News in 2011

Ragamuffin 3rd Overall, 1st TP52

Ragamuffin 3rd Overall, 1st TP52

First of the competitive ’52ft’ fleet into Hobart was Jason Van Der Slot and John Williams’ Farr-designed TP52 Calm, formerly Stuart Robinson’s first Stay Calm TP52. After a good start Van Der Slot said they also had a rigging issue with their D1, which caused them to...

read more
Six TP52s In Sydney Hobart Race

Six TP52s In Sydney Hobart Race

In a few hours time the 2011 Sydney Hobart fleet will cross the startline. Six TP52s take part: Shogun         AUS  1.364Calm             AUS  1.360Cougar II       AUS  1.358Ragamuffin   AUS  1.351Strewth         HNK  1.348Ffreefire 52   HNK  1.342 Enjoy the race,...

read more
All Change For 2012

All Change For 2012

First of all I like to take the opportunity to wish all that read this Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. 2011 had ups and lows for us. Some great racing, but the financial mayhem of recent years taking its toll on the number of teams competing. Not something that...

read more
The World Champion Is QUANTUM RACING!!

The World Champion Is QUANTUM RACING!!

With a second and first on the final day of racing, Ed Baird and the crew of Quantum Racing lift their third world title since winning in 2008 in Lanzarote and last year in Valencia The American flagged team complete the same double as they did in 2008, winning both...

read more
Windiest Day Of The Year.

Windiest Day Of The Year.

When the Mistral whistled in to break the deadlock at the top of the Audi TP52 World Championhsip off Costa Smeralda early this morning it was the local team on Azzurra which won, but fourth place for Quantum Racing allows the current world champions to move one point...

read more
Lightest Day Of The Year

Lightest Day Of The Year

With the breeze dropping under 6 knots regularly this sure was the lightest day of racing we had sofar this year. Adrian Stead (GBR) tactician Quantum Racing (USA): “It was very tricky out there today. There weas only two and a half hours of breeze in the whole Porto...

read more
Paramount Park (who ?) Take The Lead

Paramount Park (who ?) Take The Lead

Another light day and the wind arriving late to the azzurra waters of Porto Cervo saw only one race completed on day 2 of the AUDI TP52 World Championship. It was not a stroll in the park, but the wind kicked up to 10 knots, so it was proper racing.  It was Paramount...

read more
Gladiator & Quantum Lead Worlds After Day One

Gladiator & Quantum Lead Worlds After Day One

Owner Driver Tony Langley and his team, amongst which tactician Chris Larsson, were on fire the first day of the 2011 Audi TP52 World Championship, only matched in overall results by defending champion Quantum in the light 6 to 9 knots conditions. Adrian Stead (GBR)...

read more
RAN and QUANTUM CONGRATULATIONS

RAN and QUANTUM CONGRATULATIONS

After Quantum Racing wrapped up the 2011 Audi MedCup Circuit with a win in the penultimate race of the season earlier today, Niklas and Catherine Zennstrom and their RÁN team lifted the Conde de Godo City of Barcelona Trophy this afternoon when they finished with a...

read more
Quantum Leap To Overall Victory

Quantum Leap To Overall Victory

With a solid 1st and 2nd Quantum is now 2 points shy of the overall 2011 AUDI MedCup title. Bribon fought like a tiger, but did not roar today, with a 4 and a 6 as result. RAN saw both ends of the fleet for 8th and 1st, again showing her potential. Azzurra saw a...

read more
Bribon Now Serious Overall Lead Contender

Bribon Now Serious Overall Lead Contender

Day 3, Race 5. Markus Wieser and the crew of Container won their first race on the Audi MedCup Circuit since winning three times in Sardinia in a very unstable light breeze. A second place for Bribon sees the Spanish crew take the overall lead in the regatta and...

read more
RAN AGAIN TOP, BRIBON IMPRESSIVE

RAN AGAIN TOP, BRIBON IMPRESSIVE

Another great day of TP52 racing, a report from the water, read from bottom to top: 15:56:46     Bribón wins the 2nd race! RÁN 2nd, Synergy 3rd, Container 4th, ALL4ONE 5th, Gladiator 6th, Quantum 7th, Azzurra 8th...      15:53:04     Bribón 1st in the last stretch,...

read more
SUPER RAN, SOLID QUANTUM, BRIBON On The Hunt

SUPER RAN, SOLID QUANTUM, BRIBON On The Hunt

Nerves were showing at the start of Race 1 of the final event ofthe 2011 Audi MedCup. Bribon, Ran and Quantum take advantage of a mix of ocs and penalty turns by Synergy, Audi All4One, Azzurra and Gladiator and finish in this order. Race 2 most likely is the closest...

read more
VESPER King Of The Bay

VESPER King Of The Bay

Big Boat Series Win IRC A For VESPER Team. St. Francis Perpetual Trophy – IRC A: Jim Swartz’s IRC 52 Vesper breezed to a seemingly easy overall victory here if you went by the fact it won five out of its seven races, including today’s. But Swartz credited it mostly to...

read more
High Quality Win BRIBON

High Quality Win BRIBON

Bribon is the fourth different TP52 team to win a Trophy Regatta this season when they lifted the Region of Murcia-Cartagena Trophy with a race to spare. Lead by skipper-helm Gonjalo Aurajo with tactician Ross MacDonald, project manager Ignasi Triay and navigator...

read more
Ouchhh, That Hurts

Ouchhh, That Hurts

A dramatic finish to the high scoring 25 miles coastal race at the Region of Murcia-Cartagena Troph regatta saw the American flagged Audi MedCup Circuit leaders seize victory in the final minutes of the passage into the harbour finish when the mainsail of race leading...

read more
Three Boats Tied For Overall Audi MedCup Win!!

Three Boats Tied For Overall Audi MedCup Win!!

Team spirit, hard focus and smart sailing were just some of the keys Bribon’s telling consistency over three demanding races off Cartagena where the iconic Spanish sailing team now lead the Region of Murcia-Cartagena Trophy regatta by two points ahead of Italy’s Audi...

read more
HOOLIGAN Wins Hamilton Island Race Week!!

HOOLIGAN Wins Hamilton Island Race Week!!

Sydney yachtsman Marcus Blackmore's Hooligan has won the Grand Prix Division of Audi Hamilton Island Race Week. Blackmore’s sleek, gun metal grey-hulled TP52 had the series in the bag before today’s scheduled Molle Islands Race, which wasn’t sailed given the wispy...

read more
Bribon Takes Over The Lead

Bribon Takes Over The Lead

A race 3 win by only 1 second over 2nd placed Ran saw Bribon take the lead in the Cartagena event after 2 more light weather races on day 2 of the Audi MedCup. Race 2 was for Audi Azzurra with a solid start to finish demonstration of boatspeed and control. They are in...

read more
Cartagena, not for the fainthearted

Cartagena, not for the fainthearted

Very difficult to read the combination of light breeze and up to nearly 1 knot of current on the first day of the Cartagena event. From start to finish it was Synergy hardly putting a foot wrong whilst being chased by Bribon like a terrier. All others struggled at...

read more
Tightest Of Cowes Week Wins For Team Origin

Tightest Of Cowes Week Wins For Team Origin

The penultimate day of Aberdeen Asset Management Cowes Week was a more gentle day than those earlier in the week, starting with bright sun and a gentle breeze that built to 15-18 knots. It also saw incredibly tight racing across dozens of classes. The overall winner...

read more
COWES WEEK TP52’s Doing Okay In IRC 0

COWES WEEK TP52’s Doing Okay In IRC 0

In a proper Cowes Week, blessed by good breezes sofar, mixed with a bit of traditional rain, the three TP52's are doing fine in IRC 0. Boats everywhere on the Solent, lot's of tourists watching the show, one boat dismasted by an oil tanker and the Xtreme cat's...

read more
Going Out With A COPA DEL REY

Going Out With A COPA DEL REY

emoción, emoción, emoción... José Cusí's Bribón wins the 30th Copa del Rey Audi Mapfre in her farewell to the majorcan regatta, eleven editions after her last victory in 2000. Bribón's farewell to the Copa del Rey Audi Mapfre couldn't have been more emotional. With a...

read more
Bribon Keeps 6 Point Cushion Intact For Final Day

Bribon Keeps 6 Point Cushion Intact For Final Day

Again a nervewrecking lightish seabreeze day. Crews get slightly barbecued once more. Container makes the right moves in Race 9 and sees Bribon race to their worst result sofar, a joint 3rd place with Shockwave. The 3.5 points that this scores are their worst result...

read more
Bribon One Day Closer To Victory

Bribon One Day Closer To Victory

Discards were applied after eight races, which brought Bribon and Container closer to each other with just four races to go.  It was a difficult and hot day in the Bay of Palma with a light sea breeze of 10 to 12 knots. Bribón saw her advantage on Container shrink...

read more
Ross McDonald Guides Bribon To Another Victory

Ross McDonald Guides Bribon To Another Victory

Bribón takes another step towards the Copa del Rey. Guided by Ross McDonald and Marcel van Triest through todays weather puzzle they kept yesterday's form and high hopes on the Copa del Rey alive. After a postponement of approximately one hour due to the lack of wind,...

read more
Big Smile and Two Bullets For José Cusi and Bribon Team

Big Smile and Two Bullets For José Cusi and Bribon Team

José Cusi looking back at the competition and 40 years of yacht racing with a big smile. It has been communicated in the spanish press that his friend and sailing partner King Juan Carlos will retire from competitive sailing on the final day of the 2011 Audi MedCup,...

read more
Container 2 Bullets First Day Copa del Rey

Container 2 Bullets First Day Copa del Rey

Palma de Mallorca- The 30th Copa del Rey Audi Mapfre opened today with two windward-leeward races which started at 13:00 hours as scheduled, thanks to a reliable sea breeze which picked up to 15 knots in the early afternoon. Container, Earlybird, Nextel Engineering...

read more
Over The Moon & Big Relief

Over The Moon & Big Relief

Audi Red and Audi Blue, All4One and Azzurra, two very different teams in identical boats, both struggling in their own way in the first two events, took away all doubt about both team's and their boats abilities on the final day of the Audi MedCup Cagliari event. It...

read more
All4One Not Lucky Just Fast

All4One Not Lucky Just Fast

Cagliari Conditions At Its Best. Blistering Sun, Blistering Breeze, Beautiful Racing... We tried a new combination of one WL Race and a short 30 mile Coastal and that worked fine. Certainly a combination that needs some breeze. Which we had, combined with a 12.00...

read more
All4One Magic Not Over, Bribon Good Second

All4One Magic Not Over, Bribon Good Second

  Just one race in under 10 knots of breeze after 4 hours of waiting for the breeze to settle. Ran did not see a very good start rewarded, the left was not the side to be on the first beat. All4One and Bribon both more or less forced to go right soon recognised...

read more
Quantum Bounce Back, All4One Super

Quantum Bounce Back, All4One Super

Does it get any better? Sun, breeze, close racing, interesting conditions...... Synergy and Quantum demonstrate their upwind quality, but the others are catching up. Downwind in these conditions not much difference either, more the team than the boat. Quantum washing...

read more
Container Super, Quantum Off-Day

Container Super, Quantum Off-Day

Good breeze, big breeze, fairly flat water, shifty, puffy. First race 15 - 23 knots of breeze, second one well in the 20-ties up to 30. Container crew shows great control over the conditions and Markus Wieser again flies downwind and shows no fear when it gets close....

read more
TP52 Win Gotlant Runt

TP52 Win Gotlant Runt

Never mind the Gotland Runt is now called the AF Offshore Race, never mind there was not that much breeze, as quite often with this race. Never mind the AF website is not very helpful in providing info that a sailor likes to see, like results with finish times,...

read more
Block Island Win For Vesper, Jim Swartz & Crew

Block Island Win For Vesper, Jim Swartz & Crew

Storm Trysail Club Block Island Race Week XXIV Block Island, R.I., (June 24, 2011) Two races provided a solid finish today for the Storm Trysail Club’s (STC) biennial Block Island Race Week XXIV presented by Rolex and determined IRC, PHRF and One-Design winners in 14...

read more
And The Winner Is

And The Winner Is

With the AP not coming down in time to reshuffle yesterday's results it is Container that takes the Marseille Trophy home. Congratulations. The podium is shared with Quantum Racing in 2nd and Azzurra in 3rd. The week was very interesting with a wide variation in...

read more
Coastal Day Not For The Faint Hearted

Coastal Day Not For The Faint Hearted

Marseille AUDI MEDCUP Day 4. Coastal Race. Conditions are traditionally difficult for this race and this year seems no exception. Headlands that cause all sorts of local effects, nasty chop, puffy. The course distance is around 35 miles. Breeze from the NW’ly Mistral...

read more
Drama & Excellent Racing Day 3 Marseille

Drama & Excellent Racing Day 3 Marseille

Drama & Excellent Racing........Day 3 Marseille AUDI MedCup Gladiator Wins Race 5!!! Bribon OCS and dead last. Bribon Wins Race 6!!! All4One dead last. All4One Wins Race 7!!! Ran Black Flag for tacking too close to Gladiator. Gladiator looses bowsprit in the...

read more
Thriller Day 2 Marseille

Thriller Day 2 Marseille

Two Hitchcock Races in light conditions are huge entertainment for those watching the show. On the boats there must have been some mood swings though. Quantum 1st in Race 3 no surprise, but then 8th in Race 4 and Gladiator 1st, outsmarting All4One and Synergy in the...

read more
Day 1 Marseille

Day 1 Marseille

Race One goes to Azzurra after nailing the start with great precision. Bribon was hot on Azzurra's heels till the second beat in which she lost position to Synergy. Quantum managed to wurm into fourth position from a difficult position in the first beat and...

read more
TP52’s Dominate IRC2 At NYYC Annual Regatta

TP52’s Dominate IRC2 At NYYC Annual Regatta

With 135 boats competing, the New York Yacht Club’s 157th Annual Regatta presented by Rolex, held June 10-12, broke all of its past attendance records, and with winds whipping into the high teens for buoy racing over the weekend, it certainly is in line for being the...

read more
Seahorse Cover Photo By Sander van der Borch

Seahorse Cover Photo By Sander van der Borch

Not the first time a TP52 made it to the cover of Seahorse Magazine, but always good to see another one. This time a photo by Sander van der Borch who was at the PalmaVela for Gaastra, clothing sponsor of Audi Azzurra. And also a TP52 Class sponsor. Inside the...

read more
Sam Alexander

Sam Alexander

Marine Sam Alexander, 28, was killed in a bomb blast in Helmand last Friday. He leaves his wife, Claire, and their ten-month-old son Leo. His father, yachting journalist Stuart Alexander, wrote the following front page piece in The Independent. Stuart, our sincerest...

read more
Quantum Wraps It Up In Solid Style

Quantum Wraps It Up In Solid Style

Close racing again in the final day of the Cascais event. Quantum Racing with two firsts makes racing the TP52 in 25 knots look easy. Most other teams drop the ball every now and then however and there is really never a good time for that in this fleet. Container is...

read more
Super RAN Leads Coastal Start To Finish

Super RAN Leads Coastal Start To Finish

RAN builds a good solid performance from a good start and shows good speed at a wide variation of conditions in a sun and wind blessed coastal race. Pressed hard by Quantum for most of the race Niklas Zennstrom and his team found another gear in the jib reach back...

read more
Quantum Shows Great Control To Go in First

Quantum Shows Great Control To Go in First

A second successive win for Quantum Racing with overnight leader Audi Azzurra Sailing Team finishing sixth sees the world champions seize the overall lead of the Cascais Trophy after five races. The American team lead from the start and were ahead by the windward mark...

read more
Bribon and Quantum Take First Firsts

Bribon and Quantum Take First Firsts

Twenty + knots of breeze, sun, great conditions for some exciting racing. Bribon sailed an impeccable race 3 and showed the modified 2009 concept is still a force between the 2011 boats. Quantum "finally" got it right in race 4 and copied Bribon's control in race 4....

read more
Impressive Container Debut

Impressive Container Debut

Day 1 Cascais: first observations... Markus Wieser helms Container to two solid 2nd places in a show of control, good crewwork and good strategic decisions. The Container is a team packed with very experienced sailors including tactician Hamish Pepper (NZL) strategist...

read more
AUDI Boats Naming Glitter Show

AUDI Boats Naming Glitter Show

A glittering start to the season is assured when two of the newest TP52’s are formally launched on Monday at midday. Italy’s Audi Azzura Sailing Team will have Princess Zahra Aga Khan as godmother,  while model Eva Padberg and actor Jean Reno will share duties naming...

read more
TP52’s battle in Top of the Gulf Regatta in Thailand

TP52’s battle in Top of the Gulf Regatta in Thailand

Pattaya The final day of racing at the 2011 Top of the Gulf Regatta saw idyllic, tropical sailing conditions and lots to sail for with many classes going down to the wire. Over 30 nationalities enjoyed four days of testing racing off Ocean Marina Yacht Club, Jomtien...

read more
Palma Vela Win Audi Azzurra

Palma Vela Win Audi Azzurra

With a second and first on the final day of the 2011 Palma Vela Audi Azzurra concluded a good warm-up for the Audi MedCup. Closely followed by Ran, new to the TP52 Class and racing, so with more boxes to tick than the highly experienced Audi Azzurra team. Gladiator...

read more
HOOLIGAN Goes Offshore

HOOLIGAN Goes Offshore

Former Queenslander Marcus Blackmore fulfilled a lifetime ambition when he steered the exciting TP52 Hooligan to victory in the 2011 QantasLink Brisbane to Gladstone race. Hooligan was cleverly sailed completing the testing 308 n/ml race in 1 day 8 hours 52 minutes 31...

read more
RAN Wins Coastal PalmaVela

RAN Wins Coastal PalmaVela

Slightly boring course over 21 miles in glorious 10-13 knots conditions sees RAN take control over the day in TP52 Class. Audi Azzurra finish second, enough to be the most likely candidate for the overall event win. Quantum bails out with a rig related problem....

read more
First Race 2011 New Builds

First Race 2011 New Builds

Audi Azzura took the first day of the Palma Vela with the perfect score, three out of three. Quantum Racing takes second, but trailing by 6 points. With a good breeze of around 16 knots various teething problems in crew handling and deck gear reliability created mixed...

read more
VESPER On Top In St Barths

VESPER On Top In St Barths

The highly competitive racing class ( 43 - 60ft) really shined in the big swell on the first days of racing. The fleet held tight around the marks and upwind with Jim Swartz's TP52 Vesper, under Gavin Brady's (NZL) careful direction, leading overall. Vesper was tied...

read more
New RAN Ready For A Splash

New RAN Ready For A Splash

A picture of the new Ran IV - a 2011 TP52 designed by Judel/Vrolijk and built at Green Marine in Lymington, UK. She has just arrived in Palma de Mallorca, Spain - where she will undergo sea trials and get ready for the Palma Vela regatta as a warm-up before entering...

read more
Hooligan Does It Again

Hooligan Does It Again

Marcus Blackmore's Hooligan has retained its lead in Class A of the Audi IRC Australian Championship, with Stephen Ainsworth's Loki sitting in second place and Michael Hiatt’s Living Doll now third overall. Four races were sailed off Sydney heads today as part of the...

read more
Marcus Blackmore & Hooligan Team Secure Victoria Week

Marcus Blackmore & Hooligan Team Secure Victoria Week

Hooligan wins Audi IRC Series with a day to spare. Marcus Blackmore and his TP52 Hooligan (NSW) have won Class A of the Audi IRC Series at Geelong today after victory in Race 7 cemented the deal – and the win came at his introduction to Audi Victoria Week. Despite...

read more
Great Race Week For 52’s

Great Race Week For 52’s

Over the docks in front of the Westin Hotel, Vela Veloce skipper Richard Oland sported a Cheshire Cat grin after snatching victory away from Anema & Core in the last race. The Canadian-based Southern Cross 52 trailed the Annapolis-based Judel Vrolijk 52 by two...

read more