Lovell joins the party

Tornado Olympic and match race specialist signs up for International Catamaran Challenge Trophy

The International Catamaran Challenge Trophy’s (ICCT) received another entry when U.S. Olympic Tornado sailor and five-time Tornado National Champion John Lovell showed up earlier this month to compete in the F-18HT class at Sail Newport’s 2003 Newport (RI) Regatta presented by Volkswagen.

While in the City-By-the-Sea, Lovell confirmed his plans to return to Newport this 28 September 28-3 October to sail F-18HT catamarans again in the International Catamaran Challenge Trophy. Lovell also proved he will be a force to be reckoned with - in the seven-race F-18HT series, Lovell outsailed 10 other teams, including one skippered by Olympic Medallist Randy Smyth considered one of the ICCT’s most formidable contenders.

"I had a blast," said Lovell, explaining that he learned a lot in a short time on a borrowed boat. "Randy and I both had an edge on the fleet and traded off first- and second-place finishes. If he had won the last race, he would have won on a tie-breaker. Instead, I won the race and so the regatta by two points."

Smyth said the competition served up some "nice surprises on the water."

The International Catamaran Challenge Trophy will follow a similar match race format to the 'big' America's Cup. "There are some interesting quirks when you’re match racing catamarans," said Smyth, noting that multihull sailboats are much faster and feistier than monohulls but don’t turn as quickly. "It’s like sailing a big dinghy with two hulls," he added. "We even flipped a few times."

Lovell’s analysis was a bit more technical: "These cats have no jib, so the match racing judges are going to have a tough time determining when a boat has gone past head-to-wind. That’s important in things like the dial-up."

As for match racing experience, Lovell is a past Prince of Wales Match Racing champion and recent competitor in several other match racing events. This will certainly be an advantage, but according to Smyth, "sailing the ICCT in F-18HTs is a great equaliser."

"Johnny has the most match racing rules knowledge, which will be beneficial," said Smyth, "but there is no one signed up who really specialises in both catamaran sailing and match racing. It will be a real challenge."

Smyth sailed with W. F. Oliver, who is slated to crew in the ICCT for Matt Struble . Struble is a three-time Alter Cup champion and, with Oliver, the current F-18HT European Champion. Oliver is the current F-18HT North American Champion. Lovell sailed with crew Howard Cromwell but in September plans to team with Charlie Ogletree, his crew for the last two Olympics and for his 2004 campaign.

The new format for the International Catamaran Challenge Trophy involves a maximum of ten 'challenger' teams from outside the United States and 10 'defender' teams sponsored by yacht clubs in the United States. The two groups will sail a series of match-racing round robins to determine the final challenger and defender for the Trophy. Among the challenger skippers are Italy’s Alberto Sonino, Paolo Bassini and Egidio Babbi, formidable sailors who have both Lovell’s and Smyth’s respect. The defender pool, however, is the first concern for these two champions. "Lovell will be one of the top players," said Smyth as Lovell shared his own perspective: "Smyth will definitely be one to watch."