Voiles de Saint Barth, chiusura in grande stile
AlturaLes Voile de Saint BarthMaxiVela 12 Aprile 2010 Zerogradinord 0
Voiles de Saint Barth – Saint Barth – Si è conclusa con lo svolgimento di una regata a ranghi completi la prima edizione di le Voiles de Saint Barth, evento che nel corso della settimana ha impegnato ventitrè equipaggi lungo entusiasmanti percorsi “caraibici”, battuti dagli Alisei tipici della zona. A decidere per un unica partenza è stato il Direttore della regata, Luc Poupon, che, a pochi minuti dal via, ha dovuto fare i conti con l’arrivo di un groppo e, dopo pochi minuti, della calma quasi totale. Un’assenza durata appena il tempo di domandarsi cosa stesse succedendo, visto il repentino ritorno dell’Aliseo.
Un vento sfruttato da Rambler per far sua la quarta vittoria in altrettante regate. Una grande soddisfazione per l’armetore Greg David, che ha dedicato la vittoria alla memoria di Peter Dorien, membro dell’equipaggio del Maxi timonato da Ken Read (skipper di Puma Ocean Racing del quale potete trovare un’intervista sotto) deceduto lunedi scorso a causa di un incidente domestico. A finire battuto, senza possibilità di replica, è stato il ketch Sojana che non ha comunque mancato di dimostrare grandi spunti prestazionali, insufficienti però a eguagliare quelli di Rambler, semplicemente inarrivabile.
A rubare gli sguardi degli appassionati è stato il duello tra i due W 76 presenti: White Wings e Wild Horses di Donald Tofias. Il primo, portato da un equipaggio di sole donne guidato da Faraday Rosenberg, dopo il successo di ieri sperava di insidiare la leadership del diretto avversario e, al dire il vero, ci ha provato ripetutamente, ingaggiando con esso un duello serratissimo. La regata si è decisa nel corso del lungo bordo verso il largo, quando il gentil sesso ha iniziato ad accusare un pò di stanchezza e ha mollato di un filo le scotte, lasciando la vittoria all’avversario, anche se di soli quattro secondi.
Successo per il First 45 L’Esperance nel raggruppamento Cruising, quello che ha contato più iscritti e ha visto finire piazzati il Dufour 34 Speedy Nemo e il J-109 Pocket Rocket. Primo posto anche per il J-122 Lost Horizon portato da un equipaggio capace di avere la meglio su scafi di maggiori dimensioni, come lo Swan 45 Puffy.
Per consultare le classifiche clicca qui.
VOILES DE SAINT BARTH, THE CLIMAX OF THE EVENT
[Voiles de Saint Barth Press Release] After three days of racing on various courses, which were physically and tactically demanding, Luc Poupon and the race directors scheduled a race all the way around the island of St. Barts to close this first highly successful edition of the Voiles de Saint-Barth. A 22-mile long race between the rocks in a trade wind that remained strong throughout the week. In order to ensure that the festive atmosphere of the event was respected, the 23 yachts taking part all lined up on the same starting line at the same time at 11.00 hrs to be given the off.
Rambler, thinking of Peter Doriean
As soon as the start procedures got underway, a huge tropical squall meant that the race area and the crews were drenched. A few minutes later, the skies brightened and as is often the case it suddenly went flat calm in the entrance to Gustavia harbour and on the start line. The yachts waited for a while with their sails flapping and the race directors launched the start procedures again, as the trade wind made its presence felt again with an 18-knot easterly blowing. The final clearance buoy set up less than a mile from the start saw a huge traffic jam build up, with the two giants deciding to come in on different tacks, Sojana on starboard and Rambler on the port tack. The tone was set, and this final race of the Voiles de Saint-Barth was underway with the same thrilling competition as on the previous races this week. O, just two hours, the impressive Reichel/Pugh-designed Rambler completed the course that was very tactical because of all the marks. Dominating throughout winning four times in four races, George David’s men remained modest in their triumph, and as they crossed the finishing line they were thinking of the Australian, Peter Doriean, their friend, who recently died in a tragic accident. As the boat’s tactician, the American Ken Read, explained earlier, the best way for the twenty men that make up the crew could pay homage to their team mate was to do their best throughout this event. The big ketch Sojana tried every day to keep up with the fast pace set by the American Maxi. The trade wind also helped her to show her full amazing potential. In vain. The speed difference with the Farr designed boat was simply too great for Peter Holmberg’s men, who included the French sailors Loïck Peyron, Lionel Péan and Jacques Vincent, to hope to achieve a win. However, the gap between the boats was not that huge and today only ten points separated them.
Wild Horses… by 4 seconds!
It was today’s big match after the huge success yesterday of the women on the W 76 White Wings. The one all the crews and spectators at the Voiles de Saint Barth were looking forward to. Would Faraday Rosenberg and her 15 ladies repeat their performance, winning today’s race and in so doing win the event against the sistership, Wild Horses sailed by Donald Tofias and his boys? Everything remained uncertain throughout the 22 theoretical miles of the course around St. Barts. Clearly more and more at ease in their precise choice of route, White Wings once again showed their determination at the start and passed the clearance buoy way out in front of Wild Horses. The two big W 76 boats sped along leeward of the island, and it was in the long tacks in seas that were building that the all-female crew would ease off a little. Enough in any case to allow Tofias to get back in the race. He made a final dash for the finish on the downwind stretch and won by four tiny seconds. So victory went to Wild Horses in this particularly exciting Classic division, which was extremely fascinating to watch with such elegant racing, and with the presence of Kate, the gaff rigger recently built based on designs by Mylne, on the starting line to offer inspiration.
The sailors from St Maarten were just too much!
Robert Velasquez came to the Voiles de Saint-Barth confident in his crew from the Dutch Antilles and in the intrinsic quality of his First 45, having acquired decades of experience sailing around the West Indies. With four wins in four races, he was beaming with joy this evening and he made his pleasure felt, not finding the words to express his sheer enthusiasm, when talking about how kind the wind gods were this week. He triumphs at the top of the rankings in this group which included the largest number of participants at the Voiles, not and he never left the slightest chance for Raymond Magras’s valiant Dufour 34 Speedy Nemo, which had to make do with being runner up leaving David Cullen’s J 109 “Pocket Rocket” take third place.
The amazing J-122
Battling throughout the week against the splendid Swan 45 Puffy, belonging to the event’s godfather Patrick Demarchelier, the fast and daring “little” J-122 Lost Horizon skippered by the sailor from Antigua, James Dobbs triumphed this evening by achieving a fourth victory. Neither the strong breeze, not the heavy swell, which was sometimes very messy, nor the squally interludes seem to have affected Dobbs and his men, who found just the right tactics to overcome the power of the Swan and to see the name of their racing machine on the list of winners at this first edition of the Voiles de Saint-Barth.
To read the standings click here.
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