| Italy. Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup: U.S. sailors hold their own |
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| Friday, 08 September 2006 | |
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Barby MacGowan: U.S. sailors are holding their own after three days of racing at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup 2006. The international event, organized for 17 years in Porto Cervo by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, began Monday, September 4, and is hosting 46 of the world's largest and fastest yachts from 15 nations in what has become, effectively, the International Maxi Association's unofficial world championship. The maxis, most hovering in the 100-foot range and some, like Arne Glimcher's (Hollywood, Calif.) Ghost, as long as 121 feet, are due for two more days of racing resuming today after taking a scheduled break today. Ghost is currently fifth in the 11-boat Cruising division, while Gunter Herz's (GER) 79-foot Allsmoke, with Ken Read (Newport, R.I.) on the helm, is third on the leaderboard and Harry Macklowe's (New York, N.Y.) 112-foot Unfurled, with two-time Olympic Sailing Medallist Kevin Burnham (Miami, Fla.) aboard, is in sixth. Llwyd Ecclestone's (Palm Beach, Fla.) 94-foot Keturah sits in eighth. Ghost is sailing with the legendary Halsey Herreshoff (Bristol, R.I.) as navigator. Herreshoff has been crew on four different 12 Metres in the America's Cup and is currently director of the Herreshoff Marine Museum and the America's Cup Hall of Fame in Bristol, R.I. About his racing debut in Porto Cervo, Herreshoff said, "I've sailed a lot in the Mediterranean, but I have actually never raced here before. The Maxis here are a magnificent fleet. I am so impressed with all of the European sailing, because while we have great races in America, we don't have these grand events, where all these big boats come together. On our boat we have Tom Whidden (Essex, Conn.) and a few other very strong guys, and from what I can observe, also on many of the other boats the level is really high, so the racing is good." Herreshoff's role as navigator is particularly challenging because the coastal courses thus far have been set to run through the Archipelago de La Maddalena, and over three races in as many days there has been no sign of Sardinia's legendary Mistral, which typically brings winds up to 45 knots. To the extreme opposite, the fleet has had to negotiate extremely light breezes. "From the navigator's standpoint," continued Herreshoff, "I think it's so fun going around all of these narrow areas. It's challenging because there are a lot of rocks everywhere; you just need to make sure you understand that and be attentive to it all the time. There are plenty of wind shifts. It's challenging to look ahead, try to guess what will happen and be prepared for it." Making the most of the light-air conditions has been Hasso Platner's (GER) Morning Glory, with eight Americans onboard, including Seattle, Washington's Olympic Sailing Medallists Steve Erickson and Jonathan McKee. The team is holding on to second place in the nine-boat Racing division. In the four-boat Spirit of Tradition division for vintage and replica yachts, Adela, the 180-foot schooner owned by defending class champion George Lindemann (Palm Beach, Fla.), is in third. Clay Deutsch (Newport, R.I.), skippering his Swan 68 Chippewa in the 11-boat Mini Maxi division, is currently in fourth place. For more information about the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup 2006 including entry lists and results, visit www.yccsmaxi.it. Current provisional standings Place Boat Name Owner Nation, R1/R2/R3/Points Racing 1. ALFA ROMEO Neville Crichton NZL, 1/1/1/3.0 2. MORNING GLORY Hasso Platner GER, 3/2/2/7.0 3. WILD OATS Robert I. Oatley AUS, 2/4/3/9.0 VOR 1. ABN AMRO ONE ABN Amro Brand NED, 1/1/1/3.0 2. AMER SPORT TOO Giovanni Marangon EUR, 2/2/2/6.0 Cruising 1. ROMA Filippo Faruffini ITA, 2/1/1/4.0 2. VELSHEDA Tarbat Investments GBR, 1/2/4/7.0 3. ALLSMOKE Gunter Herz GER, 3/3/3/9.0 Spirit of Tradition 1. HETAIROS Rockport Ltd CAY IS, 1/2/1/4.0 2. ANNAGINE C. E. Van Asbeck NED, 2/1/3/6.0 3. ADELA George Lindemann USA, 3/3/2/8.0 Mini Maxi 1. ALEPH Giorgio Ruffo ITA, 1/1/2/4.0 2. ATALANTA II Carlo Puri Negri ITA, 4/3/1/8.0 3. OPS 5 Massimo Violati ITA, 2/5/5/12.0 Wally 1. MAGIC CARPET SQUARED Lindsay Owen Jones GBR, 2/1/4/7.0 2. TANGO Carlo Sama MON, 3/2/2/7.0 3. DARK SHADOW Antexis Ltd MON 5/3/1/9.0 See the race pictures in the BYM Photo Gallery |
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| Last Updated ( Friday, 08 September 2006 ) |
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