http://www.k-challenge.org/ French Official Challenger for the 32nd America's Cup http://www.k-challenge.org/images/logoKfull.jpg http://www.k-challenge.org/ en-us All content is copyright K-CHALLENGE AC SL 2004-2007. mic at mac dot com http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=615 http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=615 ONE WIN AND ONE LOSS FOR ALL4ONE ON SECOND DAY OF LOUIS VUITTON TROPHY AUCKLAND
Auckland, New Zealand - 2010-03-10

Second day of the Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland.
The key of the regatta in today's conditions was to win the right side of the race course after the start. Everything was very good on the right: current, line and positioning. So both teams took a lot of risks to take this side of the race course, and ALL4ONE which entered on port side of the start line has had a bit more difficulties to set its timing to come back at the end of the start process.
The start was very close, and won by half a second by TeamOrigin. Even if ALL4ONE also took a good start, the team skippered by Jochen Schümann was forced to tack on the left of the race course quite early. From there both teams sailed well, ALL4ONE putting pressure behind TeamOrigin during all the race that sailed a well-managed regatta.
The French-German team didn't make any big mistake, but TeamOrigin deserved this point.


Sebastien Col, Helmsman: “TeamOrigin is a serious opponent. We had a very nice race with close situations, particularly on the start. They took some risks and it paid back for them because they took the right side of the race course and they managed to keep control. On our side, we managed to sail quite well behind them, with nice manoeuvres and keeping ourselves close to them, except on the last leg downwind where we tried something to come back. It didn't really work, but we didn't have much to lose trying at this stage of the race. The level of the competition is very high here. We have one win and one loss for the moment on our scoreboard, but we sailed well today with consistency, without making any big mistake. We just have some small details to work on for the rest of the competition.”

ALL4ONE will sail against Azzurra (ITA) tomorrow for its third match in the Round Robin.

Sebastien Col: “The challenge will be to be fast all along the race, as that team is almost never weak on that aspect. They know how to use opportunities and they are patient. So we have to be careful not to make any mistake that they could be using as they usually do, and for example like they did yesterday against TeamOrigin. We have our chances as there will be a bit more wind tomorrow, and our team is confident. We sailed well since the beginning of the event, so we are working on good bases in this Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland.”


]]> Stephanie Nadin 2010-03-10T14:15Z http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=614 http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=614 ALL4ONE OPENS LOUIS VUITTON TROPHY AUCKLAND WITH A FIRST POINT AGAINST MASCALZONE LATINO
Auckland, New Zealand - 2010-03-09

ALL4ONE opened the Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland races today, winning a first point straight away against the Italian team Mascalzone Latino.
ALL4ONE and Mascalzone Latino trained together in Valencia before the competition last mid-February, and that point was important to win for the French-German team.

ALL4ONE led the race from the beginning till the end, increasing step by step the delta with their opponent, starting with an advantage of 19 seconds at the first mark and finishing 44 seconds ahead on the finish line.


Jochen Schümann, Skipper and Strategist: « winning is good fun and we're very pleased to take the first win. After a long wait on the water as there was no wind at all a the beginning of the day, but the breeze came in after a while and stayed relatively steady, and I think the key for us was that we believed from the beginning that there was a little extra-breeze underneath Rangitoto (the Island on the right of the race course), so we were fighting for the right hand side at the start and also for the course. We got exactly the start we wanted. It was quite an investment as we had to tack twice before the start, and it might not have looked that great at the very beginning, but we achieved the strategic position we wanted and it payed off in the end. »

Christophe André, mid-bow: “we won this match thanks to a good start that we managed to use straight away by taking the right side of the race course, but also thanks to a great job from the « speed team », as our speed was good at all times during the match. We are very happy of this first match. The team is calm and very concentrated. Tomorrow we will race against Team Origin, a very good team, and a match that we really look forward to racing. We are eager to go racing, that's what we're here for.”

ALL4ONE will race Team Origin (GBR) tomorrow for their second match in the Round Robin.


]]> Stephanie Nadin 2010-03-09T14:15Z http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=613 http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=613 LOUIS VUITTON TROPHY AUCKLAND: KIA ORA* ALL4ONE
Auckland, New Zealand - 2010-03-08

ALL4ONE, the French-German team led by Jochen Schümann and Sebastien Col, will take the start of the Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland Tuesday, March 9 2010, with 7 other teams: Artemis (Sweden), Synergy (Russia), Azzurra (Italy), Aleph (France), Team Origin (Great Britain), Mascalzone Latino (Italy) and of course the famous locals: Emirates Team New Zealand.

After their 5th place in the Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice last November, the team had a training session together in Valencia, (Spain), mid-February, with its own ACC boat: FRA 93, in order to prepare this new competition gathering some top level sailing teams amongst the bests in the world.

Some of the ALL4ONE crew members have been here for a week on the Auckland race course, where they have been able to prepare themselves whilst taking part to the Omega Auckland Match Race.
The other team members joined them 3 days ago for the trainings on the Louis Vuitton Trophy boats (yesterday and today): NZL 84 and NZL 92.


Sebastien Col, Helmsman: “the training has been very interesting these past two days, and quite intense on the Team New Zealand's boats. The training sessions were quite short, so it was important to find the right balance between intensity and productivity, and I think we managed that aspect well. We did a lot of manoeuvres while insisting on our adaptation to the boats and their ergonomy, and on the pre-starts. Our target in terms of performance is to reach the semi-finals, we are able to do so and we have to get into the competition straight away.”

John Cutler, Tactician: “we are looking forward to some good races. We sail in the inner Auckland harbour, so we will have to pay attention to the current and the geography effects, which are bound to wind shifts. All is going well on the team's side, we will have to choose the right way at the right moment in the back of the boat!”

ALL4ONE will be first start against Mascalzone Latino (opening match of the Round Robin).

All the races will be able to be followed live on www.louisvuittontrophy.com thanks to SailTV, but they will also be replayed every morning on the web site for the Europeans.

]]> Stephanie Nadin 2010-03-08T14:15Z http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=612 http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=612 SEB COL TO COMPETE IN THE OMEGA AUCKLAND MATCH RACING REGATTA
Auckland, New Zealand - 2010-02-25

Some of the world’s top international match race teams are set to descend on Auckland for the Omega Auckland Match Racing Regatta from March 2 to 6. A mix of America’s Cup experience plus rising young talent will do battle in the invitational regatta on the Waitemata Harbour.

The regatta kicks off the Auckland Festival of Sailing, which will see a crowded calendar of thrilling yacht racing through most of March.

The Omega Auckland Match Racing Regatta will be run by the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and will take place off the Westhaven breakwater, where spectators will be able to watch the action.

Skippers who have accepted invitations to compete are: Dean Barker (NZL – Emirates Team New Zealand); Ben Ainslie (GBR – Team Origin); Francesco Bruni (ITA – Azzurra Sailing Team); Sebastien Col (FRA-GER – ALL4ONE); Karol Jablonski (POL – former Desafio Espanol); Magnus Holmberg (SWE – former Victory Challenge); Chris Dickson (NZL – former BMW ORACLE Racing); Bertrand Pacé (FRA – former BMW ORACLE Racing); Adam Minoprio (NZL – BlackMatch Racing); Torvar Mirsky (AUS – Mirsky Racing Team).

Racing will take place in identical Farr-designed MRX yachts and will comprise a double round robin, semi-final and final. Weather permitting, the semi-finals and finals will be decided by the first skipper to win three matches.


Seb Col: “it is very good to do this event before the Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland, as you face more different tactical situations in small boats racing. For the afterguard, and especially for the decision making process, it will be particularly interesting for me and John Cutler to do this event in small boats with some of our key team members.”

Sebastien will sail with ALL4ONE crew members John Cutler (tactician), Gilles Favennec (pit), Christian Scherrer (jib trimmer), Jean-Marie Dauris (bow) and Philippe Mourniac (mainsail trimmer for the match race event).

The Auckland Festival of Sailing comprises a series of on and off the water events. The Omega Auckland Match Racing Regatta is followed by the Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland (where five of the skippers from the Omega regatta will also compete) and by the BMW Sailing World Cup Final. Also part of the festival is the Auckland International Boat Show.

]]> Stephanie Nadin 2010-02-25T14:15Z http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=611 http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=611 ALL4ONE CONGRATULATES BMW ORACLE RACING
Valencia, Spain - 2010-02-17

On Sunday afternoon, BMW Oracle Racing became the first American challenger in 23 years to win the America’s Cup after having raced against Alinghi in Valencia, Spain.

ALL4ONE congratulates BMW Oracle Racing, as the huge work they did building an extraordinary multihull will stand in the history of the America's Cup. 

ALL4ONE is now looking forward to know more about the future of the America's Cup.
The French-German team has already started to work towards the next step thanks to a strong involvement in the Louis Vuitton Trophy, and is supported by several sponsors.

Stephane Kandler, ALL4ONE's CEO: “I'm very proud of what we achieved since the end of the 32nd America's Cup two years ago, as we have remained active and present at all times.
We have now a much stronger platform. We have built the foundations of a team able to fight with the best ones, thanks to all the ALL4ONE's team members and the top level events we have been taking part to.”

ALL4ONE is now training with other teams in Valencia towards the next Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland, which will take place 9-22 March in Auckland, New Zealand.
The sailing team will continue to improve after the first positive results they got during the Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice last November.

Louis Vuitton Trophy Events :
9-21 of March 2010: Auckland (New Zealand)
22 of May-6 of June 2010: La Maddalena (Sardinia-Italy)
13-28 of November 2010: Dubai (U.A.E)
9-24 of January 2011: Hong Kong (China)



]]> Stephanie Nadin 2010-02-17T14:15Z http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=610 http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=610 BMW ORACLE RACING WINS 33RD AMERICA'S CUP MATCH
Valencia, Spain - 2010-02-15

BMW ORACLE Racing Team’s revolutionary wing sail powered trimaran USA convincingly won Race 2 off Valencia today to win the 33rd America’s Cup match outright.
The American team, founded ten years ago by software mogul Larry Ellison, achieved its ultimate goal when they powered across the finish line of Race 2 with a margin of 5 minutes and 26 seconds to defeat the Swiss Defender’s Alinghi 2-0.

Ellison sailed on board USA today, his first America’s Cup Match race proving a winning one.

BMW ORACLE Racing become the first American team to win the America’s Cup since 1992 when America3 defeated Il Moro de Venezia off San Diego.

San Francisco’s Golden Gate Yacht Club become the 28th American Defender of the America’s Cup.

Russell Coutts, CEO of BMW ORACLE Racing, has now won the America’s Cup four times, twice with his native New Zealand, once at the helm of the Swiss Alinghi team and now masterminding the success of Ellison’s American team.

In the evening twilight the giant black and white trimaran USA speared across the finish line off Valencia, a long way ahead of the Swiss team who first won the America’s Cup in New Zealand in 2000 and then successfully defended it against Emirates Team New Zealand in July 2007.

After a delay of over six hours waiting for the SE’ly wind to settle, Race 2 of the best of three series was contested in around 6-9 knots of breeze.

The showdown immediately unfolded in dramatic fashion when Alinghi were penalised for an error in the start box, the second successive penalty during the Pre-Start sequence. USA lead off the start line by 24 seconds but the Swiss team hooked into extra wind pressure on the right side of the course and a favourable 20 degrees shift in wind direction.

They profited progressively and at one stage were some 600 metres ahead of the BMW ORACLE Racing Team’s trimaran.

Unlike Friday’s whitewash, when USA sailed steadily away from Alinghi 5, the windward leg was nailbiting right until the American trimaran was able to round the first mark with a small lead.

On the approach to the windward mark of the 39 miles triangle shaped course, USA came back when they were able to squeeze inside the line of Alinghi, to turn 28 seconds ahead. Surging to 30 knots at times on the first of two 13 miles reaches, the powerful trimaran with its 223ft high solid wing sail rig was able to gain 2 minutes and 16 seconds by the second turning mark, the gybe, going on to win by 5 minutes and 26 seconds.

Valentine’s Day sees bright sunshine and light winds this morning around the Marina Real Juan Carlos 1, the beating heart of the 33rd America’s Cup.
The forecast looks fairly promising for Race 2 which is due to start around midday, although the race committee do plan to wait until the forecasted SE’ly breeze arrives and won’t be hurried. In many respects it is a similar situation to Friday Race 1 where the offshore breeze is due to give way a breeze from the southerly quadrant.

Alinghi 5 docked out first with Swiss timing at 0900hrs to their signature Red Hot Chili Peppers ‘Can’t Stop’. If this proves to be their last day as America’s Cup holders, team president Ernesto Bertarelli (SUI) wore a huge smile and looked relaxed as he stepped on board. They have the advantage of entry with right of way on starboard tack today and may try for revenge in the start box, and aim to pin a penalty of USA.

BMW ORACLE Racing’s USA crew looked equally relaxed and focussed. They left their base knowing they can make sailing history today. The triangle course is more of a challenge in terms of manoeuvres, boat handling and sailing on the tight reaches. But, once more we are heading into unknown territory. Some say Alinghi will be stronger around the reaching course, but others simply point to the extra righting moment of USA and the power to drag ratio of their wing weapon.

It could be a red letter day for Russell Coutts (NZL) the CEO of BMW ORACLE Racing. In 1995 he skippered Black Magic to win the America’s Cup for New Zealand 5-0 against Dennis Conner’s Young America Team and in 1993 he skippered Alinghi to win the America’s Cup 5-0 for Switzerland. In

Race officer Harold Bennett (NZL) said this morning:

“ We are going out for looking to midday but I am not sure we will see the breeze by then, and we have to wait for this offshore breeze to die away and for the wind to turn into the SE, it is going to be in that quadrant, southerly or SE. So we have to wait and see until it develops.”





]]> source: www.americascup.com 2010-02-15T14:15Z http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=608 http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=608 Eight teams to compete at Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland in March
Auckland, New Zealand - 2010-02-10

In just six weeks time, during the Southern hemisphere Summer, eight of the best sailing teams in the world will race a Louis Vuitton Trophy match race regatta in Auckland New Zealand.

Just over a year ago the inaugural regatta was sailed in Auckland, the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series. Ten of the best sailing teams in the world, including the current Challenger and Defender of the America’s Cup, competed over two weeks in a match race regatta in two pairs of supplied boats. The boats used were ACC yachts from the 2007 America’s Cup and all teams rotated through the four boats.

The formula was renewed at the Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice regatta in November last year, a regatta whose provisional media return resulted in a value of over nine million Euros gathered from over 1200 articles, 354 hours of TV on 400 channels in 163 countries. The next regatta will be the Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland from 9 – 21 March 2010.

Following the success of last year’s antipodean regatta the event organisers, the World Sailing Teams Association (WSTA), along with the city of Auckland decided to adjust the dates to enhance the public spectacle. The regatta, which runs from 9-21 March, will be staged from the same venue and at the same time as the Auckland International Boatshow (10-14 March) in Auckland’s Downtown Viaduct Basin, the venue for the America’s Cup in 2000 and 2003.

The WSTA member teams entered for the Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland regatta are from seven countries. Unlike last year, the host Emirates Team New Zealand, skippered by Dean Barker, will not get an automatic pass to the regatta finals, but will have to earn the right to be there by passing through the round robin and semi final stages with a winning record.

The seven other teams hoping to also make it to the finals and ultimately prevail are:

Aleph (France, skipper Bertrand Pacé)
All4One (France/Germany, skipper Jochen Schumann)
Artemis (Sweden, skipper Paul Cayard)
Azzurra (Italy, skipper Francesco Bruni)
Mascalzone Latino Audi (Italy)
Synergy (Russia, skipper Karol Jablonski)
TEAMORIGIN (Great Britain, skipper Ben Ainslie)

Following the Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland regatta the WSTA’s member teams will race in La Maddalena, Sardinia (22 May – 6 June), then in Dubai, UAE (13 – 27 November) before Hong Kong in early 2011 (9 – 24 January).

At a press conference last week in Dubai, HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman
and Chief Executive of the Emirates Airline Group, explained that the Louis Vuitton Trophy Dubai
would be held at Mina Seyahi, the home of the Dubai International Marine Club (DIMC),
located next to the world famous Palm Jumeirah.
“This is a real coup for Dubai. We are honoured to be part of this fantastic event which has
rapidly emerged as a renowned spectacle of sport followed by millions around the world.”
Yves Carcelle, Chairman and CEO of Louis Vuitton replied by saying: "Louis Vuitton has been
present in Dubai for more than 10 years. We are thrilled that in 2010 we can further build on
this relationship through a great sailing event, while reinforcing the age-old Dubai tradition for
sailing regattas.”

]]> Louis Vuitton Trophy 2010-02-10T14:15Z http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=609 http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=609 Louis Vuitton Trophy Hong Kong regatta to be sailed on Victoria Harbour
Hong Kong, China - 2010-02-05

Hong Kong Harbour with its unique skyline and ‘always busy’ waterways is one of the
most iconic maritime settings in the world. The 14-day long Louis Vuitton Trophy regatta,
scheduled for 9th to 23rd January 2011, will take place on this perfect natural arena.

When Louis Vuitton and the World Sailing Teams Association (WSTA) conceived the Louis
Vuitton Trophy regattas they were designed to take the best sailing teams in the world
sailing some of the largest and most impressive racing yachts to some of the most
spectacular parts of the world and compete at the highest level in the discipline of match
racing. One of the other objectives was to bring the action as close to spectators as
possible, not just through media and TV but also physically close to where people are.

Organised in conjunction with the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club (RHKYC), a sailing and
rowing club with over 160 years of history and one of the world’s most active sailing
institutions today, the Louis Vuitton Trophy Hong Kong regatta will mark the culmination of a
huge amount of work done by the club’s members and staff. The best sailing teams in the
world representing 8 to 10 nations will be competing in this event. This sailing activity will
see 7 days of pre-regatta training and 14 days of competition before the winner is known.

RHKYC Commodore Warwick Downes commented: “The Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club
will have the very great honour of hosting Asia’s first Louis Vuitton Trophy. This event, one
of the pinnacles on the yachting calendar, will demonstrate that Hong Kong is an ideal
venue for major international sailing events. The Louis Vuitton Trophy Hong Kong will not
only benefit the sailing community here but will also deliver a positive economic impact to
Hong Kong. With these boats and our spectacular harbour beamed around the world
daily for the two weeks of racing, I can’t think of a better way to showcase Brand Hong
Kong internationally.”

The Louis Vuitton Trophy race course will be set on the stretch of water just to the South of
the now disused legendary Kai Tak Airport and the Race Village, itself a major attraction,
is planned for Pier 10 alongside the terminal of the iconic Star Ferry.

The prevailing winds in Victoria Harbour are from the East at between 12 to 15 knots in
January and given the geography of the harbour it will be possible for sailing fans and
curious passers by to witness the spectacle from numerous vantage points along the
harbour, as the yachts approach both shores on their way around the course, without
needing to get afloat.

]]> Source: Louis Vuitton Trophy 2010-02-05T14:15Z http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=607 http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=607 FRENCH-GERMAN TEAM ALL4ONE AT BOOT DUSSELDORF!
Valencia, Spain - 2010-01-19

Team ALL4ONE is back for the new year... in Germany!

Boot 2010, the world’s largest show for maritime sport and lifestyle, will be taking place in Düsseldorf between 23 January and 31 January 2010.

ALL4ONE team members have been invited to join the show at the “SEGEL CENTER”, in order for the French-German team to meet the public and the media.
They will come back on their first top competition together in the Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice last November, but they will also share their plans for the 2010 season, starting with a training session in Valencia, Spain, 12-18 February and the Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland 9-21 March.

Famous German sailors Jochen Schümann, Michael Müller and Matti Paschen will be there, as well as top Swiss sailor Christian Scherrer and ALL4ONE's CEO Stephane Kandler.

Presentations with the ALL4ONE team members will be hosted at the Segel Center:
“Formula 1 of Sailing – Team ALL4ONE and the Louis Vuitton Trophy”

>Saturday, 23rd, 14:00h-14:30h: Christian Scherrer and Jochen Schümann
>Sunday, 24th, 15:30h-16.00h: Jochen Schümann and Matti Paschen
>Monday, 25th, 16:00h-16.30h: Jochen Schümann, Michi Müller and Stéphane Kandler
>Monday, 25th, 17:00h: „KIELER ABEND“ (hosted by the City of Kiel), where all the ALL4ONE members will join as well.



]]> Stephanie Nadin 2010-01-19T14:15Z http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=606 http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=606 DUBAI TO HOST SAILING'S PRESTIGIOUS LOUIS VUITTON TROPHY RACE
Dubai, U.A.E - 2010-01-17

Dubai was today unveiled as the Middle East venue selected to host the Louis Vuitton Trophy, a two-week carnival of elite sailing which will put the global spotlight on the UAE.

Four spectacular 85-foot long America’s Cup Class yachts – sailed by world champions, Olympic medallists and round-the-world sailors – will be the focal point of the event which will firmly establish Dubai on the sport’s map.

The prestigious Louis Vuitton Trophy – a true test of the crews’ ability with teams racing identical yachts - is one of the most coveted events in sailing and Dubai joins established premier regatta venues, including Auckland, Sardinia and Hong Kong, as 2010 hosts.

It will be held at Mina Seyahi, the home of Dubai International Marine Club (DIMC) next to the Palm Jumeirah, while Emirates Airline – a leading sponsor - will be flying in many of teams and their armies of support staff, as well as race officials and spectators from around the globe.


HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman DIMC, and Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group, said: “This is a real coup for Dubai. We are honoured to be part of this fantastic event which has rapidly emerged as a renowned spectacle of sport followed by millions around the world.

“As well as thrilling spectators both here and on TV, it will consolidate Dubai’s status as a venue capable of hosting major international sporting events.

“We are also looking forward to welcoming our very own Emirates Team New Zealand back to these shores and, having won the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series in Auckland last year, confidence will be high coming into this event.

“Emirates has a great affinity with sailing and it is exciting to be strengthening our commitment to the sport further by supporting a race which will bring the world’s finest sailors to Dubai.”

The event – which gets under way on 13th November and will feature on-shore entertainment and a host of other activities - is also expected to put wind in the sails of the UAE tourism industry.

Businesses throughout the UAE are expected to benefit after the organisers of the 2009 Louis Vuitton Pacific Series reported that the 14-day festival injected US$12 million (Dhs 44 million) into the Auckland economy.

As well as Emirates Team New Zealand - featuring sailing great Dean Barker – and Artemis (Sweden), with the legendary Paul Cayard pulling the strings, the line-up is also expected to include: BMW ORACLE Racing (USA); Azzurra(Italy), TEAMORIGIN (Great Britain); Mascalzone Latino (Italy); Synergy (Russia); All4One (France/Germany); and Aleph Sailing Team (France).


]]> Source: Emirates Airline 2010-01-17T14:15Z http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=604 http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=604 MORE LOUIS VUITTON TROPHY REGATTAS ANNOUNCED
Paris, France - 2009-12-17

The World Sailing Teams Association (WSTA) and Louis Vuitton today announced more Louis Vuitton Trophy regattas for 2010 and early 2011. These new international events follow the successful regatta held in Nice, France, last month.
Each Louis Vuitton Trophy regatta is a stand-alone regatta sailed in event-supplied 85-foot long AC Class yachts that require a crew of 17 top sailors to sail. The regatta concept is designed to transform a port venue, regardless of its previous sailing culture, into the capital of professional yacht racing for two weeks, along with all the associated activities and excitement, on and off the water.

The concept of the Louis Vuitton Trophy regattas was inspired by the acclaimed Louis Vuitton Pacific Series raced in Auckland, NZ, last February.

The schedule for the next events covers four distinctly different parts of the world:

Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland: 9 - 21 March 2010

Louis Vuitton Trophy La Maddalena, Sardinia: 22 May - 6 June 2010

Louis Vuitton Trophy Middle East: 13 - 28 November 2010

Louis Vuitton Trophy Hong Kong: 9 - 24 January 2011


*The venue in The Middle East is embargoed until January 15th 2010

Comments from team ALL4ONE:

Jochen Schümann, ALL4ONE's Sports Director and Skipper: "Great to have a reliable schedule for Louis Vuitton Trophy events, after the success that was met in Nice Côte d'Azur in November 2009.

ALL4ONE is already planning another overall crew training for February in Valencia on ACC boat, in order to prepare an upcoming busy season as one platform for four challenges with the Louis Vuitton Trophy events, the TP52 MedCup, the RC44 circuit and the World Match Racing Tour.
We will sail in the Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland with same crews, building on our common experience from Nice. The 5th place in Nice has been a good starting point at our very first regatta as one team.
ALL4ONE wants to improve and is targeting a top 4 place in Auckland.
We are looking forward and we are prepared to face the other top professional teams in tight races in Auckland and La Maddalena.
ALL4ONE appreciates that WSTA takes over the lead role in professional sailing."

Stephane Kandler, ALL4ONE's CEO: "the 2010 season's announcement in such prestigious cities is exciting news, while it is very promising in terms of spectacular racing pictures for the public, the medias and the sponsors worldwide.

In less than six months, the World Sailing Teams Association and the Louis Vuitton Trophy, with a first event in Nice, were launched, finally allowing the professional sailing teams to offer an international, yearly and perennial preparation and communications platform.
ALL4ONE's ambition is to become one of the best teams of its kind, while also taking part to the World Match Racing Tour, the TP52 and RC44 circuits. Our team will then be able to rely on an optimal sailing preparation program, but it will also be a permanent and 360 degrees communications platform for our sponsors.
This is why ALL4ONE is so innovative. What we achieved in Nice was a very good start on both aspects, and I know that we have really great champions and collaborators in this team to manage all of that."

]]> Source : WSTA 2009-12-17T14:15Z http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=603 http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=603 The 33rd America's Cup will take place in Valencia in February 2010
Valencia, Spain - 2009-12-16

The Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court today upheld Justice Kornreich's decision of 30 October 2009 that disqualified the America's Cup Defender Société Nautique de Genève's choice of Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates as venue for the 33rd America's Cup. The four-judge panel also upheld Kornreich's decision to exclude rudders from the measurement of the load waterline length of the race yacht.

The 33rd America's Cup will take place in Valencia in February 2010.



]]> Stephanie Nadin 2009-12-16T14:15Z http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=602 http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=602 World Yacht Racing Forum brings light on future of the America’s Cup
Principality of Monaco - 2009-12-15

Following over two years of legal disputes regarding the format of the next America’s Cup in the New York Supreme Court, Russell Coutts (CEO, BMW ORACLE Racing) and Brad Butterworth (President, Alinghi), spoke together publically for the first time during last week’s World Yacht Racing Forum in Monaco.
 
Both Coutts and Butterworth gave individual presentations on their respective Challenge and Defence before joining several potential challengers to discuss the future, shape and options for the 34th America's Cup.
 
Presenting first, Coutts told the audience that if the U.S. were to win the Cup, it would propose establishing professional and neutral management for future AC events. “The first step to a healthier future has to be truly independent management of the sporting issues. I believe this as does Larry Ellison, who has made a public pledge to have professional and independent management if BMW ORACLE is successful. The next America's Cup must be guided by the principles of neutrality, fairness and mutual consent between the Defender and challengers”, he said.
 
Butterworth followed and repeated his organizations claim that the rules and venue for the Cup matches must be set by the defending yacht club when there is no mutual consent, with the challenger setting the date and the boat. He continued to defend Ras Al Kaimah as the venue for the February or May 2010 match pending the decision by the New York Court on Société Nautique de Genève’s appeal. “We will be ready to race on 8 February 2010 whether the race is in Valencia or in Ras Al Khaimah”, he said. Coutts replied that his team “will be ready to race on 8 February 2010 in Valencia but would have to look carefully at the transport and logistics issues in case a different venue is chosen.”
 
Butterworth concluded his presentation with a wish: “I would hope that whoever loses is magnanimous and stands aside to allow the new defender and the challengers to move forward unfettered by lawsuits.”
 
Talking about the extraordinary performances of the multihulls built for this special edition of the Cup, the Alinghi President outlined his team’s vision of the future saying that he would love to have a multi-national, multi-challenge 34th America’s Cup. “If we are fortunate enough to win the 33rd match we would like to discuss the type of boat with the challengers.” Butterworth added he did favour multihulls over monohulls, which later triggered an interesting debate between potential challengers.

Both Coutts and Butterworth described their enthusiasm for the giant multi-hulls they are testing, Coutts calling his boat “a triumph of imagination, design and engineering.” He also paid tribute to Alinghi's catamaran. “I think in another 100 years, people might look back and see the BOR 90 and Alinghi 5 in the same way we now look at Reliance and Shamrock - as two of the most extreme Cup yachts of all time and landmarks in the Cup's rich history,” he said.
 
Nicolo Bastianini (GreenCom), Paul Cayard, Magnus Holmberg (Victory Challenge), Stephane Kandler (All4One), Sotiris Buseas (Greek Challenge) and Marcus Hutchinson (Team Origin) then joined Coutts and Butterworth on stage for a debate about the future of the event after AC 33. A point often repeated was that the class of boat should be something the majority of the challenging teams support.
 
Talking on behalf of their respective teams, all panellists expressed clear – yet solvable - differences regarding the format, dates and type of boat to use for the next edition of the regatta. On the other hand all panellists agreed that an independent management was necessary, Brad Butterworth reminding his colleagues that its establishment would be difficult due to the complexity of the event.
 
Led by Paul Cayard, the speakers then unanimously endorsed the idea to rapidly create an official group of challengers and to start working concretely, together, on a Protocol for the next America’s Cup. “We have a unique opportunity right now”, Cayard wrote after the Forum. “Neither Alinghi and BMW Oracle knows who will be holding the cards for the 34th America's Cup. So this is a time where each may be more willing to agree to a "fair and independent" event management structure. Either could find themselves on the Challenger side for 34th America's Cup and that party would certainly want a modern and objective event organization."



]]> World Yacht Racing Forum 2009-12-15T14:15Z http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=601 http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=601 SEB COL FINISHES 4th OF MONSOON CUP 2009
Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia - 2009-12-06

Seb Col and his team won their quarter finals against Robertson. They raced with Ben Ainslie and Team Origin in the semi-finals (the first one to get 3 points was getting a spot in the final). Seb and his team lost 2-3 and fought until the end.

They finish 4th of the Monsoon Cup 2009 and first French team, after having raced against Peter Gilmour in the petite finale (the first one to get 2 points was getting the 3rd place).
Gilmour won the first race, then Seb and his team the second one. Finally Gilmour won the 3rd match.

Adam Minoprio, who already knew he was 2009 World match racing champion since Mirsky was out, wins the 3 points he needed against Ben Ainslie. He wins the Monsoon Cup 2009.

Monsoon Cup Results
1st Adam Minoprio (NZL) BlackMatch Racing Team
2nd Ben Ainslie (GBR) Team Origin
3rd Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing
4th Sebastien Col (FRA) French Match Racing Team/ALL4ONE
5th Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team
6th Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing
7th Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team
8th Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team

Tour Standings
1. Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing 138 Points
2. Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team 97 Points
3. Ben Ainslie, (GBR) Team Origin 95 Points
4. Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR 93 Points
5. Mathieu Richard (FRA), French Match Racing Team Racing 79 Points
6. Ian Williams (GBR) Team Pindar 75 Points
7. Sebastien Col, (FRA) French Match Racing Team 55 Points
8. Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team 48 Points


]]> Stephanie Nadin 2009-12-06T14:15Z http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=599 http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=599 SEB COL AND HIS TEAM IN QUARTER FINALS OF THE MONSOON CUP!
Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia - 2009-12-04

The Round Robin is over, Seb Col and his team won 2 more matches, against Robertson and Richard. (They didn't win the last match against Minoprio). But it is exactly what they needed to go to the quarter finals.
They finish 2nd of the Round Robin.

More:
http://www.monsooncup.com.my/
et http://www.worldmatchracingtour.com/


The Monsoon Cup live on Internet on www.sail.tv and www.wmrt.org/sailtv.

]]> Stephanie Nadin 2009-12-04T14:15Z http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=598 http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=598 QUARTER FINALS WITHIN THE REACH OF SEB COL AND HIS TEAM ON THE MONSOON CUP 2009
Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia - 2009-12-03

The Round Robin matches of the Monsoon Cup are on in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia. Seb Col and his French match racing team scored nice points: today they won against Ian Williams (current World Champion), Ben Ainslie and Team Origin, and Damien Iehl!
(yesterday they won against Francesco Bruni and Team Azzurra, winners of the Louis Vuitton Trophy - Nice).

(see the highlight of the day regarding the match against Williams in our Multimedia section).

Seb and his team scored 5 points total so far and 3 losses after 2 days of racing, so it means the quarter finals are still reachable.
They would need 6 points to make it.
They have 3 matches left to race to do so (against Robertson, Minoprio and Richard).

Seb Col: "it was nice to race again against Ainslie and Bruni, we see that it is a different game than what we know from Nice in the Louis Vuitton Trophy.

Bruni doesn't feel so good in the breeze and the current, (we can get up to a 5 knots one here).

Ainslie feels better on a smaller boat, and the fact that he sails with his tactician Iain Percy makes that they are stronger and stronger, but we did a nice match against them, just what we needed!

On our side we still have a few points to fine tune with Erwan, other than that all is going well, good speed and good manoeuvers in particular."

Round Robin Results Day 2

Ben Ainslie (GBR) Team Origin 7-2
Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team 6-3
Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing Team 6-3
Magnus Holmberg (SWE) Victory Challenge 5-4
Sebastien Col (FRA) French Match Racing Team/ALL4ONE 5-3
Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team 5-3
Adam Minoprio (NZL) Emirates Team New Zealand/BlackMatch Racing 4-4
Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing 4-4
Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team 4-5
Ian Williams (GBR) Team Pindar 3-6
Francesco Bruni (ITA) Team Azzura 3-6
Hazwan Hazim Dermawan (MAS) Taring Pelangi Team 0-9

]]> Stephanie Nadin 2009-12-03T14:15Z http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=597 http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=597 THE 2009 MONSOON CUP STARTS TOMORROW!
Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia - 2009-12-01

Last event of the World Match Racing Tour, the “famous” Monsoon Cup will determine who will become 2009 World Match Racing Champion.

Seb Col has arrived in Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia, along with his team formed of Erwan Israel, Jean-Marie Dauris, Gilles Favennec and Christian Scherrer. They will sail together again after a well deserved week of break, after the Louis Vuitton Trophy – Nice.
Seb finished the 2008 Monsoon Cup as runner-up of World Match Racing Tour.

Heavy monsoon rains have been falling in eastern Malaysia for the last week and today the World Tour's top match racing crews were on the water acclimatising to the conditions.

And this will for sure be a tough competition week, given all the top sailors who will take part to the Monsoon Cup. With all this rain the river current is running pretty hard, so there will be a lot of current across the course. When the sea breeze is blowing the course is relatively predictable, but if it is light or there are monsoon squalls as there have been today, this would be amongst the toughest courses on the World Match Tour.

Seb Col : “we've had a tough season on the World Tour this year. One year ago, at the beginning of the Monsoon Cup, we were playing for the World Champion title. Today it is different, we are 8th in the general ranking, so we are here to finish the season, and we will try to finish it the best way that we can. We know this competition quite well now, and we have not been much successful in it so far, so we would really be keen on reversing this situation, to close the season with a good performance. We have nothing to lose in Malaysia, we are here to sail well, and we will see the result.”

2009 World Match Racing Tour provisional Ranking

1. Adam Minoprio ETNZ/BlackMatch - 5/5 100
2. Torvar Mirsky Mirsky Racing Team - 5/5 88
3. Ian Williams Team Pindar - 5/5 75
4. Mathieu Richard French Match Racing Team - 5/5 74
5. Peter Gilmour YANMAR Racing - 5/5 71
6 Ben Ainslie Team Origin - 3/5 65
7. Damien Iehl French Match Racing Team - 4/5 48
8. Sebastien Col French Match Racing Team/ALL4ONE - 5/5 41

]]> Stephanie Nadin 2009-12-01T14:15Z http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=596 http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=596 ALL4ONE CONFIRMS POTENTIAL AFTER FIRST LOUIS VUITTON TROPHY AND PREPARES THE FUTURE
Valencia, Spain - 2009-11-30

ALL4ONE finished Louis Vuitton Trophy - Nice Côte d'Azur with a promising 5th place for the French-German team that opened a new era in sports.
Even if this group had a tough start in the competition as it was launched only a few weeks before the first Louis Vuitton Trophy, ALL4ONE managed to count on the new team spirit that was created between its sailors as well as on their confirmed capabilities to finally unleash the power.

A team able to compete against the bests
The French-German concept which is at the origin of ALL4ONE's birth become quickly real by gathering this team around strong values, confirming the importance of an innovative philosophy to build a strong team, able to compete against the bests.
ALL4ONE proved it by winning important matches against top competitors like Artemis or BMW Oracle Racing, but also against Louis Vuitton Trophy - Nice's Italian winner Azzurra.

One of the greatest satisfactions for ALL4ONE came from the success of the complementarity between Helmsman Sebastien Col and Skipper-Strategist Jochen Schümann. Their respective experiences and the sharing of those have made it possible for the team to take another step at each match.
Jochen Schümann, Skipper and Sports Director: "We have seen a very exciting Louis Vuitton Trophy, and Nice has shown best possible November weather with lots of very tight races. ALL4ONE has proven its potential with a steep learning curve, finishing 5th. Due to high failure rate in earlier round, we missed to qualify for semi finals, which was our goal. In final knock-out races, we finally defeated such strong teams as BMW Oracle Racing and Artemis. Seb Col gained during rounds a good boat feeling to apply his best Match Racing skills, executed by all 17 crew on board. Still we have identified a lot of details for improving. We are at very beginning to form our team and decision culture on board while racing and ashore. ALL4ONE do have the right people to continue with same crew, as soon as for upcoming Louis Vuitton Trophy in Auckland in March 2010."

Preparing the future starting with the 2010 season
ALL4ONE will carry on working for the future with the same group, and looking at the short term the team will first prepare the next Louis Vuitton Trophy (which will take place in Auckland, New Zealand, in March 2010). The team will train in Valencia, Spain, as soon as next February.

The other great satisfaction for the ALL4ONE crew members is that their ACC boat, FRA93 (which was one of the event's boats as a pair with GBR75 - ex Alinghi), has been sailed by the best teams. The boat made a good performance after having been matched with GBR75 for the regatta. This validated the good work that the young team K-Challenge achieved during the 32nd America's Cup in 2007.

Louis Vuitton Trophy: a successful concept of event
The Louis Vuitton Trophy - Nice Côte d'Azur was a great success, despite the short timings for the organization of this first event.
ALL4ONE has played a key role to take the teams part of the World Sailing Teams Association (WSTA) and the event's boats to France.

After this first event, 4 other regattas are already expecting to welcome the competitors in 2010, starting as soon as March 2010 in Auckland, New Zealand.
The success factors of the Nice event will be used again, especially through the free live racing follow up on www.louisvuittontrophy.com, thanks to an accessible and commented mix of videos and 3D live racing through Virtual Eye.
The public is able to discover all the bits and pieces of high level match racing, which is one of the major strengths of the Louis Vuitton Trophy.
The event organisation will be reinforced again in order to improve a concept which kept its promises: tight and open racing (all the teams have won or lost, free access for the public to the official village and the web site, worldwide media exposure beyond the countries represented, reasonable budgets for the competitors).

]]> Stephanie Nadin 2009-11-30T14:15Z http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=595 http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=595 AZZURRA WINS LOUIS VUITTON TROPHY - NICE
Nice, France - 2009-11-22

Even before the Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Côte d’Azur began, Azzurra skipper Francesco Bruni spoke of his passion and honour to be leading an iconic sailing brand back into the fray after a long absence. This afternoon he could barely describe his joy.



Bruni and his Azzurra crew, including tactician Tommaso Chieffi, defeated Emirates Team New Zealand 2-0 in the Grand Final to win this match race regatta.



Azzurra, from the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, made its international sailing debut at the 1983 Louis Vuitton Cup but has been in hiatus since the 1987 event off Western Australia. The team was re-launched last month and today Azzurra won the first race by 25 seconds and the second by 17 for a well-deserved championship.



“It’s an amazing sensation. I can’t find the words to describe it,” said Bruni, the 40-year-old skipper from Sicily. “We knew we could do a good job. We had very good training before the event. But we never thought about beating New Zealand in the final.”



Emirates Team New Zealand entered the final as the favourite. It won the round robin, suffering just one loss in 10 starts, and then defeated the upstart Synergy Russia Sailing Team in a hard-fought semi final match.



Team New Zealand has won many regattas this year, including the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series in February and the TP52 World Championship in September. Today, however, the Kiwis lost the first cross in both races and could never find a way around the Italians on the short courses of less than 5 nautical miles.



“I think we sailed well today but Azzurra was clearly better than us. They did everything right,” said Dean Barker, skipper of Emirates Team New Zealand. “Sometimes that’s just the way it is. You’re either in the right place or you’re not. Today Azzurra sailed very, very well.”



The two races were sailed early in the morning as the race committee was intent on deciding the regatta on the water and not on countback, which might’ve happened if racing couldn’t be conducted. The best winds of this two-week event were often early in the morning, and today the first warning signal was sounded at 0800 CET, one hour earlier than scheduled.



The northwesterly wind blew between 6 and 10 knots for the two races and was very shifty and patchy. Pressure differences often accounted for different sailing angles as 1 or 2 knots more wind can lift a yacht as much as 10 degrees higher than its opponent.



Chieffi, who won the 1992 Louis Vuitton Cup as tactician of Il Moro di Venezia, thought the Kiwis’ success played against them in the final.



“Beating TeamOrigin yesterday was a big plus for us; we’d done our share of work,” said Chieffi. “So we came in with smiley faces today despite the early morning. I could sense the Kiwis were more tense because they were the favourite; they were leading throughout the regatta. This played a role in our favour.”



The winning crew included skipper Bruni and tactician Chieffi, Tom Burnham (strategist), Bruno Zirilli (navigator), Daniele De Luca (mainsail trimmer), Stefano Rizzi (jib trimmer), Pierluigi De Felice (spinnaker trimmer), Gabriele Bruni (trimmer), Piero Romero (runner grinder), Nicola Pilastro (mainsail grinder), Massimo Galli (port grinder), Francesco Scalici (starboard grinder), Cristian Griggio (pitman), Luca Albarelli (mastman), Pietro Mantovani (mid-bow), Matteo Auguadro (bowman) and Michele Cannoni (pit assist).



Despite the win, Azzurra had its mishaps on the racecourse. The skipper and tactician both described three problems in the two races. In Race 1 a helicopter got too low to the water and disrupted the wind flow, reducing a four-boatlength lead to one.



In the second race the crew didn’t judge a bias in the leeward gate. They made a starboard rounding, but the mark was farther downwind and again they gave away three boatlengths.



The biggest mishap came at the top of the second beat in the second race. Approaching the windward mark on starboard tack with Team New Zealand two or three lengths behind, Mantovani, the mid-bowman, slipped overboard while preparing the spinnaker for the rounding. As the yacht sailed past the aft grinder, Romero, ran into the scoop and grabbed him out of the water “like a fish,” according to Bruni.



Chieffi said: “Even with the mishaps, the crew did a solid job to not lose concentration. Yes, we had five-boatlength leads, but one length is enough. The crew did an outstanding job keeping it calm, steady and tidy. We’re very pleased with the result.”



For detailed information about today’s matches please visit the official event Web site, www.LouisVuittonTrophy.com.



Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Cote d’Azur Final Standings

Team (Country) Skipper (Nationality) Won-Lost

1. Azzurra (ITA) Francesco Bruni (ITA), 11-5

2. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) Dean Barker (NZL), 11-4

3. Synergy Russia Sailing Team (RUS) Karol Jablonski (POL), 8-6

4. TeamOrigin (GBR) Ben Ainslie (GBR), 9-6

5. All4One (FRA/GER) Jochen Schumann (GER), 5-8

6. BMW Oracle Racing (USA) Hamish Pepper (NZL), 5-8

7. Artemis (SWE) Paul Cayard (USA), 5-7

8. TFS – PagesJaunes (FRA) Bertrand Pacé (FRA), 1-11

(Note: Won-lost records do not reflect penalties assessed by on-water umpires or the International Jury.)




]]> Source : Louis Vuitton Trophy 2009-11-22T14:15Z http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=594 http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=594 Emirates Team New Zealand to meet Azzurra for Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Côte d'Azur
Nice, France - 2009-11-21

Petite Final wraps with Synergy overcoming TeamOrigin
One of sailing’s most revered brands will square off tomorrow against one of its most iconic brands when Emirates Team New Zealand races Azzurra in the Final of the Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Côte d’Azur.



The final was scheduled to commence this afternoon, but light winds again frustrated competitors and organizers in their attempt to race. Although the championship was put on hold around 1440 CET, three races were held earlier in the day to wrap up the Semi Final Round and the Petit Final.



Azzurra of Italy advanced to the championship by defeating TeamOrigin of the U.K. in their showdown match. After a close first beat, the Italians luffed the British at the top of the leg to gain an advantage at the first mark.



Yesterday the Italians suffered in the strong winds and big waves. But today skipper Francesco Bruni and crew revelled in the 8-knot winds and won by 29 seconds.



“I think that we, as Italians, are used to sailing in lighter wind. We all know that,” said Bruni. “I think that we were driving the boat fast today as trimmer and skipper. Also the acceleration on the start line and how the boat reacts in turns, we’re just more confident in those conditions.”



Emirates Team New Zealand then took to the racecourse and booked its place in the final by defeating the pesky Synergy Russia Sailing Team.



Team New Zealand and Synergy had sailed three ding-dong battles, highlighted by yesterday’s second race when each team was penalised 1 point by a combination of the on-water umpires and International Jury. But this morning’s anticipated showdown proved to be more of a let down.



In a fashion similar to the day’s first match, the crews were evenly matched on the first leg. With both yachts on port tack and Team New Zealand to leeward, skipper Dean Barker, reigning champion of the Louis Vuitton Cup, luffed Synergy near the first mark.



During the incident the on-water umpires penalized the Russian-flagged yacht and Team New Zealand opened an advantage it wouldn’t relinquish. The Kiwis won by 4 minutes although the delta became skewed as Synergy completed a penalty turn on the finish line in light winds.



“We sort of parked it up and they didn’t give us enough room when we bore away,” said Barker of the incident at the windward mark. “It’s tough as the windward boat because you’re trying to not lose the race at that point. It was close through the manoeuvre. I don’t know if there was contact, I couldn’t see, but it was nothing like yesterday.”



After a break for lunch the four crews returned to the water to resume racing, but the Petit Final between Synergy and TeamOrigin was the only match sailed in winds between 4 and 6 knots. After trailing by 22 seconds at the first mark, Synergy scored a comeback win when it overtook the British on the first downwind leg.



“Not making the final is very disappointing,” said TeamOrigin General Manager Mike Sanderson, a past round-the-world race winner. “We put a lot more effort into this regatta than we did Auckland. We were here to win and to win it you need to get to final. I’d be lying if I said not making the final was a big disappointment.”



Racing tomorrow is scheduled to begin early with the warning signal slated for 0800 CET.



For detailed information about today’s matches please visit the official event Web site, www.LouisVuittonTrophy.com.




]]> Source : Louis Vuitton Trophy 2009-11-21T14:15Z