16/10/11
Sunday 16 October – 1930 hours
Extreme Sailing Series
Almeria Grand Prix (Spain) - Act 8
From the hunted to the hunter for Edmond de Rothschild Group
The penultimate Grand Prix of the Extreme Sailing Series 2011 rounded off
this Sunday in Andalusia. Victorious in Nice and back in pole position in
the championship, the crew of Edmond de Rothschild Group knew they stood a
chance of being caught out in Almeria and had to deal with this pressure as
leader throughout the five days of racing. Always in on the action, the men
of Gitana Team didn’t manage to convert the try in the closing minutes
however. Indeed, though they were still in with a chance of a podium finish
prior to the start of the thirty-second and final race of the Grand Prix,
Pierre Pennec and his three crew – Hervé Cunningham, Thierry Fouchier and
Christophe Espagnon – stumbled. The men of Gitana Team ended up ranking
fifth and have thus yielded the top spot in the annual standing, just one
point shy of the Italians. Obviously the team is disappointed, but the four
sailors are no less motivated to move on from this and already have their
sights on Singapore, where the final event of the 2011 circuit will be
decided.
The five days of competition in Andalusia took place in some very light and
particularly shifty weather conditions. With the exception of yesterday,
where the breeze livened up proceedings to the great delight of one and all,
the light airs gave this Almeria Grand Prix a rather lacklustre tone. A
nerve-racking experience to say the least, these wind conditions also made
things difficult for the crews, who had to constantly adapt to these
variations. It was an exercise in which the men of Edmond de Rothschild
Group struggled to get their bearings: “I think we lacked impulsiveness in
this regatta! We found it harder to get into our stride. Of course there are
lessons to learn from our result, which wasn’t as good as we’d hoped, and we
still have progress to make in a lot of areas. However, there’s no point
trying to find explanations for every last detail either. Up until the final
race, we could still have finished second on this Spanish leg, which would
have been a good result. The ultimate race, which scores double points, cost
us dearly. All of that comes down to very little in the end and it will be
same in Singapore for the grand final! However, I reindex very confident for
the future”, said the skipper of Edmond de Rothschild Group assuredly.
The Swiss sailors on Alinghi, particularly at ease in these light
conditions, which they’re familiar with on Lake Geneva, scored their first
Grand Prix victory of the season today. Hot on their heels were Max Sirena’s
men, whilst the Omani crew skippered by Ben Ainslie completed the podium. As
such the English sailor finished his participation in the Extreme Sailing
Series on a high, as he’ll be replaced at the helm of Oman Air for the next
meeting. Of note is the fact that Emirates Team New Zealand weren’t able to
repair the damage suffered during yesterday’s collision with Edmond de
Rothschild Group and so they weren’t racing this Sunday. However, Adam
Beashel and his crew, who weren’t at fault, were awarded 6.5 points per race
and conclude this leg in sixth position.
By finishing fifth in this Grand Prix, Pierre Pennec and his three crew have
conceded the top spot on the provisional championship leaderboard to the
Italians from Luna Rossa, who are just one point ahead tonight. It goes
without saying that the crew of Edmond de Rothschild Group would have
preferred to have retained a slight advantage over its adversary prior to
the last event of the season, but the men of Gitana Team aren’t overly
bothered by the heated exchange: “Whether we have a one point deficit in
relation to Luna Rossa or a one point lead, it doesn’t make any difference
to us. The title will once again be decided on the final leg and most likely
the closing race. We’re going to have to make sure we’re ahead whatever
happens”, explained Pierre Pennec. From the position of being hunted, the
four French sailors have now become hunters, and this role reversal seems to
really appeal to Hervé Cunningham, bowman: “We’re a lot better as the
outsider rather than the favourite and it’s a very good thing to arrive in
Singapore without any pressure.”
The Extreme Sailing Series fleet will be back together again for a final
confrontation from 7 to 11 December 2011 in Singapore. Furthermore, we now
know that this city-state of eastern Asia will be the justice of the peace
for the 2011 season.
The crew of Edmond de Rothschild Group
Pierre Pennec (Skipper / helmsman), Christophe Espagnon (indexsail trimmer),
Thierry Fouchier (headsail trimmer), Hervé Cunningham (bowman)
Standing in the Almeria Grand Prix (after 32 races)
1. Alinghi (SUI) – 254 points
2. Luna Rossa (ITA) – 233 points
3. Oman Air (OMA) – 232 points
4. Team GAC Pindar (GBR) – 218 points
5. Edmond de Rothschild Group (FRA) - 216 points
6. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZ) – 213,5 points
7. The Wave, Muscat (OMA) - 209 points
8. Red Bull Extreme Sailing (AUT) – 202 points
9. Team Tilt (SUI) - 155 points
10. Team Extreme (EUR) – 151 points
11. Niceforyou (ITA) – 135 points
Standing for the Extreme Sailing Series 2011 after eight Grands Prix
1. Luna Rossa (ITA) – 69 points
2. Edmond de Rothschild Group (FRA) – 68 points
3. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZ) – 60 points
4. Alinghi (SUI) – 59 points
5. The Wave, Muscat (OMA) – 57 points
6. Red Bull Extreme Sailing (AUT) – 53 points
7. Artemis Racing (SWE) – 48 points
8. Oman Air (OMA) – 47 points
9. Team GAC Pindar (GBR) – 30 points
10. Niceforyou (ITA) – 17 points
11. Team Extreme (EUR) – 17 points
The Extreme Edmond de Rothschild Group supports the Joves Navegants
foundation
The family of Baron Benjamin de Rothschild has always had a passion for
nautical activities, a commitment embodied today by the Gitana Team. As such
the Edmond de Rothschild Foundations have quite naturally been sensitive to
the mission of Joves Navegants and touched by the profound collective
commitment to helping these young people in precarious situations.
Inspired by the methods of British Sailing associations, which help young
people in difficulty, some enthusiastic sailors who have settled in Palma,
Mallorca, decided to create Joves Navegants. Aware of the complicated
situation for certain youngsters on the island in serious economic and
family difficulties, they have chosen to share their passion. The foundation
organises several types of trips out to sea on the yacht, Galaxie. These
days out involve journeys of discovery, awareness campaigns for sustainable
development, participation in races and training aids to enable certain
youngsters to envisage sailing as a professional career.
The Edmond de Rothschild Foundation will be supporting Joves Navegants in
the organisation of trips out to sea during the summer, enabling the
necessary technical improvements to be made on the Galaxie and making it
possible for a team to take part in the “Ruta de la Sal” race in April.
For further information:
www.jovesnavegants.org
www.ebdrf.com
Discover all the latest news from the Gitana Team at
www.gitana-team.com
Translated by Kate Jennings – Expression
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