In This Issue:
LMSRF Championship Results
Around Alone Report for November 4
US Sailing Meeting
Around Alone Class I/ Leg 1 Wrap Up
Rhut de Rhum- Starts Sunday
Clipper 98- Fleet sails Leg 2

LMSRF Championship Series
    The Lake Michigan Sailing Federation
recently released the results of its season
1998 "Championship Series'. Results were
compiled for the following types of boats:
One Design 35, J 35, J 105, T-10, Mumm 30,
PHRF, IMS.
    The LMSRF series are season long affairs.
Each classes scores results from a series of
regattas. Included are events such as:
Queens Cup, Chicago to Mac, NOOD regatta,
Verve Cup, Harbor Springs etc.
    In the inaugral season for the new
One Design 35, Robert Hughes Heartbreaker
scored a 4 point win over David Bowen's
Hippy Chick.
    The J/35 series was won by William
Newman's Aftershock, with Copernicus 2nd.
    Revelation was the top J/105. 2nd
by 4 points was En Garde.
    Winner of the PHRF seris was Guy Heistand's
Gauntlet. A mere 1 point back was Joel Krisoff's
Pronto.
    The IMS fleet winner was Fred Pipin's
V-Max. In 2nd was Thomas Neill's Nitemare.
    The T-10 fleet also had a close contest
for the top spot. First was Rick Strillky's US,
with 13 points. Only 1 point back was Water Works
owned by Lillie/Snyder.
    Michael Leland's EIR was the Mumm 30
winner, followed by Thomas Papanek's Fuzzy Logic.
    For complete results please visit:
http://www.torresen.com/races/default.asp

Around Alone- 4 November Update
    At the 400 mile mark from Cape Town,
Cray Valley reports: "Cray Valley is looking
fine and totally taking care of itself." 
J.P. Mouligne has a 207 mile lead over
Balance Bar and is looking like the certain
Leg 1 Class II winner.  Cray Valley is expected
to finish on Friday.
    3rd place Magellan Alpha is 236 miles
out.  This means that Magellan Alpha has gained
29 miles in the last 24 hours. It will be
interesting to see if Magellan can catch
Balance Bar before the Cape Town finish.
    4th place is now occupied by
Rapscallion III. The rudderless South Carolina
has a difficult time keeping speed up.
Robin Davie reports: "The boat is requiring
a 24 hour a day level of attention as every
slight change in wind strength changes the
balance of the sails on the boat, and therefore
the course and direction the boat sails."
    Next is www.no-barriers.com, Wind of
Change is behind her, followed by
Shuten Dojhi II.  Paladin 2 fills out the fleet.
    For daily Around Alone updates please visit:
http://www.torresen.com/aroundalone/aanewshtm.htm

US Sailing Annual Meeting
    From October 21 to October 25 over 250
folks attended US Sailing's annual meeting.
Over 75 committee meetings were held on topics
ranging from: giving nonsailing youth better
access to sailing to the best use of emerging
technology for communicating with members and
the public.
    US Sailing spent time considering its
mission. Among the more interesting topics:
US SAILING is exploring how to support the efforts
of Sail America and the NSIA
(National Sailing Industry Association) to
develop a "National Sailing Day."
    Continuing this theme of helping
people access sailing US SAILING was awarded
its largest ever grant from the U.S. Coast Guard
to develop a learn-to-sail program for youth
in America. Called Sailing Smart, the program
is created for 10 to 13-year-old youth who
would not normally have access to water sports.
    On Saturday October 24th a formal awards
dinner was held. Sailor, race manager and
international juror Arthur J. Wullschleger
(Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) received US SAILING's
highest honor with the Nathanael G. Herreshoff
Award, a trophy awarded annually to an
individual who has made an outstanding
contribution to the sport.
    Gary Jobson (Annapolis, Md.) was
awarded the Captain Joe Prosser Award for his
outstanding contributions to sailing education.
    The Cedar Point Yacht Club of
Westport (Conn.) received the St. Petersburg
Yacht Club Trophy for its oustanding race
management of the U.S. Team Race Championship
for the George R. Hinman Trophy, held September 1997.
    The controversial Competitor Eligibility
issue received further discussion. According to
Dave Irish (Harbor Springs, Mich.), Chairman of
the Competitor Eligibility Committee, the current
system uses the degree of financial interest a
competitor has in the sailing industry as the
gauge; the committee may explore a way to also
measure skill and/or accomplishments of a
competitor.
    It would seem that a system based on
skill would be more applicable to what is after
all a sport of skill and not of business skills!
    Another controverisal issue is when or if
PFD's should be worn when racing. Safety-at-Sea
Chairman John Bonds reported that his committee
explored the current policy of requiring racers
to wear PFDs at the finish line of races. The
majority (18 to 3) voted not to change the
prescription, and no change in the PFD policy
was recommended.
    In the area of communications, US Sailing
plans a website upgrade. An aggressive plan to
upgrade the current US SAILING web site was approved.
    For more information please see:
http://www.ussailing.org

Around Alone- Group 4 is Class I Leg 1 Winner
    In record breaking time, British sailor
Mike Golding, aboard Group 4, won Leg 1 of Around
Alone. Golding piloted Group 4 from Charleston
to Cape Town in a new record of 34 days 18 hours
54 minutes and 44 seconds. His average speed
was 8.14 knots. Still, the racing was close and
Golding said: "any one of the top four boats could
have nailed this leg."
    This new Leg 1 record is 13 hours, 57
minutes and 34 seconds better than Isabelle
Autissier's 1994 showing.
    Golding's victory is a product of a
current generation boat that is fast. More
importantly Golding made an important routing
call late in the leg. The last weather system
before Cape Town moved to the east and south.
Golding consistently stayed to the right of
the fleet, the perfect postion to benefit from
the front and he rocketed past PRB to win.
    Add to this a generally high standard of
reliability (compared to PRB's forestay problem,
and Somewhere's sail problems) and you
have Golding's winning formula.
    Finishing in 2nd place was PRB.
French skipper Isabelle Autissier sailed
her Open 60 to a Leg 1 time of: 34 days
21 hours 35 minutes and 51 minutes, an
average speed of 8.11 knots.
    At the beginning of the leg Autissier
figured she had a 1% speed deficit to the new
boats. This small margin is borne out in her
close 2nd place. Surprisingly this experienced
Open class sailor suffered a broken forestay
that slowed her down. If she can gain in
relability factor, 1st place is not out of
the question.
    After leading for the majority of
Leg 1, Somewhere finished 3rd. His 3rd place
time for Leg 1 was: 35 days 0 hours 41 minutes
and 10 seconds, average speed of 8.08 knots.
Somewhere suffered sail difficulties, both
main and genoa. This likely caused her poor
performance late in Leg 1. As this was
Somewhere's first race action, one must
think that the yacht will continue to be a
contender, pending better reliability.
    Fourth was Gartmore, sailed by Britain's
Josh Hall. His time was; 36 days 20 hours 43 minutes
and 49 seconds, an average of 7.68 knots. Gartmore
was always close to the lead. However, a late
move to try and catch a cold front did not work
and put him down to 4th. Hall feels his boat's
simplicity will pay in the Southern Ocean.
Gartmore has the speed, tactics will tell if
Hall improved on 4th.
    Fifth was Fila sailed by Italian Giovanni
Soldini in a time of 37 days 14 hours 14 minutes
and 42 seconds, for an average of 7.54 knots.
Fila was the early leader as a northern gambit
paid. However, soon Fila fell back. Despite
later setting a 24 hour speed recod Soldini
couldn't get back into podium position.
Soldini's yacht is fast, but he must manage
his course position better.
    Soldini is optimistic: ""I will do
better on the next leg, I think we will see
us break the 400-mile mark." Soldini's in for
the penny, in for the pound style will likely
keep things exciting. Soldini will likely win,
or tactically die trying to do so.

Rhut De Rhum
    Sunday 8 November is when the Rhut de
Rhum starts. This every 4 year race covers
3700 miles.
    The start is in Sain Malo France, with
the finish in Pointe a Pitre Guadaloupe.
    37 yachts, 19 multi hull and 18 mono
hull are entered. Most of the entrants are
French. Included among them is defending
champion Laurent Bourgnon on his trimaran Primagaz.
No skipper has ever won consecuctinve Rhut de Rhum's.
Another previous champion in this years race is
Mike Birch who won the innaugral Rhut de Rhum
in 1978.
    Among the monohull entries are Britains
Ellen Macarthur on Kingfisher. The yacht that won
the New York to San Fransisco Gold Race, Aquitaine
Innovations is entered. Her regular skipper Yves
Parile is recovering from a hang gliding accident,
so Thomas Coville will fill in.
    Weather for the start is expected to be SW
at 15 to 20 knots (Force 4 to 5). The lead yachts
should make the crossing in 10 to 15 days.
    For more information please visit:
http://www.rhum.org/eng

Clipper Around the World Race
    Clipper Ventures, the around World Yacht
Racing and sailing company, announces that The Times
newspaper will become title sponsor for Clipper 2000.
The race will be named "The Times Clipper 2000" and
will start in October 2000.
    In addition, for the first time, Clipper
Ventures will offer individual boat sponsorship
to major UK cities and towns, which have shown
interest in acting as a focal point for regional
and local participation.
    The boats will be named after the sponsoring
city or town, sharpening rivalry between competitors
as well as providing an international platform for
promoting regional interests
    The Times Clipper 2000 will follow the
format of the current and earlier Clipper round
the world races, comprising six legs and visiting
over 12 ports.
    The current Clipper race is in the early
stages of Leg 2 from Madeira to San Salvador.
Currently Areil Clipper is in the lead by 11 miles
over Antiope Clipper.
    For more information please see:
http://www.clipper-racing.com/race/fs-race.htm