Update
No wonder youngster Marco Gradoni (19) and old man Ruggera Tita (31) are smiling. In the Preliminary Cup Regatta in Jeddah the Luna Rossa ‘juniors’ mounted the only serious challenge to the Cup holders, winning three fleet races against five for Pete Burling’s Kiwis. The hugely experienced New Zealanders were inevitably that bit slicker in the turns and changing gears, but there’s no doubt that in the final match the Italians’ slight speed edge upwind is what kept them in the game every time the Kiwis looked like getting away. Right: the firehose for Alinghi is nothing compared with Gradoni’s go-for-broke, green water and four full-cockpits final carve gybe…
ON THE BRIGHT SIDE – Terry Hutchinson As 2024 is upon us I am sitting in an unseasonably warm Barcelona after a great day on the water with Patriot in the rear-view mirror and Sagrada Familia to starboard. Probably our best day yet with the AC75! Shifty, puffy, westerly but warm. Both American Magic and Alinghi were out training, and it is fun to see these boats ripping around. This past month was a time of firsts. The AC40s participated at
the Jeddah Yacht Club for a test event late November and early December. Saudi Arabia and the Jeddah Yacht Club did an excellent job hosting all the teams. We were greeted with kindness and a genuine respect from the local organising authority. It was also an opportunity to reconnect with Mr Kabbani (former owner of the Farr 60 Rima) and his son Hassan Alkabbani who is the Chairman of the Saudi Arabia Sailing Federation. In the way-back file I did the Miami to Montego Bay Race aboard
Rima. That was a light-air slug fest with Joe Dockery and Carrera, a sistership to Rima. Carrera held the upper hand, but it was so much fun to have that connection and relive great memories… small world! The family hosted all the teams at their home to a traditional evening of entertainment and dinner. The Jeddah racecourse was very good. There was open Red Sea
to the west and north and no other boats on the water, at all. On the days of light air the water was very flat and when the breeze came in from the 300-320 TWD a small chop quickly built to nasty chop for a foiling AC40 (although it would be very nice in a TP52 or a J/70!). These sailing grounds seem like a bit of a wasted resource which I guess is part of the reasoning behind the push to bring sailing to the region.
14 SEAHORSE What did I observe? The Jeddah Yacht Club and Sailing Academy,
under the leadership of Chairman Alkabbani and Adrian Peet, have done an incredible job of building a practical, well thought out sailing academy. A wide variety of boats – from sea kayaks and Lasers to the Fareast 28 –provide platforms to get people on the water. Proper classrooms for teaching, whiteboards and good AV tools to accelerate learning, with a largely British contingent of sailing instructors developing a curriculum that promotes the sport. I had the privilege of sailing in a ‘fun’ race with Assad and Sam.
Assad, who is roughly 10 years older than me, was born in Syria and relocated to Saudi Arabia and had achieved a Level 2 status in the offshore curriculum. He was learning to sail and to love the sea in preparation for a charter in Croatia with his family. As we went into our conversations about our backgrounds we both shared having three children while his youngest was the same age as my oldest. A great morning race and a new friend. What was the downside? The result, perhaps... American Magic
struggled to a fourth-place finish. We had a disastrous first day with a DSQ, sixth and a DNS. F***ing painful, to say the least. But developing mental toughness as a team does not just happen
out of thin air. As always, the measure is not how you get knocked down, it is how you get up. Our guys got up swinging and while it was far from perfect we were at least swinging! No excuses, though, on the three days the others were better. ETNZ sailed very well in all three areas: boat speed, boathandling
and starting. The young helmsmen of Luna Rossa impressed the entire fleet. Sailing clean and smart while also very fast. Alinghi reminded us that training works. Setting up camp for a month prior to the event they benefited from time in the boat and the venue, racing very well. This left American Magic, Ineos and Orient Express
CARLO BORLENGHI/ALEA
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