Stars turn out for Laureus regatta

Andy Rice rubs shoulders with Hollywood stars at the glitzy match race event in Monte Carlo

Ben Ainslie put in arguably the best performance despite finishing third

Day 2 was also dogged by light and sometimes non-existent breezes, and John Doerr battled to get as many heats completed as possible. Eventually, only two semi-final heats could be held, with Bruni the strategist from Prada beating Ainslie the former strategist from OneWorld 2-0. It was one win apiece for Riley and Peponnet, with both America’s Cup stars proving that Roel Piper’s racing-oriented 80-footer Favonius was quicker than Leonardo Ferragamo’s more cruisy 82-foot Solleone by some margin. At one all, it was Peponnet’s clear sheet in the round robin from day 1 that saw him earn a place in the final against Bruni.

With the mismatch of speed in the grand 80-footers, the organisers sensibly decided to hold the final heat in the better-equalised 46-footers. Not that this was to create an equal match. In the light breezes, the skippers had been motoring around in the pre-start all the way up to the four minute when the rules say they must cut the engine. But in such heavy cruising yachts, it was worth building the extra momentum as much as possible. While Bruni launched into the starting box with good speed, Peponnet entered his end of the line at a snail’s pace. One of his crew had thrown the throttle into reverse before cutting the engine. The Frenchman never built speed and was left for dead off the line - it was a no-contest, with Bruni winning the short windward/leeward race by over two minutes - the most lucrative half mile of racing in his career.

Peponnet was furious to have lost his chance in such a manner, Bruni was simply ecstatic. In sailing terms, the victory had no significance, but did he care as he sat grinning like a schoolboy in the driving seat of his new car? In terms of sailing ability, Ainslie was judged to have extracted the best speed out of the boats he was given, and despite being given the perceived underdog Solleone for the petit-final, he succeeded in footing over Riley at the start before she could bring Favonius’s advantage to bear.

After drawing bad air up the beat, Riley gybe set at the windward mark and picked up a zephyr of new breeze to set up a thrilling last dash for the line. She sent Favonius dead downwind at the end, in a last bid attempt to reach the finish first but Ainslie held on by five seconds. Not that the outcome of this race was quite so crucial, as Ainslie, Riley and all the other skippers would receive a Panerai watch regardless of their performance.

But Ainslie was clearly as fired up about winning this event as he is about winning anything. He finished runner-up last year, third this year, and you sense that he and all the skippers are keen as mustard to take time out every year for a pop at a gleaming Merc. The Volvo-sponsored Ainslie can work out what to do with it after he’s won it.

Overall Results

Final Bruni beat Peponnet 1-0

Petit-final Ainslie beat Riley 1-0




Ian Walker wrestles with Daley Thompson for the wheel

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