Voiles de Saint Barth, una giornata da uomini duri
AlturaLes Voile de Saint BarthMaxiVela 10 Aprile 2010 Zerogradinord 0
Voiles de Saint Barth – Saint Barth – Altra giornata di vento teso da est a oltre 20 nodi a Saint Barth, altra giornata dedicata alle prove costiere valide per la prima edizione di le Voiles de Saint Barth. Viste le condizioni meteo, il Direttore della regata, Luc Poupon, ha impegnato i Maxi impegnati su un percorso di oltre 30 miglia, mentre agli scafi più piccoli è toccato un percorso di 19 miglia. entrambi i tracciati hanno alternato la navigazione lungo costa a brevi tratti di navigazione aperta al mare, vista la necessità di raggiungere alcune piccole isole.
Per tutti, indipendentemente dalle dimensioni, c’è stata l’emozione di lunghe planate e duelli ravvicinati. Tra gli Yacht Classiici, ad esempio, il confronto più serrato ha contrapposto i due W 76 Wild Horses di Donald Tofias e White Wings, portato da un team interamente femminile. Praticamente appaiati per buona parte della regata, i due scafi di ventidue metri si sono scambiati più volte posizione, ma alla fine, sulla linea di arrivo, hanno avuto la meglio le rappresentati del gentil sesso.
Tra i Maxi, invece, nonostante la presenza di tanti campioni, il vento a tratti più teso del solito ha creato qualche problema in fase di manovra a bordo del ketch di 115 piedi Sojana. Vita facile quindi per Rambler, che ha vinto di quasi mezz’ora in reale e di poco più di otto minuti in compensato.
Dopo tre prove le classifiche cominciano ad assumere un aspetto definito. Tra i racing Cruising tre scafi sembrano avere preso il comando dei giochi. A guardare tutti dall’alto sono il First 45 delle Antille Olandesi L’Esperance, il Dufour 34 Speedy Nemo e il J-109 irlandese Pocket Rocket. Nel gruppo Racing, invece, domina il J-122 Lost Horizon, vincitore di tutte le manche sullo Swan 45 del fotografo Patrick Demarchelier. Confronto all’ultimo sangue anche tra i già citati Wild Horses e White Wings, con il primo in leggero vantaggio, ma mai come in questo caso sarà necessario aspettare la fine per sbilanciarsi sul nome del vincitore. Pare invece non esserci storia nel raggruppamento di Rambler, Sojana e Moneypenny. L’ex Alfa Romeo è troppo veloce per temere gli avversari e con tre successi ha già fatto il vuoto alle sue spalle.
Per consultare le classifiche clicca qui.
VOILES DE SAINT BARTH, A THIRD DAY WITH LIVELY CONDITIONS
[Voiles de Saint Barth Press Release] “Whatever you do, don’t change anything. It’s perfect!” The American, Ken Read, tactician on board the maxi Rambler delighted to be the skipper in the Puma Ocean Racing project in the next Volvo Ocean Race, heaped praise on the Voiles de Saint-Barth, at the end of the third day of racing. A day marked once again by the presence of sunshine, a strong breeze and some wonderfully choppy seas.
There was one change and an important one in the list of pleasures drawn up each day by Luc Poupon and the race directors. The course for Friday, as on other days was modified to enable the 23 crews to spread out all around the island to get views of St. Barts and its isles and surrounding rocks. The easterly trade wind which blew at 20 knots or more throughout the day in the area allowed another coastal course to be set up, which was 19 miles long for the smaller boats and 30 miles for the Maxis. Today this involved going half way around the island, starting from in between the luxury motor yachts off the Sugar Loaf, going right through the middle of the boiling waters in the channel between Goat Island and Frigate Island, before enjoying a downwind run towards Forked Island. The larger boats really enjoyed themselves once again and there were some wonderful battles between the leaders in each class, including during the particularly tough conditions windward of St. Barts. The duel continued between the two classic yachts, Donald Tofias’s Wild Horses and the women on White Wings who have remained close to each other throughout. It was Faraday Rosenberg’s 100% female crew that went on to win in the end. In spite of the presence on board of the French sailors Lionel Péan, Jacques Vincent and Loïck Peyron and some reaching that will go down in history at speeds close to twenty knots, Peter Harrison’s Sojana, was not at ease during manoeuvres and particularly suffered sailing close to the wind, as she faced the overall champion, Rambler, who appears to be in a bit of a hurry and does not have ramblin’ on her mind!
The half way stage
With three races over for all of the classes since the start of the competition, the rankings are starting to look a little clearer. In the Racing Cruising group, a trio seems to have left the others way behind. The tiny difference in the number of points between the provisional leader, Robert Velasquez and his First 45 which is registered in the Dutch Antilles, and who has shown some real determination, and his nearest rivals, the local hero, Raymond Magras on his Dufour 34 Speedy Nemo, and the Irish J-109, Pocket Rocket belonging to David Cullen, means we can still speculate on the results at the top of the group.
Two yachts have managed to stand out in the Racing group and have been fighting a merciless duel throughout the varied courses that the race directors have chosen for them each day; James Dobbs and his J-122 Lost Horizon is clinging on to Patrick Demarchelier’s fast Swan 45 and has already won three times with her more advantageous rating. Their battle at each mark along the course resembles what you find in match racing at times and anything can still happen as far as final victory goes.
In another group, we can see a similar inseparable duo. In the Classic category, the two W 76 class boats, are putting on a show in the trade wind that has swept across St. Barts siince the start of the week. The two elegant sloops designed by Joel White remain glued together and their crews, (100% female on board White Wings), are showing off their skills during manoeuvres and showing some tactical inspiration as they come to grips with the course, which is particularly technical around St. Barts. At the halfway stage the advantage goes to Wild Horses, which completed yesterday’s race in amazing style under spinnaker to overwhelm the women, who are incredibly inspired and who had led most of the way. However, the ladies’ disappointment was only temporary and Faraday Rosenberg’s crew gained their revenge today by winning by just a few minutes. The two crews know each other well and the potential of the two beautiful boats inspired by the 12 metre boats of the fifties is similar…in a trade wind that just keeps blowing, and on seas that were particularly churned up today on parts of the course. We are probably going to have to wait until the final race to know the name of the winner in this spectacular group.
Rambler, Sojana and Moneypenny are putting on a great show in the super yacht category. They are all expressing a clear desire to win and once again it will all be down to the final race to know whether Sojana, the biggest and heaviest, will manage to over come her handicap under corrected time as she battles against the champion Rambler, the former Alfa Romeo, the boat that really scares them all from the Pacific to the Caribbean. Moneypenny tended to be left in the shadows early in the week, but today came in between the two giants.
To read the standings click here.
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