News Around the World
The most aesthetically pleasing sailing regatta of them all? Runner-up in the Vintage Gaff Class at this year’s Argentario Sailing Week was the 1910 10 Metre one-design Marga, which competed at the 1912 Olympics. Ten of the boats originally built for this class survive, six of them owned by a classic racing charter operation. Not easy boats to sail for the step-aboard crew, these 52-footers carry no winches and with a beam of 2.6m hiking is obligatory if you want to win. Overall victor in this year’s Vintage Division was Patrizio Bertelli’s most recent restoration, the 1903 Herreshoff-designed Scud; Bertelli’s good friend and five-time Olympic medallist Torben Grael was at Scud’s helm, alongside America’s Cup tactician Pietro D’Ali. Another Corinthian class that is really anything but
fathers needed to do all in their powers to keep daughters a good distance from the Pied Piper boys.’ Following his Pied Piper period Snedden went on to campaign
keelboats at a high level, including the 1981 Admiral’s Cup and several Kenwood Cup campaigns, notably the 1986 series, which New Zealand won. In 1988 he helmed Del Hogg’s Fair Share in the One Ton Cup at San Francisco with Russell Coutts as skipper and tactician. Snedden also competed in New Zealand’s early forays into match racing, in fleets that included past and future America’s Cup campaigners. While many of his sailing contemporaries turned professional
and went on to international stardom, Snedden maintained his Corinthian status and pursued a successful career in finance, con- tinuing to race in local fleets. Eventually he drifted away from keel- boat racing, but became very active in the Zephyr dinghy fleet – another Townson creation – claiming multiple national titles. Over the years, however, he kept a passing interest in the Pied
Piper class as its fortunes waxed and waned. About five years ago Snedden was astonished when Murray Gilbert, a Pied Piper con- temporary from the early days, bought back his original, Lelant, and restored it. Gilbert, now an Appeal Court judge in Wellington, is a class legend, because in 1979 he and some mates sailed Lelant on an epic circumnavigation of the North Island – via stormy Dunedin! Snedden never intended following Gilbert’s example, but shoulder
replacement surgery a year ago forced a rethink. His surgeon cautioned that hauling a capsized centreboarder upright could destroy the new shoulder. His Zephyr days were over. A chance stroll past a line-up of Pied Pipers at an Auckland marina, however, got him thinking Judge Gilbert’s decision to revive his affections for the class was maybe not misplaced after all. Having taken the plunge, Snedden says that several sailing friends
of similar vintage have noted his enthusiasm and got a faraway look in their eyes. Could more soon follow into the fleet? ‘I would certainly like to see it,’ he says. ‘It hasn’t happened yet, but…’ How would class champion Pierre Harrison react to more pen-
sioners joining the class? Would it damage its long-cherished culture of youthful exuberance? ‘I don’t think having older people in the class changes the traditional youth culture at all,’ he replies. ‘Most of them join in and relive their youth… for better or usually worse!’ Ivor Wilkins
28 SEAHORSE
SPAIN The Real Club Náutico de Valencia organised this year’s Swan One Design Worlds – class rules dictating that all yachts must be steered by their owners. The 34 entries were split between the Swan 50, 42 and 36, the earlier Swan 45s being absent for the first time. The largest class was the Swan 50 with 16 boats putting on the
perfect demonstration of what racing in large one-designs should be. I have to confess that for me watching these beautiful yachts racing within inches of each other, the reality exceeded my expec- tations. The first windward mark was a particular highlight! On some windward legs penalties also abounded, because the melée was often a matter of centimetres. And for the tight leeward gates you could sometimes multiply that by three. Navigating the Club Swan 50 Perhonenwas our old friend, grand
prix veteran Nacho Postigo: ‘Nautor’s qualities as a constructor, some very good class rules and, I honestly believe, the honest spirit and fair play of the protagonists not “changing” their boats around, mean we have a fleet that is 98-99 per cent identical apart from the sails. The owners too are at a better level now – some of them actually train much more than they will admit!’ Leonardo Ferragamo’s Cuoredileone eventually took the prize in
the 50s, but it was much closer fought than the scoreline suggests with a match race deciding the final result in the last race. The nine-boat Swan 36 fleet enjoyed the tightest contest. The
top four boats started the last race separated by only 2pt. However, by winning the last race the balance shifted in favour of Brazilian Mamao, helmed by Haakon Lorentzen with the invaluable help of Ross MacDonald calling tactics. The Canadian maintained a good streak in Spain recently, including finishing runner-up in the 6 Metre World Championship in Sanxenxo. This always smiling Star sailor summarised his experience: ‘The
Swan 36 is a very interesting boat. Upwind it has a good perfor- mance, but downwind the numbers are remarkable. The big C-foil slows us down a bit in light air but when it starts to work well the boat is fast, really fast. The new bigger mainsail on these boats is also a big improvement, though when the wind increases you now have to depower much faster.’ Of the three classes racing the event without a doubt the Swan
42 had the clearest winner. Spanish skipper Pedro Vaquer on Nadir, with tactician and one-design specialist Rayco Tabares, left nothing
JAMES ROBINSON TAYLOR
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