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Wednesday September 22nd, 2010
As sweet as good wine
First coastal for the seventy seven Classic Yachts of the Régates Royales –
Trophée Panerai and three races in a row for the sixtythree Dragons, in
ideal wind conditions.
WEB-22Wind is like grapes, it needs time to get better. This is why the
teams had to wait to see this 32nd edition of the Régates Royales – Trophée
Panerai start. Sea breeze set in around noon allowing Dragons and Classic
yachts to race in nearly perfect conditions: a southerly eight knots, flat
sea, summer like temperatures. As it happened yesterday the Dragons sailed
much contested races and the Committee was forced to hoist the black flag
(any competitors over the line at the start is disqualified) on all the
starts. The classic yachts’ start was also pretty cluttered, and the tension
palpable, until the Race officers finally fired the cannon.
It’s thanks to a good breeze, of around 8 knots and increasing during the
afternoon to reach a solid fifteen knots, the crews were able to use all
their weapons: indexsails, mizzens, gennakers, ballons jibs, spinnakers, stay
sails and many others were displayed between Cannes and the Pointe de
l’Esquillon. Despite the magnificent show it was a real battle on the water.
In the Classic gaffers C class in was the Italian Bona Fide to cress the
line in first, but had to leave the victory in corrected time to Oriole
(Francis van de Velde) shortly followed by the oldest boat in the fleet,
Marigold (Jason Gouldstone).
Pool of biodiversity
As it happened last year, WWF-France -which president is famous French
female solo sailor Isabelle Autissier- is a welcomed presence at the Régate
Royales – Trophée Panerai 2010 and its ambassador boat, Columbus, skippered
by Jean-Yves Terlain is moored among racing boats. From Wednesday to Friday
a round of conferences has been organised to inform the public about the
marine environment and the consequences of intensive fishing in the
Mediterranean, that is to say the second maritime and coastal biodiversity
pool in the world. Red Tuna population has decreased by 80%, 19 species of
cetaceans are listed in the Ligurian Sea, waste management causes more and
more recycling issues. Speaker Charles Braine will animate the conferences,
which will be open to the public, on the Régates Royales village.
Atlantic vs Créole?
Friday will be the theatre of a truly historical match: the replica of the
famous schooner Atlantic will sail for the first time in Cannes. The 69,24
metres long yacht helmed by Charlie Barr back in 1905 for the Kaiser’s Cup
sadly finished her life in New York in 1982. But the incredible energy of Ed
Kastelein and four years of intense work brought the schooner back to life.
Créole, Charles Nicholson’s designed and 65,30 metres long three masts,
moored in Cannes for years, could duel with the legendary yacht on a breezy
day. What a magical match that could be!
Weather forecast
A high pressure is still hovering on the bay of Cannes, with a low pressure
gradient. As a result the wind will be light westerly in the morning,
veering to southerly around noon and later on a westerly sea breeze of
around 5/9 knots will set in. Flat seas and clear skies with temperatures
not exceeding 25°C. The weather on Thursday should reindex mostly the same
yet it is likely to get worse on Friday. A low pressure coming from the
North-West will produce fairly strong to strong winds, cloudy sky and
occasionally some rain.
Fire and flames
Trying to beat Olin Stephens’ supremacy, Briton Charles E. Nicholson got
inspiration from the American’s 12M to build several yachts conceived for
offshore racing, the Fastnet and Bermuda Race in the thirties. Firebird X is
the fourth boat built for Ralph Haws, a member of the Royal Ocean Racing
Club in Cowes.
By designing Dorade and Stormy Wheather Olin Stephens proves that US
designers are still untouchable as far as America’s Cup or offshore racing
boats are concerned. That’s particularly true in the period prior to the
Second World War, when British yachtsmen chose to downscale from J Class
boats to 12M for the Cup and the racing/cruising yachts between fifteen and
twenty metres, the perfect size for short-handed crews and offshore events
that keep growing all over the world.
Yet, the British Yacht Clubs’ members can’t just sit and watch the Americans
getting all their trophies, like Dorade winning the Fastnet in 1931 and
1933. When he designes Foxhoun, a 19.30 metres long Marconi cutter for Isaac
Bell in 1935, Charles E. Nicholson is the most celebrated architect in the
United Kingdom. Finishing fourth in the Fastnet Race, the owner decides to
have a yawl built. Bloodhound is soon going to win the Channel Race, the
Morgan Cup, and the Fastnet Race…
Eight owners, four names.
Following this hugely successful boat, in 1937other yachtsmen opt to have
Nicholson’s designed boats like Firebird X built at Camper & Nicholson
shipyard. Plan number 447 by Charles E. Nicholson is developed on existing
rules and on RORC president Ralph Hawks’ racing schedule. The concept is
simple: a moderate overhang, a huge draft, a deep, strongly V-shaped hull
and a large cutter sail area with a bowsprit. The construction is pretty
sophisticated for the time: the boats’ deck is made of teak, the interiors
in oak wood with steel reinforced chain plates. Yet, Firebird X is not going
to be on the podium in the1937 Fastnet Race which is won by the Dutch
Zeearend, another Stephens’ designed yacht! The owner then decides to
heavily modify the boat transforming her into a yawl, but only gets to win
the German Race on the Baltic sea. The owners keep alternating as do
performances: Mr Crankshaw, Mr Green and in 1962 Frenchman Pierre Cointreau,
who re-launches the boat as Flame II in La Trinité sur Mer, where she is one
of the biggest yachts moored in a still tiny newborn marina.
Bought by MP Henri Rey in 1970, and still a yawl, the yacht is renamed
Vindilis II and is taken to the Med for the season but, while being
delivered back to Brittany falls victim of a devastating storm that damages
and forces her to stop in Pont l’Abbé at the Pichavant shipyards for
repairs. Michel Perroud is her next owner, buys her in 1973 and calls her
Oiseau de feu, cruising in the Atlantic from the Azores to Ireland, Scotland
and Spain. During a winter storm the boats runs aground on a oyster farm…
she needs extensive repairs once more and, this time, the restoration is
made at the Naval Arsenal in Lorient before being bought by Pierre Lembo in
1989 who takes her to Saint-Malo for a general refit, to change the corroded
metal parts and make a new pinewood deck.
Cannes is my home now
Oiseau de feu new owner is Jean-Philippe L’Huiller, who says: “It’s a very
comfortable cruising boat, you can sail single or short-handed. We did keep
the indexmast but took the mizzen away because it had no impact on the racing
performances upwind. The sail area is smaller but she is a very good boat in
strong breeze. We sail mostly in the Med because her home is in Cannes now.”
Oiseau de feu
Designer: Charles E. Nicholson
Builder: Camper & Nicholson
Launch date: 1937
Overall length: 20,74 m
Waterline length: 14,63 m
width: 3,96 m
Draft: 2,51 m
Displacement: 38 000 kg
Upwind sail area: 211 sqm
Photos libres de droits sur demande
www.regatesroyales.com
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