Please select your home edition
Edition
Vaikobi 2024 Black Friday

Louis Vuitton Cup- Cheap point for new helmsman

by Bob Fisher on 28 Jul 2013
Emirates Team New Zealand NZL5 with Glenn Ashby driving practice before the Round Robin 4, Artemis race. Louis Vuitton Cup. San Francisco. Chris Cameron/ETNZ http://www.chriscameron.co.nz

For the first time in the Louis Vuitton Cup races for six years, Dean Barker was absent from the wheel of Emirates Team New Zealand, and his place as helmsman was taken by Glenn Ashby, normally the wing trimmer.

Ashby’s credentials for the job are more than sufficient, having won 14 world championships in three multihull classes and ten Australian A-class catamaran championships.

The south-westerly breezes in San Francisco Bay were lighter than usual, at an average of 13 knots, peaking at 15.7. Nevertheless, Ashby and the Kiwi crew sailed the AC-72 around the five-leg, 9.64-mile course in 30’:59' at an average of 22.8 knots, with a top speed of 33.8 knots. It was an impressive performance in what should have been a race against Artemis that gave the reserve helmsman good practice on the racecourse.

There was just one moment of concern for the ETNZ crew. It occurred as the boat rounded the windward gate and was about to gybe. A family cruising boat had strayed on to the course as Ashby prepared for the downwind manoeuvre shortly after bearing away – he was forced to gybe early to miss the boat. 'Not the sort of thing you would want if you were in a close race,' declared a smiling wing trimmer Adam Beashel.

At the end of the fourth round robin of the Louis Vuitton Cup, Emirates Team New Zealand leads with eight points and Luna Rossa has four; the Swedish team, Artemis, has yet to race. The blue boat has been out for practice on three occasions, but stayed in her Alameda base today. Tomorrow sees ETNZ matched against Luna Rossa in the fifth round.

Cyclops Marine 2023 November - FOOTERPantaenius 2022 - SAIL & POWER 1 FOOTER AUSNavico AUS Zeus3S FOOTER

Related Articles

2024 44Cup Nanny Cay Day 2
Nika recovers her mojo as Artemis Racing edges into the lead in the BVI Conditions on the British Virgin Islands' St Francis Drake Channel further improved today; still shifty, thanks to the islands to weather and the tropical clouds overhead, but with more wind - ranging from 9-13 knots.
Posted today at 12:08 am
Maxi Cup 2024 | Video on Scallywag's Bow
What the action is like up-close on the bow of a 100 footer when there's breeze Ever wondered what the action is like up-close on the bow of a 100 footer when the breeze is on?
Posted on 22 Nov
Etchells Worlds entries closing on 30 November
Just one more week to enter the Melbourne event The 2025 Etchells Worlds entries close in just over a week and the competition is continuing to ramp up at the Royal Brighton Yacht Club (RBYC).
Posted on 22 Nov
Vendée Globe Friday Evening Update
Plus SailGP Season 5 starts tomorrow! Charlie Dalin has extended his lead in the Vendée Globe, but he could shortly encounter lighter winds than the following pack, before they are hit by the developing low pressure system in the South Atlantic.
Posted on 22 Nov
Vendée Globe Race - Day 14 - Mind the Gap
Almost half the fleet are now across the Equator and into the Southern Hemisphere Of the 39 boats still racing in the Vendée Globe most are now out of the Doldrums and almost half are now across the Equator in the Southern Hemisphere. Thomas Ruyant (VULNERABLE) led the fleet across last night at 1910hrs yesterday evening.
Posted on 22 Nov
49er, 49erFX, and Nacra 17 sailors in SailGP
A look at the sailors from our classes competing this weekend The fifth season of SailGP launches this weekend in Dubai, bringing together 11 national teams and some of the world's best sailors.
Posted on 22 Nov
Dylan Fletcher race ready for his return to SailGP
At the Emirates Dubai Sail Grand Prix presented by P&O Marinas this weekend Dylan Fletcher is race ready for his return to SailGP, after taking on the Driver role for Ben Ainslie's Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix Team.
Posted on 22 Nov
Race for the Rolex SailGP Championship begins
With the Emirates Dubai Sail Grand Prix this weekend This weekend, the most exciting racing on water returns to the iconic city of Dubai - marking the official start of SailGP's most expansive season to date.
Posted on 22 Nov
ETNZ ranked #5 in major sport brands
Emirates Team NZ has been ranked at #5 on the global Sports Technology Power List In the 2024 Sports Technology Annual Review and Power List published Friday, Emirates Team New Zealand has been ranked at #5 on the global Sports Technology Power List by The STA Group who champions the best sports technology globally.
Posted on 22 Nov
Vendée Globe Friday Morning Update
Charlie Dalin on MACIF Santé Prévoyance has taken the lead The leaders in the Vendée Globe have now crossed the Equator into the Southern Hemisphere and are enjoying blast reaching conditions.
Posted on 22 Nov