Robinson races for glory at King's Cup

Former 18-foot skiff world champion Tim Robinson talks about racing IMS at Spain's most prestigious yachting event

The Copa Del Rey regatta in Palma, Majorca describes itself as the most important regatta in the Mediterranean and looking at the entry list this is certainly the case. Add to this numerous royalty from various nations, movie stars, super yachts, Olympic medallists, indulgent sponsors and a chasing entourage of journalists - all squeezed into sunny Palma. The Copa Del Rey - or King's Cup - is surely one of Europe's most glamorous sailing events.
For Team Nautica this event will be our main goal for the 2001 season. As a new team in the Spanish IMS circuit we are looking to put into practice the lessons we have learned in three lead-up regattas at Puerto Banus, Barcelona and Valencia. Coming from a background almost exclusively focused on fast One Design skiffs including the 18 footers, International 14s and 49ers, the world of IMS racing has certainly proved to be something of a new game.

The disappointment of not making the final selection for a place in the all-conquering British team for Sydney (and the three years full time sailing that this involved) left me keen to take some time off from intense competition. This was until Nautica, one of my sponsors for the 49er, offered me the opportunity to put a team together to compete in Spain. For Nautica the logic was relatively straightforward: Nautica as a brand has a natural association with water and sailing (aside from the name they also took the J-Class yacht Shamrock as the inspiration for the brand logo). The majority of its retail distribution is in coastal resorts where many of the regattas have and will take place. Most importantly, sailing in Spain enjoys a significant media profile. This last point is almost solely down to the presence of the King of Spain and his family.

For a dinghy sailor the immediate differences in big boats are the team factors brought about by a crew of nine, the logistics this then entails (and particularly when the boat is based in Spain) and the mysterious world of ratings. Most complex is understanding the IMS rule and steps that need to be taken to fully optimise the boat. The most basic ingredient in this tends to be cash.

The boat we went with was Pieter Heyn's Beneteau 40.7, an owner living in the UK but with a year’s experience of racing in Spain. Unfortunately, when we got to the first regatta in Spain, it soon became apparent that the 40.7 was in fact a year out of fashion as the IMX 40 enjoyed a considerable gain in the annual IMS rating reassessment in November 2000. The net result is that the IMX 40 has largely dominated IMS racing this year with boats performing well in both classes at the recent IMS Worlds in Valencia whilst the 40.7 barely got a look in.

There are other issues relevant to IMS racing and specifically its reputation for 'measurement and rating optimisation' - an area that produces considerable (and seemingly illogical) benefits for some boats over others. This might include multiple inclinations in a single session, ideally in 'freshish' water until an appropriate outcome is achieved. The result can be a boat that is inherently faster on the water and yet you have to give them time. To One Design sailors this can be more than a little frustrating. But this is all part of the game and besides the King of Spain likes it - and if he likes it, so does everyone else.

Having reconciled ourselves with what seems to be a permanent handicap we have set our sights on beating the other Beneteau 40.7s at Palma. To achieve this still requires an extensive programme of optimisation including reshaping the keel, new sails and further re-measurements in an effort to gain a competitive rating. We believe we have gone a long way to achieving this and we now have a boat that effectively puts us in a One Design position with the other leading 40.7s.

With an entry of 26 Beneteau 40.7s in a fleet of 73 boats for Class B, out of a total 125 for the regatta, the racing will be fantastic and at a very high level. If the other IMS regattas are anything to go by we will be lining up for the start with the likes of Gold Medallists Jose Doreste and Jose Van de Ploeg on either side. The format will be six windward-leeward races, each of about 90 minutes. The one offshore race has for this year been separated from the overall results due to the vagaries of the overnight breezes and in 'unfair' results this tended to throw up.

For this event Team Nautica has a crew loaded with dinghy World Champions (the team boasts world titles in five classes and an Olympic silver medal) and a One World America's Cup crew, including Ian Barker, Ed Smyth, Dick Parker, Andy Fethers and Jerry Hill.

So, great crew, not-so great rating, fantastic event - should be good...