29erxx Open Cup at the Weymouth & Portland Sailing Academy

Twenty-seven teams from eight countries gather at Weymouth for the 29erXX Open Cup © Dave Hall

Twenty-seven teams from eight countries gather at Weymouth for the 29erXX Open Cup © Dave Hall

Twenty-seven teams from eight countries gather at Weymouth for the 29erXX Open Cup © Dave Hall

Twenty-seven teams from eight countries gathered at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy for two days of racing in the first 29erXX Open Cup. The 29erXX, a new design by skiff guru Julian Bethwaite, is a high-powered rig for the existing 29er hull. This new rig is only 18 inches longer than the standard 29er mast, and features carbon construction, double trapeze wires and three sets of shrouds. A masthead kite adds quite a bit of speed downwind while the responsive 29er platform requires the sailors to move with precision through maneuvers. Carbon tubes extend out the back of each rail to allow the crew to keep their weight further aft and the bow out of the water.

After the first day of racing Canadian Genevieve Bougie-Basiten remarked "Under ten knots I felt a bit under powered, but the new rig demands better boathandling [than the 29er]. You must be in good shape, and the skipper has to work so much harder now. Its really fun!"

Although the 29erXX is aimed to be the first women's Olympic skiff, the inaugural event was open to all sexes and featured competitors from eight different countries. The teams were divided evenly into three heats and the first fleet was sent out on Monday July 31st to a course inside Weymouth Harbor in winds gusting up to 25 knots. The remaining teams watched from a nearby dock with an up-close view of the weather mark. Cheers were loudest after big wipeouts, of which there were many.

Pepe Bettini (ARG) and Pete Perera (GBR) won the first race after only capsizing twice. "Its fun! We won the first race, making history! We can control the boat, go fast, and have fun," remarked Pepe. The breeze remained strong over both days. Amidst high-wind delays, four races were held for each flight for a total of twelve races.

Considering the wind and the fact that it was the firt time that most helms had trapezed the boats and rigs stood up remarkabley well with only the usual broken tiller extensions and torn kites after swimming, one mast went after an extreme gust and a big pile up. Nonetheless, the competition was fierce, all had fun, and the general consensus supports the direction the 29erXX design takes. Local I-14 gurus Kate Nurton and Louise Hickey wished the boat included more high-tech features, but were completely in favour of including a women's skiff in the Olympics. 2004 Yngling gold medallist Sarah Ayton raced on the last day. She returned to the dock with a huge grin, commenting, "This is great! Its really good fun to go so fast."

Five masts will return to Canada with the hopes of hosting another 29erXX event following the CORK regatta the third week of August. Going forward the main goal is a good showing at the ISAF Observation Trials in Santander, Spain next spring. From there, the possibilities are endless.

A special thanks to event organizers Dave Hall and Gerardo Seeliger, PRO Dave Shepard, videographer and safety boat operator Steve Hopper, and builders Ovington, PS2000 and Bethwaite Designs for providing the rigs.

Overall Results:

1st GER Julian Ramm Hannes Wagner 5pts
2nd ARG/GBR Pepe Bettini Peter Perera 7pts
3rd FIN/AUS Silja Lehtinen Scott Babbage 10pts
4th AUS/USA James Francis Matt Noble 11pts
5th GER Georg Borksenstein Iver Ahlmann 12pts

All Female Teams:

1st GER Kerstin Beucke Susann Beucke 15pts
2nd USA Tracy Smith Kathleen Tocke 16pts
3rd USA Jen Glass Genny Tulloch 20pts
4th AUS/CAN Emma Spiers Katja Smutny 20pts
5th CAN Genevieve and Veronique Bougie-Bastian 21pts