Around The World Of Sailing

Leaders Strengthen Position - Rolex Swan Regatta

A perfect day's racing in the northern stretches of Narragansett Bay with steady 12 to 14 knot northeasterly winds and blazing sunshine provided a welcome contrast to the fog-bound long-distance race of yesterday. In three of the four classes competing in this week's Rolex Swan American Regatta, leaders consolidated scores to strengthen their chance of winning the class overall, but in Class B, a new leader emerged.

Vixen, owned by John Wayt (Jamestown, R.I.) is now winning the battle of the Swan 44s, after winning both races. Wayt has won the last three races and is tied on points with sistership Crescendo, owned by Martin Jacobson and Leon Christianakis (Jamestown, R.I.). With both Swan 44s holding identical scores of three firsts, two seconds, and a discard of a third-place, the outcome of Class B will be decided in tomorrow's race.

"We've been making the mistake of not going where we should and getting distracted, but we were disciplined today," said Wayt. The owners of these rival boats are great friends off the water, but tomorrow Wayt will be focused on beating Jacobson and Christianakis. "Tomorrow we'll be keeping a close eye on Crescendo. It's a really top-notch boat, and when you sail against someone like that you can't have any unforced errors."

Crescendo's headsail trimmer Jeremy Wilmot said, "I think all we need to do tomorrow is just get off the line fast. If we get to the top mark first then we can build our lead and try to extend the time on Vixen. Otherwise we just get caught up in the fleet, which is very troubling. Hopefully we won't rip any sails. I've ripped a sail every day so far, so I'm sick of repairing them."

The non-spinnaker Class D produced one of the most thrilling duels of the day, with Swan 56s Defiance, owned by Peter Noonan (Saratoga, Calif.) and Clover III, owned by Neal Finnegan (Cohasset, Mass.), scoring a dead heat on corrected time. Although, Clover III finished eight seconds ahead on the water, a slight difference in the handicap rating resulted in an equal first place finish. Joseph Huber's (Wynnewood, Pa.) Swan 44 Reef Points continues to hold the overall lead in this division.

The conditions certainly suited Jim Swartz (Edgartown, Mass), who steered his Swan 601Moneypenny to two easy victories in the big boat division, Class A. Now holding five first places and a discard of fourth, it is hard to see anyone challenging Swartz for overall honors in this division tomorrow.

"Dee [Smith, the tactician] put us in a great spot at the starts and Jim was excellent upwind," said grinder Mark Strube. "We executed all our maneuvers very well and the boat's performance for the whole week has been great. It is beyond our expectations." The big race in this division will be for second overall, and after scoring 2,3 today, Filip Balcaen's (BEL) Swan 56 Aqua Equinox now leads Clay Deutsch's (Newport, R.I.) Swan 68 Chippewa by one point.

At the beginning of the week, William Douglass (Stamford, Conn.) steered his Swan 45 Goombay Smash to easy victories in this hard-fought one-design division. Today, three different boats - Vixen, Vim and Bellicosa - each won a race. However, Douglass did enough to maintain a healthy overall lead in Class C, and remains the favorite to win the division after tomorrow's deciding races. Massimo Ferragamo's (New York, N.Y.) Bellicosa was a very strong performer in today's moderate wind. After a lackluster first race finish of fifth, Ferragamo bounced back from a disappointing first beat in race two to claim second place, and then followed it up with a stunning 2 minute, 16 second margin to win the day's final race.

"We did things right at the beginning and then we kept to our plan," said Ferragamo. "We relaxed because we had a nice lead. That generally makes you increase your position rather than losing time, so we did very well."

Craig Speck also sailed an impressive day with finishes of 4,1,3 - the perfect way to banish the disappointment of yesterday's collision with a wayward cruising boat. "Well at least we're back in the game," he said. "The team up at New England Boatworks did a superb job of patching her up and today's the best day's sailing we've had. We really focused, worked harder and had a good time. This week has been a bit of a wake up call for us - the competition's strong and we've got some work to do before the Swan 45 Gold Cup, in Key West."

Tonight, ClubSwan and Rolex will throw open the doors of the Newport Regatta Club on Goat Island, to the 39 Swan owners, their crews and assembled guests for the Rolex Swan American Regatta Crew Party. Prizegiving will be held at 1900 and will no doubt be followed by a great evening of eating, drinking and dancing from the Regatta Club's prime vantage point opposite the bay from the Newport Shipyard. Entertainment will be provided by the Night Shift Band and guests will enjoy a traditional Newport cookout, while celebrating a fantastic week of racing on the penultimate evening of the regatta.

For more information about the Rolex Swan American Regatta, visit www.nautorswan.com or www.nyyc.org.

Preliminary Overall Results - July 28, 2005

Top 3 in all classes

Class A

Place, boat, type, owner, hometown, race finishes, total points
1. Moneypenny, Swan 601, Jim Swartz, Edgartown, Mass., 1-1-1-4*-1-1, 5 points
2. Aqua Equinox, Filip Balcaen, BEL, 3-4*-2-3-2-3, 13
3. Chippewa, Clayton Deutsch, Newport, R.I., 5*-2-3-2-5-2, 14
*denotes the throwout race, does not count toward total

Class B

Place, boat, type, owner, hometown, race finishes, total points
1. Vixen, Swan 44, John Wayt, Jamestown, R.I., 3*-2-2-1-1-1, 7 points
2. Crescendo, Swan 44, Leon Christianakis/ Martin Jacobson, Greenwich, Conn., 1-1-1-3*-2-2, 7 points
3. Xenophon, Jeffrey Rabuffo, Middletown, R.I., 4*-3-3-2-4-3, 15
*denotes the throwout race, does not count toward total

Class C - Swan 45 One-Design

Place, boat, owner, hometown, race finishes, total points
1. Goombay Smash, William Douglass, Stamford, Conn., 1-1-1-2-1-3-2-7*-2, 13 points
2. Bellicosa, Massimo Ferragamo, New York, N.Y., 2-3-4-3-2-4-5*-2-1, 21 points
3. Vim, Craig Speck, Boston, Mass., 3-2-6-6-3-10*-4-1-3, 28
*denotes the throwout race, does not count toward total

Class D

Place, boat, type, owner, hometown, race finishes, total points
1. Reef Points, Swan 44, Joseph Huber, Wynnewood, Pa., 1-1-1-1-4*, 4 points
2. Clover III, Neal Finnegan, Cohassett, Mass., 14*-2-2-3-1.5, 8.5
3. Amanda, Swan 53, Roland Bathory, Weston, Mass., 4*-3-3-2-3, 11
*denotes the throwout race, does not count toward total

Race Record Smashed byTrio of CBTF Designs

Hasso Plattner¹s CBTF equipped
Reichel-Pugh 86, Morning Glory trimmed 19 hours off the Transpacific Yacht Club¹s race record while leading a two other CBTF maxi sleds across the finish line to sweep the top three elapsed time places in the Centennial edition of this venerable ocean race. Following Morning Glory across the finish line at Diamond Head lighthouse by over two hours was Roy Disney¹s Pyewacket, a near sistership to the race winner. Another 3 1/2 hours behind was Randall Pittman¹s Dubois designed CBTF 90 foot sloop ­ Genuine Risk.

CBTF technology was developed and patented by CBTF Co. of San Diego,
California. Morning Glory, Pyewacket and Genuine Risk are all CBTF designs launched in 2004 that are licensed by CBTF Co.. The first purpose built CBTF design, launched in 1997, was the 40 footer Red Hornet which turned heads across the country exhibiting 70 footer performance in a remarkably efficient and easy to sail package. Red Hornet often raced with only four crew members. CBTF technology features an innovative separation of the functions traditionally provided by a standard fixed keel underbody. Rotating Controllable twin foils located forward and aft provide accurate steering control and hydrodynamic lift, whilst the canting central ballast strut provides extremely efficient righting moment to control heel with a
minimum of ballast weight. In XXXX 2003, the CBTF equipped Wild Oats ­ a 60x foot Reichel-Pugh design from Australia was the top scoring boat in the coveted Admirals Cup in England. But with the arrival of the three new CBTF maxis last spring, the world of sailboat racing was exposed to even more dramatic performance.

At the push of a button, the ballast strut can move from one side of the boat to the other ­ much faster and more efficient than water ballast. And the twin steering articulating foils are easy to operate, - controlled by a single steering wheel (or tiller), providing for virtually ³unbroachable²control, and very low drag when steering through the waves compared to fixed forward foils employed on some canting keel designs. And because of their high aspect low drag shape ­ the twin foils are efficient and being full employed both upwind and downwind.

Morning Glory¹s new Transpac record of 6 days, 14 hours and 4 minutes for the 2250 mile course from Los Angeles to Honolulu was set in relatively mild conditions. In fact, only in the final 100 miles of the race did Morning Glory experience sustained winds in excess of 20 knots. But to those who have followed the success and performance of CBTF equipped boats, the smashing of the old record (7 days, 11 hours - set in 2001 by Roy Disney aboard his previous 77 foot fixed-keel Pyewacket in a very windy year)came as no surprise.

Morning Glory, Pyewacket and Genuine Risk were each launched in 2004,
records have been dropping wherever they have race - most notably the 2004 Newport ­ Bermuda Race record broken by Morning Glory last June. But this was the first time the three CBTF maxi¹s have lined up on the starting line for the same race and expectations were high. Pyewacket led early in the crossing to the islands until Morning Glory took over the lead on the third day.

"Having sailed before on CBTF designs I had some idea of what to expect out of an 86 foot version," noted Isler, "But over half the crew, including Russell Coutts and a bunch of top guys from 2007 Emirates Team New Zealand America¹s Cup campaign had never sailed on a CBTF design before ­ and the were blown away. Blasting along at 18 knots in 16 knots of wind, the conversation often turned to other high profile sailing events like the America's Cup. ­

Sailing fans may get a closer glimpse of the remarkable performance of these CBTF maxis in mid September during St. Francis Yacht Club¹s Big Boat Series on San Francisco Bay ­ as both Morning Glory and Genuine Risk are scheduled to attend. Morning Glory¹s owner Hasso Plattner pondered, half in jest that, San Francisco Bay may be too small for these rocket ships, "We're just too fast!"

Transpac 52 Fleet Grows for the Copa Del Rey

Balearia makes her first appearance in the Breitling MEDCUP

July 27th 2005 (Mallorca). The Copa del Rey-Trofeo Agua Brava will be the fourth and penultimate event in the Breitling MEDCUP Circuit for the Transpac 52 Class. Vasco Vascotto’s Pisco Sour-movistar will be co-skippered in this regatta by Pedro Campos. For both, Pisco Sour – movistar and Bribón, skippered by the King of Spain, the regatta could be decisive, as the score margins are closing in between the participants, and at this stage, the race for victory is wide open.

The Copa del Rey, the most emblematical Mediterranean regatta, begins next Saturday 30th July, with two days scheduled for measurement and boat inspection. On Monday 1st August the competition begins, there will be windward-leeward, coastal and long distance races, all included in this exciting regatta program, which will take place until the following Sunday, 7th August.

The Transpac 52 fleet grows for the Copa del Rey

The Transpac 52s will come to the Copa del Rey with the complete forecasted fleet for the season.
In Punta Ala (Italy), the first event in the Circuit, there were seven TP52s on the start line of the first race (Atalanti XV, Bambakou, Bribon, Caixa Galicia, Pisco Sour, Lexus and Orlanda Olympus). For the second event, Trofeo de S.M. La Reina, in Valencia there were nine (Aifos and Cristabella joined the fleet), and for the third, the Breitling Regatta 10 boats were competing, with the incorporation of Siemens to the fleet. In the Copa del Rey, the eleventh vessel with be the recently launched Balearia, built in the Spanish shipyard ‘Longitud 0’, where Pisco Sour – Movistar was also built.

Balearia is skippered by Olympic silver medallist (Montreal) and Olympic qualifier (Moscow) Toño Gorostegui who is currently in Mallorca working on the fine tuning of the vessel, before its debut in this regatta.

A new feature for the Transpac fleet is the new sponsorship of the unstoppable Pisco Sour. The Chilean owners Emilio Cousinio, Bernardo Matte and Antonio Orlyi will adorn the boat with the colours of the giant mobile telephone operators Movistar. Vasco Vascotto, Skipper of the boat, will also have the added support of new co-skipper Pedro Campos. The boat is currently at the top of the general rankings of the Breitling MEDCUP TP52 Circuit on 147 points.

Lexus, owned by Jaime Yllera, will aim to repaeat the success enjoyed in the Breitling Regatta, although this time with the original crew captained by Russel Coutts, with Mark Reynolds, Peter Isler and match-race yachtsman Jes Graham-Hanson, due to the forecasted absence of Coutts’ protégé Dean Barker.
Dean Barker. Lexus are currently in second place in the Circuit, on 139 points.

Winner of the first event in the Breitling MEDCUP TP52 Circuit, Caixa Galicia, with RTW yachtsman Roberto Bermúdez de Castro at the helm, will have US Tactician Dee Smith returning to the team. Smith was absent in the Breitling Regatta due to his participation in the Transpacific Race, where he was racing on an American TP52. America’s Cup skipper John Kostecki took over for the duration of the event. The Spanish boat is currently in 3rd place on the scoreboard with 134 points.

Bribon, owned by Jose Cusi, with HM King Juan Carlos of Spain as Skipper, has a tough challenge ahead. The team must try to maintain their lead in the Corinthian Class for non-professionals against USA’s Bambakou, the UK’s Cristabella and the Spanish Royal Navy TP52, Aifos. Bribon is fourth in the general rankings on 112 points.

Orlanda –Olympus with America’s Cup yachtsman Tomasso Chieffi will have to fight hard to get into the top positions in the rankings. The Italian boat is in fifth place, only one point away from Bribon, while USA’s Bambakou, with owner-driver John Coumantaros is sixth in the general rankings, and second in the Corinthian category on 105 points.

The Greek vessel Atalanti XV, skippered by Paul Cayard has resolved complications experienced with the stay in the previous event. The boat was forced to abandon two of the races in the Breitling Regatta, which saw them move down into seventh place in the general rankings, with 102 points. Cristabella, on 67 points, and Aifos on 49, are eighth and ninth in the rankings, and both vessels close the classifications in the Corinthian class for non-professionals. The new edition to the fleet, Siemens, owned by Pedro Perelló, has the advantage of local knowledge of the Mallorcan waters if they are able to smooth out the performance problems they experienced in the Breitling Regatta. They finished 10th in the general rankings.

So, in the Copa del Rey the complete TP52 Mediterranean fleet for the season will be at the start line.
All participants agree that the Breitling MEDCUP TP52 Circuit has been a great success so far, and for 2006 the fleet will grow further, with a forecasted 16 vessels to take part.

The characteristics of the TP52s – real time racing, close competition between the participants, fast, exciting boats, the best yachtsmen in the world; Russell Coutts, Paul Cayard, Vasco Vascotto, or Tomasso Chieffi, among others –make this the ‘Formula 1’ for the sea.

Windy Fog Brings Luck in Swan 45s - Rolex Swan Regatta

An action-packed day, complete with thick, rolling fog and the challenge of a race course set around Conanicut Island, west of Newport in Narragansett Bay, gave the 39 Swan yachts competing a memorable distance race on the third day of the Rolex Swan American Regatta. Playing the wind shifts in a range of 12-20 knots and finding relief from the current were key to taming the classic New England conditions.

The New York Yacht Club race committee sent Class B and D, on a 19-mile course around the island, but Class A, the larger boats, and the Swan 45s were sent on a longer, 30-nautical-mile course that included an additional leg around Prudence Island. Although the sun occasionally broke through the dense fog at the northern end of the course, there were many occasions when the competitors had no idea where their opposition was, particularly at the start and the finish.

In the tightly packed Swan 45 class racing, rivals are likely to be close by, regardless of the conditions. True enough, downwind to the finish, three Swan 45s found themselves neck and neck in a frenetic battle for the winner's gun. Olympic gold medallist Kevin Burnham, calling tactics on Yukihiro Ishida's new Swan 45 Yasha, described the day. "It was Bellicosa, Goombay Smash and ourselves - all overlapped, after 30 miles of racing in the fog," he said. "We had some killer boat speed today and we thought we had the race win as we closed in on the finish. And then out comes Plenty from the fog, from the other side of the run, and they caught us. But what great racing; it doesn't get any better than that."

Alexander Roepers' (New York, N.Y) Plenty profited from the fog to steal victory from under its rivals' noses. "We were in fourth, so we took a gamble," said Roepers. "Our tactician Geoff Ewenson called for an early jibe and we picked up more pressure down our side of the course, and it paid off. It was a nice surprise, a great race to win, because this race had everything. We saw every wind condition, multiple sail changes, spinnaker changes, and it was very exciting in the fog."

By comparison, third place was a little disappointing for Goombay Smash, who - up to this point - had a string of first-place finishes. Doug Douglass (New York, N.Y.) led the Swan 45s for the first half of the race, but he admitted Yasha and Bellicosa had an extra gear of upwind speed. "We lost our instruments, so we were sailing blind," said Douglass. "At that point we were guessing where the marks were and that gave the advantage to Yasha."

In Class A, Ronald O'Hanley's (Ipswich, Mass.) Privateer finally broke Moneypenny's clean-sweep dominance of the big boats. In fact Jim Swartz's Swan 601 could only manage fourth on corrected time, although it still has a comfortable five-point cushion over Swan 68 Chippewa in the overall standings. Owner Clay Deutsch was buzzing. "We had a really great day," he said. "The best thing about the fog is we couldn't see anything scary - it was wonderful. We had a decent start and got clear pretty quickly and once we turned the corner and headed on the long downwind leg we felt pretty good because this boat can go really fast."

John Wayt closed in on Swan 44 Crescendo's lead in Class B, after his Swan 44 Vixen took its first victory of the week. Vixen now sits two points behind Crescendo, owned by Leon Christianakis and Martin Jacobson (Greenwich, Conn.), who finished third today behind Swan 44 Xenophon, owned by Jeffrey Rabuffo (Middletown, R.I.).

In the non-spinnaker Class D, Swan 56 Defiance, owned by Peter Noonan (Saratoga, Calif.) was looking set for a handicap victory until the head of the boat's jib exploded. Defiance's strategist, Olympic silver medallist Bob Billingham, was upset at being forced out of the race by a gear breakdown. "It was our smaller jib that was making us go fast," he said. "But when it broke, that was it, we didn't have a replacement."

So far, the 39 teams have seen a range of wind and weather in Newport, and so it is hard to imagine what surprises could be in store for the fleet tomorrow, when they revert to windward/leeward racing.

Today's ClubSwan Race Day culminated in the ClubSwan Prizegiving at the Regatta Village, during which Jennifer Hall, head of partnerships, racing and events for Nautor's Swan, presented prizes to the first place Swans in each of the four classes. Following the prizegiving, Talisker held a whiskey tasting for Swan owners, crews and guests, offering the opportunity to sample its world-renowned tipple. In keeping with the prestige of all Nautor's Swan events, Talisker is the perfect ClubSwan supplier, being unique in its position as the only single malt produced on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. Also akin to Nautor's Swan's long heritage of yacht manufacture, Talisker has an impressive history, producing whiskey since 1830.

For more information about the Rolex Swan American Regatta, visit www.nautorswan.com or www.nyyc.org.

Preliminary Overall Results - July 27, 2005

Top 3 in all classes

Class A

Place, boat, type, owner, hometown, race 1-2-3-4, total points
1. Moneypenny, Swan 601, Jim Swartz, Edgartown, Mass., 1-1-1-4, 7 points
2. Chippewa, Clayton Deutsch, Newport, R.I., 5-2-3-2, 12
3. Aqua Equinox, Filip Balcaen, BEL, 3-4-2-3, 12

Class B

Place, boat, type, owner, hometown, total points
1. Crescendo, Swan 44, Leon Christianakis/ Martin Jacobson, Greenwich, Conn., 1-1-1-3, 6 points
2. Vixen, Swan 44, John Wayt, Jamestown, R.I., 3-2-2-1, 8
3. Xenophon, Jeffrey Rabuffo, Middletown, R.I., 4-3-3-2, 12

Class C - Swan 45 One-Design

Place, boat, owner, hometown, total points
1. Goombay Smash, William Douglass, Stamford, Conn., 1-1-1-2-1-3, 6 points
2. Plenty, Alexander Roepers, New York, N.Y., 5-5-2-1-7-1, 14
3. Bellicosa, Massimo Ferragamo, New York, N.Y., 2-3-4-3-2-4, 14 points

Class D
Place, boat, type, owner, hometown, total points
1. Reef Points, Swan 44, Joseph Huber, Wynnewood, Pa., 1-1-1-1, 4 points
2. Amanda, Swan 53, Roland Bathory, Weston, Mass., 4-3-3-2, 12
3. Marie Blue, Swan 60, Carel Paauwe, Lutheren, NED, 2-4-8-4, 18

Volvo Youth Sailing Championships

Amy Bradley-Watson. Image, Giles SCOTT is the 2005 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Champion in the Laser:© Peter Bentley, Busan, Korea, 22 July 2005

After five excellent days of racing, poor visibility put paid to the one scheduled final race of the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship today in Busan, Korea. The tension ashore in the boat park was finally relieved just after midday when racing was cancelled.

As the flags rose to signal the end of the regatta, the biggest celebration was for the USA's Paige RAILEY whose second ISAF Youth Worlds title was secured. RAILEY, who also won the single-handed dinghy girls event in Madeira, Portugal, in 2003 and was third in 2002, admitted she was more excited than nervous at the prospect of a final race decider in which she would have had to account for her Chinese rival Xu LIJIA who was just five points behind her in second.

'I had a strategy and was looking forward to it, just not letting her out of my sight, but I am so pleased,' commented an ecstatic RAILEY. 'I have been really concentrating on just staying focussed this week and trying as hard as I can, and getting back on it if things were not so good and I have managed that so I am delighted.'

The 18 year old sails year round from the Clearwater Yacht Club in Florida, and has already performed brilliantly on the senior circuit in the Laser Radial with wins on American waters at the ISAF Grade 1 Rolex Miami OCR and the ISAF Grade 1 Laser Midwinters East at her home club, and in Europe in the ISAF Grade 2 Princess Sofia Trophy in Palma Mallorca, Spain and a second place at the ISAF Grade 1 Kieler Woche in Kiel, Germany. With the Championship in Busan counting as an ISAF Grade 2 event for the Laser, Laser Radial and the two Mistral events, RAILEY's gold medal could also lift her into the number one spot in the ISAF World Sailing Rankings when they are next released on 3 August.

RAILEY's long term target is a medal at the 2008 Olympic Sailing Competition in Qingdao, China, at which the prevailing conditions are expected to be not dissimilar to Suyong Bay, but she refuses to take anything too much from her success here, 'It is a long time in the future and really at the moment my goal is just to get as good as I can and get more confidence from that. I am training to go there and that is my goal at the moment. Here it was important to get good starts all of the time and go the right way, and usually I managed that. In the near future I think the standard in this class is only going to get better as the girls from the Europe class come in and get better.'
Asian Sucess

Singapore's gold medal winning team,
Wee Chin TEO and Terence KOH
© Peter Bentley
The growing strengths of the Asian nations was underlined in the 420 boys class where Wee Chin TEO and Terence KOH won the first ever ISAF Youth Worlds gold medal for Singapore, only their second ever medal after the 2001 silver for Junhao TAY and Dahui OU. It is also the first ever gold medal for an Asian nation outside the two windsurfer events. Cancellation today preserved TEO and KOH’s four points margin over Japan's Waturo SAITO and Hiroto YOSHINAGA.

'We are really pleased,' said helm TEO. 'This will mean an awful lot for sailing at home in our country. We were quite confident to go sailing today and to have won, because the worst we could have done is finish second. We only had to finish less than four places behind the Japanese.' TEO finished fifth at the Optimist Worlds in Qingdao in 2001, and has used that experience at future events. 'It is consistency which wins regattas and that was what was important for us here. We had a disqualification in the first race and a 15th in the second and then we were just consistent from there. Our lesson from last time - when we were sixth - was never give up.'
France On Top Again

The battle between the nations which are traditionally strongest, France and Great Britain, went the way of the French again as they win the Volvo Trophy for the best team for the second successive year and ninth time since 1991. France aggregated 332 points to Britain's 283 points. As well as the 420 girls gold which was decided yesterday, the French won three silver medals: in the Laser boys for Jean Baptiste BERNAZ, in the Mistral boys for Pierre LE COQ and Mistral girls for Anne Sophie LE PAGE and a bronze in the Hobie 16 catamaran courtesy of Julien VILLION and Martin BATAILLE.

After winning two golds and three bronze medals last year in Poland the British medal tally this time is cut to four medals. Their gold medallist in the Laser, Giles SCOTT admitted he did not get much sleep last night, fretting over his one point cushion which he had earned over BERNAZ.

'The important thing here for me has been consistency. That meant I had the options today to do what I needed to do and not worry too much because I didn't have a bad score, but it certainly feels good not to have to race,' said SCOTT, who has sailed against and with his compatriot Nick THOMPSON, who won this ISAF Youth Worlds title last year, since they started sailing Laser Radials together,

Australia's Evan WALKER and
Kyle LANGFORD
© Peter Bentley
'You do kind of think you should have a good chance if he won it last time, but then you never really know what the standard is going to be,' commented SCOTT, who has finished third in the Laser Radial Europeans and the World Championships, and is currently ranked third on the British Laser National Ladder and 160 in the ISAF World Sailing Rankings for the Laser.

SCOTT won his title by just one point and that was also all that separated Britain's Tom PHIPPS and Jon COOK, who won the Hobie 16 title last year, from Australia's Hobie title winners Evan WALKER and Kyle LANGFORD.

'The standard through the fleet has increased. Last time there were really only two or three boats who were on the pace, but this time it was easy to make a mistake and end up with a seventh. It was so important to get a good start and get the first windshift right,' said PHIPPS. Britain's bronze medals came in the 420 boys with Tom MALINDINE and James CLARK and in the Laser Radial with Alison YOUNG.
Australian Heroes

WALKER and LANGFORD came out on top in the Hobie thanks to their consistent series. Although PHIPPS and COOK scored three bullets to their one, the Australian pair only failed to finish outside the top three three times during the ten races. 'It has been really exciting for us and we were really nervous today,' admitted helm WALKER. 'We came here with no idea of what the standard would be like because this is our first regatta ever outside of Australia and New Zealand.'

WALKER grew up sailing on Lake Macquarie and is also a successful match racer, reaching the final of the ISAF Grade 3 Hardy Cup last year. When he and LANGFORD beat the pair who were considered to be favourites for selection, Taylor BOOTH and Bridget WATERHOUSE, with a race to spare, they figured they might have a good chance here. 'Really we came here with an open mind but we found we were pretty quick downwind and could always take places and mostly got good starts.'

Prior to Christmas the pair were coached by Australia's multiple World Champion in the Tornado, Darren BUNDOCK and have benefited here from coaching from 2000 470 Olympic gold medallist Belinda STOWELL (AUS).
New Strength In Depth

Blanca MANCHON's win helped
Spain to third place in the Volvo
Trophy
© Peter Bentley
A look at the results in this year's Volvo Trophy indicates the strength in depth of youth sailing around the world, with sailors from developing and less established sailing nations challenging the best that the old guard have to offer. After a barren year in Poland last year, the USA had an excellent Championship, landing two medals, with the 420 girls Megan MAGILL and Briana PROVANCHA silver adding to RAILEY's gold. They ended the Volvo Trophy in fourth place, 21 points ahead of Italy.

Spain were also one of the top performing nations spurred on by Blanca MANCHON's gold and Juan MORENO's bronze in the Mistral events. They ended the Championship as the third best nation, more than doubling the points total that placed them eleventh in the Volvo Trophy last year. The Chinese sailors also performed fantastically well led by Xu LIJIA's silver medal in the Laser Radial. They finished sixth in the Volvo Trophy standings, just over 30 points behind Italy and ahead of Australia, Poland and New Zealand.

Perhaps the greatest story of this year's ISAF Youth Worlds also comes from looking at the Volvo Trophy standings. In a hugely enocuraging sign for youth sailing around the world, this year the top ten nations includes those from Europe, Asia, Oceania and North and South America.

Gold and Silver for US Youth

US SAILING's US Youth World Team is celebrating today after winning a gold and a silver medal at the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championships in Busan, Korea. Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) won the Laser Radial fleet and Californians Megan Magill and Briana Provancha (San Diego) finished second in the 420 Girls. With strong finishes for the entire US Youth World Team, the Team placed fourth out of 46 countries for the Volvo Trophy, a competition which recognizes the best cumulative results across a country’s top four events.

The 18 year-old Paige Railey will enter the record books with this year's win, becoming the first sailor in history to win two Singlehanded Girls Youth World Championship titles (she also won the event in 2003, and won bronze in 2002). Railey is very excited with her win. “Going into today I had a five point lead and a bit of the nerves. They cancelled racing today due to foggy conditions and I was completely excited,” said en ecstatic Railey. “The other Americans and I were cheering with joy as I was thrown into the water.”

Railey credits her win to staying focused and training hard. “I have been really concentrating on just staying focused this week and trying as hard as I can, and getting back on it if things were not so good and I have managed that so I am delighted,” she said. And her commitment is clearly visible: while her fellow athletes were getting ready to attend this evening’s closing ceremonies, Railey went to the gym for a workout before heading over to the evening’s party.

For USA’s 420 Girls Megan Magill and Briana Provancha, consistency and dedicated training also paid off. Taking second place on the first day of the competition, Magill and Provancha (17 and 16 years old respectively) held on to that spot throughout the week, even though the fog was so thick one day that the fleet headed into the wrong direction for a mark rounding. Magill and Provancha were able to recover quickly though. “I was doubting myself at times but then we just told ourselves to think positive and just concentrate on going fast and it paid off,” grinned helm Magill. “But generally we have loved it here. It is really challenging sailing.” The two Point Loma High School students have been sailing together for six years and are now traveling to Brest, France, for the International 420 World Championships which start next week.

There was no racing on the final day of the Championships due to heavy fog, which was unfortunate for USA's 420 Boys Adam Roberts and Nick Martin (both from San Diego, Calif.) who, in fourth place yesterday, were still in the running for a bronze medal. Like the 420 Boys, Laser sailor Royce Weber (Surf City, N.J.) had a strong regatta, finishing fifth overall in a 42-boat fleet, the largest fleet in the Championships. Brothers TJ and Jerry Tullo (Staten Island, N.Y.) finished 7th overall in the Hobie 16 fleet and with a first and second-place finish in the regatta, they're demonstrating that they are to be reckoned with.

The US Youth World Team was assisted by US SAILING coaches Mike Kalin and Rob Hallawell. “The team is very proud of their achievements, mentally exhausted from their awesome focus and extremely happy with both their sailing experience, and the many new friendships they made with folks from all over the world,” said coach and team leader Kalin.

For more information about the members of the US Youth World Team, including reports from coaches Mike Kalin and Rob Hallawell, please visit www.ussailing.org/olympics/YouthWorld/2005/team.htm. For complete results from the event, please visit the event website at www.worldyouthsailingbusan.com.

The US Youth World Team is sponsored by Extrasport, Gill, Harken, Nautica, New England Ropes, Rolex Watch U.S.A., Sperry Top-Sider, Team McLube, Vanguard Sailboats, Vineyard Vines, West Marine, and Zodiac of North America.

US Sailing Team-Members Win World Championship

US Sailing Team-members Sally Barkow (Chenequa, Wis.), Debbie Capozzi (Bayport, N.Y.), and Carrie Howe (Grosse Pointe, Mich.) have been crowned World Champions after winning the Yngling World Championship in Mondsee, Austria, over the weekend. The U.S. sailors defeated 33 boats to win the Championship, including last year’s world champion Trine Palludan (DEN) and Athens silver medalist Surlana Taran (UKR).

Racing for the Yngling World Championship took place in Austria on a small lake in a mountainous region, making it difficult for the competitors to get accurate weather predictions. No team finished consistently within the top 10 in the first four races of the Championship. For the last race of the Championship, a lack of wind meant the start was delayed until just before the 3 p.m. local time deadline. Barkow held a nine-point lead over Sharon Ferris, Raynor Smeal and Ashley Holtum (NZL), who in turn were defending a two-point gap to the third place Russian team of Vlada Ilienko, Ekaterina Kovalenko and Natalia Gapanovich. The three teams finished together in the final race, with Barkow edging out Ferris to finish one place above them in eleventh, with the Russians following in 13th. Another American team, skippered by 2003 Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year Hannah Swett with crew Laura Schmidt and Melissa Purdy, finished an impressive 6th overall.

This is the second World Championship title for skipper Barkow and her crew: in 2004, the team won the ISAF Women’s World Match Racing Championship. So far this year, team Barkow has been enjoying a successful year after winning US SAILING’s Rolex Miami OCR and Semaine Olympique Française in Hyères, France.

For complete results from the Yngling World Championship, please visit the event website at www.yngling2005.com.

USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festivals Nationwide

Summer is the busiest time of year for most junior sailing programs across the country and this is certainly the case for the host clubs of the seven USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festivals taking place in August. More than 1,000 young sailors are expected to get on the water and have fun sailing while enjoying educational clinics and good racing during a Junior Olympic Sailing event. The only program of its kind in the country, the USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival program, organized by US SAILING and presented by West Marine, consists of a series of 24 USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festivals that are taking place at sailing organizations nationwide throughout the year. The program is also sponsored by Gill.

The USA Junior Olympic events scheduled for August are:

Aug 6-7
USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival - Northern California
San Francisco Yacht Club, Belvedere, Calif.
Classes: Laser, Laser Radial, Byte, 29er, CFJ, Club 420, Optimist
Website: www.sfyc.org/Regattas2005/NOR/05jrolympicNOR.doc
Contact: Richard Feeny, youth@sfyc.org

Aug 12-14
USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival - Rochester
Rochester Yacht Club, N.Y.
Classes: Laser, Laser Radial, Byte, Club 420 (spin & non-spin), Optimist
Website: www.rochesteryc.com
Contact: RYC, staff@rochesteryc.com

Aug 12-14
USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival - Lake Erie
Edgewater Yacht Club, Cleveland, OH
Classes: Laser, Laser Radial, CFJ, Club 420, Thistle, Optimist
Website: www.lakeboats.com/JO2005
Contact: Mike Vining, mvining@att.net

Aug 13-14
USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival - Long Island
Sayville Yacht Club, N.Y.
Classes: Laser, Radial, Sunfish, Club 420, Optimist
Website: www.sayvilleyachtclub.org
Contact: Doug Shaw, SayvilleYCJO@aol.com

Aug 15-17
USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival - Mass Bay Sailing Youth Regatta
Cottage Park Yacht Club, Winthrop, Mass.
Classes: Laser, Laser Radial, Club 420, Optimist, N-10/Turnabout
Website: www.cpyc.org/jrolympics
Contact: David O'Brien, jrolympics@cpyc.org

Aug 16-18
USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival - Narragansett Bay Jr. Race Week
Sail Newport, Newport, R.I.
Classes: Laser, Laser Radial, Optimist, Club 420 (spin. & non-spin)
Website: www.nbya.org/junior_sailing/RaceWeek2005/index.htm
Contact: Kim Cooper, Kimc@sailnewport.org

Aug 27-28
USA Junior Olympic Sailing Festival - Northwest Youth Sailing Championship
Shilshole Bay/Seattle & Corinthian Yacht Clubs, Wash.
Classes: Laser, Laser Radial, Optimist, Club 420
Website: www.seattleyachtclub.org
Contact: Brain Ledbetter, brianl@seattleyachtclub.org

USCG Urges Swimmers to Wear Life Jackets

With many drownings occurring throughout the Great Lakes region, the U.S. Coast Guard urges boaters and swimmers to wear a life jacket.

This weekend, three deaths occurred in the Great Lakes region as a result of drowning. None were wearing life jackets. In fact, statistics show that 85 percent of drowning victims throughout the U.S. were not wearing lifejackets.

With record temperatures here for the foreseeable future, boaters and swimmers are reminded to never swim alone and to wear a life jacket.

Life jackets are your seat belt on the water. Wearing one can greatly improve your chances of survival.

Filling the Coast Guard's Operational Gaps

On August 4, 2005, the Coast Guard will celebrate 215 years of maritime service to the nation. It has been my custom each year at this time to give recognition to the Coast Guard’s contributions to that effort. This year I address the Coast Guard auxiliary and their key role in supporting Coast Guard missions and filling operational gaps where needed.

The Coast Guard Auxiliary, America’s Volunteer Life Savers, indeed, play an important role in Coast Guard operations. And if I were king, I would change its primary name from auxiliary to Volunteer Life Savers or Citizen Patriots. Auxiliary just doesn’t cut it, there is nothing secondary about their contributions to the Coast Guard, as the word “auxiliary” suggests. They are to the Coast Guard as “the bench” is to professional sports. Try playing without them.

The Volunteer Life Savers’ contributions to the Coast Guard on Lake Michigan are well-documented, and perhaps their most profound contribution is stitching together the gaps in the Coast Guard’s far-reaching Lake Michigan search and rescue network. Coast Guard volunteers provide 24-7 coverage in remote areas such as Escanaba, Michigan, located in Little Bay de Noc, tucked away above Green Bay. Bay de Noc is a three-hour boat trip from the nearest Coast Guard search and rescue facility at Sturgeon Bay.

In lower Green Bay, Volunteer Life Savers staff and operate a Coast Guard 28-foot rescue boat, performing most Coast Guard missions except law enforcement. Volunteer Life Savers do, however, indirectly support law enforcement missions by standing radio watches and filling search and rescue billets. For example, at Station Wilmette, Chicago Volunteer Life Savers man a 24-foot search and rescue boat. This frees up boat crews so they can focus on law enforcement missions. Due in part to the support they received from their Volunteer Life Savers, Station Wilmette’s Midnight Badger law enforcement teams bagged 71 drunk boaters during 2004, more drunk citations than any other Coast Guard station nationwide.

Across the lake in Michigan City, Volunteer Life Saver Ed Ross, age 64, qualified as crewman on the station’s 47-foot motor lifeboat (MLB). He met all the boat qualification requirements including passing a physical fitness test required of Coast Guard crewman one-third his age. Ross now fills a crewman billet aboard the MLB, which frees up a qualified law enforcement officer. Chief Paul Decker, Officer in Charge Michigan City said, “We have limited personnel to fill operational billets. When Ed filled the MLB billet it provided that extra body we needed to form a special law enforcement unit that focused strictly on law enforcement and specifically on removing drunk boaters off the water.” It sure paid off. During 2004, Station Michigan City crews nabbed 23 drunk boaters.

In Traverse City, Michigan, twin flotillas cover East and West Traverse Bays, and provide gap coverage between Coast Guard Stations Frankfort and Charlevoix, Michigan. Further to the south the Coast Guard Auxiliary in South Haven alone has conducted over 1,500 search and rescue cases while assisting over 4,000 boaters while saving more than 25 million dollars in property over a 15 year period.

Volunteer Life Savers perform another gap support role that definitely supports Coast Guard operational training. They supply their own boats so boat and air station personnel can achieve training objectives. It’s normal during spring to see Coast Guard boat crews actively involved in training on Lake Michigan. If you look closely, you most likely will also see a Coast Guard auxiliary boat nearby. And the Volunteer Life Savors have proven to be invaluable in filling operational gaps by supplying crews and boats for safety security zones for major marine events like fireworks and major powerboat races. Look around next time you attend one of these events, you most likely will see a Volunteer Life Saver volunteering his or her time or boat to assure you’re safe on the water.

Another key role they perform in keeping people safe on the water is with vessel safety checks on recreational boats. At Manistee, Volunteer Life Savers annually conduct nearly 300 vessel safety checks a year. During 2004, they scored amongst the top five nationwide in vessels safety checks. The value these folks bring to the Coast Guard does carry a cost equivalent. According to a 2003 Coast Guard study the total value of volunteer hours provided the Coast Guard my the Volunteer Life Savers that year amounted to 81 million dollars.

But of even greater value and life saving at that are the boating safety courses Volunteer Life Savers provide countless boaters. Volunteer Life Savers who teach boating safety courses tell me that boaters are aghast at how naive they had been regarding boating safety and their own well being upon the water. Every boater, they proclaim, should take a boating course. I highly recommend boaters take this advice and sign up for a Coast Guard Auxiliary boating safety course or vessel safety check.

News from the Rolex Swan American Regatta

The second day of the Rolex Swan American Regatta brought much lighter wind than the blustery first day, calling for very different sailing skills from the 39 teams competing in Newport, Rhode Island. Yesterday was all about brute force and courage in the face of very challenging conditions. Today was about boat speed and smart tactics around the race course, with the wind blowing a very warm and pleasant 8 to 12 knots from the southwest.

The change in weather had remarkably little effect on the leaderboard of the four divisions. In Class D, the non-spinnaker division, Reef Points, Joseph Huber's (Wynnewood, Pa.) Swan 44 added two more victories to its win from the yesterday. On the morning's triangular race course, Reef Points stayed in touch with the bigger boats to finish by three seconds ahead of Neal Finnegan's (Cohasset, Mass.) Swan 56 Clover III on corrected time.

For the second and final race of the day, the New York Yacht Club race committee set a zig-zag course that took the fleet to a finish inside Narragansett Bay, off Fort Adams State Park. "We played the current perfectly; in fact we got so close to the shore we could have grabbed a beer off the rocks," laughed Huber, who admitted at this point he was beginning to question the wisdom of his navigator Jeff Kentzen. "Fortunately we had some good local knowledge on board, and the crew said the bow would hit before the keel!"

Huber also paid tribute to his tactician Fletch Perkins. "He did a great job of getting us off the start line in both races," he said. "We had really good upwind boat speed and we were always in touch with the bigger boats. In the second race we actually led around the first mark." Considering that the Swan 44 is up against a number of Swan 56s and even a Swan 60, that was no mean feat.

In Class A, the big boat division, Jim Swartz's Swan 601 Moneypenny displayed similar dominance, winning both races with ease. In the morning race, Moneypenny's corrected time victory was almost five minutes ahead of Clay Deutsch's (Newport, R.I.) Swan 68 Chippewa. "We had a fantastic day," said Swartz. "The boat was performing beautifully. We had some brilliant tactical calls from Dee (Smith) picked up a couple of shifts - we just couldn't be happier. It was a walk in the park after yesterday."

Leon Christianakis and Martin Jacobson maintained their lead in Class B with a two-minute victory for their Swan 44 Crescendo in the first race of the day. With results factored in from the final race, Crescendo still leads its class.

The Swan 45 one-design fleet had the busiest day, with three races held. Following a dominant display in the windy conditions on day one, Goombay Smash, owned by Doug Douglass (Stamford, Conn.) proved equally adept at the more delicate conditions of today. He notched up a useful scoreline of 1-2-1. In the third and final race, heavy fog rolled in across the race course and turned the race into a game of hide and seek. "It was fantastically close sailing and particularly fun in the fog," said Douglass. "Vim and Bellicosa were hunting the mark with us and it was extremely tight, but we just clinched the win."

While Douglass's Goombay Smash is leading the Swan 45 class, there is a protest between Craig Speck's VIM this evening. Even if Goombay Smash were to be disqualified, however, it would still maintain its lead over second-place Bellicosa, owned by Massimo Ferragamo (New York, N.Y.).

Tomorrow the fleet embarks on the long distance race. Although the course is yet to be decided, the race committee would like to send the fleet on a 19-mile course around Conanicut Island.

This evening's prizegiving was hosted by Nautor's Swan supplier INAMAR, Recreational Marine Insurance, one of the ACE group of companies. Dick Rucker, Vice President of INAMAR, presented prizes to the first placed Swan in each class.

For more information about the Rolex Swan American Regatta, visit www.nautorswan.com or www.nyyc.org.

Preliminary Overall Results - July 26, 2005, Top 3 in all classes

Class A - 3 races
Place, boat name, type, owner, hometown, race 1-2-3, total points
1. Moneypenny, Swan 601, Jim Swartz, Edgartown, Mass., 1-1-1, 3 points
2. Aqua Equinox, Swan 56, Filip Balcaen, BEL, 3-4-2, 9
3. Chippewa, Swan 68, Clayton Deutsch, Newport, R.I., 5-2-3, 10

Class B - 3 races
Place, boat name, type, owner, hometown, race 1-2-3, total points
1. Crescendo, Swan 44, Leon Christianakis/ Martin Jacobson, Greenwich, Conn., 1-1-1, 3 points
2. Vixen, Swan 44, John Wayt, Jamestown, R.I., 3-2-2, 7
3. Xenophon, Jeffrey Rabuffo, Middletown, R.I., 4-3-3, 10

Class C - Swan 45 One-Design, 5 races
Place, boat name, type, owner, hometown, race 1-2-3-4-5, total points
1. Goombay Smash, William Douglass, Stamford, Conn., 1-1-1-2*-1, 4 points
2. Bellicosa, Massimo Ferragamo, New York, N.Y., 2-3-4*-3-2, 10
3. Plenty, Alexander Roepers, New York, N.Y., 5-5-2-1-7*, 13
*discard race, does not factor into the total points

Class D - 3 races
Place, boat name, type, owner, hometown, race 1-2-3-4-5, total points
1. Reef Points, Swan 44, Joseph Huber, Wynnewood, Pa., 1-1-1, 3 points
2. Amanda, Swan 53, Roland Bathory, Weston, Mass., 3-3-3, 9
3. Marie Blue, Swan 60, Carel Paauwe, Lutheren, NED, 2-4-8, 14

Top Youth Female Sailors Compete

US SAILING, national governing body for the sport, and the California Yacht Club are gearing up for 60 young female sailors who will soon arrive in Marina Del Rey, Calif., for the U.S. Junior Women's Singlehanded Championship. The event, sponsored by Vanguard Sailboats, will take place July 30th through August 5th and is open to young female sailors between the ages of 13 and 18. The 60 competitors will not only vie for the National Championship title and US SAILING's Nancy Leiter Clagett Memorial Trophy, but also for a spot on the 2006 US Youth World Team which will represent the U.S. at the 2006 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship in Great Britain.

Before official racing for the Championship kicks off, competitors will participate in a two-day racing clinic led by Mike Kalin (Boston, Mass.), US SAILING's Youth Development Coach. Kalin, returning fresh from his trip to coach the US Youth World Team in Korea last week, will be assisted by several other coaches, including US Sailing Team-members Molly Carapiet (Belvedere, Calif.) and Amanda Clark (Shelter Island, N.Y.). The clinic gives competitors the opportunity to improve their sailing skills before vying for a spot on the 2006 US Youth World Team.

Since the event was first held in 1986, the Championship has played a major role in the country's development of junior women sailing. Allie Blecher (Fullerton, Calif.) and Caroline Wright (Fort Lauderdale, FL) are among the several competitors returning for another shot at the trophy. Demonstrating great improvement in her sailing skills, Blecher placed fourth in last year's competition, two years after finishing 31st in her first effort. In a similar fashion, Wright has also shown a similar improvement over the years. Last year's winner of the National Championship, Paige Railey, will not return this year. Railey just became Youth World Champion last week for a second time in her sailing career and will be competing in regattas in Europe this summer.

The exciting competition will be raced in 60 Laser Radials provided by leading boat manufacturer and event sponsor Vanguard Sailboats. The Laser Radial carries similar performance characteristics as the very popular Laser, but the Radial's slightly less powerful sail plan makes it the perfect boat for smaller singlehanded sailors and youth sailors. This design has done much to advance the sport of sailing and sailboat racing among women.

The winner of the Jr. Women U.S. Singlehanded Championship will be awarded the Nancy Leiter Clagett Memorial trophy by US SAILING. The trophy gets its namesake from one of the country's renowned female sailors, Nancy Leiter Clagett, who was a champion in many classes of boats. Commonly known among sailing enthusiasts as "The Leiter," the perpetual trophy was created by the late C. Thomas Clagett in memory of his wife and for the purposes of encouraging sailing among junior girls in the United States.

Windswept Newport

After a windy and wavy first day at the Rolex Swan American Regatta in Newport, every team had a story to tell. Sailors were grinning from ear to ear about their adventures out on the Atlantic Ocean, where winds gusted to over 30 knots. Today was a day about holding it all together and avoiding major errors. In many cases, this was easier said than done.

For the Swan 601 Moneypenny, it looked like a normal day at the office. The team executed the race with a clinical efficiency that would have made James Bond proud. This 60-foot thoroughbred was launched two weeks ago and today was its first major outing on the race course. Owner Jim Swartz (Edgartown, Mass.) has pulled together some of the biggest names in professional yacht racing to race this yacht, including Dee Smith on tactics.

"We just wanted to stay out of trouble, and keep it clean," said Smith, who reported a top speed downwind under spinnaker of 17 knots. "We started five boatlengths down from the committee boat, just where we wanted to be." Moneypenny led from start to finish, crossing the line almost eight minutes in front of the Swan 68 Chippewa, owned by Clay Deutsch (Newport, R.I.). Smith leads Class A on corrected time, by almost three minutes over second-place Swan 56 Lolita, owned by Frank Savage (Stamford, Conn.).

Chippewa would have done better if it hadn't taken a penalty turn immediately after the start. Deutsch steered the 68-footer through the 360-degree penalty turn as a precautionary measure after a starting line incident with his great friend and rival Frank Savage. "We had a disagreement about available space," laughed Deutsch in good humor back on dry land. "It was a good day to be a big boat out in those conditions, but we should have done better. I think if we can avoid those errors, then we can give Moneypenny and the others a good race."

Martin Jacobson and Leon Christianakis's (Greenwich, Conn.) Swan 44 Crescendo dominated Class B, beating Gordon Ettie's (Miami, Fla.) Swan 40 Sazerac by exactly four minutes on corrected time. Things were much closer in the non-spinnaker Class D division, however, with one minute separating the first four boats on corrected time. Joseph Huber's (Wynnewood, Pa.) Swan 44 Reef Points beat Carel Paauwe's (Lunteren, NED) Swan 60 Marie Blue by 25 seconds under the Nautor's Swan Rating system.

Although two races had been scheduled today, the New York Yacht Club race committee sent the fleet in after the eventful first race - except for the Swan 45s of Class C. The Swan 45s are among the best handled yachts in the fleet, and the committee decided to hold a challenging second race for the nine-boat division. By this time the wind was gusting to over 30 knots, and with the steep waves these conditions were proving a handful even for the Swan 45s. Spinnakers were blowing out, and as one sailor noted with a smile: "It was a good day for the sailmakers."

One Swan 45 relishing the conditions was Goombay Smash, which owner William Douglass (Stamford, Conn.) helmed to a first-race victory of 40 seconds over Massimo Ferragamo's (New York, N.Y.) Bellicosa. He followed this up with a 1 minute, 28 second victory over defending champion Craig Speck's (Boston, Mass.) Vim in the second race of the day.

Goombay Smash tactician Brad Read was still buzzing when he stepped ashore. "The second race was full on nuclear," he said. "We had a bad start and were fourth at the top mark. Plenty's spinnaker was flagged out to leeward and we were going 17 knots, trying to pass them. We snuck through a 10-foot gap where there was a boat wiped out to leeward of us and a boat wiped out to weather of us and within about 30 seconds we were in first place. Then, boom! We won."

Nautor's Swan todayv was delighted to welcome ESPN's SportsCenter Across America to the regatta, giving the TV crew first-hand experience of racing on board a Swan 45, and sharing in the camaraderie of the entire Rolex Swan American Regatta fleet. This afternoon, the Bitter End Yacht Club hosted the daily prizegiving in the Regatta Village at Newport Shipyard. Prizes were awarded to the top three Swans in each of the four classes. This evening, Swan owners and guests will be hosted at the Rolex Owners Dinner at the NYYC's Harbour Court.

Preliminary Overall Results - July 25, 2005

Race one-top 3 in all classes

Class A
Boat, type, owner, place
1. Moneypenny, Swan 601, Jim Swartz, Edgartown, Mass.
2. Lolita, Swan 56, Frank Savage, Stamford, Conn.
3. Aqua Equinox, Swan 56, Filip Balcaen, BEL

Class B
Boat, type, owner, place
1. Crescendo, Swan 44, Leon Christianakis/ Martin Jacobson, Greenwich, Conn.
2. Sazerac, Swan 40CB, Gordon Ettie, Miami, Fla.
3. Vixen, Swan 44, John Wayt, Jamestown, R.I.

Class C - Swan 45 One-Design, Two races
Boat, type, owner, race 1, race 1, total points
1. Goombay Smash, William Douglass, Stamford, Conn., 1-1, 2 points
2. VIM, Craig Speck, Boston, Mass., 3-2, 5 points
3. Bellicosa, Massimo Ferragamo, New York, N.Y., 2-3, 5 points

Class D
Boat, type, owner, place
1. Reef Points, Swan 44, Joseph Huber, Wynnewood, Pa.
2. Marie Blue, Swan 60, Carel Paauwe, Lutheren, NED
3. Amanda, Swan 53, Roland Bathory, Weston, Mass.

US Sailing Team Members Win World Championship

US Sailing Team-members Sally Barkow (Chenequa, Wis.), Debbie Capozzi (Bayport, N.Y.), and Carrie Howe (Grosse Pointe, Mich.) have been crowned World Champions after winning the Yngling World Championship in Mondsee, Austria, over the weekend. The U.S. sailors defeated 33 boats to win the Championship, including last year's world champion Trine Palludan (DEN) and Athens silver medalist Surlana Taran (UKR).

Racing for the Yngling World Championship took place in Austria on a small lake in a mountainous region, making it difficult for the competitors to get accurate weather predictions. No team finished consistently within the top 10 in the first four races of the Championship. For the last race of the Championship, a lack of wind meant the start was delayed until just before the 3 p.m. local time deadline. Barkow held a nine-point lead over Sharon Ferris, Raynor Smeal and Ashley Holtum (NZL), who in turn were defending a two-point gap to the third place Russian team of Vlada Ilienko, Ekaterina Kovalenko and Natalia Gapanovich. The three teams finished together in the final race, with Barkow edging out Ferris to finish one place above them in eleventh, with the Russians following in 13th. Another American team, skippered by 2003 Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year Hannah Swett with crew Laura Schmidt and Melissa Purdy, finished an impressive 6th overall.

This is the second World Championship title for skipper Barkow and her crew: in 2004, the team won the ISAF Women's World Match Racing Championship. So far this year, team Barkow has been enjoying a successful year after winning US SAILING's Rolex Miami OCR and Semaine Olympique Française in Hyères, France.

For complete results from the Yngling World Championship, please visit the event website at www.yngling2005.com.

Rolex Swam Regatta Starts Monday in Newport

The day before the Rolex Swan American Regatta in Newport, Rhode Island, and former champion Frank Savage (Stamford, Conn.) is sounding confident of success again aboard his immaculately prepared Swan 56 Lolita.

"I expect to win the overall trophy and my chances are very good as Lolita will be in excellent shape and I have an excellent crew," said Savage, who has raced this biennial regatta five times and won the overall trophy in 2001. "I always keep Lolita in top form. In preparation for this regatta, she has been in the boat yard for almost three weeks for a bottom job and checking all of the rigging and winches."

Lolita will be racing in Racing Class A, home of the big boats, with Clay Deutsch's (Newport, R.I.) Swan 68 Chippewa being the largest in the regatta. Like Savage, Deutsch is a 'work hard, play hard' kind of owner, and he acknowledged Lolita's status as the pre-event favorite. "Lolita's crew is always competitive," said Deutsch. "We see a lot of them on the race course, and we know that whenever we manage to beat them we've done something pretty special. Frank has a good team around him, and most of the crew has sailed with him for many years. Crew stability is a vital factor for performing well."

The unknown quantity in the big boat division is Jim Swartz's (Edgartown, Mass.) brand new Swan 601 Moneypenny, launched two weeks ago. Following on from the success of four Swan 601s racing around the Solent, in England, a month ago in the Rolex Swan European Regatta, Moneypenny's participation in this regatta is being followed with eager anticipation on the North American racing scene. Volvo Ocean Race veteran Dee Smith will be calling tactics and the crew includes many America's Cup veterans such as Kimo Worthington, Mike Toppa and Mark Strube. This gleaming new 60-footer could be the one to watch - certainly for line honors, but perhaps also for the ClubSwan award for the bets performance overall.

The Swan 44 Mk II class is well represented across two divisions, with some opting to compete in the spinnaker division of Racing Class B and others stowing the spinnaker to compete in Cruising Class D, numerically the biggest fleet in Newport this week. Perhaps the closest fought class will be Racing Class C, where nine Swan 45s will battle it out in the one-design competition. As usual, the Swan fleet is peppered with world-class talent, notably 2004 Olympic Gold Medallist Kevin Burnham, who is calling tactics for the Japanese Swan 45 Yasha, owned by Yukihiro Ishida.

Craig Speck's (Boston, Mass.) Vim is arguably the favorite, as this well-prepared team returns to the regatta as defending champion from 2003. Speck is focused on doing the double, aiming to win the Swan 45 fleet as well as the overall trophy, although he acknowledges the difficulty of the task. "We are going to come back and try to win it again," said Speck. "It will be tougher this time because we will have our own class, which means we won't have other boats to work as blockers and the fleet is much closer during racing. Everyone has gotten a lot better and it is a stronger fleet."

In total, a fleet of 39 Swan yachts have come from America, Asia and Europe to compete in the regatta, with a maximum of nine races scheduled to take place from July 25-29. Hosted by the New York Yacht Club (NYYC) and sponsored by Rolex, this is the 12th time that Swans will join together for a hotly contested series of racing on Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean.

Suppliers for the Rolex Swan American Regatta include the Bitter End Yacht Club, Graham Beck Winery, Inamar/ACE, OXYGEN, Peroni and Peters & May. As with every Swan regatta, the social program will be an integral part of the Rolex Swan American Regatta. ClubSwan, together with Rolex and the NYYC, has put together an action-packed program of entertainment throughout the week to include the Rolex Owners Dinner at the New York Yacht Club, Harbour Court and the Regatta Crew Party to be held at the Newport Regatta Club on Goat Island. The Final Prize giving will take place on July 29 at Harbour Court, when the overall winner of each class will be awarded a Rolex timepiece.

On Monday, July 25, the Rolex Swan American Regatta will be featured on ESPN's "SportsCenter Across America," a 50-state-in-50-days summer tour of the popular sports news program. SportsCenter Across America begins July 17 and continues for 50 straight days, highlighting a sporting event in a different state each day through September 4. The SportsCenter Across America will originate from a mobile SportsCenter set located within the Rolex Swan American Regatta Village at the Newport Shipyard. The segment will air on the 6pm, 11pm and 1am (EST) editions of SportsCenter.

2005 Rolex Swan American Regatta - Entries sorted by State
Preliminary as of July 24, 2005
Entries
NAME / CITY /YACHTNAME/ MODEL
Fernand Desgagnes/ Quebec City, AL/ Wind Dancer/ Swan 48
Robert Doris/ Belvedere, CA/ Marianna/ Swan 57RS
Peter Noonan/ Saratoga, CA/ Defiance/ Swan 56 C/R
Cliff Crowley/ Fairfield, CT/ Moondance/ Swan 44 MKII
Stephen De Voe/ Stamford, CT/ Devocean/ Swan 45
William Douglass/ Stamford, CT/ Goombay Smash/ Swan 45
Andrew Fisher/ Greenwich, CT/ Bandit/ Swan 45
Martin Jacobson,Leon Christianakis/ Greenwich, CT/ Crescendo/ Swan 44mk11
Thomas Little/ Westport, CT/ Dire Wolf/ Swan 44 MkII
Jeffrey Rabuffo/ Middletown, CT/ Xenophon/ Swan 44MKII
Frank Savage/ Stamford, CT/ Lolita/ Swan56 R/C
Gordon Ettie/ Coconut Grove, FL/ Sazerac/ Swan 40CB
Kay Statz/ Miami Beach, FL/ Port Call/ Swan 46 MK ICB
Roland Bathory/ Weston, MA/ Amanda/ Swan 53
Jon Desmond/ Concord, MA/ Affinity/ Swan 48
Neal Finnegan/ Cohasset, MA/ Clover III/ Swan 56 C/R
William Marsh/ Chatham, MA/ Ruse / Swan 44 Mark II
John Nugent/ Edgartown, MA/ Godspeed/ Swan
Jim Swartz/ Edgartown, MA/ Moneypenny/ Swan 601
Ronald O'Hanley/ Ipswich, MA/ Privateer/ Swan 48/2
Craig Speck/ Boston, MA/ VIM / Swan 45
Russell B. Hagen/ Minneapolis, MN/ Alerre/ Sloop CC
Mark Minkus/ Upper Saddle River, NJ/ Falcon/ Swan Cstm. 56
Massimo Ferragamo/ New York, NY/ Bellicosa/ Swan 45
Eugene Gold/ Kings Point, NY/ Grace/ Swan 53CB
James Reiher/ Quogue, NY/ Sky / Swan 53/28
Alexander Roepers/ NYC, NY/ Plenty/ Swan 45
Andrzej Rojek/ Brooklyn, NY/ Better Than.../ Swan 45
Henry Schmitt/ Huntington, NY/ Avocation/ Swan 48
William Kalis/ New York, NY/ Njord/ Swan 371
Joseph Huber/ Wynnewood, PA/ Reef Points/ Swan 44 mkII
Yukihiro Ishida/ Newport, RI/ Yasha/ Swan 45
Raymond Peterson/ Warren, RI/ Cygne/ Swan 46
John Wayt/ Jamestown, RI/ Vixen/ S&S Swan 44
Dick Weismann/ Newport, RI/ Vixen/ Swan
Clayton Deutsch/ Newport, RI/ Chippewa/ SWAN 68
Richard Evans/ San Antonio, TX/ Edelweiss/ Swan 38
Carel Paauwe/ Lunteren, NED/ Marie Blue/ Sawn 60
James Connelly/ Isle of Wight, UK/ Aqua Equinox/ Swan 56

Lexus and Caixa Galicia were Unstoppable

Official Breitling MEDCUP press release. 23rd July 2005, Puerto Portals, Mallorca, Spain. Leche Pascual positioned themselves ahead of the rest in the Breitling Regatta, the third event in the Breitling MEDCUP thanks to their consistency in performance.

Orlanda-Olympus are only 3 points behind, with Caixa Galicia four points away from them, after their best day’s racing yet. Lexus, who won the first race are paying a hefty price for their inconsistency, and have moved down into fourth place.
23rd July, 2005 (Puerto Portals, Mallorca, Spain). The extremely light winds -less than 5 knots at the end of race 2- marked an almost perfect day for Caixa Galicia, who was second and first in today’s races. Lexus, skippered by Dean Barker, was first in the first race, but got the eighth place in the second one.
Today's conditions were of a light breeze ranging between 7 and 10 knots, and varying up to 20 degrees to the East, in a first race that saw Lexus fighting hard against a strong Caixa Galicia in a battle which went on throughout the whole of the race.
A general call to all of the boats at the start, followed individual calls to no less than 4 of the vessels - Aifos, Bambakou, Leche Pascual and Atalanti XV, who were all ordered to repeat the start. This meant a considerable loss of time compared with the other group of six boats who had commenced an excellent upwind course.
Siemens, skippered by Jim Allsopp, decided to stay to the left side of the course, and thanks to the 10 degree wind shift to that side, they managed to reach the windward buoy in first place. However Allsopp’s team couldn't seem to hold on to the position and ended up giving away the lead to come in eight place. Lexus and Caixa Galicia raced fiercely against one another to win the race for the lead position that Caixa Galicia had snatched from the hands of Siemens in the first downwind course. Lexus played a better hand, and in the second upwind stretch at the second windward buoy they were winning, only a few metres away from a threatening Caixa Galicia who were by no means willing to let Lexus get away from them.

In the end, Caixa Galicia were unable to fend off the unstoppable Lexus, who now have their second victory in the Breitling Regatta. Caixa Galicia camee in a respectable second, followed by the Italians Orlanda-Olympus, skippered by Lorenzo Bressani. Bribon, with HM King Juan Carlos at the helm, were trailing behind during the first upwind course, but made a spectacular recovery from their eighth position to finish fourth. In fifth place were the UK's Cristabella, followed by Leche Pascual, Bambakou, Siemens, Atalanti XV and Aifos who finished last in this first race of the day.
In the second race of the day the stars were the Caixa Galicia team, who lead the fleet right from the first windward mark, until the end of the race. Their advantage was such, that they managed to get over a minute ahead of the UK boat Cristabella, who came in second. The sharp changes in wind direction, with shifts to the East meant a constant change in positions for most of the fleet. Then the sudden fall in breeze forced the Race Committee to shorten the race by one leg, meaning the boats finished in an agonising downwind course.

Lexus performed a fantastic start sweeping past the rest of the fleet in the first upwind course. However, an unstoppable Caixa Galicia positioned themselves ahead of the fleet as they passed the windward mark and held on to the lead throughout the race. Lexus were only half a bowline behind and it looked like they were ready to re-enact the close battle for the lead fought during the first leg. However, Dean Barker suffered after a difficult downwind course, which left them trailing in sixth place. Bribon were not quite on track either as they moved into seventh place at the third buoy, to later recover to finish sixth.
Cristabella’s fantastic performance is well worth noting, as they were eighth in the first mark and managed to finish in second place behind the Spanish Caixa Galicia team, with John Kostecki onboard as tactician.

In third place were Leche Pascual, who climbed up from sixth place. The Leche Pascual team’s consistency in performance has put them at the top of the rankings, where they have been for quite a time now, since their fantastic regatta in Valencia.

Aifos, which is skippered in this event by Luis Galnares, were among the few vessels that have sailed a fairly consistent regatta, and finished fourth in this second race. Bambakou, with owner-driver John Coumantaros, finished fifth, followed by Bribon, Atalanti XV and Lexus, who came in eighth, who, like Orlanda-Olympus, ninth, have been sailing very irregular races. They have been combining great races in leading positions with very weak performances, such as today’s.
Siemens just don’t seem to be able to optimise their boat’s performance and came in last in today's second race.
Quotes:
Tom Pollack, Executive Director of the Transpac 52 Class: “I’m thrilled to see what just took up. I’m very, very happy to see the success of the Transpac 52 fleet here, in Europe, and here in Spain. With the King of Spain being involved with the class this just went to a whole new level. It’s probably the best Grand Prix the world has ever seen in the 50 foot range.”

Paul Cayard, skipper of Atalanti about the damage suffered yesterday: “We had missed the races yesterday and we have stayed all night repairing them. We have laminated carbon fibre on the bow today we haven’t sailed too well and I don’t think is there any problem in the bow, only we haven’t sailed well.”

General overall 11ª Regata Breitling
Pos Barco Patrón PTOS Prueba1 PTOS P2 PTOS P3 PTOS p4 PTOS p5 Total ptos
1 LECHE PASCUAL VASCO VASCOTTO 10.00 9.00 7.00 5.00 8.00 39.00
2 ORLANDA-OLYMPUS LORENZO BRESSANI 7.00 10.00
9.00 8.00 2.00 36.00
3 CAIXA GALICIA ROBERTO BERMUDEZ 6.00 7.00 3.00 9.00 10.00 35.0
4 LEXUS DEAN BARKER 2.00 8.00 10.00 10.00 3.00 33.00
5 CRISTABELLA JOHN COOK 8.00 4.00 5.00 6.00 9.00 32.0
6 BAMBAKOU JOHN COUMANTAROS 5.00 6.00 6.00 4.00 6.00 27.00
7 AIFOS RICARDO ALVAREZ 9.00 5.00 4.00 1.00 7.00 26.0
8 BRIBON S.M. JUAN CARLOS DE BORBÓN 3.00 Pts 3.00 8.00 7.00 5.00 26.0
9 SIEMENS PEDRO PERELLÓ 1.00 Pts. 2.00 2.00 3.00 1.00 9.0
10 ATALANTI XV PAUL CAYARD 4.00 Pts. 0.00 0.00 2.00 4.00 10.0

(The first one gets 10.00 points –equal number as participants-, the second, 9.00 and so on…)

Lexus Wins The Breitling Regatta

Expectations were high in the final day of the 11th Breitling Regatta, the third event of five in the Breitling MEDCUP TP52 Circuit. Today the fleet were facing two races which would prove to be decisive in the general rankings of the Regatta.

In the first race of the day, with 6-7 knots of south-westerly breeze, Lexus performed a great start, showing the full acceleration capacity of the vessel. The team took the lead, ahead of the other nine TP52s, and maintained their position for the duration of the race. It was impossible for the other boats to even get close to Dean Barker and crew, and Cristabella was also unwilling to give away their second place, gained at the first mark and managed to stand their ground until the end of the race. John Cook’s Cristabella, who came second in yesterday’s race, now move into fourth place in the general rankings. Orlanda-Olympus, who left the port today in second position in the general rankings, came in third in the race, putting them into first place, thanks to Leche Pascual’s poor performance.

The fleet faced the second race with Orlanda leading on 44 points, Lexus just one point away on 43, and Leche Pascual on 41, with Cristabella in fourth place. There was much excitement, given the fact that in these races anyone can win.

The wind had picked up to 10 knots, and Lexus delivered a great start, racing forward into first place. Only a few seconds behind, Caixa Galicia were moving in, with the rest of the fleet following. At the first windward buoy, Dean Barker’s team was in first place, followed by Caixa Galicia, Orlanda-Olympus, Bribon, Bambakou, Leche Pascual, Cristabella, Siemens, Atalanti XV and Aifos. The excitement didn’t subside in the heart stopping downwind course where Bribon managed to get ahead into third place, in front of the Italian Orlanda-Olympus team.

The level of the Transpac 52 racing is so high that even simple errors can be very costly during a regatta. As such, Lexus took the decision to move slightly more to the right than their rivals in the second upwind course, which cost them a win, against Caixa Galicia who were really fighting for a place on the podium. Bribon also got ahead of Lexus and the three boats sailed the last downward course with only a few bowlines between them. At the leeward buoy, it was HM King Juan Carlos of Spain’s boat that turned first, thanks to a well made tactical decision to gybe more leeward than their rivals.

Caixa Galicia who had started the last upwind course in second place, pushed forward to pass Bribon and cross the finish line first, followed by the King of Spain’s boat, and Lexus, who had achieved victory in the general rankings in this regatta. Bambakou owned and driven by John Coumantarous came in fourth in the race, and seventh in the event. Fifth place went to Vasco Vascotto’s Leche Pascual, who were not able to keep up the winning streak they experienced in Valencia, and as such came fourth in the general classifications, drawing on points with Orlanda-Olympus who are on third place on points, thanks to their better performance in the individual races. Orlanda, who were winning at the start of the day, finished seventh.

Morning Glory Smashes Transpac Record

Hasso Plattner's Morning Glory, sliding smoothly through a moonlit sea, finished the Centennial Transpacific Yacht Race in moderate winds just after 2 in the morning local time Sunday to smash the record held by his nearest rival, Roy Disney'.

Although it wasn't a particularly windy Transpac, the maxZ86s proved their slippery power. The German boat's time for the 2,225 nautical miles was 6 days 16 hours 4 minutes 11 seconds, lopping almost a day off the record of 7:11:41:27 set by Disney's previous Pyewacket in 1999.

The new Pyewacket crossed the Diamond Head finish line almost exactly 2 ½ hours later in what was Disney's 15th and final Transpac.

Two boats actually finished ahead of the two maxZ86s---Ross Pearlman's Jeanneau 52, Between the Sheets, at 10:22 p.m. Saturday night and the 68-year-old yawl, Odyssey, with Cecil Rossi as skipper, 54 minutes ahead of Morning Glory---but they were Aloha A class entries that got a six-day head start on the big boats.

ISAF Youth Worlds Final Results

McLay Just Misses Bronze, ISAF Youth Worlds All Over

The final day of racing was abandoned in Busan, Korea with fog plaguing the course. The Race Committee decided racing would be unsafe in the low visibility conditions leaving Blair McLay just outside the top three despite claiming three bullets during the Championship.

ISAF 2005 Youth World Championships
Final Results

Laser - Blair McLay – Torbay Sailing Club – 4th
Laser Radial - Olivia Powrie – Kohimarama Yacht Club – €“ 10th
420 Boys - Peter Burling & Bruce Kennedy – Tauranga Yacht & Powwerboat Club – 15th
420 Girls - Georgina Hill & Michelle Kennedy – Kohimarama Yachtt Club – 18th
Mistral Board Boys - Antonio Cozzolino – Kohimarama Yacht Club – 17th
Mistral Board Girls - Steffanie Williams - Kohimarama Yacht Club – 11th
Hobie 16 - Rory & Kelly Godman – Burkes St Leonard Yacht Club, Dunedin – 10th

Disappointment for kiwi hopeful Blair McLay at the Youth Worlds where he was unable to make a final bid for a podium spot still in reach going into the final day. The fog that descended on the Busan racing area late Thursday hampering racing was again an issue for race organizers yesterday. They concluded that it was unsafe for racing to take place which means that results stand.

McLay was the top finisher in the kiwi team with the next best performance being that of Olivia Powie in the Laser Radial. She finished 10th in a fleet of 21. Also inside the top half of their fleet was the 420 Boys pair, Peter Burling and Bruce Kennedy of Tauranga who finished in 15th.

The Volvo Team Trophy this year was claimed by France who had a significant lead in the points table over Great Britain. Spain was 3rd in the country ranks, while New Zealand was back in 13th in the list of 46 countries that entered.

All seven class titles went to different nations some closely fought and some more convincing. Significantly though, the less traditional sailing nations are emerging and demonstrating their new found skills. Singapore earned their first ever Gold medal at the ISAF Youth Worlds and China claimed their first ever medal, at this their second time in the regatta. Lijia of China threatened the well known force of USA’s Paige Railey in the Laser Radial and helped the Chinese team to a strong sixth position in the country ranks.

The emerging talent of nations new to international sailing competition together with the continued strength of Europe lifts the bar for the Oceanic nations. Not only did New Zealand come away without a medal but our Australian counterparts also suffered claiming only silver in the 11 boat Hobie fleet.

Full final results can be viewed on the regatta website through the link below. A full report is also available on the ISAF website.

Half of the kiwi team will return to New Zealand in the next few days while the two 420 crews join the rest of the New Zealand 420 representatives talking part in the 420 World Championships in Brest, France next week.

Principal sponsor of the team is NZL Yachting Trust. Further support from NZAOS, The Southern Trust, ASB Bank, Line 7 and Endeavour Eyewear is also greatly appreciated.

Top-Ranked Disabled Sailors Compete in Chicago

Forty top-ranked disabled sailors from the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom will converge on Chicago this week to participate in the 14th annual U.S. Independence Cup/North American Challenge Cup regatta (IC/NACC), a three-day US SAILING National Championship that showcases the best of disabled sailing. The competitors, selected through a series of local and regional qualifying regattas and by special invitation, are a diverse mixture of men and women in all age brackets, with a broad range of disabilities.

Two-person crews will compete in specially outfitted 20-foot Freedom Independence boats, each of which will also be co-manned by a non-competing able-bodied volunteer, to help ensure the safety of all participants. Solo entrants will race without assistance in singlehanded 2.4mR boats, the same boats that are used in the Paralympic Games.

Adding spice to this year's competition is the return of last year's winners in both the singlehanded and doublehanded divisions. Last year's doublehanded champions, Karen Mitchell and Kerry Gruson, are sailing partners from Florida. Mitchell, a native of Deerfield Beach, has competed in the event for years, and hopes to become the first female sailor to represent the U.S. in the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing.

While this year's race will be Gruson's tenth, returning singlehanded champ Nick Scandone, a current member of US SAILING's US Disabled Sailing Team, will be defending his crown in what is only his second IC/NACC appearance. He sailed to a hard-won victory in his first outing in 2004, and is a fierce competitor.

"Anytime you have a sporting event with past champions returning to defend their titles against new challengers, the drama of competition becomes even more intense," commented Jim Armstrong, this year's IC/NACC co-chairman. "We've got veteran participants, talented newcomers, and reigning titleholders. For sailboat racing fans, and for anyone who appreciates the drama of human competition, this event is becoming a true summer classic in Chicago."

Once again, the role of corporate supporters is critical to the existence and success of the IC/NACC Regatta. The logistics involved in traveling to and participating in the event can be both physically and financially daunting. Corporate partners provide the generous support needed so that the participants can concentrate on preparing for the tough competition ahead. These sponsors underwrite a long list of items including air travel to and from the event, transportation during the event, lodging, meals, special equipment, the competitors' boats, and much more. Major participants in this effort include Rolex Watch U.S.A., American Airlines, Cook-Illinois, and the Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Program.

Additional support is provided by a wide variety of companies and organizations including The Chicago Park District, Chicago School Transit, Hyatt Regency Chicago, Strategic Hotel Capital, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Illinois, Boar's Head Meats, Carol's Cookies, Morning Fields, and Snapple.

The IC/NACC is part of US SAILING's National Adult Championship series, all of which are sponsored by Rolex Watch U.S.A. For more information about the event, please visit the event website at www.ussailing.org/independence. For more information about US SAILING's National Championships, please visit www.ussailing.org/championships.

Leche Pascual Wins

The fleet of 10 TP52 vessels open the 11th Breitling Trophy Regatta with a coastal race

The 11th edition of the Breitling Regatta commenced today with a coastal race which covered a course of over 34 nautical miles, taking the fleet of 10 boats to the areas of Begana and San Juan de Dios, to then pass a marker positioned to the southwest which took them back to the start-line, in front of Puerto Portals. The winds were light, at about 8 knots, but varied in force during the entire race.

The Transpac 52 fleet witnessed after an upwind stretch of 5 miles, Aifos, the Spanish Royal Navy boat, was leading thanks to a great tactical decision, followed by Chieffi’s Orlanda-Olympus and then by Cristabella, driven by John Cook, who were enjoying the improved performance after the modifications made to the boat.

Behind this group of four, Siemens, Caixa and Bambakou were turning past the first marker in that order, followed by three of the strongest competitors, Atalanti XV with world champion Paul Cayard, and Lexus in this case skippered by emirates Team New Zealand skipper, Dean Barker. Bribon, who were leading in the Corinthian class had to make do with the tail positions in the race.

Once at the Sech marker, and again later near the area of Calanova, the four leading boats maintained their positions, whilst the fifth place was Bambakou’s, to the detriment of Caixa Galicia, who couldn’t quite hold it. Caixa Galicia fought a tough battle with Coumantaros’ Bambakou and Tomasso Chieffi’s Orlanda-Olympus throughout the whole race.

At the halfway point of the race, at the San Juan de Dios marker, Vasco Vascotto’s Leche Pascual managed to snatch victory away from the hands of Aifos, who were sailing a spectacular regatta, and were ahead roughly one and a half bow-lines from their rivals as the took the lead. Cristabella owned by John Cook, and Orlanda-Olympus with the America’s Cup veteran skipper Tomasso Chieffi plus Bambakou all fought hard in the second group in the fleet, passing the marker in that order. Caixa Galicia were sixth at this point and weren’t able to pass their adversaries, followed by Atalanti, Bribon and Lexus, who, despite having a good part of Team New Zealand onboard, managed to lose a few positions due to having 4 men overboard due to a broken stanchion.

At the finish line, Leche Pascual gave us an impressive victory, with Aifos speeding behind in second place.

Quotes
Vasco Vascotto, skipper of Pisco Sour Leche Pascual: “It’s been a beautiful race, we have done the whole race inside the Bay of Palma, one of my favourites, because the coastal races here are really tactical. The wind has been fantastic, although really hot, a great race. At the beginning there was no chance to pass Aifos, who was leading with a good distance, but we were happy because our direct rivals for the Breitling MEDCUP general ranking were far behind, so we were ok in that aspect, but then we got the chance to pass Aifos and luckily we could pas them and win the race.”

Tito Galnares, helmsman Aifos: “This is the first time I ever sail on a TP52, and the feeling has been absolutely new and great, it’s a superquick, superlight boat, with a speed acceleration that I still can’t believe. We decided to start on the left side of the start line and as usually happens, when you take the good side, and go with good speed, you win. We have kept the distances in the following legs, but then the wind went lighter and then Pisco Sour Leche Pascual came really fast and passed us. We have to congratulate the winner who have done a really good race.”

Ranking 11ª Regatta Breitling

1. LECHE PASCUAL VASCO VASCOTTO 10.00 Puntos
2. AIFOS LUIS GALNARES 9.00 Pts.
3.CRISTABELLA JOHN COOK 8.00 Pts.
4.ORLANDA-OLYMPUS TOMMASO CHIEFFI 7.00 Pts.
5.CAIXA GALICIA ROBERTO BERMUDEZ DE VELASCO 6.00 Pts.
6.BAMBAKOU JOHN COUMANTAROS 5.00 Pts.
7.ATALANTI XV PAUL CAYARD 4.00 Pts.
8.BRIBON S.M. JUAN CARLOS DE BORBÓN 3.00 Pts.
9. LEXUS DEAN BARKER 2.00 Pts.
10.SIEMENS PEDRO PERELLÓ 1.00 Pts.

La Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro

SAM DAVIES & SKANDIA FIGARO TAKE ON LA SOLITAIRE AFFLELOU LE FIGARO

In less than 3 weeks, Sam Davies and SKANDIA will be on the start line of the main event of the Figaro season 'La Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro' starting 7th August: the four stage, sleep deprived 1710mile solo race between France, Spain and Ireland, widely thought of as 'the unofficial world championship of single-handed offshore racing' attracts the very best Figaro soloists and legends of the sport including 2001 Vendée Globe winner Michel Desjoyeaux.

“I know how hard it is because I have done it twice before...that is good and bad! This is the best race I have ever sailed, and the most competitive. It's a buzz I cannot explain, and only fellow skippers who have done the race can understand. It is an addiction!”
Sam Davies, skipper SKANDIA

Big Name Subs in Tp 52 Class

The first race of the third event in the Breitling MEDCUP TP52 Circuit, the 11º Breitling Regatta, will be a coastal race with the start signal programmed for Thursday at 12:00, local time. A maximum of 7 races are planned to be raced until Sunday, the last day of the event. The coastal race will be around 38 nautical miles, with a course to be determined tomorrow depending on the conditions. The rest of the races will be windward-leeward which will be raced from Friday to Sunday.

The ten participating vessels (Atalanti XV, Bambakou, Bribón, Caixa Galicia, Leche Pascual, Lexus, Orlanda-Olympus, Aifos, Cristabella and Siemens) have spent today training after working on their boats to maximise performance in this event. Among the boats that have made modifications, is Cristabella. George Skuodas, trimmer on the boat commented on the changes:
“Valencia was great and very competitive. We based the changes we’ve made on our performance in Valencia. We’ve optimised the boat for the upwind courses and we’ve aimed for more stability. We are still learning to sail this class of boat and hope to improve race by race.”

Siemens, have recently joined the fleet participating in the Breitling MEDCUP TP52 and will also be participating in the fourth regatta in the circuit, which will be the Copa del Rey, which will be held in Palma de Mallorca. Pedro Perelló, owner of the boat, has acquired Sjambock, one of the most successful vessels in the USA Transpac circuit, which is also a twin mould with Bambakou, owned by John Coumantaros. Siemens will be skippered by US yachtsman Jim Allsop, who is also world champion in Star Class.

Another new edition to the crews racing in the circuit will be Dean Barker, skipper on Emirates Team New Zealand, who will take the helm of Lexus, substituting Russell Coutts. John Kostecki will take over as tactician on Caixa Galicia, substituting Dee Smith, who has other professional obligations to attend to during this event only. Both Coutts and Smith will return to their positions for the Copa del Rey from the 30th July to 7th August, in the Real Club Nautico, Palma Mallorca. Jaime Yllera, owner of Lexus, commented on the matter following today’s training session:
“After today’s training, I can definitely say this is a star team. To have a crew onboard who have just stepped off America’s Cup boats is a real luxury, and it is a privilege to witness the fantastic team spirit they have already.”

After the impressive victory, a few weeks ago in Valencia of the Leche Pascual team, lead by their America’s Cup Skipper, Vasco Vascotto (with help from his fellow crew members from the Mascalzone Latino team) and the success of Bribón, (owned by José Cusí, and Skippered by HM King Juan Carlos of Spain) in the Corinthian Class, the competition is becoming more tough, as the fine tuning of the vessels prior to the regatta, as well as the strength of the teams are increasing greatly.

Ignacio Postigo, navigator on Vasco Vascotto’s boat, commented on this third event in the Breitling MEDCUP Circuit: “We will do our best to sail as well as we did in Valencia, if it is possible to repeat that kind of racing. We will try to sail without pressure on us, and to get the maximum out of the boat’s performance. We haven’t made any major modifications to Leche Pascual, as we think it is sailing well – perhaps it’s best not to tempt fate!”

Linky Sailing News

Racing Slot Cars. Yngling Worlds. Portugal Match

News TP 52 Subs. Another record

Great Lakes On board assistance

VOR Nutrition

Besides the technology and the crew, excellent physical training is necessary in a race around the world to allow the sportsmen to endure the extreme conditions faced in this competition. And food is an essential aspect of that training.

If we draw a comparison with the world of automobile racing, if the crew are the essential components in movistar’s machinery, their correct nutrition is the fuel that makes it possible for them to withstand the hardships of weeks of a competition that often demands 100% of their capacity.

The race keeps a hectic pace for many days, which takes its toll. And being fit at departure is just not enough. Every stage lasts a few weeks,and it is not uncommon for crew members to lose up to 10 kg. of weight,not exactly fat, in every leg.

The Grupo Leche Pascual has just signed a co-sponsorship agreement with movistar, which will not only provide financial support, but also long-life Pascual products to the crew, such as pasteurized yoghourts,ideal for this type of event for they do not require cold storage and have an extended expiry date. They are easy to handle with no risk of food poisoning or environmental pollution, which makes them ideal products for the movistar crew under the conditions prevailing in the Volvo Ocean Race.

Pedro Campos, General Manager, says with respect to Leche Pascual: “It is not only a sponsor, but a provider of the technological support that we will need for our nutrition”.

Louise Bell is in charge of preventing the crew members from weakening during the race. “Nutrition has a key role in the performance of a Volvo Ocean Race team – says Louise - . Starting in land, with the pre-race preparation, nutrition optimizes the health of the crew, their strength and physical fitness before competing, so that they can maintain thee same health, strength and optimum performance throughout the race”.

“My goal is to provide the crew with enough daily energy (calories) to help them prevent weight loss and muscular wear, especially during the long legs – continues Louise -. Sports medicine research indicates that a mere 2% weight loss is enough to influence both physical and mental performance”.

Louise Bell has already started to work on movistar’s menu for the VOR 2005/06. “We will start to test the different foods and supplements I selected early in 2005; that will give us enough leeway. Too much time islost ordering the food and shipping it around the world, so coordination is also essential”.

In case conditions on board were not hard enough, the nutrition expert points at an added difficulty at meal times: “Most of the food is freeze-dried, energy bars, supplements and special sports nutritional products to maximize nutritional intake with a limited variety of foods”

Unfortunately for the gourmands, flavour is not a priority this time. “It is very important to make sure they receive enough protein, fat and carbohydrates from different foods every day, as well as some vitamins and minerals that will be added to the diet through special supplements and/or vitamin and mineral tablets”.

Much more than health

Preserving the crew fitness is not the only requirement for this type of food: “Weight restrictions on board mean that all food must be energy dense to guarantee maximum nutrition for every bite”¸ says Louise. “Other things need to be taken into account too, such as the difficulties of eating under extreme conditions, the lack of time to prepare meals and the shift - roster system, the extreme temperatures, seasickness and boredom resulting from the limited choice of food for such a long time”.

But drink is no less important than food. “Good hydration is essential for the performance of the sailors, their health and wellbeing”. The constant intake of freeze-dried food may lead to stomach problems or constipation; they must drink a lot. “It is not always possible to get the crew to drink enough liquid to prevent problems such as dehydration, so we are considering several special drinks for sportsmen which may help regulate their hydration during the race”.

In order to monitor the evolution of each crew member at all times, the nutrition expert works closely with the team’s physical therapist and the medical staff of the Volvo Ocean Race. “That will keep me up to date on any changes on the health of the crew. Due to the conditions of the race and the extreme weight load on the body, it is expected that all crew members, without exceptions, will grow exhausted and their nutritional level will be endangered. My goal is to make sure that they are as fit as possible before the race, monitoring and adapting the dietary options and the menu to ensure that they meet all their nutritional targets”.

The work of Louise Bell is not limited to the 9 months of the competition. One year before the start of the VOR, the nutrition expert began preparing the dietary schedule for the crew members, and she will continue to tell them what they have to eat after they leave the ship.“Eating freeze-dried food for weeks is hard on the stomach. It is important to switch back to normal food, with fresh easy-to-digest food; I will be working with the support team and the cooks to help with the recovery of the crew after they reach land”.

BMW Oracle Make Changes

CEO Chris Dickson returns to the role of sailing team skipper. During Acts 4 and 5 in Valencia last month, Dickson had stayed ashore to focus on his CEO responsibilities. The New Zealander is back on board the race boat.

In other changes, John Kostecki relinquishes his roles as BMW ORACLE Racing Sailing Director and tactician. Kostecki remains part of the America’s Cup team but in a consulting capacity and he will no longer be based in Valencia. An amicable and mutually-agreed arrangement was reached. He will be a resource to the team for the balance of the campaign and likely will sail with the team from time-to-time. “John has made significant and valuable contributions to BMW ORACLE Racing over the past two years and we look forward to his continued contribution for the balance of the campaign,” Dickson said upon announcing the new arrangement. Kostecki is free to do other non-America’s Cup sailing.

The BMW ORACLE Racing team is at the halfway point of its campaign for the 2007 America’s Cup. “We are fortunate to have a team of many, many talented people not only on the sailing team but our design and shore teams are second to none,” Dickson said. “We are proud of the exceptional team we have assembled and the next two years will be extremely important in developing not only a fast boat but a winning team on all fronts. I am confident we are on track to achieve our goal.”

BMW ORACLE Racing continues its two-boat testing and training program in Valencia through the end of July. The team is preparing for Louis Vuitton Acts 6 and 7 in Malmo, Sweden starting 25th August.

Yngling Worlds

The New Zealand team lead by Sharon Ferris leads the 2005 Yngling World Championships in Mondsee, Austria. Now over half way through the regatta they have recorded two race wins and hold a narrow two point lead over Sally Barkow and crew of the USA.

Race six was hampered by protests which meant a nervous wait for the kiwi girls. “There are a lot of protests from race 6. Against the race committee and also different boats on boats we are just waiting to see what happens,” said Ferris. But results have been posted and their first place stands, shooting them from 3rd into the lead.

Light and inconsistent breeze has set the scene for racing so far at the Yngling World Champs. “Day Three and we are getting better and better. Again in very light and shifty conditions, that we are told are just like China we finished with a 4th and a 1st in the 34 boats that are racing,” says Ferris.

2005 Yngling World Championships
Top Five Standings after Day Three

1st - Sharon Ferris, Raynor Smeal & Ashley Holtum (NZL) – 23 points
2nd – Sally Barkow, Carrie Howe & Debbie Capozzi (USA) – 25 points
3rd – Ulrike Schumann, Runa Kappel & Ute Hopfner (GER) – 35 points
4th – Sarah Ayton, Anne Lush & Liza McDonald (GBR) – 42 points
5th – Nicola Bethwaite, Karyn Gojnich & Helen Impey (AUS) – 43 points

Ferris and her crew are sailing against many of the international stand-outs in the world of Yngling racing which was introduced to the Olympic sat last years Games in Athens. Ayton of Great Britain who currently sits in 5th was part of the Olympic Gold medal winning team, while the Russians who dominated the recent Keil week regatta are back in 6th.

The Ukrainian team lead by Taran Ruslana took silver at Athens, and has had a solid season so far this year with 2nd at Spa Regatta and 3rd at Keil Week. Currently they’re back in 9th spot on the leader board. Ferris, sailing with a different crew, took 7th place in Athens.

Ferris, Smeal and Holtum from the Bay of Islands Yacht Club have this year enlisted the help of Bruce Kendall as coach and as a newly formed crew have spent hours fine-tuning their teamwork in New Zealand before heading off to campaign in the European regattas.

Ferris is pleased with the sails they’re using built and designed by David Ferris, her brother. “David, thank you for the fantastic boat speed we have - your sails are fantastic!”

Transpac Slot Cars

The game of cat and mouse in mid-Pacific was about to play out as five boats remained on a record pace in the Centennial Transpacific Yacht Race to Hawaii Wednesday.

Hasso Plattner's Morning Glory was still setting the pace now only two miles ahead of led Roy Disney's Pyewacket---obviously the cat. But a big horse---Randall Pittman's Genuine Risk---was stalking both of them from behind and below.

Morning Glory navigator Peter Isler liked his boat's position for its leverage 19 miles south of Pyewacket and well south of the rhumb (direct) line to the finish in the moderate northeast trade winds of 12 to 20 knots.

"In an ideal world you'd like to have your competitors dead astern of you," Isler said. "We have a lot of respect for their running speed. They have a little better configuration than us for that. But that said, it looks it's a going to be pretty hard for them to get around is, in the short term."

Both are watching Genuine Risk, which paid a price of about 50 miles to get even farther south, hoping to roar up on a strong reaching point of sail from below.

Isler said, "Looking at the weather models, it looks like the south is going to have as much or more breeze than the north. So they're setting up to try to run up on Pyewacket and us by having more wind velocity. They will have some, but they have some distance to get there."

Otherwise, options are few. "We're definitely into 'slot cars' now," Isler said, referring to the course commitment every boat must make at some point.

Although Morning Glory's speed fell off from the 16.4 knots it averaged on the previous day's race record 24-hour run of 393 miles, the German boat and Pyewacket were each averaging 13.5 knots for the race and had passed all of the Division III and IV boats that started two days ahead of them. Stealth Chicken, the Division III frontrunner, was averaging 7.9 knots in what is not a particularly windy Transpac year.

To beat the previous Pyewacket's record of 7 days 11 hours 41 minutes 27 seconds, a boat would have to finish before 12:41:27 a.m. PDT Monday morning or 9:47:21 p.m. Sunday night Hawaiian time. Besides the lead three, Doug Baker's Magnitude 80 and Doug DeVos's Windquest are on pace to do that. Morning Glory's current ETA is 9:33 a.m. PDT Sunday, but there remained 1,319 nautical miles to go---not quite halfway in the 2,225-mile race.

_/)

Pegasus Zeroes In On King Kalakaua Trophy

About 180 miles behind the leaders, Philippe Kahn's new Transpac 52, Pegasus, was flying like its equine namesake.

Its 296-mile day seized the lead in Division II and the race for the King Kalakaua trophy for first overall on corrected handicap time. Morning Glory and Pyewacket owe the two-time Barn Door winner almost 52 hours in handicap time, and Pegasus---home port Hawaii---is projected to finish about six hours before that.

Davis Pillsbury's Ralphie was making a rout of the Cal 40 contest with a 51-mile lead and 829 miles to go. Lloyd Sellinger's Bubala, with a crew of six all over age 65, continued to struggle 218 miles to the rear.

A few hours after Wednesday's check-in, Pillsbury reported: "OK, 780 miles from the finish. The passage will be slow. No real wind turning up until Sunday, so it is pure brain sailing . . . physically undemanding other than the sun but mentally draining. Keeping the speed up in the sloppy wave conditions can drive anybody nuts."

Craig Reynolds' Bolt remained the handicap leader in Division III, although Tim Beatty's Stealth Chicken had a 23-mile lead.

Likewise in a fierce Division V duel, Cliff Thompson's Super Gnat led Scott Self and Nigel Brown's doublehanded Soap Opera by 12 miles but trailed in handicap time by almost seven hours.

Tabasco, a 1D35 chartered by the Alamitos Bay syndicate, with Steve Rossi as skipper, burst into the Division IV lead by averaging 8.7 knots over 208 miles. That was an amazing 59 miles better than the former leader, Kerry Deaver and Bob Williamson's Kahoots, which now trails by 32.

Among the dozen Aloha class boats that started July 11, Cecil Rossi's 68-year-old yawl Odyssey and Ross Pearlman's defending champion Between the Sheets continued to set the overall pace at 720 and 733 miles to go, but probably not for long. Soap Opera and Super Gnat were closing quickly, and Morning Glory and Pyewacket were sailing almost twice as fast.

Pendragon IV, John MacLaurin's Davidson 52 that dropped out the day after Sunday's start because of a rig problem, returned safely to Marina del Rey Tuesday night. The crew planned to fly to Hawaii for post-race festivities.

Quotes from the Boats

Dick Simon, Madrina (Aloha A): "Once again we experienced hair-raising situations. A huge squall came upon us and we gave the new Ullman spinnaker a big test as the winds exceeded the limits of the sail. We had about 1 1/2 hours of rain and ended the day with one of the most spectacular sunsets I have ever seen."

Norm Dawley, Pursuit (Division IV): "We are sailing more miles per day than Kahoots and Wild Impulse (1st and 2nd) and are ahead of the boats that have to beat us boat-for-boat. . . . The super-fast boats that started Sunday have already passed us. They are sailing close to 400 miles per day compared to our 200 miles per day. Of course, that extra 200 miles per day costs about $5,000,000. And, come to think of it, they miss enjoying half of the beautiful sailing time we are getting because they are so fast."

Herb McCormick, Dancing Bear (Cal 40s): "It took us the better part of nine days to get here, but Dancing Bear is finally relishing in the solid northeast trade winds we came out here searching for. . . . [Later], a miraculous thing happened. The glorious orb of a nearly full moon made its first real appearance of the voyage. It cast a glow on the waters like a giant spotlight, and the seas suddenly began to sparkle. By 0400, skipper Mark Schrader was steering Dancing Bear straight down a wet, silver avenue cast by the reflection of that glorious moon making its way around to the east. The Highway to Hawaii. His watch ended but he wouldn’t hand over the tiller, not on this night. He just wanted to steer and steer and steer."

Virbac Qualifies

This afternoon, Virbac-Paprec arrived in Lorient harbour, having covered more than 1000 nautical miles on her qualifying passage for the Transat Jacques Vabre. The milometer was set running at the start of the SNSM record in St Nazaire last Saturday. As the 1st monohull to finish in St Malo, they immediately got underway for Cork (Ireland) from where they rallied Lorient. JP and Loïck are both perfectly satisfied. Firstly as the two sailors got along very well, and secondly as the boat had been very well prepared. This 5 day passage is excellent training but JP and Loïck don’t intend to stop there. They will be setting out again very shortly. They are determined to be ready for the start in Le Havre. "Loïck and I are on the same wave length. I can’t wait for the Transat Jacques Vabre".

JP : "Everything went really well. Since the start of the SNSM, we were flat out all the time. After having sailed up to Cork, we were downwind with the spinnaker up. We were flying along at an average speed of 17 knots, with a 22-26 knot wind. Some great sensations. We tried out a few manoeuvres in heavy conditions. Sailing with Loïc was highly instructive for me. His experience was useful for me. He knows how to hand his experience down. When he is on board, you can go for it all the time, keep clear headed. It all goes in the right direction. We keep each other motivated. There’s a sort of chemistry with Loïck and he knows how to live. Tea with honey at 5 o’clock, a novelty on board Virbac-Paprec ! "

LP : "Super sailing ! Sailing with JP is brilliant. He knows his boat inside out. This was quite a physical qualifying passage. We tried out every possible sail configuration. We spent a lot of time at the helm. Pretty funny down wind with the spinnaker up. Sensations were similar to those on a multihull. But it’s less stressful than on a multi. Less of a headache ! I haven’t gone through that in quite some time. The boat had been really well prepared. There are some very nifty details here and there. We had a great sail. A good thing for the Transat Jacques Vabre. "

Crew : Jean-Pierre Dick, Nicolas Abiven, Charles Caudrelier, Erwan Tabarly et Nicolas Béranger.

Linky Sailing News

Racing Transpac 24 hour record falls. 49er NA's

News From the course. More OB changes. New Maxi

Great Lakes Hook Race Winner

Hook Race has repeat Winner

SYRENA, a B32 owned by Nicholas Hayes of Milwaukee Club, has repeated her 2004 performance by taking first-to-finish, first-in-section and first-overall honors in the 22nd Racine Yacht Club HOOK race, completed this past weekend. The 197 nm annual race leaves from the port of Racine, on the western shore of Lake Michigan, goes up the coast to Death's Door, turns the corner and traverses Green Bay to finish at the western end of the Sturgeon Bay shipping canal. Each year, racers opt for this race as an alterative to the longer Chicago Mackinac race. This year, 56 boats registered in five divisions to enjoy fine sailing conditions. Principal race officer, Gene Hermansen reported "The start had me nervous - at 0800 no wind!!. By 1000hrs we did get up to 5-6K NE ...Enough to get all five Div's off on schedule. " and the wind filled in during the day to give racers a fast trip to the Door. Most boats finished well before Monday morning breakfast. Top finishers in each division:

Division 1
Syrena, B32 - N Hayes
Rogue, NM 36 - P Engel
Kiva, Finngulf 41 - D Peel
Hasten, C&C 41 - F Stritt
Rumors, Islander 40 - W Osterink

Division 2
Monitor, T10 - M Veenstra
Uber Alles, Rancher 41 - G Knop
American Dream, T10 - S Wecker
FasTen, T10 - Dahl/Caldwell
Toucan, Catalina 380 - C Olney

Division 3
Saturday, Pearson Flyer - J Burhani
Sojourner, Tartan 372 - D Pollock
Weatherly, C&C 36 - R Maclean
Audra's Too, Nicholson 33 - P Sullivan
Songline, C&C 34 - M Abbey

Division 4
Gadzooks, Capo 26 - S Kall
Sirocco, C&C 33, D Vacarello
Frisante, C&C 33 - J Colby
Windquest, Hunter 37 - B Dean
Ruffian, C&C 33, T Hartley

Division 5
Pegasus, Catalina 27 - K Novak
Jupiter, Hinckley 35 - B Fritz
Classy Lady, Hunter 30 - J Kessler
Jackpot, Santana 30 - Z Babel
Kismet, Morgan 34 - W Joyce

Transpac 24 Hour Record Set

Hasso Plattner's Morning Glory led a five-boat rampage on the 24-hour distance record for the Transpacific Yacht Race to Hawaii Tuesday, sailing 393 nautical miles on the big boats' first full day of the centennial event.

The former record was 356 miles by Philippe Kahn's Pegasus 77 in 2003. Roy Disney's Pyewacket, with 385; Randall Pittman's Genuine Risk, 381; Doug Baker's Magnitude 80, 372, and Doug DeVos's Windquest, 361, also left it in their wakes, validating pre-race expectations that these are the fastest monohulls ever to sail one of the world's great ocean races.

Morning Glory was listed at 1,640 miles from the finish, Pyewacket at 1,661 and Genuine Risk at 1,669, their tracks separated by only 10 miles with the German leader now north of its rivals after leading them south a day earlier.

Morning Glory's time was logged between the initial Monday morning and Tuesday morning position reports from the fleet---the basis for a Transpac 24-hour record. There was no immediate information how far Morning Glory or any other boat may have sailed in a 24-hour period unrelated to the check-in reports. As recognized by the World Speed Sailing Record Council, that record is 530.19 n.m. by MoviStar, a Volvo 70, last April.

Tuesday's reports made the day for John Reichel and Jim Pugh, who designed Morning Glory and Pyewacket, as well Roger Sturgeon's Rosebud from San Francisco, which turned 312 miles to assume first place overall on projected corrected handicap time for the 75-boat fleet.

Rosebud was built in 2001. Another TP 52, Kahn's new Pegasus, posted the best day in Division II with 322 miles and rated fifth overall, behind Rosebud, Ragtime---yes, that Ragtime---Morning Glory and Scout Spirit, in that order.

"It will be tough for Rosebud to beat the new boats," Pugh said, "but downwind it'll go pretty fast."

And downwind is where the leaders are going now, riding what the communications vessel described as "weak NE trades in the 12-15-knot range." Several boats had less than 1,000 miles to go, led by the 68-year-old yawl Odyssey at 913.

The fastest boat gets the Barn Door trophy; the winner overall on handicap time gets the King Kalakaua trophy.

Ragtime, the legendary Spencer 66 now owned by an Orange County, Calif. syndicate, made a big blast from the past with a 271-mile day in its 13th Transpac, a record it shares with fellow competitor Merlin. The sleek wooden beauty was first to finish in 1973 and '75.

Scout Spirit, another R/P design, is the former Zephyrus V chartered from the Newport Sea Base by Bill Turpin of Newport Beach, Calif., who won the Kalakaua in 2003 sailing a TP 52, Alta Vita.

Morning Glory and Pyewacket are the race's scratch boats for handicap purposes. Both are maxZ86s with canting keel technology. Genuine Risk, a Dubois 90, is a 90-footer with canting keel but powered down to meet the rating limit---and, in fact, will get all of 23 seconds from the other two for the race. The race's third maxZ86, Windquest, is water ballasted.

_/)

Abandoned Derelict Spotted on Transpac Route

Rick Gorman's Swan 53, Incredible, from Long Beach reported sighting an abandoned 40-foot sailboat at 25-54N 134-35W Monday. It had been dismasted and the word "derelict" spray-painted on the topsides.

Alaska Eagle wrote: "We subsequently discovered an article in the current edition of Latitude 38 noting that the vessel was a Newporter 40 named Kamera abandoned by her skipper, William Peterson, after she was dismasted 800 miles SW of San Diego on June 10. The skipper was recovered by the USS Chun Hoon out of Pearl Harbor. Kamera appears to be on her way slowly to the South Pacific."

Meanwhile, boats that started two days ahead of the Morning Glory gang indicated they had gone as far south as necessary to avoid the Pacific High and were headed straight for the finish.

Mike Dawley, watch captain on Norm and Rosemary Dawley's Custom 48, Pursuit, from Maryland, reported: "We actually got our first brief glimpses of blue sky today (alternating with a foggy heavy mist) which was a nice change from the plain gray we have had since the start. The big strategy change of the day was the decision to start heading directly for Hawaii instead of looping around to the south along the traditional route.

"Based on various illegible weather faxes, notoriously inaccurate 'grib' files and radio weather reports that think we have totally different winds than we have, we have come to the conclusion that the High is too far to the northwest to trap us in the doldrums."

Dan Doyle reported from Two Guys On the Edge that "we are pointing directly at Diamond Head Buoy. We had 20 minutes of sun today and a lot of squalls."

Next up for Med Cup

Leche Pascual- in the general ranking- and Bribon -in the Corinthian class-, aim to maintain their lead in the Breitling MEDCUP TP52. Siemens makes its debut in Puerto Portals.

The exclusive marina of Puerto Portals, in Mallorca, Spain, will be host to the third of the five regattas in the Breitling MEDCUP TP52 Circuit, also the 11th Breitling Regatta, from the 20th to the 24th of July.

With a maximum of seven races to be disputed – six windward-leeward and one coastal race, the Transpac fleet continues to grow in this grand event in Mallorca.

Where in Punta Ala, the opening regatta in the Breitling MEDCUP Circuit, seven TP52 boats participated in the event (Atalanti XV, Bambakou, Bribon, Caixa Galicia, Leche Pascual, Lexus, Orlanda-Olympus) and in the Trofeo SM La Reina in Valencia there were nine boats (Aifos, Cristabella made their debuts), now Siemens TP52, owned by Pedro Perelló, will try to make up for the vessels’ late introduction into the fleet aiming straight for the leader positions.

After the impressive victory, a few weeks ago in Valencia, of team Leche Pascual, lead by their America’s Cup Skipper, Vasco Vascotto (with help from his fellow crew members from the Mascalzone Latino team) and the success of Bribon, (skippered by HM King Juan Carlos of Spain) in the Corinthian Class, the competition is becoming more tough, as the fine tuning of the vessels prior to the regatta, as well as the strength of the teams are increasing greatly.

The second boat in the general rankings, Jaime Yllera’s Lexus, is one of the vessels to come to Puerto Portals with a new line-up in terms of crew. Their usual skipper, three times America’s Cup winner, Russell Coutts, as well as Peter Isler, and the match race expert Jes Gram-Hansen, will leave their responsibilities to the likes of Dean Barker.

Barker, who is also skipper for Emirates Team New Zealand, is considered to be somewhat of a protégée of Coutts’, since the America’s Cup champion handed him the helm during the 2000 edition of the America’s Cup, the same year that the New Zealand team successfully defended the 100 Guineas Cup. Three years later, the young Skipper lost an America’s Cup to his mentor in a bitter defeat.
Barker will be sailing with many of his team-mates from Emirates Team New Zealand, who have come from Auckland especially for the 11th Breitling regatta, and will take over from Coutts in this regatta.

Caixa Galicia, skippered by Roberto Bermúdez de Castro, is now third in the rankings and is only 3 points from Yllera’s Lexus, was training in the crystal waters of Mallorca today. The team now has American John Kostecki (Olympic medallist, winner of the Volvo Ocean Race, 10 times world champion as well as leading the American team in the America’s Cup) in the crew. Kostecki will take over the role of tactician for this regatta, due to the absence of Dee Smith who has other obligations and who will join the team again for the next event.

Atalanti XV, the Greek vessel owned by George Andreadis, come to the event with their fantastic crew lead by seven times world champion and round the world winner, Paul Cayard, and their vessel completely repaired after the incident that caused them to abandon the last race in the Valencia event.

Bribon, Skippered by HM King Juan Carlos of Spain, have a tough fight ahead of them to retain their title in the Corinthian Class, as John Coumantarous’ Bambakou are only eight points behind them.

Orlanda-Olympus, Skippers by America’s Cup sailor Tomasso Chieffi, comes to Puerto Portals with a seventh place in the general rankings, with Cristabella and Aifos quite a way behind them. Aifos continue in the Circuit after their debut in the Breitling MEDCUP TP52 in the Trofeo SM La Reina, which was held in Valencia.

Alongside these nine magnificent vessels, a new edition to the fleet, the TP52 Siemens, shows the capacity for growth of the Class. Siemens come to the waters of Puerto Portals from America, and arrived in Spain just days after the second event in Valencia. This is the twin vessel to the other American boat, Bambakou, and was designed by Farr and launched in 2004. Jim Allsop, a round the world yachtsman, joins the competition which boasts a fantastic list of accomplished international sailors.

With such a wealth of sailing talent present in this 11th Breitling Regatta, the battle to win is evermore fierce, and it’s sure to be a great event. The winners in the general rankings of the TP52 Class will receive the Breitling Trophy, which is a life-size reproduction of a Breitling Baseball-style cap made in silver and gold, and the overall winner will also receive a gift of a much coveted Breitling watch.

Chicago Mac Wrap

Kutty's Ark winner Mackinac Cup

Retriever took the Chicago-Mackinac Trophy

Holua was 1st to Finish

Nantucket was last to finish at 0857 Tuesday

10 Boats Did Not Finish

All England Issue

This week I saw a news article headed 'The Sailing Prime Minister'. Turns out it was an obituary of former British Prime Minister Edward Heath

One of Heath's obits had this to say "I had decided to give up golf, because I found that as my political career progressed, it became inevitable that people on the links would insist resolutely upon talking politics all the time," he wrote later, so he took up sailing."

Heath's sailing became well known. Satirists named him Sailor Ted.

The Daily Sail gave this summary of Heath's sailing career, "His racing CV includes winning the Sydney-Hobart Race in 1969 (the last British boat to do so before Aera last year) aboard the S&S 34 Morning Cloud I and captaining the British Admiral's Cup team to victory in 1971 aboard Morning II. He subsequently competed in the 1973 and 1979 Admiral's Cup aboard Morning Glory III and Morning Glory V respectively. During this time it was Heath who came up with the now famous analogy with which many racing yacht owners will empathise: "ocean racing is like standing under a cold shower tearing up £20 notes"

He retired from sailing after the atrocious 1979 Fastnet race. Perhaps the most prominent sailing politician since John F. Kennedy.

Closer to home, Michigan Congresswoman Candice Miller recently completed the Chicago mac race and will sail her 29th Port Huron Mac.

In the process of reading 'Treachery at Sharpnose Point' which I picked up during a recent vacation, I learned about Hawkers Hut.

This small hut was built by the Reverend Robert Stephen Hawker out of timber that came from ships that wrecked near his home. It is built right into a hill in northern Cornwall.

Hawker Hut

Here he wrote poetry such as this

Thus said the rushing raven,

Unto his hungry mate, --
Ho! gossip! for Bude Haven:
There be corpses six or eight
Cawk! cawk! the crew and skipper,
Are wallowing in the sea.

So, there you have it Hawker and Heat two pieces of Britain's diverse maritime history.

Linky Sailing News

Racing Transpac Day 8

News Sailing PM passes

Great Lakes Chicago Mac Winners

Swan's in America

This weekend, over 40 Swan yachts from America, Asia and Europe will be undertaking final preparations for the Rolex Swan American Regatta set to take place July 25-29 in Newport, R.I. Hosted by the New York Yacht Club (NYYC) and sponsored by Rolex, this is the 12th time that Swans will join together for a hotly contested series of racing on Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island Sound.

"We are expecting great competitive racing in the biggest class event this year," commented Andrzej Rojek (Brooklyn, N.Y.), owner of the Swan 45 Better Than. Winner of the Swan 45 Class in Key West Race Week last January, Rojek is hopeful that he and his team, including his 22-year-old son Marcin as relief helmsman, will continue their winning streak. "We will try to compete as hard as we can, but we recognize that we are sailing against some of the best sailors in the country, and in the world," he said.

With an ever-competitive fleet including two Swan 56's, James Connelly's Aqua Equinox (Isle of Wight, England) and Frank Savage's Lolita (Stamford, Conn.), Carel Pauuwe's Swan 60 Marie Blue (Lunteren, NED), and the brand-new Swan 601 Moneypenny, competition among the classes looks to be tougher than ever.

Clayton Deutsch (Newport, R.I.), owner and helmsman of the Swan 68 Chippewa, will have North Sail's Jack Slattery onboard as tactician. Returning to the Swan American Regatta for the third consecutive year, he is obviously a huge fan of the Newport event. "Sailing against other Swans is always fun and extremely competitive," said Deutsch, who has won three Swan Challenges. "We've really had to work hard to up our game at the Swan regattas, with so many pro and America's Cup sailors taking part. The camaraderie is always great, with lots of entertainment shoreside and I'm sure this year will be no exception."

The Swans will be divided into four classes with Class A, B and D all racing under Nautor's Swan Rating System (NSR) and Class C encompassing the competitive one-design Swan 45's, with nine boats on the starting line. A maximum of nine races is scheduled over five days of sailing, with one discard (if more than five races are sailed). The Regatta Village - based at the Newport Shipyard in downtown Newport - will be a hub of activity, with awards being presented each evening to the overall winner of each class.

ClubSwan, at the center of the Regatta Village, will be where crews congregate after racing to discuss tactics and share stories of the day's competition. Suppliers for the Rolex Swan American Regatta include the Bitter End Yacht Club, Graham Beck Winery, Inamar/ACE, OXYGEN, Peroni and Peters & May.

As with every Swan regatta, the social program will be an integral part of the Rolex Swan American Regatta. ClubSwan, together with Rolex and the NYYC, has put together an action-packed program of entertainment throughout the week to include the Rolex Owners Dinner at the New York Yacht Club, Harbour Court and the Regatta Crew Party to be held at the Newport Regatta Club on Goat Island. The Final Prize giving will take place on July 29th at Harbour Court, when the overall winner of each class will be awarded a Rolex timepiece.

On Monday, July 25, the Rolex Swan American Regatta will be featured on ESPN's "SportsCenter Across America," a 50-state-in-50-days summer tour of the popular sports news program. SportsCenter Across America begins July 17 and continues for 50 straight days, highlighting a sporting event in a different state each day through September 4. The SportsCenter Across America will originate from a mobile SportsCenter set located within the Rolex Swan American Regatta Village at the Newport Shipyard. The segment will air on the 6pm, 11pm and 1am (EST) editions of SportsCenter.

The Rolex Swan American Regatta extends the partnership established between Rolex and Nautor's Swan in 2004 with the Rolex Swan Cup, which takes place biennially at the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, in Porto Cervo, Italy. The Rolex Swan American Regatta occurs in alternate years to the Rolex Swan Cup as does the Rolex Swan European Regatta, which took place June 19-25, 2005, in Cowes, Isle of Wight, U.K.

Transpac Day 8

-As freshly baked chocolate chip cookies became one boat's saving grace for "wimpy trade winds" in the middle of the 43rd Transpacific Yacht Race to Hawaii, the big boats that started Sunday were cooking.

Roy Disney's Pyewacket averaged 12.4 knots over the first 19 hours before Monday morning's position reports---the same speed a previous Pyewacket made when it set the current record in 1999---while Hasso Plattner's Morning Glory and Randall Pittman's Genuine Risk clocked 12.3 and 12.1 knots, respectively.

Pyewacket had sailed 270 nautical miles, the same as Genuine Risk, to rank in first place, 1,989 nautical miles from Diamond Head. Morning Glory had sailed 276 miles but was 1,991 miles out because it took a sharp dip 12 miles south of Pyewacket, which was holding a moderate northerly course, with Genuine Risk halfway in between.

Transpac competitors often drop south to avoid the dreaded "Pacific high" zone of light wind that usually haunts the rhumb (direct) line of 2,225 miles, hoping to sail farther but faster.

Stan Honey is calling the navigational shots for Pyewacket, Peter Isler for Morning Glory and Mark Rudiger for Genuine Risk. Honey and Rudiger have won several Transpac navigator awards between them, while Isler collaborated with Nick White to develop the software for Expedition, a navigation and performance racing program. But their approaches to this Transpac on such high-performance boats that, like ice boats or land sailors in effect create their own wind, won't necessarily be the same.

Rudiger said it might even be possible to break the world record for distance sailed by a monohull over 24 hours: 530.19 n.m. by MoviStar, a Volvo 70, in April.

"That's an average of 22 knots," Rudiger said. "It's unlikely in Transpac but possible. We'd need 20-25 [knots of wind] off the beam or a bit aft, and the more aft it goes the more wind we'd need."

Transpac's 24-hour record is 356 miles by Pegasus 77 in 2003.

Rudiger also expected these boats to approach squalls differently, rather than avoiding them for fear of falling into the vacuum behind them.

"Instead of ducking squalls for fear of being trapped, with this boat we can see a squall and say, 'Let's go for it,' " he said.

Genuine Risk's navigation station, designed by Rudiger, may be the most sophisticated on any racing boat. But watch captain Ken Read cautions overplaying it.

"The tendency is to over-analyze rather than just sailing the boat," Read said.

Squalls would be welcome in the middle of the race right now. Grant Baldwin reported from the communications vessel Alaska Eagle that "weather continues to be dismal with the leaders reporting wimpy trade winds in the 10 to 12-knot range. Still no sun."

A crew member on Mark Schrader's Cal 40 e-mailed: "A week into the race, one thing is abundantly clear. The Cal 40 race record of around 12 1/2 days is safe for another couple of years. [But] the more dire the weather, the better the creations emanating from skipper and cook Mark Schrader’s galley: hot pancakes, hearty stews and, in an amazing performance on last night’s watch, warm, freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.

"We stay hopeful that the trades will soon fill in and the great sailing we came here for still awaits. I mean, the weather guys can’t always be wrong. Can they?"

Skipper Norm Dawley of Pursuit, a Custom 48 from Maryland that started Friday, wrote: "This has been the easiest first few days of any Transpac I remember since 1967. It has been just cold, not cold and wet and windy. Tonight most of the crew is going without long johns and 3 or 4 layers over them, just fleece and foul weather gear, so it is getting warmer already. We might even get to see the sun tomorrow."

_/)

Pendragon IV, Wind Dancer Retire

John MacLaurin's Davidson 52, Pendragon IV, and Paul Edwards' Catalina 42, Wind Dancer, Ventura, Calif., became the second and third boats to retire.

Pendragon IV, which started Sunday, reported that it had a problem with its rod rigging. The mast was still up, but the boat might return to San Diego if it had trouble sailing upwind to its home port in Marina del Rey.

Wind Dancer, an Aloha B boat, lost its steering and was proceeding to Hawaii on auto-pilot, which is allowed only for doublehanded boats.

Dan Doyle and Bruce Burgess on Two Guys In the Edge lost two hours but escaped disaster.

"As the sun came up [last Saturday morning] the rig looked very wobbly," Doyle wrote. "On inspection the head strop that holds the headstay to the bow had failed and stretched about 40%. We turned to run with the wind, took a halyard forward as a temporary headstay and spent two hours rigging a new head strop. Once repaired, we turned back toward Hawaii."

The boat closet to Hawaii was Ross Pearlman's Jeanneau 52, Between the Sheets, from Marina del Rey, just past halfway at 1,096 miles. The 58-foot yawl Odyssey was 10 miles behind. Both boats are in Aloha A, which started July 11. Between the Sheets won the class in 2003.

Section Winners

Crews from the following boat are already into celebration mode:

GL 70 Colt 45
Multihull I Rocketeer III
Multihull II Flight Simulator
Section I Chewbacca
Section II Margaret Rintoul IV
Section III Perseverance (3rd Overall Chicago-Mackinac Division)
Section IV Wooton II (2nd Overall Chicago Mackinac Division)
Section V Retriever (1st Overall Chicago-Mackinac Division)
Section VI Lionheart
Section VII Cheep N Deep
Section VIII Hiawatha
Section IX Kutty's Ark (1st Overall Mackinac Cup Division)
Turbo Denali
Farr 395 Zoom
Beneteau 36.7 Karma
Beneteau 40.7 Collaboration 2
J105 Gigi
T10 Cheap Thrill (2nd Overall Mackinac Cup Division)

With protests pending in Section 3 and the Beneteau 40.7 class and multiple redress hearings scheduled for Tuesday morning, the class standings may change. But these events should not affect the top placing boats.

Person in Water off Grand Haven

The Coast Guard responded to a 19-year-old male in the water at approximately 3:30 p.m. about five nautical miles off Grand Haven today.

A Coast Guard Station Grand Haven rescue boat, a Station Muskegon rescue boat and an Air Facility Muskegon HH65 rescue helicopter responded to the person in the water.

The 19-year-old male's sister watched him swim out approximately 200 yards and lost sight of him. She then called 9-1-1.

The Coast Guard is working with the local Police Department in the continuing search effort.

Update: A teenager pulled from Lake Michigan near Muskegon Monday afternoon after being under the water for nearly two hours has died.

Ericsson Racing on the Water

July 14 was a big day for Ericsson Racing Team. Skipper Neal McDonald and his crew could finally hoist the sails that Thursday on their brand new Volvo Open 70, heading out in a very light breeze for their first sea trials.

"It’s a fantastic boat and I’m very impressed," McDonald said back on shore after the first trial. "With this boat we will definitely be able to compete with the best."

Friday followed with even more trials, and Saturday the crew left the UK, setting course for the training base in Vigo, Spain. Ericsson Racing Team will reach Vigo this week.

Lunchtime at Mackinac

As we pass through the noon hour the racers continue to come in at a steady rate.

All of the "big boats" have arrived - the Turbos, GL70's and Section 1 boats are here. The entire Farr 395 fleet wandered in between 10:45 am - 11:56 am Michigan time. Section 2 has only 2 of it's 23 entries remaining unaccounted for. Sections 3 & 4 are the currently rolling in with a handful in each group and many more on the way. The Beneteau 407 are also coming in hot & heavy.

The wind remains solid from the west south/west with competitors crossing the finish line under spinnaker.

Cold Front Brought Wind

Pre race forecasts indicated a cold front would cross the lake/race course on Monday. Indeed as Sunday became Monday this front crossed.

In Muskegon temperatures peaked at 82 degrees at midnight and dropped to 75 by 0600. Winds during the same span increased from 7 knots at 2100 to 18 knots at midnite.

At the norther Michigan buoy wind was 9.7 knots last nite at 9. Winds then increased to 17.5 knots by 0350.

This front allowed the leading boats to complete the last part of the course in something like 9 hours as opposed to over 24 hours for the portion from the start to the Manitous.

For once the weather developed as forecasted!

Linky Sailing News

Racing Pyewacket leads

News Ericsson training

Great Lakes Chicago Mac Coverage

Ericsson adds Aussie

The Ericsson Racing Team has today named Tom Braidwood as crewmember
of Ericsson's entry in the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-06.

Tom Braidwood is a highly respected and experienced sailor from
Sydney, Australia and he is really looking forward to taking part in
the Volvo Ocean Race with the Ericsson Racing Team this time around.

"The Volvo Ocean Race is a tough event. But I love the team
environment and getting stuck into racing with a few boys that are
just as excited about getting the job done as you are. I sailed with
Neal in the 95 Americas Cup and worked with him as a shore crew
on Silk Cut in the Whitbread Around the World 1997-1998. I have a lot
of respect for him and his ability to keep a team together and feel
that this is a huge strength for this project. The new boats will be
pretty fast and I think this Volvo Ocean Race is going to be
spectacular," says Braidwood.

Neal McDonald, a veteran of four round-the-world races, finishing
second as skipper in his last race, and has competed in both the
America's Cup and the Admiral's Cup, is the skipper on Ericsson
Racing Team and Steve Hayles is navigator. The brand new Volvo Open
70 racing boat was launched Thursday June 30 and the crew will start
their training this week.

"Tommy is a great bowman with no fear and bags of experience. The
first time I sailed with Tommy was 10 years ago in the America's Cup
and I have kept close tabs on his sailing career since then and it's
a great pleasure to get him on board," says Neal McDonald.

Braidwood is right now in the process of finishing building a new
super maxi in Sydney and is really looking forward to get out on the
water to start training with the Ericsson Racing Team.

"In the last race I got to steer over the line into Sydney with all
my family and friends out on the water to see us in. It was the best
feeling and I am sure that Melbourne will put on a big welcome this
time, and I hope to have a few friends and family there again. It
will be a great buzz," says Tom Braidwood.

Ericsson, the world's leading telecommunications supplier, announced
its entry in the race on April 25. The Ericsson Racing Team is
supported by Semcon as design and development partner.

"Ericsson's core values are professionalism, respect and
perseverance; three qualities that are at the heart of a successful
ocean racing team and qualities that I know lie at the heart of what
Neal and his crew has delivered throughout their career," said
Dusyant Patel, Operating Officer of Ericsson Racing Team.

Early Morning on Mackinac Island

0507 Monday July 18, 2005

With a 6:07 ET sunrise on tap. Mackinac Island has a spooky feel as the big boats continue to finish. A large electrical storm is creeping in from the West and illuminates the circling 70's awaiting their dock space. The beauty of this sight is dampened by the fact that they are maneuvering potential lightning rods, with little opportunity to repair damage from a strike before the next race. Also by the fact that it has finally started to rain.

There is a small craft advisory currently in effect for Northern Lake Michigan and Northern Lake Huron and scheduled to continue throughout the day on Monday.

The first crossing of the Line

Under a lightning filled sky, with a south west breeze filling in, Holua has taken line honors for the 2005 Chicago Mackinac race.

They were followed closely by Denali, Windancer and Evolution.

The parade of 70's continues with Colt 45 next to arrive at the finish line followed by Beau Geste.

Chi-Mac travel progresses through the night

As the winds continue to fill in from the South, the Chicago to Mackinac fleet seems to be picking up speed as they continue up the lake.

Mid-afternoon reports indicated the fastest in Division One were still hanging tough with the tail end of the GL70's fleet. The wind had picked up to a consistent 19. With everyone flying spinnakers, the crew's were getting tan and finally starting to have fun after a long, slow Saturday night.

The buoy report for the northern half of Lake Michigan indicates a southern breeze with a continuous steady building of velocity. Currently 13.6 knots with gusts of 15.5. But the weather is a fickle thing. Current conditions in the straits are patchy fog, waves 1-2 feet and little to no wind. The forecast calls for SW 5-10, but we shall see.

The big boys will turn the corner tonight - but there is no guarantee that there will not be a large parking lot under the bridge come sun rise.

Boats Now Crossing the 45th

The Santa Cruz 70, Holua was the first boat to report crossing the 45th parallel at 17:19 on Sunday.

You can watch the progress of boats as they cross the 45th at: 45th Report Update

First Boats at 45th Parallel

GL 70's Holua and Evolution were septerated by just 1 minute as they crossed the 45th Parallel. Holua was the leader calling in at 1719 Sunday. Windancer crossed 26 minutes later.

The only other class with boats this far north is the Turbo class. Denali was the 1st from this class to reach latitude 45 at 1758. This puts them ahead of the TP 52 Beau Geste by 36 minutes on elapsed time and more than an hour on corrected time.

Although this has not been a rapid race it is about an hour faster than 2004. However, when Pyewacket set the monohull record in 2002 her time to the Manitous was 9 H 50, while the boats now calling in are well over 24 hours from Chicago to the Manitous.

The northern Lake Michigan weather buoy shows 12 knots of wind. Some boats have even seen speeds of 6 knots, not fast for the bigger boats!

Forecasts now show winds increasing tonight and staying strong- around 20 knots- on Monday. As so often happens in the Mac, you'll have to sail in a variety of conditions to reach the Island, let alone win!

Sunday Morning

Sunday morning sees the leading boats having crossed the lake to the Michigan shore. The GL 70 leaders are near Big Sable Point north of Ludington. Big Sable Light built in 1867 has seen many Mac boats pass it.

Boats in the smaller classes are well behind some still south of Milwaukee. As it has been since the start boat speeds are 5 knots and under.

Winds are 5 to 10 knots from the South. There appears to be more wind to the north.

The cold front that seemed such a certain thing is currently located in Minnesota. Forecasts have been changed to read "gradually" increasing to 10-20 knots. So the light air should be a feature of this Mac Sunday.

Pyewacket Leads

A spectacular start in moderate breeze sent Roy Disney's Pyewacket, Randall Pittman's Genuine Risk and Hasso Plattner's Morning Glory off to Hawaii shoulder to shoulder in the Centennial Transpacific Yacht race to Hawaii Sunday.

Nearly a hundred spectator boats watched the trio of long-striding thoroughbreds---GR is named for a former Kentucky Derby winner---the three fastest-rated contenders in the 75-boat fleet disappeared into the lingering mists of a morning fog lined up left to right in the above order with a clear advantage over 17 rivals in Divisions I and II.

Sailing upwind through the San Pedro Channel faster than the winds of 8 to 11 knots, they passed the west end of Santa Catalina Island 20 miles offshore---the only mark of the 2,225-nautical mile course---in 1 hour 45 minutes in a straight line with Pyewacket leading Genuine Risk by 100 yards and Morning Glory another 100 yards back.

Disney said by phone from his boat later Sunday that "these boats do have a way of getting away from everybody else," but he didn't see much of his last Transpac start.

"I had that damn [video] camera in my hand trying to pan around and let the audience see everything that was going on," he said. "It's cold out there but we're feeling good. It's really nice to get past the island quickly."

The start of Disney's 15th and last Transpac coincided with the 50th anniversary of the opening of Disneyland in nearby Anaheim, Calif., following his bitter feud with Disney Company management over the last two years.

"Isn't that interesting?" Disney said. "Just when we make peace over there I can't be there. But the rest of my family was there."

Morning Glory's navigator, Peter Isler, also phoned in to say that with the wind blowing from 250-260 degrees southwest at the start off the Palos Verdes Peninsula, "We thought we were going to have trouble laying the island [without tacking], but in the end we all laid easily."

However, initial wind prospects for the race were so-so, although chances of breaking the record of 7 days 11 hours 41 minutes 27 seconds set by Disney's previous Pyewacket in 1999 were good because these boats are so much faster in similar conditions.

"Hopefully, we'll have enough [wind] to break the record, but it’s not gonna be a windy year," Isler said. "I was conferring with [Pyewacket navigator] Stan Honey before the start and he agreed that it would be kind of a light to moderate run into Oahu. About the third day we'll be spinnaker running."

The communications vessel Alaska Eagle confirmed that dim view earlier Sunday, noting that "the weather has gone to hell in a hand basket. Boat speeds are down significantly with only a handful of boats [already at sea] covering more than 200 miles in 24 hours."

Bengal 2, Yoshihiko Murase's Ohashi 52 from Japan, tried for a pin-end start against the larger boats but ran out of time and had to peel off to let Dan Sinclair's 70-foot Renegade sweep past the marker. Robbie Haines drove Disney's maxZ86 Pyewacket just to windward, while Pittman, taking time to the gun from Ken Read, had the 90-foot Genuine Risk at mid-line leeward of Plattner on Morning Glory's helm, flanked by Russell Coutts on the German maxZ86.

Those three quickly pulled away from the pack, although the fourth-rated boat, Windquest, Doug DeVos's older maxZ86, "rounded the island only a couple of minutes behind us," Isler reported.

_/)

Ralphie, Innocent Merriment Leap Into Class Leads

Although boats that started Monday and Friday were standing up straighter Saturday into Sunday, Davis Pillsbury's Cal 40 Ralphie from Colorado made a dramatic gain in that fleet with a 196-mile day that jumped it from fourth to first, as Sally Honey's all-woman Illusion slipped to third with only 171 miles---worst in the 13-boat fleet.

Ralphie also was second overall on handicap time to Kahoots, Kerry Deaver and Bob Williamson's Andrews 43 that boosted its lead in Division IV to 20 miles.

Myron Lyon's Innocent Merriment, a J/160 from San Diego, leapt from fifth to first overall in Division III. B'Quest, Challenged America's team of sailors with disabilities sailing one man shorthanded, moved up to second place behind the doublehanded Soap Opera, a Hobie 33 sailed by Texans Scott Self and Nigel Brown.

B'Quest's sixth crew member, Jeff Reinhold, had to drop out the day before the start because of an elbow infection, which was healing well enough for him to watch the starts from a spectator boat Sunday.

The Race Has Started ... The Wait Begins

The annual wait is over ... the annual wait begins.

Each year, Great Lake sailors wait in anticipation for the start of the Chicago Yacht Club's race to Mackinac. That happened earlier today on Lake Michigan, just off of Chicago. Now the next wait begins. We wait to find out who will finish first and which boats with gain honors in their sections.

Once the boats sail out of sight from Chicago, people will rely on chicagomackinac.com and calls from relatives to find out how things are going.

Some people will try to catch glimpses of the boats from various shoreline locations along Michigan's Lake Michigan shoreline.

Chicago Mackinac will offer expanded coverage this year. Once the race started in Chicago we headed toward Mackinac Island where we will report on the progress of the race. This year's coverage includes web cameras that will cover the island from three different views. You will be able to see the finishes, as they happen from the chicagomackinac.com web site. (Cameras should be in place and operational starting late Sunday afternoon.)

Today's start included hundreds of yachts in the Race to Mackinac, the world's longest annual freshwater yacht race. Aboard the hundreds boats where about 3,000 crew members participating in the 2005 running of this important race.

Most boats are expected to finish Monday or Tuesday with some of the fastest boats finishing sometime Sunday evening.

If you would like to provide any information or have any questions, please contact the chicagomackinac.com on-the-scene reporter at info@chicagomackinac.com

Slow Start

The Chicago Mackinac is underway, with boats generally proceeding along the Wisconsin shore at speeds from 0 to 5 knots. Leading boats such as Beau Geste, Old Bear and the GL 70's have passed Evantson but still are well south of Wind Point near Racine WI.

Current wind observations are pretty grim. The south Lake Michigan weather buoy actually shows 0 knots. Sheboygan WI shows 5 knots of Southerly wind. Muskegon has 7 knots of NNW wind, but the fleet is far away from the east shore.

Forecasts show the pace staying slow until tommorrow afternoon. Overnight winds are expected to be under 10 knots. Looking ahead 10-20 knots winds are expected late Sunday.

Until then it'll be Code 0's, windseekers, sizzlers and a lot of high concentration, high paitience light air sailing.

BG Spirit Wins Global Challenge

- BG SPIRIT takes the crown of the leg and the glory of the race
- Racing so tight it’s down to minutes once again
- Tens of thousands turn out on stunning British summer day to welcome in yachts
- BP explorer still not finished
- Official prize giving tomorrow afternoon. Positions will then be official

BG SPIRIT have taken the crown - they have claimed first in the final leg and first overall in the Global Challenge 2004/05.

They had a battle on their hands the whole way in this fierce and final leg but arrived first, just four minutes in front of Barclays Adventurer, their official finish arrival time being 10.54.08 GMT.

Skipper, Andy Forbes was greeted by Sir Chay Blyth and presented with the magnificent Princess Royal Trophy. He hugged Sir Chay and explained: “It’s absolutely unbelievable; what an incredible nine and a half months and to be back here where we left, and in first place, is just amazing.”

Tens of thousands of friends, families and spectators packed the finish line from Southsea Castle, right the way to Gunwharf Quays, the yachts’ final resting place.

An air display, a stage with bands, comperes, a Grand Carnival and masses of entertainment greeted the yachts’ arrivals. Andy Forbes continued: “I’m absolutely flabbergasted about the amount of people here today and the support out on the water; I didn’t even think we were going to get across the line at one point!”

But they did get in and in first once again. Talking about his winning team he continued: “I’m just proud to be part of them, I mean this is what its all about. I’m just a skipper that drives the boat! These are the guys that sail the boat, 70% of them are inexperienced and have never really sailed before and here they are after 9.5 months, 33,000 miles, sailed around the world and in first place, incredible!”

Barclays Adventurer finished at 10.58.16 GMT and provisionally hold second place, which is tentative as they have an Intention to Protest against them at the minute, which means they have a slightly nervous wait to see if the protest is submitted.

Jumping off the yacht skipper Stuart Jackson looked elated and told the crowds: “It’s been absolutely amazing today, coming in second was just fantastic. We gave BG SPIRIT a hard fight but second still feels great.” Congratulating his crew by pouring as much champagne over them as possible he cheered that they were: “Absolutely amazing, the best in the fleet, the best there is!”

VAIO were over the line 26 minutes and 5 seconds after BG SPIRIT, 18 minutes and 57 seconds behind Barclays Adventurer, finishing at 11.19.13 GMT. An exuberant skipper, Amedeo Sorrentino enthused: “We got third!” However, he looked less enamoured when he explained: ”After the Needles we ran aground because of a rock and that’s why we came third,” he explained modestly! “But it was a great, great experience!”

SAIC La Jolla finished in 4th followed by a scrum led by Pindar. Team Stelmar followed next just over one minute in front of Me To You who were three minutes in front of Imagine It. Done. Samsung were another two minutes behind, with Spirit of Sark eight minutes behind again. In his interview, skipper Duggie Gillespie said he was devastated to be out of the podium positions for the overall race. In 11th place Team Save the Children were just four minutes behind Spirit of Sark.

BP Explorer missed a waypoint (the PA Buoy) just outside La Rochelle, so they had to turn back and round the mark to avoid potential disqualification. Hence they are nearly 100 miles behind the rest of the fleet and subsequently due in tomorrow morning. They will still take a podium place, finishing in third overall but it has been a disappointing blow for a team, which was leading for so much of the race.

The partying at Gunwharf Quays will continue long into the night before the crews find out their official standings at the Prize Giving tomorrow afternoon.

Fastest to Start Transpac

The fastest boats ever to sail the Transpacific Yacht Race to Hawaii start their 2,225-nautical mile contest of speed and wits off the Palos Verdes Peninsula at 1 p.m. Sunday, following a ceremonial sendoff of the Centennial event from Rainbow Harbor in downtown Long Beach.

Highlighting Long Beach's summer-long Sea Festival, The mayors of Long Beach and Honolulu---Beverly O'Neill and Mufi Hannemann---will be among those saluting the crews of competitors leaving from Rainbow Harbor starting at 9:30 a.m. PDT. The local outrigger canoe club will lead race boats out past the Queen Mary on their way to the start area 13 miles west.

Among the top three contenders, only Hasso Plattner's Morning Glory will depart from Rainbow Harbor. Roy Disney's Pyewacket and Randall Pittman's Genuine Risk have done last-minute preparations in other area marinas.

The marquee start for the last 20 of 75 entries---second highest total in a century of Transpacs---marks the climax of mainland activity and features boats owned by world business leaders and sailed by, as one crew member once said, "the best talent money can buy." The crew lists of professional sailors read like an all-star team from the Olympic Games, the America's Cup and the Volvo Ocean Race combined.

Plattner, whose SAP is the planet's largest producer of business software, will have three-time America's Cup winner Russell Coutts, among others, on his German entry, the maxZ86 Morning Glory. Pittman, a national health care entrepreneur with a home in La Jolla, has Ken Read, navigator Mark Rudiger and Dave Ullman on his 90-foot Genuine Risk.

Both are seeking Disney's record of 7 days 11 hours 41 minutes 27 seconds set in 1999 and will contest the man himself for first-to-finish honors as, at 75, he sails his 15th and final Transpac on his own new maxZ86, his fourth Pyewacket. Disney's crew is more a group of longtime regulars but includes Robbie Haines, who along with Coutts won a gold medal in the 1984 Olympic sailing in Long Beach.

Analysts believe if these boats find conditions similar to 1999, they'll finish a full day ahead in 6 1/2 days.

In a broader perspective, Bill Lee, whose design genius revolutionized Transpac in the 70s, said, "The original record [in 1906] was 12 days and 10 hours. This year three boats will be trying to cut that time in half."

Darkhorses in Division I for the Barn Door trophy for fastest elapsed time include Windquest, an older version maxZ86 with water ballast instead of canting keel technology, skippered by Doug DeVos of the Amway founding family, and Magnitude 80, owned and skippered by local hope Doug Baker.

John Bertrand, a silver medalist behind Coutts in the Finn class in '84, is one of Windquest's watch captains, along with John Kolius and Gordon Maguire.

"What we need is for those guys to be playing with each other and we doing our own thing," Bertrand said. "We've raced against these guys before in the Newport-Bermuda race [last year]. Windquest was ahead of Pyewacket and even with Morning Glory with a day to go before they took off."

The alternative to Barn Door line honors is the King Kalakaua Trophy for first overall on corrected handicap time, equally coveted by the rest of the fleet. Philippe Kahn, the Santa Cruz and Hawaii-based software giant who developed the camera phone, is shooting for that with a new Transpac 52 after winning the Barn Door with a larger Pegasus in 2001 and '03. The "scratch" boats---Morning Glory and Pyewacket---are giving Genuine Risk only 23 seconds for the race but will owe Pegasus more than two days' time when they reach Hawaii (time allowances on list below).

An even stronger bid for the Kalakaua is expected from the 77-foot Scout Spirit, formerly the super maxi sled Zephyrus V now owned by the Newport Sea Base in Southern California. Scout Sprit, chartered by skipper Bill Turpin, gets more than 32 hours from the top raters.

_/)

Sangmeister At Your Service, All the Way to Hawaii

John Sangmeister, a former America's Cup sailor, is an owner of Gladstone's restaurant, the hospitality center for "Transpac Village" in Rainbow Harbor. A "scoreboard" outside the restaurant showing positions of the 75 boats is updated daily. But Sangmeister's involvement has become much more than he planned.

"I sent [Windquest's John] Bertrand an e-mail saying, 'You're going to be in front of my restaurant for two weeks. Anything I you need---laundry, supplies, whatever---let me know.'

He called back and said, 'We need a [sail] trimmer.' "

That's what Sangmeister did for Dennis Conner's Stars & Stripes campaigns in 1986-87 and 1992. This will be his second Transpac, after sailing on Orient Express in 1997.

_/)

Two Texans Take Lead in Division 5

Soap Opera, a Hobie 33 doublehanded by Scott Self and Nigel Brown of Rockwall, Tex., logged 202 miles in the 24 hours prior to Saturday's morning position reports to poke its bow a mile in front of Steve Brown's Express 37, Brown Sugar, in Division 5.

Other leaders among Monday's starters held on, although veteran Jim Eddy's Callisto from Glendale, Calif. took 14 miles out of Sally Honey's lead on Illusion to move into second place in the Cal 40s. California Girl, withdrawing earlier with a charging system problem, returned safely to Alamitos Bay in Long Beach.

Among Friday's starters, Louis Bianco's Andrews 53, Artemis, Seattle, surged to the best run in Division III with 138 miles, while Kerry Deaver and Bob Williamson's Kahoots led Division IV with 118 miles.

Wind velocity was down for the leaders in the 12-15 knot range, and the weather forecast from Commanders Weather was not encouraging for the next few days. There was still no sun.

Paul Edwards' Catalina 42, Wind Dancer, Ventura, Calif., reported losing its steering but was proceeding to Honolulu under reduced sail and autopilot.

Finally, the crew aboard the 67-year-old, 58-foot pacesetting yawl Odyssey discovered a dusty bottle of Mt. Gay Rum hidden under one of the bunks in the owner's stateroom. It had obviously been hidden there by her former skipper for emergencies. They promised to give it good care.

Transpac Day 5

A few hours before 20 Division III and IV boats started the Centennial Transpacific Yacht Race to Hawaii Friday, Grant Baldwin forewarned them from the communications vessel Alaska Eagle that "they're going to have to put on their track shoes to catch the Cal 40s, who are rocketing."

The 32 boats remaining from the 33 that started Monday---there has been one dropout---have found little sun but continued to enjoy minimal seas and northerly winds of 18-20 knots---about 16 knots more than Friday's starters found off the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

The sun scattered a gloomy marine layer shortly before the 1 p.m. start, but then the wind dropped from 5 to 2 knots and swung so far left to due east that it was impossible to cross the line on a normal starboard tack.

Two boats were quick to pick up on the fluky conditions: Craig Reynolds' Nelson/Marek 55, Bolt, from Newport Beach, Calif., and Jamie and Jenny Neill's Super 30, The Cone of Silence, from Sydney, Australia. Bolt set an overlapping "code zero" headsail---a cross between a genoa and a spinnaker---and proceeded to walk away from the fleet, while The Cone of Silence, the smallest boat in the race, popped a blue asymmetrical spinnaker on its bowsprit and moved out 200 yards to leeward.

One by one, other boats took the cue, but Bolt and Cone already had the advantage as they sailed toward the west end of Santa Catalina Island 26 miles offshore---the only mark of the 2,225-nautical mile course.

Watching developments with interest from off the pin end of the starting line was Genuine Risk, at 90 feet the biggest boat in the race. Randall Pittman's crew stopped by while out for a final tune-up sail before they go off Sunday among 20 Division I and II boats, the last of 75 entries.

Before leaving Rainbow Harbor in downtown Long Beach for the starting area, one boat, Gary Fanger's 1D35, Sensation, from San Francisco, reported a skipper change. Fanger had to step off a few days earlier because of pressing business concerns and turned command over to watch captain Rodney Hagebols.

Class leaders at sea Friday remained Steve Brown's Express 37, Brown Sugar, from Santa Ana, Calif. in Division V; Sally Honey's Illusion, from Palo Alto, Calif. in Cal 40s; Cecil Rossi's 58-foot yawl Odyssey, Newport Beach, in Aloha A, and Larry Hillman's Swan 48, So Far, Chicago, in Aloha B. Each set its class pace in distance sailed as well as projected corrected handicap time.

Odyssey, sailing its fourth Transpac over 66 years, was nearest the finish with 1,680 miles to go but now will be looking aft for Aloha A rival Shanakee II, James Warmington's bigger and faster Pedrick 74 that started Friday and spots Odyssey nearly two days for the course in handicap time, besides four days in real time.

David Kory's MacGregor 65, Barking Spider 3, from Concord, Calif., owes each of Friday's starters time. It's a step up in class for Kory, who won Aloha B in 2003 with a Catalina 38.

"It's going to be a challenge for us," Kory said. "We don't have the experience or the sophisticated racing program that some of the guys have. We'll just put a finger in the air and decide where to go."

Earlier in the week while rivals were preparing to race, Kory offered Barking Spider 3 as a spectator boat for Monday's start, and 14 friends and family members of the early fleets took advantage.

"We've had a great time," Kory said. "We're in this to have fun."

Also before the start, Jamie Neill reported that on The Cone of Silence's first tune-up sail Tuesday since shipping the 30-footer to California the crew discovered a hairline crack in the headsail track. With the assistance of the local North Sails team, the track was replaced two days before the start.

The Sail-World USA Web site will be providing live tracking of the little Australian boat, a first for Transpac.

Weather Outlook

The synoptic picture for the race is mixed. It begins with a high coming in Friday night before the race. A low will appear but will stay to the north. The main weather maker is a cold front that will cross the lake on Monday. High pressure follows this.

Wind Direction: The forecasts for the race presents a straight forward pattern for wind direction. NE is the expected direction for the start. The wind is then expected to start veering, and eventually going NW when the cold front passes.

Wind Velocity: Lasts years slow race has greatly influenced peoples expectations. The good news is that the word variable is not to be seen in the forecasts and numbers like 10, 10-20 etc. are shown. The general trend should be more wind as time goes by and more wind as the fleet sails north.

Strategy: An ugly early course towards Wisconisn will likely be considered. Playing the west shore and then crossing over with a good angle as the wind gets to SW and South will be a play for many.

A second option is to base your race on timing the cold front. This front is currently expected to pass from north to south on Monday. Sailing a race that gets you north fast may allow you to get to the 20 knot pressure expected to be brought by the cold front.

With synoptic conditions expected to produce sufficient wind, hugging the Michigan shore and looking for a sea breeze to build off the temperature difference between water and land probably will not pay.

When will 2005 Chicago Mackinac information be available?

This is the 10th year we have provided online coverage of the Chicago to Mackinac. Every year the race starts and then the desire for race coverage builds up. Seems like it always gets pent up. Eventually someone will break that dam and say something like 'it's been 24 hours, you've posted no news, what good are you'?

Believe me we'd love to have information available as soon as possible. However, the nature of the race is that in the 1st 24 hours there is little news. Boats are in the middle of the lake with little cell phone coverage so we don't hear from them. Race organizers do take boats times as they cross the 45th parallel near the Manitous. For the bulk of the fleet this occurs Sunday afternoon and later. From this point on the flow of information usually speeds up.

We will have a reporter on Mackinac Island from Saturday on. Additionally we will have cameras overlooking the harbor and finish line. Once boats begin reaching the island these will be filled with pertinent images. If it's a long slow race like last year you'll see images of calm water in the Straits Of Mackinac.

That's the most unpredictable variable...wind and weather. A big following breeze and most boats could be finished by Monday. A slow race like last year and we are into Tuesday and Wednesday.

To sum up: don't expect much news in the race's 1st 24 hours. Expect things to start happening Sunday afternoon and for multiple news reports and images once Monday comes.

Linky Sailing News

Racing Transpac Power Reaching

News Olympic Campaigner visits.

Great Lakes Old Goat Face Off

2005 Chicago Mackinac Preview

This year the Chicago to Mackinac race will start on July 16th followed by the Port Huron Mac on the 23rd. This will be the 99th sailing of the Mac race.

There are many reasons to sail in the race. It could be completing a first Mackinac. It could be completing that 25th Mackinac, making you eligible to join the old goats. It maybe another race in your classes (J 105, J35, Farr 40, GL 70's etc.) season series- albeit the longest one.

The course is a classic. In simple terms it takes the boats from one end of Lake Michigan to the other and often from one side to the other.

The race begins off Chicago's skyline. At 1.5 miles from the Chicago coast the starting line is within sight of the city.

The starts tend to be under spinnaker. It's the largest fleet of the year starting with spinnakers and often a dicey proposition. The first night sees strategic choices being made. The rhumb line is drawn on the chart and on race participation plaques but not always followed. There'll be more spread in the fleet if the conditions are upwind. If so, you can have starboard tackers off Milwaukee in Wisconsin and port tackers off the Michigan shoreline. If it's off the wind you'll spend more time near the rhumb line often jibing back and forth crossing the imaginary line.

Mark Rudiger, the navigator on 2004 1st to finish Genuine Risk described their first night position this way "We went within 5 miles of shore the 1st night and tacked from a NNE wind to a NE wind and good pressure."

The fleet stays spread out. Between Ludington and Two Rivers the lake is at it's widest, a lot of area for even 300 boats. If there is light air boats may try to play the gradient breeze of either shore.
GPS' are programmed to find Point Betsie. Once this sandy outcropping appears you are nearing the Manitou's, a compulsory passage point for the fleet. The Islands funnel the fleet together and you can begin checking in with competitors.

Recently race officials have begun taking boats times as they cross the 45° latitude line in the Manitous.

The Manitou's can be scenic and beautiful during the day giving a close look at the bright sand dunes of the Michigan shore. If you crossed over from the Wisconsin shore you saw a rockier and more forested coastline. For most of the fleet this is the area you are in for your second night. Hopefully the race is a 48 to 60 hour endeavor with only two nights of sailing.

Soon, another routing option presents itself. This is to sail to the west of the Manitous. This option to the west is a longer one. However, you may benefit from more wind or a more favorable angle.
Once past the Manitou's you are on course for Greys Reef. The course is narrow here. There are as many opinions on this as there are wind directions.

Greys Reef is a narrow light and buoy filled channel. You'll meet up with the Great Lakes commercial fleet here. At the end of the Passage you swing right making for the Straits of Mackinac and the Mackinac Bridge. As with the Chicago skyline, this landmark is visible for miles.

Often the last phase of the race, from the Bridge to the finish line, can be the most frustrating. You are in the lead of your class... the wind dies as you pass the bridge with the finish in sight. For those behind, the wind stays and 100's of spinnakers come sailing up to you. It can be a situation where days of lead building can be cast away in an hour’s time.

Once you've arrived at the dock on Mackinac Island you not only have finished the race, you have likely completed a pretty complete tour of one of the Great Lakes.

Once again this race will use the Americap scoring system. Curiously race officials have announced "The course configuration for 2005 will be selected on Friday afternoon prior to the race and announced at the skippers meeting to provide the greatest possible match of handicaps to anticipated weather. This decision will be based on the weather forecast data available at the time." We'll see how pleasing this is to the sailors!

As of this writing 235 entries have been received including the Transpac 52 Beau Geste. This boat intended to compete last year, but it's mast was broken while being trucked to the area.

Many of the bigger record capable boats will be competing in the Transpac this year. This includes Genuine Risk, Windquest, Rosebud and more.

Torresen Marine's http://www.chicagmomackinac.com will once again be your source for unofficial, independent race coverage. If you would like to be included in the coverage please complete the form found at http://www.chicagomackinac.com/questionnaire/

Water Level Update

Below you'll find water level info that pertains to Lakes Michigan and Huron.

Reference Point- Measurements in Inches

Difference from Chart Datum +7
Difference from last month -1
Difference from last year -7
Difference from long term average for July -17
Difference from Record High -47
Difference from Record Low +16
Forecast for 815 August 0

Click for information on other lakes.

Transpac: Power Reaching Gotta Go!

The agony was over but the ecstasy was yet to start Thursday for the first 33 of 75 boats that started the Centennial Transpacific Yacht Race three days earlier. Winds of 18-22 knots sent three boats in Aloha A class flying to the race's first 200-nautical mile days, led by the 2003 winner, Ross Pearlman's Sun Odyssey 52, Between the Sheets, from Calabasas, Calif., at 213.

But after two days of light wind, they still hadn't reached the warmth of the trade winds that will turn their constant pounding on the wind into a pleasant sleigh ride to Paradise.

Mark Schrader's Cal 40, Dancing Bear, reported: "Like every other boat on the course, we’re sprinting for the ridge of high pressure where the wind will finally clock aft, we’ll hoist a spinnaker and the fun will finally begin. But that long-anticipated moment is still a good day away, at least. Comfortable it is not. The once-tidy saloon of Dancing Bear looks like a train wreck."

At least former Indy 500 campaigner Dick Simon was no longer feeling frustrated, reporting: "We are in 25 knots of wind and 15-foot seas, power reaching. Gotta go!"

Faster boats will follow in the Division III and IV starts Friday and the Division I and II starts Sunday, and the chase across the 2,225-nautical mile expanse of the eastern Pacific will be on.

B'Quest, the Challenged America entry crewed by sailors with disabilities, logged 192 miles at an average speed of 8 knots and now shares the pace 1,877 miles from Diamond Head with the historic Odyssey, which did 207 miles. The 58-foot yawl-turned-cutter sailed Transpac in 1939, '55 and '61.

Sally Honey's Illusion took over the Cal 40 lead from David Pillsbury's Ralphie. Other class leaders on projected corrected handicap time were Steve Brown's Express 37, Brown Sugar, in Division V; Odyssey in Aloha A and Larry Hillman's Swan 48, So Far, in Aloha B.

Don and Betty Lessley's Cal 40, California Girl, from Richmond, Calif., dropped out because of auxiliary power problems and was returning to the mainland, reducing the Cal 40 fleet to 13 boats.

Portugal Match Cup

The 7th Swedish Match Tour season commences next week at the 2nd annual PT Portugal Match Cup in Cascais, Portugal. The event, July 19-24, kicks off what promises to be a strong year for the professional match-racing series. The schedule is still being finalized, but the season could comprise as many as 10 stages with the possibility of four new events added to the calendar.

By Sean McNeil
Swedish Match Tour

It all begins with Stage 1, the €100,000 (approx. $120,000) PT Portugal Match Cup. The event that debuted last year with resounding success once again is organized by Justino de Sa Machado’s Sun Sailing Team, the Naval Club of Cascais and the Cascais Marina. It will be sailed in the Swedish Match 40.

The line up features four crews from Cup syndicates, and four crews that placed in the top eight on the final 2004-’05 Tour leaderboard, including the two-time reigning Swedish Match Tour champion Peter Gilmour (AUS).

Gilmour last weekend became the first skipper to repeat as champion of the Swedish Match Tour. He defeated Ed Baird (USA), Alinghi, in the Quarterfinal Round to secure the championship, and then beat Magnus Holmberg (SWE) and his Victory Challenge crew in the Final to capture his sixth Swedish Match Cup title.

Gilmour holds a number of Tour records, including career victories with eight wins in the six years of Tour competition. He aims to set another standard in Portugal, most consecutive wins. Gilmour has won the last three events to tie Peter Holmberg (ISV) for the record. A win in Portugal would set a new mark.

Gilmour will have long-time crewmember Yasuhiro Yaji (JPN) with him, but not other regulars such as Rod Dawson (NZL), Mike Mottl (AUS) and Kazuhiko Sofuku (JPN), who can’t race due to other commitments. Instead he’ll be racing with Frenchmen Thierry Fouchier and Fred Guilman.

The line up also features four Cup syndicates: Ben Ainslie (NZL), Emirates Team New Zealand, Peter Holmberg (ISV), Alinghi, Bertrand Pacé (FRA), BMW Oracle Racing, and Hamish Pepper (NZL), Mascalzone Latino – Capitalia Team.

Other competitors include Afonso Domingos (POR), Michael Dunstan (AUS), Jes Gram-Hansen (DEN), Gram-Hansen Racing, Chris Law (GBR), The Outlaws, Staffan Lindberg (FIN), Team Finland, Manuel Marques (POR) and Ian Williams (GBR), Musto Team.

Cup syndicates have been frequent and visible competitors on the Tour this year as they practice towards 2007, but they’ve all been beaten by Cup veterans currently on the sidelines.

Russell Coutts (NZL), the record-setting Cup skipper, won the Toscana Elba Cup – Trofeo Locaman in May, besting 11 Cup teams. Gilmour, a veteran of five Cup syndicates dating back to 1987, won the other three – Match Race Germany, ACI H1 Match Race Cup and Swedish Match Cup – beating no less than 21 Cup crews among the events.

Whereas the America’s Cup has a design aspect to it, the Swedish Match Tour places more emphasis on crew work and continuity because the events are raced in one-designs.

“At the end of the day, experience counts. It’s not that the Cup teams are losing; it’s that two of the most experienced sailors in the world are winning the events,” said Tour director Scott MacLeod. “The Tour is a real race of truth because it’s in one-design boats.”

Last year Ed Baird (USA), Alinghi, beat Coutts 3-0 in the Portugal Match Cup final, a series that featured numerous lead changes, seven penalties and enough match-race strategy to make a chess grand master envious. Neither is entered next week due to other commitments; Baird with Alinghi and Coutts in the Transpac Race.

For further information please visit: www.portugalmatchcup.com

Old Goats Face off

Earlier this spring John Nedeau sold his 68 foot Nelson Marek. One of the purchasers was Gene McCarthy. Nedeau then purchased a Santa Cruz 70.

What's notable about this transaction is the Nedeau is 1st on the Island Goat Society List with 57 Mac races while McCarthy is 2nd with 51!

Other Old Goat owners in the GL 70 section include: Richard Jennings with 44, Peter Reichelsdorfer with 39, Terry Kohler with 33 and Bert D'ottavio with 30.

Update: Oldest goat John Nedeau has finishd 4th in the GL 70 while 2nd Oldest goat Gene McCarthy finished 7th. Section winner Colt 45 had Goat James Sargent (33 Mac') on board.

PM Takes Tour

The Prime Minister of Spain, José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, spent the morning at the Port America's Cup in Valencia on Thursday, touring the facility, meeting the event organisers, the teams, and the board members of the Consorcio Valencia 2007. The Consorcio is the organisation responsible for providing the infrastructure and services for the 32nd America's Cup.

Following the meeting, Mr. Zapatero said he was pleased with progress at the Port.

"The America's Cup will be a showcase for Spain to the world," said the Prime Minister. Mr. Zapatero confirmed that all necessary financing for the venue is secure and is an asset which will benefit the country for years to come.

"The Prime Minister was impressed with the transformation of the Port into a home for the America's Cup," said Michel Bonnefous, the CEO of the event organisers. "Mr. Zapatero told us he wants the America's Cup to be something the whole country can enjoy, participate in, and benefit from."

A tremendous transformation in progress

Over the next several months the remaining team bases will be completed, a canal linking the Port to the North race course area will be opened up, and the public areas will be more developed as well. The result will be a tremendous facility for the America's Cup.

The commitment of the Spanish government to the 32nd America's Cup is an integral part of the support that Spain and Valencia is providing to the event.

Four opening regattas, Louis Vuitton Acts, have already taken place in Valencia, with four more scheduled in 2006 and 2007, before the Louis Vuitton Cup challenger selection series and America's Cup Match are contested in 2007.

Oops Cup Ends

Team Stena Sovcomflot has been nearly unbeatable in this year’s edition of Nokia Oops Cup. Thursday they won the last regatta in the series by finishing first in to St. Petersburg. Team Academy, which won last year, where 50 minutes after the Russian-Swedish boat over the line.

The multihull legend Bruno Peyron, co-skipper and boatowner Steve Ravussin and Roger Nilson, the navigator, was way ahead of the other five competitors during Nokia Oops Cup 2005. In the St. Petersburg offshore race they had to endure light winds and high temperatures, but they still finished first in to the Russian city.

- It was a light wind race, but we finished much earlier than thought. We won this race and the Nokia Oops cup on experience, better technique and just the right amount of luck, says Roger Nilson, navigator on Stena Sovcomflot.

Academy, with Norwegian Knut Frostad as skipper, came second in the last race, and also on the overall standing. HiQ, the Swedish boat with HiQ at the helm that took bronze overall, had to retire from St. Petersburg Offshore Race due to the rudder damage they got in Sopot City Race. Bonduelle also pulled out off the offshore race.

Nokia Oops Cup started in Helsinki on May 21 and since then the six highly competitive trimarans and crew have covered over 3500 nautical miles and been to all the major cities and competed inn all the big races in the Nordic and Baltic water.

- We are very pleased because both the competition and the public interest for Nokia Oops Cup have been even greater this year. It is very satisfying that more and more people get a taste for this sport, says Richard Brisius in Atlant Ocean Racing, the company behind Nokia Oops Cup.

Where is Equation?

Bill Alcott's 68 foot sled Equation will not be on the Chicago Mac starting line.

Seems as though due to some questionable behavior the Chicago Yacht Club chose not to invite Equation.

Equation will contest the Port Huron Mac.

No Earth Voyager

Earth Voyager the 60 foot trimaran and a frequent winner of line honors is not entered in this year's Chicago Mac.

This vessel has a colorful history including continuing to race after the warehouse the boats was stored in was rammed by a train.

With 2005 being a year when the Chicago Mac is 1st Earth Voyager has chosen not to make the long delivery to Chicago. They will sail the Port Huron Mac.

Clipper to Visit NYC

New York City Sports Commissioner Kenneth J. Podziba today announced that New York City will be a host of the Clipper 05-06 Round the World Yacht Race during their port visit in May 2006. There will also be a yacht named after the city in the race. The international sporting event will begin on September 18, 2005, in Liverpool (UK) and return after 10 months of intense competition on the high seas. Some 200 international sailors competing in the world’s longest race will visit New York in late May 2006 as part of the final leg of their 35,000-mile competition.

“The City of New York is proud to welcome the Clipper 05-06 Round the World Yacht Race,” said Commissioner Podziba. “We are thankful to Clipper Ventures for selecting New York as the city to represent the United States in the world's longest yacht race. The Clipper 05-06 Race unites countries through the sport of sailing and we are honoured to participate in the race and welcome these ambassadors as they sail to and from our city.”

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, Chairman of Clipper Ventures Plc and the first person to sail solo non-stop around the world, strongly endorsed the announcement and commented: "The New York City entry will face strong competition from a formidable international field including race title defenders Jersey (Channel Islands), as well as Liverpool (UK), Durban (South Africa), Fremantle (Western Australia), Singapore, Glasgow (Scotland), Victoria BC (Canada) and Qingdao (China).

“New York City's harbour offers a world-class stopover venue for the Clipper event, with first-rate hosting facilities at Liberty Landing Marina, and with one of the most recognisable backdrops on earth.

"New York City is the business capital of the world and to provide New York Clipper with a fighting chance, we invite corporate sponsors to use this unique opportunity to billboard their business around the globe. Prominent signage on the dynamic 68ft racing yacht and a host of media, marketing and promotional opportunities will be available in the United States, the UK, and around the globe.

"The event has a tremendous synergy with New York, as the race competitors have many of the qualities central to the spirit and endeavour of 'The World's Favourite City.' We wish the New York City Clipper team every success as their magnificent yacht lines-up against her international rivals,” added Knox-Johnston.

Clipper 05-06, the fifth running of the company’s flagship event, will be divided into seven individual crew legs as the ten identically-matched yachts contend for the coveted ‘Clipper Cup.’ The New York Clipper will be skippered by Jonathan Bailey, (38) from Leeds in the United Kingdom, and there are selected berths available for New York’s budding sailors interested in racing on various legs of the race.

The fleet’s return to Liberty Landing Marina, having visited the city on the past two editions of the biennial event, will be a popular decision amongst the amateur crews. The nine-day stopover provides a chance to savour the sensational ambience of Manhattan having just raced to the United States from the Caribbean.

Match Race Worlds

It's been a good week for Peter Gilmour. So far he's won the Swedish Match Cup Regatta which also gave him the top spot on the podium for the 2004-2005 Swedish Match Tour. And now, he has edged Ed Baird off the top spot on ISAF's new match racer rankings list. This particular set of men's ranking is particularly important because the top 11 will receive invitations to the ISAF Match Racing World Championship 2005 in Calpe, Spain from September 12-17. (The eleventh ranked sailor will get invited because number 2 ranked Ed Baird is the defending World Champion, and gets an auto-invite.)

This invitation list now includes: Ed Baird (USA) -Defending Champion; Peter Gilmour (AUS); Mathieu Richard (FRA); Russell
Coutts (NZL); Philippe Presti (FRA); Paolo Cian (ITA); Sebastien Col (FRA);James Spithill (AUS); Ian Williams (GBR); Björn Hansen (SWE); Staffan Lindberg (FIN); plus Santiago Lopez-Vazquez (ESP) who will be invited by the hosting Real Federación Española de Vela, Real Club Náutico de Calpe.

Linky Sailing News

Racing Disabled Crew Leads

News Hall History. Joyon's sleep

Great Lakes Ferry wave complaints. Superior Swimmer rescued

Gill to Continue Sponsorship

US SAILING, national governing body for the sport, and Gill North America today announced that they have renewed and expanded their decade-long partnership. As part of the new four-year agreement, which runs through 2008, Gill NA has been named "Exclusive Technical Apparel Supplier/Sponsor" to the US Sailing Teams. Through the multi-year partnership, Gill North America will outfit the country's top sailors on the US Sailing Teams with foul-weather marine gear packages and championship gloves, bags and other Gill equipment. The US Sailing Teams consist of the US Sailing Team, the US Disabled Sailing Team and the US Youth World Team. In addition, Gill North America anticipates outfitting the nation's top sailors who will represent the U.S. in 2008 in Qingdao, China.

As part of its ongoing commitment to the athletes, Gill will provide a comprehensive product support plan, advising athletes on how to use Gill gear to maximize competitive effectiveness.

"We are proud to renew and enhance our role in supporting America's world-class sailors as they compete at the highest levels of the sport," said David Pritchard, Gill North America president. "We hope our Gill gear gives these dedicated athletes the freedom and confidence to perform at their competitive best."

US SAILING's agreement with Gill also includes a new facet--Gill will offer at a retail level US SAILING-licensed and Gill-branded apparel that will generate proceeds to be donated to the US Sailing Team. These newly branded products will be available through US SAILING and select Gill independent dealers.

"US SAILING wanted to make sure that the country's best sailors can focus on their competitions on the water, without having to worry about their technical gear, and Gill offers the sailors that opportunity," said US SAILING's Executive Director Charlie Leighton. "The renewed and expanded partnership is a 'win-win' for both parties."

Gill North America has supported the US Sailing Team since 1995. In 2001, in renewing its support as "Exclusive Technical Apparel Supplier" through 2004, Gill extended its support to include the athletes on the US Disabled Sailing Team and the US Youth World Team.

Transpac: Disabled Crew Leads

If the Centennial Transpacific Yacht Race had a yellow jersey, the crew of disabled sailors from Challenged America would be sharing it right now.

Like Lance Armstrong in France, the four men and able-bodied skipper Joshua Ross from San Diego climbed a mountain in the Pacific Ocean Wednesday to stand closer to Hawaii than any of the other 32 boats from the four classes of smaller boats that started Monday.

As cold winds increased to 20-25 knots from the northwest, morning position reports had Challenged America's Tripp 40, B'Quest, 2,059 nautical miles from the finish on Day 3 of the 2,225-mile race---that, despite sailing one man short because Jeff Reinhold had to stay behind because of an elbow infection.

Challenged America co-founder Urban Miyares, sailing his second successive Transpac, reported by e-mail: "We had a great start, but with new mast and rigging it took us about an hour to really get the boat in tune. Currently, it is big swell but overall glassy conditions.

"Currently, Captain Josh is driving, Jim [Halverson] is trimming and Kevin [Wixom] and Scott [Meide] are down below napping. I'm the lookout."

Miyares, a Vietnam veteran, is blind.

"I am trying to get used to the galley and trying to remember where we packed everything," he said. "It has helped that we have cookies. Our thanks go out to all of the supporters who made cookies for us. I think next Transpac we will do it just on cookies."

Two boats were two miles back: Steve Brown's Express 37, Brown Sugar, also from San Diego, and David Johnson's Plan B, from Long Beach. Plan B also led Aloha A class on corrected handicap time. Brown Sugar and B'Quest were second and third in Division V, behind Reed Barnard and Brian VanderZanden of Anacortes, Wash., sailing the J/35 Diablo doublehanded.

In the 14-boat Cal 40 fleet, Davis Pillsbury's Ralphie from Colorado had a two-mile lead on Sally Honey's all-woman Illusion with 2,063 miles to go.

The Division III and IV boats plus Shanakee II from Aloha A will start Friday, followed by the Division I and II thoroughbreds on Sunday. Both starts will be off the Palos Verdes Peninsula at 1 p.m., the latter following a ceremonial start by past Transpac competitors, including the legendary Windward Passage. Several of the boats will be departing from Rainbow Harbor in downtown Long Beach starting at 9:30 a.m.

Former Indy 500 driver Dick Simon, 72, was finding his first sailboat race to be a frustrating adjustment.

"It took us 18 hours to pass [Santa] Catalina [Island]," navigator Sue Senescu reported from Madrina, a well-equipped Cabo Rico 56 in Alpha A class. "That is an average of 1 knot! High-energy Dick is frustrated with the light winds.

[Tuesday] we sailed with our whole class in sight all around us, bobbing. Our 27-mile run from the start to the first check-in was an all time screaming start---you could hear us screaming at the wind gods.

"Today was Barry [Senescu] and Sue's 18th wedding anniversary, Wendy [Miller] presented them with a wedding cake made of a tower of powdered doughnuts with a bride and groom atop."

Grant Baldwin reported from the communications vessel Alaska Eagle: "Another long cold night with NW winds 20-25 knots, 100% overcast, still no sun. The entire fleet now seems to be in the breeze. Rather unpleasant night with lots of wind and lumpy seas. Some ate dinner twice."

One of the most amazing races I've ever sailed

Sambro Light, Halifax. Jeff Pritchard (right) and I are finally abeam of Sambro Light which lies just outside of Halifax Harbour. It's taken us nearly 48 hours to get here since we left Marblehead on Sunday and after a hard push in mostly light air, we're happy to be closing in on the finish line.

We're also happy to finally have Joe Harris and Brian Harris on Gryphon Solo a mile or so behind after one of the most amazing races I've ever sailed. Until just an hour or so ago, I would say the outcome of our 360 nautical mile duel was a toss-up as the two boats have swapped leads at least a dozen times since the start, most of them yesterday as we inched our way across the Gulf of Maine, ghosting from one patch of wind to the next. At 7:00 a.m. yesterday, Artforms crossed Gryphon Solo's bow by half a boat length after a long night searching for breeze on opposite sides of the course. Yesterday evening, after endless sail changes under the blazing sun, we crossed their bow again rounding Cape Sable in an adverse tide and an eerie moonlit fog - this time, a full boat length ahead. During that time, the two boats were rarely more than a few hundred yards apart and the satisfaction of leap frogging into the lead after hours of hard work was dashed more times than I care to remember. Although light air sailing may not be as dramatic as the high mileage days we love to rack up in these Open Class boats, this is still ocean racing at its very best - dinghy tactics and dinghy intensity taken many miles offshore.

Jeff has been driving the past few hours while I've been catching up on some sleep. He's rapidly working his way up the steep learning curve and each time I come up on deck I'm pumped with questions on how to make the boat go faster. I enjoy Jeff's company on board and I completely appreciate his enthusiasm. Handing off what I know has always been one of my goals for this project and each time I'm asked to slow down long enough to explain what I'm doing I find my own understanding of the process deepens - a very good thing as I still have so much more to learn!

Now, back to the job of getting this boat across the finish line!

- Kip Stone

Artforms crossed the finish line in Halifax Harbour at 3:12 p.m. EDT (19:12 GMT) today.

Only One Winner Returns

Of last year's 3 overall winners only the J35 Bozo's Circus winner of the Chicago-Mackinac Trophy Division is entered.

Multihull winner Earth Voyager is not competing while Mackinac Cup winner Esmeralda has been sold and is now racing in the Mediterranean.

Update: Bozo's Circus crossed the 45th paralell at 0352, with 7 boats in her class ahead of her.

Rating Choice

According to Chicago Yacht Club officials: "In what may be a handicapping first representing a significant change in this year’s race, the Committee will select, based on weather forecasts, the course mix the afternoon before the race."

Organizers will select either an all purpose or a mainly downwind rating based on the forecast.

With lots of variables in the forecast it would seem likely they would choose an all purpose mix.

One still wonders what will happen if an all purpose rating is chosen and it's spinnakers for 333 miles or vice versa....

Bantu in Turbo Division

Bantu the Block Island 40 which has been a frequent winner of the Mac and other Great Lakes distance races has a new home- the Turbo division.

The classic, full keeled Bantu is in a section with a TP 52,a boat with a canting keel and an IMS 50.

Obviosuly Chicago Yacht Club has finally listened to those who feel this boat has had some advantages and is attempting to make a fairer race.

Small 1st to Finish

If the Transpac 52 Beau Geste is the 1st monohull to finish it will be one of the smaller boats to be 1st over the line in some time.

Since the mid 80's Santa Cruz 70's have often been 1st to finish with boats outside the Great Lakes up to 90 feet also taking line honors.

Perhaps one of the IOR 50's would've been 1st to finish, if not I'd think it's back to the 80's to find a 50 footer that was 1st to finish.

Update: No worries about a 50 footer finishing 1st. Holua a GL 70 was 1st to finish a 0314 on Monday. Beau Geste crossed the line 20 minutes later.

Halifax Wrap Up

Where do I pick up the story? I think in my last transmission Gryphon Solo was locked in mortal combat with Artforms as we struggled to get around the notorious Cape Sable at the Southern tip of Nova Scotia before the tide turned against us and flushed us up the Bay of Fundy. The lead had already changed hands between Artforms and Gryphon Solo a half-dozen times as we match raced and each boat enjoyed a slight advantage at various times in the variable wind conditions. The wind was very fluky, we would get going well and then it would just shut off, causing the boat to wallow around until a new breeze would fill in and get us going. We had one squall come through where it rained very hard and the wind went through three 360' degree swings so we essentially drove the boat in circles without trimming the sails or tacking!! As we were in thick fog, it was easy to get disoriented and Brian and I had some funny discussions where we would each point in the opposite direction cl! aiming that was our Eastward course!

We finally crept around the corner but were very close in to shore where the currents are strongest. When the tide was going out, it pushed us around the corner at nearly four knots! However, with a wind shift in to the north, we found ourselves at midnight Tuesday right off Cape Sable, inside Brazil Rock and ghosting along in about 7 knots of breeze. We were in the swirling current listening to the mournful foghorn from the Cape Sable Light House blowing its ominous message to mariners. It was eerie, spookie, and creepie. We were sure the wind was going to shut off and we would be left tide-bound, very close to the rocky shore. Luckily, the wind held and we cruised through the passage and up the shoreline under our Code Zero light air sail. I don't plan on rounding Cape Sable in that manner again any time soon!

We were neck and neck with Artforms as we separated just North of the Cape and then we lost th! em during the night. We were concerned they had taken another route and might have snuck ahead, but when dawn came, they were just to leeward of us, about dead even! The wind had come forward a bit so we were now going dead upwind with about 80 miles to the finish line. I knew from my Transat Race experience that Artforms was very quick to windward and I was concerned that we were about to get dusted. However, in the flat water and utilizing our new dagger boards, we stayed even for the next 40 miles. At that point, the wind kicked up to about 20 knots and the seas became very lumpy and Gryphon Solo began "pancaking" or smashing down hard on the waves that slowed the boat dramatically. We added water ballast to the forward port tank that helped. However, Artforms seemed to be handling the conditions better and legged out, sailed a higher course and a bit faster, on us over the last 30 miles.

As we rounded Chebucto Head at the entrance to Halifax Harbor and head! ed for the finish line, we were behind Artforms by about three miles and while we closed the gap a bit on the last tack in, we finished behind them by about a half hour at around 3:00 PM East Coast time yesterday afternoon. Needless to say, it was very frustrating to have come so close, trading the lead 7 times, and then lost out as the lumpy, upwind conditions on the last part of the race really favored Artforms. On the positive side, we saw that Gryphon Solo is very fast in certain conditions, faster than Artforms, and that is very encouraging for future races. We learned how important the sail inventory is in the variable wind conditions and that we need to add a spinnaker for sailing dead downwind. We also have to work harder on improving upwind performance, as that is our Achilles heel right now.

All in all, it was a great race with some tremendous match racing against Artforms. Neither boat did well on corrected time against the fully crewed 80' max! i yachts in our class, but that was somewhat expected in these conditions. The Open Class boats are really designed for heavy air, open ocean reaching conditions, which is very different from the designs of the maxis, which are optimized for windward-leeward buoy racing.

So, the next race up is the Monhegan Island Race that starts out of Portland, Maine on Saturday August 13th. After that the boat will go into the yard for a re-fit before we do the delivery across the Atlantic in early September for the Transat Jacques Vabre race from France to Brazil in November. I feel I am making continuous progress on getting to know the boat and how to get the most out of her. I look forward to the long ocean passage of the Transat Jacques Vabre allow Gryphon Solo to show her best stuff. By the time the 5-Oceans comes around in November of next year, we should have boat and skipper fully optimized for peak performance!

Fair winds to all,

Joe

Movistar receives Flag

The VO 70 “movistar”, the Spanish entrant to the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-2006, returned on Saturday morning to the Ría de Vigo to attend a very special rendez vous. At the ocean liner terminal of the Vigo harbour, the training ship of the Spanish Army, the Juan Sebastián de Elcano, was waiting for her to present her with the Spanish flag that the “movistar” will sail under during the Round the World race, due to depart next November from Vigo.

The VO 70 “movistar” crew boarded the Juan Sebastián de Elcano to attend the Spanish flag delivery ceremony in a brief but highly emotional ceremony, attended by the training ship commander – Captain Luis Cayetano y Garrido –, the mayoress of Vigo – Corina Porro –, and the mayor of Sanxenxo – Telmo Martín.

Commander Cayetano y Garrido mentioned the similarities between the training ship and the “movistar”, both Spanish ambassadors on the world oceans. Pedro Campos – general manager of the “movistar” team – referred to the history of the Juan Sebastián de Elcano – “since her launching in 1927, she has sailed around the world 10 times and has sailed over one and a half million nautical miles. It is for us a great honour to receive the Spanish flag on board such a representative ship”.

Pedro Campos presented the Juan Sebastián de Elcano commander with a pennant and a weather vane from the Real Club Náutico de Sanxenxo, the club under whose flag the “movistar” sails, as a memento of this very special day for the team.

After the ceremony, the “movistar” crew returned to the VO 70 to sail towards the training ship’s stern and raised the Spanish flag, which is already waving at the top of the main mast, 32 meters above sea level.

After the ceremony, the Juan Sebastián de Elcano commander boarded the VO 70 “movistar” to see for himself the features of the boat that set the new world record in miles run in 24 hours – 530.19 miles – last April.

Later on, the “movistar” returned to its Sanxenxo port headquarters, with José Cusí – “Bribón”’s ship-owner – as crew member number 11.

Brasil 1's 1st Outing

The Brasil 1, the boat that has been custom-built to compete in the round-the-world Volvo Ocean Race, finished its first regatta with a record-breaking performance. The Brazilian boat was the first to cross the finish line this Saturday, in the Eldorado Alcatrazes por Boreste sailing race, the leg that kicked off the Ilhabela Sailing Week.

The 70-ft sailboat completed the 55 nautical-mile course (101 kms) in 6 hours, 18 seconds. Until now, the fastest boat in the race had been the Argentinean Flash Gordon, a 49-ft boat that in 2002 won with a time of 7 hours 13minutes 46 seconds. The Brasil 1's time, however, does not count as a record in this regatta as it participated "hors-concours" (not part of the official competition). "It couldn't have been a better debut. The boat handled itself very well in the transfer and in the race, leaving us quite excited about the upcoming tests," said captain Torben Grael, still onboard the Brasil 1.

Right at the start of the race the crew showed off the Brasil 1's potential. Much faster than its competitors, the sailboat started in the very back and managed to take the lead only 25 minutes into the race that began with weak, 5-knot winds.

Torben then took the opportunity to train some maneuvers, changing directions constantly. After raising the spinnaker the boat gained an even larger lead and circumnavigated Alcatrazes Island 45 minutes ahead of the other boats. By then the winds had increased to 10 knots, favoring larger boats such as the Brasil 1 which gained an even larger lead over the rest of the fleet.

"We were able to perform some important tests and it was good to see how the crew was excited to work on improving the boat even more," says Torben. This was the second big test for the boat that sailed for the first time last Friday. It took the crew more than 15 hours of sailing to arrive in Ilhabela. On the trip down, the Brasil 1 reached speeds of 20 knots. "We were very lucky with the weather. The evening was wonderful and we were able to test the boat under different conditions. We reached 20 knots with very little wind and we went easy on the boat," said the director of the project and world-champion Star sailor Alan Adler, who was part of the crew.

In Ilhabela, the Brasil 1 sailed with skipper Torben Grael, Brazilian crewmembers Marcelo Ferreira, Kiko Pellicano, Joca Signorini, André Fonseca and reserve Eduardo Penido, and foreign crewmembers Adrienne Cahalan (Australia), Roberto Chuny Bermudez (Spain), Andy Meiklejohn (Australia) and Stuart Wilson (New Zealand). The director of the program and world-champion Star sailor Alan Adler was also on the crew, as were some members of the logistics team. Norwegian Knut Frostad will only join the crew in South Africa to sail in the South Sea legs.

Brazil's Minister of Sports, Agnelo Queiroz, arrived in Ilhabela early in the morning and boarded the Brasil 1. Queiroz has supported the project since the early stages last year and was invited as a special guest during the boat's first race. "The Brasil 1 has been born a winner, with a victory and record-breaking time in the regatta. Sailing is spectacular; it combines sport and nature. The weather helped and the experience was very pleasant. It is a pleasure to sail this boat with this wonderful crew," said Queiroz.

New personnel for K Challenge

Since the end of the Louis Vuitton Acts 4 & 5, the team has returned to practice at its base in Gandia. The technical program is now primarily aimed at improving the modifications of FRA 60 for Acts 6 & 7, which will begin in Malmö on August 25th.

As for the sailing program, it is focused at training hard in Gandia with FRA 60 and FRA 57, but also with other teams in Valencia. The team will spend 3 days per week training with other challengers.

Two new recruits came to reinforce the K-Challenge team at the beginning of the month: Jim Turner and George Skuodas.

Jim Turner was boat captain and took part in all the races of America's Cup in 2003 with GBR Challenge. At 29 years of age, he has more than 30 European titles to his credit in various classes, some of which were in match racing. His position onboard is that of mainsail grinder, but also with the team developing the future boats which will begin construction in 2006. Jim Turner comments on this subject: “my goal is to help the team be a success and achieve its goals, and K-Challenge is an excellent opportunity for me to make the difference”.

With regard to George Skuodas, he also took part in America's Cup in 2003 with GBR Challenge, and also has Olympic experience, since he made the Olympic Games in 1996 in Atlanta in the Star class (11th). George has also sailed on 5 Admiral's Cups teams.
His position on the boat is with the mast. And when his dreams are reached, George explains: “to be in the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games and to see the stage filled spectators, and to take part in America's Cup: I carried out my two dreams of little boy. Today I want to be the best at my position and win the America's Cup”.

And when one speaks about medals in the team, there is somebody whom each member supports without exception, somebody that they often see training late in the evening after sailing sessions: Jean Galfione. Indeed, before joining this team again in August in Malmö, Jean finishes his pole vaulting career and takes part in his last professional competitions. He has just had a very beautiful performance by completing a 5m75 jump in the French Championships in Saint Etienne. This competition qualifies him to compete in the World Track & Field Championships which will take place in Helsinki, Finland in the beginning of August. Jean Galfione: “It is really super! Because the challenge to carry out two high level sports at the same time is not at all easy, and I doubted myself because of the wounds that I had in June. But, it arranged itself perfectly, at the very last moment. It was the best French performance, and I will defend the colors of K-Challenge during the World Championships!”

Linky Sailing News

Racing Dog sails Transpac.

News NZL brain to Luna Rossa. Brasil 1's 1st outing

Great Lakes Not a margarita trip

Transpac Day 2: Slow, Dog as Crew

-As the first day at sea dawned in the Centennial Transpacific Yacht Race to Hawaii, the leading boat in the forerunner fleet had sailed a mere 39 nautical miles in the 19 hours between Monday's start and Tuesday morning's initial daily roll call position reports.

That was a 2-knot average for Plan B, a Peterson 48 entered in Aloha A class by David Johnson of Long Beach. Soap Opera, the Hobie 33 from Rockwall, Tex. doublehanded by Scott Self and Nigel Brown that appeared to be the early leader Monday, was slightly northwest of Plan B and marked a mile behind.

Only 14 miles separated them and the stragglers.

After 33 Division V, Aloha A and B and Cal 40 boats struggled off the line in 4 knots of wind, it was hoped that conditions would improve. Instead, they got worse.

Cruising World magazine editor Herb McCormick, sailing on Mark Schrader's Cal 40, Dancing Bear, reported by e-mail: "At this rate, we’re confident of landfall in Honolulu sometime just before the 200th anniversary of the race. We are currently making about 3 knots and have just passed Santa Barbara Island. The good news: We’ve seen an abundance of sea life---porpoises, seals, sea lions, grand schools of fish. I’ve actually seen more wildlife so far than in the last two Bermuda races I’ve sailed combined."

Grant Baldwin reported from the communications vessel Alaska Eagle that it had been "a long night without much wind and quite cold. Morning found the fleet in fog and wind in the 3-4 knot range. Seas are calm."

But there was a note of hope. Baldwin also said, "AM forecast from Commanders Weather projects improved conditions with winds from [northwest to north at] 15-25 [knots]. Stay tuned."

The next start will be the division III and IV boats Friday, followed by the biggest and fastest Division I and II boats Sunday. Both starts will be at 1 p.m. within view of shore off the Palos Verdes Peninsula at 33-42.8 N latitude and 118-20.3 W longitude.

All of the boats in Transpac Village at Rainbow Harbor in downtown Long Beach are receiving ceremonial sendoffs between 9 and 10:30 a.m. Crew members are introduced as the boats sail past the end of the Pine Avenue Pier and saluted by shotgun fire.

On Sunday the big boats---including Morning Glory, Windquest, Scout Spirit, Beecom and Renegade---will be led out of Rainbow Harbor by the local outrigger canoe club at 9:30 a.m. Windward Passage, one of the more historic Transpac winners, will join a ceremonial fleet as part of the procession to the starting line.

Camille left quietly by itself Tuesday. James and Ann Read's 37-year-old wooden Stewart 42 from Inverness in Northern California was supposed to start Monday but was left behind to gets its sail repaired. The Reads suffered damage to their main sail and roller furling headsail en route down from San Francisco last week, but after quick repairs they were almost ready to go.

"My wife isn't as ready as I am," Read said Tuesday morning. "She wants to get things a little more organized."

It's their first voyage offshore after a decade of day sailing the boat on San Francisco Bay. They are not hardcore racers, so they weren't concerned that their scoring clock started Monday when the rest of the Aloha B fleet started—although it appeared that they hadn't missed much the first day.

"We didn't really expect to be competitive," said Read a retired IBM test engineer. "We're complete greenhorns, but you have to start somewhere. People shouldn't worry about us. We'll fly the [spinnaker] during the day, not at night. We just wanted to pry loose from the shore and start cruising."

The only other member of the crew is Sweetie Pie, a Havanese dog.

Story of Rescue off Muskegon

On Watch: Muskegon, Lake Michigan, July 1, 2005. A beachside resident called Coast Guard Station Muskegon on Friday afternoon reporting a sailboat floundering off the beach north of Muskegon Harbor. Jay Mieras, the reporting source, reported that a woman on the sailboat was waving her hands in the air.

Within minutes, the Station Muskegon’s 30-foot rescue boat broke the pier head at Muskegon Harbor. Four to five foot seas driven by 20 knot winds greeted the Coast Guard crew as they pounded north towards the sailboat’s reported position.

“When we approached the sailboat, I noticed a horseshoe flotation device trailing off the stern attached to a tether line,” said Mike Tapp, Executive Officer, Station Muskegon. He added: “This was not good, you had that feeling that someone had gone overboard.”

Chief Beatty, coxswain aboard the 30-foot rescue boat approached the sailboat. “A female was hollering that her husband had fallen overboard but she didn’t know where,” said Chief Beatty.

Chief Beatty conducted several quick shoreline searches of the area that yielded negative sightings. The situation was not good: a person in the water and sailboat being quickly driven towards shore, and its sole operator unable to control the craft.

Now what? Do you look for the husband or do you save the woman and the sailboat. Fortunately the situation resolved itself. A “Good Sam” Jim Homan, 61, had spotted the floundering craft from shore and he and a buddy grabbed a two-person kayak and reached the sailboat just as the Coast Guard finished its second search of the shoreline.

Being an experienced sailor, Homan took control of the sailboat allowing the Coast Guard crew to continue the search.

But where?

Locating a man in seas glazed over by white wind whipped spray did not look promising for the poor soul in the water. Tapp discovered from Homan that the sailboat carried a hand-held GPS. Homan passed the GPS to Tapp. Chief Beatty commenced searching while Tapp worked the handheld device. After two minutes of punching keys and being bounced about he tapped into the track line the sailboat had followed. “I could see where the straight track line ran askew.” Tapp figured that is where the man went overboard as his wife began tacking to recover him. Tapp placed a cursor marker where the track line ended and bingo the GPS offer the latitude and longitude of where the man had gone overboard.

Chief Beatty passed the coordinates to a Coast Guard helicopter aircrew who had joined the search. Within minutes, the aircrew spotted the man in the water, wearing a bright international-orange life jacket. Meanwhile Chief Beatty had transferred Tapp and Seaman Benjamin Cuddeback over to a Muskegon Sheriff’s boat that had pickup the man along with a Good Sam. Tapp said, “The man was shivering uncontrollably. His lips were blue.

Tapp and Seaman Cuddeback removed his wet clothing and applied their own body warmth by direct body-to-body contact with the man as the sheriff boat raced to the Coast Guard moorings and an awaiting ambulance.

Boat Smart Brief: Richard Coan, age 67, was released the following afternoon from Muskegon’s Hackley Hospital. His core body temperature when admitted was 86 degrees. There is no doubt that the life jacket saved his life. He had been in the 61 degree water for nearly two hours. He later told me the reason he wore the life jacket is because his wife, Robin, insisted on it. God bless her.

He told me he had moved forward on the deck to adjust the main sail and the boom swung over and bumped him backwards and over the handrails. His wife started the engine, but its gears wouldn’t engage. Mr. Coan said that when he departed White Lake Harbor, a turnbuckle device on the gear linkage had fallen off and thus he couldn’t engage the gears.

Mrs. Coan made several attempts to recover her husband, but the sailboat drifted away. She had tossed over the horseshoe life ring but failed to untie it from the boat. She couldn’t luff the main sail to take out the wind because it would require leaving the tiller and going forward to the foot of the mast to release the sail. It’s the same reason she didn’t call for help over the marine radio, again fearful of leaving the tiller and placing the 35-foot, six-ton Erickson sailboat broadside to the wind and a possible knockdown. In dire straights, she sailed for shore hoping to attract attention, which she did.

Mr. Coan admitted it was the little things that nailed them: when the gear linkage device fell off he should’ve returned to White Lake and repaired it in calm water. He had recently switched the boom sheets on the main from control from the tiller to the foot of the main, which required leaving the tiller to luff the main sail. “Had I thought this through, I would not have changed the boom sheets,” said Mr. Coan.

As for the life jacket, I advised him to purchase a signal mirror and whistle, a day and night flare, and a strobe light. Twice the helicopter had passed nearby but failed to see him in the wind swept sea. Mr. Coan admits that it’s the little things that loomed big when the unexpected visited. Thanks to a life jacket the little things didn’t add up to the final tally.

Studies and Obervations

When I go sailing these days the one item that is always in my kit bag is my inflatable PFD. Similarly if I go hiking or camping it's a good folding knife.

I'm still from the wear the PFD when appropriate school of thought, but I always bring it with. Recent events have proven the effectiveness of PFD's. They help with something that is fundamental to survival, keeping head above water.

For others the PFD may not be the # have to take with item. What is yours. Let me know.

It's mid July and therefore Mac time. This was proven the other day as I glanced at the Muskegon Yacht Club dock. There sat Ptarmigan a 51 footer that's come in from out east, Pied Piper South an Andrews 72 under charter after several years on the hard and Colt 45 a Santa Cruz 70 whose reason d'ter is the Macs. For some, the Macs are enough.

One boat that will be on the start line for Mac is Willie J a J 130. Willie had a collision prior to the Tripp Cup. This made Willie into a see thru yacht.

However, my colleagues at the Torresen Marine Service Department were not about to let Willie J miss the Queens Cup. So the boat could race an initial repair was made to the starboard bow and bow pulpit. The boat sailed the Queens Cup and is now back for repairs prior to the Mac.

I'll end this with a comment posted by Willie J's owner on Sailing Anarchy:

"The bill for the Queen's cup is not the issue, Brian and his team at the yard had us up and running in the blink of an eye. I might add that Willie J had NEVER been to their marina before, they don't know me and I have no clout, just another customer!

If you have not been to Torresen's for work or to their ship store, they are a class act.

I was totally astounded to see employees of the marina looking at our damage with a totally confident "You'll be on the water tomorrow night" when I thought we would lose out on the Mac let alone the Queen's cup.

Get it done, get it done right, know what you are doing.....that's all in there. The guys worked so hard on the boat that day, we were hauled right on the tail of a squall at 0800 and we were back in the water at 1800.....with a rock solid repair that we beat up hard on the delivery ride that night.

Wish we were able to get back in tune for the race, our results in PHRF 1 were not stellar but no regrets, the crew was tired, but we were there!

Thanks to Torresens they rock!"

Have to say I agree.

Although it maybe a bit soon to be thinking of oil changes, here's a product to include in fall planning.

This is Tempo's Oil Boy pump. This is a vacuum pump. This means you get the tube in the dip stick, pump a few strokes to set up a vacuum and watch the oil be drained, favorite beverage in hand. A true lazy man's product! Available here.

This winter Ellen Macarthur broke Francis Joyon's solo round the world record. Recently things have picked up in the lone speedster area.

1st Joyon set a new solo trans atlantic record and solo 24 hour record. Then he totaled the boat by putting it on the rocks during his solo delivery to port.

Shortly after that Thomas Coville sailed the 60 foot trimaran Sobedo broke Joyon's record the the Discovery route.

Coville and Macarthur have plans to sail for the Trans Atlantic record this fall. While Joyon is currently sans boat one would think he'd be back soon. Perhaps he will be the 1st to solo something like the 100 foot Race class cats?

5/8th Mile Seperation

Only thirty miles to the turning mark, and the wicked dual with Artforms continues! Since the beginning of the race, we have exchanged places seven times and as recently as last night. With just a mile or two of separation most of the race, we have been glued together unlike the rest of the IRC-1 fleet, making for an exciting and challenging race.

Taking the path less traveled, we and Artforms took a more daring western line that forced us to skirt quite close to Brazil Rock, off of Cape Sable. With only 5/8ths of a mile separating us from Artforms now, we hope for the wind to pick up some giving Gryphon Solo the chance to nudge ahead. An 18 knot breeze is pushing us along, but the seas are picking up so we need more air to exchange places with Artforms one last time. After the turning mark, it is a quick seven mile run to the finish, so we expect to be finishing early this afternoon.

Look for a more complete log and race-wrap up soon! Brian and I will continue to focus on sailing fast and finding that something extra that will make for a good finish.

Linky Sailing News

Racing Transpac Day 1

News Trio of Records

Great Lakes Wrecks located

Fastnet Duel Up Coming

The potential for a duel between two of the world's fastest Maxi yachts could see records tumble in this year's Rolex Fastnet Race. It will be a clash of antipodean giants, as the 100-foot Maximus from New Zealand is expected to take on the Australian 98-footer Skandia Wild Thing, when the gun fires in Cowes on Sunday 7th August, for the start of this 608-mile offshore adventure.

This would be the first major offshore test for Grant Wharington's Skandia since the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race at the end of last year. As Skandia pounded upwind into ferocious seas, a catastrophic failure of her canting keel mechanism forced the Aussie crew to evacuate into life rafts, not long before the superyacht capsized. Wharington mounted a salvage operation, and having successfully recovered what was left of the hull, set about rebuilding the Maxi in readiness for shipping to Cowes this summer..

It will be fascinating to watch how the revamped Skandia performs against Maximus, Charles St Clair Brown and Bill Buckley's new canting-keeled yacht that proved her offshore potential with a strong performance in the recent Rolex Transatlantic Challenge from New York to Cowes.

Technology has come on a long way since 1999, when Ross Field and the 80-foot Maxi RF Yachting set the current monohull record for the Fastnet course at 2 days, 5 hours, 8 minutes. If wind conditions are favourable, then both Maximus and Skandia are easily capable of beating that time. Then again, more often than not the Rolex Fastnet is a light wind race. The first priority for these teams will certainly be to win the race rather than the record, and even then they may have their work cut against some Volvo Open 70 teams, who are using the race to hone their competitive instincts before setting off around the world this November on the Volvo Ocean Race.

Despite being 30-feet shorter than the two big Maxis, the VO70 design has already proven itself as a potent beast for offshore racing. The Spanish team Telefonica Movistar raised the 24-hour monohull distance record to 535 miles earlier this year, and sailors and designers are all talking about these yachts as being capable of covering 600 miles in a day. The Spanish are believed to be entering their boat in the race, along with Swedish entry Ericsson.

So, could completing the 608 miles of the Rolex Fastnet Race in 24 hours be likely? Far from it. This is not a drag race. The challenge of the Fastnet is the complexity of the course, beginning with the first few miles out of the Solent. Picking your way along the coast of southwest England is all about finding the best combination of favourable wind and tidal influences, and avoiding the adverse ones. This game of snakes and ladders continues until you get past Land's End and break out into the Irish Sea.

The long stretch out to the Fastnet Rock, off the southwestern tip of Ireland, is tactically more straightforward but the unfettered winds and rolling swell from the Atlantic can make this stage physically challenging. Many crews have been sitting on the rail without pause - talking, eating and even sleeping - as they battle their way to the legendary Fastnet Lighthouse. When they see her powerful beam shining out, they might at last get a chance to climb off the rail and enjoy some downwind sailing.

Not that the outcome of the race is decided at this point, not by a long stretch. The fleet must still pass Bishops Rock off the Isles of Scilly and then negotiate the windless zone that frequently occurs at Rame Head just before the finish in Plymouth. The race is often decided in the final few miles, frustrating for the leaders but always offering hope to those playing catch-up.

For the majority of the crews taking part, finishing the Rolex Fastnet represents the pinnacle of their offshore racing careers, the completion of the longest race that they may ever enter. For Open 60 competitors such as Marc Thiercelin, who hopes to compete on Proform, 608 miles represents a short sprint by comparison with their round-the-world exploits. Nevertheless, these ocean racers will be taking the Rolex Fastnet Race as seriously as anyone. With the exception of the war years, this event has taken place every other year since 1925, when the 56-foot Jolie Brise beat six other yachts to Plymouth in the inaugural Fastnet Race. It has long been established as one of the major ocean classics, and to win it is a feather in the cap for anyone, no matter how distinguished their racing CV.

While the big boats will be racing primarily for line honours victory, they will also be hoping the wind works to their advantage in the race for handicap honours. However, there are some smaller yachts with a great potential for winning under the IRC handicap system. One of the favourites will be Aera, Nick Lykiardopulo's 55-footer skippered by former Volvo Ocean Race skipper Jez Fanstone. Aera proved her pedigree with a stunning victory in the windy Rolex Sydney Hobart six months ago, and the team would dearly love to win another 'major' in the Royal Ocean Racing Club's calendar.

At the lower end of the size spectrum are the small cruiser/racers such as Moonshadow II, Ian Coglin's Contessa 32, and the four Sigma 33s currently entered. Although these yachts are largely amateur crewed, even they have the potential to win the Rolex Fastnet Race if the wind blows in their favour. Historically this race has proven to be one for the big boats, but the Fastnet course is also known for throwing up a few surprises along the way. With over 160 yachts already entered from 10 nations, and many more expected to join the list before entry deadline on 22nd July, predicting a winner is nigh on impossible.

The first signal for the start of the Rolex Fastnet Race sounds at 1050 on Sunday 7th August. In addition to the two main prizes - the Fastnet Challenge Cup and the Fastnet Rock Trophy, there are more than 30 trophies to be awarded at the conclusion of this year's Rolex Fastnet Race. The prizegiving will take place at the Royal Citadel, home of 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery, in Plymouth on Friday 12th August.

Crew Doubles Up

Crew-member Leigh Hammel (Warren, Vt.) has been on a winning streak so far this summer at National Youth Sailing Championships: on Sunday she won US SAILING's U.S. Junior Women's Doublehanded Championship, ten days after winning the U.S. Youth Sailing Championship. She won both events crewing for different skippers: this week, Hammel crewed for Rebecca Dellenbaugh, while last week Hammel sailed with Rebecca's younger sister Emily. For this week's win, Hammel and skipper Rebecca Dellenbaugh were presented with US SAILING's Ida Lewis Trophy. Sailed in Club 420s provided by Vanguard Sailboats, the U.S. Junior Women's Doublehanded Championship returned to its original host club, Ida Lewis Yacht Club in Newport, R.I., to celebrate the event's tenth anniversary.

With two first-place finishes and 22 points total after nine races (one drop-out), Dellenbaugh and Hammel consistently finished in the top four in every race they sailed during the Championship. Hammel contributed their win to having spent more time in the boat and attending more clinics in the weeks leading up to the event. Rebecca Dellenbaugh, who finished third in the same event last year, has continued to improve and, as her crew Hammel said, "She knew the tricks to make the boat go faster."

By winning the Championship, Dellenbaugh and Hammel defeated 44 other boats, which made it one of the largest U.S. Junior Women's Doublehanded Championships in the event's ten-year history. Shannon Heausler and Kathleen Gallagher (both from Tampa, Fla.) finished second with 37 points overall, five points ahead of third-place finishers Emily Maxwell (Stonington, Conn.) and Avery Field (Noank, Conn.).

For complete results, daily reports, and photos from the event, please visit the event website at www.ussailing.org/championships/youth/usjrw/double.

Every year at the U.S. Junior Women's Doublehanded Championship, the event's coaches and judges award the "Most Improved Prize," which this year was awarded to the team of Taylor Grimes and Lauren Gautschi (both from Newport Beach, Calif.). Kerry Morrison and Kerri McHugh (both from Fairfield, Conn.) won the sportsmanship prize for keeping a sense of humor and for their persistence while finishing in the bottom five in each race.

Rematch

Over 120 yachts including Artforms crossed the line outside Marblehead harbor yesterday afternoon for the start of the 2005 Marblehead to Halifax Ocean Race.

Jeff Pritchard (right, with Kip before yesterday's start), is skipper of Artforms for the 100th anniversary of this race, and is racing to his home port of Halifax, Nova Scotia with Kip. Jeff joined the KSOpen50 team this spring preparing Artforms for the 2005 race season.

Artforms is competing in the IRC-1 division, as is rival Gryphon Solo led by Joe Harris, who has teamed up again with Brian Harris. The IRC-1 division includes seven other bigger boats which are fully crewed. For Artforms, this means the 360- nautical-mile race is essentially a competitive rematch with Gryphon Solo.

Since yesterday's start, the two Open 50s have been within a few nautical miles of each other as they make their way up the coast in light air.

Transpac Day 1

Was the smallest boat the smartest?

That question lingered long after the 33 boats that took the first start of the Centennial Transpacific Yacht Race to Hawaii sailed into the fickle mists of the San Pedro channel amid schools of dancing dolphins Monday.

Soap Opera, a Hobie 33 with green sails sailed doublehanded by Scott Self and Nigel Brown of Rockwall, Tex., appeared to be gaining leverage to the right as most of the fleet went left in the 4-knot southerly zephyrs off the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

If the gray marine layer were to dissolve into sunshine and the channel's celebrated southwesterly sea breeze were to fill and swing their way, the Texans looked golden. But the outcome was still so uncertain more than an hour after the start that only the dolphins had a clue.

The 33 boats comprised Division 5, the 14 Cal 40s and Aloha A and B classes. Divisions III and IV will start Friday, followed by the biggest and fastest boats in Divisions 1 and II Sunday.

One entry---doublehanders James and Ann Read's Stewart 42, Camille, in Aloha B---failed to make Monday's gun after blowing out its main sail and a jib on the way down from San Francisco last week. They will start as soon as they can, but the clock started for them Monday.

Another of the seven doublehanded boats---Patricia Garfield and Diane Murray's Catalina 47, Charmed Life, from San Francisco---almost missed the start for a reason seldom heard in sailboat racing: a lost dog.

Garfield's mother had her pooch on a leash to watch the sendoff from Rainbow Harbor. The dog was spooked by the repeated shotgun blasts saluting the departing boats, and Garfield was well on her way to the starting line when she heard by cell phone from her mother that the animal was lost. She returned to the harbor and after a frantic search found the dog, then reached the start with a half-hour to spare.

Challenged America, the team of disabled sailors from San Diego, started its second successive Transpac unexpectedly shorthanded. They suffered a blow only a day earlier when they learned they'd be sailing with only five men. Jeff Reinhold, a paraplegic from Kirkland, Wash., had an infection in his left elbow serious enough that medical attendants advised him not to go.

"Chances are it would be OK," the disheartened Reinhold said, "but if it wasn't it could be a problem."

The possibility of the infection getting worse could find the team in mid-ocean far from professional medical care or, at best, could force the team to abandon the race. Reinhold agreed it wasn't worth the risk.

"I don't even know what I did," he said, "probably just a scratch I got from crawling around inside the boat."

It was too late to get a replacement. The loss of Reinhold, a 20-year racing veteran, leaves the team with Challenged America co-founder Urban Miyares, who is blind and diabetic; Kevin Wixom, leg amputee; Jim Halverson, leg amputee; Scott Meide, arm amputee and able-bodied skipper Joshua Ross.

Miyares, Meide and Ross were on the boat in 2003. Reinhold, Wixom and Halverson were new crew members.

Stan Honey, who will return as navigator on Roy Disney's Pyewacket Sunday, watched the start from the US Sailing Center's press boat. His wife Sally is sailing their Cal 40, Illusion, with three other very capable women. The early conditions were as much a puzzle to Stan Honey as anyone, but he liked the fact that Illusion had followed Soap Opera to the right, well past Point Vicente into open ocean.

"It worked great for us [in 2003, when the Honeys raced Illusion together]," Stan Honey said.

Otherwise, he said, prospects were good for a straight-line race to Hawaii.

"The Pacific High is farther northwest than usual, so it looks like a cautious rhumb line race," he said---with some reservation.

Another Cal 40, Steve Calhoun's Psyche from Palos Verdes Estates, played the pin end of the line at the start, then tacked across transoms to reach the right behind Soap Opera as most of the fleet---including the 67-year-old Odyssey---crept into mid-channel to the left.

Time---and Tuesday morning's position report roll call---would tell who got it right.

Trio of Reocrds

The WSSR Council announces the ratification of the following 3 new World Records:

World Record: 24 hours outright singlehanded
Yacht: Idec
Name: Francis Joyon
Dates: 2nd/3rd July 2005
Start time: 1500 hrs 2nd July
Finish time: 1500 hrs 3rd July
Distance claimed: 542. 7 nm
Average speed: 22.6 kts

World Record: Around Australia outright.
Yacht: Geronimo
Name: Olivier de Kersauson FRA and 11 crew
Dates: 21st June to the 9th July 2005.
Start time: 22. 27. 24 on the 21st June
Finish time: 11. 24. 29 on the 9th July
Elapsed time: 17 days 12 hours 57 minutes 5 seconds
Average speed: 15.44 kts

World Record: Cadiz to San Salvador. Single handed outright.
Yacht: Sodebo
Name: Thomas Coville FRA
Dates: 28th June to the 8th July 2005.
Start time: 08. 40. 04 GMT on the 28th June
Finish time: 20. 30 50 GMY on the 8th July
Elapsed time: 10 days 11 hours 50 minutes 46 seconds
Average speed: 15.41 kts

Record for Coville

On Saturday evening Thomas COVILLE (FRA) crossed the finish line at San Salvador, Bahamas at 20:30:50 hours UTC to better Francis JOYON’s (FRA) Cadiz to San Salvador single-handed record by 15 hours and 27 minutes, subject to ratification by the World Sailing Speed Record Council (WSSRC).

It took COVILLE, onboard the 60 foot trimaran Sodebo, 10 days, 11 hours, 50 minutes and 20 seconds to complete the West Atlantic crossing from Cadiz, Spain. The current record stands at 11 days, 3 hours, 17 minutes and 20 seconds and was set by JOYON on IDEC in November 2004.

COVILLE has also stated his intention to try and better the single-handed transatlantic record JOYON set last week with an attempt looking likely to take place during the European autumn.

Movistar Passes Test

The VO70 “movistar” returned last week to the water after a thorough overhaul and tuning at the team’s headquarters in Sanxenxo. The Spanish world race entrant was hoisted from its cradle and put to the sea after 18 hours, to be subject to the safety righting tests demanded by Volvo Ocean Race regulations.

The rule consists in capsizing the boat hull completely on the water to test its behaviour under extreme conditions. A large crane was used to turn the 21.5 meter-long VO70 boat by hanging it from its keel bulb until it capsized completely. Four members of the crew – including Skipper Bouwe Bekking and Bowman Pepe Ribes – participated in the manoeuvre from inside the boat to check for possible flooding on the cabin and perform the self-righting of the hull.

The whole capsizing manoeuvre lasted 8 minutes and the boat was upside down for nearly 12 minutes.

To complete the operation successfully, the members of the crew inside the boat activated the pivoting keel system to return the boat to its natural position fully autonomously. The keel movement righted the hull slowly and gradually in just 5 minutes.

“The operation has been a complete success – said Bouwe Bekking after leaving the boat’s interior -. The system has worked beautifully, and the watertight integrity is fantastic: we have just boarded 100 litres of water, a minimum amount for a boat this size”.

“Besides meeting the regatta’s rules – adds Pedro Campos, team’s General Manager – this stability test has been useful to check the boat safety, always our number one priority”:

The whole team and their relatives followed the operation from land.

Rendez-vous with the Elcano at the Ría de Vigo

On Friday the “movistar” land crew proceeded to mount the 31-meter high mast on the VO 70’s hull to complete its preparation and resume its training schedule. The next stop for the Spanish Round the World race entrant was Vigo on Saturday, where it received the Spanish flag at 12:30 hours on board the Juan Sebastián de Elcano, the Spanish Army training ship.

Gryphon Solo Report

After a brief period on land after the Bermuda 1/2, I am returning to the high seas aboard Gryphon Solo to compete in the Marblehead to Halifax Race, which begins today. After many days of rain, it looks like it is going to be a beautiful day for the start, with sunshine and fair breez! es forecast. Approximately 125 boats are entered in the race, which is a very strong turn-out for the races's centennial anniversary. This race is co-managed by the Boston Yacht Club of Marblehead, MA and the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron of Halifax, Nova Scotia. At the Captain's Meeting yesterday, they began the proceedings with the playing of the Canadian national anthem, "Oh Canada" and then the "Star Spangled Banner". "Oh Canada" is a glorious song with inspiring lyrics of national pride that always brings a tear to my eye and then makes me think of NHL hockey and the Montreal Canadians. Our cousins to the North always provide great hospitality at the finish of this tough race.

Sailing into Canadian waters will be fun, although having done this race three times before, I know what to expect -FOG- with capital letters. As the water temperature is still cold, when the summer air heats up, fog is the interactive result. As the boats come across the Gu! lf of Maine toward Cape Sable at the southern tip of Nova Scotia, the fog usually arrives as the boats go around Brazil Rock, which is just south of the cape. The entire race course is 360 miles, with it being 240 miles to Brazil Rock and 120 miles up the coast to Halifax. The last third of the race is often done in pea soup fog, with piloting done by radar and GPS for an "instruments-only" landing!

Halifax is a beautiful and historic city, that played a prominent role in WW II as a naval base and submarine center, guarding the US East coast from German U-boats. It is now a busy shipping port and entry into the harbor with limited visibility is controlled by "Halifax Traffic" a sort of air-traffic controller for the sea. They have high-powered radar that monitors each boat and controls traffic to avoid collisions. Crossing the finish line off Chebucto Head in Halifax Harbor is never boring!

Gryphon Solo is part of "IRC Class 1" of the race which, h! as nine boats in it, most of whom are quite a bit larger than Gryphon Solo, and will be fully crewed with up to 25 guys, while we will be double-handed with myself and Brian Harris as crew. We will essentially be match racing against the other Open Class 50, Artforms, who Gryphon Solo aficianados know well from last summer's TRANSAT Race and the recent Bermuda 1/2. Artforms will also be sailing with two crew so we are on a level playing field. I am informed by my mother that it is high time for GS to break through for victory over Artforms so Brian and I will do our level best!

So, the race starts at 1300 hours today just off Marblehead and a large spectator fleet is expected. I will be writing dispatches once a day while offshore, and you can watch the race unfold visually on www.iboattrack.com which will poll the boats' positions every two hours. I found during the Bermuda 1/2 that the ibo! attrack positions on the chart were pretty accurate but the "Leaderboard" information was not, so don't pay too much attention to that. I look forward to a great race and thank you all for following and supporting the GS program.

Peyron Clinches Oops Cup

Bruno Peyron and the Stena Sovcomflot team won all four races in Sopot, Poland this Sunday and became the winners of Nokia Oops Cup 2005 with one race to spare.

The Swedish/Russian team didn’t even have to win today’s races to secure their overall victory, but the duo Bruno Peyron and Steve Ravussin know only one speed: Full on. The thousands of people that had shown up on the pier outside Sopot got to see the trimarans in full action under a clear blue sky.

- It’s never as easy as it looks, but today we did all the right moves and Steve Ravussin really found the groove as tactician, says Bruno Peyron.

- That’s also the reason Roger Nilson and I chose to work with Ravussin and his boat. It’s important to get a person on board that really knows the boat. When we only have a few weeks to prepare for these kind of races we never get the chance to get to know the boat as good as we would like to, says Peyron.

When the offshore race between Sopot and St. Petersburg in Russia starts on Tuesday the Swedish/Russian trimaran can parade ”home” with the gold medal for the whole cup in their pocket.

- I have tried to “export” the sport off multihull sailing for 25 years and it has been my personal goal to reach outside the French boarders. Now it finally looks like sailors in other countries has opened their eyes for this sport. We are eight different nationalities on Stena Sovcomflot, says Peyron.

HiQ with Klas Nylöf on the helm took second place in today’s races in Sopot, while Knut Frostad and Team Academy came third.

Results: Sopot City Race: 1) Stena Sovcomflot, Sweden/Russia, Bruno Peyron, 4 points, 2) HiQ, Sweden, Klas Nylöf, 12 p, 3) Academy, Norway, Knut Frostad, 12 p, 4) TietoEnator, Finland, Thomas Johanson, 15 p, 5) Nokia, Sweden, Magnus Olsson, 17, 6) Bonduelle, Poland, Gotek Zibi, 26 p.

Nokia Oops Cup after 10 of 11 races: 1) Stena Sovcomflot 15 points, 2) Academy 23 p, 3) HiQ 28,5 p, 4) TietoEnator 40,5 p, 5) Nokia 42,5 p, 6) Bonduelle 51,5 p.

Geronimi sets Round Oz Record

A momentous occasion tonight as the giant ocean racing warrior Geronimo made her way back down Sydney Harbour 17 days, 13 hours, 32 minutes, 39 seconds after she crossed the start line off Sydney Opera House..

A jubilant Olivier de Kersauson and Geronimo’s men were greeted by a fantastic welcoming flotilla and the celebrations continued dockside at the Foxtel wharf after travelling the last five miles down the harbour under the cover of darkness.

The last 24 hours of the journey have been testing with the boat crossing Bass Strait, known to be a difficult area of water to cross, in an eight knot south sou’ east breeze. After reaching Gabo Island the breeze increased in strength which allowed the Capgemini and Schneider Electric trimaran to increase speed as she travelled up the south coast of New South Wales overnight.

Earlier today the boat sailed into the path of weather cell that had 70 knot breezes along with a mini tornado which picked up the boat and drove them backwards at 20 knots. During this the boat sustained damage to the steering causing the boat to drift towards land at 10 knots. The crew quickly repaired the damage to the steering system after taking the sails down and Geronimo continued on her way to Sydney.

‘This has been a wonderful trip but very challenging. So beautiful but so brutal at the same time. We are used to sailing in this area in the summer, this is the first time in the winter. I have been amazed at how well the Australian crew adapted to the boat and the French team who have known each other for years,’ commented de Kersauson dockside, after sharing a magnum of Taittinger champagne with Geronimo’s men.

1st Transpac Start

The 43rd biennial Transpacific Yacht Race to Hawaii unfolds in the first of three colorful phases when 34 of the 75 entries set sail Monday.

It's the Centennial Transpac with an entry list exceeded only by 80 in 1979, celebrating their bold predecessors who first contested the 2,225 nautical miles in 1906, at one point farther from land than any other place on earth.

There are eight boats from five foreign countries, most of whom joined in the traditional Aloha skippers meeting and sendoff dinner attended by 650 competitors, family and friends in Huntington Beach Saturday night.

The first starters will be Division 5, Aloha A and B and 14 Cal 40s. They'll be followed Friday by 20 boats in Divisions III and IV and on Sunday by the 20 top-rated boats, including a few that are the fastest ever to sail the race.

In slightly revised ratings, a pair of canting-keel maxZ86s---Roy Disney's Pyewacket and Hasso Plattner's Morning Glory---are now the scratch boats, each giving only 23 seconds for the race to Randall Pittman's slightly depowered 90-foot Genuine Risk as they attack Disney's elapsed time record for monohulls of 7 days 11 hours 41 minutes 27 seconds.

John Davis of Long Beach, competing in Aloha B, also has a target. "I won the 'Tail-End Charlie' award as the last finisher last time and I still have the slowest-rated boat, so I think I have a good chance of defending my title," he said.

For those keeping score, Pyewacket and Morning Glory will owe his CF 37, Pipe Dream, 6 days 20 hours 43 minutes 8 seconds in the concurrent contest for first place on overall corrected handicap time and the King Kalakaua Trophy.

All starts will be at 1 p.m. off the Palos Verdes Peninsula at 33-42.8 N latitude and 118-20.3 W longitude. The finish will be off the landmark Diamond Head volcano at 21-14.8 N and 157-48.9 W.

For some of the boats, it's not only a race but a family affair. Reinrag2, the J/125 that won Division III in 2003, will have five Garniers on board, matching the De Sarachos of Mazatlan, Mexico on their bright red Jeanneau 54, Enchilado. Doug Ayres will sail a Santa Cruz 70, Skylark, named for the boat his grandfather and father first raced in 1947.

"My son Dorian, 17, will be the fourth generation of our family to be in this race," Ayres said.

Rick Gorman's daughter Megan, 18, and son Daniel, 16, will be aboard Incredible for their first Transpacs.

Patricia Steele of Maui traces her racing roots back several decades. She's the new owner of the legendary Merlin that held the record for 20 years and will stay apace of another icon, Ragtime, when both sail their 13th Transpacs.

Scott Abrams, 63, a Matson Navigation Co. captain, is the grandson of Clarence MacFarlane, who founded Transpac in 1906. He has guided ships on about 600 voyages over the same route, plus sailed 12 Transpacs, although none in recent years. Appropriately, for the Centennial Transpac, he'll sail on Odyssey, a 58-foot wooden yawl that did the race with Steele's ancestor as skipper in 1939.

"I sort of had to go," Abrams said.

Steve Calhoun of Palos Verdes Estates, Calif. will sail Psyche, which under Don Salisbury's captaincy was the first of three Cal 40s to win successive laurels and the King Kalakaua Trophy as first overall on corrected handicap time in 1965, '67 and '69.

Disney, 75, will start his 15th and final Transpac. Indy 500 veteran Dick Simon, a rookie skipper in this game, and Lloyd Sellinger, each 72, will be sailing their first Transpacs, the latter as skipper of the Cal 40 Bubala with the oldest crew ever---all six hands age 65 or older.

Five of the doublehanded entries will start Monday, including the first such women's team: Patricia Garfield and Diane Murray on a Catalina 47, Charmed Life, from San Francisco.

Thirteen Transpacific Yacht Club directors will race on various boats.

But one of the most compelling tales is the return of Challenged America, the team of disabled sailors from San Diego that proved competitive in Division V last time and is returning with a partially new crew.

The hull of their Tripp 40, B'Quest, will be encircled with "in memory of" hull stickers.

"It's something we just have to do," said Kevin Wixom, leg amputee and new crew member. "Although I've been with the program for a little more than a year, my teammates and I realize that there have been many before us who made this all possible. They too had dreams of one day racing to Hawaii but, unfortunately, are no longer with us. We're the sailors who are now fulfilling their dreams, and they will always be part of the crew."

James Warmington's 74-foot Shanakee II, rated about 29 hours faster than the next Aloha boat, will give the other Alohas a four-day head start by going Friday.

_/)

Transpac Trivia

What boat won the Barn Door for fastest elapsed time despite a broken mast? Answer below.

_/)

Simon Says He's Ready for the Indy 500 of Sailing

When Dick Simon drives his a Cabo Rico 56, Madrina, across the starting line in Aloha A class Monday, it might be scarier than the 19 Indy 500s he drove---his first sailboat race.

"I'm going to the Indianapolis 500 for my first race," he said. "We didn’t get started sailing until 1993. Everybody laughed at me: 'Wait a minute – you're used to going 240 m.p.h. down the backstretch into Turn 3 and you’re doing 8 or 9 knots?' "

Bruce Cooper of Ullman Sails is a crew member. He talked Simon into it after checking out the boat and telling him, "You have a satellite receiver to watch TV, home theater, washer-dryer, three air conditioners -- but this boat looks fast."

Simon added that he also has "a 75-gallons-per-hour water maker, so we can have showers on the way.

"But we've very serious. We'll be going in style, but we are going as a racing boat. "I'm taking it so seriously I can't believe it."

_/)

Trivia Answer

In 1995 Cheval, Dr. Hal Ward's ultralight 70, lost the upper half of its mast off Molokai 28 miles from the finish line but rebuilt a jury rig from salvaged parts and beat Dick DeVos's Windquest by 1 hour 7 minutes and Larry Ellison's Sayonara by 2 1/2 hours.

_/)

Schrader, Sally Honey Cal 40 Co-Favorites

Rating the Cal 40 fleet, with 14 boats the largest turnout of the class since 16 in 1971, Mark Schrader's Dancing Bear and Sally Lindsay Honey's Illusion look like co-favorites.

Schrader did a singlehanded circumnavigation in 1982-83 and a crewed on a BOC Challenge in '86-87. His seven-man crew includes fellow ocean racing veteran Peter Hogg and Cruising World magazine writer Herb McCormick, plus sailing photographer Billy Black. Kimball Livingston of Sail magazine will crew on Fin Beven's Cal 40, Radiant.

Honey, the wife of Pyewacket navigator Stan Honey, will sail with Liz Baylis, Melinda Erkelens and Charlie Arms---a four-person team of accomplished women racers.

With Honey, her husband and Transpac veterans Jon Andron and Skip Allan, Illusion led the 2003 race on handicap time until the last two days, finishing third overall.

Water Level Update

Below you'll find water level info that pertains to Lakes Michigan and Huron.

Reference Point- Measurements in Inches

Difference from Chart Datum +7
Difference from last month 0
Difference from last year -7
Difference from long term average for July -16
Difference from Record High -47
Difference from Record Low +17
Forecast for 8 August 0

Click for information on other lakes.

Geronimo's last 24 hours

As Geronimo sailed past the Derwent River and the lights of Hobart early last night, she was round the last point in the official circumnavigation route of Australia for The Challenge. The crew sounded in good spirits and ready for the last leg of the track when she will cross the notorious Bass Straight and head up the New South Wales coast.

At sunrise today the giant grey maxi was passing the spectacular scenery on the North East coastline of Tasmania at 17 knots, as she prepared to pass Flinders Island and enter Bass Straight. Geronimo was greeted by a brilliant sunrise this morning as she sailed past Eddystone Point and continued her course north to the finish line. French crew member Antoine Deru will celebrate his birthday today as he crosses the waters of Bass Straight and heads for Sydney.
Once the Capgemini and Schneider Electric trimaran reaches Sydney, she will have travelled the equivalent distance between Sydney and Los Angeles in the circumnavigation of Australia.

‘We are very nervous about the low system which is going to appear offshore Sydney this weekend. In this low, there could be winds up to fifty knots, so we really need to be in Sydney before. Otherwise, everything is ok onboard, we will be very happy to arrive and to finish. The only thing is that this finish is very tricky! As usual, we have been alongside Tasmania by night. Each time we sail along beautiful coastlines, it is during the night,’ remarked skipper Olivier de Kersauson this morning, as he travelled the route he did in reverse in the 1967 Sydney Hobart race.

It is expected that Geronimo will arrive in Sydney Harbour tomorrow, after covered her 6500 mile journey in less than 18 days. The crew onboard are looking forward to a triumphant return after sailing the equivalent of a Mt Everest climb in such a short time frame.
‘There is a low pressure area expected to develop tonight and tomorrow morning south of Sydney. The winds are expected to increase by Saturday afternoon from the north east clocking to nor’ west from Gabo Island to Sydney. A gale warning has been issued for the south coast for tomorrow morning,’ commented Richard Whittaker meteorologist from The Weather Channel.

Walk of Famers

Any sailor seeking inspiration to race across the Pacific need only stroll past the historic names along the esplanade of Rainbow Harbor, which has been transformed into Transpac Village as staging area for the Centennial Transpacific Yacht Race this month.

"I just had the itch to go to Hawaii from here," Roy Disney said before he, his son Roy Patrick and other winners dating through 42 races to 1906 were inducted into the new Transpac Walk of Fame Thursday.

Gladstone's Restaurant, owned by former America's Cup sailor John Sangmeister, hosted the ceremony attended by more than 200 on the veranda overlooking the harbor and the Walk of Fame. Long Beach Mayor Beverly O'Neill, president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, delivered opening remarks. Chris Pook, who founded the Long Beach Grand Prix street race in the 70s and is now executive director of the Sea Festival Association of Long Beach, was emcee. Top city officials mingled with sailors and other guests.

The city offered Transpac the downtown harbor as its first permanent mainland base, with activities revolving around the annual Sea Festival. There is a 12x18-foot "scoreboard" outside Gladstone's to chart the progress of the 75 racers who will start at 1 p.m. next Monday, Friday and Sunday off the Palos Verdes Peninsula at 33-42.8 north latitude and 118-20.3 west longitude.

Sangmeister has been so caught up in the enthusiasm that he agreed to sail as a trimmer on Windquest, the DeVos brothers' maxZ86 moored at the end of the Pine Avenue Pier in the center of the harbor.

Disney, 75, has said that this race---his 15th---on his maxZ86 Pyewacket will be his last, and he hopes to go out holding the record---either the one of 7 days 11 hours 47 minutes 27 seconds he set in 1999 or one he might set in a battle with Windquest, Hasso Plattner's Morning Glory, Randall Pittman's Genuine Risk and Doug Baker's Magnitude 80.

Disney's record broke the one set in the previous race by his son, which put Merlin's 20-year-old record to rest as the father sat it out with a broken leg.

''He [Roy P. Disney] set the record that I had to build a whole new boat to break," the elder Disney said.

Other Walk of Fame figures present included Bill Lee, now Transpac's entry chairman, and John DeLaura, two-time Barn Door winner who achieved the race's last clean sweep---fastest time, first in class and first overall on handicap time---in 1993. Offspring representing former winners included Doug Ayres, Dave Ullman, and Leslie DeMeuse.

Other speakers included Dick Simon, former Indy 500 driver and car owner who will be sailing his first race, and Wendy Siegal, the Cal 40 class organizer who said, "With all of these great sailors around me, I feel like the small fish in a big pond."

A complete list of the century's winners and other historical information may be seen at www.transpacificyc.org (click "Race History" and then "Transpac lists").

_/)

Transpac Trivia Quiz

What were the largest and smallest boats ever to sail Transpac? Answer below.

_/)

Shades of San Francisco at Rainbow Harbor

The only other time that Transpac had a mainland base was In 1939 as part of San Francisco's Golden Gate International Exposition, a.k.a. the San Francisco World Fair.

According to an account in the Transpac history Blue Book, "all the exposition exhibits were located on Treasure Island, a manmade body of land that had been created for the occasion.

"All of the boats were moored in the Port of Trade Winds, where they were tied up side by side in one long row of slips. With the whole fleet so accessible for inspection, interest was extremely high. In fact, on get-away day there were so many people on hand [that] that floats and slip fingers were sinking under water."

Rainbow Harbor is ready for a crowd, and no docks are excepted to sink.

_/)

Trivia Answer

Goodwill, 161 feet, in 1953 and '59, and Vapor, 25 feet, in 199.

Jobson Joins Bermuda Race

The Newport Bermuda Race and Gary Jobson – no two names have more recognition in the sailing world. The world’s oldest regularly scheduled ocean race will be celebrating its centennial in 2006; Jobson, at age 54, has been around just more than half as long yet seems to have packed 100 years of sailing accomplishments into his lifetime. It is appropriate, then, that the Cruising Club of America (CCA) and the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club (RBYC), which co-host the Newport Bermuda Race, have named Jobson, a resident of Annapolis, Maryland, the event’s Honorary Chair.

“The Bermuda Race is the pre-eminent distance race on the East Coast and has been for 100 years,” said Jobson, who has competed in the race seven times, once as skipper and always as a watch captain. “It’s a feather in every sailor’s cap to have done the race, and many consider the Lighthouse Trophy the most coveted trophy in distance racing. It’s no small feat getting to Bermuda, and the reward itself is being there on that friendly, subtropical island out in the Atlantic Ocean.”

Jobson’s resume includes not only world-class victories in various arenas of the sport such as America’s Cup, one-design sailing and ocean racing but also recognition for his contributions to the sport through his career as a professional speaker, author and Emmy Award-winning television sports commentator and producer.

“My mission is to promote sailing,” added Jobson, whose duties will include emceeing the opening event and closing prize giving ceremonies as well as producing a documentary on the race, “and in 2006, the most important event in sailing will be the Newport Bermuda race.”

The CCA and RBYC are as honored to have Jobson as the event’s figurehead as Jobson is enthusiastic about the event. “Gary is very knowledgeable about our sport and always has an amazing insight into its evolution,” said Race Chair Bill Barton. “It has been a most remarkable century, a century with literally thousands of yachts and tens of thousands of sailors competing in the Bermuda Race since its inception in 1906. It is wonderful that Gary will be able to help shape the retrospective on that.”

Barton added that to celebrate the 100th birthday, the Cruising Club of America and Mystic Seaport will co-publish a commemorative history, written by historian and author John Rousmaniere. It will include sea stories, anecdotes, photographs, drawings and log books, shedding light on what Rousmaniere has qualified as “the angst of navigators, the acrobatics of cooks, the vagaries of the Gulf Stream, the dampness of the foredeck, the miseries of mal-de-mer, and the eventual joy of making landfall at the tiny, hospitable archipelago.”

“The great thing about the Newport Bermuda Race is that every one is different,” said Jobson. “Whether you have enjoyable weather, classic fog, or heavy winds and currents in the Gulf Stream, there are the right elements of chance, skill, adventure and excitement all wrapped up in one package. The race also is about interesting trends, with technology showing how much faster boats can get there. It’s a sprint now for 70- and 80-foot boats, with the fastest passage at just under 48 and 1/2 hours.”

Jobson will sail in the event on the94-foot sloop Keturah, owned by past Bermuda Race winner Llwyd Ecclestone (West Palm Beach, Fla.).

More About the Newport Bermuda Race

The first Bermuda Race started in 1906 from Gravesend Bay, N.Y. with three entries and was held intermittently until 1926 when a regular schedule began for holding the race in even-numbered years. That schedule has continued to the present except for a hiatus during WWII. From the beginning, the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club hosted the finish and festivities after the race. The Cruising Club of America and the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club have co-organized the race since 1926. In 1938, the start was moved to Newport, R.I.

Over the years, the CCA has worked with many groups to develop the rating rules under which the race is sailed. In 2006, to be as inclusive as possible of the many yachts interested in the event, the CCA has announced that two rating rules—the new Offshore Racing Rule (ORR) and the IRC—will be used. The ORR is based on the Velocity Prediction Program technology of IMS and Americap, both of which have been used in the Newport Bermuda Race in recent years. ORR blends the best of those rules into a rating system well suited to offshore and distance races. At the same time, IRC is being widely introduced in the United States and some yachts will like the opportunity to be scored under that rule as well. There will be significant trophies offered under each rule, including the prestigious St. David’s and Gibbs Hill Lighthouse Trophies.

As in recent years, the race also will offer separate divisions for amateur and professionally crewed boats to keep the playing fields level among competitors. Following on the battle of the super-maxis in the 2004 event, there will again be a special division for these big boats.

The Newport Bermuda Race, with one of the most interesting and challenging ocean courses anywhere, is 635 nautical miles.

Joyon Record Ratified

The World Sailing Speed Record Council announces the ratification of the
following new record:

World Record : Transatlantic singlehanded outright
Yacht: Idec
Skipper: Francis Joyon
Dates: 30th June to 6th July 2005
Elapsed time: 6 days 4 hours 1 minute 37 seconds
Average speed: 19.76 kts

Linky Sailing News

Racing Swedish Match Cup.

News Aeoro CO. IDEC destroyed. Training Trip

Great Lakes Natalie O'neil Passes

Oops Cup Doublehanded

Bruno Peyron and Steve Rauvssin on Stena Sovcomflot won the Doublehanded race in Nokia Oops Cup with a six minutes margin on Klas Nylöf and Andreas Andersen on HiQ.

– It was quite easy to sail these boats this time actually. The winds was perfect and we only had to do one jibe between Sandhamn and Sopot, says Steve Ravussin on Stena Sovcomflot.

Together with Bruno Peyron the two world class multihull sailors took the lead after a couple of hours after the start from Sandhamn, and managed to fight the other teams off all the way to Sopot in Poland.

- I know my boat very well and it was only in the light winds after the start that we had Nokia and Academy in front of us. When the wind filled inn we where off. I’m not sure what the other boats did, laughs Rauvssin, who also it the owner of the 60 foot trimaran.

Swedish HiQ was the only one who where able to hang on to Stena Sovcomflot all the way to the finish line.

– The conditions where perfect. Just the right wind and a very hard fight with Stena Sovcomflot. But at the end of the race we where a little to far behind to really get a shoot at the first place. Our boats have the similar speed and we only needed for the to make a little mistake. But Bruno and Steve doesn’t make any mistakes, says Klas Nylöf.

Academy, with Knut Frostad and Espen Guttormsen, reached the finish line just about an hour after the winner. After that Nokia, Bonduelle and at least TietoEnator followed in to Sopot.

Stena Sovcomflot has now a healthy six points lead on Academy in Nokia Oops Cup, and with only two races left they have more than a fair chance of winning the cup.

– I have been racing far to long to take victories in advance. It looks good right now, but anything can happen, says Steve Ravussin.

Results: Nokia Oops Cup, Sandhamn-Sopot: 1) Stena Sovcomflot, Russia-Sweden, 16 hours 52 minutes, 2) HiQ, Sweden, 16.58, 3) Academy, Norway, 17.51, 4) Nokia, Sweden, 18.36, 5) Bonduelle, Poland, 18.42, 6) TietoEnator, 19.12.

Nokia Oops Cup, 9 of 11 races: 1) Stena Sovcomflot 14 points, 2) Academy 20 p, 3) HiQ 26,5 p, 4) TietoEnator 36,5 p, 5) Nokia 37,5 p, 6) Bonduelle 45,5 p.

Geronimo under 1000 Miles

It is anticipated that by later this afternoon Geronimo, the giant grey trimaran of Capgemini and Schneider Electric, will sail past South East Cape in Tasmania, which is the southern most point of Australia. Once she rounds this point she will run up the east coast of Tasmania and cross Bass Strait before she will be off the south coast of New South Wales and on the way to the finish line.

Geronimo is now on the home stretch of her circumnavigation with approximately 750 nautical miles to travel before she crosses the official finish line of The Challenge off the Opera House in Sydney. Overnight the boat travelled approximately 400 miles averaging 18 knots boat speed in a moderating breeze.

‘We have had a very nice surf day, beautiful swell, good speed and a lot of pleasure sailing in this conditions, for the first time since North West Cape. Still quite cold, but the crew could get some rest and be in good shape for the last run to the arrival. There is a very good ambiance onboard, very excited to see some land tomorrow, ‘commented Olivier de Kersauson late last night.

When de Kersauson sails from Hobart to Sydney he will most likely remember his winning race when he sailed on Pen Duick III in the 1967 Sydney to Hobart, winning the race on line honours with his sailing mentor Eric Tabarly.

'Once the boat reaches South East Cape in Tasmania and starts to travel up Tasmania’s east coast, the breeze is predicted to be a Sou’ Wester at 20 to 25 knots with the east coast of Tasmania providing some shelter from the big seas Geronimo encountered as she crossed from Cape Leeuwin to South East Cape. It is anticipated that the breeze will swing to the South East on Friday morning providing a potential Bass Straight crossing for Geronimo of a sou’ Easter at 15 to 20 knots,’ commented Richard Whittaker meteorologist from The Weather Channel.

If all goes as anticipated Geronimo will be off Gabo Island on the south east coast of New South Wales tomorrow. The Challenge shore crew are anticipating Geronimo and her crew could achieve a circumnavigation record of Australia of less than 18 days.

IDEC destroyed after setting Record

An exhausted skipper, an unreliable pilot and merciless seas… Without even having the time to celebrate correctly her recent two historic records, the brave old trimaran, IDEC, passed away during the night on the rocks off Penmarc’h at the south western tip of Brittany. Francis Joyon travelled back to La Trinité sur mer on the South coast of Brittany this morning with his sponsor, Patrice Lafargue. He shared his sadness with us, although he was still elated by the performance of his faithful trimaran during her final days at sea, when she was to show us such a remarkable performance.

What should have been a simple trip back home downwind turned into a nightmare last night. At the end of an exceptional career, and less than 24 hours after putting a new historic record into the history books of sailing, the IDEC trimaran left us in the most brutal fashion, «broken up in just a few minutes after going aground», in the words of her skipper, Francis Joyon, who was clearly still under the shock. During a short press conference in La Trinité-sur-Mer, the new holder of the Atlantic record and the 24-hour single-handed sailing record talked about this fatal accident. In spite of a clear lack of sleep, and with very mixed emotions, Francis told us about the days of sheer joy during his crossing, but admitted he had never felt so frightened in a boat as last night. The fastest single-handed sailor on the planet tells us here how his boat was wrecked.

«I must have been out of it for an hour»
«After crossing the finish off The Lizard, I headed for the "Four Channel" (editor’s note – near Ushant off Western Brittany), then went through the Raz de Sein during the evening… As I had planned to reach La Trinité during the morning, I decided to slow the boat down a bit, by reducing the canvas, and with the wind aft, I was on a bearing well off Penmarc’h Point– about 30° to the right. As I hadn’t managed to get any sleep for a long time, when I did fall asleep, it was very deep… I was using the autopilot, and I think it must have taken her off course, as happened once or twice during the record – but I wasn’t going fast enough this time to be warned of the change. I suddenly woke up, when I heard a huge crash, when the boat came down in the breakers between a 6 metre high rock to my left and another one to my right. I was stuck there in the middle. I had managed to go aground on the most vicious rocks you can find off Penmarc’h Point. I think it must have been around one in the morning, and I immediately radioed a Mayday, as I thought I was on some rocks a little further out to sea. I didn’t think for one moment that the boat had turned in towards the coast. In the pitch black conditions, I gave my position and the coastguards service in Corsen told me that the rescue service was on their way, and that the boat could be reached on foot! They helped me ashore in amongst the rocks… I didn’t know what was going on for an hour or so, and I let them take care of me, which isn’t at all like me. As the rescue team saw I was in shock, and not very coherent, they suggested I go to hospital– I was examined for three hours in Pont L’Abbé. My brother came to see me at four in the morning, and we went back to the boat to try to get her off with the help of the sea rescue service: a diver from the rescue team went into the water, I got on deck to help him moor up the trimaran, but just at that moment, she swung around and in just a few moments, the breakers smashed her up and her mast came down… In spite of the extraordinary bravery and the determination of the sea rescue team, as we speak, all that remains of her is a few tiny pieces. It’s incredible that in such a short space of time, a boat can be smashed up like that.»

«Those six days at sea on board IDEC were a sheer joy, and when you find this sort of success with a boat, you get attached to her. I’m almost ready to believe that those little bits of fibre have some sort of spirit. I really believe the boat worked harder than I did in getting these two records. I was beginning to think about other challenges. I was determined to sail 600,000 miles alone with her! (…) But in the end, at sea, you are the only one in charge and you have to accept your mistakes, just as you accept the laurels of victory at other moments. »

Patrice Lafargue, CEO of IDEC : «Seeing this boat destroyed is of course very emotional , as we were very attached to her. But it was Francis, who got us to love her, and what we love above all is Francis – today, he is here with us, and that is the main thing, and if he wants us to stay with him, we’ll continue to follow him and experience some more great moments.»

IDEC, an historic career spanning 20 years

When Olivier de Kersauson had « Poulain » built in the CDK (Port la Forêt) yard based on the designs of the Van Péteghem – Lauriot Prévost design team back in 1985, he could not have imagined that this fabulous platform would enjoy such a long career.

At her launch, Poulain measured 23 metres long and had a beam of 16.20 metres, with 295 m2 of sail on a 32-metre high mast, and weighed around 12 tonnes. On board her, the Admiral was to take part in the Route du Rhum in 86 (that he was forced to abandon), then finished second in the UAP Open(Round Europe) in 1987, before he won fourth place in the La Baule – Dakar race in 1988. In that same year, «Poulain» stopped their sponsorship of the trimaran, which took the name «Un Autre Regard» when she set off around the world with just Olivier de Kersauson. The Admiral would return from his journey after 125 days 19 hours and 32 minutes of sailing.

Racing around the world in record time became the challenge for all the great skippers in the early nineties, and it was with this in mind that the trimaran became «Charal» in 1992: from the original platform only the central hull, the crossbeams and the special "doghouse" remained. However, Olivier and his crew were to hit a growler and had to give up on their first attempt at the Jules Verne trophy.

That was not to hold her back though, because following the accident, the floaters were modified and the boat was fitted with a lighter mast in 1994. This operation required the standing rigging to be replaced. The fittings were also updated and "Lyonnaise des Eaux Dumez" was now 27 metres long, 16.35 metres wide, with 340 sq.m of sail, thanks to a 33 metre high mast, and weighed 14.5 tonnes. Olivier and his crew set off again to tackle the Jules Verne, and set a new world record covering 520.9 miles in 24 hours, but Peter Blake’s Enza walked away with the honours.

In 1996, some final modifications were carried out, and the trimaran took the name " Sport Elec " and adopted the shape she still has today (Francis Joyon has in fact only changed the rudder). Above all, it was with this identity that the giant trimaran, the world’s largest racing multihull at the time – entered into the history books, when on 19th May 1997 Olivier de Kersauson and his crew crossed the finishing line of the Jules Verne having smashed Peter Blake’s record by three days. Sport Elec took 71 days, 8 hours, 22 minutes and 8 seconds to sail around the world, a performance, which was only improved upon five years later.

In 2004, this trimaran, which already had a special place in the world of ocean racing, became the first boat to be sailed around the world single-handed in less than 80 days (a euphemism for 72days, 22 hours, 54 minutes, 22 seconds). A year later, she won the 24 hour record (543 miles) and literally exploded the North Atlantic record (6 days, 4 hours, 1 minute and 37 seconds) – which had been held for 11 years, and all this in spite of her age. There are no two ways about it. Before leaving us, the red giant certainly left a lasting mark on the oceans…

4 Rescued

Four people were rescued around 7:30 p.m. this evening after a Hoby Catamaran vessel capsized about a mile off shore and about two miles from Cherry Beach, Mich.

Two people were onboard the sailing vessel when it capsized.

A relative witnessed the incident from shore and called 911. Coast Guard Group Grand Haven received the report at 5:45 p.m. and dispatched an HH65 rescue helicopter from Coast Guard Air Facility Muskegon and a 47-foot rescue boat from Coast Guard Station St. Joseph.

Before Coast Guard assets arrived on scene, two other people entered the water in an effort to assist in righting the vessel, but sea conditions of three to five feet impeded all attempts.

Coast Guard Station St. Joseph arrived on scene and pulled all four people from the water.

There were no injuries or medical concerns. All four people were wearing life jackets.

Linky Sailing News

Racing Swedish Match Cup. 29er Worlds

News Mission ends. Schnack to Luna Rossa?. Joyon grounds

Great Lakes Boat Night Upcoming. 4 Rescued

Joyon achieves History

He has done it! At 12 h 44 GMT today, Wednesday 6th July, Francis Joyon smashed the North Atlantic single-handed sailing record. His race time: 6 days, 04 hours, one minute and 37 seconds to go from Ambrose Light off New York to The Lizard, the southernmost tip of Cornwall (GB), or a distance of 2,980 nautical miles, at an average speed of 19.75 knots. He has improved by more than 22 hours on the previous record time set back in July 1994 by Laurent Bourgnon and his 60-foot trimaran, Primagaz. Francis and his trimaran IDEC also improved by almost 9 hours on the crewed Atlantic record, achieved in 1990 by the catamaran Jet Services V and her crew under Serge Madec, (record beaten just two years ago by Steve Fossett’s maxi catamaran, Playstation).

«It’s all happened so quickly. I haven’t yet come to terms with it,» Francis Joyon had just passed in front of the Lizard Lighthouse. He gave his position by VHF to the official timekeeper for the World Sailing Speed Record Council (WSSRC), who had been on the spot to keep an eye out since earlier this morning. Without really slowing down, he then turned towards the French coast. Francis is on his way home. Less than a week ago, hardly out of the plane from Paris, he was diving under his boat, moored up in a Manhattan marina to clean off her bottom and set sail from New York without further delay. IDEC set out on Thursday 30th June at 10 h 42 in a very unreliable south westerly, and his first day at sea was not exactly encouraging. «I had to get away from the continent of America» he explained, «and get into the low-pressure flow coming down from the North of Canada.» The following three days went off like a dream; the huge red trimaran got into a strong air stream downwind, with her skipper busy concentrating on fine adjustments using the automatic pilot. On his fourth day at sea, his performance chart changed considerably. Francis got back on to the route taken by Laurent Bourgnon, when he got off to a flying start back in 1994.

Joyon was to achieve a new 24-hour sailing record without really thinking about what he was doing on Sunday 3rd July (543 miles improving on the 540-mile record) and IDEC was not to slow down. «It’s as if the boat wanted the record more than me» explained Joyon. «We were continually going along between 26 and 28 knots.» The fifth day was more a question of strategy. The wind backed around and a change of tack was required. On the port tack, IDEC was to tackle the final stretch of the race in a strong north westerly, but had to deal with choppy seas. The trimaran slammed into a 3-4 metre swell and Francis had to remain at the helm. Staying there, in spite of his tiredness and then, there were the sail changes to keep up with the variations in the wind. «I didn’t have much fun during this crazy week,» he admitted. «The stress was permanent and Laurent (Bourgnon)’s time seemed so difficult to beat that I gave it my all, right up until the end.» The yachtsman from Loqmariaquer in Southern Brittany was tired, happy, relieved… and above all, very astonished with his achievement. He was especially surprised to have improved on a solo crossing the performance set by Jet Services and her crew. «I was already racing multihulls, when Jet set the time of 6 days and 13 hours, which was to remain the outright record for a sailing boat on this crossing for so long (more than 12 years). I know the men, who were on board her, and I never believed I could compete with them.»

IDEC is now heading towards la Trinité sur Mer in Brittany, that she should reach early tomorrow morning. An extraordinary multihull, launched at the start of the eighties for a full crew and which was lengthened for round the world sailing. «I believe the boat was ideal for this record,» added Francis, «but she really surprised me with her behaviour, which was marvellous, and what she was capable of at the start of the record in fairly light winds. I know my boat well and can detect her limits without thinking about them.»

Other boats, which are more recent, more modern, and other racers will soon tackle this route. Francis just hopes he will give them a run for their money.

A century of history

Of all the routes that record hunters chase after, the North Atlantic (between New York and The Lizard in Cornwall) is without doubt the most mythical. Whether we are talking about crewed races or solo yachtsmen, the best in the world have tried their hand here, achieving some remarkable performances or failing by just a few minutes – but it always means an epic crossing. Today, Francis Joyon has written his name in the history books with a record that was first set a century ago.

The first crewed race on this route was Charlie Barr’s, when he was Captain aboard the schooner Atlantic. The proud ship managed the crossing in 12 days and 4 hours in 1905, a time that was to remain the record for 75 years. Eric Tabarly was to cut the time by 2 days in 1980 on board his foil trimaran Paul Ricard at an average speed of 11.93 knots. There then followed a series of attempts, which were to become a more and more frequent occurrence. The record was to be gradually improved on by the expert French multihull racers in the eighties: Marc Pajot, Patrick Morvan, Loïc Caradec, Philippe Poupon and finally Serge Madec… On board Jet Services V the latter was to achieve a performance in 1990 that was to be the record for 11 years (6 days 13 hours and 3 minutes). We had to wait for the right moment and the world’s largest catamaran, alias PlayStation with her 38 metres, to see this record smashed in 2001: Steve Fossett and his men covered the distance in just 4 days, 17 hours and 28 minutes! An incredible time, which is still difficult to reach today, as Bruno Peyron and his crew were able to see last summer on board Orange II. The French skipper’s giant catamaran failed by just 75 minutes on her attempt, while improving on the 24-hour sailing record during the voyage (just as Francis Joyon has done in single-handed yachting on the same route).

As for the single-handed sailors, we can mention the time set by Bruno Peyron, on board the trimaran Ericsson, in 1987: 11 days, 11 hours and 46 minutes, a record from the La Baule sailor that was quickly improved on . In the same year, Philippe Poupon reduced the time to 10 days and 9 hours! We had to wait until 1994 and the skill of Laurent Bourgnon for the time to go below 10 days – and he did this in fine style. On board Primagaz, Bourgnon smashed all known standards, and achieved a 24-hour sailing record and the Atlantic crossing record, which was to remain the record for 11 years. Ellen MacArthur, on board her trimaran Castorama, made an attempt back in June 2004, but in vain. Today, it is clear to all that Francis Joyon has just set a new solo record, with an incredible speed, improving coincidentally on the time set by Jet Services V (the crewed record from 1990, which lasted for 11 years)! This comparison tells us a lot about the extent of the feat achieved by the Breton on board the IDEC trimaran. Once again, congratulations, Mr. Joyon.

Chalk one for PFD's

I was out of town over the holiday weekend. Upon returning I read a news story with the following quote, "The Coast Guard rescued a man who fell out of a boat in Lake Michigan this afternoon. They say a life jacket saved his life."

A husband and wife were sailing on Lake Michigan. The husband fell overboard. The wife was unable to affect any sort of rescue or really even control the boat. She and the boat were taken to shore by a good Samaritan kayaker.

This still meant the man was in the water. A Coast Guard Helicopter was able to spot him and direct a rescue boat to him. He was plucked from the water alive, but with a body temperature of 86 degrees! The water temperature was 68°.

In such water a person can become unconscious in 2 hours and may have as little as 2 hours of survival time.

I have frequently written about PFD's and their benefits. Chief Tom Rau's Boat Smart column has also pumped up PFD's.

Every once in awhile what you type about shows up in the real world. In this case what we've advocated helped save a life and gives us all a bit more to ponder about PFD's.

Linky Sailing News

Racing Pisco Sour Wins

News Joyon sets Solo Trans At record

Great Lakes Man Rescued

King of the Atlantic

With the bows of the IDEC trimaran passing in front of The Lizard (SW Cornwall) at 12 h, 44 mins and 03 seconds (TU), Francis Joyon has just set a new outright record for the single-handed Atlantic crossing, after 06 days, 04 hours, 01 minutes and 37 seconds at sea.

The speedo has been going crazy, as for several days now he has been covering more than 500 miles in 24 hours, in strong winds requiring continuous efforts. The final stretch of this Atlantic crossing will have lived up to the reputation of the mighty yachtsman from Southern Brittany: unequivocally tough and demanding. An opportunity for Francis to show once again in brilliant style his yachting skill and resounding determination.

• Average speed on the theoretical route (2925 miles): 19.75 knots
Improvement on the previous record:22 hours 33 minutes and 05 seconds
• 24-hour solo record set during the crossing (3rd July 2005): 543 miles

Joyon Takes Solo Atlantic Record

IN BRIEF:

* FRENCH SKIPPER, FRANCIS JOYON, SETS NEW SOLO TRANSATLANTIC RECORD OF 6 DAYS, 4 HOURS, 1 MINUTE AND 37 SECONDS, TAKING 22 HOURS, 33 MINUTES, 5 SECONDS OFF THE EXISTING RECORD THAT HAS STOOD FOR OVER A DECADE

* JOYON SUBSTANTIALLY RAISES THE BAR FOR ELLEN MACARTHUR... "A WEEK AGO THIS RECORD STOOD AT JUST OVER 7 DAYS, THAT WAS MY TARGET FOR THIS AUTUMN WHEN WE GO ON STANDBY - FRANCIS HAS JUST REWRITTEN THE SCRIPT AGAIN..."

* TAKING 22 HOURS OF THIS SOLO TRANSATLANTIC RECORD IS THE EQUIVALENT OF TAKING 9.5 DAYS OFF A ROUND THE WORLD RECORD!

IN FULL:

At 12:44:03 GMT today [Wednesday 6.7.05] Francis Joyon broke the west-east solo transatlantic record by 22 hours, 33 minutes and 5 seconds setting a new time of 6 days, 4 hours, 1 minutes and 37 seconds on board his 90ft trimaran 'IDEC' at an average speed of 19.75 knots. Joyon has not just broken Laurent Bourgnon's 7d 2h 34m 42s eleven-year-old record but obliterated it - taking 22 hours off this solo transatlantic record is the equivalent of taking 9.5 days off a round the world record. Although, the transatlantic record is comparable to a 100m sprint, a circumnavigation is known to be the marathon of record attempts.

<> skipper, Ellen MacArthur, who will go on standby in New York in September to attempt to break Joyon's new time commented: "To break this record by this much time is an amazing achievement - I am in awe of what he has done. I know how hard it is and I know how much effort this would have taken. Congratulations to him and his team - Francis has again raised the bar. There is no doubt about it, that a week ago this record stood at just over 7 days and that was my target for this autumn when we go on standby with <> in New York - Francis has just rewritten the script again!" It was a similar scenario before the start of MacArthur's round the world record attempt - a few weeks after the launch of the 75ft trimaran in Australia in January 2004, Joyon smashed the solo round the world record by over 20 days. The benchmark was raised and MacArthur managed to shave 1 day, 8 hours and 35 minutes off his 72-day record a year later in February this year.

Joyon's patience was severely tested after a three month wait on standby in New York but crossed the start line off Ambrose Light for the second time, after one aborted attempt, at 0842 GMT on 30th June. The first 24 hours were not as fast as he would have liked - only 322 miles covered - but the weather system he had waited so patiently for, that had been forecasted by his weather router Jean-Yves Bernot, began to pay dividends. By day three he was clocking up 500+ miles and set a new 24-hour solo record of 543 miles at an average speed of 22.6 knots by 1500 GMT that day - a sign of things to come, as Bourgnon had also held this record. The blistering speeds across the North Atlantic continued - 531.8 miles on day four, 526.3 miles on day six. As the wind shifted into the north-west sector yesterday, Joyon's run to the finish line off Lizard Point was secured - all he had to do was hold his boat and himself together. Two quick successive gybes in the night and some unstable wind strengths tested Joyon's nerves but Bernot reassured Joyon to stay cool, it was going to happen, and it did. Joyon will sail IDEC straight back to the French port of La Trinite and is expected to arrive there tomorrow morning to a rapturous welcome.

In order for MacArthur to break Joyon's new record, <> will have to maintain an average speed of over 19.75 knots. The power of Joyon's 90ft IDEC multihull that carries a greater sail area than <> was used to its maximum, and MacArthur's custom-built 75ft trimaran <> will be severely tested to break his record. Ellen will have to push both herself and <> to the limits to take on this new challenge to cover the 2925 mile course in record time. "The weather is crucial for this kind of record attempt - if you get it right, anything is possible. Francis hooked onto a great weather system, worked hard to stay with it and got the rewards at the end. He has shown us what is possible and I know that his record will be very, very hard to beat. I just hope that we can be as fortunate with the weather this autumn - although luck is only one of the components you need to be successful," concluded Ellen.

<> plans to go on standby in New York from the 1st September for her second attempt on this solo transatlantic record - her first attempt took place last June 2004 and she missed out on the record by 75 minutes after the weather system forced her to sail further south thereby covering more miles. A two-month 'window of opportunity' has been allocated to take advantage of the best possible weather system to ride the North Atlantic.

SUMMARY OF FRANCIS JOYON'S SOLO TRANSATLANTIC RECORD:

START TIME: 0842 GMT 30.6.05

DAY 1 0900 GMT 1.7.05:
Behind record: -166 miles
Distance covered over 24hr: 322.9 miles at average speed 13.5 knots
Distance to finish: 2546 miles

DAY 2 0900 GMT 2.7.05:
Behind record: -223 miles
Distance covered over 24hr: 466.2 miles at average speed 19.4 knots
Distance to finish: 2067 miles

DAY 3 0900 GMT 3.7.05:
Behind record: -115 miles
Distance covered over 24hr: 532.3 miles at average speed 22.2 knots
Distance to finish: 1536 miles
Broke 24hr solo speed record 1500 GMT: 543 miles at average speed 22.6 knots

DAY 4 0900 GMT 4.7.05:
Ahead of record: +53 miles
Distance covered over 24hr: 531.8 miles at average speed 22.2 knots
Distance to finish: 1023 miles

DAY 5 0900 GMT 5.7.05:
Ahead of record: +235 miles
Distance covered over 24hr: 420.1 miles at average speed 17.5 knots
Distance to finish: 603 miles

DAY 6 0900 GMT 6.7.05:
Ahead of record: +387 miles
Distance covered over 24hr: 526.3 miles at average speed 21.9 knots
Distance to finish: 77 miles

FINISH TIME:
New Record Time: 6 DAYS, 4 HOURS, 1 MINUTE, 37 SECONDS (to be ratified by WSSRC)
Average Speed: 19.75 knots [over theoretical course of 2925 miles]

Transpac Walk of Fame

The names roll out of the past like waves on the trade winds: Sinclair, Rheem, Johnson, DeLaura, Disney, Kahn and others who were the fastest, alongside legends like Fulmor, Cowan and the Wizard of Oz, Frank Morgan, who logged the best overall handicap times.

The winners of the 42 Transpacific Yacht Races since 1906 will be acknowledged in the new Transpac Walk of Fame Thursday, July 7, at Rainbow Harbor in downtown Long Beach as competitors in this month's Centennial Transpac continue to arrive. Many of the 75 boats in the Centennial Transpac will be moored there before their starts on July 11, 15 and 17 as part of the city's Sea Festival celebration.

The ceremony will start at 11:30 a.m. on the harbor side of Gladstone's Restaurant, which is next to the Pine Avenue Pier at the end of Pine Ave. along Shoreline Drive.

Featured speakers will include Roy E. Disney, an inductee who will be sailing his 15th and last Transpac; former Indy 500 racer and team owner Dick Simon, who will be doing his first; Cal 40 class leader Wendy Siegal and Long Beach Mayor Beverly O'Neill.

Competing boats already berthed in Rainbow Harbor will be available for inspection. A complete list of the century's winners and other historical information may be seen at www.transpacificyc.org (click "Race History" and then "Transpac lists").

The starts for 75 boats in eight classes are scheduled July 11, 15 and 17 off the Palos Verdes Peninsula at 1 p.m.

Boats leaving from Rainbow Harbor will enjoy ceremonial departures at about 9:30 a.m.

Transpac Trivia Quiz

Who is the only skipper to win the Barn Door (fastest elapsed time by a monohull) three times? Answer below.

Windquest, Bengal II Arrive in Rainbow Harbor

Dick and Doug DeVos's Windquest, one of three maxZ86s that will battle for the Barn Door later this month, arrived in Rainbow Harbor Friday morning, just after Japanese entry Bengal II.

For Windquest, the relatively short sail from San Diego was a routine final leg following an arduous overland trip to California from its home in Holland, Mich. The truck and extra-long trailer hauling the mast and keel slipped off a road in Arkansas. The 125-foot spar was twisted out of shape and had to be replaced with one shipped from the East Coast.

Bengal II, Yoshihiko Murase's Ohashi 52, had a long but less eventful trip from Hawaii, where it had been berthed since sailing in the 2003 Transpac. Bengal II followed the usual course of boats sailing from Hawaii to California by going north far enough to catch the winds rotating east off the top of the Pacific High.

Japanese entry Bengal II also arrived from Hawaii Friday morning, sailed by Yasu Haru (left), Miura Tadashi and four others not shown.
"We went to 41 [degrees latitude]," delivery crew member Miura Tadashi said (about the latitude of the California-Oregon border). "We sailed almost 3,000 [nautical] miles in 17 days 18 hours."

"That's about normal," veteran ocean racer and navigator John Jourdane of Long Beach said. "I usually go about that high coming back."

Hasso Plattner's maxZ86, Morning Glory, is due in Rainbow Harbor July 11. The other maxZ86 entered is Roy Disney's Pyewacket.

Trivia Answer

Richard Rheem of the Los Angeles Yacht Club sailed Morning Star to Barn Door honors in 1949, '51 and '55. Several others have done it twice.

Shanakee II Moved to July 15 Start

Shanakee II, James Warmington's Pedrick 74 that outran the next Aloha Division boat by more than two days in 2001, has been moved from the July 11 start to July 15 with the Division III and IV boats.

In 2001, with a six-day head start on the Division I racers, Shanakee II finished about 2 1/2 days ahead of Pegasus, the Barn Door winner on fastest elapsed time. Shanakee II will still be scored as an Aloha entry. All other Aloha boats will start on July 11.

Official entries
(In order of handicap rating by seconds per mile)

Division I (starts July 17)

* Morning Glory (R/P maxZ86), Hasso Plattner, Kiel, Germany (0.000)
* Genuine Risk (Dubois 90), Randall Pittman, La Jolla, Calif. (0.010)
* Pyewacket (R/P maxZ86), Roy E. Disney, Los Angeles. (0.040).
* Windquest (R/P maxZ86), Dick & Doug DeVos, Holland, Mich. (*)
* Magnitude 80 (Andrews 80), Doug Baker, Long Beach. (15.260)
* Beecom (Reichel/Pugh 72), Isao Mita, Yokohama, Japan (47.377)
* Scout Spirit (R/P 77), Bill Turpin, Newport Beach, Calif. (50.650)

Division II (Starts July 17)

* Renegade (Andrews 70), Dan Sinclair, Vancouver, B.C. (62.707)
* Merlin (Lee 68), Patricia Steele, Maui, H.I. (65.298)
* Medicine Man (Andrews 61), Bob Lane, Long Beach. (71.999)
* Pegasus 52 (Transpac 52), Philippe Kahn, Honolulu. (81.117)
* Trader (Transpac 52), Fred Detwiler, Pompano Beach, Fla. (81.878)
* Skylark (S/C 70), Doug Ayres, Newport Beach. (81.884)
* Braveheart (Transpac 52), Charles Burnet, Seattle. (*)
* Rosebud (Transpac 52), Roger Sturgeon, San Francisco. (85.971)
* Mongoose (Santa Cruz 70), Bradley Thorson, Bellevue, Wash. (90.225)
* Coruba (N/M 68), Rob and Suzanne Fleming, Seattle. (90.590)
* Bengal 2 (Ohashi 52), Yoshihiko Murase, Nagoya, Japan (100.363)
* Pendragon IV (Davidson 52), John MacLaurin, Encino, Calif. (102.265)
* Ragtime (Spencer 66), Peterson/Richards/Welsh/Zimmer, Honolulu. (108.225)

Division III (Starts July 15)

* Barking Spider 3 (MacGregor 65), David Kory, Concord, Calif. (116.837)
* Stealth Chicken (Perry 56), Timothy Beatty, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. (123.158)
* The Cone of Silence (Super 30), Jamie and Jenny Neill, Sydney, Australia. (130.869)
* Cipango (Andrews 56), Bob & Rob Barton, San Francisco. (131.696)
* DH-Serena (T1150), David Kuettel, Bel Marin, Calif. (132.320)
* Jeito (J/145), Francisco Guzman, Acapulco, Mexico. (134.888)
* Dasher (S/C 50), Roger Groh, Sausalito, Calif. (140.306)
* Reinrag2 (J/125), Tom Garnier, Portland, Ore. (141.265)
* Bolt (Nelson/Marek 55), Craig Reynolds, Newport Beach, Calif. (141.302)
* Artemis (Andrews 53), Louis Bianco, Seattle. (142.395)
* Innocent Merriment (J/160), Myron Lyon, San Diego. (142.719)
* Blue (J/160), Ken and /Cheryl Sears, Nashville, Tenn. (147.095)
* Chasch Mer (S/C 50), Gib Black, Honolulu. (*)

Division IV (Starts July 15)

* DH-Two Guys On the Edge (1D35), Dan Doyle, Kailua, H.I. (179.858)
* Sensation (1D35), Gary Fanger, San Francisco. (180.299)
* Tabasco (1D35), Alamitos Bay Syndicate, Long Beach. (182.046)
* Kahoots (Andrews 43), Kerry Deaver/Bob Williamson, Newport Beach. (186.899)
* Pursuit (Custom 48), Norman and Rosemary Dawley, Solomons, Md. (190.019)
* Wild Impulse (J/120), Larry Barels, Santa Barbara, Calif. (191.454)
* Uproarious (Olson 40), Robert Bussard, San Diego. (193.611)

Division V (Starts July 11)

* Super Gnat (Beneteau First 40.7), Cliff Thompson, San Diego (207.028)
* Iataia (Beneteau First 40.7), Marcos Rodriguez, Acapulco, Mexico. (209.719)
* Showdown (IMX 38), Pete Meade/Mike Luna/ Paul McDonald, Irvine, Calif. (212.941)
* B'Quest (Tripp 40), Challenged America, San Diego. (213.947)
* Brown Sugar (Express 37), Steve Brown, Santa Ana, Calif. (221.504)
* DH-Soap Opera (Hobie 33), Scott Self/Nigel Brown, Rockwall, Tex. (222.175)
* DH-Jacaré (J/35), Jeff Young/Rich Blackman, San Diego. (232.854)
* DH-Diablo (J/35), Reed Barnard, Anacortes, Wash. (235.432)

Cal 40 (Starts July 11)

* California Girl (Cal 40), Don and Betty Lessley, Richmond, Calif. (255.665)
* Radiant (Cal 40), Fin Beven, Pasadena, Calif. (256.939)
* Callisto (Cal 40), Jim Eddy, Glendale, Calif. (257.864)
* Far Far (Cal 40), Don Grind, Naples, Fla. (258.090)
* Dancing Bear (Cal 40), Mark Schrader, Sitka, Alaska. (258.311)
* Spectre (Cal 40), Lee Rogge, Seattle. (258.612)
* Ralphie (Cal 40), Davis Pillsbury, Woody Creek, Colo. (259.232)
* Azure (Cal 40), Rodney Pimentel, Alameda, Calif. (259.574)
* Psyche (Cal 40), Steve Calhoun, Palos Verdes Estates, Calif. (259.964)
* Shaman (Cal 40), Steve Waterloo, Alameda, Calif. (260.187)
* Willow Wind (Cal 40), Wendy Siegal, Sunset Beach, Calif. (260.570)
* Illusion (Cal 40), Sally Honey, Palo Alto, Calif. (261.590)
* Seafire (Cal 40), John Harrison, Honolulu. (263.311)
* Bubala (Cal 40), Lloyd Sellinger, Newport Beach. (264.303)

Aloha A (Starts July 11)

* Shanakee II (Pedrick 74), James Warmington, Costa Mesa, Calif. (130.602)
* Madrina (Cabo Rico 56), Dick Simon, Dana Point, Calif. (195.445)
* Incredible (Swan 53), Rick Gorman, Los Alamitos, Calif. (197.593)
* Between the Sheets (Jeanneau 52), Ross Pearlman, Marina del Rey, Calif. (197.564)
* Odyssey (58' yawl), Audrey Steele Burnand, Newport Beach. (201.571)
* Plan B (Peterson 48), David Johnson, Long Beach. (202.104)
* DH-Charmed Life (Catalina 470), Patricia Garfield, San Francisco. (206.461)
* Enchilado (Jeanneau 54), Cesar de Saracho, Mazatlan, Mexico. (*)

Aloha B (Starts July 11)

* Azure (Swan 441), Samuel Beckey, San Diego. (216.469)
* DH-Camille (Stewart 42), James Read, San Francisco. (222.073)
* So Far (Swan 48), Larry Hillman, Chicago. (230.841)
* Wind Dancer (Catalina 42), Paul Edwards, Ventura, Calif. (234.528)
* Pipe Dream (CF 37), John Davis, Long Beach. (242.920)

DH---Doublehanded.

Pisco Sour-Leche Pascual wins TP 52 Event

After five victories in eight races sailed in Valencia, Pisco Sour-Leche Pascual confirmed her leading role in the Breitling MEDCUP ranking and as TP52 champion in the Trofeo de La Reina, that just finished in Valencia.

In today’s race at the start, Lexus, got into a collision with Atalanti, skippered by Paul Cayard, which has to retire due to damage on the hull. Despite the disastrous start, Lexus, skippered by Russell Coutts, with Peter Isler and Mark Reynolds in the afterguard, managed to recover and climb to third. Meanwhile, Pisco Sour controlled the fleet from beginning to end, finishing 41 seconds in front of Caixa Galicia, who was second after a great downwind run on the last leg.

Vasco Vascotto, expressed his joy after the team´s excellent performance during the whole week. “The boat, a Botin&Carkeek design built by Longitud 0 in Castellon, Spain, has been really fast as well, but although everything seemed to be very easy it has been hard, and it’ll be harder in the next event. When you start to win it seems you keep winning once more for a roll, but we all know that’s not possible to do all the time.”

“We had a pretty bad start, we were looking for a place to tack and we saw that Atalanti appeared to be tacking so we thought we had a good spot to tack, and I don’t know if he saw that we were in the manoeuvre, but didn’t quite get out of the way and we were caught with the only option of getting behind them but obviously it didn’t work,” said Jann Neergaard, from Lexus-Quantum. Despite the collision, neither Russell Coutts nor Paul Cayard presented a protest.

Geronimo nears South East Cape

The maxi trimaran Geronimo is well into the southern ocean and is dealing with the worst of the conditions she will experience as she circumnavigates Australia in The Challenge. Currently, Geronimo is approximately 600 miles south of Adelaide in South Australia travelling at 20 knots in 30 knots of breeze from the west. The crew have been at sea for 14 days and have covered approximately 5500 miles of their journey around the country. They are making steady progress towards Maatsuyker Island on the south west coast of Tasmania before they round South East Cape, the last of the official points the boat has to pass in the official route to circumnavigate Australia.

‘We have the choice between sailing at 17 knots or 27 knots but not in the middle, as the waves move at around 20 knots. The wind is still 40 knots with gusts above 50 knots...so we have to set up sails for the strongest winds. The sea is not beautiful nor pleasant, choppy and unpredictable. We are fed up with it, there is very few occasions to make speed in this,’ commented Olivier de Kersauson- on the Globalstar satellite phone which has aided in communications between the boat and shore crew during The Challenge- yesterday as they tracked on a south east course towards Tasmania.

The winds in the southern ocean that Geronimo has encountered, as well as a large seaway up to eight metres high at times, has made the conditions rough and tiring for all onboard. ’The crew are very tired now and we have to double our attention and concentration. We have all the conditions to make mistakes, dark days, cold, exhausted boys, awful sea and strong winds,’ remarked de Kersauson, ‘Don’t worry however, everything is under control and fine on board.’ These comments from the Geronimo skipper illustrate just how hard the crew are working and pushing the boat and themselves.

Here’s what Olivier de Kersauson had to say about the course around Australia. ‘This is a coastal course of some 6,500 miles, and coastal means demanding and intense. It’s an exciting thing to circle a continent that does so much to disturb the winds. We couldn’t shorten it by getting closer to the coast. If we’d done that, it would have become a game of Poker. We had to stay well offshore where the terrestrial wind mixes with the sea air. It’s equivalent to a third of the way around the world, and concentrates all the pitfalls you would meet on a circumnavigation. It’s a long way removed from a summer cruise around the coast of Brittany, but it’s enthralling. Here, there’s something happening all the time.’

‘The sea and wind are very strong and the shape of the waves makes it dangerous to try and surf. The Australian French team are working well together; these conditions require you to be vigilant. We are in a hurry to go around Tasmania and head to Sydney to find better temperatures,’ said de Kersauson.

‘Geronimo has had an area of gale conditions that has moved with the boat on its trip through the southern ocean. It is anticipated that the conditions will be moderating but they have experienced a typical southern ocean crossing for winter. The anticipated southerly surge is still predicted for Friday and Saturday which will give them a great ride up the south east coast from Tasmania to Sydney,’ commented Richard Whittaker meteorologist from The Weather Channel.

College Sailing on TV

The ICSA/ Gill North American Coed Dinghy Championship will be broadcast on ESPNU: July 2 at 12:00pm (noon); July 6 at 9:00pm and July 21 at 5:00pm.

Airdates for the ICSA/Layline North American Team Race Championship on
ESPNU: July 2 at 12:30pm; July 6 at 9:30pm and July 21 at 5:30pm.

All airdates are eastern times. - http://www.jobsonsailing.com/

Sailing School

Maybe you sailed as a child but have not sailed in years. Maybe you've never sailed before but have always longed to learn. Maybe you sail on a regular basis but would like to be certified. It is time to go to sailing school.

There are several courses available starting out with 101 Basic Sailing up to 106 Advanced Coastal Cruising. Our instructors are American Sailing School Certified. Their easy Learn-to-Sail method will assure you of high quality instruction.

Sign up for classes in August or September of 2005 and receive 10% off our normal prices. Look up our sailing school online or give us a call and we'd be glad to answer any questions you might have.

What's so fun about sailing???

Ask any sailor what they like about sailing and you usually get a different answer. There are those who enjoy the excitement and those who cherish the serenity. Some like a small boat close to the water and others would prefer a very large boat that is usually high and dry. Some go for racing in tight quarters and some take pleasure in distance racing. Many sailors relish cruising and make short hops from port to port whilst others leave on a cruise and prefer to anchor out, not setting foot on land for weeks and there are those who sail around the world solo and a small group who do it non-stop.

A number of sailing couples bounce from port to port all over the globe while bearing, raising and educating a family. Their travels are funded in many ways. Some save for many years to establish a fund that will support them for the duration of their odyssey. Many write and may be affiliated with a sailing publication or are funded by a grant from a National Geographic type organization. Some take jobs in various ports and work in boat yards, restaurants and hospitals, to name a few. Having a needed skill to sell makes the trip much easier.

Sailing is most often a family sport that can carry on through generations. Parents expose their offspring to sailing and the seed is planted. The family will then sail together for a long time. Small boat owners often acquire more boats for the youngsters to sail. Larger boat racers sign their progeny on as permanent crew. Cruisers find a larger offshore boat with space to share. However it’s done, sailing will often keep a family sharing a common interest through generations.

Not Enough Sailing?

Not enough sailing? Enough fun you say? Check us out on Tuesday nights at the Muskegon Yacht Club around 5:30 from now until September. This group of JY15 and Laser sailors has been turning the buoys for some time now.
They generally get in four races an evening so you can see how someone might hone their starting skills or just figure out how to keep the mast out of the water. In just over an hour you’ll see it all; tight little courses for quick racing, grilled dinners waiting at the dock, and a general fun time had by all.

Last week we had seven JY15s and six Lasers on the water for one of the best turnouts ever. The Club has JY15s for rent if you don’t have a boat. If you get serious about the sport you can contact Peter Blacklock or Jeff Allen to get pricing on a new or used boat of your own.

If you need more information you can contact me at johns@torresen.com or 231-740-8088. I’ll be happy to make it as easy as possible for you to get on the water and start enjoying the sailing scene. If you just want to see what it’s all about come out on the committee boat for a front row seat.

See you there,
John

Joyon Well Along

FRANCIS JOYON ABOUT TO ACCOMPLISH ANOTHER GREAT OCEAN FEAT

At the start of his sixth day at sea on his attempt at the outright single-handed Atlantic sailing record, Francis Joyon is continuing to speed along and is currently only 530 miles from the virtual finishing line. His average speed since starting out from New York last Thursday is absolutely amazing: exactly 20 knots. The sailor from Locqmariaquer in Brittany is giving his all to remain on course and keep up the speed. During the night, he stepped up his sail changes after two gybes, one after the other, which he made to get into the north westerly air flow for the final stretch to the tip of Cornwall. The Lizard is drawing near. Francis may well achieve a fabulous success early tomorrow afternoon, by becoming the fastest solo yachtsman of all time to cross the North Atlantic. He should smash the current record, which has been held for 11 years by another Frenchman, Laurent Bourgnon on board his 60’ Primagaz. Another chapter in the history of single-handed North Atlantic crossings is about to be written.

Today’s radio report was kept short. After just over five days of a Herculean task on the ocean aboard his giant 27m long trimaran, Francis Joyon is finding it difficult to take it easy, even just for a few seconds away from the controls of his boat. Since his double gybe during the night, IDEC has been sailing on the port tack in a strong north westerly, which remains variable in strength and direction. It’s no longer enough to be making fine adjustments with the automatic pilot. The wind is going up and down, «by up to 30 degrees in the squalls» in terms of its direction, but its strength is all over the place too, going suddenly from 16 to 25 knots. It is more than ever necessary to anticipate the changes, keeping constant watch and making the required changes to the "power supply", the mainsail and foresails, according to the weather. Joyon is in his element, facing up to the challenge of the force of a huge yacht, which is accelerating away, smashing into the seas, taking her from incredibly high speeds to the risk of coming to a sudden standstill. His «motto», keep control, at all times, taking in a reef here, then hoisting the main gennaker later. The clocks are going crazy. Francis is sailing at one with his boat, which he is managing to get the most out of, as the minutes and hours tick by.

Wind all the way to the finish!
Jean Yves Bernot, his weather expert has reassured him. The wind will stick with him right up to the finish. Just a few more hours to keep up this mad pace, not even a question of days now, after setting out just five days ago from off the Statue of Liberty. The final 500 miles are coming up. Like a run for home, the final stretch in the Olympic 1500 metres, these miles inflict a lot of suffering on the tired body. Everything is still to play for. With his mind concentrating fully on the job, does the athlete still have the time and energy to think about that, with all this pain and elation?

To smash Laurent Bourgnon’s record, Francis Joyon must reach The Lizard (SW Cornwall) before 11h 16 mins 8 secs GMT on 7th July.

Frostad Wins Round Gotland

Academy crossed the finish line just 500 metres in front of Stena Sovcomflot this Tuesday and secured his second win in a row in this Swedish offshore classic. Eurocard Gotland Runt was a painfully slow regatta with a lot of windless areas and very little wind all the way around the 432 nautical mile course.

- We had a very good crew and a good portion of luck, said Knut Frostad after he crossed the finish line just outside Sandhamn in the Swedish archipelago.

The Norwegian boat got an early lead on the five other boats in Nokia Oops Cup, but when it was time to sail round the southern tip of Gotland they sailed right in to a windless area. The crew had nothing to do than sit and wait for the others to catch up. They where glued to the spot and the wind came with the competitors. But Frostad won the restart with skipper Magnus “Mange” Olsson on Nokia right behind.

During Tuesday night the headboardcar on Nokia broke and the sail came crashing down. The crew tried to repair it, but they soon realized it was useless. Last year Magnus Olsson also had to pull out of the race when the whole mast came down.

With Nokia out of the game Stena Sovcomflot and her skipper Bruno Peyron proved to be the toughest competitor for Frostad. They where in shouting distance from each other and fought hard all the way to the finish line. The other three boats followed just behind most of the way.

Last year the trimarans finished the course in just about 24 hours. This year they had to use double that time and the average speed for Team Academy was 8,8 knots compared to last years 13,66 knots.

Now the six teams have less than 22 hours to get ready for the Doublehanded race between Sandhamn and Sopot, Poland. The start goes of at 14.00 hours Wednesday July 6.

Results Eurocard Gotland Runt, Nokia Oops Cup.
1. Academy, 2. Stena Sovcomflot, 3. HiQ, 4. TietoEnator, 5. Bonduelle(still racing 16.54)

Joyon on Record Pace

IN BRIEF:

* FRENCH SKIPPER, FRANCIS JOYON, IS AHEAD OF THE 11 YEAR OLD SOLO TRANSATLANTIC RECORD AS HE PASSES THE HALFWAY MARK, SETTING A BLISTERING PACE AS IDEC SMASHES 24HR SOLO RECORD ON THE WAY…

* DEJA VU? IF JOYON RAISES THE BAR ONCE MORE, ELLEN MACARTHUR WILL AGAIN BE CHASING JOYON’S TIME COME THIS SEPTEMBER WHEN <> GOES ON STANDBY IN NEW YORK FOR THE SAME RECORD

IN FULL:

Last Thursday, 30th June, at 08:42 GMT, Francis Joyon left New York in his attempt to set a new solo transatlantic record and break the existing 11-year-old record of 7 days, 2 hours, 34 minutes and 42 seconds set by Swiss skipper, Laurent Bourgnon in June 1994. By 1300 GMT this morning he got ahead of Bourgnon’s record pace for the first time since crossing the start line off Ambrose Light (New York) and at 1300 GMT today (04/07/05), Joyon was 100 miles ahead of Bourgnon’s record time.

Yesterday, the pace onboard his 90ft trimaran ‘IDEC’ was blistering, as he established a new solo 24-hour speed record of 543 miles by 1500 GMT (still to be ratified by WSSRC) at an average speed of 22.5 knots. So focused on the transatlantic record, he was not even aware that he had broken it when his shore team revealed his 543 mile 24-hour period run. Now into his fifth day at sea, Joyon has covered 1987.41 miles at an average speed of 19.8 knots with 949 miles to go on this 2925 mile passage.

To put this into perspective, during MacArthur’s round the world record journey last winter, she once did 526 miles, but most of her ‘big’ days were under the 500-mile mark. As Joyon has said this morning, he doubts his 90-foot trimaran even went this fast when it was sailed with a full crew.

The west-east solo transatlantic record starting off Ambrose Light and finishing off Lizard Point (south-west England) is one of the hardest solo records to break which is why it has stood for 11 years. Breaking this ‘sprint’ record is all about hooking into the right weather system and pushing as hard as is physically possible for both boat and skipper to stay ‘riding’ the same system all the way to the entrance to the English Channel. There is little margin for error and any tactical blunders or equipment failure will scupper an attempt in minutes – and at the end of it all, you have to pray the low pressure system you ride will carry on through to the UK and not disappear off to the north as is often the case in summer. The short duration of this record, at just over 7 days, means there is simply not the buffer time to recover from any mistakes.

Last June, MacArthur set out on her first solo bid on her new trimaran <> to try and conquer this record. MacArthur was forced further south by the weather and ended up having to sail more miles – she missed out on the record by just 75 minutes. On day five of her attempt she was 108 miles behind the existing record compared to Joyon who is now 100 miles ahead. “ Francis is in a good position, if he carries on at this pace he is in great shape to break this record. He could be setting another very high benchmark for us to aim for in September.” [Before MacArthur set out on her successful solo round the world record bid, Joyon had spectacularly lowered the existing record by 20 days to the 72-day benchmark she had to beat.]

<> should be on standby in New York from the 1st September 2005 for her second attempt on this solo transatlantic record – a two-month window of opportunity has been allocated to take advantage of the best possible weather system. Joyon had his patience tested this time round having been on standby since April with one aborted start, he has had to wait three months for this particular weather system to come along.

WEATHER

The weather is crucial to this record. The weather systems remain stronger in the north-western sector of the North Atlantic and often become lighter as you approach the south-west coast of England. Joyon is capitalizing on the strong 25-knot south-westerly winds in his efforts to get ahead and build up some buffer time for the closing stages. IDEC must cross the finish line off Lizard Point by 11:16:08 GMT this Thursday (7th July) to break Bourgnon’s record.

NOTES ON THE RECORD:

Existing solo west-east transatlantic record:
Laurent Bourgnon
Primagaz (60ft trimaran)
June 1994
7d 2h 34m 42s
2925 miles at an average speed 17.15 knots

New Solo 24 Hour Record

Francis Joyon, at the start of his 4th day at sea on his attempt to beat the single-handed North Atlantic crossing record, has just smashed the outright record for the distance covered by a single-handed yachtsman. Clocking up 543 miles, he has improved on Laurent Bourgnon’s record.

It was during his record-breaking crossing between New York and The Lizard that the skipper of Primagaz set the amazing record of 540 miles from point to point in 24 hours early in July 1994 on his second day of racing, achieving an astounding average speed of 22.50 knots. It is this massive feat that Francis Joyon has just relegated to the history books of the World Speed Sailing Record Council, as his trimaran, IDEC, managed to cover 543 miles at an average of 22.62 knots. He accomplished this without really thinking about it, and no one seems more surprised than the man himself, as a flabbergasted Francis has been so busy pushing his machine forward through the thick mist that he was totally unaware of what he was in the process of doing…

«538 miles? Really? You’re telling me something I was unaware of, as it’s a bit like hell out here, and I haven’t had the time to look at the charts… » On board the giant trimaran, IDEC, there’s no time for any expression of joy or for any tricky calculations, and yet the figures speak for themselves. IDEC has just cut the record-holder’s lead by 138 miles in 22 hours. The red trimaran has covered 1432 miles since Thursday morning at an average speed of 19 knots. Early this afternoon, they reached the halfway point after a little more than 3 days of sailing "full-steam ahead".

Francis Joyon has really been stoking her up. With some radical changes in her sails, going from the small to the main gennaker, then the solent, he has been throwing on the coals by offering his machine a 25-knot sou’westerly wind. This requires regular adjustments to the sheets, easing them out and sheeting them in… «The boat is making good progress, and I’m quite pleased,» he said succinctly. In the cold and continual mist, «I hope to get a glimpse of the sky tonight. That would be rather nice.» Joyon has only one thing on his mind, keeping the speed up all the time, and is not paying attention to these figures or the tiredness that is starting to creep up on him.

After the major worries he had yesterday, he is left with a nightmare vision of alarms going off, as his giant red trimaran races through the middle of a group of fishermen in thick fog. He always has this amazing way of putting things, «I admit I didn’t really respect the recommendations from the sail-makers this morning, and my small gennaker literally exploded!» After several minutes of picking up the pieces of kevlar, IDEC was once again leaving behind her a fine wake. «The leeward floater is slamming into the water a little, but there isn’t really a lot of water on deck for the moment.» The journey through hell continues. Francis is expecting the wind to ease off slightly this evening. As the wind comes around, he will be planning his first gybe to remain on direct course for The Lizard.

2 Races 2 Winners

The two races sailed today in Valencia took Leche Pascual (formerly known as Pisco Sour) to the leader spot of the general ranking of the Breitling MEDCUP TP52, in front of Caixa Galicia who had been leader since the first race in Punta Ala.

Valencia, 1st July. Sailing today among more than 110 boats taking part in the Trofeo SM La Reina, the TP52 fleet fully enjoyed the local breeze with 14-16 knots of wind. In the first race, the Greek Atalanti, skippered by Paul Cayard, did a premature start, so could only finish seventh. Lexus didn’t have her best start either, although the boat skippered by Russell Coutts managed to recover and climbed to finish second.

It was the Spanish built, Chilean flagged Leche Pascual, with Italian Vasco Vascotto at the helm, who controlled the whole fleet from start to finish. Several lenghts behind, Lexus and Bribon, skippered by King Juan Carlos from Spain, had an exciting last downwind with Lexus finally crossing in front as second after a breathtaking gybe. Tomasso Chieffi’s Orlanda Olympus, with Ian Moore from Emirates Team New Zealand as navigator, was fourth.

The second race of the day (race 5) had Leche Pascual as leader up to the last downwind, when Lexus made a superb tactical choice on the right side of the race course, while the whole fleet remained left. Lexus gybed and managed to cross the finished line 25 seconds in front of Leche Pascual. Atalanti was third and Cristabella, with John Cook as owner/driver fourth. Caixa Galicia who was leader up to today was fifth.

In the Corinthian Category, Bribon leads the general ranking.

Overall Ranking of SM La Reina after 5 races
1º Leche Pascual 37 Ptos
2º Lexus 36 Ptos
3º Bribón 33 Ptos
4º Atalanti 25 Ptos
5º Caixa Galicia 25 Ptos
6º Orlanda 22 Ptos
7º Bambakou 22 Ptos
8º Cristabella 15 Ptos
9º Aifos 10 Ptos

Man Rescued

The Coast Guard rescued a man at approximately 5:12 p.m. after he fell off his boat one mile off Muskegon today.

A Coast Guard Muskegon Air Facility HH65 rescue helicopter spotted the boat and vectored in a Coast Station Muskegon 30-foot rescue boat to its position. Once there, Station Muskegon used the boats Global Positioning System to track back to the position where he fell in the lake.

The Station Muskegon rescue boat then picked him up and transported him to shore where local Emergency Medical Services were waiting.

After being in the 68 degree water for nearly two hours the man became hypothermic but was conscious when the rescue boat picked him up.

He was wearing a life jacket when he fell in and it may have assisted in saving his life.

###

Bribon Maintains TP 52 Lead

The Bribón leads the provisional general classification of HM the Queen´s Trophy in TP 52. Caixa Galicia maintains its overall lead in the Breitling MEDCUP Circuit. Total domination by Leche Pascual After a spectacular comeback in the first leg of the race, the Leche Pascual (ex Visco Sour of Vasco Vascotto) was proclaimed winner of the coastal race, which took the fleet down the coast to Cullera.

Valencia, 30 June, 2005. The TP 52 fleet ran thesecond race of HM the Queen´s trophy in today´s second day of competition. This the second regatta of the five which make up the Breitling MEDCUP circuit. After a brief delay due to wind instability and two general calls, the TP 52 fleet was able to start the race down the coast at 12:30 pm. with a 20 knot wind and 40 miles of racing ahead.

The first leg of the race was run windward-leeward before heading down the coast to Cullera, led by Lexus and Russell Couts and followed by theAtalantis and the Orlanda. After passing the first windward buoy, Vasco Vascotto unfurled all their artillery and decided to leave the course taken by the rest of the fleet and sail on their own. They were also the only ones to raise an asymmetrical spinnaker. This allowed the boat from Chile sail faster than its competitors, resulting in a spectacular comeback, going from sixth place to third on the second pass by the buoy.

When the fleet reached the buoy at Cullera, the order had changed again. This time the Bribon was the highlight, going from fourth at the start of the race to second upon arrival at the halfway mark. Meanwhile, the Orlanda, which had started third fell back to the second to last place.

The last leg of the race was run with and average windspeed of 10 knots, confirming an excellent race run by Leche Pascual. The Bribón and the Atalantis also ran excellent races. A surprising race end for the Lexus which had started out in first but finished in seventh place.

In the general classification of HM the Queen´s Trophy, the second of five regattas for points in the Breitling MEDCUP circuit, the Bribón maintains its lead. Meanwhile in the Breiltling MEDCUP circuit, Caixa Galicia leads the provisional general classification.

June Weather Report

Average Temperature June 2005 can clearly be filed under keyword=hot. The average monthly temperature was 72.1 degrees, 7.2° above normal.

High temperature On the 26th the high of 91 was recorded. This was in a 4 day period when the temperature twice crossed 90. On 22 of the 30 days the temperature was 80 or higher. From the 15th to the 20th there was a stretch of days below 80.

The low of 50 occurred twice on the 18th and the 20th.

Precipitation was .9 inches which is 1.68 inches below normal. More than half of that came on the 30th when .57 inches fell via a thunderstorm.

The well above average temperatures occurred under 23 days of clear skies. Only 2 days were considered cloudy with 5 designated as partly cloudy.

Wind Average 9.1 knots. Windiest day was the 14th at 14.8 least windy day 4.7 on the 19th.

Year to Date: June's temperatures boosted the year to date temperature to +1.87. This is the warmest at this point in the year since 2002.

Outlook: Forecasts are calling for a normal July for Muskegon. Combine this with 3 of the last 5 July's having below normal temperatures and we could have anything.

Water Level Update

Below you'll find water level info that pertains to Lakes Michigan and Huron.

Reference Point- Measurements in Inches

Difference from Chart Datum +7
Difference from last month +1
Difference from last year -5
Difference from long term average for July -16
Difference from Record High -46
Difference from Record Low +17
Forecast for 1 August +1

Click for information on other lakes.

Geronimo continues Around Australia

The maxi Capgemini and Schneider Electric trimaran Geronimo has been doing what she does best – going fast. After sailing across the top of Australia she is on her way down the west coast of Australia with approximately 3500 miles and half the country behind her. Now located off the North West Cape on the Western Australian coast, Geronimo is outside Barrow Island and the Dampier Archipelago. The boat has now passed six of the eight geographic locations included in the official course. Cape Leeuwin in Western Australia and South East Cape in Tasmania will be the last two points to pass before the 110ft trimaran heads back to her starting point in Sydney Harbour off the Opera House.

After entering Western Australian waters on Wednesday, Geronimo sailed into lighter breezes than those she had experienced as she travelled over the top of the country. In the last 24 hours the breeze has become more favourable and has the boat travelling down the coast at approximately 17 knots. ‘After eight days at sea having had nearly perfect conditions we came into nearly dead calm area. The coastal navigation has you checking charts every 10 minutes for coral reefs which can be testing and the shifty winds makes a big difference compared to offshore racing and we have to adapt and trim sails on an average of every 45 minutes,’ remarked de Kersauson.
‘The last few days the winds have been very shifty in strength and direction which is making it hard to anticipate the land breezes or ocean trade winds’ commented skipper Olivier de Kersauson earlier today. ‘Sailing in this region (North West Australia) is totally different with the smells of the land being carried out to sea to us onboard. I feel like I am sailing on the moon as it is so beautiful, nothing to compare to the tropical lights of Africa or America, here the colours are unique, it’s beautiful. The air is very dry similar to the Sahara but without the dust which makes the colours very dramatic.’

‘The race is on for Geronimo to be at Cape Leeuwin on the south west corner of Western Australia by Sunday night so they can benefit from the front that is travelling across a west to east track across the bottom of Australia. If the boat can average 15 knots boat speed they should be able to position themselves for this to occur. The strong North West winds from this front will assist Geronimo in a very fast passage through the southern ocean towards Tasmania,’ predicts meteorologist Richard Whittaker from The Weather Channel.

It is anticipated that if Geronimo can maintain her current speed of approximately 17 knots she will be off Perth and Fremantle in the early hours of Sunday morning and will then turn into the southern ocean once she reaches Cape Leeuwin on the southern coast of Western Australia. ‘The southern ocean is an area I have sailed in nine times but not in the winter, I can tell you more once we have been through’ commented de Kersauson as he prepares for the bottom of Australia.
‘The Australian crew are very good, an opinion we share onboard they have quickly adapted to the multihull and are good companions. Their enthusiasm is great and they are now an important part of the team. It is very nice for all of us to make a team so quickly from a group that didn’t have a chance to sail together before we set out,’ said de Kersauson last night.
‘We are enjoying sailing with the Australians we have onboard and eating the dried food from Australia as well’ mentioned one of the French crew members onboard Geronimo.

Linky Sailing News

Racing Trombini Match Race

News VO 70 launched

Great Lakes Coast Guard assists Sinker

Coast Guard Assists Boat Taking on Water

The Coast Guard rescued two people from their sinking sailing vessel off the coast of Port Sheldon at approximately 1:55 p.m. today.
A Coast Guard Station Holland 25-foot response boat, a Coast Guard HH65 rescue helicopter and an Ottowa County local marine patrol boat responded to a 28-foot sailing vessel taking on water.

After pulling the two people from the sinking boat, the Coast Guard put the vessel in tow to get it to a safe location.

The cause of the boat taking on water is not known at this time.

The Coast Guard encourages all boaters to take a cell phone, a radio and life jackets in case of emergency situations.

Women win at Youth Championships

History was made and National Champions were crowned today, the last day of US SAILING's U.S. Youth Sailing Championship hosted by Cedar Point Yacht Club in Westport, Conn. For the first time in the 23-year history of the event, an all-female team has won the doublehanded Club 420 fleet. Emily Dellenbaugh (Easton, Conn.) and Leigh Hammel (Warren, Vt.) deserved the honors, demonstrating great consistency throughout the Championship by always finishing in the top six of seven races in the 50-boat fleet. Thomas Barrows (St. Thomas, USVI) was victorious in the Laser class and Kyle Rogachenko (Collegeville, Pa.) won the Laser Radial class.

Racing was intense in the Club 420 fleet with the overall lead changing several times throughout the Championship. In the end, only six points separated the top three finishers in the event with Tyler Sinks and Myles Gutenkunst (San Diego, Calif./Mill Valley, Calif.) taking second place and San Diegans Adam Roberts and Nicholas Martin finishing third. Dellenbaugh attributes her team's win to "lots of practice." She and Hammel have been sailing together for about a year and when they're not sailing together, Dellenbaugh practices in her Club 420 with her sister Rebecca. Dellenbaugh and Hammel take home US SAILING's Manton Scott Memorial Trophy.

In the Laser fleet, competing for his third time in the Championship was the charm for Thomas Barrows (St. Thomas, USVI), who defeated 34 competitors to take home the National Championship title. "This year's event was the best competition I've ever been in," said Barrows, adding that his high school sailing experience and a recent Advanced Racing Clinic in Newport, R.I. helped him prepare for the Championship. With 23 points total, Barrows finished seven points ahead of the second-place finisher Robert Noonan (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) and ten points ahead of current US Youth World Team-member Royce Weber (Surf City, N.J.) who finished third.

By winning the event, the 17-year-old Barrows has received US SAILING's Robert L. Johnstone III Trophy and has also qualified to compete in the U.S. Singlehanded Sailing Championship for US SAILING's O'Day Trophy to be sailed at Alamitos Bay Yacht Club in Long Beach, Calif., on August 17-21, 2005.

With a total of four wins in seven races in the 25-boat Laser Radial fleet, Kyle Rogachenko took the lead on the first day and held on to it throughout the Championship. This event served as great practice for Rogachenko who was recently named to the 2005 Laser Radial Youth World Team and will represent the U.S. at the Laser Radial World Championship in Brazil in December of this year. David Hernandez (Miami, Fla.) finished in second place overall, one spot higher than last year's event when he finished third. John Moulthrop of Middlebury, Conn. finished third overall.

The David M. Perry Perpetual Sportsmanship Trophies were awarded to the sailors voted by their peers as most sportsmanlike in each fleet. The awards went to Fred Strammer (Nokomis, Fla.) in the Laser fleet, Zeke Horowitz (Sarasota, Fla.) in the Radial fleet, and to Club 420 skipper Tyler Sinks and crew Myles Gutenkunst.

Ports of Indiana Up 23%

The Ports of Indiana moved 3.2 million tons of cargo across its docks in the first five months of 2005, which puts the state's three port system 23 percent ahead of 2004. The ports handled 667,000 tons of cargo in May, which was the second highest tonnage month of the year behind April's 676,000 tons.

The Port of Indiana-Mount Vernon handled 317,000 tons in May bringing the year-to-date total to 1.69 million tons - up 40% from 2004. Steel tonnage continues to climb through the port's partnership agreement with Consolidated Terminals & Logistics Co. (CTLC) and is now 3,103% ahead of last year's opening five-month total. There were also increases in grain (up 74%) and coal (up 31%) as well as new shipments of road salt.

The Port of Indiana-Burns Harbor reported 223,000 tons in May bringing its year-to-date total to 651,000 tons - an increase of 40% over 2004. The primary increases came from limestone (up 79%), grain (up 74%), miscellaneous cargoes (up 63%), steel (up 13%) and new coal tonnage.

The Port of Indiana-Jeffersonville moved 127,000 tons in May which is 56 percent higher than last May and brings the 2005 total to 888,000 tons. The year-to-date total is now just 7 percent behind last year's near-record opening. So far in 2005, there have been significant shipping increases in steel (up 37%), grain (up 32%) and miscellaneous cargoes (up 9%).

Ericsson Racing Team Launches

The Ericsson Racing Team yesterday launched its VO70 yacht at Green
Marine in Lymington in the UK. After being towed to Gosport, the
yacht will have its keel and rig fitted before the crew takes it out
for sea trials.

Jason Carrington, who has been supervising the construction of the
team's Farr-designed boat said: "This is possibly the best boat I
have ever been part of building. The attention to detail in all
aspects of the construction is fantastic, and I will be very
surprised and unhappy if this is not the lightest boat in the fleet."

Neal McDonald, skipper, said: "It is a great day for the team. We are
through the tough construction phase and we are looking forward to
getting on the water and trying her out. I congratulate all the boat
builders at Green Marine and all suppliers who have done a fantastic
job to finish the boat."
The Ericsson Racing Team is headed by Ericsson, the world's leading
telecommunications supplier, and supported by Semcon as design and
development partner.

Dusyant Patel, operating officer for the Ericsson Racing Team, said:
"We are very pleased to see the yacht in the water. Now you really
get the feeling that the race is on. In parallel with the
construction of the boat, we have done a lot of work on how to bring
the race experience to our customers and the public around the world.
I think we will be able to use the boat and the race in a very
exciting way."