.jpg "Photo credit: Daniel Forster / Rolex") For the past 42 years, the St. Francis Yacht Club has run its popular regatta, now known as the Rolex Big Boat Series. This year's competitors - currently 900-plus sailors - will celebrate a proud tradition of competition on San Francisco Bay this week, September 14-17. To date, there are 91 boats entered, across eight fleets: three for IRC-handicapped entries and five for the one-design classes, J/105, 1D35, J/120, Express 37 and Sydney 38. At the conclusion of the four-day regatta, specially engraved Rolex timepieces will be awarded to the St. Francis Yacht Club's six Perpetual Trophy winners. |
.jpg "Photo by: Kurt Arrigo/ Rolex") After four fiercely competitive races between the Swan 601s that are crewed by some of the most famous names in sailing, Torbjorn Tornquist's Artemis is leading the fleet. With Russell Coutts calling the shots, the Swedish entry posted two second places and one victory. In the Swan 45 Class otherwise dominated by the American entries, Danilo Salsi's DSK Comifin (ITA), tops the leaderboard after four consecutive top four finishes. In the Grand Prix fleet, Filip Balcaen's Aqua Equinox (BEL) leads the fleet, with three points from two coastal races. |
.jpg "Photo by: Carlo Borlenghi/ Rolex") Despite yesterday's grim weather forecasts, the 114-strong fleet participating in the 14th Rolex Swan Cup enjoyed a great opening day, with plenty of sun, temperatures in the high twenties and an easterly breeze ranging between 8 and 10 knots. |
.jpg "Photo by: Carlo Borlenghi/ Rolex") With the Maxi fleet on its way home after their week-long regatta, the Piazza Azzurra and the Marina of Porto Cervo are now jam-packed with crews from the record breaking fleet of 116 Swans all completing registration and inspection procedures. Representing 17 nations and ranging in length from 36 to 112 feet the Costa Smeralda is set to witness another incredible display of sailing power. Amongst the crews are some of the most famous names in sailing from the America's Cup and Olympics - including Russell Coutts and Paul Cayard. |
.jpg "Photo by: Carlo Borlenghi/ Rolex") The crystal-clear waters of the Costa Smeralda, this year hosted one of the most impressive gatherings of sailing yachts ever - the 17th edition of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, which attracted a record fleet of 46 teams representing 15 nations. |
.jpg "Photo credit: Daniel Forster / Rolex") Vincenzo Onorato has finally won the Rolex Farr 40 World Championship, a title that has consistently eluded him since he first took part in 1999. The first three days of the regatta, held in Newport, R.I., were light wind affairs, but with the sea breeze blowing up to 18 knots today, Onorato's Mascalzone Latino team turned in a masterful performance. In addition to the World Cup, Onorato was presented with a commemorative Rolex timepiece at this evening's Rolex Farr 40 World Championship Awards party, held at Marble House, one of Newport's Gilded Age cottages. |
.jpg "Photo by: Carlo Borlenghi/ Rolex") The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup, organised by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, ended with a beautiful day of sailing and one last race for all divisions, in a building north westerly breeze that reached 15 knots creating a choppy sea. The Spirit of Tradition and Cruising fleets sailed on a coastal course, while the remaining divisions sailed once around the cans on a windward-leeward course. |
.jpg "Photo credit: Daniel Forster / Rolex") It wasn't even as though they had a spectacular day, but Vincenzo Onorato's team on Mascalzone Latino found themselves having increased their lead in the Rolex Farr 40 World Championship. "The first race was very good, scoring a third," commented mainsheet trimmer Adrian Stead. "The second and third races we were mid-line and going right - with the left paying - so they were recovery races. Last race we did a pretty awesome recovery on the first beat to come back from 27th to 11th, although we didn't convert it, coming in 15th. There were plenty of snakes and ladders out there, and we did OK, probably fourth best boat of the day, and we extended on Barking Mad." |
.jpg "Photo by: Carlo Borlenghi/ Rolex") After a day of rest and a superb gala evening at the Cala di Volpe hotel, the crews competing in the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup organised by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, resumed their week-long battle. With only one race day to go, Alfa Romeo is leading in Racing by 4 points, Roma has a 1 point cushion in Cruising as does Hetairos in Spirit of Tradition.. Atalanta II now heads the Mini Maxi by 5 points. Magic Carpet Squared leads in class by 3. |
.jpg "Photo credit: Daniel Forster / Rolex") Newport, R.I., USA - Light and shifting winds brought massive changes to the leader board on day two of the Rolex Farr 40 World Championship. Mascalzone Latino put together the best scores for the day, coming fourth place in the first race and second in the next, and earned the Boat of the Day, sponsored by Trade Partners New England Boatworks, Hall Spar, and New England Ropes. That scoreline put Vincenzo Onorato's (Portoferrio, Italy) team at the top of the scoreboard, four points ahead of Jim Richardson's (Boston, Mass./Newport, R.I.) similarly consistent team on Barking Mad. Flash Gordon suffered a difficult day after making bad starts off the line, although Helmut Jahn's (Chicago, Ill.) two victories the previous day are sufficient to keep him in third overall. |
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