Superyacht Cup 2011: Day One
The first day of racing got underway at the 2011 Superyacht Cup in Palma. It was the Hoek-designed 24m sloop, 'Drumfire' that came out on top.…
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The first pursuit race of the Superyacht Cup in Palma ended in a spectacular finish with eight boats crossing the line in under four minutes. Superyacht Sailing editor Jason Holtom reports from Palma.
The sea breeze turned up on time in the Bay of Palma allowing Principal Race Officer Peter Craig to get the 21-boat fleet underway on time for the first Race of The Superyacht Cup at 13.00. The smallest boat in the fleet, the 24m Andre Hoek design sloop Drumfire, was away first in the 10 to 12 knot sea breeze that remained steady most of the day, and she managed to fend off the larger yachts all the way to the finish, with a ten minute lead at the end.
The classic pursuit race format, with the supposedly slowest starting first and the fastest last, is designed so that theoretically all the yachts should arrive at the finish together. The staggered start times keep all the boats safe and separated at the start. It also means that the owners, their guests and crews get a chance to see most of the fleet as the faster and larger boats work their way gradually to the front.
If the handicapper has worked out the ratings well, the real excitement comes at the finish as the yachts all converge on the finish at the same time.
There were few complaints about individual handicaps yesterday to rating officer Jim Teeters as 15 yachts finished in less than 20 minutes with, at one stage, eight yachts crossing the line in just three and a half minutes. The start times are worked out as late as possible on the morning of the race with Jim Teeters looking at the expected wind conditions and the course options. They are then transmitted by email to the captains.
An additional variation in Palma is the separation of the fleet into two divisions with the faster boats sailing a slightly longer course so that the overall starting sequence is shortened. This means that all the boats get a reasonable amount of time out on the race course rather than waiting at the line and there is better separation at some of the marks.
After Drumfire finished, the spectators at the finish line watched in awe as the main mass of the fleet converged under spinnaker. The 43m Reichel Pugh-designed carbon-fibre sloop Nilaya - built by Baltic Yachts - with the owner on the helm, made a late charge alongside the Hoek designed 55m aluminium ketch Marie, gybing narrower angles and passing yachts on both sides in a final push. In the end they both ran out of time, finishing third and fifth respectively.
Jim Teeters commented after the race that he was pleased with the handicapping of these two very different yachts, considering the difference in their design, their displacement and the fact that the raced two different courses - with Nilaya covering an additional 4.3 nautical miles. “They finished one and a half minutes apart. Considering that Marie was actually two minutes late at the start, that’s not bad,” said Teeters.
Teeters will adjust the ratings each day as he feels necessary. “I just have to check around the fleet, talk to the captains to see if they have had any technical problems and look at the satellite tracking data downloaded from each yacht to make sure that somebody is not sandbagging so that they can win on the last day,” he explained. One yacht likely to benefit from a better handicap is the fabulous 62m Hoek-designed, two masted schooner, Athos built by Holland Jachtbouw. The largest boat in the Superyacht Cup, Athos, is racing for the first time and yesterday finished 15th.
Peter Craig is planning to start the second race an hour earlier as the gradient northerly wind is expected to battle with the sea breeze leading to a windless late afternoon.
The third and final race is on Saturday.
Superyacht Cup Results First Race
1 Drumfire
2 Savannah +13.13
3 Nilaya +16.69
4 Heartbeat +17.13
5 Marie +18.21
6 Maria Cattiva +18.59
7 Adela +19.19
8 Scorpione Di Mare +19.56
9 Firefly +20.32
10 Atalante +20.38
11 Nostromo +22.05
12 Neferetiti +25.00
13 Lionheart +28.26
14 Ganesha +28.58
15 Athos +34.40
16 This Is Us +36.09
17 Ivanka +46.12
18 Highland Breeze +49.41
19 Bontekoning +1.02.42
20 Anny +1.09.08
21 Reesle +1.10.14
JH
Related Links
Superyacht Cup Website
The sea breeze turned up on time in the Bay of Palma allowing Principal Race Officer Peter Craig to get the 21-boat fleet underway on time for the first Race of The Superyacht Cup at 13.00. The smallest boat in the fleet, the 24m Andre Hoek design sloop Drumfire, was away first in the 10 to 12 knot sea breeze that remained steady most of the day, and she managed to fend off the larger yachts all the way to the finish, with a ten minute lead at the end.
The classic pursuit race format, with the supposedly slowest starting first and the fastest last, is designed so that theoretically all the yachts should arrive at the finish together. The staggered start times keep all the boats safe and separated at the start. It also means that the owners, their guests and crews get a chance to see most of the fleet as the faster and larger boats work their way gradually to the front.
If the handicapper has worked out the ratings well, the real excitement comes at the finish as the yachts all converge on the finish at the same time.
There were few complaints about individual handicaps yesterday to rating officer Jim Teeters as 15 yachts finished in less than 20 minutes with, at one stage, eight yachts crossing the line in just three and a half minutes. The start times are worked out as late as possible on the morning of the race with Jim Teeters looking at the expected wind conditions and the course options. They are then transmitted by email to the captains.
An additional variation in Palma is the separation of the fleet into two divisions with the faster boats sailing a slightly longer course so that the overall starting sequence is shortened. This means that all the boats get a reasonable amount of time out on the race course rather than waiting at the line and there is better separation at some of the marks.
After Drumfire finished, the spectators at the finish line watched in awe as the main mass of the fleet converged under spinnaker. The 43m Reichel Pugh-designed carbon-fibre sloop Nilaya - built by Baltic Yachts - with the owner on the helm, made a late charge alongside the Hoek designed 55m aluminium ketch Marie, gybing narrower angles and passing yachts on both sides in a final push. In the end they both ran out of time, finishing third and fifth respectively.
Jim Teeters commented after the race that he was pleased with the handicapping of these two very different yachts, considering the difference in their design, their displacement and the fact that the raced two different courses - with Nilaya covering an additional 4.3 nautical miles. “They finished one and a half minutes apart. Considering that Marie was actually two minutes late at the start, that’s not bad,” said Teeters.
Teeters will adjust the ratings each day as he feels necessary. “I just have to check around the fleet, talk to the captains to see if they have had any technical problems and look at the satellite tracking data downloaded from each yacht to make sure that somebody is not sandbagging so that they can win on the last day,” he explained. One yacht likely to benefit from a better handicap is the fabulous 62m Hoek-designed, two masted schooner, Athos built by Holland Jachtbouw. The largest boat in the Superyacht Cup, Athos, is racing for the first time and yesterday finished 15th.
Peter Craig is planning to start the second race an hour earlier as the gradient northerly wind is expected to battle with the sea breeze leading to a windless late afternoon.
The third and final race is on Saturday.
Superyacht Cup Results First Race
1 Drumfire
2 Savannah +13.13
3 Nilaya +16.69
4 Heartbeat +17.13
5 Marie +18.21
6 Maria Cattiva +18.59
7 Adela +19.19
8 Scorpione Di Mare +19.56
9 Firefly +20.32
10 Atalante +20.38
11 Nostromo +22.05
12 Neferetiti +25.00
13 Lionheart +28.26
14 Ganesha +28.58
15 Athos +34.40
16 This Is Us +36.09
17 Ivanka +46.12
18 Highland Breeze +49.41
19 Bontekoning +1.02.42
20 Anny +1.09.08
21 Reesle +1.10.14
JH
Related Links
Superyacht Cup Website
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