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Extreme 40 Sailing Series 2012 - Qingdao, 17.-20.April 2012
www.extremesailingseries.com/ - Übersicht Qingdao
Saturday 21 April – 0800 hours UTC
Extreme Sailing Series
China Grand Prix, Act II
Edmond de Rothschild Group does it again in Qingdao
Under threat for a while due to the weather conditions announced on the race
zone in Qingdao, the fourth and final day of the China Grand Prix did indeed
take place. It was thanks to a breeze oscillating between five and fifteen
knots that the race committee for the Extreme Sailing Series was able to
launch seven races and thus create some separation between the nine
competing teams. At the end of these races, The Wave Muscat secured its
first victory of the season and with it control of the 2012 championship.
Red Bull and Edmond de Rothschild Group respectively took second and third
place in the Chinese competition after a final raced with daggers drawn.
In the Extreme Sailing Series, the situation is constantly changing and for
a lot of people that’s the beauty of this circuit. However the scenario
which played out yesterday afternoon on the waters of the Yellow Sea was one
of the tensest ever for the catamaran fitted out by Baron Benjamin de
Rothschild since its arrival in this series, back in 2009. Though Leigh
McMillan’s men quickly gained the upper hand over their rivals and continued
to stretch out their lead in the standing, their pursuers had to battle
right up to the final second to secure their place. As such Edmond de
Rothschild Group, Red Bull Sailing Team, Oman Air as well as GAC Pindar were
protagonists in a game of musical chairs of a rare intensity! And in line
with tradition, it was necessary to wait until the final race of the Grand
Prix – the one which scores double points – to discover the top trio in this
second act of the season.
A review of how the four days of competition in Qingdao unfolded
Friday 20 April – When the committee launched the twenty-ninth race, five
boats were still in contention for the top spots on the Chinese podium.
Third, just a point shy of second place and a point ahead of fourth place,
Pierre Pennec and his crew knew that they couldn’t afford to mess up and
that they had to finish in front. At the end of the first reach, they were
lying in second place as they rounded the first mark. However, in the
ensuing beat, Roman Hagara, in ambush, benefited from a gust that Pierre
Pennec and his men couldn’t latch onto. The Austrian made the most of it to
slip ahead of the catamaran fitted out by Baron Benjamin de Rothschild. The
variations in the wind broke the momentum of the crew of Edmond de
Rothschild Group, which ranked third in the event.
“Prior to the final race, we were in with a chance of anything from second
to sixth place, so I’m satisfied with this third place, as it’s once again
enabled us to conclude an event on the podium. We know that this is what you
need to do in order to shine in the annual championship, one of the index
difficulties on this circuit being a consistent performance. A further
satisfaction is achieving this place in what was a very high performing
fleet in Qingdao. We were able to erase some of our shortcomings over the
course of the event, which shows that we’ve made progress in the
communication and the way we operate onboard. The other positive point is
that we always manage to recover some places when we get off to a bad start.
In these short courses, with oscillating wind, this is testament to the good
dynamics we have going. However, there’s one very important problem we need
to work on for the next Grand Prix: the starts” says a smiling Pierre
Pennec, as he casts his mind forward to the next event: “I really enjoyed
myself in this Grand Prix… Showing our adversaries that we could really
handle the pressure, particularly over these last few days where there was
everything to play for, augurs very well for the future. It’s just as
important for the crew, who reindex united and optimistic in every situation.
We make our presence felt in the key moments and that’s a great omen for the
six events left to race.”
Back on the dock, Pierre Pennec didn’t forget to salute the performance by
the day’s winners: “I’d like to pass on my congratulations to The Wave
Muscat, who sailed very well throughout the four days of racing. Its victory
is indisputable and deserved. We knew they’d provide stiff competition in
2012 so this is confirmation of that. The question mark hangs over whether
they will make the same mistakes as last year, where they lacked
consistency: winner in Cowes then Trapani, one after the other, then ninth
in Nice.”
So are the sailors that race for Edmond de Rothschild Group disappointed? A
little, naturally, since these born competitors are only ever satisfied with
victory. Nevertheless, with consistency being an indicator of a good result
in the annual championship, the men of Gitana Team left China with a real
desire and keenness to strive for more: an opportunity which will come very
soon on the waters of the Bosphorus River, from 7 to 10 June 2012.
The team speaks out
Bernard Labro, bowman: “For this final day, we had between 5 and 15 knots.
It was a very fluky breeze both in terms of strength and direction. In
Qingdao we were sailing within the very heart of the city and the buildings
which surround the race zone made things complicated in the races. In fact,
the gusts hit the water without any prior indication. Naturally we’re a
little disappointed because first and second place were within our grasp,
but our third place is still a fine performance given our position on the
morning of the last day (fifth). This second event of the season has enabled
us to progress still further, though we still have some work ahead of us.
With the exception of Pierre, who’s on the helm of Edmond de Rothschild
Group for the second season, our crew is new and everyone is just
discovering their posts (Hervé Cunningham is in charge of the headsail
trimming, whilst last year he was bowman). Not everything is running
smoothly yet, but the way we operate onboard is improving with every race.
The difficulty of this circuit is that there are at least four weeks between
each Grand Prix. As such, you’re constantly having to find your bearings
again. However, that’s the name of the game for everyone involved.”
Roindex Petit, fifth man: “It was my first Grand Prix on this craft and I’m
really struck by the physique of the sailors and by the level of the fleet.
I come from a Formula 18 background, where I compete in more amateur
competitions, so this event with Edmond de Rothschild Group has been a
fantastic revelation! Our third place may harbour a few regrets, but you
have to look at things in a positive light. For the first three days of
racing, we were fourth then fifth and then we finished third. This final
result was good for the team’s morale. There are a lot of things we can work
on but we have identified these. The atmosphere within this crew is very
pleasant and it’s certainly one of the keys to the success of these
sailors.”
Hervé Cunningham, headsail trimmer: “We had some fairly atypical starts
throughout the week. Whether it was during the offshore races on the first
day or in the ensuing stadium races, the race committee gave us reaching
starts (wind on the beam). This exercise has never been our favourite, but
after four days’ intensive learning, we’ve improved. The scenario for the
final race, where five boats were still in contention for second place,
testifies to the extremely similar level amongst the fleet. Our results were
consistent, which is a positive point, but we still need to raise our game
to win the Grands Prix and make up ground on The Wave Muscat in the
championship standing.”
Standing for the Qingdao Grand Prix (twenty-nine races run)
1. The Wave Muscat – 189 points
2. Red Bull Sailing Team - 174 points
3. Edmond de Rothschild Group - 171 points
4. GAC Pindar - 164 points
5. Oman Air - 162 points
6. Zoulou - 158 points
7. SAP Extreme Sailing Team - 130 points
8. Alinghi - 129 points
9. China Team - 74 points
Provisional standing for the Extreme Sailing Series after two Grands Prix
(Muscat and Qingdao)
1. The Wave Muscat – 19 points
2. Edmond de Rothschild Group - 16 points
3. Oman Air – 16 points
4. Red Bull Sailing Team – 16 points
5. GAC Pindar - 13 points
6. Zoulou - 10 points
7. SAP Extreme Sailing Team - 7 points
8. Alinghi - 7 points
The crew of Edmond de Rothschild Group
Pierre Pennec (Skipper / helmsman),
Jean-Christophe Mourniac (trimmer and indexsail traveller),
Hervé Cunningham (headsail trimmer),
Bernard Labro (Bowman)
Roindex Petit (5th man)
Alexandre Guyader (Sports coach)
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
Translated by Kate Jennings – Expression
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