Defending Champions Take Over Lead on Day Three

Newport, RI (August 12, 2013) – The 20 yacht club teams competing in the New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup presented by Rolex are becoming very familiar with racing in the East Passage of Narragansett Bay as they returned to that area for two races on the third day of the competition.

Marking the midpoint of the regatta, today’s racing was notable for tight mark roundings with numerous boats overlapped, heavy activity on the part of the umpires, and the defending champions from Royal Canadian Yacht Club extending their winning streak from two races to four.

“I was off my game in the beginning of the regatta,” said skipper Terry McLaughlin.  “We’re now sailing how we can sail.  You don’t have to win the start really, but if we get off the line and get the first shift then we have a chance of being up there.  The goal is to finish in the top-five every race.  We have pretty good speed, especially in the breeze, and we have good crew work.”

The Royal Canadian team has competed in all three editions of the Invitational Cup, and McLaughlin observed that the competition is getting tougher, the teams are more prepared and people are learning how to sail the Swan 42s.  McLaughlin also said the RCYC team likes hiking breeze and that they will be working to get off the line well and not make stupid mistakes.  “We spent the first two days doing circles,” added McLaughlin.  “This is probably one of the few fleet races utilizing on-the-water umpiring [to address rules questions].  The social side of this regatta is very big; you don’t want to spend all night in the protest room.”

Today’s drama began right from the start of the day’s first race when five boats were over early.  Royal Canadian and Great Britain’s Royal Thames Yacht Club traded the lead of the race back and forth, with the Canadian’s prevailing to cross the finish first; Seattle Yacht Club was third across the line.  Australia’s Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club was overlapped with Larchmont Yacht Club as they bore down on the finish leading Larchmont to call for Royal Alfred to sail their proper course.  The umpires then flagged the Aussies, who did not do their penalty turn, and they were subsequently disqualified from the race.  It would appear that nothing short of a miracle is needed now to put Royal Alfred back in podium contention.

There was a clean start to race two of the day, and the teams that chose to sail close to the shore of Aquidneck Island gained the most ground.  At the first mark rounding, Seattle Yacht Club was in the lead, followed by Royal Hong Kong, the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia and Royal Canadian.  By the third mark, the Canadian’s were less than a boat length behind Seattle, followed by Hong Kong and Royal Thames Yacht Club.  Four additional teams were overlapped as they rounded and then there was a sizable gap to the remainder of the fleet.  In a photo finish, Canada edged out Seattle to take their second win of the day which also moved them up one spot, to second, in the overall standings with 34 points.

Larchmont, which has been the leader in the standings thus far, suffered a failure of their hydraulics and did not sail the second race of the day.  They were granted redress, and maintain their position at the top of the standings with 33.8 points.  Third in the standings is Royal Thames Yacht Club with 44.3 points, followed by Seattle Yacht Club with 46.7.

“We shook off the gremlins,” said Andrew Loe, skipper for the Seattle team, on the dock after racing.  “We’ve been fast and we’ve been smart since the beginning of the regatta.  We just had some unfortunate things happen.”  Loe was referring to losing the kite in the first race of the series, for which they were later granted redress, as well as being over early at the start of another race.  “We weren’t worried after the first two days.  This is a long regatta; we still have almost half the event to go.  We’re happy, we’re sailing fast and now we’re getting rewarded for it.”

Racing resumes Friday, September 13, with the first race of the day scheduled for 1100 EDT.  The course location, on Narragansett Bay or Rhode Island Sound, will be determined by the Race Committee based on the day’s conditions.   The five-day regatta wraps up on Saturday, September 14, 2013, when the champions will be determined at the conclusion of racing.

Event website – Race results – Competitor list – Photo gallery

How to Follow the Event

Further information on the New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup presented by Rolex and daily reports during the event may be found at www.nyyc.org

To receive a post-event wrap up report and to download high-resolution images, copyright free for editorial purposes, register online at www.regattanews.com

Virtual Eye, with realistic 3D animation and the ability to switch between multiple camera angles, will bring the event to anyone who can’t physically make it to Newport. The tracker, displaying data for each boat, will be available on the New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup presented by Rolex website.

To enhance the tracking, live audio commentary will be provided by Brad Dellenbaugh, NYYC’s Sailing Director and America’s Cup umpire, and Brad Read, Executive Director of Sail Newport and the 2002 J/24 World Champion.  Flanking the fleet on RIBs, this dynamic duo will provide their perspective of the racing as well as their considerable insight into one-design tactics.  In addition to live streaming, this audio will be available via VHF 86 for local spectators watching the racing from the water.

Video of the competition, including onboard footage and post-race interviews will be available after 9:00 p.m. EST each day of racing at http://nyyc.org/2012-05-15-22-15-33/2013-invitational-cup-videos
Finally, the event can be followed on Facebook and on Twitter

PR SERVICES FOR ROLEX IN YACHTING

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T: +1 401 683 8224

International
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PR SERVICES FOR NEW YORK YACHT CLUB
Stuart Streuli
Communications Director
E: streulis@nyyc.org
T: +1 401 608 1128

About the Invitational Cup
First held in 2009, the biennial New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup presented by Rolex fuses five days of intense racing aboard identical Swan 42s with a glamorous social schedule to deliver an unrivaled event for competitors from around the globe.

Competitors must be non-professional (Corinthian) sailors and members of the yacht clubs they represent; they must also be nationals of their countries.  For 2013, the New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup presented by Rolex will welcome competitors from the following yachts clubs: the  Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (AUS), Japan Sailing Federation (JPN), Nyländska Jaktklubben (FIN), Real Club Nautico de Barcelona (ESP), Royal Canadian Yacht Club (CAN), Royal Cork Yacht Club (IRL), Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club (HKG), Royal Thames Yacht Club (GBR), Royal Yacht Squadron (GBR), Yacht Club Argentino (ARG) and the Yacht Club Italiano (ITA), which have previously competed alongside host  New York Yacht Club (USA).  New to the event are the Royal Belgian Sailing Club (BEL), Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club (AUS), Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club (AUS), Royal Southern Yacht Club (GBR), Royal Swedish Yacht Club (SWE), as well as the three teams determined by the outcome of the 24-club U.S. Qualifying Series held at NYYC:  Larchmont Yacht Club, San Francisco Yacht Club and Seattle Yacht Club.

For more information on the 2013 New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup presented by Rolex, contact NYYC Communications Director Stuart Streuli at streulis@nyyc.org, or visit http://nyyc.org/yachting-public and follow the link to the Invitational Cup event pages.

 About Rolex
Leading brand of the Swiss watch industry, Rolex, headquartered in Geneva, enjoys an unrivalled reputation for quality and expertise the world over. Its OYSTER watches, all certified as chronometers for their precision, are symbols of excellence, performance and prestige. Pioneer in the development of the wristwatch as early as 1905, the brand is at the origin of numerous major watchmaking innovations, such as the OYSTER, the first waterproof wristwatch, launched in 1926, and the PERPETUAL rotor self-winding mechanism introduced in 1931. Rolex has registered over 400 patents in the course of its history. A truly integrated manufacturing company, Rolex designs, develops and produces in-house all the essential components of its watches, from the casting of the gold alloys to the machining, crafting, assembly and finishing of the movement, case, dial and bracelet. Rolex is also actively involved in supporting the arts, sports, the spirit of enterprise, and the environment through a broad palette of sponsoring activities as well as philanthropic and patronage programs.

About Nautor’s Swan
Nautor’s Swan is a world leader in sailing yachts, with close to half a century of experience building Swans in Pietarsaari, Finland.  The SwanLine ranges from 53 to 115 foot yachts, which combine performance and elegance with unrivalled craftsmanship and build quality.  www.nautorswan.com