Extreme Sailing Series, Gitana resiste in vista del gran finale
EnglishExtreme Sailing SeriesMultiscafiVela 23 Febbraio 2011 Zerogradinord 0
Muscat – Penultima giornata, oggi 23 febbraio, della tappa in Oman delle Extreme Sailing Series 2011. Gli undici equipaggi internazionali si sono affrontati su percorsi molto brevi e vicini alle banchine della marina di The Wave, con una brezza sugli 8-10 nodi per ben otto regate consecutive, portando a quota venticinque il totale delle prove disputate dall’inizio dell’evento.
Primo in classifica è sempre Groupe Edmond de Rothschild (skipper Pierre Pennac), ma la quarta giornata delle Extreme Sailing Series di Muscat parla italiano. I team di Luna Rossa e Niceforyou, infatti, hanno espresso tutto il loro potenziale e sembrano aver preso il ritmo di un circuito in cui l’esperienza è l’elemento fondamentale. Luna Rossa, che ha come timoniere l’inglese James Campbell, vincitore dell’edizione 2010 del circuito, ha messo a segno due primi di giornata e un secondo. Niceforyou, timoniere il veneziano Alberto Barovier, ha vinto una prova chiudendone altre tre nei primi cinque posti.
“Stiamo cominciando a capire le regole del gioco – dichiara Barovier appena sceso in banchina – Un gioco che è completamente differente dalle regate con i monoscafi, dal match race e comunque da tutto quello che ognuno di noi ha fatto fino a poco tempo fa. Nelle otto prove odierne abbiamo realizzato una buona media di risultati, e ciò da valore anche al primo posto della seconda prova e al terzo dell’ultima. Abbiamo concrete possibilità di fare bene in futuro. Gli altri team hanno anni di esperienza alle spalle, Groupe Edmond de Rothschild, ad esempio, partecipa a questo circuito fin dalla prima edizione. Sono molto contento della progressione dei nostri risultati, significa che siamo sulla strada giusta”.
Domani giovedì 24 febbraio sarà l’ultimo giorno del programma dell’evento. L’ultima regata avrà un valore doppio in termini di punteggio. Per il calendario musulmano il giovedì corrisponde al nostro sabato e il venerdì alla domenica. Quello di domami sarà dunque l’inizio di un fine settimana all’insegna della vela internazionale per Muscat. Gli organizzatori attendono un pubblico numeroso sulle banchine della nuovissima marina The Wave, che per l’occasione sono state attrezzate con delle vere e proprie tribune.
Extreme Sailing Series, Act 1, Day 4
1. Groupe Edmond de Rothschild, pt. 194
2. Artemis Racing, pt. 187
3. Red Bull Extreme Sailing, pt. 183
4. Team New Zealand, pt. 176
5. The Wave Muscat, pt. 165
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Per consultare la classifica completa clicca qui.
Video courtesy Extreme Sailing Series.
EXTREME SAILING SERIES, WIDE OPEN
[Extreme Sailing Series Press Release] On the penultimate day of racing at Extreme Sailing Series Act 1 at The Wave, Muscat in the Sultanate of Oman the action came thick and fast, with both Red Bull Extreme Sailing and Team New Zealand delivering the most outstanding performances of the day. Roman Hagara and the crew of Red Bull Extreme Sailing, lying in 5th overall going into today, are now on the podium lying in third place after 25 races: “We are really happy now we are third overall and it’s great for us. We are almost beginners and it is the best result so far and I hope we can continue. We have a lot of experience in the Extreme 40 already and Craig (Monk) is really strong so he can do a lot of things that we can not handle without him, and those last minute calls are a bit easier so overall we made a good improvement.”
For Dean Barker and the boys on Team New Zealand it was an even better day, climbing from 7th to 4th in the rankings: “Today everything fell into place really well and we had a fantastic day on the water and managed to get some good solid results which was very pleasing for all of us,” said Barker. “It was a day where in a lot of ways we had a little bit of luck, which seems to be an important ingredient here, and we had some good starts and the crew were solid all day. We might have started the regatta slow but each day it feels like we have improved a little bit and if we can carry on improving then we’ll be satisfied.”
A total of eight ‘stadium’ races were staged off The Wave, Muscat that saw six different teams claim at least one race win, Team New Zealand scored two first places and the all-Italian team Niceforyou delighted in their first race win of 2011: “I feel happy and happy for my crew that they did a very good job,” said skipper Alberto Barovier. “The boat handling today was perfect and all the tactical choices were good, not all the races but most.” Groupe Edmond de Rothschild, helmed by Pierre Pennec, were consistently good enough today to hold on to their top place ranking, just 7 points ahead of Terry Hutchinson’s Artemis Racing. With 11 points for a win, and 22 points on the final race tomorrow, its wide open in the top half of the leaderboard. As Dean Barker summed up: “There’s a lot of points still on the table going so its going to be hard.”
The short and demanding courses raced within the constraints of the stadium saw the on-water umpires dish out multiple penalties for blocking and port-starboard incidents in the light 7-9 knot NE breeze. The most dramatic incident of the day came when Torvar Mirsky’s The Wave, Muscat suffered a collision with Alinghi, and very nearly ended up on the breakwater boulders. As Mirsky’s crew called for water and tacked on to port, Alinghi did not react quickly enough and crashed into their port hull. The Wave, Muscat carried on racing but has been craned out tonight to undergo a long night of repairs. The team has confirmed they will be back racing tomorrow and they are still very much in the game lying in 5th place overall. Only 2 points separate Luna Rossa in 6th place and Alinghi in 7th. Right now, 7 of the 11 teams could still win Act 1 of the Extreme Sailing Series with multiple races to come and double-points up for grabs in the final race.
Away from the racing, the 11 Extreme 40 teams are flying their dockside flags at half-mast today and tomorrow as a sign of respect to the people of New Zealand who have been affected by the earthquake that struck Christchurch on Tuesday. With Kiwi crew amongst the 44 sailors here, everyone’s thoughts have turned to New Zealand and the challenges they now face.
The Extreme Sailing Series has elected this year to nominate a charity from each host venue, different to 2010 when each team had an elected charity. For the first act here in Oman, the national Environment Society of Oman has been chosen. The ESO is a non-governmental society which aims to help conserve Oman’s stunning natural heritage and raise awareness about environmental issues. Founded in 2004 by Omanis across the country, representing a variety of professional backgrounds, with the key aim of ensuring Oman’s natural heritage remains intact for future generations to enjoy. ESO is eager to drive hands-on projects that not only achieve their environmental protection goals but also help raise public awareness and the need for conservation.
Extreme Sailing Series, Act 1, Day 4
1. Groupe Edmond de Rothschild, pt. 194
2. Artemis Racing, pt. 187
3. Red Bull Extreme Sailing, pt. 183
4. Team New Zealand, pt. 176
5. The Wave Muscat, pt. 165
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