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=457 http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=457 Sebastien Col gets ready for the Match Race Germany after GP42 in Santa Margherita
Santa Margherita, Italy - 2008-05-04

After winning the RC44 Cagliari Cup, Sebastien Col went to Santa Margherita in Italy in order to take part to the Trofeo Pirelli last week, where he joined Paolo Cian and GP42 team Roma as Tactician.

Sebastien Col : « the GP42s are great boats, very interesting from the technological point of view. Unfortunately the conditions were very light last week. We finish 6th with team Roma, as the boat needs to improve its performance in light winds. For now it is quite difficult under 8 knots. But we had a good set of sails for light winds. We could have ended up 2nd without our OCS race, which we only knew about the day after…
I learnt a lot anyway, and Roma is a team that improved a lot. I was very happy to sail again with Jean-Francois Cuzon as navigator on board. He did a good job in these really difficult conditions, as well as for the electronics on board.”

Sebastien will now switch to match racing with the Match Race Germany event, which will start next Thursday after the training on Wednesday.

Sebastien Col: “the Match Race Germany is our first event in the World Match Racing Tour this year. My objective this season is to sail at the highest level and to use the WMRT to prepare our next America’s Cup campaign with K-Challenge. This will enable me to test different configurations with crew members and trimmers who would be interesting for us to recruit in the team. I’m starting the week with a two days training with Mathieu Richard in Pornic, then we will head to Langenargen to start the event with the training day on Wednesday.”


]]> Stephanie Nadin 2008-05-04T14:15Z http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=456 http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=456 K-CHALLENGE'S "2" INTRODUCES OFFICIALLY DESIGN TEAM FOR THE 34TH AMERICA'S CUP
Paris, France - 2008-04-29

After having presented last March 27 its sailing team's key members, and its program which is based on the new generation, K-Challenge carries on its preparation for the 34th America's Cup. Thus, it is also thanks to the key members of its Design Team that the team continues the project's set up with its new organization and its core team.

In the heart of the Design Team are both Dimitri Nicolopoulos, Technical Director and member of the Executive Committee, and Bernard Nivelt, Principal Architect, who were already part of the last K-Challenge campaign for the 32nd America's Cup.
In addition to Bernard and Dimitri, Alan Cattelliot, Aero- and Hydro-dynamics Engineer, (who worked several years at Multiplast's yard in particular), will join K-Challenge to reinforce the Design Team. Alan will be in charge to work on the hydrodynamic problems and VPP.


A Design Team continuing K-Challenge "1"'s experience

"The last campaign was for us the opportunity to create a strong and powerful team. Besides some of us were recruited by teams for the 33rd America's Cup", explains Dimitri Nicolopoulos, Technical Director. He adds:
"Today, the legal process and the implied delay for the 34th America's Cup give us the means to start it all again with the same core team, and to prepare the basics efficiently.
Stephan Kandler understood that it is of a primary importance to invest in the design methods now, as it allows us to work ahead and to take the lead.
Sebastien Col also completely agrees with this methodology and works on the gathering of a sailing team which will have capabilities to design and then to develop the team's boats.
Last but not least, Sebastien Josse, although he does not come from the match racing world, proved that he was able to manage a group of young and multinational sailors at the time of the last Volvo Ocean Race. Lots of them were eventually recruited by America's Cup's teams."

Sebastien Col continues: "What I really like is the concept of continuity for the Design Team. The experience we've got with Dimitri and Bernard makes it possible to start again on common bases. My role will be to set up for them a group of sailors able to work with the Design Team by key positions on board (in particular with sailors who are good technicians in the development of boats within measurement rules). My programme also goes in this direction this year: I take part to several circuits with measurement rules (RC 44, GP42 and TP52) like the ACC boat rules. The goal is to meet people who would be a true benefit for the K-Challenge project. Personally, this way, I learn how to develop a boat , for example it is what I'm currently doing on the RC 44 circuit."

No waste of time, let's concentrate on the true goals of the moment in order to be ready

In the next months, the Design Team's work will be primarily dedicated to the choice of the tools and methods. It is indeed critical to be able to have simulation software and tests facilities perfectly adapted, in order to be able to get the team at work as soon as the rule is fine tuned within the framework of the Protocol of the 34th America's Cup.
This core Design Team will concentrate on the resolution of technical problems for sailing boats like AC90/TP52/GP42, i.e, the treatment of interactions between appendages and the surface.
Dimitri Nicolopoulos: "Trying to optimize a hull for current AC90 rules would be a waste of time so far, as key parameters (i.e, the weight) will probably change, having major implications on the hull.
Today we have been able to think back about the 32nd edition, and we also exchanged with the other teams about the organizations, strengths and weaknesses of each team. I personally lived a very interesting experience for six months with the German team. It appeared that if our general method was correct, we could usefully reinforce us in some technical fields. And finally, for us the postponement of the America's Cup is not a bad thing. It will make it possible to have a basic race to prepare ourselves, and those which will manage to start early will take lengths of advance. In particular, we have to take into account a new rule which will force the counters back to zero. It is an exciting challenge which I am happy to take up."

A point of view that is shared by Bernard Nivelt, Principal Architect, enthusiastic with the idea to take up the challenge with the team too: "Stephan has allowed us to continue the work undertaken for 6 months with the German team: we had the occasion to use several tools for simulation and to evaluate their strengths and their weaknesses. The extra time generated by the 33rd America's Cup could be profitable to sharpen our tools and to use the accumulated experience as much as possible.
To overcome the difficulties and to make the good decisions looking at the difficult choices which characterize this kind of challenge, the technique is not enough; the complicity of a core team is capital, and going for it again with people whom we appreciate and whom we have been able to judge under pressure, is an additional asset."


Design Team's programme and integration of K-Challenge's sponsors know-how

The planning of the Design Team will be organised around major stages:
2008: installation of methods and tools; 2009-2010: drawing and construction of the new boat; 2010-2011: development of the boat and competitions.
In the short term, it is the choice of the tools and the development of the methods in the hydrodynamic field and the performance prediction software (VPP) which will be the priority.
Then in the medium term, the core team will be reinforced gradually to include approximately 17 people when it turns to full speed mode.
The team will also be able to integrate - as we did in the past - the know-how and energies of its sponsors which, beyond their financial contribution, can take part actively and concretely in its development.

Stephan Kandler, CEO of K-Challenge, concludes: "With the renewal of the boat rules the design will be more important than ever . It was one of our strength during the last campaign, and the possibility of working again with the key members of this team, who moreover got a significant experience in AC90 rules, is a real asset for our team in the future. We will also be able to capitalize on the methods and the tools which we had set up for the last edition, without forgetting what is the main strength of our future campaign: a very strong desire to work again together to succeed. I am delighted to welcome Bernard, Dimitri and Alan who will be those which will give the impulse to this "new" Design Team, which will be reinforced with new members, and to work with a core sailing team which is in the course of recruitment. It is a new important stage for this campaign, which will enable us to take the lead in this vital field."

]]> Stephanie Nadin 2008-04-29T14:15Z http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=455 http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=455 Sebastien Col and Team Hiroshi – Città di Milano conquers the Cagliari RC 44 Cup
Cagliari, Italy - 2008-04-28

With two bullets in the last two races, Armando Giulietti, Sébastien Col and their crew on board Team Hiroshi – Città di Milano confirm their leadership over the RC 44 Class. After their victory in the match race event, Larry Ellison and Russell Coutts (BMW ORACLE Racing) conclude the fleet race event on the second spot, just ahead of Patrick de Barros and Ben Ainslie’s Banco Espirito Santo.



With two races to sail on the last day of the Cagliari RC 44 Cup, Armando Giulietti’s Team Hiroshi – Città di Milano was sitting at an enviable position yesterday morning, seven points ahead of Banco Espirito Santo. However, the situation was more complicated behind the leader, with four teams separated by five points.

Sébastien Col, Team Hiroshi – Città di Milano: “Our goal is clearly the fleet racing event, so we are very happy with our week. We are using the match-race to test new sails; this worked well and allowed us to make the right decisions in the fleet race. Our speed was excellent and we managed to sail in the right spot most of the times.”

The first race took place in a light sea breeze. Team Hiroshi, BMW ORACLE Racing and Banco Espirito Santo went straight for the left of the course whilst Team Sea Dubai (third overall until then) opted for the right. Every point was crucial and all the leading teams were impatiently waiting for the first crossing to see who was right or wrong. Well, both options seemed to pay. Hiroshi rounded the windward mark in first, just ahead of Team Sea Dubai and BMW ORACLE Racing. The same scenario took place downwind, all the leading teams going to the right except Team Sea Dubai who went to the left. The tension was seriously rising as they neared the leeward gate, which they rounded in the same position once again. The only change within the leading boats finally took place on the last downwind leg, when BMW ORACLE Racing overtook Team Sea Dubai; a point that was going to cost them the podium. Team Aqua, who was also looking for a place on the podium, finished seventh whilst Banco Espirito Santo – second overall till then – dropped down the ranking because of an eighth place in this race.

At this stage, Team Hiroshi – Città di Milano could not loose the event any more. Team Sea Dubai was only two points ahead of BMW ORACLE Racing and two more ahead of Banco Espirito Santo: all but a comfortable advantage against Russell Coutts and Ben Ainslie.

Well advised, Larry Ellison got a perfect start on the pin end of the line. Also well in the game, and more central on the course, Team Sea Dubai and Team Hiroshi – Città di Milano managed to reach the windward mark a few boat lengths ahead of Oracle. The hunt for the last remaining points was on, and fascinating, with Banco Espirito Santo sailing precisely and smoothly to try to catch up on the leaders. Was it the pressure, bad luck? Team Sea Dubai went from first to third, then sixth and finally seventh over the arrival line, to the despair of their crewmembers. On the other hand, the experienced Ben Ainslie managed to lead Patrick de Barros to the third spot, grabbing the last place available on the podium behind Team Hiroshi – Città di Milano and BMW ORACLE Racing.

Sixth of the last race, Team Aqua ends up fifth overall whilst Igor Lah’s Team Ceeref is seventh, ahead of Beecom, Cro-A-sail and Mascalzone Latino.


Team Hiroshi – Città di Milano increases its lead in the 2008 Championship Tour, ahead of Patrick de Barros and Igor Lah. Armando Giulietti will carry on sailing with the Championship Tour leader’s gold wheels in the next event, the Austria Cup (May 28 – June 1).

Armando Giulietti, Team Hiroshi – Città di Milano: “This is a great conclusion to a nice week. I think that this is a decisive stage for the RC 44 Class. Indeed, it is growing and attracting more and more top names. It is tough to sail against all these teams but it is great when you manage to beat them.”

]]> www.rc44.com 2008-04-28T14:15Z http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=454 http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=454 Comfortable lead before the last Cagliari Cup racing day for Seb Col and Team Hiroshi
Cagliari, Italy - 2008-04-26


















Team Hiroshi – Città di Milano makes the break on day two of the fleet race event

Armando Giulietti and his crew on board Team Hiroshi – Città di Milano are now seven points ahead of Patrick de Barros’s Banco Espirito Santo, whilst Team Sea Dubai sits in third.

Cagliari, April 26, 2008 – After another stunning day off the coast of Cagliari, Sardinia, the boat that sails with the RC 44 championship leader’s gold wheel is back at the top of the ranking. With tactician Sébastien Col and Armando Giulietti at the helm, team Hiroshi – Città di Milano had three good races today (4, 1, 3), giving it a fairly comfortable lead before the last racing day.

The first race of the day (the fourth altogether) took place in a light and raising sea breeze. Igor Lah’s Ceeref crossed the line a few seconds too early and had to re-cross it, whilst Banco Espirito Santo, with Patrick de Barros at the helm and Ben Ainslie calling the shots, took the best start alongside Team Aqua and BMW ORACLE Racing. These three boats rapidly increased their lead over the rest of the fleet and initiated a race on their own despite Team Hiroshi’s constant pressure a few boat lengths behind. During the last downwind leg, Banco Espirito Santo – who had made no mistake until then – jibed too late towards the finishing line. Cameron Appleton (Team Aqua) and Larry Ellison (BMW ORACLE Racing) benefited from this mistake to get the first two spots of the race behind a disappointed de Barros, who had just missed a great opportunity.

The wind increased to ten knots for race two, allowing a superb fight between the ten one-designs. Both Banco Espirito Santo and Cro-A-Sail were over the line; however only the Portuguese boat got recalled. Unlike during race 1, this time it is the right side of the course that proved to be favourable. The recent Farr 40 world champions on board Mascalzone Latino used the right shift (30 ° over the entire race) to their advantage to reach the first mark in the lead. Team Hiroshi – Città di Milano didn’t take long to overtake them and build a huge gap, sailing to victory without being threatened. At this stage, Banco Espirito Santo was already back in fourth whilst the early leader Cro-A-Sail was trailing the fleet, following a bad tactical decision to choose the left side of the course. Banco Espirito Santo and Team Aqua showed once again that they were on great form, overtaking one opponent after the next to finish second and third.

The last race of the day was also the long distance DHL Trophy. The wind had by then increased to a lovely 15 knots, making it even more exciting than the previous races. Team Organika, with Star world champion Mateusz Kusznierewicz, played the shifts better than the other teams, remaining in the centre of the course and sailing with a jib whilst all other teams had a genoa. Organika reached the windward mark in the top position, just ahead of Banco Espirito Santo and Sea Dubai, once again excellent in the first part of the race. After a long downwind leg, the ten RC 44s reached along the stunning coast line of Cape Elia, heading for the arrival line. Banco Espirito Santo was by then in the lead, a few boat lengths ahead of Team Organika and Hiroshi – Città di Milano. With no passing options, the boats crossed the line in this order to the delight of the Polish team who is getting better by the day.

Three more fleet races will be sailed tomorrow, in conclusion to an extraordinary sailing week in Cagliari.

They said:

Armando Giulietti, Team Hiroshi – Città di Milano: “Our strategy was to try to get good rankings and avoid any risks. We played it safe and it paid off, despite everyone tacking on us as soon as they had an opportunity. I am very happy; our boat is perfectly prepared and we hardly ever have technical problems. However, the pressure is on and tomorrow will be a tough day.”

Larry Ellison, BMW ORACLE Racing: "It was very shifty and tricky, and it is really tough out there. I think that this place is really great for sailing, because we’ve had everything from fairly strong breeze to light winds. You really get all the possible conditions.”

Patrick de Barros, Banco Espirito Santo: “We are getting there… We still need to improve our downwind speed but we are definitely improving. It’s great to sail with Ben Ainslie, he is a real asset. His personality is very different to Russel Coutts’, who is normally my tactician for the fleet races. But they are both great sailors and entirely focused on their work.”

Volker Miller, DHL, RC 44 Official logistics supplier: “It was a first experience for me to be sitting on a boat during a race. It was fantastic. I saw some similarities with our work in logistics, because a strong team spirit is required in both fields. This is a great partnership for us, because it is not just about sponsoring an event. It is a real exchange: our experience and involvement is useful to all the teams involved.”

]]> www.rc44.com 2008-04-26T14:15Z http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=453 http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=453 Sebastien Col and Team Hiroshi 2nd in Cagliari's RC44 fleet race (and only 1 point away from the leader!)
Cagliari, Italy - 2008-04-25

Sebastien Col from Cagliari :"Good start in the fleet race, we finish 1, 2 and 6.
We are fast, and this confirms what I felt during the match racing, it is a pity for the Round Robin, we could have finished 2nd easily... but this is behind us now.
There are 2 other boats with us in the top of the ranking, Sea Dubai with 8 points, and BMW Oracle Racing with 12 points. We have 9 points.
3 more races to come tomorrow, and the long distance race."

















Team Sea Dubai takes the lead on day one of the fleet race event of the Cagliari RC 44 Cup

Markus Wieser and his helmsman Joki Hellmich had a superb day on board Sea Dubai. They lead the fleet race event ahead of Team Hiroshi – Città di Milano and BMW ORACLE Racing.

Cagliari, April 25, 2008 – Team Sea Dubai is the new and unexpected leader after the first three fleet races of the Cagliari RC 44 Cup. After a very good start in Dubai last month, this new team proves once again that it will be a serious opponent this season, thanks to a well managed program under the supervision of Markus Wieser.

The strong Mistral that was blowing during the match race event made space to a fairly shifty sea breeze today. Indeed, the first fleet race took place in 8 knots of wind, under a blue sunshine. Children from the Yacht Club Cagliari, one of the event’s partners, were invited on board each of the boats and they had the ride of their life.

Armand Giulietti’s Team Hiroshi Città di Milano didn’t have the start it wanted. The Italian boat was forced to tack a few seconds after the start, in an uncomfortable position; it went for the right side of the course and soon realised that this wasn’t such a bad thing: thanks to a great boat speed and a nice little shift, Hiroshi soon took the lead and sailed away, increasing its lead over Beecom. Both Team Sea Dubai and Team Organika, who had been struggling at the back of the fleet, made superb come-backs and finished respectively third and fifth.

The three leaders of this first race were ranked in the bottom half of the match-race event earlier in the week, proving how tight the fleet is and illustrating the fact that any boat can win any race thanks to the strict one-design characteristic of the RC 44.

The second race saw Larry Ellison’s BMW ORACLE Racing’s come back at the top after a sixth rank in the first race. Sailing fast and at the right place, in a lovely 15 knots breeze, Ellison made the best of the first downwind leg to take the lead over from Team Sea Dubai and Team Aqua. Despite a poor first leg, Team Hiroshi – Città di Milano managed to catch up with the leader, finishing in BMW Oracle’s wake. The wind dropped dramatically during the last leg, and Russell Coutts’ perfect positioning allowed his team to save its lead despite the come back of both Hiroshi and Chris Bake’s Team Aqua, who finished third after a solid race.

The wind then dropped completely for a while, before settling in again in a new direction. Peter Reggio was once again wise, having asked the fleet to wait until the wind was well settled to launch the start procedure. The breeze was light but there was still a lot of chop from the earlier breeze, making the helmsmen’s and trimmer’s life difficult. Team Sea Dubai handled those conditions perfectly, taking a good start and going for the favoured right side of the course to take the lead. The team from Dubai International Marine Club sailed away whilst a strong fight took place behind, between Igor Lah’s Ceeref and Team Organika, with Star world champion Mateusz Kusznierewicz calling the shots. The boats finished in this order, Team Sea Dubai benefiting from Hiroshi – Città di Milano’s sixth place to take the overall lead.

The races have been followed by a big crowd, both on and off the water. An impressive public cheered the teams as they arrived at the pontoons. Thousands of people are here to celebrate the Fiera Internazionale della Sardinia, a great cultural event that takes place in Cagliari between April 24 and May 5.

Six more fleet races are scheduled over the next two days. With only eleven points between the top eight boats, the game remains very open.

They said:

Markus Wieser, Team Sea Dubai: "We have improved a lot although we were already quite fast last month in Dubai. We have new spinnakers, so now we can maintain our good position downwind too. We are a new team, and we still have difficulties, but it is easier in light winds. I think that we sailed quite smartly today, we didn’t take risks and we were fast upwind.”

Armando Giulietti, Team Hiroshi – Città di Milano: “We had a good day, except for the third race were everybody tacked on us. We have a very good speed. Our trimming is excellent but we have also been working a lot on our sails, with North Sails Italy (Cassinari). We are quite happy with our results, but it is tough. The level is incredible.”

Maciej Nawrocki, Team Organika: "We have a great team and obviously, this helped a lot. Mateusz’s strategy was great and our team work has improved a lot. This was our problem until now, but the coordination is better and we are improving every day. This is also a new game for me, and I still have a lot to learn.”

Vincenzo Onorato, Mascalzone Latino: “This class has all the top sailors, so it is very tough. But we are here for the fun. Our team is almost the same as the one that was sailing in the Farr 40 Worlds last week. I sail with some of these guys since 15 or 20 years… In the future, we will want to improve our lever on RC 44’s. But we will do this step by step. In the Farr 40, it took us a long time too. Of course, now we have won three world championship titles. But we started sailing in this class in 1998. It takes time to get to the top.”

Chris Bake, Team Aqua: "This fleet simply doesn’t allow mistakes. We have a tendency to dig big holes to ourselves and then we spend our time fighting to get out of them. Our starts were good and we got a good result in race two. But it’s tough and it is clear that I don’t get enough steering compared to some of these guys.”

]]> www.rc44.com 2008-04-25T14:15Z http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=452 http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=452 Sebastien Col and Team Hiroshi finish 6th in match racing in Cagliari
Cagliari, Italy - 2008-04-24



Sebastien Col from Cagliari : "Still very windy today. But we missed the opportunity, as we end up with 5 victories against 4 losses. We have always leaded our matches, except against Coutts. We have to work on all that is linked to the "boat handling" and manoeuvres in more than 15 knots. It is definitely what we missed the most in the round robin. The positive aspect is that, again, we are fast. This should be good for the fleet race."





Larry Ellison wins the Cagliari RC 44 Cup match race event ahead of James Spithill and Ben Ainslie

Who would have thought? The winner of the match racing event of the Cagliari RC 44 Cup is Larry Ellison, the only non professional helmsman involved in this event; a competition that reassembles some of the best match race skippers in the world and that is with no doubt the number one match racing event of the spring.

The second day of the Cagliari Cup started – unlike yesterday – with light winds. Team Aqua, with Cameron Appleton at the helm, had a great first race against the favourite Team Ceeref - unbeaten for the pas two events with James Spithill at the helm. Despite loosing the start, Appleton managed to fight its way back and beat his opponent by three seconds, putting an end to Ceeref’s winning streak and getting back in the fight for a podium position.

The second fleet of the day (the eight all together) saw an interesting match between Mateusz Kusznierewicz and Ben Ainslie; the recent Star world champion and double Olympic medallist against the British triple Olympic medallist! Ainslie, on board Team Banco Espirito Santo, took the lead after an intense tacking dual, to win the race with a comfortable margin. This fleet also saw Cro-A-Sail’s first victory during a match with owner Miroslav Reljanovic at the helm. Cro-A-Sail will later on finish the event at an excellent fifth place, thanks to five victories.

The third flight caused a lot of upsets within the fleet. Indeed, the wind dropped dramatically in the middle of the race, then turned by 180° and increased to 20 knots! The leeward gate became a never seen before windward gate whilst the teams hesitated between the spinnaker, genoa or jib depending on their position. Unaffected by the situation, Larry Ellison and his team on board BMW ORACLE Racing got their fifth consecutive victory, getting closer to the title despite a difficult match to come. At the same time, the wind played a little trick to their future opponent, Ben Ainslie, who lost control of the situation together with an essential point to Marcus Wieser’s Team Sea Dubai (who got an excellent four points today).

Then came the race of the day, between Team Banco Espirito Santo and BMW ORACLE Racing. Peter Reggio, the chief Race Officer, was wise enough to cancel the first attempt after the hairiest of all pre-starts, in 30 knots of wind, re-launching the starting procedure half an hour later in a steady 20 knots. Ben Ainslie managed to control his opponent and take an early lead, controlling BMW ORACLE Racing throughout the first beat and consecutive downwind leg, the two boats surfing at high speed next to each other. Russell Coutts gave the right advice to his helmsman Larry Ellison during the second beat, choosing the right side of the course and benefiting from a ten seconds too late tack from Ainslie. This was the match: Ellison tacked to starboard and passed slightly ahead of Ainslie, controlling the last downwind leg to cross the line six seconds ahead of Ainslie in a huge shout of joy and liberation. Game, set and match, BMW ORACLE Racing could not loose the title despite one more match to compete.

BMW ORACLE Racing wins the match race event ahead of Team Ceeref. Team Banco Espirito Santo and Team Aqua have both won six races but Ainslie gets the third spot on the podium thanks to his victory against Cameron Appleton.

The fleet race event starts tomorrow. With Vincenzo Onorato is just back from his victory at the Farr 40 worlds, whilst the owners get back to the helm of their boats. A new event is starting. The show goes on!

They said:
Larry Ellison, BMW ORACLE Racing: "This is a team victory, and I am thrilled to be part of it. The racing was fantastic and these boats are just unbelievable. I am very lucky because it is an owner’s class with pro sailors steering the match and Russell let me steer his boat… I think that this is an amazing accomplishment, and I am very proud of what we have done.”

James Spithill, Team Ceeref: "We didn’t sail too well today, and made some mistakes, particularly in our match against Aqua. But we are very happy to finish the event in second. It was absolutely superb. I am very impressed by Larry Ellison’s performance. He sailed extremely well. It’s his first time on this boat, with this team, and the level of the fleet is just huge. What he’s done is amazing.”

Miroslav Reljanovic, Cro-A-Sail: “I wanted to experience steering in a match race. Of course, this was very difficult with such a strong breeze and I asked Morten Henrikson to steer the pre-starts. But it was very exciting and we got in some incredible situations. I have definitely learned a lot.”

Armando Giulietti, owner, team Hiroshi – Città di Milano: “It was a tough day for us. We won all our starts, and reached the windward mark in the lead every single time. But we lost a lot during the downwind. We had problems with our jibes, and made mistakes. It is the first time we sail with such strong wind. But it’s the same for the others…”

Cameron Appleton, Team Aqua: "We had some good matches today, and a great one against Ceeref. There’s always a great rivalry between our two teams and it’s good to beat them! We learned a lot in yesterday’s breeze, and it has paid off today.”

]]> www.rc44.com 2008-04-24T14:15Z http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=451 http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=451 Cagliari RC 44 Cup : Sebastien Col and Team Hiroshi 6th after the first day
Cagliari, Italy - 2008-04-23

Sebastien Col from Cagliari : "It was really windy, 20 to 26 knots, we keep on learning how to take the best out of the boat and to make it work, it was the first time we sailed in these conditions. The good point is that we managed to win all of our matches, but we made too many mistakes to keep the lead against James and Ben. Moreover we touched James' boat at the last upwind buoy. So we lost one point. There are 4 matches left, we have to sail well. We are fast, we just have to sail a bit better regarding the boat handling and the manoeuvres."

Ben Ainslie, Larry Ellison and James Spithill share the lead after day one of the Cagliari RC 44 Cup

With four wins and one defeat, Team Banco Espirito Santo, BMW ORACLE Racing and Ceeref lead the match racing event of the Cagliari RC 44 Cup. With up to 25 knots of wind under a great sunshine, the day was simply superb!

Cagliari, April 23, 2008 – Whoever thinks that match racing should be competed on board slow boats should come to Cagliari and watch the ten RC 44’s match-racing in 25 knots of wind, surfing down the waves and yet crossing the arrival line merely separated by a handful of seconds.

This is indeed what happened throughout the day in Cagliari on day one of the RC 44 Cup. The ten boats – and their (mainly) pro skippers – offered an extraordinary show off the coast of Cagliari, sailing no less than 21 matches in the best possible conditions.

Leader of the event after day one, Larry Ellison and his crew onboard BMW ORACLE Racing impressed a lot of people by the quality of their performance in those difficult conditions. They started the day with a win against Cameron Appleton’s Team Aqua, crossing the arrival line eight seconds before their opponent after a very intense match. Even closer, the match between James Spithill’s Team Ceeref and Ben Ainslie, onboard Team Banco Espirito Santo and won by Spithill by 3 seconds! But the closest of all matches took place in the next flight, in a dual between Cro-A-Sail (Morten Henriksen) and BMW ORACLE Racing: one second between the two boats on the finish line and a joyfully celebration for the Croatians.

At the end of the day, three teams share the same number of points in the leader board of the match race event: Team Banco Espirito Santo, BMW ORACLE Racing and Ceeref. However, Larry Ellison’s team is the provisional leader thanks to victories against its direct opponents. A great achievement for the only non-professional helmsman involved today.

Five flights are yet to be sailed and the game remains open. Indeed, Team Aqua (Cameron Appleton) and Cro-A-Sail have both won three matches and are still well in the game.

They said:

Ben Ainslie, Team Banco Espirito Santo: “It was fairly hard for me to adapt to this boat, particularly during the pre-start. Luckily, the team helped me a lot. They are great, and this is definitely a day when the team counts for as much – if not more - as the helmsman. But what a day! It was awesome, and certainly one of the best sailing days I have had for a long time.”

James Spithill, Team Ceeref: “This is simply the best level you can get in match racing, worldwide. You have match race world champions, America’s Cup skippers, world champions of several classes. It’s just very tough. The boats are great, and very fast. Thanks to their speed, there are always great passing opportunities. It’s very exciting.”

Morten Henriksen, Cro-A-Sail: "The highlight of our day is obviously the victory against BMW ORACLE Racing. It was so close we didn't even know who had won. Other than that, we have been a bit lucky as we got two points against competitors who suffered gear failures. But we are happy to be well in the game."

Jes Gram Hansen, Mascalzone Latino: "It's the first time I sail back with Mascalzone Latino since the Cup, so I am really happy although our results weren't good today. For us, it's a new boat, a new team and It was very windy so we suffered. But we had a great time."

Russell Coutts, BMW ORACLE Racing: "This is the first time I was sailing with Larry, so we are very happy it went so well. I have to say: he did a great job. We didn't break anything, we never broached and we sailed well. It was just an awesome day!"

Match-race, provisional results after day one :

(Name of team, helmsman, No of victories / defeats, points)

1) BMW ORACLE Racing, Larry Ellison, 4/1 - 4 points
2) Team Ceeref, James Spithill, 4/1 - 4 points
3) Team Banco Espirito Santo, Ben Ainslie, 4/1 - 4 points
4) Team Aqua, Cameron Appleton 3/2 - 3 points
5) Cro-A-Sail, Morten Henrikson, 3/2 - 3 points
6) Team Hiroshi - Città di Milano, Sébastien Col 3/2 - 2 points (1 penalty)
7) Team Beecom, Jesper Radich 1/3 – 1 point
8) Mascalzone Latino, Jes Gram Hansen 0/3 – 0 point
9) Sea Dubai, Markus Wieser 0/4 – 0 point
10) Team Organika, Mateusz Kusznierewicz 0/5 – 0 point


]]> www.rc44.com 2008-04-23T14:15Z http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=450 http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=450 SEBASTIEN COL IS GETTING READY FOR THE CAGLIARI CUP IN RC44
Cagliari, Italy - 2008-04-18

Organised by Yacht Club Cagliari, the second event of the RC 44 Championship Tour 2008 is full of promises, with no less than ten strict one design RC 44’s and world class sailors such as Ben Ainslie, James Spithill, Russell Coutts, Sébastien Col, Cameron Appleton and many more.

The second event of the RC 44 Championship Tour 2008 will take place in Cagliari (Sardinia, ITA), between April 23-27. Organised by Yacht Club Cagliari, with the support of the City of Cagliari, this regatta will assemble some of the world’s best sailors on board ten strict one design RC 44’s.

The Cagliari Cup will start on Wednesday April 23 with the match racing event. After a full round robin, hopefully completed in two days, the team owners will take the helm for three days of fleet racing. A coastal race - the DHL Trophy - will take the fleet around the Gulf of Salinas. The winner of this race will be awarded with the DHL Trophy, whilst the points of the regatta will be incorporated in the fleet race ranking.

Team Hiroshi - Città di Milano (Armando Giulietti and Sébastien Col), current leader of the Championship Tour, will face a strong opposition. Involved for the first time this season, Vincenzo Onorato’s Mascalzone Latino (with pro skipper Jes Gram Hansen) will lead the charge alongside Team Ceeref (Igor Lah / James Spithill), unbeaten in match racing since two events. Russell Coutts will be sailing as a tactician on board P-18, the latest RC 44, fresh out of the yard. Also in Cagliari with great ambitions, Chris Bake and Cameron Appleton - winners of the 2007 Championship Tour - are looking for revenge after a disappointing result in the Dubai RC 44 Cup. Last but not least, triple Olympic medallist Ben Ainslie will discover the RC 44 yachts on board Patrick de Barros’s Team ES Bankers Dubai.

Other teams will look for precious points on the Championship Tour, such as DIMC’s Team Sea Dubai with Marcus Wieser at the helm, Maciej Nawrocki’s Team Organika with another Olympic Champion at the helm, Mateusz Kusznierewicz (POL) or Isao Mita’s Team Beecom (JAP).

Sebastien Col: “Back on the RC44 circuit with Team “Hiroshi”, the event takes place in Cagliari in Sardinia, where we will find the same teams as in Dubai, but with some innovations: P-18 led by Russell Coutts and Larry Ellison, Ben Ainslie (Team Origin) with Patrick de Barros for Team Omega, Mascalzone Latino with Onorato, and Beecom with Ray Davis (Team New Zealand).
The level continues to increase with more and more crews from the America's Cup which invest themselves in the circuit.
The objective with Team Hiroshi is to continue to play within the top of the ranking, and for that we will be training four days before the event with James Spithill.
We have also worked with our designer to modify some sails, and we must test a new A2 spinnaker and a new light genoa.
Actually we take the same people and the same method than in Dubai and we start again, Cagliari is a fantastic place to sail and we should get some wind!!!

With regards to my personal schedule, I’m back on the RC44 Championship Tour and on the World Match Racing Tour, but I will also take part to other races and circuits which will give me the opportunity to meet people who could be able to join K-Challenge later in the future.”

]]> Stephanie Nadin 2008-04-18T14:15Z http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=449 http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=449 K-Challenge “2”: the French challenger for the 34th America's Cup will rely on the new generation
Paris, France - 2008-03-27

The America's Cup situation move on positively last week with the NY court decision, the project of a competition with challengers series in 2011 is more realistic than ever.

After a preparation period which began at the end of the last America's Cup in Valencia, K-Challenge never stopped working, and the team is now happy to reveal its program for the 34th America's Cup.

The essentials of K-Challenge 2

K-Challenge is back in the America's Cup quest and will carry again the colors of its yacht club, Le Cercle de la Voile de Paris, with a determined group built around a “core team” whose members want to work and to succeed together.

The team’s strategy will consist in building and capitalizing on the experience and the assets of K-Challenge 1 in the 32nd America's Cup, while relying on a new generation to benefit from its talent and its enthusiasm.

K-Challenge already has significant assets that make it an operational team: an operational base and boats ready to sail in Valencia, a structure, tools and tested methods, but the team also benefits from a selection of the best French and international specialists, thanks to an experience of more than 20 years in sailing at the highest level.

An Executive Committee, led by Stephan Kandler, defines the general strategy of the project and ensures the daily management of the team through 3 main departments (Sailing, Technical and Administrative). The Executive Committee manages this new generation team, which will get the chance to express itself through K-Challenge with its talent and its great motivation.

A board of trustees made of French top managers and experienced personalities, (Bertrand Meheut, Laurent Bourgnon are part of the ones who already joined this board), will also assist the Executive Committee in the key moments of the project and will help to promote this national challenge beyond sports and sailing.
Moreover, K-Challenge is officially supported by the French Sailing Federation.

Bertrand Meheut: “The accumulated experience of K-Challenge and the tenacity of Stephan Kandler are at the base of a credible and powerful French challenger ready to go for the next America's Cup. This ambitious and solid project represents a real chance of success for the French match-racing. And I am proud, on a personal basis, to give them all my support there.”

The new generation: K-Challenge’s talents

K-Challenge is proud to count among its sailors some of the confirmed talents of the new generation such as Sebastien Col and Sebastien Josse.

Both lived various experiences with real responsibilities in ambitious projects, such as the America's Cup, the Vendée Globe or the Volvo Ocean Race.

These two key members of the future sailing team are already strongly engaged in their respective sailing preparation from 2008, which will enable them to get additional experience.

Sebastien Col will be involved in particular on the World Match Racing Tour and the RC44 circuit, where he will regularly sail against some great names of the America's Cup like Russell Coutts or James Spithill.
Sebastien Josse, skipper of the BT IMOCA 60 (which will be christened on April 29) is engaged in the IMOCA 2008 - 2009 championship. His first priority will be to be fully dedicated to his sports program including the Vendée Globe, before increasing his involvement in the K-Challenge project in 2010.

This mix of a popular offshore sailor and an America’s Cup specialist will also make it possible to create a larger interest from the public.

Sebastien Col: “we are clearly in the continuity of the first K-Challenge project which was already based on an open minded concept. The new team will make it possible to gather people around sailors of the new generation, and who already have experience in various fields. This new project will pay a very particular attention to the balance of the group, and the complementarities between its members.”

]]> Stephanie Nadin 2008-03-27T14:15Z http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=448 http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=448 SAINT HONORE: K-CHALLENGE’S FIRST SPONSOR TOWARDS THE 34th AMERICA’S CUP
Paris, France - 2008-03-26

K-Challenge, French Team for the 34th America's Cup, is very pleased to introduce its first new sponsor: SAINT HONORE, which officially joins the team as OFFICIAL TIMEKEEPER.

Can we dream of a better association than the one of sailing and watchmaking? The answer is no.
K-Challenge has been the French Team for the 32nd America’s Cup in 2007 in Valencia, (Spain), and the team will be supported from now on by SAINT HONORE as Official Timekeeper.
Sailing at a high level such as in the America’s Cup is a fabulous sport, which is putting together prestigious places with exceptional boats that inspire all men. Moreover, this kind of sailing is a synonym of excellence, innovation, precision, technology, team spirit… SAINT HONORE shares these values and will carry the colors of the French Team K-Challenge high… for their next America’s Cup campaign which appears to take place by 2011.

Thierry Frésard, President of SAINT HONORE, explains the reasons which motivated him to join K-Challenge:
“It is an honor for SAINT HONORE to support K-Challenge in this prestigious competition with such a huge notoriety, and where lots of famous brands are also part of the event. But above all, we were interested in the fact that SAINT HONORE and K-Challenge share common values, and today we have chosen to carry the colors of this French Team. We begin the story as Official Timekeeper, but we do not exclude the possibility of developing our partnership during their preparation for this great event.”

Since more than a century (with origins going back to 1885), SAINT HONORE is a synonym for the famous “Paris Style” and designs unforgettable collections. From Paris to New York, from Tokyo to Dubai, contemporary pieces’ lovers are seduced by the exceptional watchmaking know-how of SAINT HONORE. With a “Swiss Made” quality, a unique spirit, the prestige of its materials, and audacious details… SAINT HONORE introduces collections of watches, jewels and accessories for men increasingly closer to the current desires.

“We are proud and honored that such a prestigious brand in the watchmaking industry chose K-Challenge and engaged itself with us for four years. We are convinced that the confidence SAINT HONORE placed in K-Challenge, while becoming our very first sponsor, is the result of all the efforts set up by the team since the end of the 32nd America's Cup, proving consequently that the visibility, the sponsorship programme and the exposure offered by K-Challenge are meeting the expectations of demanding sponsors. It is thus the beginning of a long story which we will build together and which will lead us to the 34th America's Cup that we begin today”, says Stephan Kandler, CEO of K-Challenge.


SAINT HONORE TODAY

> Worldwide brand established in more than 60 countries
> Unique style and creativity
> Ancestral know-how which was continuously perfected in its 2 manufacturing units (France-Charquemont / Switzerland-La Chaux de Fonds)
> “International” collection that fits with tastes of different publics
> 10 exclusive shops (with the last one that opened in Japan last 28/11/07) and 2500 sale points


www.saint-honore-paris.com


]]> Stephanie Nadin 2008-03-26T14:15Z http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=444 http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=444 THE FRENCH TEAM K-CHALLENGE CONTINUES ITS PREPARATION FOR THE 34TH AMERICA’S CUP IN 2011
Paris, France - 2008-03-22

FINALLY! After several weeks of waiting, K-Challenge welcomes the decision of the New York State Supreme Court and Judge Cahn with satisfaction, since everything will be ruled on the water regarding the case which opposed Alinghi, the Defender, and BMW Oracle Racing, the confirmed Challenger of Record.

Thus, the 33rd edition of the America's Cup will be a duel between these two teams in multihulls, and will take place in 2008 or 2009.

That is to say, the next competition with selections between challengers (the 34th edition) will probably take place in 2011, in Valencia, as announced by Alinghi and BMW Oracle Racing.

Yesterday evening’s breaking news was also welcomed with enthusiasm by all the America’s Cup and sports community, and it makes it now possible for K-Challenge to come up for the second time as a French challenger for the 34th America's Cup.

K-Challenge: a determined team gathered around a project

K-Challenge has started to work in all fields for several months with an intact determination in order not to waste time, in spite of the bounces which happened in the event lately.

The important thing was not to lose sight of the principal objective, which is to represent France in a competitive way for the next America's Cup opened to challengers.

In order to do that, Stephan Kandler brought the various actors who will constitute K-Challenge’s “core team” together in the sailing, technical and design fields. They’ve already put behind them all the team’s preparation phase to be able to enter directly in the heart of each subject at all levels. So the choice of the key people has already been done, and the first works have already started.

Stephan Kandler, K-Challenge’s CEO: “We are ready and happy to learn the decision from the New York Supreme Court. This proves that we made the good assumption since October 2007, while working in the shade with the objective to be able to take part in a competition in 2011. That will simply allow the team which we put together to continue on its way and to reach a higher speed. Besides, K-Challenge supports the initiative of a circuit with V5 ACC boats in 2008 with the other challengers, in order to start the sports activity as soon as possible.”

Thus, thanks to its experience in the 32nd America's Cup, the existing structure and the assets of this French team, K-Challenge was initially concentrated on a priority task to build a competitive challenge and to play a true role as outsider. This task was to gather the right people around its project for the 34th America's Cup.

]]> Stephanie Nadin 2008-03-22T14:15Z http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=445 http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=445 Nicolas Charbonnier and Olivier Bausset finish 4th of Trofeo S.A.R Princesa Sofia in Palma
Palma, Spain - 2008-03-21

Nicolas Charbonnier and his team-member Olivier BAUSSET raced well with their recent Olympic selection “in the pocket” on this ISAF Grade 2 event (they are currently 2nd of the ISAF ranking).

“Nicolas Charbonnier and Olivier Bausset had a great competition. It is a well trained and organised crew, that we feel is in confidence”, according to Henri Bacchini, French Sailing Federation’s (FFV) Vice-President, and member of the selection committee for the Beijing Olympics, who was in Palma during the event.

With performance and regularity at the highest level, as they did in the recent World Championships in Melbourne, they must still progress in the breeze.

Next training course with the French team will be at the beginning of April at the National Sailing School (ENV) in Quiberon.

They still progress: it is the most important point.

Nicolas Charbonnier: “It is quite similar with the World Championships. We have a small problem of speed in the breeze which penalized us during the Medal race. We should not occult this aspect because there can also be this type of conditions in Qingdao. We are happy with our regatta, we do not have too many things to reproach us and we should not be mistaken regarding our objective. The podium, it is at the Olympics that it will be necessary to go and get it. We didn’t fix ourselves any objective of result, but we want to improve. At the beginning of April, we go in training course at the ENV (National Sailing School) with the 470 girls (note: Ingrid Petitjean and Nadege Douroux) and with our sparring partners Pierre Leboucher and Vincent Garos. We sailed all the time with them this week and it was very interesting.”

Final results : http://www.trofeoprincesasofia.org/result.php?miclase=470%20Men

]]> Stephanie Nadin 2008-03-21T14:15Z http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=446 http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=446 Nicolas Charbonnier and Olivier Bausset take the 2nd place of the Trofeo S.A.R Princesa Sofia in Palma!
Palma, Spain - 2008-03-19

This is the 4th competition day for Nicolas and Olivier in Palma and they reached the 2nd place of the 470 ranking. They are now in the finals with one more racing day in the finals tomorrow, before the qualifications for the Medal Race.

Results Day 4 - 15 firsts




]]> Stephanie Nadin 2008-03-19T14:15Z http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=443 http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=443 Nicolas Charbonnier and Olivier Bausset continue in the right way at the Trofeo S.A.R Princesa Sofia in Palma
Palma, Spain - 2008-03-18

This is the 3rd competition day for Nicolas and Olivier in Palma, where they are still 4th of the general ranking after 6 races.

Olivier Bausset: “the competition is going really well for now: we have the regularity, we sail with a controlled risk management, and we work a lot on the communications. We will now start the finals without any “bad” races, so we will be able to attack more”.

The French crew selected in 470 for the Olympics is highly motivated, the competition continues tomorrow.

Results Day 3 - 15 firsts



]]> Stephanie Nadin 2008-03-18T14:15Z http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=442 http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=442 Promising start for Nicolas Charbonnier and Olivier Bausset at the Trofeo S.A.R Princesa Sofia in Palma
Palma, Spain - 2008-03-17

Nicolas and Olivier are now racing their last official competitions which are part of their preparation for the Beijing Olympics, after their selection in 470 dinghy last February in Australia.
So they are taking part to the Trofeo Princesa Sofia in Palma until March 21st.

After the first two days of regatta, they are 4th of the general ranking and signed yesterday the best French performance, all series included. (83 boats are racing for this regatta which symbolizes the launch of the spring season in Europe (ISAF Grade 2)).

The French crew selected in 470 for the Olympics carries out a noticeable return to competition after the winter campaign and the 470 Worlds in Australia where they finished 1st French crew.

Nicolas and Olivier are also currently European vice-champions, and 2nd of the ISAF World’s ranking.

Results Day 2 - 15 firsts



]]> Stephanie Nadin 2008-03-17T14:15Z http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=441 http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=441 Sebastien Col takes the 3rd place of the Marseille International Match Race
Marseille, France - 2008-03-15

Mathieu Richard, Winner of MIMR 2008

The sixth edition of the Marseille International Match Race drew to a close today.

Four days of racing, with the wind setting the tone and the pace. Two days in extreme conditions with windspeeds of more than 30 knots and heavy seas, a morning of nothing at all, and at last optimal conditions for Match Racing.

The 2008 edition MIMR was once again extraordinary!

An impressive line-up, varied sailing conditions to allow everyone to express their skills, we experienced some fantastic moments on the water and saw some wonderful duels.

And in the end, the World Number One was the winner of the 2008 MIMR, so the hierarchy of the sport was respected.

Sébastien Col, World N° 4, 3rd MIMR 2008

"I'm disappointed, but in Match Racing there is only one winner!

In all our matches in the semi-finals we started well and stayed ahead for most of the race but systematically we failed to maintain our lead on our adversary.

We found it hard to take the right decisions when in contact with the other boat. I must say it's a classic failing of a crew that's not used to sailing together. We need to work on our communication on board. To do that we'll be going on a training course next April with Ian Williams, World number 2."

Final Ranking

Rank

MIMR 08
Skipper
Nationality
World Ranking on 31.01.08

1
Mathieu Richard
FRA
1

2
Paolo Cian
ITA
3

3
Sébastien Col
FRA
4

4
Mads Ebler
DEN
16

5
Torvar Mirsky
AUS
11

6
Evgeny Neugodnikov
RUS
7

7
Philippe Presti
FRA
14

8
Andrei Arbuzov
RUS
15

9
Damien Iehl
FRA
8

10
Bertrand Pace
FRA
302

11
Sébastien Destremau
AUS
629

12
Jure Orel
SLO
23

All the results and photos at www.mimr.fr

]]> Source: Sophie Claudon/MIMR 2008-03-15T14:15Z http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=440 http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=440 Sebastien Col will race against Paolo Cian in the semi-finals of the Marseille International Match Race
Marseille, France - 2008-03-14

2 French skippers in the semis

When the teams started to prepare their boats this morning, the wind gauge announced less than 5 knots...

But the race committee was optimistic and confident, and committed to pushing ahead with the competition, so they asked the skippers to leave the port of the Pointe Rouge....

The fleet of J80s was on the water at around 10 am, but the wind wasn't.

The umpires and two crews - Richard and Cian – came back to the club for lunch and wait on dry land!

As usual, the wind came back around 1 o'clock and with between 10 and 15 knots the competition could start again.

Great conditions for match racing...

Interview with ....
Sébastien Col, World n° 4 , semi finalist

Sébastien Col has recently joined the Yachting Club de la Pointe Rouge,MIMR organising club.

"It's been a fairly hard day for us, but we've managed to qualify for the semi-finals and we'll do better tomorrow.

The sailing conditions this afternoon were really good, but after a long wait this morning on the water we found it hard to get back into the competition.

Arbuzov's team sailed really well, but we missed some opportunities, perhaps we concentrated on our speed too much.

Tomorrow we'll be racing against a seious competitor! Cian is awesome in this event, we are good enough to beat him ... we'll see tomorrow."

5 flights were on the programme today.

The tickets for the semi-finals required 3 matches.

Today's results

Presti (FRA) 1/ Richard (FRA) 3

Mirsky 1 (AUS) / Ebler (DEN) 3

Arbuzov 2 (RUS) / Col (FRA) 3

Neugodnikov (RUS) 0 / Cian (ITA) 3


Tomorrow's semi-finals

Richard (FRA) World n° 1 / Ebler (DEN) World n° 16

---------

Cian (ITA) World n° 3 / Col (FRA) World n°4


]]> Source: Sophie Claudon/MIMR 2008-03-14T14:15Z http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=439 http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=439 SEBASTIEN COL STARTS THE MARSEILLE INTERNATIONAL MATCH RACE WITH 4 WINS
Marseille, France - 2008-03-12

It started well for Sebastien Col and its three crew members (Christophe André, Gilles Favennec, and Philippe Mourniac), over this first day of Marseille's International Match Race: Four victories against Pacé, Ebler, Orel and Destremau.
Sebastien Col: “we are quite tired this evening after one day in the strong winds around 25 knots, and an agitated sea, but we are happy with the first results. We will sleep well as tomorrow we have seven matches to race, but we should be fine and enter the quarter finals.
We took good starts today, even if there are still some details to work on in the manoeuvres and communications.”


http://sebastiencol.blogspot.com/



Photos : Gilles Martin-Raget

]]> Stephanie Nadin 2008-03-12T14:15Z http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=438 http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=438 SEBASTIEN COL AND TEAM HIROSHI CONQUER THE DUBAI RC44 CUP!
Dubai, U.A.E - 2008-03-07

Armando Giulietti and Sébastien Col out sail the opposition and conquer the Dubai RC 44 Cup

The Italian-French duo left no chance to the opposition today, winning two out of three races and finishing the fleet race event with a comfortable margin over Team Ceeref and Team ES Bankers Dubai.

Dubai, March 7, 2008 – The wind had shifted to the left for today’s last races, and the chop made it a significantly different race course than the one experienced during the previous days. This novelty didn’t disturb Team Hiroshi – Città di Milano, with Armando Giulietti at the helm and Sébastien Col at the tactics. Indeed, the Italian team clearly dominated the fleet today, taking excellent starts, sailing fast and at the right place to win the event with a massive 15 points margin over Team Ceeref and Team ES Bankers Dubai.
Also on great form, Team Ceeref’s Igor Lah climbed up the ranking list to end up in a beautiful second place. Already winner of the match race event earlier in the week (with James Spithill at the helm), Team Ceeref concludes the Dubai RC 44 Cup with the best overall result although the RC 44 Class has decided to drop the combined match & fleet ranking.
Team ES Bankers Dubai, with Patrick de Barros at the helm and Russell Coutts calling the shots, didn’t have the day it expected. Indeed, its bow crash box broke during the first beat, slowing down the boat in a very frustrating way and resulting in a disappointing 6th and two 5th places today, with a third rank overall.
Team Aqua confirmed that it was back on form, sailing consistently with a 4th, a 3rd and a 2nd place to end up fourth overall – a satisfying result considering its difficult start in the event.
Finally, Cro-A-Sail ends up with the same number of points as Team Aqua but finishes fifth of the fleet race ranking, ahead of Team Sea Dubai. Sailing very well for their first appearance in the RC 44 Championship Tour, the boat owned by Dubai International Marine Club proved that it could beat all the teams with some more training and got a very promising fourth place in the match race event.
Today’s last race was the coastal DHL Trophy. It took the six strong RC 44 fleet in Dubai’s spectacular The Palm construction, reaching alongside the Meridien Hotel beach and beating alongside the massive construction site. A very enjoyable ride that saw once again Team Hiroshi- Città di Milano lead the fleet, ahead of Team Aqua and Cro-A-Sail.
Interestingly, the two leading teams of this event have been training together during five days before the start of the competition. Team Hiroshi also worked with Ian Ainslie as a coach on this event, well known as Shosholoza’s strategist in the last America’s Cup. The team worked hard at bettering its speed thanks to the use of video, photos and daily de-briefings. There is no secret to victory, but a simple method and a lot of hard work.

They said:

Armando Giulietti, owner, Team Hiroshi – Città di Milano (1st): “We didn’t have too much pressure today as we were comfortably in the lead. It helped us to sail well and be relaxed about it. Somehow, it felt easy but there is a lot of work behind it. We always go out early on the water to practice. For us, preparation is the key to success.”

Sébastien Col, tactician, Team Hiroshi – Città di Milano (1st): “We spent five days training with James Spithill before this event and this is the key to our success. We are still new to the Class, and we are not yet sure how to trim the boat in various conditions. We have definitely improved a lot.”

Igor Lah, owner, Team Ceeref (2nd): “I am very happy and lucky to sail with such a good team. They are great and we work well together. We don’t talk much on board. It is quiet and relax. Everybody knows what they have to do and they make it as well as they can. I started sailing one year ago and now, I can really say that I love it. If anybody wants to join the club, I can only encourage them: it is great.”

James Spithill, tactician, Team Ceeref: “When I found out about Igor’s sailing background a year ago, I got a bit concerned… Now I just find it amazing. It also shows how good our entire team is. It’s not down to me but to the entire team. On these boats, everyone has to rely on everyone. The boat is also very well prepared, which is key.”

Patrick de Barros, Team ES Bankers Dubai (3rd): “We had a bad day. We took a bad start, then we were over the line, our crash box went off, it was hanging down all day like a big paddle… It’s a shame because we started the championship very well. Next time will be better. We just need to sail better and to have a boat that is better prepared.”

Fleet-racing, final results (no discard)

1) Team Hiroshi – Città di Milano (1, 1, 2, 4, 3, 2, 3, 1, 1, 2, 1) 21 points
2) Team Ceeref (5, 3, 5, 2, 5, 1, 5, 2, 3, 1, 4) 36 points
3) Team ES Bankers Dubai (3, 4, 1, 1, 2, 4, 4, 5, 6, 5, 5) 40 points
4) Team Aqua (DNF, DNF, 3, 6, 6, 3, 1, 3, 4, 3, 2) 45 points
5) Cro-A-Sail (4, 5, 4, 5, 1, 5, 6, 4, 2, 6, 3) 45 points
6) Team Sea Dubai, (2, 2, 6, 3, 4, 6, 2, 6, 5, 4, 6) 46 points

DHL Trophy:

1) Team Hiroshi – Città di Milano
2) Team Aqua
3) Cro-A-Sail
4) Team Ceeref
5) Team ES Bankers Dubai
6)Team Sea Dubai

Bernard Schopfer
MaxComm Communication (www.maxcomm.ch)

]]> Stephanie Nadin 2008-03-07T14:15Z http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=437 http://www.k-challenge.org/news.php?value=437 Sébastien Col and Team Hiroshi confirm their leadership in Dubai RC44 Cup's fleet race
Dubai, U.A.E - 2008-03-06

Team Hiroshi – Città di Milano confirms its leadership in the fleet race event

With Armando Giulietti at the helm and Sébastien Col calling the shots, the Italian team took a decisive advantage over the rest of the fleet. With only two more races on the program, it sits at an enviable position ahead of Patrick de Barros and Russell Coutts’ Team ES Bankers Dubai.

Dubai, March 6, 2008 – Consistency seems to be the key word to win RC 44 fleet race events. Indeed, Team Hiroshi – Città di Milano extended its lead thanks to two 3rd, one 2nd and a 1st spot in today’s races.
The conditions were light (6-10 knots of wind) and fairly unstable, with 30 degrees shifts and unpredictable puffs of wind.

The first race of the day saw the come-back of team Cro-A-Sail, finally winning a race after a long period of average results. The Croatian team was the first leader of the RC 44 Class back in 2006. With Miroslav Rejanovic at the helm, the team proved that it still has the potential to beat the best.
The second race was also a very close one, with Team Ceeref swapping the lead with Team Hiroshi – Città di Milano to finally win the race by a couple of boat lengths. Igor Lah, the team owner and helmsman confessed after the races that he was feeling much more comfortable in this sort of conditions than in yesterday’s big seas.

Race three saw another expected come-back: the one of Team Aqua, disappointing earlier in the week. The team from the UAE spent most of the race in the lead, and won with a small margin over Team Sea Dubai and Hiroshi, always pushing till the arrival line.
Armando Giulietti, the owner of Team Hiroshi – Città di Milano, finally got the bullet he deserved in the last race of the day, building up a 7 points lead over second placed Team ES Bankers Dubai. With only two more races to go – including the coastal DHL Trophy – Armando Giulietti is in a good position to win the event. The game is more open behind, with only twelve points separating Team ES bankers and sixth placed Team Aqua. No doubt the last two races of the Dubai RC 44 Cup will be intense!

They said:

Armando Giulietti, owner, Team Hiroshi – Città di Milano (1st): “We are extremely fast in these conditions. We worked on this over the winter, and developed some sails that are very good. Sébastien Col was very smart today, he made the right strategic choices.”

Chris Bake, owner, Team Aqua (6th): “These boats are very sensitive and I needed time to get the right feeling at the helm. It’s very tough, because the fleet is so tight. Mistakes are just not allowed. But it is good to be back in form. I think the guys did a good job. They focused well on what they needed to do.”

Miroslav Reljanovic, owner, Cro-A-Sail (5th): “We have had problems with our starts this week, but we managed to get a good one on the first race and we won it. Our speed is good, but we lack training. My goal this year is to improve in fleet racing; this is really where we want to put the focus.”

Igor Lah, owner, Team Ceeref: “I had never sailed a boat in tough conditions like yesterday and I found it quite hard. It was much better today, I had a better feeling at the helm and I felt that we were improving. I think we have a good mixture between fun and good results. It’s what I want: sail well but also have fun and beat the others...”

Fleet-racing, provisional results (no discard)

1) Team Hiroshi – Città di Milano (1, 1, 2, 4, 3, 2, 3, 1) 17 points
2) Team ES Bankers Dubai (3, 4, 1, 1, 2, 4, 4, 5) 24 points
3) Team Ceeref (5, 3, 5, 2, 5, 1, 5, 2) 28 points
4) Team Sea Dubai, (2, 2, 6, 3, 4, 6, 2, 6) 31 points
5) Cro-A-Sail (4, 5, 4, 5, 1, 5, 6, 4) 34 points
6) Team Aqua (DNF, DNF, 3, 6, 6, 3, 1, 3) 36 points

Bernard Schopfer
MaxComm Communication (www.maxcomm.ch)


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