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".
After two days of frustratingly light winds, the TF35 Crans Grand Prix concluded today with four high-speed foiling races. Consistency proved key as Yann Guichard’s Sails of Change 8, with tactician Noé Delpech and crew Arnaud Psarofaghis, Bruno Mourniac, Adrien Mestre, and Solune Robert, mastered the difficult conditions and sealed victory - (…)
The Germany SailGP Team presented by Deutsche Bank has entered the winners circle, claiming their first event victory at the Rolex Switzerland Sail Grand Prix in tricky, light conditions on the waters of Lake Geneva. Germany clinched the top spot ahead of Australia in second and Switzerland in third, in a high-stakes final that saw some of (…)
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.
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While the penultimate day of racing at the 44Cup Marstand was cancelled due to excess wind, today conditions off the paradise Swedish island for the final three races were still boisterous, less due to the southwesterly wind being in the high teens, but from the lumpy residual sea state from Friday’s gale.
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