Volvo Ocean Race - Leg Zero...Olympic Qualifiers...Team NZ back on top

by . on 14 Sep 2014

TP52's V5 and Mayhem - RNZYS Winter Race - September 13, 2014 Richard Gladwell www.photosport.co.nz

Welcome to Sail-World.com’s New Zealand e-magazine for September 14, 2014

We start coverage of three major events in this edition of Sail-World.com/nz's e-Magazine

In Alicante the first serious hit-out of the Volvo Ocean Race is underway with the seven teams competing in the Leg Zero event.

The race started from Alicante on a 400nm course to Majorca and back. It counts for zero points but is just a test for the crews under racing conditions within the context of the seven boat Volvo Ocean Race fleet.

Hopefully, it will wipe off those first night, of the first leg, blues that have marred so many trans-oceanic races - where some competitors virtually get knocked out of contention while the opening stanzas are still being played.

Volvo Ocean Race - September, 2014. Leg 0 from onboard Team Vestas Wind. © Volvo Ocean Race http://www.volvooceanrace.com

Already one mishap has occurred with Team Brunel having a furled jib blow open soon after the start, causing her to drop back significantly. If the problem was gear failure, it will be rectified easily before the race start rather than having to live with the issue for the next 6,500 miles of Leg 1 to Cape Town.

Surprise packet of the first stage of the race was that two of the least fancied teams, the Chinese entry DongFeng and the women's crew, Team SCA, led at the first mark. Hopefully, that is a sign of things to come in this edition of the Volvo Ocean Race, and we won't see the processions that were a hallmark of some legs of the 2011-12 race.

Latest report has Team Brunel leading from Team Vestas Wind, with the first boats expected to finish around 7.00pm NZT on Sunday.

September 12, 2014. The fleet sail during the start of Leg 0, Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15 from Alicante to Mallorca and back. © Ainhoa Sanchez/Volvo Ocean Race

Emirates Team New Zealand have staged a reversal of their form in the Extreme Sailing Series.

After picking up the wooden spoon in the Cardiff round, Dean Barker and his crew have bounced back to lie in second place on the points table, Just a couple of points out of the overall lead.

The team says that a shake out could happen on the final day, and obviously can in this form of stadium racing. Barker and his crew have sailed more consistently in this series, aided by better breeze, and that will take some heat off the oft-maligned America's Cup skipper.

He will have another reason to smile, after beating his nemesis, Jimmy Spithill, in the Ultimate Cup - a fishing contest played under an adapted version of the America's Cup rules.

We will feature the replay of the second part of that contest next week on Sail-World.com.

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Staying with the America's Cup, check out the story just in this morning from Luna Rossa, showing their two AC45's setup as foilers and sailing from the team's base in Cagliari, Italy. There's a video too.

Quite what this does for the America's Cup World Series remains to be seen - will it be sailed in foilers, or not?

We also have coverage of the GC32 foiling catamarans sailing in the Marseille One Design regatta. The GC32's are a production foiler now becoming popular in Europe and with a circuit established.

Luna Rossa Piranha and Swordfish foiling off the team's base in Cagliari, Italy © Luna Rossa Challenge 2013 http://www.lunarossachallenge.com/

In Santander, Spain, the ISAF World Sailing Championships are in their second day of racing.

This is the 2014 World Championship regatta for all the Olympic classes, and at which 50% of the places are allocated in the 2016 Olympic Regatta in Rio de Janeiro.

Four classes are underway - all singlehanders - the Men's and Women's monohull - sailed in the Laser and Laser Radial respectively, and the Windsurfer for both genders - sailed in the RS:X.

Natalia Kosinska - NZL Sailing Team - Day 2, ISAF Sailing World - Santander © Jesus Renedo / Sailing Energy http://www.sailingenergy.com/

So far the New Zealanders have not covered themselves in glory, with none in the top ten overall - and there will be some hard work required in the back end of the regatta.

Emirates Airline's Gary Chapman - Emirates Team New Zealand racing on day 3 of Act 6 of the Extreme Sailing Series in Istanbul, Turkey © Hamish Hooper/Emirates Team NZ http://www.etnzblog.com

Later in the week, the crewed boats get underway, with three New Zealand World Champion crews competing, and trying to defend their titles.

We will carry updates of all the racing on www.sail-world.com each morning - updating the overnight results.

Stay tuned to our website www.sail-world.com for the latest news and developments in the sailing world.

Good sailing!

Richard Gladwell
NZ Editor

sailworldnzl@gmail.com

Send your news and images directly to Sail-World by http://www.sail-world.com/admin/add_story.cfm?rid=6!clicking_here

Laser - NZL Sailing Team - Day 2, ISAF Sailing World - Santander © Pedro Martinez / Sailing Energy http://www.sailingenergy.com/

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