2020 WORLDS AND GOLD CUP - NEWPORT, AUSTRALIA
Artemis XIV wins Gold Cup and Worlds double Six months after winning in Helsinki, Artemis XIV dominated both the 2020 Scandinvian Gold Cup and World Championship at the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club at Newport, on Pittwater, racing on the iconic Palm Beach Circle
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he 2020 Scandinavian Gold Cup and World Championship returned to Australia for the first time in 15 years and was raced for on the Palm Beach Circle, at the head of Pittwater, just north of Sydney. The host club, the Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club, in Newport, is the hotbed of 5.5 Metre racing in Australia and its members have orchestrated a revival of the class in Australia in recent years, with more than 10 boats now racing at the club. After winning the Scandinavian Gold Cup in both 2018 and 2019, and the World Championship in 2019 just five months earlier, Kristian Nergaard, sailing Artemis XIV (NOR 57, Kristian Nergaard, Johan Barne, Anders Pedersen), was the outright favourite, as well as eyeing up the Gold Cup triple, a feat only achieved once in the history of the event, and that was by Nergaard from 2008-2010. However it went
better than any of them could have expected. Artemis XIV ‘s main competition was expected to come from New Moon II (BAH 24, Mark Holowesko, Christoph Burger, Peter Vlasov), but they had turned up in a brand new boat and spent most of the first week fine-tuning. Ali Baba (BAH 23, Craig Symonette, Flavio Marrazi, Will Alloway), while not eligible for the Gold Cup, turned out to be the main challenger for the world title and was the only boat still capable of taking the title away from the Norwegians in the final race. Scandinavian Gold Cup The 93rd Scandinavian Gold Cup opened with a spectacular onshore breeze with clear skies and with the wind rising from 20 knots at the start to 30 knots mid race. It was borderline sailing with most boats in trouble at some point, and half the fleet pulling out. Beta Crucis (AUS 63, Martin Cross, Bob Stoddard, Martin Bunch) dominated the race, leading at the first mark and extending round the first two laps. Several boats soon pulled
Above and left: Artemis XIV won the 2020 Scandinavian Gold Cup with three straight wins Right: Beta Crucis took three second places in the Gold Cup and narrowly missed winning the first race • Middle right: Girls on Film and New Moon II • Top right: Shaolin picks up a big surf in Race 1 of the Gold Cup
16 • fivepointfive • april 2020
