Second convincing win for team Azzurra of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, who in the second day of the Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland defeated the Russians of team Synergy with a superb match held in perfect sailing conditions. Today the race course was positioned very close to the shore of downtown Auckland with its futuristic SkyTower in the background. Francesco Bruni, skipper and helmsman of the all-Italian team Azzurra, gained an early lead at the first top mark and comfortably controlled his opponent, helmed  by match racing veteran Karol Jablonski from Poland with New Zealander Rod Dawson calling the tactics. The great precision and determination that Bruni displays during the races comes from the great experience that the skipper from Sicily has gained in two America’s Cup campaigns and three Olympic Games sailed in the Laser, 49er and Star.

Today the Louis Vuitton Trophy enjoyed a great turnout of public, both on the water near the action and on shore in the race Village that is the heart of this City of Sails, that this week is also hosting the Auckland International Boat Show. “Today we had a great race, with perfect sailing conditions and an amazing scenery,” commented Riccardo Bonadeo, Commodore of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda and President of team Azzurra, adding: “the crew of Azzurra sailed a superb match and the merit goes not only to the afterguard but also to the rest of the crew who completed each maneuver with great precision and perfect timing. I admire how Francesco [Bruni] manages the stress of the races with great calm and determination.” Bonadeo is the key figure that links the first Italian challenge to the America’s Cup in 1983 to the participation of the new Azzurra team at the Louis Vuitton Trophy.

(Photo - Ian Roman)

TEAMORIGIN showed strong form this morning with a stylish victory over the French/German All4One team. The British team won the start and went on to use the shifts and extend their lead to win by an impressive 1 minute and 33 seconds.

In the other races so far today, ETNZ took a win over Mascalzone Latino after the Italians suffered gear failure; In race 3 Azzurra beat Synergy and Artemis beat Aleph in race 4.

A short delay to today’s racing allowed the wind to settle in from the South West and be blowing at 7 knots at the time of the first start. The first warning signal was fired at 1245 lining up TEAMORIGIN with All4One. A still building breeze and an incoming tide made for challenging conditions, where neither the wind nor the tidal choice was clear. From a spectator’s point of view however it was perfect as the course was laid within the confines of the Waitemata Harbour and Auckland City’s waterfront, race fans on the Okahu Bay waterfront to the South and the Devonport waterfront to the North listening to the FM radio commentary had front row seats.

David Roache has been elected commodore of the Little Ship Club in London. Roache has committed to ensure that "the Club will secure its place in the future of sailing in the UK."

"The Club was formed by Maurice Griffiths and a small group of amateur sailors when Griffiths was just 25 years old," he continued. "Our sport needs to be more available to younger people so I want to broaden our appeal to younger members."

Originally set up as a club to bring together London-based sailors for sailing camaraderie and training, the Club has recently become involved with more competitive events such as Pelican Racing’s Cayman Islands City Racing Challenge and informal groups like Solent Sailors in the City.

The Club’s President is Sir Robin Knox-Johnston who, whilst no youngster, still enjoys messing around in an Open 60.

Commenting on David’s election as Commodore, Sir Robin said: "David has taken the helm of the Little Ship Club at a critical time. In my sailing career I have made the transition from round the world in a wooden boat held together with iron nails to sailing the globe in a carbon fibre Open 60. Now the Little Ship Club is navigating a course that takes the best of its history and tradition and positions it as a dynamic hub for sailors in the 21st century."

With the start of the Rolex China Sea Race just three weeks away, a competitive fleet is lining up for this 565-nautical mile Asian offshore classic. To date, 29 boats are registered, with several more anticipated to enter the race, which starts on Thursday, April 1 in Hong Kong and finishes in Subic Bay, northwest of Manila, the Philippines.

Organised by the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club, in co-operation with Manila Yacht Club and the Subic Bay Yacht Club, this will be the 25th edition of the biennial blue-water race that will start, weather permitting, amidst the hustle and bustle of seagoing activity - sampans, ferrys, and ships - of Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour.

From the starting line off the RHKYC, there is a short leg to a windward mark before the fleet heads eastwards across the South China Sea, along the west coast of the Philippines to the finish off Subic Bay. That is the simple geographic course description of course; seasoned competitors know it is never that easy, as typically the weather the first day and night in the South China Sea can feature a boat and crew-testing combination of lumpy seas and a strong headwind. The race then becomes fairly strategic as tacticians and navigators have to decide how close to sail to the Philippine shoreline in search of breeze.

(Photo - Clipper Ventures PLC)

It appears that yesterday's prediction made by Qingdao's skipper, Chris Stanmore-Major, that the worst was still to come has been proved correct. According to the skipper of California, Pete Rollason, the past 24 hours have been extremely tough for all the teams as they race across the largest ocean on the planet.

"The crew are all feeling the fatigue that goes with prolonged periods of rough weather when any task, however small, takes great effort," says Pete. "We are just approaching the last of the small islands off the coast of Japan and will be heading directly for the scoring gate from there."

If things weren't hard enough already, the Californian crew were further tested when their steering wheel became stuck, much to the dismay of the helmsman at the time.

"A quick investigation in the lazarette revealed that the aquavac we use to pump the bilges had dislodged from its usual storage space and wedged itself in the steering quadrant. It was quickly removed and the steering was once again back to normal, unfortunately the same cannot be said for the aquavac!"

 (Photo - Ian Roman)

On the first day of the Louis Vuitton Trophy Auckland regatta the wind did not appear until well into the afternoon. Although bright sunshine and late summer temperatures greeted the sailors it was not until 14:30 that the first match, between ALL4ONE and Mascalzone Latino got underway in a seven knot Northerly over a 1.5 mile leg length course in the Rangitoto Channel. All4One, the French/German team, won the right hand side and lead at the first windward mark by 19 seconds going on to extend their lead to take the race and win their first point by 44 seconds.

TEAMORIGIN were scheduled to race in the second start against the Italian team AZZURRA, the team that won the Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice regatta in November last year.

Skipper Ben Ainslie made a good entry from the starboard end and fought for and won the right hand side which had appeared favoured in the first race on the same course. The Italian team, on the left hand side of the course, managed to keep the battle close up the first beat, the pair converging twice before the power of the right hand side forced the Italian team back away to the left. The Italians did however manage to stay very much in touch.