Land Rover BAR Gladiator in San Diego for NOOD Regatta
by Land Rover BAR 16 Mar 2018 01:57 NZDT
16-18 March 2018
Land Rover BAR Gladiator, SCYA Mid-Winter Regatta © Harry KH / Land Rover BAR
Land Rover BAR Gladiator will race in this weekend's NOOD regatta, San Diego (17th – 18th March). The event will be the newly formed team's second visit to California this year after their maiden win at the SCYA (Southern California Yachting Association) Mid-Winter Regatta in San Diego in early February.
The NOOD or National Offshore One Design regattas are one of the foundations of the North American sailboat racing scene, attracting close to 2,000 boats and more than 30,000 competitors and spectators annually. One-design fleets from 20 to 70 feet long race each other over long weekends, attracting local crews and the stars of sailing alike.
Land Rover BAR Gladiator is a partnership between Britain's America's Cup Challenger, Land Rover BAR, led by Sir Ben Ainslie, and Langley Holdings plc's Gladiator TP52 sailing team on the international TP52 racing circuit - itself being used as a build up to the 36th America's Cup. For the NOOD regatta, seasoned TP52 helm Tony Langley will again be on the wheel, sailing alongside crew members including Rio Olympic Finn gold medallist Giles Scott, Andrew McLean as navigator, David Carr will provide power in the cockpit, Nick Hutton on mid-bow and Matt Cornwell on the bow.
Land Rover BAR Academy sailor Matt Brushwood will also join the team in San Diego. This is part of an on-going programme to integrate the Academy squad into the TP52 programme, providing them with further world class sailing and racing experience. Matt Brushwood, who is 23, joined the Land Rover BAR Academy in Barcelona last summer for Act 4 of the Extreme Sailing Series. He sails as bowman/floater on the GC32, but will be a grinder aboard the TP52.
Thoughts ahead of the racing
Tony Langley, Helm, Gladiator: "It's good to have the team back in San Diego, we had a very solid training regatta here last month and I'm sure we will continue to build on that this week."
Jono Macbeth, Sailing Team Manager: "Last month, we had a good result in our first regatta in San Diego but at this stage of the TP52 campaign we're not so much results driven, we are working on building the relationships and processes within the team that are key to winning regattas.
"Land Rover BAR Gladiator's focus is on the 52 Super Series, we want to make sure we've ticked every box so that when we get to the first event we're a hundred per cent ready to compete against the well-established teams that have been racing on the circuit for a number of years.
"The relationship that we have built with Tony Langley and his Gladiator sailing team is very beneficial for both parties. We are all excited about the racing season ahead, in particular the opportunity to get young Land Rover BAR Academy sailors, like Matt Brushwood, involved."
Land Rover BAR Gladiator racing programme:
52 Super Series:
May 23rd - 27th, Sibenik, Croatia
June 20th - 24th, Zadar, Croatia
July 17th - 21st, Cascais, Portugal
August 21st - 25th, Mallorca, Spain
September 18th - 22nd, Valencia, Spain
TP52 Racing:
16 - 18 March San Diego US - Helly Hansen NOOD Regatta
21 - 24 March - Testing UK
2 - 6 May - Palma, Mallorca - Palmavela Regatta
1 - 3 June - California US - Cal Race Week
7 July - Isle of Wight, UK - Round the Island Race
4 - 11 August - Isle of Wight UK - Cowes Week
28 - 30 Sept - San Francisco - PAC52 Cup
Land Rover BAR Gladiator crew list:
Tony Langley: Helm
Ben Durham: Tactician
Andy McLean: Navigator
Giles Scott: Runner
Andrew Estcourt: Main
Mikkel Rossberg: Downwind Trim
Joey Newton: Trim
Geoff Povey: Grind 3
David Carr: Grind 2
Matt Brushwood: Grind 1
Tom Wilson: Pit
Nick Hutton: Mid-bow
Matthew Cornwell: Bow
Support team:
Rob Wilson: Coach
Doug Newell: Boat Builder
Greg Griffin: Shore Crew