Porto Cervo, Italy. Thursday 9th June, 2011. Winds gusting at over 35 knots kept the 27 superyachts competing in the Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta 2011 in port for the duration of today’s second scheduled race day. Co-organized by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda and Boat International Media with the support of title sponsor Loro Piana, the event is taking place in Sardinia from 7th to 11th June.
Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta 2011 logo
Peter Craig, Principal Race Officer at the event was keen to get the boats out racing today but due to the very strong winds blowing off the north-east coast of Sardinia, the Race Committee was forced to abandon racing at approximately 11.30. “All five forecasts that we regularly consult did not look promising, they all gave more than 30 knots of wind but you always hold out hope that the fleet will be able to race and you don’t want to give up too early.
We had a support boat and a superyacht feeding us information from the course and the wind just kept building. It was clear the Cruising yachts couldn’t sail in those conditions and we then hung on for another hour in the hopes of getting the Performance division racing but it wasn’t possible. Thankfully tomorrow should be a great racing day, we are looking at around 20 knots which may get a little lighter later in the day.”
Following a protest against the 38.8 metre Fitzroy-built Ganesha, which yesterday led the classification in the Cruising Division, and a subsequent penalty being applied, the 34 metre Unfurled now sits in first place. The results for the Performance and Wally fleets remain unchanged with Highland Fling and Claus Peter Offen’s Y3K leading heading into tomorrow’s penultimate day of racing.
Crews were able to relax and recharge their batteries during the daily refreshment in Piazza Azzurra sponsored by Pantaenius while aperitifs on the YCCS pool terrace are hosted by Hamilton Island Race Week this evening. The packed social programme that accompanies the racing schedule in the Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta continues tomorrow with a Beach Party for owners and a Crew Party in Porto Cervo.
Racing is scheduled to continue tomorrow, 10th June at 12 midday and the forecast is for approximately 20 knots of westerly wind.
No Racing, but a change on the Leaderboard
PORTO CERVO, SARDINIA
There was some relief and no argument with principal race officer Peter Craig’s decision to cancel racing on day two of the Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta 2011 in Porto Cervo.
The forecast for strong winds proved correct, and many sailors shared the race committee’s view that it would have been dangerous to send out these 27, predominantly cruising-oriented, large yachts into breeze gusting in excess of 30 knots.
Italian America’s Cup veteran, Tomasso Chieffi, is tactician on board Pier Luigi Loro Piana’s My Song. ‘We all know it can blow very hard in Porto Cervo,’ he said. ‘This morning it was already blowing 25 knots in Bomb Alley and a sea breeze would have increased this to more than 30 knots. Yesterday some of the big boats were breaking stuff in 20 knots of breeze, so a good decision not to race. The next days look better, with wind expected from 15 to 20 knots. I believe it’s better to keep the boats safe today so we can enjoy great sailing on the next two days.’
This morning a number of protests were heard from race one the previous day. Magic Carpet 2 was disqualified following a complicated port/starboard incident at mark one of the Performance Division’s first race.
Ganesha, which had won the Cruising Division’s first race on corrected time yesterday, was given a 10% time penalty after sail problems had forced the crew to resort to using the engine during racing. Harry Macklowe’s Unfurled now moves from 2nd into pole position in this 19-boat fleet.
Ganesha’s owner Dr. Peter Wacker commented: ‘We had a series of problems that resulted in two men up the rig, and to keep them safe we felt justified under sailing instruction 5.1 to use the engine, although the jury disagreed.
‘We fully respect the decision of the jury although we confirm that our interpretation of the rule differs. We think the final decision about safety should remain with those on board.’ Although Ganesha’s penalty relegated them from 1st to 11th in the race, Dr Wacker agreed with the intent of the new rules introduced by the Superyacht Racing Association in conjunction with the International Sailing Federation. ‘Overall the new rules increase safety when racing with these superyachts, but our wish would be that we get more clarification to avoid misinterpretation in the future.’
Race officer Peter Craig hoped that good lessons would be learned from the incident. ‘What Ganesha did, they believed was entirely within the new rules for superyachts, which have a large emphasis on safety and collision avoidance. There was debate as to whether they interpreted that rule correctly or not, and nothing is black and white in these cases.
‘This racing isn’t taking place under conventional racing rules, where you’re not allowed to use your engine under any circumstances. In these rules there is provision for times when you can use your engine, and it’s new. It’s not that they used their engine and tried to “get away with it”. They reported it on the declaration form as they should have, and the jury found that perhaps they interpreted the rule a little too loosely, I think. We learn from that experience and we try to keep the racing as safe as we possibly can.’
With the lack of racing today, some Italian sailors went for a game of football, some British, Kiwi and South African sailors went for some touch rugby. Others preferred to attend a pasta masterclass with a 3-Michelin-starred chef from Restaurant Da Vittorio, hosted and organised by Loro Piana. This afternoon, crew gathered for refreshments in Piazza Azzurra courtesy of Pantaenius Yacht Insurance and later this evening, Bob Oately hosts a cocktail at the YCCS to celebrate the formation of the new superyacht division at Audi Hamilton Island Race Week – Australia’s premier sailing regatta.
As for racing tomorrow, the race officer was very optimistic. ‘It has every ability to play out in a great way,’ said Peter Craig. ‘Breeze maybe at the upper end for the cruising class, and great conditions for the performance class.’
Racing is scheduled to continue tomorrow at 12:00 and the forecast is for approximately 20 knots of westerly wind.
