Update
the best so results went with the highest-rated boat getting the spoon and the lowest-rated boat winning. Completely worth it, spoon and all, and I can assure everybody that neither the northern Michigan hospitality nor conditions will disappoint. From Harbor Springs it was south to Chicago for the Farr40 Verve
Cup with Alex Roepers and Plenty. Under PRO John Bush of Long Beach Yacht Club fame the fleet managed to get away 10 races in 7-15kt over the four days. Sixteen boats are expected at the 2018 Farr40 Worlds in October and this was a good warm-up for the non-Chicago teams to get used to racing on Lake Michigan. The venue itself is tough. In any north or northeast direction the
lake gets whipped into a frenzy and is quite difficult. Alex did nice work all four days, managing the inconsistencies of his tactician on day 1 to sail Plenty into a 9pt lead by the final race. Alberto Rossi’s Enfant Terrible finished second and Helmut Jahn’s Flash Gordon third. For the world championship event in October the fleet is expecting 11 US programmes and five international teams. While not the most current offshore 40-footer the racing continues to be bow to stern around the track and a win always feels well earned. The final event of the month was the penultimate regatta for the
TP52 Super series in Palma Mallorca. The event was run out of Puerto Portals and raced in as tricky as it gets Palma Bay. For Quantum Racing we were getting Doug back on the helm and felt a need to redeem our- selves after Zadar. While we won the world championship in Portugal we also recognised that we let ourselves down in Croatia. A lot of good debrief and discussion around starting clean, open
course performance, and reliable boathandling. This event was going to be a battle for consistency as every race winner would follow up with a high score. The conditions were certainly testing every team as the traditional local knowledge of right or left just did not pay off. You can look back at every race and see that no beat was the same
as the one before. It was the first event I can remember that we did not win a race and managed to win the regatta. That in itself tells you about the difficulty of the racetrack. Onboard Quantum Racingwe went 2,4,2,5,2,6,8,2,4 to take a 3pt win over Azzurra. Our tuning partner Platoon rounded out the podium 1pt behind Azzurra. Platoon’s performance in the second half of the event was the most
consistent with a 3,3,3,2. It is hard not to feel optimistic about the season and where we stand but as we have all learnt this year a lot of points come pretty easy in this fleet. We need to finish strong! Up next the final TP52 event in Valencia, Spain and sea trialling
the Bella MenteMaxi72. It is going to be good to get the new Bella out and start the process of getting her ready for the 2019 season. For now I’ll recharge for a couple of days in Harwood and then to Cowes for the America’s Cup Hall of Fame induction! Not mine! q
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And more such stories… that really is Dick Carter standing while on a delivery early in his career. The ‘book of the film’ is now out: In The Golden Age Of Offshore Racing being far more than the title suggests, but an extraordinary tale of an extraordinary designer who broke all the rules and left sailing the better for it
14 SEAHORSE
l Slipped in there…IndyCar legend and automotive engineering billionaire Roger Penske has popped up on the masthead of Terry Hutchinson’s American Magic Cup team l While…Rolf Vrolijk has appeared on Ben Ainslie’s roster l That’ll be…Rolf ‘Alinghi’ Vrolijk l On the move…too l Both…Tony Rey and Chris Nicholson have joined Doyle Sails l This could…get interesting! l Plus…ça change l Of the 11… Class40s entered in the Round Britain Race l The day…before the start 10 had not completed the paperwork l Nine…of them French l Gotta…love those grenouilles l More than…met the eye l Recovering…the absent pieces of the America’s Cup (last month) was more complex than the diplomatic Ivor Wilkins chose to admit l Involving…big buckeroodles attorneys in the UK, New Zealand and of course the USA l There are…still plenty of smaller bits out there l Back…of the sofa, anyone? l Oops…Iker Martínez’s latest ‘commotion’ with the measurers… l Well…let’s just say there is form l Oops again… Luna Rossa nicks Team New Zealand sponsor Pirelli l Nine HP30s... at Cowes Week earned them a class start l Good for all…if that one makes it l Whatever…Core Builders in New Zealand ‘are’ converting five AC50s into one-design trim l Electricity…replaces muscle for hydro power l And…the first F50 event is expected for Sydney in February l What…we cannot understand l Is…why Signor Ellison is bothering l It… won’t (remotely) threaten the America’s Cup l Minimum… $1million per regatta to run the boats l Seventy people…allegedly on the payroll l And those…crew wages (my, oh my) l But…we wish it well, ‘obvs’ l Someone…who does deserve a shot soon l Brett…Bakewell-White’s sportif 37-footer Anarchy has pretty much gone unbeaten in Auckland for the past two years l So why…is the man himself keeping busy (pg63) ensuring the maritime creations of eccentric stylist Philippe Starck stay afloat? l Props…to disabled skipper Hannah Stodel who reported a brisk 52kt wind speed as she negotiated Muckle Flugga at the (very) northerly point of the Round Britain Race on her Class40 l Mega props…to Trevor Davis and crew Rider Odom for dominating the US Junior Doublehanded champs in the Club 420 l With…a little calming telephone coaching from Mr Benj l Offers…of support for Dobbs Davis funding an Olympic programme for the pair can be made via this organ l Farewell…to extraordinary quadraplegic sailor Hilary Lister (46) – also the first disabled sailor to sail solo around Great Britain l Farewell also…to the utterly unique Tony Bullimore l Surely…the most memorable skipper we ever went to sea with l Sorry…you would have had to have been there l And yes…we know ‘unique’ gains nothing from ‘utterly’ l Saves…you some postage l Mighty…on the 1,270nm return leg of the Les Sables-Azores-Les Sables Joerg Riecher’s winning Mini scow averaged 9.15kt l A Mini…is 22ft (for those who live in a cave) lMini 6.50…geddit? l Soz…on behalf of Pascal Bidégorry (last month) l A Norwegian reader…writes in to confirm that the Norwegian turning mark for Volvo leg 11 was not ‘in a horrid place!!!’ l Thank you! l Brokerage special… l Lightly used…but refurbished AC45F l Apply…Ben Ainslie Racing l Not…Ineos (thank you very much) l Other craft…are available l At…RaceBoatsOnly l Then go chill…at ScuttlebuttEurope
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