| All to play for after
testing day. |
| By the Rolex Baltic
Week Media Team. |
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Photos by Daniel Forster
for Rolex,
edited By Peter Andrews. |
| July 2, 2011. |
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| It was a long day on the water for organisers and competitors alike at the Rolex Baltic Week for Day 4 of the regatta. The day saw a weather front over the Flensburg Fjord, bring cold and rainy conditions and fresh north-westerly breezes of around 15 to 20 knots. With windspeeds forecast to ease slightly later in the afternoon, the 8-Metre and 6-Metre fleets opened proceedings at noon, while the 12-Metre yachts delayed their start until late in the afternoon. |
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The 8mR start of race 5, during the 2011 Rolex Baltic Week.
Photo © Rolex / Daniel Forster.
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| On the Robbe & Berking 8mR World Championship course, the race team also worked hard to make up for the previous day’s abandonment by packing in three fiercely fought races. The top three boats once again shared the spoils, with Ruud van Hilst and Jos Fruytier’s Hollandia from the Netherlands; Murdock McKillop’s Lafayette from the United Kingdom and Jean Fabre’s Yquem II from Switzerland, each scoring a win, a second and third place. |
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On board Murdoch McKillop’s 8mR Lafayette (1986) from London,
Great Britain, second after 7 races, during the 2011 Rolex Baltic Week.
Photo © Rolex / Daniel Forster.
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| This leaves Hollandia with a two-point advantage in first overall from Lafayette, who in turn is just three points ahead of Yquem II, setting the scene for a royal battle for the world title going into the final day of racing. Solidly consistent, the 1938 design Raven, steered by Bryan Gooderham, took three fourths. |
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Jean Fabre’s 8mR YQuem II (SUI 2, 2002) from Vesenaz, Switzerland, winner
of race 7, during the 2011 Rolex Baltic Week.
Photo © Rolex / Daniel Forster.
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| "It was hard work in the fresh breeze, but we had fun and some good results," said Hollandia’s co-owner Ruud van Hilst. "We had changed the trim a bit and this worked out. The boat was going really fast. But it’s not over until it’s over; everything can still happen on the last day of racing." |
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Leader after 6 races, Patrick Howaldt’s 12mR Vanity V (K 5, 1936) from
Copenhagen, Denmark and Josef Martin’s 12mR Anitra (USA 5, 1928) from
Radolfzell, Germany, during the 2011 Rolex Baltic Week.
Photo © Rolex / Daniel Forster.
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Race officer for the 8-Metre fleet Jobst Richter, from co-organisers Kieler Yacht-Club was pleased with today’s effort. "The forecasted gusts were never really that strong, so we got three perfect races over the course. We only needed to shorten one because of a newly-built commercial ship crossing the Flensburg Fjord."
If conditions allow, Richter plans to run two additional races on the final day in order to complete the World Championship schedule. |
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Richard Gervé’s 8mR Sposa (H 4, 1912), from Bodman, Germany, during
the 2011 Rolex Baltic Week.
Photo © Rolex / Daniel Forster.
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Elsewhere in the fleet, there is equally tight competition among the First Rule boats, with Richard Gervé’s Sposa holding a three-point advantage over her club rival and fellow 1912 design Elfe II.
"I really like sailing in rain, so I enjoyed every single moment of it," said owner and helmsman of the German Elfe II, Andi Lochbrunner. "We fought hard, but were still disadvantaged in these conditions, because we needed to drop the main upwind. But we always hoist it again downwind as we hoisted the spinnaker. So in all in all we are happy what we achieved today." |
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Andi Lochbrunner’s 8mR Elfe II (GER H9, 1912) from Lindau, Germany
and Magne Brekke’s 8mR Wanda (N 38, 1937) from Snaroya, Norway, during
the 2011 Rolex Baltic Week.
Photo © Rolex / Daniel Forster.
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| The 12-Metre yachts competed in two races in their Robbe & Berking World Championships, with the hot competition between Patrick Howaldt’s Vanity V from Denmark and Wilifried Beeck’s Trivia from Germany, each earning a first and second to leave Vanity V just two points ahead going into the final day of the title contest. |
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Andi Lochbrunner’s 8mR Elfe II (GER H9, 1912)
from Lindau, Germany and Richard Gervé’s 8mR Sposa (H 4, 1912),
from Bodman, Germany, during the 2011 Rolex Baltic Week.
Photo © Rolex / Daniel Forster.
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| Racing for the Robbe & Berking Sterling Cup opened for the 6-Metres with an intense day of three races. The best of the fleet was Andreas Krause’s Sleipnir II from Germany, who scored two wins and a second to take the lead. Following Krause were the German yachts of Dr Thomas Kuhmann’s Mena and Bjoern Storsberg’s Aida, both tied on eight points apiece after Mena took the remaining race winner’s gun, with Aida coming home second twice. Oliver Berking’s own Lillevi (GER) is also close in contention, having earned two third places. |
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Andreas Krause’s 6mR Sleipnir II (GER 17, 1935) from Kiel, Germany,
leader after 3 races, during the 2011 Rolex Baltic Week.
Photo © Rolex / Daniel Forster.
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Among such equally matched competition, boat-handling and playing the shifts proved all-important to succeed at this regatta. But getting a good start was also key, as Sleipnir II’s helmsman Christoph Nielsen explained.
"We managed to start perfectly on time without being over early. But this was really tight in the second race, with maybe half a metre left, no more." |
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Thomas Kuhmann’s 6mR Mena (GER 30, 1946) from Munich, Germany, during
the 2011 Rolex Baltic Week.
Photo © Rolex / Daniel Forster.
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| On Sunday July 3, racing concludes for the Robbe & Berking 12mR and 8mR World Championships, as well as the Robbe & Berking 6mR Sterling Cup, with the first gun scheduled to begin at 11 am. |
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Bjoern Storsberg’s 6mR Aida (GER 59, 1936) from Flensburg, Germany,
during the 2011 Rolex Baltic Week.
Photo © Rolex / Daniel Forster.
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2011 Rolex Baltic Week Overall rankings, Saturday July 2
Robbe & Berking 12-Metre World Championship (after 6 races)
Place Boat name, Owner-Helmsman (origin), R1-R2-R3-R4, points overall
1 Vanity V, Patrick Howaldt (Denmark), 1-1-(2)-2-1-2, 7.
2 Trivia, Wilfried Beeck (Germany), 3-2-1-(3)-2-1, 9.
3 Sphinx, Gorm Gondesen/Jochen Frank (Germany), 2-3-(4)-1-4-3, 13.
4 Anitra, Josef Martin (Germany), 4-4-3-(4)-3-4, 18.
5 Vema III, Eric Svenkerud (Norway), 6-5-5-(DNF)-6-5, 27.
6 Evaine, Georg Kierspel (Germany), 5-6-6-(DNF)-5-6, 28.
Robbe & Berking 8-Metre World Championship
1 Hollandia, Ruud van Hilst/Jos Fruytier (Netherlands), 1-1-(DSQ)-2-2-1-2, 9.
2 Lafayette, Murdoch McKillop (Great Britain), 2-(4)-1-1-1-3-3, 11.
3 YQuem II, Jean Fabre (Switzerland), 3-2-3-3-(3)-2-1, 14.
4 Raven, Richard Self/Mark Decelles (Canada), 5-3-2-4-4-(8)-4, 22.
5 Sira, King Harald V of Norway, 8-(DNF)-4-12-7-5-7, 43.
6 Sagitta, Timo Saalasti (Finland), 11-(12)-7-5-5-7-9, 44.
Robbe & Berking 6mR Sterling Cup (after 3 races)
1 Sleipnir II, Andreas Krause (Germany), 1-2-1, 4.
2 Mena, Thomas Kuhmann (Germany), 3-1-4, 8.
3 Aida, Björn Storsberg (Germany), 2-4-2, 8.
For more information about the Rolex Baltic Week, visit the event website at www.rolex-baltic-week.com. |
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| Outimage and Rolex © 2011 |
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