Delicious AUDI Hamilton Race Week

(Hamilton Islands, Australia)- The Audi Hamilton Island Race Week is one of Australia’s favourite yachting events and a firm fixture on the international sailing calendar. Competitors, family and friends come together to enjoy the convivial atmosphere and unique camaraderie of the event’s on-water and off-water carnival. Every August, spectators and “yachties” from around the globe descend upon Hamilton Island for “the week”- Australia’s largest offshore keelboat regatta.

Perfectly situated on the edge of the Great Barrier Reef, amongst Queensland's seventy-four Whitsunday Islands, Hamilton Island offers an experience like no other: glorious weather, azure waters, brilliant beaches, awe-inspiring coral reefs, fascinating flora and fauna, fine food and wines, and activities almost too numerous to mention.

Hamilton Island’s CEO, Olympic and World Champion sailor Glenn Bourke, said Race Week organizers were justifiably proud of the fact that 202 yachts had entered this year.  “This great fleet confirms that Audi Hamilton Island Race Week continues to stand as Australia’s premier offshore regatta, and undoubtedly one of the best sailing events in the world,” Bourke said.  “From our side, we are well aware of the effort all participants, their families and friends, put in, just to be with us each year. It’s this commitment on their part that causes us to work even harder so every Audi Hamilton Island Race Week is bigger, better and more fun.”

Brilliant sailing conditions on day one of the IRC Australian Championship inflated adrenaline levels and threw the less practiced straight into the deep, briny end of the fleet, whether they wanted to be there or not.  Cool 20-knot SSE tradewinds and breeze against tide for the Dent Passage spinnaker start on Sunday, August 16 put the sail trimmers on high alert and the photographers in a clicking fury.

Two of the larger J models are participating in this year’s fabulous event.  One is the J/130 RAGTIME sailing in IRC 4 Class- the owners, Chris & Bernadette Morgan, acquired her and base her at Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron.  Since then, RAGTIME’s first major win was the 2014 Brisbane to Keppel race.  At this stage of the regatta, RAGTIME is lying mid-fleet.

The other team sailing is the J/133 EUPHORIA, skippered by Anthony Coleman, in EHC Racer-Cruiser class.  EUPHORIA had raced extensively in both the USA and United Kingdom. She arrived into Australia in 2009 and races regularly with the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron on Sydney Harbour.  In 2011, she won Performance Racing 2 Division at Hamilton Island Race Week. With a solid crew on board, EUPHORIA is currently sitting tight on her 2nd place position and hopes to improve that to #1 soon!  For more AUDI Hamilton Island Race Week sailing information.

J/97E In Control!

(Newport, RI)- For many, the elegance of sailing with a simple wheel allows maximum cockpit space and comfort, plus allows the kiddies to steer whenever they want to.  Famous for transforming the “feel” and “touch” of wheel-based systems, J/Boats has pushed the envelope for self-aligning rudder bearings so that nothing is sacrificed for that magical touch of the tiller.

The new J/97E features not only the super-comfortable cockpit pioneered by the J/111, but also its amazingly touch-sensitive steering.  Check it all out at the fall boat shows this year- Newport and Annapolis will both have the amazing new, spacious, open, airy J/97E- experience how it brings the “outdoors in”!  Learn more about the NEW J/97E family cruiser/ racer.

J/88 Fall Regatta Extravaganza!

Winter 88 Storms Brewing!
(Long Island Sound, CT/NY)- What better way to “thank” your crew for sticking it out through a long hot July and August “dog days” of summer sailing than six fantastic weekends of cool, awesome Fall Sailing on Long Island Sound!!  The J/88s in the Northeast are getting themselves organized for fun, fall sailing. Here is their schedule:

Northeast Fall 88 Series

• Sep 19-20- Long Island Sound Championship- Riverside, CT
• Sep 26-27- American Yacht Club Fall Regatta- Rye, NY
• Oct 3-4- American Yacht Club Fall Regatta- Rye, NY
• Oct 9-11- J/88 Northeastern Championship- Greenwich, CT
• Oct 17-18- Manhasset Bay Fall Series- Port Washington, NY
• Oct 24- Manhasset Bay Fall Series- Port Washington, NY

Winter 88 Series

• Jan 17-22- J/88 Midwinters Key West- Key West, FL
• Feb 19-22- Miami 88 Series- Miami Beach, FL
• Mar 11-13- Miami 88 Series- Miami Beach, FL

For the Fall series, McMichael Yacht Yard is offering a steeply discounted launch/haul package for any 88's arriving by trailer. McMichael will launch and retrieve boats from their Mamaroneck yard for a flat fee of $200 round trip, including trailer storage. With an owner (or owner’s representative), McMichael will also step, tune and unstep the rig for an additional $225.  Contact service@mcmyacht.com to make a reservation today!

There are now over THIRTY+ J/88s east of Chicago that can go sailing in these events.  And, the winter circuit is next!!  Starting with Key West- and even Havana, Cuba!!  If you want to learn more about the fast, exciting, J/88 family trailer-sailor, please be sure to contact your local J/Dealer or J/Boats at ph# 401-846-8410 or email- info@jboats.com.   Sailing photo credits- Don Finkle/ RCR Yachts. For more J/88 family speedster sailing information

Rolex Fastnet Race Update

(Cowes, Isle of Wight, England)- The Sunday start on the Solent was a “drift-a-thon” for most of the fleet trying to float across the line in the westbound current.  Big crowds packed the Cowes and Western Solent shoreline in the afternoon as the record-sized fleet of 356 set off on the 90th anniversary Rolex Fastnet Race, organized by the Royal Ocean Racing Club. With a complete lack of wind in the central Solent, the boats ghosted across the start line starting their 605nm voyage to the Fastnet Rock and on to Plymouth with a whimper.

The six IRC fleets set off in ascending size order with IRC 4 first and IRC Z and the canting keel class last at 1340 BST. For the most part, the boats at the island end of the line got away best, but had to make a costly tack across towards the mainland shore. The boats that started at the mainland ‘pin’ end, found themselves punching flood tide in no wind. As an indication of the misery the faster boats faced in the first few hours- at Hurst Narrows, the leading IRC 4 boats were hanging on to the IMOCA 60s and Class40s!!

While the forecast remained largely light, according to navigator Ian Moore, it improved slightly. A localized area of high pressure was now sitting over Cornwall. This was due to move south on Wednesday by which time, Moore says southwesterlies would be building along its western to northern perimeter.

By Monday, the fleet had made some progress overnight with the majority of the fleet having been lured out into the middle of the Channel following the temptation of stronger winds.  At the time, the southerly lobe of an area of high pressure was extending across Cornwall and south into the Channel.  Consequently, the forecast for Monday was not good with the lobe of high pressure due to expand creating a windless zone between the Scilly Isles and the Lizard and perhaps further southeast.

For the IRC fleet, the first issue was getting around the first Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) box, keeping the fleet away from the thousands of ships that ply the Channel each day.  A lack of wind meant some boats even kedged to stop going backwards as they made their way around the TSS Channel box’s northern perimeter.

The next issue was getting by the two enormous “tide gates” that were forming into the overall strategies off Start Point (Dartmouth) and Land’s End (boatspeed/ VMG dependent, of course).  The boats that gained the most gybed and went inshore for localized breezes and tide/current relief.  Once there, most boats crept along the coastline as they meandered there way out to the hair-raising currents that boil in massive whirlpools off Land’s End.

By Tuesday morning, the weak, dying front across southern Ireland and the Celtic Sea combined with an absence of isobars anywhere in the UK made it a most frustrating night for crews. The GRIB files for the race area showed winds of no more than 5 knots between the Fastnet Rock and Start Point and a large hole in the breeze to the west of the front and another hole between the Scilly Isles and the Lizard.

However, while the race has largely been light so far, there was light at the end of the tunnel for competitors. A southwesterly breeze is forecast to fill in from the southwest in the Celtic Sea late Tuesday afternoon ahead of a front. By the early hours of Wednesday morning 20 knot southerlies are forecast at the Fastnet Rock, spreading across the race track over the course of the morning.

Leading the charge amongst the J/Teams after the first two days were the J/111s BLUR (Peter Gustafsson) and XCENTRIC RIPPER (John van der Starre & Robin Verhoef, also sailing double-handed).  They were closely linked with the J/122s that kept trading places with them; Chris Revelman & Pascal Bakker’s JUNIQUE RAYMARINE SAILING TEAM (a double-handed entry) from the Netherlands, Alain Catherineau’s LORELEI from France, Clive Mile’s new J/122E JANGLE, and Scott Miller’s RESOLUTE (top American double-handed Bermuda 1-2 champion).  The three J/133s kept “rubber-banding” with this grouping as well depending on which wind patch they were in- Angus Bates’ ASSARAIN IV, Dave Ballantyne’s JINGS or Gilles Fournier’s PINTIA from France.  Also, lurking amongst the fleet leaders were the amazingly well-sailed J/105 JESTER, skippered by the double-handed team of Kelvin Rawlings and Stuart Childerley.  Nearby to them were a gaggle of J/109s- Paul Griffiths’ JAGERBOMB, Alain Bornet’s JAI LAI and also the top J from the 2013 Fastnet- the J/120 RHAPSODIE V skippered by Jean Jacques Godet from France.

Only time will tell how it all shakes out in one of the more tactical Fastnet Races in recent history.  Christian Ripard, four-times winner of the famously light air race- the ROLEX Middle Sea Race- offered his inputs to the various J/Teams:

“You can win or lose in light winds so I teach my crew when it goes light this is where you win the race.  Everybody can sail in a good wind but you have to strive very hard to make sure you perform well in the light. If the boat is going just a fraction of a knot more than a competitor, you get ahead and when the breeze does kick in, that lead multiplies. In the light, we can sail 5 or 10% better than the opposition and that is difficult to achieve in a true wind.

Patience in light weather is the key with very few movements of the crew on board and even off-watch; you have to be aware of where to put your weight. Sail selection and development is a key area. For example using a wind seeker, which is actually a very small sail, but keeps its shape well and keeps the boat steering a course.

Spotting wind on the water is very important. If we see a gust, we sail for it, regardless of heading and sail from gust to gust. At night, I use normal binoculars and with a trained eye, you can see the zephyrs coming down. It is much easier if there is little swell during. Contours, ripples and dark patches in the water are the telltales of wind.

After dusk, I don't allow any light on board except for the navigational lights. I have been on boats that light up the sails for the trim but I can't steer like that and it has got to be dead quiet, just one guy calling the breeze. However the real skill is simply patience – it is easy to concentrate for two hours, but all night takes patience. Picking a nearby boat and competing with it, also keeps the crews adrenalin level up.“  Let’s hope the 48 J/Teams sailing in the race are mindful of Christian’s pearls of wisdom— after all, he had to put these ideas to good use winning the Middle Sea Race twice on the J/122 ARTIE!  Sailing Photo Credits- ROLEX/ Kurt Arrigo.  For more Rolex Fastnet Race sailing information

Simply Messing About in Boats- the easy way!

Joe Cooper had some interesting observations while experiencing Block Island Race Week this year.  Here are some of his thoughts on how to go sailing easier:

“Value in sailing terms is an interesting concept. The ‘value’ we all get from it is intangible. It is neigh on impossible to put a dollar amount on the sunsets, beautiful days, a week at BIRW with your mates, landfall in Bermuda and so on that make up a pretty normal round of sailing adventures. Or frankly, the emotions we experience looking at a particular boat that moves us. What if you added up all the costs of Race Week and said that cash cost was the value of competing? But that seems to be a fairly rigorous and cold green eyeshade way to look at what sailing gives us. Obviously, there are things in life that have value beyond the cash. Our families, kids and love spring to mind. (In fact, to me my family is priceless.)

I have often remarked on the subject of the cost of sailing, and only slightly in jest that boat owners ought never to total the yearly costs of owning their boats and divide this amount by the hours spent actually using them. If you did, you’d be appalled at the cost per hour that owning a sailboat incurs. I have a vague memory of doing this in 1980 for “Australia” team in the America’s Cup, and it was perhaps $150 an hour (actually sailing), and that was with a volunteer crew paid ten bucks a day all found. I think Larry’s costs per hour are a wee bit higher.

That this dictum - NOT calculating the cost per hour of sailing on your own boat – is being challenged is apparent by the creeping establishment of sailing opportunities that do not require actually owning the boat. Many sailing schools have programs where once you are certified (in the sailing sense, that is…) you can continue to sail by renting their boats. Sail Newport has a pretty thriving business in doing this with their fleet of J/22s. After a brief checkout sail with an instructor, one can rent their boats in three-hour increments (today’s version of “a three-hour tour…”). Ida Lewis Yacht Club has, in summer, a similar scheme using Sail Newport boats one afternoon a week.

I have a mate who is succumbing to age and the financial obligations of owning a boat. When I suggested the Sail Newport option, he wondered how much a membership is…twenty-five bucks for over 65, I found out on my phone. During the week you can, as a member, rent a J/22 for 75 bucks for three hours. This is not quite rental car rates, but close. Yet we generally do not get the same psychic enjoyment from a car rental as from sailing. OK, a week in a Ferrari on the cornice in Monaco may be an exception. But unless you’re going somewhere to sail: Cowes Week, the BVI or the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race and are chartering a boat for the event, the actual sailing (time) seems to be only some portion of the value. Then this means there are other elements to the value of sailing. In the case of Block Island Race Week, it’s the camaraderie, the dinners, the parties, The Tent, catching up with old mates, meeting new ones, and of course the Yellow Kittens for the young’uns.

Kenneth Graham was prescient of the value of pottering about in boats when he gave the Water Rat the immortal words about messing about in boats. Just being on a boat, at anchor, on the mooring or in the slip can bring an entirely fresh approach to the day. I have written in earlier columns of the effect that a 60-minute beercan race can have on brushing out the cobwebs and its leverage on attitude adjustment. My wife and I both write, and we are getting close to buying a Wi-Fi hotspot for ourselves. The idea being that we can row out to our boat, on its mooring at third beach in Middletown, and simply sit under the awning and write and research as the whim takes us. Admittedly writing, even Coop’s Corner, instead of gazing up or down the Sakonnet, is close to a Herculean task.

At least in my admittedly whacky worldview of sailing and boats, even working on them has value. Not simply because by doing something myself I can avoid paying the yard and save all that cash (assuming I value my own time at about $10 an hour, since I am about ten percent as effective as a yard at doing things on my boat). But I’d much rather come home dusty, smelling of paint and epoxy, and with stiff, sore shoulders and a bung knee from kneeling and sanding the bottom, or working inside the cabin of my Mini than pay the yard to do it. (To all my boatyard-owning mates…no offence intended.) To me, that is all part of the fun. And fun, of course, is invaluable!”

Thanks to Windcheck and Australian Joe “Coop” Cooper, who stayed in the US after the 1980 America’s Cup where he was the boat captain and sailed as Grinder/Sewer-man on Australia. His whole career has focused on sailing, especially the short-handed aspects of it. He lives in Middletown, RI where he coaches, consults and writes on his blog, joecoopersailing.com, when not paying attention to his wife, teenage son, dog, two cats and several, mainly small, boats.

J/Crews Dominate YRA-LIS Championship

(Rye, New York)- Over the weekend of August 1st and 2nd, the Riverside YC and American YC, hosted the YRA Long Island Sound Championships in the western end of Long Island Sound.  It was a great weekend of tight racing with a mix of light to medium wind conditions. This was the 10th Anniversary of the YRA Regatta that included both PHRF and One-Design Fleets.  The parties were great and the clubs worked hard to provide good food, music and great trophies!

According to YRA Past President, Bernie Armstrong: "This year we celebrated the 10th anniversary of the annual YRALIS Championship Regatta. A real milestone for this great event! It began in 2005, as a way to bring all major racing classes together in single weekend, to establish the champion in each of the YRALIS’s four major racing circles. This event has averaged over 100 boats every year since its beginning and the fleets were evenly split between PHRF boats and one-designs. I have been involved with this great event since its inception and everyone seemed to enjoy the challenge and the fun!”

The PHRF One class had a flock of J’s sailing with J crews taking 5 of the top 7 places.  Taking 3rd place was Sam Talbot’s SPIKE from the British Virgin Islands.  They were followed in 4th position by Carl Olsson’s J/109 MORNING GLORY and in 5th place another J/109- Steve Chronert’s ZUMA.

In the PHRF Two class, the J/88 VELOCITY sailed by Kevin Marks took class honors on a tie-breaker over Iris Vogel’s veteran crew aboard her J/88 DEVIATION. Then, Ken & Drew Hall’s J/100 NEVERMORE took 4th in class only 3 pts back from the leaders!

The four J teams sailing PHRF Three class took 4 of the top five places, sweeping the top three!  Winners were Tom & Julie Sinatra’s J/29 SMOKIN J, followed by Christian Uecker’s J/92 HOUND DOG in 2nd and Todd Aven’s famous J/92 THIN MAN in 3rd.  Fifth was Aleksandr Tichter’s J/29 AKULA.  Then, the J/80 UPSETTER took 2nd in PHRF Four Class.

The J/70s had an excellent turnout of nearly a dozen boats with local hero Kerry Klingler on MENACE taking class honors with three 1sts and two 2nds for a total of 7 pts.  Sailing faster and smarter all the time was the duo of Scott & Alex Furnary on ANY COLOUR, winning two races themselves on the way to 2nd overall with 14 pts total.  The two Ploch girls, Madelyn & Megan, co-skippered SUGAR DADDY to third overall with consistent top five finishes.  Fourth in class was Scott Bursor’s SLINKY and fifth was Carrie & Ed Austin’s CHINOOK.   For more YRA-LIS Championship sailing information

J/Teams Crush Buzzards Bay/ PHRF New Englands

(Dartmouth, MA)- The 43rd Buzzards Bay Regatta, was held August 7-9, 2015 at the New Bedford Yacht Club in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. As anticipated, Buzzards Bay delivered yet again on good conditions for the three-day weekend regatta.  Fair weather and plenty of breeze provided favorable conditions for top J teams to just about sweep all the top positions in the PHRF New England Championship, held in conjunction with the Buzzards Bay Regatta.

An extraordinary 16 of the 25 entrants for the PHRF New England Championship were J/Teams (64.0% of the fleet)!  In PHRF Race 1 class, Mark Verville’s J/120 ISURUS won, followed by Doug Curtiss’s J/111 WICKED 2.0 (a past BBR winner) in 2nd position, followed by another J/111, Sedgwick Ward’s BRAVO in 4th place. Jim Shachoy’s J/122 AUGUST WEST, the recent winner of the New York YC IRC East Coast Championship, took 6th overall.

In PHRF 2, Richard Fontaine’s J/105 GOOD TRADE from Mass Maritime led a sweep of the class.  Cory Eaves’ J/109 FREEDOM took 2nd in class, followed by local hotshot Ted Herlihy’s J/109 NA Championship winning GUT FEELING in 3rd.  Fourth was Ed Joyce’s J/105 DARK’N’STORMY and 5th was Doug Newhouse’s new J/88 YONDER from Sail Newport.

Then, in PHRF 3, Key Dyett’s J/30 JEROBOAM took 2nd in class followed by Diana & Tom Sutton’s J/35 LEADING EDGE from Houston YC in 3rd.  Fifth place was taken by yet another J/30- Ken van Colen’s MODDY BLUE from New Bedford YC.

In PHRC Cruise class, Al Signorella’s J/100 SUNDANCE from New Bedford YC placed 2nd while Steve Dahill’s J/35C RIVA from Beverly YC took 4th in class.  For more Buzzards Bay Regatta sailing information

CURVED AIR Crowned J/27 N.A. Champion

(Oakville, ONT)- This year’s J/27 North American Championship was the best-attended regatta in decades, when fourteen boats ponied up to the starting line for the first day of racing.  The Oakville Yacht Squadron in Oakville, Ontario (just west of Toronto) was a fantastic host, managing to run nine races over the three day event!  It was close racing throughout and the top three was not determined until the final race on the last day; a healthy sign for this classic class!

In the end, Andrew Riem’s CURVED AIR sailed a consistent series, never falling out of the top three, to post just 14 pts net.  Just five points back was Mike Seitz’s American team on NORTHERN SEITZ, finishing in second place with 19 pts net.

Despite posting a 1-2 in the last two races, it was not enough for last year’s winner, Bruce Scott’s WARPED PERCEPTION to punch higher on the podium, settling for third place two points back with 21 pts. Tied on points with Scott, but losing the tie-breaker, was Andre Beese’s MESSING ABOUT, settling for fourth place.  In fifth was Jason Wilson’s TENACIOUS.

The report from the “front lines” on the water comes from Andrew Riem’s winning team on CURVED AIR:  “It really is a whole bunch of little things and a lot of great people pulling together to put on a regatta, get a race off and a boat around the course.  My Club Beer Can results this year have been dismal compared to other years and I've been asking myself those infamous soul searching question such as "Can I afford a new set of sails?''.

And then my regular crew showed up and we won our first One Design Regatta of the Year.  The regulars were also with me for the NAs and we won that to.  So at the risk of sounding like I'm making an Oscar's speech (and not disregarding the fact I drove the boat pretty well), it's my crew both onshore and offshore who made it possible.  Tri, Tom, Cam & Carol put in a truly remarkable effort and I trust you all forgive me for the terrible things I said "in the heat of battle".

Sailing truly is both a team sport and a group activity and the Oakville Yacht Squadron & Bronte Harbour Yacht Club also stepped up in hosting a great event and providing exceptional racing and race management.  My thanks also to them for making this all possible for another year; despite the disappointment of loosing some local boats this year and our numbers being down for the regatta the effort of this group has inspired me to do this again for at least one more year; we will be back as I hope you all will.  Thank you all for participating and continuing to support the event.

Between now and then however there is New Orleans and the Mid Winters.  Curved Air will be going for the triple crown of winning all the J/27 majors in 2015 and driving down the delta once our season finishes.  Merlin and the six 27s that make up the NOLA Fleet at Southern Yacht Club are an equally amazing group; the fact I am towing my boat for 3 days and leaving it with them for the winter to "keep an eye on" speaks volumes as to their character and trust I have in them. I hope to see a whole lot more of you down in the Quarter come February.  Fair Winds... Andrew”   For nice J/27 North Americans YouTube sailing videos:   Day 1/  Day 2/  Day 3    Sailing photo credits- Hilary Riem   For more J/27 North American Championship sailing information

Americans Sweep J/22 Canadians

(Oakville, Ontario)- While the J/27s were sailing their North Americans, the J/22s were sailing their J/22 Canadian Championship, hosted by the same Oakville Yacht Squadron. In the end, the top three spots on the podium in the eighteen boats were swept by American teams, most of whom are based in upstate New York.

Winning was Chris Doyle’s “THE JUG 4 1”, counting three bullets in their four race series for a total of just 7 pts.  Taking second on a tie-breaker was another Doyle family member, Kevin Doyle’s MO’MONEY; their 5-3-1-4 tally was good for 13 pts.  Losing the tie-break was Travis Odenbach’s SEA BAGS SAILING TEAM, posting a 4-2-5-2 record for 13 pts.  Rounding out the top five was Ron Harris’ Canadian team on BROOMSTICK with 18 pts in fourth and in fifth place was Tod Sackett’s “Team FM” with 18 pts.  For more J/22 Canadian Championship sailing information

POLAROID TRESSIS Eclipses J/80 Copa del Rey

(Palma Mallorca, Spain)- For the fifth consecutive year, the J/80s sailed the Copa del Rey Regatta in Palma Mallorca, hosted by Real Club Nautico de Palma.  The nineteen-boat fleet enjoyed spirited competition in the typically gorgeous weather offered up on Palma’s azure blue semi-circular bay.

The fleet enjoyed twelve races over their four-day series.  A surprise winner topped the overall standings after very tight racing, Daniel de la Pedraja’s ONO POLAROID TRESSIS from Real Club Marina Santander.  Their five 1sts and two 2nds permitted them to sit out the last race and still win on 30 pts net.

Left gasping for air in the vacuum left behind the speedy POLAROID team were several Spanish J/80 World Champions!  Taking second was the trio of Rafael Esposito, Pepequin Orbaneja and Javier Padron Torrent sailing MARBELLA TEAM with 37 pts net.  Regatta sponsor’s HERBALIFE TEAM, sailed by Alex Diaz and Jesus Amaliach from Real Club Nautico Palma, took third overall with 41 pts net.  The balance of the top five was made up of two World Champions; Marc de Antonio’s BRIBON-MOVISTAR take 4th place and Jose Maria van der Ploeg’s NAUTICA WATCHES place 5th.

Of note, a fleet of Italian J/80s participated in the event, bringing along their “joi’d’vivre”, their top team was Giacomo Loro Piana’s MARY J in 11th, followed by Massimo Rama’s JENIALE in 13th and Franco Loro Piana’s JAMMING in 15th.  The Loro Piana family are members of the famous Italian fashion house by the same name, sailing for YC Costa Smeralda in Porto Cervo.  For more Copa del Rey sailing information