Velsheda Victorous (Day 4)
March 20th 2016 – Overall victory for Velsheda in the J Class at the 21st Saint Barths Bucket regatta belongs as much to the team’s night shift workers as it does the sailing team which today held off the challenge from rivals Ranger to win the J Class series on countback.
“We are a team that just does not know when to lie down.” smiled a relieved and happy Tactician Tom Dodson after winning their second race from the four starts on the beautiful waters off Saint Barths, adding to their race victory Friday.
Ranger finish second overall after securing the King’s Hundred Guinea Cup Thursday and winning yesterday, Saturday.
“We had the engineers of the race boat and from Bystander (the Velsheda mother ship) and some of the sailing crew working until after 4am this morning replacing the mountings for the port primary winch, so it is down to them we got racing today. And yesterday when we had our problems we probably should not have gone on, but like I say, we are a team which does not know when to lie down.”
With Ranger second in the head to head showdown, both protagonists count two wins and two second places apiece but Velsheda take the verdict on the last race win.
It was the breeziest race of the regatta with gusts up to 21kts at times ensuring that once more the teams finished exhausted.
Newcomers Topaz had the early lead on the six miles downwind leg after the start but erred too far offshore at the bottom of the island. Velsheda had cleverly used Topaz as a wedge at the start, separating them away from Ranger which had been on the hunt for a scrap since before the Prep flag was hoisted.
Velsheda had the lead by the first turn, Topaz coming in late and fast in third. Thereafter it remained close between the two leaders. Velsheda made small additional gains when they could hold the closer line at the rocky islands, forcing Ranger to sail wider, requiring them to sail more distance. At the finish line after the 24 mile course around the island the winners were over two minutes up on Ranger.
“All our trimmers and our Owner-helm did a good job today,” continued Dodson, “Some of us have been sailing together 15 years and so that helps, but the boat is also going well. I don’t think we ever feel fast, but we are not slow.”
That makes two big wins in succession for Velsheda, after they won the RYS Bicentenary Regatta last season in Cowes. But Dodson suggest their team are not looking too far ahead, trying to peak for the America’s Cup J Class Regatta in Bermuda next year.
“We just keep doing what we do. I guess we are maybe thinking ahead in that if we can hang on to sails a bit longer this season we might have some new for next year, but really we just keep taking it race by race.”
The Topaz crew finish their first J Class regatta content with how they performed but ready to make the steady improvement needed to consistently stay with Velsheda and Ranger.
“Overall we are in the learning process. It will take time for us to get up to the level of the experts like Velsheda and Ranger, but once again today we got around the course in good shape we did not break anyone or anything and are getting a bit better with each race we do.” Said Topaz’ helmsman Jorge Heinritz.
J-Class Association
Ranger Escapes to a Narrow Victory (Day 3)
March 19th 2016 – For the three J Class crews, Day 3 of their Saint Barths Bucket regatta, may have enjoyed picture postcard conditions – 14-17kts of breeze and perfect Caribbean seas – but the racing was so intense and physical again that the 26.1 miles circuit today felt like the full marathon.
The duel between Velsheda and Ranger which raged through Friday resumed – Saint Barths business as usual it would seem – but this time it was the Erle Williams’ skippered Ranger which prevailed. Ranger triumphed in today’s magnificent conditions and actually complement Thursday’s victory in the showcase King’s Hundred Guineas Trophy to now be up 2-1 in the series with just Sunday’s showdown to be sailed.
Velsheda, Friday’s narrow winners, looked to be back in control after getting ahead of Ranger early in the race. But a mechanical failure with Velsheda’s starboard primary winch meant they could not sheet their headsail fully. That let Ranger pass and from there the Velsheda crew were on the back foot.
Ranger went on to win by about 180 metres at the end of the 26 miles course which took the class from an interesting downwind start, across a short reach before a long beat in the ESE’ly breeze up to the H mark by the Ile Fregate and Ile Chevreau, a right turn back towards the NW tip of the island, a long downwind passing the Ile Fourchue on port before turning for a beat home at Roche Table.
The Velsheda team did not have to seek out problems. Confounding their winch problem – which is reported to require rebolting before tomorrow’s showdown – they again had hydraulic and electronics issues. Indeed it was only the knowledge that a retirement would effectively eliminate them from the title finale Sunday and that most of the remaining work was, fortunately on port tack, that the decision was made that Velsheda keep racing today.
Both Velsheda and Ranger crews reaffirmed today that this is some of the best J Class racing they have had, with no margin for error especially during the sustained tacking battles. “It is just great racing, boat for boat there is nothing between us. And it is all on for tomorrow. We need to be able to keep the pressure on Ranger if we get ahead and really work for it.” Said Velsheda’s navigator Mike Broughton today. “We had a great first half of today’s race and then the two or three gear failures unfortunately cost us. Topaz were not far behind.”
“It was a great, fun race. We got ahead on the other side of the island when Velsheda could not sheet their sail in. But we sailed well, we got the transition zone on the long beat back right. It is fantastic racing, super close and we are so enjoying it. The conditions are so ideal for the J Class. We had no problems, thankfully and now it is all on for tomorrow.” said five times America’s Cup winner Murray Jones, calling tactics on Ranger.
Topaz, at their debut regatta, also had their challenge compromised by a mechanical issue, unable to sheet their mainsail in at a critical point. But once again they were in the mix and challenging in the early stages of the race. “We had a nice start and were good at the bottom mark, right in there, but then had our mainsheet problems. But the boat is going well. It is all new to us of course, but we have a really nice crew – quiet, determined and focused. We have the just the finer things to tune now, learning the settings that work best. But we are really enjoying it.” Commented Topaz’ strategist Ross Macdonald on the dock today.
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Velsheda Winds Round Island Race (Day 2)
March 18th 2016 – After a spirited, no holds barred match race which prevailed almost of the anti clockwise passage around the island of Saint Barths, during which there was never more than two or three boat lengths between the most established J Class rivals, it is the Velsheda crew which might impose their bragging rights over close rivals Ranger this evening. But that is only if they have enough remaining energy after the physically demanding head to head.
It was only in the closing miles of this classic Saint Barths Bucket island circumnavigation challenge, that the Velsheda crew could begin to be more sure of winning. “You have to pay tribute to our owner-helmsman Ronald today.” Grinned tactician Tom Dodson, “This really is down to him. His helming, keeping the boat fast when we needed to be, staying absolutely focused and not looking back at Ranger when they were close, made the difference in the end.”
Topaz, the debuting, brand new J Class held the early lead out towards the first mark after an initial 3 miles upwind leg. They stayed in touch and had chances to profit subsequently when the dueling ahead was particularly intense – there were several luffing matches between the dark blue hulled Velsheda and the all white Ranger.
Indeed it was after one initial skirmish when both went head to wind, or close enough to it, that the Velsheda team got their bow down quicker, build speed and managed to just escape the tentacles of Ranger, winners of yesterday’s Kings Hundred Guinea Cup.
The 25 miles course offered great, classic Saint Barths ‘brochure’ conditions, 14-16kts of SE’ly tradewinds breeze, a big swell on the windward side of the island. Under stresses of the solid wind pressure and rolling waves, both of the top teams had their hardware problems to deal with. “We have the tops off three winches right now, sorting them out, and we had a major hydraulic meltdown coming into the finish. We saw Ranger with some similar problems too. But you deal with it. It comes with the territory, racing old boats as hard as this.” Commented Dodson. “We have a great rivalry with Ranger. We have both been doing this for a long time and are very close at the same level and so this was a great, tough race. Literally we got ahead of Ranger on the first beat and from there it was head to head, a match race all the way from there. It really was down to Ronald in the end.”
At the finish line Velsheda – runaway winners of last season’s premier regatta, the Cowes RYS Bicentenary regatta – was just under two minutes clear of Ranger. Topaz were third, the team buzzing from their strong early showing and content to have made big steps up their learning curve today.
“It was a perfect racing day. We were good at the start, to windward and at full speed, we were first to the shore and were really perfect to start with. We are definitely getting better. We have to work on our speed loop a bit now but the boat is fast for sure.” Reported Matthias Adamcewski, Germany’s 1988 Star Olympian who is tactician on board Topaz.
“We have plenty to work on. We have to have better speed upwind. It is very different to modern boats where you can use the helm more, you have to have straight line speed and power on and we have to be quicker out of our tacks.”
After two hours and 42 minutes of racing Velsheda finished 1 minute and 21 seconds ahead of Ranger on corrected time, Topaz two minutes and 13 seconds behind second place.
J-Class Association
Ranger Wins Kings Hundred Guinea Trophy (Day 1)
March 17th 2016 – On a windward-leeward course which proved to be particularly tricky and difficult to read, Erle Williams, Murray Jones and the entire Ranger crew delivered their enthusiastic, passionate Owner the best possible birthday when as they won the J Class’ most prestigious annual trophy, the King’s Hundred Guinea Trophy on the first day of the Saint Barths Bucket regatta.
America’s Cup winning tactician Murray Jones, guiding Ranger’s skipper-helm Williams, read the breeze best on the critical first beat, believing there was more wind pressure to the left. From a strong, well executed pin end start Ranger was able to lift away after tacking on to port and earn themselves a sizable lead over Velsheda and the brand new Topaz which was sailing their first ever race.
Down the first run the Ranger afterguard were reasonably content to spend some of their lead in order to be able to stay in touch with their rivals and from there, in Jones’ mind, they were in a position to control their rivals. Across the finish line Ranger lead Velsheda with Topaz in touch and obviously competitive in third.
For the Ranger team, which won the last J Class event of the 2015 season, victors in the mixed fleet racing at Les Voiles de Saint Tropez, carrying their momentum into the start of this year is important. But winning the biggest J Class trophy of the year for their first time ever, is not just the perfect gift to their owner – who is a great supporter and fan of Caribbean racing – but makes up for missing out in Palma in 2014. Then, they lead from the final mark and would have won but for an arbitration penalty for a mark rounding misdemeanor. This time there was no mistaking who the winners are.
“We are all delighted.” said Jones. “This is my first day racing in Saint Barths and it is great to start out with a win like this. Our Owner is such an enthusiast that it’s nice to be able to win this King’s Hundred Guinea Cup for him.” “It was a difficult one, quite tricky.” recalled Murray Jones, “The course was in a convergence zone. Out offshore it was 100 degrees, more right, and left it was more like 55 and in the middle it was really very light. And so you had to pick your option.” “We may have had a good lead at the top mark but it was really difficult downwind. We were a little conservative on the second beat but I was never really concerned about losing the lead.” “It was good to see Topaz, they were quick but I think made a few tactical errors. This race was not won or lost on boathandling or boat speed. But they will be happy with their race I think.”
The learning curve is steep for the Topaz crew which has Andrew Taylor (NZL) as crew boss and double Olympic medalist Ross Macdonald as strategist.
“From our viewpoint there was a certain tension, some pressure on board today for our first race. But really our objective was to get round the course in good shape and come back with all our fingers still attached.” smiled helm Jorge Heinritz. “Personally it is such a great experience to steer a J Class race for the first time. Our learning curve is steep but we are quite happy with our day.” “Upwind the boats are quite easy to steer but downwind in these lighter breezes and swell it is not so easy.” “We missed the train a bit on the second beat and lost touch slightly.” He concluded. “It was an absolutely fantastic experience today. There is a bit of pressure on you on the helm with something like 70 pairs of eyes trained on you but I think we did OK.” Said the German Olympian.
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