The sight of five 12-Metres sailing up
Narragansett Bay would be impressive any day of the week. Today, however,
the 12s seemingly ushered in the breeze that had kept competitors waiting
under a postponement flag for the concluding matches of the International
Catamaran Challenge Trophy (ICCT). For the first time since 1976, it would
come down to the final match in this best four-out-of-seven finals before
the champagne was uncorked to spray the winners and award "The Little
America’s Cup" for the 23rd time since the event was created in 1961.
Today’s action was again set off Goat Island providing a perfect view of the
competition. In the first race, the Challengers (the Italian team of
Daniele Saragoni and crew Teo Di Battista, representing Club Nautico Rimini)
appeared to have control of the start as they took a slight lead off the
line on the windward-leeward course. The Defender (John Lovell of New
Orleans, La., and crew Charlie Ogletree of Houston, Texas, representing
Southern Yacht Club) caught up by the first mark just as a 140’ motor yacht
cruised onto the course requiring both cats to maneuver around the
slow-moving vessel. By the end of two very tight laps around the course,
the Italians were first to the finish line by 15 seconds over Lovell and
Ogletree to tie the score at 3-3.
In race two, which would be sailed three times around the course, Lovell and
Ogletree crossed the start line first and never looked back as they opened
up a sizable lead on the Italians. Undaunted, Saragoni and Di Battista
whittled down the distance and by the last leg had closed the minute and
twenty gap to five seconds for a nail-biting finish close behind Lovell and
Ogletree.
"I’m very excited by this win," said Lovell after he had warmed up.
"Saragoni definitely had an edge with the boat, as this is only my third
time in an F-18HT, which is much narrower than a Tornado, making it harder
to gybe downwind and less stable in general." Comparing the differences
between the F-18HTs used for the Little America‚s Cup, and the Tornado that
the two-time Olympians spend most of their time racing, Lovell also noted
the difference in their teamwork required by match racing in catamarans.
"The crew does most of the work, I mostly steer while Charlie drags me
around the course. I learned a lot from this event".
It was not to be for Dylan Fletcher’s Emirates Great Britain SailGP Team as Peter Burling’s Black Foils cinched victory in Portsmouth, bumping New Zealand to the top of the 2025 Season leaderboard. Fletcher came away with a respectable second-place, while Sebastian Schneiter’s Swiss SailGP Team finished third in the team’s first-ever event final.
Julien Firmenich’s Ylliam 17 claimed victory this weekend at the opening event of the 2025 TF35 season in Nyon, marking their first-ever regatta win since joining the fleet in 2023. Sailing alongside Firmenich were tactician Guillaume Rol and crew members Ed Powys, Stewart Dodson, Matthieu Ravussin, and Nelson Mettraux.
The 2024 TF35 season came to a quiet close at the Société Nautique de Genève, as calm conditions on Lake Geneva persisted for a second consecutive day, preventing any further racing.
Ruggero Tita and Caterina Banti retained their Olympic title in the Mixed Multihull with a dazzling display in Marseille. The Italian crew picked up the gold medal in Tokyo and looked set to replicate that feat in France, winning half the races that took place in the Opening Series. Heading into the Medal Race, Tita and Banti had at least a (…)
With only two races sailed due to light winds on the final day of the TF35 Malcesine Cup 1, Realteam Sailing, skippered by Jérôme Clerc, who have clinched the victory at every event of the 2023 season, claim the annual TF35 Trophy with one event remaining.
Four days of racing at the GC32 Lagos Cup came to a conclusion today on Portugal’s Algarve coast with a run-away victory for the Nicolai Sehested-skippered Team Rockwool Racing. Out of 15 races sailed, the Danish SailGP crew won a phenomenal ten, including an opening day of five races when they were unbeaten. In fact Thursday was the only one (…)
Photo : Illbruck on the way to the finish with the Sydney Opera House in the background. Photo : Daniel Forster illbruck
illbruck’s victory on the second leg of the Volvo Ocean Race was anything but straight forward. It is the story of disaster and a determined comeback in great style. With less than 24 hours at sea, the yacht flooded her bow section so bad that the bow was under water. In a dramatic team effort the crew managed to keep the yacht afloat and got (…)
Liz Baylis of San Rafael, Calif. won the Rolex Osprey Cup today, topping off four days of match racing here on Tampa Bay. Sailing with Baylis at this ISAF Grade 1 regatta were an all-California team of Aimee Hess (Oakland), Karina Shelton (Watsonville) and Stacie Straw (Marina del Rey). After a lack of wind yesterday afternoon forced the (…)
Troisième partie en image de la construction du Furtif 60. La construction de la coque se termine. Il est déjà temps de penser à l’après coque : Quille, safrans, dérives et surtout le gréement avec un mât et des voiles. Une coque ne suffit pas.
Photos et commentaires : Elie Canivenc
NewsCorp au passage de l’île d’Eclipse. Photo : Rick Tomlinson Electronic Image / Volvo Ocean Race
A 23h hier soir, les 2 concurrents leaders de cette deuxième étape de la Volvo Ocean Race, illbruck en tête, SEB dans son sillage, suivis de près par News Corp, Assa Abloy, Amer Sports One et Djuice, s’engageaient dans le Détroit de Bass qui sépare l’Australie de l’île de la Tasmanie.
Le port de Saint Malo en novembre 1998. Photo : Ch.Guigueno
Le Salon Nautique 2001 a été lancé dans une grande salle en mezzanine du premier hall. Loïck Peyron, Thomas Coville, Michel Desjoyeaux ou Karine Fauconnier rejoignent, entre autres skippers, une salle bondée. Il est 11h30 vendredi. C’est la présentation officielle de la Route du Rhum 2002. Avec un an d’avance, ses organisateurs sont prêts, tout (…)
Mistral 650 built in the South of France. Photo : J.Dubois
Mistral 650, TiZef, a Magnen design are the new designs that tries to follow the SuperCalin. They will try to break the supremacy of the Pogo. Jerome Dubois of the AMC Marine yard, is underway in the construction of his first Serie Class Mini. In the same time Ollivier Bordeau of the Latitude 4824 yard, known as the builder of Rolland designs, (…)
Deuxième partie en image de la construction du Furtif 60. Les “1100 kg de résine, 1500 m2 de fibre et 6 m3 d’Airex” sont utilisés petit à petit pour construire les bordés latéraux de la coque de 18 mètres de long à bouchain.
Photos et commentaires : Elie Canivenc
Elie Canivenc, étudiant en architecture navale à Southampton, ancien participant de la Mini-Transat 1999, construit un 60 pieds Open dans le but de participer au prochain Vendée Globe. A Pacques 2001, le mannequin est assemblé. “Nous visualisons l’engin… et l’ouvrage qu’il représente !” commente Elie qui pose devant son futur voilier. Le (…)
Le Mistral 650 en chantier dans le Var. Photos : J.Dubois
Jérôme Dubois du chantier naval AMC Marine poursuit à Roquebrune sur Argens dans le Var la construction de son mini de série. Pendant ce temps à Brest, Ollivier Bordeau du chantier Latitude 48° 24’ lance aussi un “bateau conforme à la jauge série”. Avec le Super Câlin et le plan Magnen qui serait en chantier en Normandie, la chasse au Pogo est (…)
The CNBPP will organize from May 1st to 5th the second edition of the Select 650. This race did take the place of the 300 miles of Concarneau this year. The minis and their single handing skippers will leave again La Baule for a 300 miles long course away form the coast of South Brittany.