Sydney all set for 2016 Rolex Farr 40 World Championship

by Quinag on 11 Feb 2016 2016 Rolex Farr 40 World Championship - The 19th edition of the Rolex Farr 40 World Championships is being hosted by the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron and runs from Tuesday, 16 until Friday, 19th February 2016. Held at a different venue each year, the Championship is the pinnacle of the Farr 40 season. Following last year’s championship in Long Beach, US, the 2016 edition moves 7,500 miles across the Pacific to Sydney, Australia.

The Farr 40 Class is a strict one design. The class rules were devised to create a level playing field where winning depends on the performance of the crew more than the design of the equipment. Aside from regulating the technical attributes of the 40-foot boat, the rules legislate the crew composition. An amateur owner is required to helm and a maximum of four professional sailors are allowed among the typically 10-strong crew. As a result, racing has always been intense. This year promises to be no exception with a fleet that includes three past world champions: Plenty (USA) 2014/San Francisco, Flash Gordon (USA) 2012/Chicago and Transfusion (AUS) 2011/Sydney.

As the crown in sailing for over fifty years Rolex has a long and rich history of supporting the sport’s finest events. The Rolex Farr 40 World Championship is one such contest. Fiercely competitive, it demands and rewards team work, consistency and determination. Rolex has been a partner of the event since 2001, and the reward for victory remains as coveted as ever - the World Championship trophy and a Rolex Yacht-Master timepiece, true recognition of yachting excellence.

High Quality

Launched in 1997, the Farr 40 very quickly became a major force in grand-prix racing. It attracted boat owners from the upper echelons of the corporate world and with them top-class sailors. Farr 40 racing has long been regarded as a unique meeting of business and sailing elites; both groups sensing a tangible opportunity to perfect their skills and test themselves against their peers.

The emphasis on human performance led the class and its flagship event, the Rolex Farr 40 Worlds, to develop legendary status, increasing the number of top yachtsmen and women keen to challenge themselves in an environment where preparation is rigorously tested and talent rewarded.

This year’s top yachtsmen include Ed Baird, tactician on Flash Gordon, and Terry Hutchinson, tactician on Plenty. The pair have a history of competing against each other at the highest level. Baird was the winning helmsman at the 2007 America’s Cup, a feat which secured him the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award. Hutchinson, multiple winner of the Rolex Farr 40 Worlds, was the tactician for Baird’s opposition at the 2007 Cup.

High Intensity

11 intense races, each lasting around 45 minutes, will be contested over the four-day Rolex Farr 40 Worlds. Team work underpins everything. Decisions need to be made quickly and executed flawlessly. Crews must keep their attention in their boat and their individual task at all times. Critical moments like the start require pinpoint accuracy and exceptional timing to secure any advantage. At the race finish, only fractions of boat lengths separate the leading yachts.

Success requires expert strategy and superior boat handling at all times. In a fleet where every boat is capable of winning races, securing the ultimate prize is not simply about making spectacular race-winning decisions. It is much more about successfully managing all facets of the race – the tactics, the conditions, the manoeuvres, and the opposition. It is an aspect of the sport that could be likened to a multi-dimensional game of chess. The crew that consistently sets the highest standards of performance across all elements over the course of the championship will naturally secure the ultimate prize.