NEWS

PORTO CERVO, SARDINIA
11th June, 18:00 – Local Time

Harry Macklowe’s Unfurled and Irvine Laidlaw’s Highland Fling have been crowned the winners of the Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta 2011 in Porto Cervo.

With strong winds forcing today’s final race to be cancelled, Unfurled’s 1st and 2nd places from previous days earned victory in the Cruising Division by 1 point from Kora 5 of Portofino, with Hasso Plattner’s Baltic 147 Visione in 3rd overall.

Harry Macklowe commented: ‘Boat International and Yacht Club Costa Smeralda run a wonderful regatta, the weather is beautiful and the boats are gorgeous. Thank you for a wonderful time.’ Macklowe received a bespoke Chihuly glass artwork, specially commissioned for the regatta for his 1st place finish in the Cruising Division.

The strong winds that prevailed for the week suited the ultra-light planing hull of Irvine Laidlaw’s Highland Fling XI. The Reichel-Pugh 82 scored two 1st places to win convincingly ahead of Andrea Recordati’s Wally 101 Indio, with Pier Luigi Loro Piana’s My Song in 3rd overall.

Principal Race Officer Peter Craig was sad not to be able to stage a final race for the 27 yachts, but it would have been a tough and dangerous day on the Costa Smeralda. ‘We were seeing all the forecast models predict 30 knots plus in the afternoon,’ he said.

This afternoon the prizegiving at the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda brought the regatta to a close, with the wind still blowing hard but the sun beaming down on hundreds of sailors and guests.

In addition to winning the Performance Division, Highland Fling’s corrected time calculations under IRC, across all races in both divisions gave Lord Laidlaw the Loro Piana Prize Overall, the Silver Jubilee Cup by Boat International Media.

Highland Fling won further awards for the top classified YCCS Member and the top classified member of the International Maxi Association.

Lord Laidlaw said his greatest pleasure this week was: ‘Sailing with a great team who just didn’t make a mistake, and being part of that team. People are working hard all the time, and it all goes so smoothly. I love coming to Porto Cervo, we have a home here. We’ve been coming since 1982 and will continue coming here until I kick up the soil. I love the weather and I love the wind.’

Other prizes went to Southern Wind’s 33.6 metre flagship yacht Thalima as the best classified Southern Wind yacht and to Salvatore Trifiro’s 50 metre Zefira as the best classified vessel from the Fitzroy Yachts shipyard. Ed Bosarge’s spectacular 56-metre ketch, Marie was presented with a beautifully framed, hand crafted light chart of the Bonifacio Strait by Latitude Kinsale for best representing the Spirit of the Regatta. The yacht sails with a grand piano below decks (sometimes played during racing), a full suit of armour, and a cannon which is fired every time Marie goes to sea.

YCCS Commodore Riccardo Bonadeo was understandably proud of the event’s success: ‘Despite difficult weather conditions this has been a great event. The racing was great as was the social side and the collaboration with Loro Piana and Boat International Media is a winning one, as shown by this spectacular fleet. I have never seen such a fleet of superyachts gathered together in the Mediterranean before. The new rules which ISAF has allowed us to apply, regarding safety measures for racing superyachts, are a step forward and I know organisers and participants alike are already looking forward to the 2012 edition.’

The Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta 2012 will take place early June 2012.

PORTO CERVO, SARDINIA
11th June, 11:00 – Local Time

Racing has been abandoned after principal race officer Peter Craig decided the conditions were not going to improve sufficiently for safe competition.

‘Our boat has been seeing 25 knots with gusts of 29 knots, and this is consistent with the forecast models that predict the breeze increasing to 30 knots plus in the afternoon,’ he said. ‘So we have flown November over Alpha flag, racing abandoned.

‘It has been a pleasure working with everyone at this regatta, and remember that the time for the prizegiving has been pulled forward an hour to 5pm this evening.’

PORTO CERVO, SARDINIA
11th June, 10:40 – Local Time

As the principal race officer predicted, the breeze is building in Porto Cervo. Peter Craig commented: ‘Our boat on the water has seen an increase in average windspeed to 24 knots, with gusts of 28-29. We’ll keep the postponement flag in play, and we will monitor the conditions, but we suspect the chances of getting a race in are becoming slimmer as the day goes on.’

PORTO CERVO, SARDINIA
11th June, 10:20 – Local Time

Steve Hayles, navigator on the 54.6m Vitters ketch Marie, gives the chance of racing today as no better than 50/50. “The strong wind seems to have arrived earlier than the forecast told us. It’s a north-westerly and when the wind is blowing from that direction in Sardinia it’s nearly always windier than the forecast predicts.

‘But our owner is keen to go racing, and even if there’s no racing we might go out anyway for fun. Go fire some cannons,’ added Hayles, referring to the three-gun salute that is fired every time Marie departs the dock.

PORTO CERVO,SARDNIIA
11th June, 10:10 – Local Time

Principal Race Officer Peter Craig is keeping his options open, but is concerned that the wind will be too strong to hold today’s final race.

“The big breeze we expected to pump in mid-afternoon has come in quite a bit earlier,” he said. “However we’re going to hold out some hope. We’ve sent out a service boat to monitor the breeze just outside the harbour, and the service boat is reporting 22-23 knots with puffs of 26 knots. That leads us to believe racing is unlikely to happen, but we’re not pulling the plug yet.”

PORTO CERVO, SARDINIA
10th June, 18:00 – Local Time

Based on forecasts calling for a building breeze later in the day, the initial signal for the Performance Class will be moved up to 11:00 for racing on Saturday, June 11, 2011. The Cruising/Superyacht Class will start as soon as practical after the Performance Class Start.

PORTO CERVO, SARDINIA
10th June, 2011 – 18:00 Local Time

Kora 5 of Portofino and Highland Fling were the winners on Fitzroy Race Day, the third day of the Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta 2011 in Porto Cervo.

The sun was strong and the wind blew hard, the wind gusting up to 24 knots. Wisely the race committee set a southerly race course away from the stronger breezes that funnel past La Maddalena island.

Kora 5 is one of the lighter boats in the Cruising Division, and was not expecting to fare as well as she did today, as owner/driver Paolo Scerni commented afterwards. ‘These were not the best conditions for Kora, but she still did very well.

‘I saw that one of our competitors Thalima had a problem with the spinnaker, and without that they might have beaten us. We had no real problems and sailed a good course around the track. Our tactician Lorenzo Bortolotti has done a great job, and so did the crew.’

Kora 5 now moves to just 1 point behind series leader, Harry Macklowe’s Unfurled, but Scerni knows that Unfurled are a class act. ‘They don’t make many mistakes, they are great sailors and really nice people. In the end all we can do tomorrow is sail our own race and see what happens.’

Unfurled skipper Adam Bateman said he was ‘nervous and confident’ all at the same time, when looking to securing victory in the series tomorrow. He has big faith in the crew. ‘The majority have been sailing together for five years, so we have a lot of experience on board, and we work really well together as a team.’

Owner Harry Macklowe has been racing Unfurled in Porto Cervo for more than a decade, but keeps on coming back year after year. ‘The place, the people, the organisation are all wonderful. We really enjoy being here and the sailing today was sensational.’ For Macklowe and Unfurled, a regatta win tomorrow would be the icing on the cake.

Today’s contest had a lot to do with keeping the boat together. Others didn’t manage so well. Lady Thalima, Ganesha and Saudade all failed to finish, in Saudade’s case due to a broken mainsheet that snapped just before rounding Monaci. Liara sailed most of the race without a mainsail, but still managed a finish in 11th place.

Twizzle may not have finished high up the rankings, but the owners said they enjoyed themselves all the same. ‘It was a great race, nothing broke and no one was hurt. Safety takes priority in such winds, and we have learned a lot. We’re used to sailing in strong winds, but racing in strong winds is different.’

Irvine Laidlaw loves racing in strong winds, and proved it with an emphatic win in the Racing Division aboard Highland Fling. The 82-foot Reichel-Pugh design won by almost 14 minutes on corrected time ahead of Indio. ‘Upwind the boat is more or less the same speed as other boats in the class, but when we turn downwind, the boat is incredibly fast,’ he said. ‘It’s easy to helm, amazingly stable, and twice we saw the clock tip over 24 knots. But we do have a very good crew; at that speed things could get nasty very quickly. Today was just a lovely day on the water, a really great sail, and a great race.’

Pier Luigi Loro Piana may only have finished 5th in the race with My Song, but he was cheered all the way by title sponsor Loro Piana’s VIP guests, who enjoyed following the racing from the comfort of a Maxi Dolphin 50ft tender. My Song lies in 3rd overall behind Highland Fling and Indio.

This evening, owners look forward to an evening of delicious food, cocktails, music and dancing at the Owner’s Beach Party held in the beautiful grounds of the 5-star Hotel Romazzino, considered one of the world’s most beautiful resorts. Guests will enjoy a reception on the lawn overlooking the enchanting beaches and jewel-coloured waters of the Costa Smeralda, before dancing the night away to music by top international DJ Oliver Fatemi.

Meanwhile, the 27 sailing teams are rewarded with a Crew Party in Porto Cervo Marina Piazza with food, drinks and a live band provided courtesy of contributing sponsor Sardinia Yacht Services.

With a strong wind forecast set to increase throughout the day tomorrow, the race committee has pulled forward start time by an hour to 11:00 local time, with the intent of completing a short race before the breeze gets too strong for safe racing.

PORTO CERVO, SARDINIA
10th June, 2011
12:30 Local Time

The Cruising Division has set out on a 27-mile course that takes them reaching south towards and around the islands of Mortorio and Soffi, before turning north past Porto Cervo to Monaci and then back to Porto Cervo.

The wind is blowing just over 20 knots, a challenging but raceable wind speed for these large yachts. The narrow confines of Bomb Alley would have been a step too far, and this open sea course will give the fleet more manoeuvring room.

Karol Jablonski, the America’s Cup skipper calling tactics on Saudade, sounded a little nervous before departing the dock this morning. ‘We are expecting 22 to 24 knots of wind, and obviously with our 65-metre-high rig on Saudade, there will be a lot more wind up there,’ said the Polish professional. ‘It will be on the limit for us, and we have have to be focused on managing the boat and getting safely round the course.

‘As the biggest and fastest boat, we have to observe the 40m safety rule, so we might have trouble finding the space to go past other boats. It will be a tough race.’

The Cruising Division start in a staggered formation to avoid the risk of a crowded start line. The Performance Division, on the other hand, start en masse and are racing an extended version of the course which will take their total distance to 32 miles.

Check out the Photo Gallery to see images from today’s racing by Carlo Borlenghi and Rick Tomlinson.

Superyacht Media have also produced video highlights of the event so far, with footage from today’s race sponsored by Fitzroy Yachts just uploaded. Click here to check it out!

PORTO CERVO, SARDINIA
10th June, 2011 – 10:00 Local Time

The race committee reports racing is scheduled to start on time on Fitzroy’s Race Day. The sun is shining and winds are blowing around 18 knots from the west.

PORTO CERVO, SARDINIA
9th June, 2011 – 17:00 Local Time

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.

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PORTO CERVO, SARDINIA
9th June, 2011 – 12:00 Local Time

Winds gusting in excess of 30 knots forced the cancellation of racing on day two of the Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta 2011 in Porto Cervo.

The Cruising division was called off early this morning, although there was still a hope of sending out the Performance division for a race. But with an already strong wind forecast to increase during the afternoon, principal race officer Peter Craig decided to abandon all racing for the day.

With a strong emphasis on safety in superyacht racing, after the introduction of some new rules agreed between the Superyacht Racing Association and ISAF, the sailors were happy to stay ashore as the wind whistled through the rigging of the 27 yachts moored in Porto Cervo marina.

The forecast is for good moderate breeze tomorrow, and the sailors are looking to get back on the water for an exhilarating day on the Costa Smeralda.

PORTO CERVO, Sardinia
9th June, 2011 – 10:30 Local Time

Due to unsuitable racing conditions in Porto Cervo, today’s race has been cancelled.

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PORTO CERVO, SARDINIA
8th June, 2011 – 17:30 Local Time

Day 1 of the Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta 2011 in Porto Cervo tested the 27 crew and their yachts to their limits, and beyond in some cases.

Broken sails and halyard strops mean a busy evening for some crew as they work to have their yachts ready for tomorrow’s race, but the sailors relished the challenge of today’s changeable conditions all the same.

Owner of Wally Y3K, Claus-Peter Offen, enjoys racing in Porto Cervo for the breeze and for the competition. ‘It is good racing here against a good number of competitive boats, and we had tricky winds today which demanded last-minute decisions, and that’s what makes the racing here so exciting.’

A little too exciting at times in the Performance Division, as the fleet converged on the first windward mark all together. Four protest flags flew from different yachts and it will be a late evening for the afterguard of some of the Performance boats, and also for the international jury tasked with deciding what, if any, penalties to apply to some near-miss incidents. ‘You have to expect this when you have boats of similar speed all racing competitively,’ said Offen. ‘It’s a sign of good close racing.’

The larger and less manoeuvrable yachts in the Cruising Division are governed by a new set of safety rules, including a 40m exclusion zone to avoid any close calls that could result in a collision. The 19 yachts in this division also started at two-minute intervals, the fastest setting out last.

Even if there wasn’t the boat-to-boat drama of the Performance Division, the wind had a few surprises up its sleeve. After virtually no wind at start time, the breeze built nicely to 15 knots, but later gusted higher. Just before the finish, a storm cloud just off the entrance to Porto Cervo caused the wind to turn through 180 degrees and created even more work for sailors on the foredeck as they scurried to change from spinnakers to headsails.

The owner of Marie, the 54.6m Vitters ketch, commented: ‘It was an exciting race with up to 25 knots of wind, which caused a lot of broken halyards and headsails. We broke our head sail early in the race during a tack.’ Timoneer and Saudade also had trouble with sails and halyards, pushing them back in the rankings on corrected time.

Dr. Peter Wacker’s Fitzroy Yachts 38.8m Ganesha won the Cruising Division by more than three minutes from Harry Macklowe’s Unfurled, with Hasso Plattner’s lightweight Baltic 147 Visione tearing past the rest of the fleet to finish in 3rd. In Performance, Irvine Laidlaw steered his Reichel-Pugh 82-footer Highland Fling XI to victory ahead of Pier Luigi Loro Piana’s My Song. Y3K lies in 3rd, although this evening’s protests could yet alter the standings.

This evening, the superyacht owners in attendance look forward to the Loro Piana Owner’s Dinner, hosted at the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda. A menu devised especially for the occasion will be prepared by the chefs of the 3-Michelin-starred restaurant Da Vittorio. Guests will also enjoy an intimate musical performance by world famous tenor Piero Mazzocchetti and acclaimed flutist Andrea Griminelli.

Today was an exhilarating start to the regatta, and it looks set to continue with a brisk forecast for tomorrow’s race.

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PORTO CERVO, SARDINIA
8th June 2011 – 12:30 Local Time

The 27 yachts have set out on a 30-mile race on the first day of competition at the Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta 2011 in Porto Cervo.

With the wind blowing 15 knots from the south-west, Course No.15 takes these large sailing yachts on a long reach past Monaci and then around the islands of La Maddalena and Caprera.

There was nervous excitement this morning as to what the day had in store, with views varying widely on what kind of winds they might encounter. Anything from no wind to 27 knots was being discussed on the docks.

As tactician on board the magnificent Marie, New Zealander Chris Main bears an enormous responsibility in navigating this 54.6m Vitters ketch through the narrowest parts of the race course. Commenting this morning before racing, Main said: “I don’t know if they’re going to send us through Bomb Alley, but short tacking this boat through there could be, well, interesting…”

As the race committee announced Course No.15 on the VHF radio, Main would realise that Bomb Alley is indeed on the agenda, although provided the wind direction of 290 degrees holds steady, he might at least get to take Marie through this notorious strait without too much tacking required.

Then again, the breeze might shift, as Wally Y3K’s tactician Jesper Radich speculated. “At the moment we have a westerly gradient which would is nice, but there’s a chance of thermal effect creating a sea breeze from the south-east, and then we could end up with a transition zone between two breezes. Getting caught in the ‘no wind’ zone would be a tactical disaster.” That’s why Radich and so many other top professionals are here, to help sail these beautiful yachts quickly but safely around the spectacular but challenging coast line of northern Sardinia.

The wind in Porto Cervo has been less than favourable in the past week, although the sun and the wind appear to have returned nicely for the coming four days of racing, and right now the fleet is enjoying champagne sailing on the Costa Smeralda.

For further information on the regatta please contact:



Alexis Naylor

Events Executive

Boat International Media

Tel: +44 (0) 207 545 9334

Email: alexis.naylor@boatinternationalmedia.com

Jill Campbell
YCCS Press Office
Tel: + 39 0789 902 200
Fax: +39 0789 91213
Email: pressoffice@yccs.it

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7th June 2011

Twenty-seven of the most spectacular sailing yachts on the water are today berthed in Porto Cervo, eagerly anticipating the first day of racing at the Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta 2011.

The fourth edition of this annual event co-organised by Boat International Media and Yacht Club Costa Smeralda has attracted an impressive fleet of sailing yachts ranging from 24m to 57.5m in length, which will be divided into cruising and performance divisions.

We welcome the return of a number of past entrants including Fitzroy’s 38.8m Ganesha, 28.5m Open Season and 30.5m Indio both built by Wally and designed by German Frers, a fleet of Southern Wind yachts including 33.6m Thalima and Jongert’s 29m Scorpione dei Mari designed by Tony Castro. New additions to the 2011 fleet include Vitters 54.6m Marie, Baltic Yachts 45m Visione, the new 57.5m Twizzle built by Royal Huisman and Fitzroy’s 50m Zefira.

Edoardo Recchi, Sports Director at the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda comments: ‘We are very happy to have twenty-seven superyachts racing at the 2011 Loro Piana Superyacht Regatta – a record in the history of the event. Having new boats like Twizzle and Zefira and several boats that are attending for the first time like Marie is very pleasing: this event is attracting a very large and exciting fleet to our waters.’

As the yachts begin to arrive, registration is underway in the Piazza Azzurra and crew are busily making their final preparations for the first race, scheduled to commence at 12:00 tomorrow.

The expert Race Committee at the YCCS will select the courses daily depending on the forecast. The idyllic conditions and the striking natural beauty of the region make Costa Smeralda a favourite sailing destination of both owners and crew, with islands and rocks acting as natural markers dotted in the emerald waters off the Sardinian coast.

This evening, the Captains’ Briefing will take place at Yacht Club Costa Smeralda – founded in 1967 by H.H. the Aga Khan and renowned as one of the finest yacht clubs in the world – followed by a Welcome Cocktail for owners and their guests on the poolside terrace overlooking the magnificent fleet berthed in the marina below.

As well as four days of thrilling action on the water, guests can look forward to a glamorous social programme including the infamous Owners’ Beach Party at the exclusive Hotel Romazzino and the Loro Piana Owners’ Dinner.

For further information on the regatta please contact:

Alexis Naylor
Events Executive
Boat International Media
Tel: +44 (0) 207 545 9334
Mob: +44 (0) 7971 438 671
Email: alexis.naylor@boatinternationalmedia.com

Jill Campbell
YCCS Press Office
Tel: + 39 0789 902 200
Fax: +39 0789 91213
Email: pressoffice@yccs.it

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