Devoti ONE

D-One Harken UK British National Championship 2011

 

The first British D-One National Championships, kindly sponsored by Harken UK, took place at Queen Mary Sailing Club, near London, the 29^th and 30^th October.

Competitors were greeted with good winds and fantastic weather for the time of year. Forecast for Saturday was F3 to F4 gusting F5 and proved to be exactly right, giving the D-Ones a fantastic blast up and down the reservoir with some spectacular close racing.

Saturday 29^th Race 1

Andy Couch, the current National Champion in the Phantom class, took an early lead, with Nick Craig, the current National Champion in several classes and World Champion in the OK class 2^nd, closely followed by Tim Garvin 3^rd. The gusts and shifts were huge and a lot could be lost going the wrong way downwind. It was Craig who took line honours in the end, followed by Couch 2^nd and Garvin 3^rd.

Andrew Streeter and David Hitchcock, both from Hayling Island SC, in 4^th and 5^th.

Race 2

Was an exact copy of Race 1 with the exception that Couch and Craig appeared to be learning very quickly how to make the D-One perform on all points of the course.

Lots of places were changing but again the end results were….

1^st Craig, 2^nd Couch, 3^rd Garvin, 4^th Streeter, 5^th Hitchcock.

Race 3

Andrew Streeter was 1^st out of the blocks at the pin end and steamed upwind as the breeze increased. At the windward mark, it was Craig 1^st, finding form, and Couch 2^nd only to capsize and let Streeter through to 2^nd with Peter Mitchell 3^rd and Hitchcock 4^th, Garvin 5^th. A capsize for Streeter in a vicious gust while going upwind was particularly unfortunate and put him back to 7^th.  The final placings in Race three were 1^st Nick Craig, 2^nd Charlie Chandler, 3^rd Peter Mitchell. Following a capsize; Andy Couch finished this one in 6^th place.

So, overnight placings were….

1^st Nick Craig   2^nd Andy Couch   3^rd Tim Garvin   4^th David Hitchcock   5^th Andrew Streeter

Sunday 30^th

Sunday dawned with grey skies and lighter winds, which may have been a relief for those who had practiced their swimming skills and Saturday.

Race 4

Nick Craig showed great pace again followed by Pete Mitchell who had adjusted his mast rake to cater better for the wind conditions and stormed off to a safe 2^nd.

Couch was 3^rd, Hitchcock, National Champion in the K6 keelboat, now finding his form in the D-One in 4^th and Garvin 5^th, closely followed by Charlie Chandler 6^th.

Race 5

Nick Craig, by this time, was really getting in the groove and showing us all how to do it. At the windward mark it was really close racing, Craig 1st, Couch 2^nd , Hitchcock 3^rd and the rest of the fleet closely behind. Going for clear air, Garvin gybed off early only to lose the gust completely and sit and watch the rest of the fleet burn off to the right hand side of the course. Final positions, Craig 1^st, Couch 2^nd,  Hitchcock 3rd, Streeter 4th, Mitchell 5^th, Chandler 6^th, Garvin trailing along in 7^th.

Race 6

Was the double points race with no discard allowed. Andy Couch managed a bullet from Craig 2^nd, and a fantastic all round performance from Charlie Chandler to secure a 3^rd from Hitchcock 4^th, showing exceptional downwind speed and perfect angles. Robin Foster Taylor from Thorpe Bay finally got some serious pace on and was a respectable 5^th.

After a perfect hand of 5 bullets, it was Nick Craig who took the trophy from Couch, three points behind in 2^nd, Hitchcock 3^rd, Chandler 4^th and Garvin 5^th.

A fantastic weekend was had by all competitors and thanks go to Queen Mary SC for hosting, what was a very well-run event, kindly sponsored by Harken UK, who supplied prizes for every competitor.

here you can download results in PDF file

 

D-One Mike Cup 2011

 

The last leg of the Czech D-One 2011 Cup was held on weekend 8/9 October at Machovo jezero lake. Perfect organization, cold weather but good windy condition and friendly atmosphere of the host yacht club made the event truly successful.  The regatta defends and secures its strong position for the 2012 Czech D-One Cup.

here you can download results in PDF file

 

Murcia 2011

 

Devoti regret to announce that D-One participation at Eurosaf High Performance Grand Prix in Murcia on 13-15 October 2011 has been cancelled.

We would like to apologise to all those involved and hope to re-arrange another closer place for all you D-One sailors out there!

Best wishes

The Devoti Team

 

Italian D-one Championship: Agustin Zabalua took open title, Riccardo Pontremoli wins the Nationals

 

 

 

AUTUMN CUP 10.-11.09. in Schwerin

Six sailors from Bavaria, Berlin and Lower Saxony met to compete. Four races were held on the first day in light wind conditions. A long distance race was held at 3 Bft. on the second day. Experiences were exchanged over beer and pork on a stick with a live music band in the evening. Sailors of other boat classe showed a keen interest in the D-One especially after long distance race in which the D-One class was the last one to start but finished the fastest class to complete the cource. After the cake buffer and the awards ceremony all went home happy.

 

download results in PDF

 

 

7 nationalites at the Czech International D-One Championship

 

Another great D-One event was held on weekend 2/4 September. The Czech International D-One Championship took place in YC Mulda at sunny Lake Lipno, the largest Czech lake, located in southern Bohemia. Competitors from Austria, Germany, Hungary and England joined Czech sailors on Thursday for real test sailing in perfect windy conditions. In the end twenty D-One sailors from seven countries completed three races on Friday in medium/strong wind and two races on Sunday in light wind. Due to the absence of any wind on Saturday we all enjoyed an evening party. The Championship was marked by a friendly atmosphere, good facilities at the yachting club and very helpful club staff, so much so that we decide to return there next year!

 

Tom Slingsby dominates and wins the 2011 D-ONE GOLD CUP

Tom Slingsby, world Laser champion from Australia, wins Sunday's double-point medal race with a formidable lead and claims overallvictory in the second edition of the D-One Gold Cup in Fraglia Vela Riva del Garda. Second and third places go to two British skippers, Nick Thompson and Giles Scott, respectively. Andrea Casale finishes fourth overall and first among the Italian sailors while Fabbio Toccoli, ninth overall, is the best non-professional skipper.

Riva del Garda, July 31st: Tom Slingsby turned the closing race of the 2011 D-One Gold Cup into his own personal parade on the waters off Fraglia Vela Riva del Garda. Going into the medal race that carried double points with no possibility of being discarded the overall score table was still wide open and a few duels were expected within the fleet for the individual podium spots. The first attempt at running a race was short lived and had to be canceled towards the end of the first run when the early-morning northerly (Peler) died down. The intense duel between Thompson and Glinsby would have to be repeated. After a half-an-hour wait, the “Ora” (the southerly breeze on Lake Garda) kicked in earlier than expected and gave the race committee the opportunity to give a second start at 11am.

That race proved to be a non-event, even with a light breeze between 6 and 8 knots. The Australian had a conservative start but thanks to his boat speed and excellent helming, he managed to build a lead of more than 100 meters at the first weather mark over second-placed Giles Scott. Slingsby then extended the lead to over 200 meters at the finish line. A finish in ninth place for Andrea Casale meant Scott was victorious in his duel third podium spot as the Italian finished ninth in the medal race. Argentina's Agustín Zabalua, winner of the 2010 Gold Cup, scored an excellent third place and finished eleventh overall.

As a result, Tom Slingsby wins the second edition of the D-One Gold Cup and proves that the dinghy designed by Luca Devoti, when helmed by Olympic champions, can reach excellent speed and provide an impressive show on water. It is important pointing out that the top five skippers in the overall leaderboard weighed between 80kg and 98kg in a windy venue like Riva del Garda, a very wide range for dinghies.

Slingsby dominates the leaderboard with 8 points (3-1-1-2-1-1-1), followed by Thompson (1-2-2-1-2-2-4) and Scott (2-4-4-3-5-5-2). Andrea Casale wraps up the Gold cup with a brilliant fourth place (4-3-3-4-3-4-9), showing that he still has all it takes to be competitive on a dinghy. Giorgio Poggi is eighth while Fabio Toccoli, with a ninth place is also the winner in the Corinthian division. Riccardo Pontremoli from Genoa closes the top ten. Nathalie Testa wins the title in the women's division while German Eberhard Bieberitz is the best-performing Master.

“It's been a real pleasure racing on the D-One here,” stated a clearly jubilant Tom Slingsby (three-time world Laser champion). “It's a great boat, great people and great class. Having 36 yachts from 11 nations in the second edition of the D-One Gold Cup is a good result. I decided to come here and race because I was definitively intrigued by the potential of this dinghy. The D-One can have a great future and grow very fast. I will certainly train again and race on a D-One, this time bringing many of my friends, to whom I definitely suggest they tried it.”

The next edition of the D-One Gold Cup will take place in Tuscany, near the end of next year's summer. The 2011 Volvo Cup D-One, after the events in Alassio, Bracciano, Cattolica and Riva del Garda, will proceed to Marina di Scarlino in conjunction with the National Championship (16-18 September) and the Barcolina of Trieste (1-2 October).

 

D-ONE GOLD CUP: Two bullets for Slingsby; last decisive race on Sunday

Tom Slingsby, world Laser champion from Australia, clearly dominated both races on Saturday and took overall leadership of the 2011 D-One Gold Cup, ahead of Great Britain's Nick Thompson. A brilliant Andrea Casale (with a 4th and a 3rd) climbed to third place. Fabio Toccoli, eighth overall, is second among the Italians. The closing race in Fraglia Vela Riva is scheduled for Sunday morning.

Riva del Garda, July 30th: Tom Slingsby lived up to his fame and won both of today's races. The first one was truly a walk in the park for the current world Laser champion as he led from start to finish. In the second race he managed to stage a great recovery after an average start, showing a couple of amazing speed peaks upwind. It was another beautiful day on Lake Garda, with the local “Ora” blowing 16 knots in the first race and 13-14 in the second one.

The spectacular show of 36 D-One's sailing upwind close to the west banks of the lake and downwind under their colorful spinnakers and with speeds reaching 16 knots was exciting. The D-One is a dinghy that, when put on the expert hands of Laser and Finn Olympic champions, shows that competitive yacht racing can also provide truly astonishing levels of show. Watching Tom Slingsby screaming ahead upwind (with amazing speed bursts in the first beat of the second race when he passed a couple of competitors with a speed at least 1 knot greater) is similar to reading a manual of competitive racing. The 27-year old Australian champion decided to take part in this Gold Cup after having heard about the potential of the D-One, a dinghy that combines skills and technicality upwind with pure fun downwind.

The day's first race saw the absolute domination by Slingsby from the onset. Slingsby crossed the finish line more than 200 meters ahead of second-placed Nick Thompson. Andrea Casale had a fantastic race again and was third, ahead of Gaspic and Giles Scott. Among the Italians, Uberto Crivelli Visconti was eighth and Fabio Toccoli ninth.

The second race was marked by an exceptional recovery by Slingsby after an average start. At the first weather mark Slingsby was already leading, followed by, who else, Nick Thompson. Croatia's Ivan Gaspic (current European Finn champion) was third, Andrea Casale fourth and Giorgio Poggi eighth. Nathalie Testa, the only woman racing in the regatta, had a remarkable performance and finished first among the fleet with the smaller 9.5 rig.

After 6 races with one discard, Tom Slingsby (3-1-1-2-1-1) is leading the Gold Cup, two points clear of Nick Thompson (1-2-2-1-2-2). Andrea Casale is now third (4-3-3-4-3-4), two points ahead of Giles Scott (2-4-4-3-5-5). Another British skipper, Charlie Cumbley is fifth. Among the Italians, Fabio Toccoli is eighth (10-8-12-8-9-14), Giorgio Poggi ninth (DNF-7-19-7-10-8). Riccardo Pontremoli from Genoa is eleventh (8-11-22-14-18-13). Reigning champion, Agustín Zabalua from Argentina, and light-wind specialist is currently 16th, penalized by his weight of just 72kg.

“It is a great regatta,” stated Luca Devoti, freshly arrived from Cascais, where he's been busy as sailing manager of America's Cup challenger Green Comm Racing. “Watching Tom Slingsby sailing is an exceptional opportunity. The fine-tuning of the D-One dinghy is continuous and now even heavyweight Finn sailors can be competitive. Riva del Garda is a notoriously windy place and maybe that scared the lighter skippers a little bit but being able to witness such a high level of racing with those guys makes it a unique spot for the sport of sailing. Next year's Gold Cup will be in Tuscany and everybody will have their chance as well.”

The event's last race is scheduled for tomorrow (Sunday) morning at 8:45am and will take place with a northerly breeze (Pelèr). The medal race carries double points and cannot be discarded, leaving the final result wide open. Two battles are expected, the first one between Slingsby and Thompson for the title and the other one between Casale and Scott for third place. Among the skippers racing with the smaller 9.5 rig, Spaniard Alvaro Maestro Garcia is holding the lead but Nathalie Testa still has some chances.

The Volvo Cup D-One, after the events in Alassio, Bracciano, Cattolica and Riva del Garda, will proceed to Marina di Scarlino in conjunction with the National Championship (16-18 September) and the Barcolina of Trieste (1-2 October).

 

D-ONE GOLD CUP: Incredible Tom Slingsby capsizes and then goes on to win

The second day of the 2011 D-One Gold Cup in Fraglia Vela Riva del Garda had in store yet another thrilling duel between Australian Tom Slingsby and Great Britain’s Nick Thompson. “Ora”, the local southerly breeze, started at 16 knots and dropped to 12 in the second race. Slingsby scored an incredible come-from-behind win in the first race after recovering from a capsize in the first run. Thompson took the second race and claimed overall leadership after 4 races. It was another excellent day for Abdrea Casale (3-4, fourth overall) while Fabio Toccoli was 8th overall and second among the Italian fleet.

Riva del Garda, July 29th: Spectators on the Garda lake on Friday afternoon were treated with an exceptional performance by Tom Slingsby. In the day’s first race (third in the 2011 D-One Gold Cup) and with the southerly breeze blowing 16 knots, the Australian, current world Laser champion, was able to recover from a capsize in the first run, while he was in the lead. His exceptional speed in the second beat and his perfect tactics in the final run allowed him to recover three spots and win the race. This was another proof of this top-notch sailor’s skills. When Slingsby capsized, Andrea Casale from Genoa took the leadership, only to be overtaken at the second weather mark. “These guys sail like crazy,” said Casale, “I gave my best but I have to admit that sailing against them is indeed a pleasure!” Casale finally was third, behind Slingsby and Thompson. Among the remaining Italian skippers, Giuseppe Pontremoli finished seventh.

In the second race, the “Ora” had dropped to 12 knots but this didn’t take away the excitement from the fight between Thompson and Slingsby. This time it was the British sailor that got the upper hand after he passed the Australian in the second beat. Third was another British, Giles Scott, current European Finn champion. Fourth place went to Andrea Casale and Croatia’s Ivan Gaspic finished fifth. Among the other Italian skippers, Giorgio Poggi and Fabio Tocolli were, respectively, seventh and eighth while ninth place went to Uberto Crivelli Visconti.

After four races with one discard, Nick Thompson is sitting at the top of the overall leaderboard (1-2-2-1) with 4 points, tied with Tom Slingsby (3-1-1-2). Giles Scott is third (2-4-4-3), Andrea Casale fourth (4-3-3-4) while fifth place goes to another British skipper, Charlie Cumbley. Among the Italians, Fabio Toccoli is eighth (10-8-12-8), Giorgio Poggi ninth (DNF-7-19-7) and Riccardo Pontremoli is tenth (8-11-22-14).

“It’s been a really tough day,” admitted Tom Slingsby, “I capsized halfway down the first run in a gybe close to the rocks. I was then able to recover thanks to my speed upwind with a strong breeze that today was clearly notable. It’s a pure pleasure racing on this dinghy that blends the abilities of a hiking boat upwind with the speed and fun downwind.”

The Volvo Cup D-One, after the events in Alassio, Bracciano, Cattolica and Riva del Garda, will proceed to Marina di Scarlino in conjunction with the National Championship (16-18 September) and the Barcolina of Trieste (1-2 October).

 

VOLVO CUP D-ONE: THE GOLD CUP IN RIVA STARTS WITH A BANG

The world Laser and Finn champions put on a true show today in Fraglia Vela Riva. Great Britain's Nick Thompson and Tom Slingsby from Australia scored one bullet each in the day's two races and demonstrated their exceptional technical level while Giles Scott stands third. It was a great day as well for Italian Andrea Casale (4-3). Among the rest of the Italian fleet, Fabio Toccoli and Riccardo Pontremoli showed a promising performance. “Ora” (the local southern breeze) blew through the afternoon, starting at 16 knots and slightly dropping to 12 in the second race

Riva del Garda, July 28th: It was a pure show of technical and sports prowess, watching the world's best Laser sailors, Australian Tom Slingsby (current world champion) and Great Britain's Nick Thompson (currently ranked 3rd), race on the D-Ones during the opening day of the Gold Cup, fourth stage of the 2011 Volvo Cup. The Laser duo was incredibly fast upwind, dynamic downwind, athletic and fit, perfectly at ease on this yacht designed by Luca Devoti.

A total of 36 skippers from 10 countries were on the starting line at Fraglia Vela Riva. Among them were Great Britain's Giles Scott, current European Finn champion, and Italian Andrea Casale, former Italian Laser and world J24 champion that chose to make his comeback “for pure pleasure” but already feeling comfortable with an excellent 4-3 score in today's two races.

Racing took place with the “Ora”, the typical afternoon southerly of the Garda lake, blowing 16 knots in the first race and then dropping to 12 in the second one. Nick Thompson took the first race, followed by Giles Scott and Tom Slingsby that capsized in the second run. Andrea Casale was fourth, Riccardo Pontremoli eighth and Fabio Toccoli tenth.

The second race of the day went to Tom Slingsby who finished ahead of Nick Thompson and Andrea Casale after a thrilling tacking duel in the second beat. Fabio Toccoli finished eighth while further down the score table was the reigning champion Agustín Zabalua (14-15). The best performance among the smaller 9.5 rig boats was of Andrea Magni, twenty-first (21-21), while Nathalie Testa claimed the top spot among the women skippers. Two more races are scheduled on Friday and Saturday, and Sunday will see he closing race of the event.

“It's really fun”, stated a jubilant Tom Slingsby. “I dueled with Nick during one entire beat, having fun like crazy and laughing at each cross. The D-One is the best way to have fun sailing but also race at a high level.”

“I haven't raced in a dinghy since fifteen years now,” said Andrea Casale, “and I have to admit I had tremendous fun. Initially I thought of this regatta as a game but now that I'm racing against these extremely well prepared guys I'm giving my best because there is always a lot to learn when one goes back to sailing basics and the sheer pleasure of sailing on a yacht.”

The Volvo Cup D-One, after the events in Alassio, Bracciano, Cattolica and Riva del Garda, will proceed to Marina di Scarlino in conjunction with the National Championship (16-18 September) and the Barcolina of Trieste (1-2 October).

 

GREAT EXPECTATIONS FOR THE D-ONE GOLD CUP IN RIVA

Riva del Garda, July 25^th: The D-Ones will undoubtedly put on a spectacular show from the 28^th to the 31^stof July in Lago di Garda in this second edition of the Gold Cup, the highest-level regatta of the innovative and high-performance single-handed dinghy with mainsail and gennaker, designed by Luca Devoti. The event, fourth one of the Volvo Cup and counting towards the overall score table, has summoned more than 40 skippers from various nations at the Fraglia Vela Riva del Garda. The D-One fleet has an interesting blend of Olympic class champions, top-level professional sailors (a number of them taking part in the 34^th America's Cup onboard Green Comm Racing), well-trained amateurs, girls racing with the smaller 9.5m rig and many passionate sailors that chose to return to sailing thanks to the thrills and fun this yacht offers her skipper.

Reigning champion, Argentina's Agustín Zabalua, winner of the first ever Gold Cup held last October at the Real Club Nautico de Valencia, will definitely not have an easy ride on the windy waters of the Alto Benaco. Among his competitors are the current world Laser champion, Australian Tom Slingsby, European Finn champions Finn Giles Scott and Ivan Gaspic, Czech Republic's Michael Maier, Nick Thompson, another world-class Laser sailor, and Belgium's Philippe Rogge.

The Italian skippers come to the D-One Gold Cup well prepared and ready to stage a tough fight. Giorgio Poggi, Italy's Finn sailor in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, will compete with high ambitions while another skipper to watch is Andrea Casale, many times Italian Laser champion, world J24 champion and professional sailor with ample experience. Andrea Ferrari from Rome, highly-trained on the D-One, is another of the numerous Italian bunch coming from Genova, Porto San Giorgio and Bracciano. Various sailors in the Masters category will be there as well skippers racing with the smaller 9.5 meter rig, conceived for lightweight athletes. Women will also have a strong presence in the regatta, led by Nathalie Testa from Genoa. During this season this group of sailor girls has shown a very good performance on the innovative D-One dinghy.

The Volvo D-One Gold Cup will start on Thursday, July 28th with the first two races. Two more races are scheduled on Friday and another two on Saturday. After the first six races, skippers will have the right to discard their worst result. The event's seventh race, scheduled on Sunday, will carry double points and cannot be discarded. This race format guarantees a very open and thrilling competition, with the final outcome uncertain until the last race. The Ora del Garda, the famous local breeze, will take care of the rest. The end of July has always been its best period and there is nothing better than a strong breeze to enjoy the speed and fun of the D-Ones.

The Volvo Cup D-One, after the events in Alassio, Bracciano, Cattolica and Riva del Garda, will proceed to Marina di Scarlino in conjunction with the National Championship (16-18 September) and the Barcolina of Trieste (1-2 October).

 

 

 

Non poteva che essere il Garda Trentino e Riva in particolare teatro dei Campionati del mondo della classe ideata da Luca Devoti. Ancora una volta la Fraglia si è resa disponibile ad organizzare regate di portata internazionale riservate a quelle classi innovative, che si propongono ai velisti che cercano nuove emozioni, così come è il D-One.
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Trentino Garda and Riva set the stage for the World Championship of the class created by Luca Devoti. Fraglia is at the helm organizing this regatta of international proportion, exclusively reserved for innovative classes such as the D One, and give competitors a sense of excitement.

More info:

FRAGLIA VELA RIVA

D-One Sailing

 

 

NO EXCUSE TO MISS TWO BIGGEST 2011 D-ONE EVENTS

 

AGUSTIN ZABALUA DOMINATES IN VOLVO CUP D-ONE IN CATTOLICA

 Cattolica, 12 June 2011: The Volvo Cup D-One continues under the clear domination of Agustín Zabalua. The Argentinean skipper, winner of the first Gold Cup edition in Valencia, scored yet another two bullets on Sunday, after Saturday’s first place. This triple bullet performance put Zabalua comfortably in command of the overall score table of this great event, hosted by the Yacht Club Marina of Cattolica. Second and third places went to Italians Alessandro Novi (2,5,2) and Paolo Rossi (3,3,5). Andrea Magni (9,4,3 and winner in the Masters division) and Nicolò Saidelli (10,6,6), with an excellent performance in Sunday’s two races, close the top five spots. Sunday’s two races were held under a gentle northerly breeze between 6 and 9 knots. On Saturday only one race took place, again with a northerly that started at 10 knots and gradually slowed to 5 knots.

Among the 21 skippers, no less than 5 raced with the smaller 9.5m rig specifically destined for lightweights. Nathalie Testa, from Albenga, was victorious in Cattolica as well, finishing ahead of Francesca Cinque, from Rome, and Valentina Venturi.

The overall level of the fleet is constantly growing, in view of the Gold Cup, scheduled to take place from the 28^th to the 31^st of July in Riva del Garda. "There will be many Finn Olympic sailors," said Agustin Zabalua,"Andrea Casale, Giorgio Poggi and many non-Italians. The level will be high and conditions demanding, with the usual summer breeze of Garda that tops 20 knots. We will have to prepare well to take advantage of our chances. The level of the class is constantly growing.”

Nicollò Saidelli from Genoa, fifth overall in Cattolica, said: "In the D-One class it’s the friendly ambiance and fun that matter most. We have lots of fun, still, with a technical boat that requires training and sharp skills to set up. We like that the class is so, we are all friends and we enjoy it very much.”

The Volvo Cup D-One, after its three initial stages in Alassio, Bracciano and Cattolica will now move to Riva del Garda (27-29 July), then at the Marina di Scarlino for the Italian National Championship (16-18 September) and finally the Barcolina of Trieste (1-2 October). 

  

 

ALBERTO FERRARI WINS THE  VOLVO CUP D-ONE

IN BRACCIANO

 

Just one single race was disputed due to the unfavorable weather conditions at Sailing Team in Bracciano, Italy. A total of 26 sailors raced, including three women with the smaller 9.5 rig. The next leg of the Volvo Cup D-One will be in Cattolica in June 11-12, followed by the most anticipated event, the Gold Cup in Riva del Garda at the end of July.

The second leg of the Volvo Cup D-One, organized by Sailing Team Bracciano, ended with just one valid race that took place on Saturday with a westerly wind of 10 knots. On Sunday,  the breeze did not come to the lake on the outskirts of Rome and at around 4:30pm the last slim hopes of having a race faded away under the storm. This event, with only a single valid race, will therefore not count towards the 2011 Volvo Cup. What remains valid however is the important victory by local skipper Alberto Ferrari, ahead of Argentina's Agustin Zabalua, reigning Gold Cup D-One champion, and Alessandro Novi from Genova.

 

THE VOLVO CUP D-ONE COMES TO BRACCIANO

 

After Alassio it’s the turn of Bracciano Sailing Team to be the host of the second leg of the 2011 Volvo Cup D-One. Next Saturday and Sunday, May 21 and 22, thirty sailors will gather on the green banks of the Bracciano lake on the outskirts of Rome, to battle it out in the usual four races (the last one carrying double points) that count towards the classification of the leg.

Among the 30-strong fleet there are six yachts sporting the smaller rig of 9.5 square meters, particularly suitable for lighter sailors and women. Indeed, among them there are four women skippers, including Natalie Testa from Liguria and Francesca Cinque from Rome. The reduced rig, in fact, allows sailors weighing just 60 kg to be competitive. The typical weather conditions of Lake Bracciano, with a thermal breeze of 10-14 knots in the afternoon, will highlight the performance of these single-handed dinghies with wings, mainsail and spinnaker whose philosophy is precisely based on being a fun boat to sail.

This is how Nathalie Testa describes the wait until the next regatta: “After the first regatta in Alassio where I was the only woman in the race, in Bracciano I will have the opportunity to measure myself on equal terms against other women. Surely we will have a lot of fun because the spirit of the D-One is the right one both on the water and ashore.”

Argentina’s Agustin Zabalua, winner of the D-One Gold Cup 2010, will be challenged by the large Roman fleet, with Alberto Ferrari being the most prominent skipper. Riccardo Pontremoli from Genoa will also be one of the contestants to take into account, especially after his good performance in Alassio.

The Volvo Cup D-One, after the onset of Alassio and Bracciano (20-22 May), will proceed to Cattolica (10-12 June), Riva del Garda (27-29 July), Marina di Scarlino in conjunction with the National Championship (16-18 September) and the Barcolina of Trieste (1-2 October).

 

 

INTERNATIONAL REGATTA OF THE CZECH D-ONE CHAMPIONSHIP

 

The International regatta of the Czech D-One Championship was held in Yacht YC Dyje Breclav on Nove Mlyny Lake from 6th to 8th May 2011.

Mike Maier claimed victory in the regatta ahead of last year's Czech champion Marek Bachtik and Eberhard Miberitz from Germany.

We look forward to meeting you all at the next Czech D-One event, to be held again on Nove Mlyny Lake in the last weekend of May.

 

 

 

DEAR D-ONE SAILORS,

 

We are pleased to invite you to D-One Streamline-Cup that will be held in Berliner Yacht club from 14 to 15 May 2011.

Practising and presentation of small D-One rig (9,5 sqm)is scheduled for Friday, 13 May 2011.

 

Please follow the link for more information.

 

 

 

 JONATHAN LOBERT WINS VOLVO CUP D-ONE IN ALASSIO

 A spectacular medal race concluded the first leg of the Volvo D-Cup One held at the Circolo Nautico al Mare of Alassio, whose president Rinaldo Agostini demonstrated again his consistent efficiency. It took a while for the breeze to build up and the race committee had to wait until 1pm to give the race start with a southerly breeze of 6-9 knots. The 18 D-One’s hit the starting line for their third race of the event and Argentina’s Agustin Zabalua, winner of the 2010 Gold Cup in Valencia, prevailed until the finish, crossing the line ahead of French Jonathan Lobert and Italian and Andrea Magni.

At that point, going into the fourth and final race that carried double points and was not discarded, three sailors had a chance at clinching overall victory: Zabalua and Lobert, tied with 3 points and Italian Finn sailor Giorgio Poggi (helmsman of Fiamme Gialle) with 4. That meant that whoever won the medal race would have also claimed the event. Luca Devoti, designer of this innovative dinghy, was closely following the races, giving valuable advice to all competitors.

As the breeze dropped the Race Committee rightly decided to move in mid-afternoon to an area where the wind was free from the influences of the coastline. As a result, the 18-strong fleet was able to start its fourth race with a steady southeasterly breeze of 10-11 knots. As expected, a fierce battle ensued in the first beat between the two Finn sailors Jonathan Lobert and Giorgio Poggi. They rounded the first weather mark very close to each other and at the start of the run, Poggi decided to gybe first while Lobert saw better breeze on the left side of the course and went for it.

The French proved to be right and at the first crossing he was ahead of the Italian. There was very little Poggi could do as Lobert sailed ahead to claim the fourth race, ahead of of Poggi and Zabalua, and the first event of this season’s Volvo Cup. Riccardo Pontremoli from Genoa scored an excellent fourth place while fifth place went to Alberto Ferrari from Rome. Nathalie Testa’s good performance today was noteworthy, being the only woman sailor in the event and sailing with the reduced rig of 9.5 square meters.

“I came to Alassio to have fun, taking a break between my Olympic commitments in the Finn class in Palma and Hyères,” said Jonathan Lobert, “and I must say that the D-One is great fun and allows you to sail having fun but at the same time with a good level. The level of this regatta was excellent and the battle with Zabalua and Poggi was truly passionate.”

“This is my second regatta in D-One,” said Giorgio Poggi, “and I really enjoyed it. I look forward to racing in late July at the Gold Cup in Riva del Garda.” The final ranking is available on www.cnamalassio.it

The season’s fourth and most important event is the D – One Gold Cup, to be held in Riva del Garda (28-31 July). After Alassio, the Volvo Cup D-One, will proceed to Bracciano (20-22 May), Cattolica (10-12 June), Marina di Scarlino in conjunction with the Italian Championship (16-18 September) and Barcolina Trieste (1-2 October).

 

 

 FUN AND COMPETITION ON THE FIRST DAY OF D-ONE RACING IN ALASSIO

The first day of this season’s Volvo Cup D-One started with a bang. Sunshine and the westerly breeze between 8 and 12 knots gave the 18 sailors from 5 countries the opportunity to enjoy two highly competitive and very fun races. Oylmpic Finn sailors Jonathan Lobert from France and Giorgio Poggi from Italy are tied at the top.

The first race was dominated by Giorgio Poggi, Italy’s Olympic Finn sailor in Qingdao in 2008 and currently preparing for the Italian selection tests for the London 2012 Olympics. Poggi crossed the finish line with a huge advantage over second-placed Alberto Ferrari from Rome. Third was France’s Jonathan Lobert, another Olympic Finn sailor. Fourth place went to Argentinean Agustín Zabalua, winner of the 2010 Gold Cup.

The second race started with the breeze turning slightly right and dropping to 8-9 knots. Victory went to Jonathan Lobert that crossed the finish line ahead of Agustin Zabalua and Giorgio Poggi. Alberto Ferrari finished fourth while fifth place went to Riccardo Pontremoli from Genoa. It’s worthwhile pointing out the good performance of Nathalie Testa with the small rig (mainsail of 9.5m2 instead of 10.5m2) for women and lighter sailors.

After two races, Jonathan Lobert (3-1) and Giorgio Poggi (1-3) are tied at the top of the leaderboard, followed by Agustín Zabalua (4-2), Alberto Ferrari (2-4) and Riccardo Pontremoli (5-5). It’s all to play for going into Sunday as two more races are on schedule, with the last one counting twice and not discarded. The score table is wide open and a fierce battle is expected for the top spot. This is a formula that all sailors really like and appreciate. “They were very fun races,” said Giorgio Poggi, “I really like the D-One and the fleet has a good level. In the second race Nathalie, my girlfriend, also managed to cross in front of me soon after the start, something I enjoyed much.”

The season’s fourth and most important event is the D – One Gold Cup, to be held in Riva del Garda (28-31 July). After Alassio, the Volvo Cup D-One, will proceed to Bracciano (20-22 May), Cattolica (10-12 June), Marina di Scarlino in conjunction with the Italian Championship (16-18 September) and Barcolina Trieste (1-2 October).

 

 

THE D-ONE SEASON KICKS OFF IN ALASSIO

 

After the Melges 24, the Laser SB3 and the Optimists, the D-Ones are also ready to hit the water for their first event of the Volvo Cup season. The innovative and high-performance dinghy designed by Luca Devoti will be present with a twenty-strong fleet of sailors, representing five nations (Italy, France, Argentina, Switzerland and Greece). The stage for this season’s opener will be the sea of Alassio where the Circolo Nautico al Mare, chaired by Rinaldo Agostini, will organize the two days of racing. Friday’s program was focused on testing and training, giving the twenty skippers the opportunity to regain confidence for the planing the big spinnaker will guarantee. Four races (the last one counting double) that will crown the season’s first champion of the season are on schedule for Saturday and Sunday. Taking part in this regatta will also be the D-One with the smaller rig, ideal for women, helmed by Nathalie Testa.

The D-One, that just a month ago received the award of best project in 2010 during the Sailor of the Year ceremony organized in Rome by Acciari Consulting, has already exceeded 120 units sold worldwide and is the ideal yacht for everyone that loves competition and dinghies. It’s not a coincidence that two of the world’s best sailors in the Olympic Finn class will be racing in Alassio, Italy’s Giorgio Poggi and France’s Jonathan Loberto. Among the sailors to keep an eye on is Argentine Agustin Zabalua, winner of the first D-One Magic Marine BetPro Gold Cup held in Valencia last October.

Alassio’s regatta will mark the return of Andrea Magni, organizer of the Volvo Cup circuit, and Andrea Ferrari from Rome that showed his great form in recent winter races. Together with them a strong group of Italians skippers will battle it out, in view of the fourth and most important event of the Volvo Cup, the D – One Gold Cup, to be held in Riva del Garda (28-31 July). After Alassio, the Volvo Cup D-One, will proceed to Bracciano (20-22 May), Cattolica (10-12 June), Marina di Scarlino in conjunction with the Italian Championship (16-18 September) and Barcolina Trieste (1-2 October).

 

Dear Sailors,

We would like to offer you the opportunity of individual boat charter at all of our regattas this season.

This is a wonderful chance for you to test and try out the D-One.

The price is 130,00 eur/per day + part of transport costs (depending on transport distance). The price is excl. VAT.

 

Devoti Sailing Team

 

 

LUCA DEVOTI WINS 2010 BEST ITALIAN DESIGNER AWARD

 

Monday evening was a high moment in the short history of the D-ONE dinghy as its co-creator, Italian Olympics medalist Luca Devoti together with Phil Morrison and Roman Teply, won the Velista dell'Anno 2010 award for the Best Italian Yacht Designer, presented in scenic Villa Miani (Rome) by Acciari Consulting in partnership with the Italian Sailing Federation and italian sailing magazines FareVela, Yacht Capital, Nautica and Yacht&Sail. Marina di Loano, Feudi di San Gregorio and Istituto per il Credito Sportivo sponsored the event. Andrea Mura (winner of the Route du Rhum 2010 in the Rhum category with his 50ft Vento di Sardegna) was awarded with the Velista dell'Anno for the Best Sailor.  

The awards are recognized as the highest honours an Italian sailor can receive in recognition of their outstanding achievements during the previous year. Similar to the previous editions, the awards this year had the same guideline, not only to reward  past results but also one's capacity to popularize the sport of sailing and the overall spirit with which they approach it. The jury's deliberation was exhaustive, since it was not easy to determine rankings among all the well-deserving nominees.

Luca Devoti was presented with the award of Best Italian Yacht Designer in 2010 for his D-ONE dinghy. According to the jury, Devoti's innovative D-ONE was key to bringing back to sailing a great number of sailors that had distanced themselves from the sport. 

"I wanted to try everything in sailing", explained Devoti. "I raced, I coached younger sailors and then I dedicated myself to yacht design. Receiving this award is like going through a second youth, creating new challenges for the future."

 

 

 

 FUN AND SUCCESSFUL D-ONE CLINIC IN VALENCIA

It was a perfect three-day sailing weekend for the first D-One Clinic of 2011. Luca Devoti and Agustin Zabalua, 2010 Gold Cup champion, coached ten sailors from 4 countries (Italy, UK, Switzerland and Spain) that practiced on the breezy waters of Valencia. The class had also the pleasure to host the first test sessions of the new small rig for the ladies, with two experienced female sailors from Italy (former 470 sailors Nathalie Testa and Francesca Cinque) testing the new rig.

Our friend Michele Tognozi, editor of FareVela.net, was in the clinic and shared his impressions: "The rig "chico" (small in spanish) has a mainsail 2 sq m smaller and a shorter upper part of the mast. It demonstrated to be perfect for weights from 55 to 70 kg. The ladies sailed with a lot of fun and smiles as it was real pleasure to sail this brand new boat in a steady breeze. The small rig will also be present in the 2011 circuit, the Volvo Cup, where the girls will join the male fleet with standard rig and will be competing on separate standings. We sailed that rig, feeling a nice control of the boat upwind in a 18-knot shore wind. Easier and more reactive for the lighter guys too, that's for sure.

The Real Club Nautico de Valencia base, with his perfect logistics, was once again a perfect venue for this kind of clinics. The days started with a briefing, boat mantainance and programmed sail testing (the new main by North Sails were scheduled on test). Starting at 1pm all participants enjoyed the breeze during the 3-hour afternoon session. Agustin Zabalua directed the Clinic with a program that consisted of upwind and downwind practice separately for each sailor followed by fleet races. There were the usual practice starts and then a regular upwind/downwind race. It didn't take long before the 10-strong fleet started getting warmed up, leaving behind them the winter inactivity. Alberto Ferrari from Rome and Tim Garvin from the UK were the top finishers in the majority of the races, with masters Guido Falciola and Gianni Tricarico working hard for the 2011 season."

The Italian D-One circuit, Volvo Cup, will kick off two months from now in Alassio.

Check the photo album from last weekend's clinic here

 

 „D-ONE 2011 Calendar“

 

„D-ONE Valencia clinic“ 

 

„D-ONE WINTER SERIE IN ANZIO, ITALY“ 

 

For more information go on this link and also find the notice of race. 

 

 

REPORT OF CAMPEONATO INVERNALE ( WINTER CHAMP), ANZIO, ITALY ON OCTOBER 23 AND 24.

 

First weekend.

 During the 23rd and 24th of current four races have been disputed in Anzio's waters, of which there have been validated three of them.

 The field of batle is exceptional, excellent wind conditions of the S - of approximately 17 knots of intensity with turnings of 20 degrees to both directions and a wave of meter and a half that allowed to develop all the exciting capacities of the D-One class  during the Saturday with 13 skippers on the road.

 The only valid race of the day was gained by a powerful Alberto Ferrari who demonstrated incomparable skill upwind like in sterns, field knowledge of ditches and firmness on the area of game, second was Andrea Ganccia great velocista downwind and third was Stefano Caruso that every day approaches more to the first ones of the fleet and it demonstrates his courage on board.

 On Sunday the conditions were calmer with winds from 10 to 12 knots of the South. The field  was shared by the fleet of Laser, Snipe and finn stopping clearly as local star to the D-One. It was exciting to see D-Oners's fleet sailing to almost the speed of the wind when the rest of the classes to sorrow was moving. Both races of the day were gained by the European and italian champion Agustín Zabalúa who demonstrated why he remained with the crown in waters of Valencia putting three bullets over five races. It was followed successively by Alberto Ferrari in the first one and by Andrea Ganccia in the second one. The partial one of the championship stays in Zabalúa's hands up to the next date that will be a November 21 and 22.

Closely together of the zone spectators we could see the figure of our friend Luca Devoti who ' followed closely the battery of exits. Thrilled and so enthusiast since always he shared with all the D-Oners the incredible  dinner in Alberto Ferrari's house where marvellous wines of the region were drunk.

Good winds.

Agustín Zabalúa

 – Fierro caliente -