foot seas with lots of pounding. Enough water over bow to set off my PFD as I napped on the weather rail. Hey, who snuck a Bermuda race in the doldrums?

Ragtime: Wind has come around to give us a blazing blast reach session for last 12 hrs. Reefed main and JT3 blast reacher up, going like a freight train on hard chine rails. Smacked in the chest by a flying fish while driving an hour ago, harness took the hit. Cruel fate as my harness now reeks.

Tahiti Race 2008 standings
(boat for boat at 6 a.m. PDT Tuesday)

1. Magnitude 80 (Andrews 80), Doug Baker, Long Beach, 308 miles daily run/926 nautical miles to go.
2. Medicine Man (Andrews 63), Bob Lane, Long Beach 184/1,274.
3. Ragtime (Spencer 65), Chris Welsh, Newport Beach, 188/1,517.
4. Fortaleza (Santa Cruz 50), Jim Morgan, Long Beach, 124/1,726.

Mehr dazu beim Transpacific Yacht Club.

MORNING GLORY - Mastbruch beim Eurocard Gotland Runt

Hasso Plattners Max Z86 MORNING GLORY war auf dem Weg, den Gotland Runt Rekord zu knacken, als der 41-Meter-Karbonmast unterhalb der dritten Saling brach. Niemand wurde verletzt und MORNING GLORY ist wohlbehalten zurück in Sandhamn.

Mit GER im Segel sind noch OUTSIDER (Tilmar Hansen), BANK VON BREMEN (Bodo Mall) und NORDDEUTSCHE VERMÖGEN HAMBURG (Benjamin Hub) im Rennen. Der KSSS hat in diesem Jahr beim Gotland Runt auch eine IRC-Klasse ausgeschrieben und damit zwei Gruppen mit Interessenten füllen können. Es ist erfreulich, dass die Schweden sich gegen das politische Ostseedogma und für einen Test der Formel des internationalen Hochseesegelns entschieden haben. Die Meldezahlen zeigen den Dank der Segler für die Fortschrittlichkeit der Veranstalter.

Demgegenüber ist es misslich, dass die Grand Open-Klasse, in der alle Yachten über GPH 525 fahren müssen, nach ORC-Club ausgeschrieben wurde. Es ist ein Wunder, dass überhaupt noch große Rennyachten für diese Veranstaltung gemeldet haben. Christopher Wuttke zog die Meldung für seine brandneue Rogers 46 GUTS'N GLORY zurück, als ihm diese künstliche Bremse für IRC in der Ostsee bekannt wurde. Das Eurocard Gotland Runt wird wohl auch auf die Dauer nicht sein Potential als eins der großen Offshore Events ausspielen können, wenn es sich gegen die Entwicklung des internationalen Marktes stellt.

Danke an Rolex/Carlo Borlenghi für das Archivbild der MORNING GLORY beim Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup 2007.

Rolex Commodores' Cup mit Traumstart - France Blue startet mit Macht zur Verteidigung des Titels

Am Sonntag versammelten sich 45 Yachten für eine Woche zur weltgrößten Dickschiff-Teamveranstaltung für Amateure. 15 Teams, davon 4 aus Frankreich, 1 aus Hong Kong, 2 aus Irland, 3 aus den Niederlanden, 1 spanisches und 4 aus Großbritannien hatten einen großartigen ersten Tag auf dem Solent vor der Isle of Wight mit 12 kn Wind und Sonne.

Jedes Team besteht aus 3 Booten in drei Größen, bestimmt durch den IRC-Rennwert. In der kleinsten Klasse sind typische Designs J 109, First 40.7, X 35, Mumm 36, Archambault 35 oder Ker 37. In der mittleren X 41, Archambault 40, First 44.7, Ker 39, Elan 410 oder King 40. Die größte Klasse wird gerne besiedelt von J 133, Swan 42 oder 45, DK 46, Beneteau 50, Ker 46 oder First 45.

Der Rolex Commodores' Cup ist für Profis streng begrenzt, in denbeiden kleineren Klassen darf jeweils nur ein Segler der ISAF Group 2 oder 3 mitsegeln, auf den großen Booten jeweils zwei. Gemeldet werden die Teams von ihrem nationalen Verband jeweils für ihr Land. Pro Nation dürfen maximal 4 Teams teilnehmen.

Der erste Tag brachte die Franzosen (Team France Blue) nach vorn, die 2006 den Commodores' Cup für sich entschieden. Hier der Punktestand nach den zwei Inshores am Montag:

Team	Punkte	Platz
France Blue	20	1
Ireland Green	21.5	2
GBR Red	25	3
Hong Kong	30	4
Ireland White	37	5
Netherlands Red	43	6
Netherlands White	47	7
GBR Black	48	8
France White	54	9
GBR White	55	10
France Green	60.5	11
France Red	67	12
GBR Blue	67	12
Netherlands Blue	69	14
Spain	84	15

Das Gesamtprogramm bis einschließlich Sonntag besteht aus ca. 10-12 Inshores Races (ca. 12 sm), einem Round the Island Race (ca. 55 sm) und einem Channel Race (24-36 Stunden).

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Der Dank für die Fotos von QUOKKA 7 (Peter Rutter, Corby 39), FAIR DO'S VII (John Shepherd, Ker 46) und PAPREC RECYCLAGE (Stephane Neve, Archambault 35) geht an Rolex/Kurt Arrigo.