News

November 29, 2007

There are just 24 hours left for Mean Machine 21, the brand new Farr 40 to join the Mean Machine family, to make her début in society. The new addition to the family couldn’t ask for a better first appearance than in one of the key events in the North American circuit, the Farr 40 10th Anniversary Regatta.

Peter de Ridder’s team has been in Miami for a week now. The team is preparing to return to a class in which they have previously tasted success with Mean Machine 16 (2003): 2nd place in the Farr 40 European Championships, a victory in Miami Race Week (2005) and second place in the Block Island Race week celebrated on the West coast of the USA.

For this inaugural regatta for the Mean Machine Farr 40, Peter de Ridder has brought together many of the familiar faces from the Mean Machine sailing platform: Ray Davies (tactician), Dirk de Ridder and Jono Swain, who, along with Allan Smith form the professional part of the team; and Dennis Goethals, Joost de Graaff, Sander van der Borch, Sander Speet and the recent addition to the team Emily Davies. All together the team achieve the pro – am distribution required by the Farr 40 class.

The Farr 40 class brings together some of the world’s best sailors, providing a tough level of competition, similar to that in the TP 52 class. Peter de Ridder and crew will be facing rivals of the calibre of Americans Barking Mad with James Richardson and Terry Hutchinson on tactics, John Demourkas’s Grooverderci, Matt and Lisa Allen’s Ichi Ban with Grant Simmer on tactics or Fred & Steve Howe’s Warpath; the Italian World Champions Mascalzone Latino skippered by Vicenzo Honorato or Máximo Mezzaroma’s Nerone.

Race organizers have programmed a maximum of 9 windward-leeward races, due to start on the 30th November and finishing on the 3rd of December in Miami Beach, a familiar racing venue for Peter de Ridder and his Mean Machines, and for Jono Swain in particular.