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Strong Start at Aruba Heineken Catamaran Regatta for Team Larsen/Pols
On Sunday November 7th 2004, Gunnar Larsen and Xander Pols from the Netherlands started strongly at the fourteenth Aruba Heineken Catamaran Regatta. Last year’s winners were victorious in both races with a northeaster force five to six. The British competitors Stuart Gummer and Gillian Power followed with their Spitfire on the second place. Christopher Sproat and Georgina Burke, also from Great Britain, are in third position in a field of fifty-four catamarans, representing five countries.
"It went very well", was the enthusiastic reaction of Larsen. "We have sailed conservatively, which gave us a good position to start with.” Many teams capsized under genaker and lost their races. According to Larsen, they did not push their Nacra F18 to the limit: "We did not want to start with a discard.” They are again the men to beat. Today, the performance of the Spitfires was remarkable good with four teams in the top ten.
"It went very well", was the enthusiastic reaction of Larsen. "We have sailed conservatively, which gave us a good position to start with.” Many teams capsized under genaker and lost their races. According to Larsen, they did not push their Nacra F18 to the limit: "We did not want to start with a discard.” They are again the men to beat. Today, the performance of the Spitfires was remarkable good with four teams in the top ten.
The Phillipine Hobie Challenge
The First Challenge
Sometime late 1999, a small group of international Hobie 16 catamaran sailors envisioned an extreme sailing event that will take them to different islands in the Philippines; six days in the open seas and camping in rustic areas. Thus, the Philippine Hobie Challenge had its relatively modest start in March 2000 with five (5) regional teams making the 190 nautical-mile passage from Lucena, Quezon down to Boracay. Michael Scantlebury, who was in the group that conceptualized the event, eventually took the honours of winning the first Challenge.
Dreaming the Impossible
The highly successful inaugural event proved the concept of long distance racing in Hobie 16 catamarans to be workable and the Challenge had its repeat in March 2001. This time, entries had more than doubled to twelve (12), including teams flying in from HK, Australia and Europe. Using experience gained during the first event, the organizers scheduled a 5-race inshore series and the Challenge series with 5 consecutive daily passages, taking the teams 154 nautical miles from the Batangas resort of Maya-Maya down to Maricaban Bay in Northern Palawan. The team from Down Under, Andrew Keag and Naomi Angwin, bested the rest of the fleet to win the 2nd Philippine Hobie Challenge. In 2001, the Challenge went Northwest, taking fifteen (15) teams from Sta. Maria, Ilocos Sur down to Subic Bay, Zambales. Blood Red, the team of Chris Steilberg, Dave Harris and Krishan George took honors in this 230 nautical mile race.
2004 International Catamaran Challenge Trophy: - Final Results
LOVELL AND OGLETREE SUCCESSFULLY DEFEND TITLE
NEW ORLEANS, LA. (October 23, 2004) In an exciting final day of competition, the USAs 2004 Olympic Silver Medal team of John Lovell (New Orleans) and Charlie Ogletree (Houston, Texas) have successfully defended their claim to the International Catamaran Challenge Trophy (ICCT) by defeating Enrique Figueroa and Jorge Hernandez of Puerto Rico. After going ahead on a score of 3-1 yesterday, the American pair needed to win only one match today to hold on to their title in the first-to-four point series sailed in F18HTs on Lake Pontchartrain and hosted by Southern Yacht Club.
But the win did not come easily. In the first do-or-die match for the Challengers, Lovell and Ogletree replicated the mastery theyve displayed all week in match racing, controlling the Puerto Ricans in the pre-start and leading around the first mark by several lengths. And while the 9-12 knot southerly breeze was the most promising all week for match racing, there were not only opportunities to speed away in the puffs but also pitfalls to die in the lulls over the 2.5-mile course. Soon after their rounding, Lovell and Ogletree gybed away to protect their lead only to fall into a hole while Figueroa and Hernandez sped away to a spectacular three-minute lead, the largest of any match of the week.
Thanks for the mulligan, quipped Figueroa to a disappointed but smiling Lovell between matches. We lucked into that one. Even with a long-standing rivalry between these two going back to their Olympic Tornado competition -- the sailors have maintained their good nature and camaraderie both on and off the water.
NEW ORLEANS, LA. (October 23, 2004) In an exciting final day of competition, the USAs 2004 Olympic Silver Medal team of John Lovell (New Orleans) and Charlie Ogletree (Houston, Texas) have successfully defended their claim to the International Catamaran Challenge Trophy (ICCT) by defeating Enrique Figueroa and Jorge Hernandez of Puerto Rico. After going ahead on a score of 3-1 yesterday, the American pair needed to win only one match today to hold on to their title in the first-to-four point series sailed in F18HTs on Lake Pontchartrain and hosted by Southern Yacht Club.
But the win did not come easily. In the first do-or-die match for the Challengers, Lovell and Ogletree replicated the mastery theyve displayed all week in match racing, controlling the Puerto Ricans in the pre-start and leading around the first mark by several lengths. And while the 9-12 knot southerly breeze was the most promising all week for match racing, there were not only opportunities to speed away in the puffs but also pitfalls to die in the lulls over the 2.5-mile course. Soon after their rounding, Lovell and Ogletree gybed away to protect their lead only to fall into a hole while Figueroa and Hernandez sped away to a spectacular three-minute lead, the largest of any match of the week.
Thanks for the mulligan, quipped Figueroa to a disappointed but smiling Lovell between matches. We lucked into that one. Even with a long-standing rivalry between these two going back to their Olympic Tornado competition -- the sailors have maintained their good nature and camaraderie both on and off the water.
2004 International Catamaran Challenge Trophy Starts Tomorrow:
Olympic Reunion for Competitors
The ICCT was revived last year after a hiatus of more than seven years. Like the classic match racing event it mimics and from which it long ago derived its nickname "The Little America's Cup," the 2003 ICCT had matured into a new class of boat--the dynamic F18HT. Reborn in Newport, Rhode Island, the 2003 ICCT came down to the final match in a best four-out-of-seven finals before the champagne was uncorked for winners Johnny Lovell (New Orleans, La.) and Charlie Ogletree (Houston, Texas). Following the example of the ICCT's namesake, the winners will now compete for the right to defend the Trophy for Southern Yacht Club, which will host the 24th running of this event through October 23.
Olympic Re-Match: The win of the 2003 ICCT last year launched a banner year for Lovell and Ogletree. In February, they won the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in the Tornado class--the only catamaran ever sailed in the Olympic Games--for their third consecutive trip to the Olympics. Two months later, they were victorious in a fleet of 53 Tornados at the Princess Sofia Regatta. That event, sailed in Palma de Mallorca, was a warm-up for the Tornado World Championship where 62 teams from 24 nations competed in the final qualifying event for the Athens Olympic Regatta. Lovell and Ogletree won the Silver Medal at the Worlds with a performance that included winning two of nine races, before moving on to Hyeres, France, the following week where they collected yet another silver medal at Semaine Olympique Francaise.
The ICCT was revived last year after a hiatus of more than seven years. Like the classic match racing event it mimics and from which it long ago derived its nickname "The Little America's Cup," the 2003 ICCT had matured into a new class of boat--the dynamic F18HT. Reborn in Newport, Rhode Island, the 2003 ICCT came down to the final match in a best four-out-of-seven finals before the champagne was uncorked for winners Johnny Lovell (New Orleans, La.) and Charlie Ogletree (Houston, Texas). Following the example of the ICCT's namesake, the winners will now compete for the right to defend the Trophy for Southern Yacht Club, which will host the 24th running of this event through October 23.
Olympic Re-Match: The win of the 2003 ICCT last year launched a banner year for Lovell and Ogletree. In February, they won the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in the Tornado class--the only catamaran ever sailed in the Olympic Games--for their third consecutive trip to the Olympics. Two months later, they were victorious in a fleet of 53 Tornados at the Princess Sofia Regatta. That event, sailed in Palma de Mallorca, was a warm-up for the Tornado World Championship where 62 teams from 24 nations competed in the final qualifying event for the Athens Olympic Regatta. Lovell and Ogletree won the Silver Medal at the Worlds with a performance that included winning two of nine races, before moving on to Hyeres, France, the following week where they collected yet another silver medal at Semaine Olympique Francaise.
Hurricane Jeanne Can't Stop NACRA North American Championship
Hurricane Jeanne hits regatta location with less force than expected - Nacra North American Championship is still on!
Tuesday, September 28, 2004 - Hurricane Jeanne came barreling up the coast of Florida and Georgia late last weekend and the Nacra North American Championship regatta site was in jeopardy.
Weather Channel's Jeff Morrow was on Tybee Island over the weekend, keeping a watchful eye on the winds and waves. However, the storm was downgraded to a tropical storm and Tybee Island did not receive the damage that was expected or experienced in other parts of the Southeast.
After contacting Regatta Official Chuck Bargeron this morning, he briefly stated It¹s a go! and quickly hung up with no time to chat.
Pete Melvin and Nacra A2 to Sweep A-Class Championships with 7 Bullets!
Pete Melvin and Nacra A2 "Team Up" to Sweep A-Class Championships with 7 Bullets!
September 23, 2004 - The new Nacra A2 catamaran, with Pete Melvin at the helm, swept the A-Class North American Championships with 7 bullets out of 11 races! 28 top sailors from North America competed for the championships but were defeated by Melvin on the A2 who¹s total score was only 13 points.
The boat I sailed was a stock Nacra A2, built with the latest materials and production processes, fresh out of the box and included a Hall Spars mast and Ullman sail. "It's performance was outstanding!" says Melvin. The A2 was very fast in all conditions sailed, including the 20 knot+ conditions experienced the first two days, as well as the more moderate conditions at the end of the regatta.
Click on "Read More" to see full story and results.
Hobie 16 North American Championships
9/18/04 Final Results, Hobie 16 North Americans Mexicans Armando Noriega and Roderigo Achach are the
new Hobie 16 North American Champions. Noriega is a
Pan-Am Games silver medallist in the Hobie 16 but the
title of North American Champion is a first for him
and for Achach. The team dominated the seventy-one
catamaran fleet, on Lake Oneida in Syracuse NY, finishing
twenty two points ahead of the second place team, and
2004 Alter Cup Champions, Mike Montague and Cathy Ward
from California. Defending Champions Paul and Mary Ann
Hess finished fourth.
The regatta came to an anticlimactic end on Friday with only one race started in winds just above the class minimum wind strength of five knots. The conditions where light and shifty for most of the week with the exception of Tuesday when the winds topped out at about fifteen knots.
Top Five:
- Armando Noriega and Roderigo Achach
- Mike Monntague and Cathy Ward
- Bob Merrick and Eliza Cleveland
- Paul Hess and Mary Ann Hess
- Wall Myers and Tyler Myers
Full results and pictures are on the event website at www.HobieNAC.com .
Wayward Winds, Texas City Dike, TX
On September 25th and 26th 2004, Houston Fleet 8 and the Texas City Dike Yacht Club present Wayward Winds 2004 - a beach cat regatta open to all makes of catamaran. This Division 6 sponsored event will also be the US Sailing Area F Alter cup qualifier. The notice of race is available here.We will have some great T-Shirts designed by Tami Shelton - you can see the design here
For more information/questions got to http://texascitydike.com
Chris Green
Comodore - Houston Fleet 8
Catfight V - Lake Michigan Catamaran Regatta
The Catamaran Racing Association of Michigan is proud to announce it’s fifth year of sponsoring the Catfight race at Muskegon State Park – Muskegon, MI, August 19-22, 2004.Join us for three existing days of extreme catamaran racing & sailing with sailors and boats from all over the United States! The event is held in conjunction with Mount Gay Rum, The Cat House, Animal Cancer & Imaging Center & American Rental, Inc. It’s a Mount Gay Rum Beach Party! Members of the media are invited to attend our parties Friday & Saturday night!
Races start on Friday morning and continue through Sunday. Race courses are set with windward to leeward buoy marks. The racing heats are set by boat classes & boat size. All catamaran manufacturer’s & sailors are welcome and encouraged to participate; Nacra, Hobie, Prindle, and others. Trophies are awarded to top three positions in each boat class. Scoring is to Portsmouth Wind USSA Wind Velocity System & Formula Classes standards.
Hobie Dragoon Worlds & Hobie 16 genaker Youth Europeans 2004
BRITISH UNBEATABLE IN BOTH HOBIE YOUTH CHAMPIONSHIPS 2004
Duinbergen / Belgium, July 31st 2004 – The British teams were unbeatable in both Hobie Youth Championships organized in Duinbergen / Belgium from Tuesday July 27th until July 30th 2004. On Friday July 30th, Richard and Andrew Glover became the first Hobie Dragoon World Champions ever. Tom Phipps and Jonathan Cook won the Hobie 16 genaker Youth Europeans 2004. The prize giving was a party with lots of gifts for all competitors. The three medallists in both classes received their awards on stage in front of Hobie Catsy’s with the national flags in top.
Duinbergen / Belgium, July 31st 2004 – The British teams were unbeatable in both Hobie Youth Championships organized in Duinbergen / Belgium from Tuesday July 27th until July 30th 2004. On Friday July 30th, Richard and Andrew Glover became the first Hobie Dragoon World Champions ever. Tom Phipps and Jonathan Cook won the Hobie 16 genaker Youth Europeans 2004. The prize giving was a party with lots of gifts for all competitors. The three medallists in both classes received their awards on stage in front of Hobie Catsy’s with the national flags in top.
The wind conditions varied from light to moderate, the sky was blue all week long and the temperature was almost sub-tropical. On the second racing day, a sea breeze came up and increased to force four. Capsizes, some damage to the equipment and bruised limbs were the result, but the younsters had great fun. “I liked the stronger wind with many waves coming over me”, said nine year old Nicolas Sarlet. The Hobie Dragoons completed eleven races and the Hobie 16’s ten, while the parents on the beach used field glasses to watch their children racing.
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