Entrevistra de Medcup a Guille Parada

Guilermo Parada, skipper of Siemens Matador, was one of the few owner's representatives who were visibly open about starting a new TP52 project during the 2006 Copa del Rey in Palma. A year on, Siemens Matador was winning the top trophy in Palma and now sits third on the overall Breitling MedCup TP52 Circuit leaderboard.
Here he gives an insight into a busy year which had its highs and lows:
" Last year at Copa del Rey our owner decided to go ahead with the project and so after that I went back to Valencia where I was living at the time and set up meetings with Rolf Vrolijk and Juan K who were both of our options. Juan is a good friend of ours but he was too involved in another project to design us a TP52. So it became very obvious that Rolf was the best option.

I started to work immediately with the Argentinian guys in Valencia at King Marine, they are good friends and we had worked them many times before, so we knew straight away they were able to build a good boat. So we made a slot reservation there, and from then on it was starting at the research and development stage."

" We set up a deadline for the end of November to set up the first material list and first design drawings, we started working for one and a half, two months before most people, but we spent that time in research in terms of hull shapes, appendages, rigs and sails. So King Marine was busy building the America's Cup boat for Desafio Espanol, they were not going to be able to start building until Christmas, but we made sure that all the materials were in place and the final design details all in place so that once we go ahead it was full-on all the time without any delays."

" So we had the boat ready for the beginning of May, and we started sea trials in Valencia then sorting out the crew. That was when we had a big set back because from early last year we sign up with Dee Smith to sail with us for the whole season."

" And unfortunately he was with a health problem which was keeping him out from the race course. Even now I talk with him every day after racing and he is always suggesting ways to improve, we tell him what is happening."

" But even so we are losing because we do not have the same guy as tactician all the time. But for the crew 85% of the group is the same for the last years."

" Alexia and Matador are the same family. Alexia was the father's boat and Matador was the son's boat. This is the father's boat but because he has an Alexia 100 footer so he asked that this one is Matador name."

" With Alexia we won the Maxi Worlds, we won the Giraglia, we won the Fastnet, we won the Newport Bermuda, we won many many races, we were very lucky. That was over ten years but the last two seasons we had many good results before we decided to step up to the top level with the TP52.

It is a lot tougher because it is a level class, and as Paul Cayard says, every name in yachting is here. It is very very tough but it is very gratifying to have a win like this in our first season, and we are still in the catch up mode in designing sails with no previous experience, and every time we go out we are discovering more things about the boat, and new things."

" We made modifications to the rig set up a lot, we modify the sails in Palma we had one new mainsail and three new jibs and we have been working on spinnakers for the next regatta. And we have a couple of new sails to try for the next regatta. After Alicante we move the rudder forward, we modify the rig changing the spreader angle, the keel has been fine."

" For Portimao we have to keep sailing good and getting the best out of the boat and the crew."