Adesso Vela » Oceano

Andrea Caracci e l’amico Oceano

Bras de Bois — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 11:01:35 +0000

Andrea Caracci ha appena concluso la Les Sables-Acores-Les Sables, regata riservata ai Mini 650, con un brillantissimo podio.
Regata per gli addetti ai lavori e risultato di prestigio ma nel leggere questa mattina la sua intervista rilasciata a Michele Tognozzi su Farevela, che puoi leggere qui per intera, abbiamo trovato nelle sue parole dieci righe di vera passione per il mare ancor più che per le regate in se stesse.

-Non vorrei sembrare poetico ma le ultime ore di navigazione a nord delle coste della Galizia e poi delle Asturie con 25/30 nodi di sud ovest e la barca che volava a 15 nodi con nebbia e pioggia mi hanno dato una sensazione simile a quella che si prova quando si cammina nella nebbia della propria città: una sensazione di intimità con la natura che ti circonda, in un certo senso e come se il tuo corpo perdesse di consistenza, si smaterializzasse, e improvvisamente diventasse aria, acqua e barca. Così nel buio totale della notte quando non vedi più né l’orizzonte né le vele né la barca, puoi solo sentire, senti intorno a te un mondo nuovo di suoni, odori, e movimenti che ipnotizza.
Così le ore passate a scivolare sull’acqua a 12/13 nodi di media in una dimensione incredibile di equilibrio tra le enormi forze del vento delle onde e le microscopiche capacita di resistervi di un piccolo mini e del suo piccolo skipper, mi hanno dato la risposta a tutte le fatiche a cui mi sono sottoposto per poterle vivere: il piacere del navigare.
Queste sensazioni e molte altre più difficili da descrivere, forse più intime sono la forza interiore che mi spinge a rimettermi in gioco ogni volta e decidere di mollare gli ormeggi, ancora una volta da solo.-

Bravo Caraccino, magari fossero in tanti a seguire il tuo esempio o semplicemente qualcuno ad investire di più su un buon atleta passionale come te.

Courtesy of Breschi / les sables-les Açores

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Aurelien Ducroz: il solito bretone……

Bras de Bois — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 05:01:38 +0000

Vedi la foto e pensi il solito mezzo matto oceanico francese, invece è qui che cade l’asino, perchè il minista in questione d’estate si allena a bordo del suo mini 650 per fare le miglia di qualificazione alla prossima Mini Transat e partecipando tra l’altro anche al Mini Fastnet mentre in inverno si diletta con gli sci.

Peccato che quando ad Aurelien Ducroz associ la voce sci, la traduzione è: vincitore nel 2009 della coppa del mondo di Freeride.
Insomma un pochino poliedrico il ragazzo di Chamonix….del resto che pretendevi forgiasse una tipica località di mare!

Dai un occhio qui al suo progetto LONGITUDE mer LATITUDE neige.
Quando parliamo di Freride si ragiona di quelli che si lanciano giù dai monti e che già che sono lì fanno cliff, capriole e quant’altro per rilassarsi.

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Delirio……

Bras de Bois — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 12:01:37 +0000

Dopo che abbiamo letto sulla Gazza che Bum Bum poteva rimanere offeso, ci siamo documentati e abbiamo trovato l’intervista fatta dalla concorrenza………….nel frattempo la seconda tappa è partita.
Clicca qui e qui per vederli…..indimenticabili.

Ci piace essere guasconi ma in compenso date un occhio a cosa vuol dire navigare da soli su un Figarò…..e c’è poco vento…

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Volvo Ocean Race – CAMPER/ETNZ ENTRY CONFIRMED

Bras de Bois — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 05:01:46 +0000

Monday 12 April 2010, 15:30 GMT

Camper, the Spanish-based international footwear brand, has confirmed that it will field an entry in the 2011-12 race. The campaign will be run by Emirates Team New Zealand.
The Volvo Open 70 will be known as Camper and will carry the burgees of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and the Real Club Náutico de Palma.
The announcement follows the confirmation last week that PUMA will be returning to the race with a boat to be skippered by Ken Read.
Camper joins PUMA, Groupama, Italia 70 and Team Abu Dhabi as declared entries. There are over 20 additional syndicates actively working on campaigns.
Camper is a family-owned company which started making shoes on the Spanish island of Majorca in 1877. Today Camper has a global footprint with 320 stores and “shop-in-shop” locations in 42 countries.
In announcing the Volvo Ocean Race project, a Camper company statement read: “The history and the authenticity of the race, the human adventure, the effort, the desire to improve and the teamwork fully fit the Camper values.

“For us it is a privilege to take our first steps in the Volvo Ocean Race together with Emirates Team New Zealand, undoubtedly one of the most professional sailing teams in the world. Despite New Zealand being in the antipodes of Majorca, we feel very close to them sharing their way of thinking and so ETNZ makes us feel confident when undertaking this project.”
The collaboration with Emirates Team New Zealand sees the return to the race of Grant Dalton, the ETNZ managing director.
New Zealander Dalton has competed in the Whitbread/Volvo six times. He was part of the winning crew onboard Flyer in 1981-82, and took the maxi class honours with New Zealand Endeavour in 1993-94.
He finished second on Fisher & Paykel in 1989-90 after an epic battle with eventual winner and fellow-Kiwi Peter Blake on Steinlager 2. His most recent appearance was aboard Amer Sports One in 2001-02.
Dalton said a Volvo Ocean Race campaign was a natural fit for the team. “Our objective was always to diversify, once the team had re-established its credentials, as a means of keeping our people busy, focused and creative,” he said.
“With Louis Vuitton, the team started the Louis Vuitton Trophy, Dean Barker and the team campaigned successfully on the Audi MedCup TP52 circuit last year and now we have a Volvo Ocean Race campaign to organise from scratch.
“The team has no shortage of experience with the Volvo Ocean Race and the Whitbread before it. It’s no secret that I have never lost my enthusiasm for racing around the world.
“The Volvo project energises our team, allows our designers and engineers to get going and in Camper we have found a great partner. They are a family company with family values and a culture that fits very well with Emirates Team New Zealand and our family of sponsors.”
Volvo Ocean Race CEO Knut Frostad said he was delighted to welcome Dalton back to the race.
“Grant, a former winner of this event, brings with him not only a wealth of experience, but a very charismatic and highly competitive team of sailors,” he said.
“The people of Auckland will surely be very proud to watch the progress of Emirates Team New Zealand as it takes on some of the world’s best.
“I would also like to welcome Camper to the Volvo Ocean Race family. We look forward to working with their strong international brand, elevating the profile of their new team and our race.”
The next edition of the race will start in the Spanish port of Alicante in the autumn of 2011 and finish in Galway in the summer of 2012.
The course will include stopovers in Cape Town (South Africa), Abu Dhabi (UAE), Sanya (China), Auckland (New Zealand), Itajaí (Brazil), Miami (USA), Lisbon (Portugal) and Lorient (France)

by volvooceanrace.org

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Dalton tipping Alinghi to join Volvo fleet

Bras de Bois — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 11:08:14 +0000

Tuesday, April 13, 2010
NZPA – Alinghi boss Ernesto Bertarelli. Photo / AP

Team New Zealand boss Grant Dalton is tipping fellow former America’s Cup holders Alinghi to join the Volvo Ocean Race fleet.

With the next cup regatta not expected to be held until 2013 or 2014, Team NZ today confirmed they would compete in the 2011-12 Volvo event.

The move takes the number of confirmed entries to five, along with Puma Ocean Racing of the United States, France’s Groupama, Italia 70 and a team from Abu Dhabi.

Dalton believed Alinghi, who lost the America’s Cup in a one-on-one multihull duel with American challengers Oracle in February, to enter as well.

“I think very soon you will see Alinghi announce their involvement,” he said.

“It’s a perfect one for them really to get their mojo and re-establish some credentials.”

Dalton said that, like Team NZ, the Swiss syndicate could start a campaign straight away, an important consideration given the timeframe.

The race begins at Alicante, in Spain, in October next year and ends at Galway, in Ireland, in June, 2012, and among the stopovers is Auckland.

Dalton also picked Oracle to put the America’s Cup up for grabs in 2014.

He was philosophical about the fact that would mean a seven-year gap since the last time the battle for the Auld Mug was open to all challengers. That was in 2007, when Alinghi beat Team NZ in the final.

“It is when it is,” he said.

“We don’t have the cup. He with the gold rules.” – NZPA -

by Valencia Sailing

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Volvo Ocean Race – ABU DHABI JOINS THE RACE

Bras de Bois — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 10:01:37 +0000

A boat from Abu Dhabi will also take its place on the start line of the 2011-12 race in Alicante, Spain in the autumn of next year.

The agreement was signed between His Excellency Mubarak Al Muhairi, the director general of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) and Volvo Ocean Race CEO Knut Frostad.

“We found in Abu Dhabi an incredible synergy,” said Frostad. “This destination has a long maritime history which it wishes to elevate to a new era while celebrating the achievements of the past.

“There was a willingness to meet our requirements, an understanding of the participants’ needs and an enthusiasm which simply stood out ahead of others.”

Team Abu Dhabi, a crew specially selected by the ADTA will campaign a new Volvo Open 70 which will be built in the UAE capital by the Abu Dhabi Mar Group.

“It is our ambition to include a UAE national in the crew who will be our ocean ambassador representing the emirate’s long seafaring heritage,” said Al Muhairi.

“The locally-constructed boat will also signal our potential as a new build and repair port, which will recall the heady days when vessels made on these shores set sail for months of pearling expeditions and proved to be among the sturdiest afloat.”

The new marina being built at Emirates Palace – the emirate’s signature hotel and among the world’s most opulent – will be the focal point of the host port.
“This event will take Abu Dhabi’s marine leisure proposition to the world and will enable us to demonstrate, first hand, our powerful credentials to a highly influential professional yachting audience,” said His Highness Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of ADTA.

“Via the expansive international media coverage the race enjoys, Abu Dhabi’s name will ride high on another world-class sporting wave,” he added.

According to Al Muhari, the neighbouring emirates and the broader gulf region is expected to get fully behind the event and to welcome the Volvo Ocean Race fleet to the region when the crews arrive in Abu Dhabi at the finish of leg two from Cape Town, South Africa.

“The Volvo Ocean Race is known for extreme levels of endurance and expertise – values which are synonymous with our own,” added Al Muhairi. “I believe the entire region will follow the teams’ progress and produce a welcome which will be truly deserving of the legendary Arabian hospitality.”

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Volvo Ocean Race – PUMA RETURNS FOR 2011-12

Bras de Bois — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 05:01:38 +0000

For the 2011-12 event, PUMA will partner with BERG Propulsion, one of the world’s leading designers and producers of Controllable Pitch Propellers for commercial shipping. The team will be known as PUMA Ocean Racing, powered by BERG Propulsion.

PUMA joins France’s Groupama, Italia 70 and Team Abu Dhabi as officially declared entries. There are over 20 additional syndicates actively working on campaigns.

PUMA finished a gallant second overall in the 2008-09 race. Read and his men just pipped Bouwe Bekking’s Telefonica Blue in a race-long battle played out behind eventual winner Ericsson 4.

Read was delighted to be returning. “This last race was an amazing journey for me personally and for our start-up company PUMA Ocean Racing,” he said. “To have the opportunity to continue where we left off is a dream come true.

“For PUMA to want to come back to this adventure is a testament to the event itself and to the entire PUMA Ocean Racing team, past and present. We look forward to the challenges that lie ahead both organisationally as well as competitively.”

Team selection is already underway and will likely include a number of sailors from PUMA’s 2008-09 team, plus a mix of new and veteran talent from the professional racing world. Training will begin onboard PUMA’s il mostro in Spring 2010 at the team’s home base in Newport, Rhode Island.

The entry into competitive sailing extends PUMA’s focus into premium lifestyle sports – a category PUMA has forged through its Formula One partnerships, motor sports collaborations such as Ducati and Ferrari, and the launch of a sport lifestyle golf collection in 2006.

The decision underlines the race’s status as a compelling marketing platform, according to Volvo Ocean Race CEO Knut Frostad.

“PUMA Ocean Racing was a ground-breaking team in the last Volvo Ocean Race, not only bringing a very competitive team, but the creativity of a world class fashion brand. Their funky attitude and design spoke to a young audience who engaged with both PUMA and the race.

“It is great to have Ken Read and his team back, after their outstanding performance in the 2008-09 race and I am sure he is striving to achieve the ultimate goal.

“We appreciate greatly BERG Propulsion, who have decided to join the race again after tasting it in the previous event and now they are playing in the upper league of sponsors.”

Jochen Zeitz, PUMA AG Chairman and CEO, said: “We are proud of PUMA Ocean Racing’s success in the last Volvo Ocean Race and look forward to the adventures this next race will bring.

“The Volvo Ocean Race is one of the world’s iconic sporting events. It proved to be an extremely successful marketing tool for us and an important launch pad for the sailing product category. We look forward to building the sailing category even more throughout the next race, as well as expanding into other forms of outdoor lifestyle ventures.”

PUMA continues to expand its line of sailing performance gear and will be the official supplier of footwear, clothing, and accessories to the Volvo Ocean Race.

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Jules Verne Trophy – Groupama 3: “Ils l’ont fait!”

Bras de Bois — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 23:12:39 +0000

Jules Verne Trophy 2009 – 2010
Franck Cammas and his men on Groupama 3 drew alongside under blue skies in the Port du Château this Sunday morning to the applause of an enthusiast local crowd. After having beaten the Jules Verne round the world record in a time of 48d 07h 44′ 52”, the crew prepared themselves for the barrage of questions in front of the public, the media and their families… Extracts from an emotional and memorable day, coloured by good humour, a true sense of team spirit and mutual respect.

Franck Cammas:
“I think we could do a lot better but I’ll let someone else beat our record first as I don’t really see the appeal of battling against myself! It was a great relief to cross the finish line. We ended up with a great time, certainly better than we could have expected after crossing the equator with a day’s deficit. 48 days was an objective we set ourselves before the start and this proved to be the case even though we didn’t often have conditions that were favourable. In the northern hemisphere we had the right conditions in which to play catch up and end up with a very respectable time. I feel that I’ve put a great deal of energy and time into this project and getting to the end is fantastic. It’s down to the relentless work of a team and a partne, Groupama, who never gave up. It’s superb that it’s culminated in this way. The key to this project has been that when there are failures you have to make use of them and turn them into positive aspects which you can learn from. They all add to the experience, the awareness and reliability of the boat. We’ve proven that today. It was a lot more intense than I’d imagined, but that’s what we like and obviously we’ve had nearly 50 days of extremely strong emotions. We trusted in our boat and in the concept of the trimaran. It was a dream-team with a whole wealth of experiences and talents. Sometimes I had to put my feelings to one side and take onboard the ideas of everyone else. I learnt a vast amount, it was superb. The image which stays with us is the rounding of Cape Horn. We were like kids.”

Stan Honey:
“It’s an incredible honour as an American to have been invited to be part of this experience because French multihull sailing is the very pinnacle of world sailing. Added to that French sailing is a closed world in general so to share that has made it a terrific trip. The whole `Bar des Sports’ concept of getting together once or twice a week was an interesting and intriguing tradition. I’ve sailed a lot on kiwi boats and they’ve never had that. The French have everything sorted inside the boat too with special places to stow everything and it’s all nice and dry down below too. They sure know how to cook too! Unfortunately my work involved a great deal of course selection so I can’t say that my French has improved, though I’m sure that the onshore weather router, Sylvain Mondon and Franck have been able to improve their English with me! We had a great working relationship with Sylvain there every step of the way supporting us and helping us with the decision making. It took a while to get used to how high performance Groupama is because she’s about two generations behind Playstation. I feel lucky to have been part of the dream team. The welcome we had today is something you just don’t see in the US with sailing. Last night was the perfect way to conclude our round the world voyage, on a beam reach making good headway and then the chance to have some quality time together to look back on our trip. As regards the French participation in the Volvo, it’s an interesting innovation to sailing. It will be fun to see what they’re capable of doing and I’m very much looking forward to it as I have a lot of respect for them.”

Thomas Coville:
“When the boat broke and we stopped off in Cape Town, we could tell that we were a very strong group, capable of getting through any issue in conditions which weren’t necessary evident or easy. There was a real sense of boldness and a real desire to do battle. Stève Ravussin and I really pushed the boat hard during a particularly good session of reaching. We were euphoric… the boat was literally flying and the guys came up on deck to ask us if we were on another planet! Steve was grinning from ear to ear… and I was elsewhere… It was fabulous!”

Fred Le Peutrec:
“This Trophy is a whole mixture of things, a kind of fade in-fade out between what I wanted to experience when I was a boy and the reality! I still have the feeling that it’s the others that did it, the sensation of being disembodied, the sense that it wasn’t me that was there… It’s an overwhelming emotion, a moment beyond time. I’ve dreamt of it when I’ve seen the other crews set off and return. It’s something concrete and yet elusive. Groupama 3’s course over the past three years has nevertheless been full of pitfalls. Experiencing the Trophy in this way, on a knife edge over the past few days at sea, when we nearly didn’t set off at all…. Is pretty special!”

Lionel Lemonchois:
“Arriving back in Brest is always great! We did the best we could and it went superbly well. We had some very varied conditions and not always favourable ones. Added to that whoever manages to link on nicely from one weather system to another would just fly… though I don’t know if it would be possible. What you need is to be consistent, constantly sail well and have a good boat. This was true of Groupama 3. The crew was superb and that makes things easy: everyone was in their allotted position as was the case with Bruno Peyron. What is essential and motivating is to put together a fine team and Franck Cammas had a perfect cast! 48 days at sea, with ten men in a confined space, is not a trivial matter. It’s not only the technology it the human relations above all which dictate whether a trip is successful. The boat was really easy: it’s a small 32 metre yacht! With three of us on deck we could do almost anything. We had some unforgettable moments such as when we had to pick our way along towards Cape Horn at over 40 knots, under stormy skies and eight metre waves… 48 extraordinary hours.”

Reactions on the pontoons:
“Bravo to the whole Groupama team for this exemplary performance around the world. I know the amount of skills, effort and commitment necessary to achieve such a result: the design team, the shore crew, the weather team, the crew and the sponsor. We must salute their determination and their ability to trust in their team, even in the hard times. Everyone deserves this success which was built on method. In this way, together they are writing a fine new page in the history of the Jules Verne Trophy. I’m proud to have been beaten by the best oceanic multihull team of her age and I’m eager to put together a team to `reconquer’ the Trophy. I hope they will become the best monohull team in the VOR and I hope that they will come and join us on the start line of The Race II. In any case, it’s a challenge that I’m putting up, no longer just against the clock but side by side!” Bruno Peyron, previous Jules Verne Trophy holder (2005)

“Bravo for this extraordinary performance… Bravo for never having given up! Bravo for stepping up to the plate and writing your own fantastic story in the spirit of the finest and most daring events in the world. Welcome to Franck Cammas and his exceptional crew to the Jules Verne Trophy winners”. Olivier de Kersauson, former Jules Verne Trophy record holder (2004)

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VOLVO OCEAN RACE, GALWAY TO STAGE 2011-12 FINALE

Bras de Bois — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:34:07 +0000

Wednesday 10 March 2010, 13:00 GMT
Galway, which staged a hugely successful stopover in 2008-09, is back on the map again – this time as the finish port for the 2011-12 edition of the Volvo Ocean Race.
Galway withstood strong opposition from several rival cities in the official port bidding process to earn the right to host not only the finale but also the overall prize-giving ceremony.
In 2008-09, Galway was the stopover for the end of the transatlantic leg from Boston. This time the fleet will sail from Lorient in France back to the Emerald Isle.
At today’s announcement, Volvo Ocean Race CEO Knut Frostad said that the interest in hosting the event, particularly in Europe, had been “overwhelming”. He added that he was delighted the race was returning to Irish shores.
“I am very proud to confirm Ireland’s participation and Galway will be a magnificent port to stage the finish of the event,” he said.
“We have already experienced the enthusiasm that abounds in Ireland for the race and we are looking forward to bringing the competition to its conclusion in a country that really knows how to celebrate.”
At a press conference to mark the occasion, Irish Taoiseach (prime minister) Brian Cowen, said: “The 2009 stopover in Galway made an abiding impression on the sailors, support crews, organisers and media, who were immersed in the warmth of an Irish welcome.
“Their presence, in turn, had an enormous beneficial impact on Galway, the west of Ireland and indeed the entire country. Their arrival here was spectacular and their visit helped generate a massive 55 million Euros for the regional economy, more than one third higher than the original projections
“Given its economic benefits and its importance to Irish tourism, I am more than happy to welcome the return of the Volvo Ocean Race to our shores and pledge our support for the event.”
The Galway stopover, in May 2009, was one of the standout successes of the 2008-09 race. A crowd of 30,000 flocked to the dockside for the arrival of the first boats home in the early hours. It set the tone for what was to follow.
Over 650,000 spectators filed through the race village during the week-long event. The crowd peaked at 62,000 on the in-port race day alone – with the seaside resort of Salthill drawing a further 120,000 visitors.
Green Dragon, the Irish/Chinese entry, grabbed a podium position by finishing third into its ‘home port’ at end of an eventful leg 7, triggering wild celebrations. The reception stunned skipper Ian Walker and his crew. Walker’s entry was the second Irish boat to contest the event after NCB Ireland in the 1989-90 Whitbread.
The balance sheet looked healthy as well with the final economic impact figure put at Euros 55.8 million by Deloitte. That was 30% above initial projections.
Galway completes the list of European cities hosting the 2011-12 race. The remaining ports will be introduced during the remainder of March

by volvooceanrace.org

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Italia 70 online

Pacio — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 06:59:50 +0000

La sfida italiana alla Volvo Ocean Race è online.
Da qui li terremo d’occhio, perchè questa è una delle cose che ci piacciono.

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