In this Issue:
Verve Cup Preview
Kenwood Cup - Almost Finished
Snipe Nationals
Figaro Solo
Explorer Record
GLSOL Contest- Win Free Stuff !
1d 35 Nationals

Verve Cup
	This weekend will see the 7th edition of 
the Chicago Yacht Club's Verve Cup regatta. Three 
days of racing will see boats from J/24's to 
One Design 35's to Santa Cruz 70's sail off the 
Chicago skyline.
	The Verve Cup has a rather interesting 
history.  In 1884 E.W. Ayer brough a cutter named 
Verve to Chicago. On July 12 1884, in the Annual 
Regatta of the Chicago Yacht Club, she won the 
second or smaller class and beat all the boats in 
the first, or larger, class on corrected time.  
Her prize was a silver cup, "value $l25".  This 
cup was returned to the Club in 1964 and has 
since been the time prize for the two-day regatta 
in the offshore fleet.	
	Great Lakes Sail Online plans to cover the 
Verve Cup and bring you full results in our 
August 19th edition.

Kenwood Cup
	The 20th anniversary edition of this 
offshore regatta has its last race underway.
The concluding contest is a 376 mile race called
the Kahu-Willi race.  
	One of the featured competitions in the 
Kenwood Cup is the team competition.  Currently the
New Zealand team consisting of: Big Apple 3, 
G'net, and Quest are in the lead with 328 points.
2nd is the Australian group (Ragmuffin, Quest, and
ABN Amro Challenge) with 310 points.  Third is the 
USA red team whose boats are:   Flash Gordon 3, 
Beau Geste and Zamboni.  USA Red has 241 points.
	Likely the Kahu-Wili will determine which of
the down under teams is champion.  To win, 
Australia's yachts will have to put 4 or 5 places 
between them and New Zealand's vessels to work a 
winning combination. Results such as these are 
not unheard of in long offshore races.
	To see who wins please visit:  
http://kenwoodcorp.com/kenwoodcup/index.html

Snipe Nationals
	Currently underway at Gull Lake Yacht 
club are the Snipe classes series of national 
championship regattas.
	The Crosy Series was a 4 race no throw out 
series sailed in 5-15 knots winds on windward/leeward
courses.  This series serves as the qualifying 
races for the US Nationals.  Hal Gilreath with 
crew Alex Stout hailing from Lake Lanier sailed a 
4-1-1-1 series to finish as series winner.  
2nd were Augie Diaz and Pam Kelly with finishes 
of 2-5-5-2.  3rd were Jim Bowers and Myrna Fong 
who sailed a series of 1-4-1-9.  
	Earlier, August 8th and 9th the Women's 
and Junior Snipe championship regattas were held.  
In the Women's regatta Jennifer Rousmaniere and 
Barbara Evans were winners.  The Junior Division 
was won by Steve Hochart and Jonathan Boyd.
	Still to be sailed from August 12th to 
August 14th are the Heinzerling Championship 
Series.  The winner of this series will be 
crowned US National Champion. The Wells Series 
is sailed by the boats that do not qualify for 
the Heinzerling series. Great Lakes Sail Online 
will cover these races and report next week.
	For in progress results please go to:
http://www.snipe.org/regattas/results/1998/Nationals98/NationalsResults98.html

Figaro Solo Race
	La Solitarie du Figaro is a single handed 
race sailed in a fleet of 30 foot Beneteau Figara 
one design's. This race has been sailed since 1980.  
Many world famous single handed racers such as 
Phillippe Poupon (Vendee Globe winner) and Laurent 
Bourgnon (skipper of trimaran Primagaz) started
their careers in the 'Figaro'.  
	Normally this is a French dominated race.
This years there are few non French entries.  One
is Irishman Damian Foxall.  Another is englishman
Marcus Hutchinson.  
	The race is divided into 4 offshore legs
and a final inshore regatta.  The first leg started
Thursday August 6th in Cherbourg France located on
the north coast of France just west of the Prime
Meridian.  The finish for leg one is in Dublin 
Ireland on the east coast of Ireland.
	The 47 boat fleet started in perfect low 
stress sailing weather.  As the fleet worked 
along the south west coast of England, the wind 
went light and on the nose. These are very 
trying conditions for the single handed 
mariner as you must hand steer to get max boat 
speed. All this hand steering cuts severly 
into your rest pattern. Winds were down 
to 1 to 4 knots with similar snail like boat speed.  
	Monday the 10th saw the fleet 
at a turning mark off the Irish coast.  
Some of the fleet were caught not around 
the mark with a tide that pushed them back.  
Not all anchors held and the fleet struggled 
to not go backwards.  
	One Figaro rounded the mark just 
as the tide turned.  However, he hit the 
mark and then spent 6 hours trying to redo 
his rounding.  In addition 4 boats dropped
out with either auto pilor or power failures.  
	Finally early on the morning of the 
11th the fleet reached Dublin, two days 
after they expected to finish. Michel DESJOYEAUX 
was 1st.  14 minutes back was DROUGLAZET.  
3rd was Roland Jourdain 19 minutes back, and
4th was Phillipe Poupon 34 minutes back. 
Damian Foxhall was 13th 7 hours and 51 minutes 
back.
	The next leg will start Thursday 
the 13th. The fleet will travel from Dublin 
to Ile de Groix covering a distance of 400 + miles.
	The race is scored on overall elapsed 
time so it will likely take all 4 legs to 
decide the winner.
	For Figaro coverage visit: 
http://www.offshorechallenges.com

Explorer- On Course for Yokahoma San Fran Record
	Bruno Peyron's famous 86 foot 
catamaran Explorer is currently on pace to 
break the Yokohama to San Fransisco passage 
record. The distnace of this passage is 5148 miles.
	The record is currently held by noted
yachtsman Steve Fossett.  As of this morning
Explorer was 1,255 miles from San Fransisco.  
At this point she has a 1500 mile lead on
Fosset's pace.
	Explorer was located at 41 degress
north latitude and 149 degress west longitude.
The line of latitude is north of their 
destination while they are east of the 
Hawaiian islands.  This puts Explorer 
on track for a Saturday arrival in San 
Fransisco, likely in the evening.
	In an appropriate twist, 
current record holder Fossett is in 
his balloon Solo Spirit having crossed 
the Atlantic ocean and now heading across 
the Indian Ocean.
	Peyron is using Explorer to promote
The Race 2000.  This is an around the world
race scheduled for December 31 2000.  There 
will be no limits or design rules on 
boats in this race.  
	For updates please visit:
www.therace.org

One Design  Nationals
	More information has become avaliable 
on this first ever national championship regatta.  
Again, the dates are October 23 to 25 and 
the location is Annapolis Maryland.
	There will be 3 days of racing.  Friday 
the 23rd has 3 races scheduled.  Saturday the 24th 
will see 3 more races.  Sunday the 25th concludes 
the series with 2 races scheduled.  A total of 
8 races are planned, with 4 races needed to 
constitute a series.
	For more One Design 35 information 
please surf to:
http://www.torresen.com/1D35/welcome.html

Great Lakes Sail Online Contest
	In honor of Explorer's likely shattering
of the Yokohama to San Fransisco record, GLSOL is
having a contest.
	Simply - predict Explorers finish time in
San Fransisco.  The closest to the actual time
wins your choice of a Torresen Marine Inc. hat
or a torresen.com t-shirt.
	You'll probably want to check this website
http://www.therace.org/english/actualite/
explorer/indexyokohama.htm to get the facts
to support your guess.  
	Then send an e-mail to glsol@torresen.com  
Include your guess at the finish time and whether 
you want the hat or t-shirt. If you think
you will win include your shipping address.  
Entries must be received by 1500 eastern on Thursday.
	When Explorer finishes we will notify the 
winner by e-mail, and arrange for shipping of the 
prize.  The winner will receive fame, recognition
and assorted other benefits in the August 19th GLSOL.