An uncharacteristically benign weather forecast promises a fast Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race this year, and looks set to favour the five 90-plus-foot Maxi yachts. Sean Langman, skipper of the 92-foot AAPT, was bursting with excitement at the prospect of a downwind sleigh ride to Hobart when the fleet departs Sydney on Boxing Day. "There is a fantastic opportunity for the treble with this forecast. The treble of winning line honours, handicap and the race record, which we haven't seen for some time."
Like most pundits watching the build-up to this race, Langman marks out the two new Reichel/Pugh 98-footers, Alfa Romeo and Wild Oats XI, as the clear favourites for reaching Hobart first. "I feel excited for Neville and Ricco [Neville Crichton and Mark Richards, skippers of Alfa and Oats respectively], but we'll be doing our best to hang on." Langman is sailing the boat which, as Nicorette, won a rough and windy race to Hobart a year ago after the biggest Maxis fell by the wayside, and he is hoping to steal the thunder of the race favourites this year.
The best hope of beating the favourites would have been for a typical dose of Rolex Sydney Hobart weather to give the fleet a severe beating, with strong southerly winds and huge seas barring the way to Tasmania. But in his forecast today, Barry Hanstrum from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology held out little chance of that happening. "Conditions this year look very much more favourable. In contrast to last year, when strong southerly gales battered the fleet, weather conditions this year look more favourable for the competitors. Winds on Boxing Day morning will be light, 5-10 knots from the south-east. But winds will slip around during the night to the north, so that by late Tuesday on the southern New South Wales coast, there may be 20 knots northerlies perhaps increasing to 20 to 30 knots."
Wild Oats skipper Mark Richards was encouraged by the forecast, but no more than that. "The forecast sounds fantastic but we've heard that before. Things can change overnight." Richards will nevertheless draw more comfort from the forecast than most, as Wild Oats has been very late to the water, and is one of the least prepared big boats. Owner Bob Oatley and the crew have made some major changes to the boat in the final week before the race, and a typical Rolex Sydney Hobart would not have been a good place to test these changes. In response to Neville Crichton's recent switch to a tungsten bulb for the keel of Alfa Romeo, Wild Oats have been scrabbling around for this extremely dense - but also very rare and expensive - metal to add to their predominantly lead bulb. Richards wouldn't say how much of the keel was now made up of tungsten, but joked: "I know for a fact that there's no more in Australia!" He said they had also changed the front rudder, altered the draft of the boat and changed the weight.
By contrast, Crichton's crew have been much more settled, with Alfa Romeo launched six months ago. "The boat has done about 5,000 sea miles since we put it in the water," said the owner/skipper, who is prepared for a war with the elements despite the kind forecast. "We have crash helmets and visors for the drivers, and we think that's pretty important." One of the drivers will be Ben Ainslie, one of the most accomplished sailors in Olympic history. The British sailor flew into Sydney last night from Auckland, where he has been training with the New Zealand America's Cup team. He has never set foot on Alfa Romeo, but Crichton was not concerned at his lack of experience. "He's got a little bit of a track record. He's got two gold medals, won five world championships, he's been sailing the number 2 boat for New Zealand. He's the only crew member that hasn't sailed on the boat, but I think he'll be teaching us things, not us teaching him. He's a very competent sailor and seaman."
With five super-fast Maxis in the hunt - Alfa Romeo, Wild Oats, Skandia, Konica Minolta and AAPT - the race record looks certain to fall. This was set by the Volvo 60 Nokia on a fast downwind race in 1999, in a time of 1 day, 19 hours and 48 minutes. Sean Langman said: "The record is definitely gone, even with the wind against us up the Derwent [the river that leads to the finish in Hobart]. "But as we've seen in the Volvo Ocean Race, these canting keel boats can get into trouble downwind as well. So even though it looks good for them, you still don't hand over the trophy to them quite yet."
December 31, 2005, Cape Town, South Africa – There are some noticeable crew changes as the clock ticks down to the start of the second leg of the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-06.
Brasil 1 has taken on two very experienced ocean adventurers for the next leg. Marcel van Trieste (NED) replaces Adrienne Cahalan (AUS) as the navigator and had his first outing on the boat for the in-port race on Boxing Day. Van Trieste brings a wealth of experience to the boat and with three Whitbread/Volvo Ocean Races under his belt he beefs up the ocean experience onboard.
Norwegian Knut Frostad also joins the Brasil 1 crew for the Southern Ocean legs. Another three times round the world sailor, competing twice alongside Van Triest, Frostad comes onboard as one of the watch captains replacing Horacio Carabelli (BRA) who will remain ashore for this leg.
ABN AMRO ONE, the lead boat in the Volvo Ocean Race, also sees a crew
replacement with British sailor Brian Thompson standing in for an injured Mark Christensen (NZ), who sustained an arm and wrist injury whilst training in Spain. Thompson is no stranger to the Southern Ocean or sailing around the world having seen victory last year in the Oryx Quest, a non-stop circumnavigation of the globe. Added to this, is a wealth of experience in Open 60’s and maxi catamarans.
Other changes include the addition of three times Whitbread/Volvo Ocean Race sailor Matt Humphries to the crew of the newly named ING Real Estate Brunel (formerly Sunergy and Friends). British sailor Humphries will replace Campbell Field (NZ) as the navigator onboard the Australian entry while Gareth Cooke (NZ) replaces Graeme Taylor.
The final two crew changes are within Ericsson Racing Team and Pirates of the Caribbean; Irish sailor Damien Foxall, who competed onboard Tyco in the 2001-02 Volvo Ocean Race, has replaced Tony Kolb (GER) on Ericsson and Anthony Merrington (AUS) replaces Olympic bronze medallist Fredrik Loof of Sweden on Pirates of the Caribbean.
Movistar and ABN AMRO TWO are the only two boats not to have made any crew changes on leg two.
Whilst most people recover from their New Year’s over indulgence the crews of the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-06 will be enjoying their last fresh nutritional meals, final cold beer and warm bed before heading out into the Southern Ocean on Monday 2 January for one of the most challenging and gruelling legs of the Volvo Ocean Race.
Leg two gets underway at 13 00 in Table Bay. To follow the ride through the Southern Ocean log onto www.volvooceanrace.org.
Crew lists for Leg Two
(Cape Town – Melbourne 6,100nm)
ABN AMRO ONE
Mike Sanderson (NZ) – Skipper
Stan Honey (USA) – Navigator
Brad Jackson (NZ)
Brian Thompson (GBR) [replaces Mark Christensen (NZ)]
Tony Mutter (NZ)
Sidney Gavignet (FRA)
David Endean (NZ)
Jan Dekker (RSA)
Robert Greenhalgh (GBR)
Justin Slattery (IRL)
ABN AMRO TWO
Sebastien Josse (FRA) – Skipper
Simon Fisher (GBR) – Navigator
Andrew Lewis (USA)
George Peet (USA)
Gerd Jan Poortman (NED)
Hans Horrevoets (NED)
Luke Molloy (AUS)
Nick Bice (AUS)
Scott Beavis (NZ)
Simeon Tienpont (NED)
Brasil 1
Torben Grael (BRA) – Skipper
Marcel Van Trieste (NED) – Navigator [replaces Adrienne Cahalan (AUS)]
André Fonseca (BRA)
Andy Meiklejohn (NZ)
Henrique Pellicano (BRA)
João Signorini (BRA)
Marcelo Ferreira (BRA)
Roberto Bermudez (ESP)
Stuart Wilson (NZ)
Knut Frostad (NOR) [replaces Horacio Carabelli (BRA)]
Ericsson Racing Team
Neal McDonald (GBR) – Skipper
Steven Hayles (GBR) – Navigator
Damien Foxall (IRL) [replaces Anton Kolb (GER)]
David Rolfe (NZ)
Guillermo Altadill (ESP)
Jason Carrington (GBR)
Magnus Woxen (SWE)
Richard Mason (NZ)
Thomas Braidwood (AUS)
Timothy Powell (GBR)
ING Real Estate Brunel
Grant Wharington (AUS) – Skipper
Matthew Humphries (GBR) – Navigator [replaces Campbell Field (NZ)]
Gareth Cooke (NZ) [replaces Graeme Taylor (AUS)]
Ian Walker (AUS)
Jeffery Scott (NZ)
Mark Bartlett (GBR)
Fraser Brown (NZ)
Adam Hawkins (AUS)
Mark Fullerton (AUS)
Ben Jones (AUS)
movistar
Bouwe Bekking (NED) – Skipper
Andrew Cape (AUS) – Navigator
Chris Nicholson (AUS)
Jonathan Swain (USA)
Mike Joubert (RSA)
Noel Drennan (IRL)
Pepe Ribes (ESP)
Peter Doriean (AUS)
Stu Bannatyne (NZ)
Xabier Fernandez (ESP)
Pirates of the Caribbean
Paul Cayard (USA) – Skipper
Jules Salter (GBR) – Navigator
Craig Satterthwaite (NZ)
Curtis Blewett (CAN)
Erle William (NZ)
Anthony Merrington (AUS) [replaces Fredrik Loof (SWE)]
Justin Clougher (AUS)
Justin Ferris (NZ)
Rodney Ardern (NZ)
Dirk de Ridder (NED)
Current Leaderboard
[position/team name/skipper/race points to date]
1st TEAM ABN AMRO ONE, Mike Sanderson (NZL) 15 pts
2nd Brasil 1, Torben Grael (BRA) 12.5 pts
3rd TEAM ABN AMRO TWO, Sebastien Josse (FRA) 12 pts
4th Ericsson Racing Team Neal McDonald (GBR) 11.5 pts
5th Movistar, Bouwe Bekking (NED) 6 pts
6th Pirates of the Caribbean, Paul Cayard (USA) 5 pts
6th ING Real Estate Brunel, Grant Wharington (AUS) 5 pts
As the second in-port race in the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-06 began in anger radio commentator Guy Swindells described the Volvo Open 70’s as ‘skiffs on steroids’ as the boats leapt out of the starting blocks and away up the first leg.
The ‘Cape Doctor’ played its part providing a 25-35 knot south easterly which allowed the 70’s to show their true power and speed out in Table Bay.
Still high on success after winning the first leg into Cape Town, Mike Sanderson (NZ) and his crew onboard ABN AMRO ONE dominated the day. As Sanderson explains: “The guys did an awesome job of getting the boat around the track. We got off the line cleanly and managed to hold a lane to the first mark. We had a slim lead rounding the mark and then managed to extend it throughout the rest of the race. We went full pace on the first leg but after that showed some self control which was really important out there.”
Sanderson was delighted that his ‘day in the office’ had turned out so well, especially in light a disappointing first in-port race in Sanxenxo in November. “Cape Town has been good to us, there is no doubt about that. Compared to the leg win, this is not so big but compared to our result from the last in-port race in Sanxenxo, this is huge. We managed to get a few points on Ericsson and Brasil and came in from the day extending our lead, so that’s a good day out on the water!”
ABN AMRO ONE crossed the finish line almost seven minutes in front of
second place movistar, who were delighted with their result, especially after their Volvo Ocean Race campaign did not get off to the best start when they were forced to retire from the first leg of the race.
The team onboard movistar sailed a good race to work their way through the fleet and into second place by the finish. Local sailor and bowman of movistar Mike Joubert explained, “We had a bit of a problem with the keel on the first leg of the course and this obviously spilled over to a lot of other areas. That’s why we struggled and probably rounded the first mark second to last. Fortunately we quickly recovered and got back into the groove. After that everything settled back nicely and it is great to be back and scoring points. We’re just happy to be back on the water and the
boat is doing great.”
Movistar managed to split up TEAM ABN AMRO, forcing itself in between the black boat and the younger team on ABN AMRO TWO, preventing a clean sweep by the Juan Kouyoumdjian designed boats.
Pirates of the Caribbean, skippered by Paul Cayard (USA), sailed a great race up until the last downwind leg when a gust of wind knocked them sideways during the gybe and cruelly took away second place. By the time the ‘Pirates’ had recovered she had been overtaken by movistar, ABN AMRO TWO and Brasil 1, and finished in fifth place overall just in front of Ericsson who suffered from a broken reefing line in the mainsail.
One person who did enjoy all of the excitement, and action, was Springbok flanker Schalk Burger who became a Pirate for the day when he joined Pirates of the Caribbean. He commented, “It was fast, it was wet, it was great fun. I just stood there and hung on. It got quite bumpy at times. It was some ride.” Asked about preferring the bottom of a scrum to the boat, Burger laughingly admits that he’s “not ready to hang up his boots and head to the seas quite yet.”
Overall the leader remains the same with ABN AMRO ONE stretching their lead slightly over Brasil 1. A third place for today sees ABN AMRO TWO move up to third place overall on the leaderboard, half a point in front of Ericsson. Movistar and Pirates of the Caribbean have also added some vital points to their overall scores and are places fifth and sixth respectively.
The teams now have a week to recover and get ready for the next leg of the Volvo Ocean Race which takes the boats through the Southern Ocean to Melbourne. Leg two gets underway at 13 00 on Monday 2 January.
Results, in-port race - Cape Town
Position, boat name, skipper, finishing time (local GMT +2)
1st TEAM ABN AMRO ONE, Mike Sanderson (NZL) 15h:31.44
2nd Movistar, Bouwe Bekking (NED) 15:38.24
3rd TEAM ABN AMRO TWO, Sebastien Josse (FRA) 15:41.26
4th Brasil 1, Torben Grael (BRA) 15:41.56
5th Pirates of the Caribbean, Paul Cayard (USA) 15:42.49
6th Ericsson Racing Team Neal McDonald (GBR) 15:54.32
7th ING Real Estate Brunel, Grant Wharington/Barney Walker (AUS) -
15:55.22
Current Leaderboard (PROVISIONAL)
[position/team name/skipper/race points to date]
1st TEAM ABN AMRO ONE, Mike Sanderson (NZL) 15 pts
2nd Brasil 1, Torben Grael (BRA) 12.5 pts
3rd TEAM ABN AMRO TWO, Sebastien Josse (FRA) 12 pts
4th Ericsson Racing Team Neal McDonald (GBR) 11.5 pts
5th Movistar, Bouwe Bekking (NED) 6 pts
6th Pirates of the Caribbean, Paul Cayard (USA) 5 pts
6th ING Real Estate Brunel, Grant Wharington (AUS) 5 pts
December 26, 2005, Cape Town, South Africa – Wild and windy was the order of the day in Table Bay for the seven Volvo Open 70’s taking part in the second in-port race of the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-06. After two and a half hours and buckets of water washed over the deck, it was Mike Sanderson and his team onboard ABN AMRO ONE that took the race victory.
The ‘Cape Doctor’ delivered a dose of its usual medicine and as the race got underway at 13 00 (local time) there was a steady 25 knot South Easterly blowing which would guarantee some exciting racing and close jostling between the teams.
Brasil 1, skippered by Torben Grael, won the start but it was not long until ABN AMRO ONE powered through and led the fleet to the first windward mark. Whilst there was serious swapping of places throughout the fleet, Sanderson and his crew on ABN AMRO ONE rounded the windward mark in first place and never looked back. They extended their lead all the way around the course which took them past the Victoria & Albert Waterfront, alongside Milnerton Beach and across Table Bay, eventually winning the race comfortably by over seven minutes.
The Spanish entry Movistar under the guidance of Bouwe Bekking (NED) sailed a good race working her way through the fleet from fifth place to eventually crossing the line second in front of ABN AMRO TWO.
TEAM ABN AMRO have done the double in Cape Town - they were first into the South African port after the 6,400 nm offshore leg from Spain and have now won the inshore race as well. This means that they maintain their overall lead in the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-06.
Provision results
1st TEAM ABN AMRO ONE, Mike Sanderson (NZL) 2nd Movistar, Bouwe Bekking (NED) 3rd TEAM ABN AMRO TWO, Sebastien Josse (FRA) 4th Brasil 1, Torben Grael (BRA) 5th Pirates of the Caribbean, Paul Cayard (USA) 6th Ericsson Racing Team Neal McDonald (GBR) 7th ING Real Estate Brunel, Grant Wharington/Barney Walker (AUS)
A full race report and reaction from the skippers with follow once the boats reach shortly.
December 23, 2005, Cape Town, South Africa – Whilst most people will still be enjoying their leftover Christmas dinners, the seven Volvo Open 70’s that make up the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-06 will be out in Table Bay locked in battle.
The in-port racing is an exciting new feature to the Volvo Ocean Race and allows the race crews to not only showcase their talent and skills around a short inshore course but also to pick up valuable points to add to their overall score.
Glenn Bourke, Chief Executive of the Volvo Ocean Race, explained, “We had it in our minds that we would offer yachts designers the complex challenge of designing a boat which is exciting for close quarters inshore racing and also purpose built to be the fastest and most exciting ocean racing yacht conceived.”
Bourke continued with his thoughts on Monday’s race, “Looking at the
forecast, with strong winds predicted for Boxing Day, we can expect to see the fastest racing monohulls in the world testing their crews to the limit around a very short and intense 2-3 hour course. Success and failure will probably depend more on crew work and tactics than it will on relative speed of the boats which gives everyone the opportunity to pick up some vital points and stand on the podium.”
After an exciting start from Spain in November the fleet in one way or another covered the 6,400 nautical miles to Cape Town. The first race leg victory went to ABN AMRO ONE skippered by Mike Sanderson (NZ) who led the party of five finishers into Cape Town. A week later Pirates of the Caribbean arrived by Antanov aeroplane after suffering from damage that forced her to retire from the first leg. The final boat to arrive was the Spanish entry movistar, who like Pirates of the Caribbean, also suffered damage when storms flattened the fleet in the first 24 hours. Movistar arrived in spectacular style onboard a huge Wallenius Wilhelmsen freighter – MV Toronto.
Going into the in-port race, which will take place as near to the shore as possible in Table Bay, the Dutch entry of ABN AMRO ONE is currently the overall race leader. The result of a win on the first leg gives Sanderson and his crew a one point lead over the Brazilian entry, Brasil 1, skippered my multiple Olympic medallist Torben Grael (BRA) but points are tight and they hold joint second with British Skipper Neal McDonald and his Ericsson Racing Team.
The in-port race will provide an opportunity for Paul Cayard’s (USA)
Pirates of the Caribbean and movistar, under the guidance of Bouwe Bekking (NED), to get some points under their belts as, due to the result of them retiring from the first leg, they hold sixth and seventh place respectively.
The forecast looks set to add a bit of excitement to the days racing as race meteorologist Christopher Bedford explains, “Winds will start to ease on Monday, but there is a chance of some strong 15-25 knots South Easterly gradient winds for the in-port race.”
If the ‘Cape Doctor’ blows, spectators who plan to watch the race (which is scheduled to commence at 13 00 on the 26 December) will get a real sense of the power and speed of the Volvo Open 70’s. With the race expected to take place close to the shore off Milnerton, spectators who are not lucky enough to get afloat should have some great vantage points from Milnerton Beach, as well as Table Mountain, Signal Hill and many of the other peaks surrounding the bay.
Schedule of events for Monday 26 December (all times are local GMT +2) 10 30 – 11 00 Departure ceremony begins from V&A Waterfront (Jetty 1) 11 30 Exclusion zones in place around the race course
12 00 Press boat departure 12 50 Live commentary begins (www.volvooceanrace.org)
13 00 In-port race scheduled start
17 00 Estimated finish time of in-port race
17 30 Boats return to race village
18 30 Prize giving in V&A Waterfront Amphitheatre
Leg One finish results
[position/team name/skipper/elapsed time]
1st TEAM ABN AMRO ONE, Mike Sanderson (NZL) 19d 00h 24m 02s
2nd TEAM ABN AMRO TWO, Sebastien Josse (FRA) 19d 06h 56m 34s
3rd Brasil 1, Torben Grael (BRA) 19d 15h 58m 48s
4th Ericsson Racing Team Neal McDonald (GBR) 020d 16h 47m 38s
5th ING Real Estate Brunel, Grant Wharington (AUS) 024d 01h 33m 55s
DNF Movistar, Bouwe Bekking (NED)
DNF Pirates of the Caribbean, Paul Cayard (USA)
Current Leaderboard
[position/team name/skipper/race points to date (inc in-port, scoring
gate, leg finish)]
1st TEAM ABN AMRO ONE, Mike Sanderson (NZL) 11.5 pts
2nd Brasil 1, Torben Grael (BRA) 10.5 pts
2nd Ericsson Racing Team Neal McDonald (GBR) 10.5 pts
4th TEAM ABN AMRO TWO, Sebastien Josse (FRA) 9.5 pts
5th ING Real Estate Brunel, Grant Wharington (AUS) 4.5 pts
6th Pirates of the Caribbean, Paul Cayard (USA) 3.5 pts
7th Movistar, Bouwe Bekking (NED) 3 pts
Our December newsletter highlighted upcoming boat shows in our area; Chicago’s Strictly Sail and the Grand Rapids Boat Show. In retrospect it is important to offer some additional information pertaining to these shows.
Boat show events are an opportunity for any sailor, experienced or non-, exhibitor or attendee, to learn. Exhibitors take advantage of these shows as an opportunity to communicate directly with the public and other exhibitors. They obtain first hand knowledge of the general sailor’s interests and needs, while gaining exposure to the newest in technologies and brands. The show attendee benefits from this knowledge base, as it is constantly growing and changing.
With that in mind, do not be afraid to ask questions. Questions are the catalyst for progress. Exhibitors are a wealth of knowledge and they are there to attend to your questions and needs. What an exhibitor does not have an answer for, you will find they will likely seek one out. As each and every boat is different, and each and every sailor’s needs are different, it is likely that your question will suit your situation specifically. Be sure to point out specifications, as this will affect the answers provided. An exhibitor’s answers are as good as the information provided him/her. Don’t forget businesses exhibiting are volunteering their time, they want to interact with you.
Strictly Sail’s 10th Anniversary Chicago Show, at Navy Pier, not only hosts over 250 exhibitors; they also provide seminars, prizes, and children’s activities. Mini sailboats are available for racing, and an Author’s Corner is featured, highlighting sailing’s current writers. Be sure to sign your child up for coloring and Build-A-Boat contests, and of course, Skipper, the Boat Show Dolphin, will be on hand. (He is a salt-water mascot, so handle with care.)
Strictly Sail Chicago’s Boat Show hours and rates are as follows:
| Day | Time | Ticket Pricing |
| Thursday & Friday, Feb. 2nd & 3rd | 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. | $12.00 |
| Saturday, Feb. 4th | 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. | $15.00 |
| Sunday, Feb. 5th | 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. | $15.00 |
| Two Day Pass | Saturday & Sunday | $24.00 |
Torresen Marine’s Strictly Sail booth, #341, will feature Service, Sailing School, Diesel Engine and Brokerage Staff to assist you. Tickets and directions to Navy Pier are available directly at Strictly Sail Chicago.
The 61st Grand Center Boat Show’s focus encompasses all forms of boats, but the sailor will find several items of interest. This year’s seminars are nearly all sailing oriented. Jack Klang, of Bay Breeze Yacht Charters and Jerry Mayfield of UK Sails will both be rendering sailing specific presentations. Seminar stages and hours are found at Grand Rapids Boat Show Seminars.
Torresen Marine’s booth is located in the Devos Place’s main ballroom, booth #710. We will have an array of small sailboats for viewing, our complete brokerage list, as well as several diesel engines. Two for one coupon’s are currently available at the Torresen Marine Ship’s Store, so stop by and pick one up.
The Grand Rapid’s Boat Show hours and ticket rates are as follows:
| Day | Time | Ticket Pricing |
| Wednesday & Thursday, Feb. 15th & 16th | 3 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. | Adults - $9.00 |
| Friday, Feb. 17th | 11 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. | Children - $4.00 |
| Saturday, Feb. 18th | 10a.m. – 9 p.m. | 5 & Under - Free |
| Sunday, Feb. 19th | 11a.m. - 6 p.m. |
The Torresen Marine staff looks forward to seeing you at the shows. It is our aim to promote the sailing industry and provide you with the best and most current products available. Please stop by our booth with any questions, concerns or comments. You can even feel free to stop by just to say hello.
The sailing season never ends when you also sail an iceboat. Fellowship, camaraderie, and high-speed excitement attract sailors to this winter sport. Area ice sailors welcome new participants, and formed a club to help newcomers get started in the fun.
The West Michigan Ice Yacht Club informs members by email when area lakes have favorable ice conditions. The club promotes safety and recreation. Club meetings are open to all. The club meets at the Muskegon Yacht Club 7:30 p.m. January 19 and February 16. The club also meets on the ice to sail, and welcomes those who would like to find out more about the sport.
Member Andy Bos gives rides in his two-seat Arrow iceboat. Be sure to dress as warmly as you would for downhill skiing.
Most members of the club are interested in recreational sailing, but a few also race. The DN iceboat is the most popular. Race speeds average 45 miles per hour. There are several regattas in Michigan every winter. For more information about racing, visit IDNIYRA.org. Visit the clubs Web site at WMIYC.org.
How exciting! I just checked my calendar and spring’s almost here!
What? Spring’s almost here? How can that be? It seems that we’re still recovering from endless holiday gatherings, shoveling every day and the only sailing happening within hundreds of miles is being done by guys wearing helmets and track spikes.
Well, maybe it’s still a ways off, but here in the Torresen Marine service department we’re preparing like spring is just around the corner. The TMI service staff is in the office preparing schedules, making repairs and discussing projects every day. One of our main objectives is preparing an accurate spring service schedule, but this can only be done if we know what has to be scheduled. All too often we receive an onslaught of calls only weeks before the sailing season starts, requesting what becomes an almost insurmountable amount of service orders. This spring “rush” is what sometimes overloads the service schedule and ultimately results in jobs being delayed, sometimes into our already short sailing season.
The best way for you to avoid the “rush” is to get your service requests in as early as possible. Not only does this significantly increase your chances of getting your work done on time; it allows us a better opportunity to give your boat the attention it deserves. The service department is staffed all winter and our technicians are available to help you answer any questions you may have. Schedule your work now and you’ll be ready to go sailing as soon as warm temperatures return.
So don’t wait, get your spring maintenance list figured out today. Contact the TMI service department and let us get your boat ready for the upcoming season.
It started on November 26! There was enough snow to plow and, except for the recent rain, the snow will return.
For those lucky (or smart) enough to have their boats indoors few problems will arise, as long as the roof is strong enough. Boats stored outside are getting very heavy snow loads on the covers and plenty of blowing snow filling the cockpits and even blowing into tightly closed cabins. When a thaw comes, this snow will melt. What is on top of the covers could turn into big pockets of ice that can overload the cover and/or its tie-downs. Going under the cover and inverting the sag until the ice slides off generally relieves this problem. When doing this be careful of who or what is underneath and also of the proximity of adjacent boats.
Snow in the cockpit or on deck is less of a problem unless temperature cycles result in the drains remaining frozen while the top layers thaw. This, and the snow blown into cabins, can result in water rising in the bilge. While the shape of a bilge is such that water freezing will do little harm, the water could rise to the floorboards and affect the wood, or at least the finish. A prudent maneuver is to remove the speedometer transducer or to disconnect a hose from a through hull fitting located low in the boat (and leave the valve open). This will allow snow melt a way to get out without causing damage.
Improperly secured covers can flail against areas of the boat and cause problems with the boat's finish. If we see a boat stored in our yards that has a loose cover, we try to apprise the owner so that corrective action can be taken. Often the best solution to a loose cover is to remove it. Plastic covers, especially shrink-wrap, should be recycled when removed. TMI can supply bags for the plastic (at a nominal cost) that are then shipped UPS to a recycling plant. We have daily UPS pick up service.
The best part of winter in Michigan is that spring follows. There are lots of activities in the state to keep all the snow bunnies happy. Hopefully the snow will abate when the ice forms so that the iceboaters can get their share.
The seasons have changed and the boats are here for the winter. What a collection we have at Torresen Marine. I can’t help but to consider each boat it's own “Pandora’s box”. How does one consider the condition of these fine yachts? As a boat owner, do you ever think of the status of each system on your boat? How do we organize that train of thought? Well I have one answer. Now is the time to request a rig inspection.
Simply put, a rig inspection is a comprehensive examination of your boat's rigging and if your boat is on Torresen Marine property the rig inspection is only $75.00. What does that mean? Let’s consider the following areas.
Inspections above deck level
Mast head
Headstay and furling system
Standing rigging (shrouds and stays)
Spreaders
Sail track
Running rigging (halyards, running back stays, etc.)
Mast lighting
Inspections at deck level
Rig tuning
Mast collar
Mast step
Chainplates
Furling hardware
Boom, gooseneck, and vang
Mast section
Deck hardware
Life lines
All these areas are represented on our rig inspection report. Each area comes with a description of what a rigger is looking for and finding. In the end you’ll receive up to a five-page report. This will organize the condition of your boat in a way that allows you to make decisions pertaining to its maintenance and up-keep for the coming season. The cover page has suggestions for serious repairs and suggestions for improvements.
With this document in hand one can easily make rational plans for maintenance in a well-organized manner. Feel free to contact the Torresen Marine Service Department to discuss your needs. Now is the time to have these systems inspected and plan for a safe and enjoyable 2006 season.
The 2006 U.S. Youth Sailing Championship, the country's top event for young sailors organized by US SAILING, will be held June 22-29, 2006 and hosted by Grosse Point Yacht Club in Grosse Point, Mich. Originally scheduled to be hosted by Southern Yacht Club in New Orleans, La., which received significant damage during Hurricane Katrina, the event location was moved to Grosse Point to allow Southern Yacht Club the time to re-build and host the event in 2007. Applications for the event will be accepted January 2 - March 15, 2006. The event is sponsored by Vanguard Sailboats and Nautica.
Traditionally sailed in Club 420s (doublehanded dinghy), Lasers and Laser Radials (both singlehanded dinghies), a fourth class has been added for this year's event: the 29er. A doublehanded skiff much like the Olympic 49er class, the 29er is being introduced as part of US SAILING's Olympic development program.
The U.S. Youth Championship every year brings together up to 150 of the country's top youth sailors and features two days of advanced racing clinics and three days of high level racing. Competitors are selected based on sailing resumes which must be submitted online at www.ussailing.org/championships/youth/youthchamp. The application period for the 2006 event opens on January 2, 2006 and closes at midnight Eastern Time on March 15.
The U.S. Youth Sailing Championship is a qualifying event for the US Youth World Team: the highest eligible finisher of the Laser fleet at the U.S. Youth Championship will represent the U.S. at the 2006 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship in Weymouth, England in July.
For more information about the U.S. Youth Sailing Championship, please visit the event website at www.ussailing.org/championships/youth/youthchamp. The event is part of US SAILING's Youth and Junior Championship series. For more information on these National Championships, please visit www.ussailing.org/championships or e-mail championships@ussailing.org.
Demonstrating a continuing commitment to youth sailing, the U.S. Youth Sailing Championship is once again sponsored by Vanguard Sailboats, Official Sponsor of US SAILING, and Nautica, the Official Apparel Supplier to the US Sailing Team.
Of the three divisions in the Rolex Trophy Ratings Series in Sydney, two of them were settled by tiebreak with only Ray Roberts's DK46 Quantum Racing the clear winner. Recently returned to Sydney as the victor of the King's Cup in Malaysia, Roberts won Division 2 with a string of 1st and 2nd places, scoring 8 points overall to runner-up Ginger's 17 points.
The points gap wouldn't have been quite so great if Swan 45 Ginger hadn't been disqualified from the Saturday morning race following a spinnaker-touching incident with Quantum. "They were a pretty tough competitor to beat," said Roberts of Leslie Green's crew. "There was a massive 30 degree shift which put us back into 4th at one point, and we had to fight out way back up to 2nd whilst avoiding some covering tacks by Ginger."
Quantum Racing emerges from this series as one of the big favourites for the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race a week from now. Roberts will celebrate tonight, but then he'll be wrapping up some business commitments before focusing on the big race to Tasmania. "Tonight we'll give it a big run and have a few champagnes and play hard, then we'll be out practising later in the week."
In Division 1, Richard Cawse sailed a blinder of a day with his 60-footer Vanguard, winning both races on handicap and finishing on equal points with Stewart Thwaites's 98-foot Maxi Konica Minolta. With the tiebreak settled by most number of race wins during the regatta, Thwaite's four victories to Cawse's three gave the bigger boat the Division by the slimmest of margins.
Konica Minolta's owner was elated. "We had winds of 11 to 26 knots, very shifty. One moment you were making the next mark, then you weren't. But it was fantastic racing, beautiful waves, flat seas." Thwaites now returns to New Zealand for a couple of days before coming back for a Sydney Christmas and then the Boxing Day start to Hobart.
Alfa Romeo's defence of her lead in Division 0 became easier with Wild Oats XI's non-appearance on the water today. Bob Oatley's team decided that their limited time before the Rolex Sydney Hobart was better spent on shortening their long list of jobs on the brand new boat. Out on the ocean, meanwhile, Alfa Romeo was well reefed for the first start but if anything they had overdone it and the underpowered canting-keeled Maxi rounded the first mark just 44 seconds in front of Konica Minolta. However, Neville Crichton's boat eased away from the opposition down the first run and, having shaken out the reef up the second beat, Alfa got into her stride. Crichton's performance was sufficient to win that race and the series with a race to spare. Even if the 60-footer Loki won the last race, she would only match Alfa Romeo for points and the 98-footer would win on tiebreak.
Indeed this is what happened. Crichton used the afternoon for some reefing practice and other manoeuvres that will come into play during the Rolex Sydney Hobart. This left the race course clear for Stephen Ainsworth's Loki to race to a straightforward final-race victory in Division 0. "I'm happy with the way it went," said Ainsworth. "although we had trouble beating those 100-footers. They're not rated that fairly, but then they're also well sailed."
If anything, Loki's focus was more on the other 60-footer from Division 1, Richard Cawse's Vanguard. While they were competing in different divisions, they were both racing around the same race track so they could draw a direct comparison with each other. "We were match racing with Vanguard a lot this week. They're very good competitors, and we've lifted each other. At the end of the eight races, we've had four each, so it has been a good battle." However, Vanguard won't be lining up for the race to Hobart, so Loki will have to find other ways of benchmarking her progress in the 628-miler.
While the prizegiving at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia marked the end of racing at the Rolex Trophy this afternoon, Rushcutters Bay will only get busier over the coming days as crews make their final preparations for the big race in a week's time.
Final placings after eight races, Division 0:
1. Alfa Romeo, Reichel/Pugh 98 (Neville Crichton) 1-1-DNC-1-3-1-1-6, 14 pts
2. Loki, Reichel/Pugh 98 (Stephen Ainsworth) 2-3-2-3-2-2-2-1, 14 pts
3. Wild Oats XI, Reichel/Pugh 98 (Bob Oatley) 3-2-1-2- 1-6-6-6, 21 pts
Final placings after eight races, Division 1:
1. Konica Minolta, Bakewell-White 98 (Stewart Thwaites) 5-1-1-4-1-1-3-2, 13 pts
2. Vanguard, Cawse/Lyons 60 (Dick Cawse) 2-3-3-1-3-2-1-1, 13 pts
3. Yendys, Judel/Vrolijk 52 (Geoff Ross) 1-2-2-2-2-3-2-3, 14 pts
Final placings after eight races, Division 2:
1. Quantum Racing, DK 46 (Ray Roberts) 1-1-1-2-1-1-2-1, 8 pts
2. Ginger, Swan 45 (Leslie Green) 2-2-2-1-12-2-4-4, 17 pts
3. Wedgetail, HW 42 (Bill Wild) 5-3-3-3-3-4-3-2, 21 pts
In many races, one of the simplest ways to guarantee winning a trophy is to build the biggest, lightest - and therefore theoretically fastest - yacht. It is why the likes of Neville Crichton and Bob Oatley have both built 98-foot super maxis in a bid to win line honours in the upcoming Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. But in this race, bigger is not necessarily better. The unique conditions typically encountered on the 628 mile course from Sydney to Hobart make it extremely difficult to predict a line honours winner.
Take last year's race to Hobart, for example, where a heinous sea combined with gale-force winds saw the two biggest maxis - Skandia and Konica Minolta - suffer race-ending breakdowns. At 92 feet long, the slightly smaller Nicorette profited from both the forced retirement of Konica and the capsize of Skandia, leaving the way clear for Ludde Ingvall to reach Hobart first. This was largely due to "Ludde's Tour of Tasmania", the skipper's colourful description of his survival strategy of dodging in and out of almost every cove along the eastern coast of Tasmania, to avoid the worst of the steep-backed waves further out to sea.
Ingvall also imposed a speed limit of 8 knots on his go-fast young skiff sailors aboard Nicorette, as it was the only way the brand new boat was going to stay in one piece. Then lo and behold, just a few days after being delivered up to Queensland for some corporate sailing, Nicorette's mast fell down, believed to have been a delayed effect from the severe hammering it had taken during the passage to Hobart.
Despite the high damage toll suffered by these three maxis, the same trio are back for another assault on the Rolex Sydney Hobart. Nicorette is on charter to Sean Langman and rebranded as AAPT. Langman says he has added extra bulkheads to the bow section of the 92-footer, the front sections being the part of the boat that bears the brunt of any wave impact. Following the near total destruction of Skandia, Grant Wharington will be back with the same boat after a major refurbishment of the damaged maxi. The Melbourne property developer will also have learned valuable lessons about canting keel technology from his participation in the Volvo Ocean Race, and he is taking time out of this round-the-world adventure to compete in the Rolex Sydney Hobart, a race that he won with Skandia in 2003.
Stewart Thwaites is another maxi owner who can't stay away. Konica Minolta pulled out of the race last year when the Kiwi 98-footer slammed down off a big wave and nearly folded in half with the impact on landing. Her broken deck has now been fixed and reinforced, and the conventional, fixed-keeled maxi is considered a dark horse for line honours. Round the cans in the Rolex Trophy just a few days before the big race to Hobart, it is clear that the fixed-keel Konica is no match for the modern leviathans in normal sailing conditions. But with the likes of America's Cup helmsman Gavin Brady and former Whitbread Race winner Ross Field as navigator, Thwaites's boat is extremely well handled. Brady is hoping for another nasty race, when crew work could become the determining factor in success. "The windier it is, the better it is for us," he says. "The boat likes a bit of breeze, the way we've set it up for this race."
The view around the marina in Rushcutters Bay, where the fleet of 86 yachts are gathering for the Boxing Day start, is that big breeze could be the undoing of the line honours favourites, the near-sisterships Alfa Romeo and Wild Oats XI. The two new Reichel/Pugh Maxis are very new and in the case of Wild Oats in particular, are untested in ocean-going conditions. Recent history in ocean racing speaks against the reliability of canting-keeled yachts, with a spate of accidents in the Volvo Ocean Race, the Vendée Globe and of course in last year's Rolex Sydney Hobart with Skandia's capsize.
So Thwaites is happy to be racing aboard Konica Minolta, even if it is a fair bit slower than his newer rivals. "Wild Oats had a couple of breakdowns this week," he said after the end of the recent Rolex Trophy. "Alfa Romeo had a breakdown, so reliability could be a big issue for them on the way to Hobart. Last year Skandia had the problem [with her keel], and then we're seeing the problems the Volvo boats are having at the moment. In the right conditions we won't be able to touch them, but I think given a hard slog I think we've got more than a decent chance. Ross Field is looking at the weather. It looks like we'll have a normal Sydney Hobart, which should be good for us."
By "normal", Thwaites means "nasty". As the only one of the big five maxis not to have a canting keel, Konica Minolta should be able to continue sailing closer to her full potential in strong winds than the higher-tech boats, which are almost too fast for their own good in windy conditions. Sean Langman only sailed a canting-keel boat for the first time less than two weeks ago, when he set foot aboard AAPT. His lack of experience with this technology is causing him some anxiety, and he may yet revert to his more tried and tested water-ballasted 66-footer, another AAPT-branded yacht. A Rolex Sydney Hobart is hardly the place to learn about canting keel technology for the first time. "Upwind I don't know enough about how hard to push it, and how hard not to push it. At the end of the day, with a canting keel, it's all hanging off one little bit of steel. It's in the back of your mind all the time, especially as the skipper with responsibility for the entire crew. Crew security is paramount, that's something we're all learning year to year."
Whichever boat he chooses, Langman knows he has his work cut out trying to beat the Reichel/Pugh sisterships, and the race could well come down to who treads the fine line between speed and survival best. "The two 98 footers are the faster boats," Langman admits. "We've just got to hope they push each other too hard and that they break down, and that we're there hanging around in the background." Another boat that could be hanging around the in the background is Alex Thomson's Open 60, Hugo Boss. While considerably smaller than the 90-foot-plus Maxis, Hugo Boss is a sturdy round-the-world racing machine and Thomson is famed for his fearlessness, whatever the weather.
If it is a fair weather race to Hobart this year, however, no one would bet against Alfa Romeo and Wild Oats having a fair crack at not just line honours, but also the handicap victory and perhaps even the race record, set in 1999 by a Volvo Ocean 60 called Nokia. On paper, the 98-footers are light-years faster than a VO60, although 1999 was an unusually benign and predominantly downwind race. As for doing 'the double' of line honours and handicap victory, that has only occurred on five occasions in 60 races, the last time in 1987, when Sovereign earned the double honour.
Wild Oats' skipper Mark Richards said winning on handicap would be a dream come true. "It's a bigger thrill for a boat to win on handicap than to get line honours. Line honours this year is between four or five boats, really. Handicap is between the whole fleet. That is the goal that everyone aspires to. All the guys up in the CYCA clubhouse with their photos on the wall, they are the handicap winners. From the sailors' point of view, that is the real trophy, to win the Tattersalls Cup."
Sean Langman disagrees. "I just want to get there first. I'm not interested in the handicap at all, not at all. The vagaries of the handicap rule don't interest me. Line honours is something the media understands, something the public understands." Langman has won many line honours victories, but the big one, the Rolex Sydney Hobart has eluded him thus far. "The first time I skippered my own boat, we led down the coast. And for the next few years we got every line honours contest up and down the coast, but not Hobart, and that's why I want it. You don't have to be 100 foot to win the race. Needless to say it helps having a bigger boat, but it doesn't mean you're going to get there first."
The Ericsson Racing Team has today signed Irish sailor Damian Foxall as new crewmember for the Volvo Ocean Race. Damian, a highly experience sailor and veteran of 17 transatlantics and five round-the-world events, will replace Tony Kolb (GER) who recently left the team.
The Ericsson Racing Team is delighted to announce the arrival of Irish sailor Damian Foxall, one of the most experienced sailors of his generation. Foxall, 36 years of age, has covered over 220,000 nautical miles over the last 25 years and has been involved with just about every discipline in competitive sailing from dinghy campaigns to Americas Cup, offshore trimarans and the Volvo Ocean Race.
Before joining the Ericsson Racing Team, Foxall was under contract with Brasil 1, as a reserve team member. He also competed in the Transat Jacques Vabre, but was forced to retire after his trimaran capsized in storms.
McDonald commented: "Damian has vast experience; I know him well as I have sailed with him before and so do most of our team members. We really look forward to having him onboard. He is a great single handed, multihull and monohull sailor. He has done the Volvo Ocean Race before and I believe he will fit in very well. A crew change is always difficult but in this particular instance it's a change for the better as we are bringing in some experience which we would otherwise not have."
Foxall is looking forward to getting started: "The Volvo Ocean Race is something I've followed very closely. I was lucky to compete with Team Tyco in the last race where I sailed with Steve Hayles and Tim Powell. It was a nice experience and one of many reasons I wanted to sail with Ericsson."
Foxall continued, "I've sailed with many of the Ericsson crewmembers before and they are a very strong team. Their Project Management team is a very good operation and Neal is a great leader. I feel that I will fit in well with the team and look forward to taking on the position that Neal has offered me."
Foxall is now training full time with the team as they prepare for the first in-port race. The Ericsson Racing Team thanks Brasil 1 for easing Foxall's transfer.
A fleet of 86 boats are entered for the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. They range in size from the 98-foot maxis - the largest yachts allowed in the race - to a Mumm 30, little more than a 30-foot dinghy. The aims and ambitions of the crew are as diverse as the yachts themselves.
Last year was a rough passage to Hobart, so some teams are hoping the wind might offer them a reprieve this time. The recently-launched super maxis, Alfa Romeo and Wild Oats XI, will certainly be hoping for a fast downwind passage. The last thing they would want is a repeat of the evil winds from the south that, along with a vicious seaway, took a severe toll on the maxis in the 2004 event.
If anything, big upwind conditions might suit the smaller yachts in the 40 to 50-foot range. That is what Ray Roberts, owner of DK46 Quantum Racing, is hoping for. Following his win at the recent King's Cup in Malaysia and a dominant performance at the Rolex Trophy, Roberts must rank as a favourite for handicap honours in the race to Hobart. "I think we'll need the conditions on the nose. If the big maxis get light to moderate conditions then the big boats with their canting keels can really stretch away. But if we get 30 hours of really hard-on-the-nose stuff, we'll have to see if they can hold the boats together. I certainly hope they do, but if the conditions are tough then I think it will certainly suit the smaller boats."
Theoretically, every one of the 86 yachts has a chance of winning the Tattersalls Cup, the trophy awarded to the handicap winner of the 628-mile race. However the reality is that many are entered simply to complete the passage to Hobart, as that is sufficient reward in itself. But there are some teams hell-bent on winning handicap honours. Along with Quantum Racing, other favourites include Geoff Ross's Yendys, a Judel/Vrolijk 52-footer, Stephen Ainsworth's canting-keeled 60-footer Loki and Michael Hiatt's Living Doll, a Farr-designed Cookson 50 also boasting a canting keel.
Many other yachts have different reasons for taking part in this most challenging of ocean passages. One of the most remarkable stories is that of Berrimilla, a 1977-built sturdy little 33-footer. If Alex Whitworth and Peter Crozier can complete the race, it will mark the end of a remarkable 12-month odyssey around the world. They competed in last year's Rolex Sydney Hobart and then departed for the UK, via the Falkland Islands, in order to compete in the Rolex Fastnet Race. There they were runners-up in the double-handed division, but they had little time to celebrate, as they are now racing to return to Sydney in time for the beginning of the next race to Hobart. Whitworth and Crozier are set to arrive in Rushcutters Bay some time on Tuesday morning, when they can expect a heroes' welcome.
Notable overseas entries include Gerard O'Rourke's Cookson 50, Chieftain from Ireland, Dirk Wiegmann's Beale 45, Conergy from Germany, and Alex Thomson's Hugo Boss from Great Britain. Experienced ocean racer and holder of the singlehanded 24-hour distance record, Thomson has put together a strong team that includes Australian offshore legend Nick Moloney, Olympic medalist skiff sailor Simon Hiscocks and Jeremy Robinson, helmsman of last year's Tattersalls Cup winner, Aera.
When the race starts on Boxing Day (Dec. 26) from Sydney Harbour, the whole of Australia will be watching the massed fleet, and wishing them safe passage to Hobart.
With just one week to go until the second in-port race of the Volvo Ocean Race and just two weeks to go until the start of Leg Two, the Ericsson Racing Team has an intense week ahead to ensure it is on fighting form to take on the competition. The in-port race will take place in Table Bay, Cape Town on 26 December and the Ericsson Racing Team has all to play for with 10.5 points on the leaderboard, lying just 1 point behind the leader ABN Amro One.
Almost all of the crew has now returned from holiday, hungry to get back to training. The shore team has been working long hours to prepare the yacht and ensure she is in top condition for the in-port race and the intense Southern Ocean leg that lies ahead. Using the knowledge gained from the first leg and valuable advice from experts, the team has reinforced weaknesses on the boat with particular focus on the keel movement system.
The rig was stepped on Monday morning and the Ericsson yacht has now returned to the water. The sailmakers are working frantically to ensure the team has the right sails for the Southern Ocean leg. With John Kostecki's arrival on Tuesday, the sailors plan to fit in as much sailing as possible, to finalize their sail selection and train for the in-port race.
The in-port race, an exciting new addition to this year's Volvo Ocean Race, will be staged in the section of Table Bay directly north of the port. The departure ceremony will begin at 11:00 at the V&A Waterfront and the race will commence at 13:00 on 26 December. The event gives teams a chance to accumulate more points towards their totals and spectators the thrill of watching the high-performance Volvo Open 70s dueling at close quarters.
Quotes:
Neal McDonald (GBR): "We have identified and modified the components that let us down in the canting keel system. Now it's time for us to go out and check everything is in good working order. During the next few days, it will also be very important for us to test some new sails for Leg Two as well as making our sail choices for the in-port race."
Tom Braidwood (AUS): "The shore crew has done a fantastic job in getting the boat up and running and ready for the next leg. The focus now changes to sail testing, crew training and preparation for the in-port race. We also need to get a grip on the local weather system as local knowledge could prove very helpful for both the inshore race and the Leg Two start."
The Ericsson Racing Team today announced that German crewmember Tony Kolb will not be part of the crew anymore, on mutual understanding. Kolb's replacement is not yet finalized but skipper Neal McDonald is looking at several options to ensure he selects the right person for the team.
Following a mutual understanding between the Ericsson Racing Team and Tony Kolb, it was today announced that Kolb will not continue his involvement with the Volvo Ocean Race. Kolb, 29 years of age and born in Munich, describes the reason as personal.
The team thanks Tony for his contribution to the campaign. His input will be missed, but the team is confident that it will start Leg Two of the Volvo Ocean Race with a first class crew.
Quotes:
Neal McDonald: "Tony has been a great asset to the team and we will miss his input. We now have to make the best choice amongst potential candidates. I am confident that we will find a skilled and talented team member to replace him."
Tony Kolb: "I am sad to leave the team, but today, I think that this is the best for me and my family. The Ericsson Racing Team is a very strong unit, so this has been very difficult for me."
Just seven seconds separated the rival Super Maxis at the finish of a windy, wavy race 4 in the Rolex Trophy Ratings Series today. Alfa Romeo just closed out arch rival Wild Oats XI to take the win at the end of a thrilling match race around the windward/leeward course. Both yachts charged across the finish line at 24 knots - in 22 knots of breeze.
Still recovering from illness, Neville Crichton again had to pass over the wheel of his Reichel/Pugh 98-footer to one of his afterguard, and today it was tactician Michael Coxon's turn to steer Alfa Romeo. Yesterday's temporary helmsman, the British America's Cup sailor Adrian Stead, was today calling tactics for Coxon. Stead said Wild Oats was improving by the day, and again he acknowledged his rival's superior starting strategy.
"Wild Oats made an awesome start to the second race," said Stead, "and they also chose the right jib for the first beat. We'd gone for a No.4 but they chose a No.3 and it was the right choice because the wind dropped a little lighter than we'd expected." This handed a minute's advantage to Bob Oatley's Wild Oats team by the first turning mark. "The thing is in these boats, a minute's advantage can vanish with one tiny mistake," Stead commented.
True enough, a messy gennaker drop at the leeward gate saw Wild Oats give away nearly all of that one minute advantage. By the next windward mark Alfa Romeo had squeezed past her rival to take a two-boatlength lead down the final run. But Wild Oats weren't out of it yet, and they surged back towards the new leader. Even in the wind and the waves, Coxon and the Alfa crew applied some match racing tactics in an fierce defence of their lead, and carried Wild Oats past the final layline to the finish before executing their gybe. "We were coming into the line fully pressed," said Stead, "and Wild Oats even more so because they had to gybe a little bit further. We crossed the line at 24 knots."
Despite throwing the boats around like dinghies at times, Stead insists they are treating these Super Maxis with huge respect. "These are awesome beasts. Even under mainsail alone we were travelling around at 15 knots before the start." Stead and his team mates were reminded of their reliance on external power when the engine packed up before the morning race. This left them without electronics and hydraulics and they had to sit out the race while the crew set about getting it back up and running.
With no Super Maxi playmate for the first race, Wild Oats helmsman Mark Richards decided to practise his pre-start match racing on conventional-keeled Maxi Konica Minolta. Gavin Brady, Konica's helmsman and no mean match racing talent himself, was surprised at Wild Oats' aggression. "I guess they see us as a threat, but I don't really know why they did it. They just ended up forcing us off the right way up the course, and they sort of stuffed it up for themselves."
While the split into separate Divisions for the canting-keeled and fixed-keel boats meant that Konica and Wild Oats are not actually competing directly with each other, the IRC handicap calculations reveal that Konica beat Wild Oats by 42 seconds around the track on corrected time. The Kiwi Maxi also beat her smaller rivals in Division 1, beating second-placed Yendys by a minute on handicap. However, a spectacularly exploding spinnaker in the afternoon race relegated Konica to 4th place, and almost 10 minutes behind handicap winner Richard Cawse's 60-footer, Vanguard.
In Division 2, Leslie Green's Swan 45 Ginger managed to break the string of victories notched up by Ray Roberts's DK46 Quantum Racing. Aided by the skill and experience of round-the-world-race veteran Gordon Maguire, Green drove his Swan 45 to finish almost a minute ahead of Quantum on corrected time in the fourth race.
Now at the halfway stage of the regatta, two more races are scheduled outside Sydney Heads tomorrow, with the regatta due to conclude on Sunday.
Rear Admiral Robert J. Papp, Jr., Commander of the Ninth Coast Guard District, has temporarily relieved Captain Donald Triner of command of the Coast Guard Cutter (new) MACKINAW.
The temporary relief is in reaction to the December 12 collision of new MACKINAW with the south break wall at Grand Haven, Michigan. An investigation is currently underway to determine the facts surrounding the incident. Damage to the ship consists of an approximately eight-foot by three-foot dent in the starboard bow of the ship, and a segment of the break wall may require repairs. Estimated cost of repairs to ship are not available at this time but some have estimated repairs to the break wall could be more than $100,000.
KEY LARGO, Fla., Dec. 14, 2006 Two Italian sailing teams are leading
the 99-boat fleet after four intense days of racing in the 2005 Corum
Melges 24 World Championship at Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo.
A mostly professional crew of international sailors led by Australian
America’s Cup skipper James Spithill has claimed the number one position with two days of competition remaining. A largely amateur crew, sailing together for the first time and led by pro skipper Gabriele Benussi, is clinging to second place overall, just one point off the pace.
Conditions inside the reef off the northern end of Key Largo were ideal with a sunny sky, and slight chop stirred by a brisk ten-knot easterly breeze Spithill, who now steers the Italian America’s Cup contender Luna Rossa for Genoa’s Yacht Club d’Italiano, is sailing with American brothers Jonathan and Charlie McKee, from Seattle, Washington. Both McKees are double Olympic sailing medalists. A fourth crew member is Manuel Modena, a 49er sailor from Italy’s Lake Garda. All four sailors are part of the Italian challenge and not surprisingly they have named their chartered boat Luna Rossa.
The “secret weapon” aboard Luna Rossa is their fifth man 11-year-old
Mac Agnese, an Optimist sailor from Ft. Lauderdale, drafted because he is a light, nimble and knowledgeable sailor who brings their crew weight up to the maximum allowed 750 pounds. The crew first sailed together in Key West last winter when they took a second place in the Melges 24 Class.
“Mac’s a great little kid,” said Spithill, who is only 14 years older
than his youngest crew man. “He trims the traveler that controls the
position of the mainsail and is an extra hand to speed up all of our
maneuvers. He’s just as committed and as involved as the rest of us. I think we’re learning more from him than he’s learning from us.”
Agnese’s tutors certainly have the experience. Spithill skippered his
first America’s Cup challenge for his native Australia at the tender age of 19. The McKee brothers, Jonathan, 43, and Charlie, 45, are on their third America’s Cup challenge, delight in the challenge of campaigning the notoriously skittish Sydney 18-foot skiffs, and share four Olympic medals between them. Jonathan won his gold medal in the Flying Dutchman class in 1984, while Charlie took a bronze in 470 dinghies in ’88. They sailed their 49er to a third place bronze in Sydney in 2000, and won the 49er World Championship one year later.
The second place boat, Marrachech Express, steered by professional
sailor Gabriele Benussi and crewed by a group of amateur sailors from
Trieste, continued its strong performance today but dropped to second
place after Spithill, who took two first-to-finish guns yesterday, ran away from the fleet for a comfortable victory in the last race today.
Benussi has won a total of nine Italian Championships, two European
Championships and three Worlds. He was third in the J/24 Worlds in 2003 and has featured prominently in a number of ocean racing campaigns in IMS boats.
Alfa Romeo showed a clean pair of heels to the fleet, winning both Division 0 races on the opening day of the Rolex Trophy Ratings Series on a beautiful sailing day in Sydney. Neville Crichton was unable to helm his boat today as he was confined to his sickbed after a bout of food poisoning, but British tactician Adrian Stead stepped up to the wheel and did an admirable stand-in job. Racing in light easterly breezes in a two-metre swell, the Reichel/Pugh canting-keeled Super Maxi led her near-sistership Wild Oats XI by over a minute at the first turning mark of the first race, She extended to a winning margin of 1 minute 29 seconds by the top of the second beat, where the race committee shortened the race.
Stead was delighted with the day, but by no means has he counted Wild Oats XI out of the reckoning. "I'm pleased we raced at Hamilton Island a few weeks ago, because it means we know the boat that much better. I think we sailed the boat very well today, and we're learning a lot about how to change gears through different conditions. But the boys on Wild Oats are good sailors, and I see them now at the level that we were at in Hamilton."
Alfa Romeo had a rocky moment off the second start, however, when Stead found himself boxed out of the windward end of the line by Mark Richards, the helmsman on Wild Oats. "I realised I'd not made the final approach to the line as well as I should, so the goal then was to work ourselves into a place where we could tack and get a clear lane out to the right," Stead admitted. This they managed, and again used their superior knowledge and experience to extend on Wild Oats and the rest of the fleet as the wind increased to 15 knots.
Loki, a fixed-keel Reichel/Pugh 66 owned by Stephen Ainsworth, sailed a good day behind the two Maxis, and lies second equal overall on handicap with Wild Oats XI behind Alfa Romeo.
The organising club, the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, have split the fleet into canting-keel and fixed-keel boats, which meant that Stewart Thwaites's conventional Maxi, Konica Minolta, was not racing directly with the Reichel/Pugh boats. But the Kiwi Maxi was still sailing around the same race track and after the first windward leg of 2.45 nautical miles, Konica Minolta was almost six minutes behind. The sailing community is staggered at the margin of development that this latest generation of computer-controlled canting-keel technology has delivered, and the two new Reichel/Pughs must rank as clear favourites for the battle for line honours in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race which starts in 11 days.
Against the other big boats in Division 1, Konica Minolta had an inconsistent day. Fifth out of six was not a good start for a team that includes former Whitbread Race winner Ross Field and America's Cup helm Gavin Brady, but they made amends in the stronger breezes of the afternoon, taking the race on corrected time by just 14 seconds from Geoff Ross's 52-foot Judel Vrolijk Yendys. Added to her victory in the first heat, Yendys sits at the top of the Division 1 leaderboard ahead of Vanguard, a 60-footer designed and skippered by Richard Cawse.
Roger Hickman was racing aboard Yendys today. "It was a good day for Yendys and a good sailing day for everyone out there," said the CYCA vice-commodore. "We've divided the canting keels from the fixed keels because we think it's the right division to make. We can't yet say if it's the right answer, of course, but we are at least trying to make this enjoyable racing for everyone."
In the smaller boats of Division 2, Ray Roberts' DK46 Quantum Racing lived up to its billing as one of the event favourites, winning both heats ahead of Leslie Green's Swan 45 Ginger. "It was champagne sailing out there today, the best conditions I've seen in Sydney all year," said Roberts, newly returned from victory at the King's Cup in Malaysia. Roberts put his two wins down to the lessons learned from that regatta in light-air rig set-up, and also in their correct reading of the currents off the Sydney coastline. "We recognised quite early that it paid to be on the northerly side of the course," said Roberts, "and it also paid to use that current for as long as possible downwind. That's why we always gybed each time soon after the windward mark."
Quantum Racing wouldn't have looked so smart, however, if the media boat hadn't answered a last-minute call from Roberts out to sea, when the crew realised they had left the mainsail headboard on their spare main back on shore. Without it, they would have been unable to use the mainsail in any but the lightest of breezes. Marina manager Frank Bergmann hunted around for the spare main on shore and produced the headboard for the media boat to take out to sea. "Had the start not been delayed then we wouldn't have made the first race," admitted Roberts, who added with a smile, "Not to name names, but suffice it to say that Steve McConaghey was issued a yellow card by the skipper for that little incident."
Fortaleza, Brazil (December 12, 2005) – 18-year-old Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) has won her second sailing World Championship title this year by winning the Laser Radial Women’s World Championship in Fortaleza, Brazil, which ended last Friday. With this win, Railey wraps up an impressive year winning a total of six major international regattas, including the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship, and upholds her #1 spot in the world rankings in the Laser Radial class. In addition to Railey winning the event, two other US Sailing Team-members had impressive results: Anna Tunnicliffe (Plantation, Fla.) finished third in the women’s fleet, while US Sailing Team-member Brad Funk (Plantation, Fla.) finished second in the Open fleet.
In winning the first Laser Radial World title since the class became the Women's Singlehanded Dinghy equipment for the 2008 Olympic Games, Railey shows a maturity beyond her 18 years of age. Despite all her previous successes, the World title really demonstrates that the American is the early pacesetter in the class. In a wide variety of testing conditions from six to 25 knots each day there were difficulties for the experienced fleet. Railey never won a race and only scored three top three places. Quite often she fought her way back from lower positions to achieve consistent single results. The rest of the fleet know they will have to raise their game significantly if they are to beat Railey next August when the Laser Radial World Championships are held at the California Yacht Club in Los Angeles, Calif.
Up next for Paige Railey is finishing up her first semester at the University of Southern Florida and preparing for US SAILING’s Rolex Miami OCR, which will be held January 22-27, 2006.
PORTSMOUTH, R.I. (December 14, 2005) - US SAILING, national governing body for the sport, has announced the U.S. sailors who have been short listed for its 2005 Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year awards. Established in 1961 by US SAILING and sponsored by Rolex Watch, U.S.A. since 1980, US SAILING's Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year awards recognize outstanding on-the-water achievement in the calendar year just concluded. Widely regarded as the sport's ultimate recognition for U.S. sailors, US SAILING's Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year awards have honored such sailing standouts as Betsy Alison, Dave Curtis, Dennis Conner, Courtenay Dey, JJ Isler, John Kostecki, Jody Swanson and Ted Turner, all of whom have won the coveted award multiple times.
Nominees for US SAILING's 2005 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year are: Kiel Week 470 Men's Champion Mikee Anderson-Mitterling (Coronado, Calif.); Laser North American Champion and World University Games Gold Medalist Andrew Campbell (San Diego, Calif.); Snipe World Champion Augie Diaz (Miami, Fla.); Kiel Week 470 Men's Champion David Hughes (San Diego, Calif.); J/24 and Thistle National Champion Mike Ingham (Rochester, N.Y.); Etchells World Champion Jeff Linton (Tampa, Fla.); A-Class Catamaran World and North American Champion Pete Melvin (Huntington Beach, Calif.); 2.4 Metre World Champion Nick Scandone (Fountain Valley, Calif.); and Star North American and Snipe National Champion George Szabo (San Diego, Calif.).
Nominees for US SAILING's 2005 Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year are: Yngling Women's World Champion Sally Barkow (Nashotah, Wis.); Laser Radial World Champion Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.); and Laser Radial World Bronze Medalist Anna Tunnicliffe (Plantation, Fla.).
For additional information on the accomplishments of each nominee this year, please visit www.ussailing.org/awards/rolex.
The nominees will be reviewed by a panel of noted sailing journalists, who together will discuss the merits of each nominee and vote by secret ballot to determine US SAILING's 2005 Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year. The winners will be announced in January and honored during a luncheon at the New York Yacht Club in New York City, on February 24, 2006, where they will be presented with Rolex timepieces.
Some of the most serious contenders for the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race are lining up against each other for some intense round-the-cans competition in the Rolex Trophy Ratings Series which begins in Sydney on Thursday 15 December.
More than 20 yachts of various sizes and configurations will be competing under the IRC handicap system, in a series of windward/leeward races outside Sydney Heads over the next four days. Some are using the regatta as a tune-up for the 'main event', the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race which departs Sydney Harbour on Boxing Day. The next four days will certainly help establish a pecking order of possible favourites for success in the offshore classic. But others are very much focussed on winning the Rating Series as an event in its own right. Ray Roberts, owner of DK46 Quantum Racing, falls into the latter category. Newly returned from winning the King's Cup in Malaysia, Roberts prefers the cut and thrust of short-course racing.
"We'll be competing hard in the Rolex Sydney Hobart," said Roberts, "and we think we have a good chance at going for handicap honours there. But the type of racing we'll be doing this week in the Ratings Series is a better test of all-round sailing skills. It's much more tactical." Key to Roberts's crew is Olympic bronze medallist Michael Blackburn, who helped Martin and Lisa Hill's Estate Master to a dominant victory in the Sydney 38s just a few days ago in the Rolex Trophy One Design Series.
There are many other top quality teams for Roberts to watch out for, notably Stephen Ainsworth's new Reichel/Pugh 60 Loki. But while in one respect Quantum Racing and Loki may view each other as rivals, in another they happen to be team mates. These two yachts will be representing Australia in the Rolex Challenge international teams series, which is decided on the teams' combined results from the Ratings Series and the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.
In addition to the Australian team, there will be two teams representing New South Wales and two for Victoria. The New South Wales Red team comprises Wild Oats XI, Bob Oatley's newly launched 30m Reichel/Pugh 98 and Roger Hickman's Farr 43 Wild Rose, which was Oatley's original Wild Oats from more than 20 years ago.
However, Oatley's main focus will be on gauging his performance against near-sistership Alfa Romeo, owned by Neville Crichton. The opening salvo of this duel between the 'Super Maxis' took place on Tuesday in the Big Boat Trophy, when Crichton claimed first blood by just 13 seconds from Wild Oats XI in a close tussle around the Harbour. But considering that Oatley had launched his yacht just 10 days previously, compared with four months of work-up time for Alfa Romeo, the crew of Wild Oats XI had every reason to be satisfied with second place.
For helmsman Mark Richards, he makes no secret of the fact that the four days of competition in the Ratings Series are all about working up the highly-complex boat in time for an assault on the race to Hobart less than two weeks from now. "We'll be using the regatta to learn about the boat, try out different sails, and get our crew work sorted out." Of course, a competitive sailor is always out to win wherever possible, so despite Wild Oats' lack of preparation time, you can be sure they'll still be doing everything in their power to beat Alfa Romeo and the other two Maxis entered in the Ratings Series, Konica Minolta and AAPT.
KEY LARGO, Fla., Dec. 13, 2006 Consistency paid off for the Italian
boat Marrachech Express which jumped into the points lead at the 2005
Corum Melges 24 World Championship at Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo today after two races in fresh northerly breezes.
Steered by professional sailor Gabriele Benussi and a group of amateur sailors from Trieste, Marrachech Express confounded race watchers who had questioned whether the recently-formed team could handle the demanding, choppy conditions as comfortably as some of the well-honed, all-professional teams. Benussi and his three crew had never sailed together until they came together in Key Largo for three days of practice before the event. They never faltered.
Benussi’s team had fared badly in the opening race of the series last
Sunday when it posted a 35th place in the international talent-packed
field of 99 boats. However the Italians got the fleet’s attention with a first place in the second race of the day. They followed that up with a third and a second on Monday, followed by fourth and ninth place finishes today.
With six of the 12 scheduled races completed, all competitors are now
able to discard their worst race placing, punching Marrachech Express up from her second overall yesterday to the lead on points today.
The discard also favored sailmaker and pro sailor Dave Ullman from
Newport Beach, Calif., who finished today’s racing with a fifth and a
third for his Pegasus 505 and dropping a 41st place to jump from seventh place overall yesterday to second today.
The best performance of the day came from young Australian America’s Cup helmsman James Spithill who logged two masterful first places in today’s fresh breezes aboard his Luna Rossa, from Genoa, Italy, winning comfortably in the first and running away from the pack in the second.
Fort Lauderdale’s Morgan Reeser, a comfortable points’ leader going into today’s racing, could do no better than a 20th in the first race today. That and a 17th place yesterday pulled his Mfatic emphatically back into fourth place, ten points behind Spithill.
Consistent performances are vital in a long series like this, featuring a big fleet and Brian Porter from Winnetka, Ill., illustrated the point by holding onto fourth place overall with his Full Throttle team.
Results after six races (with one dropped race), with skipper, boat,
home, places and points:
1. Gabriele Benussi, Marrachech Express, Trieste, Italy, (35)-1-3-2-4-9,
19 points;
2. David Ullman, USA-505, Newport Beach, Calif., 6-(41)-7-1-5-3, 22;
3. James Spithill, Luna Rossa, Genoa, Italy, 5-12-(25)-7-1-1, 26;
4. Morgan Reeser, Mfatic, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., 2-8-1-17-(20)-8, 36;
5. Brian Porter, Full Throttle, Winnetka, Ill., (26)-2-11-4-7-18, 42;
6. Gabrio Zandona, Joe Fly, Como, Italy, 11-(35)-22-5-3-5, 46
7. John Pollard, Xcellent, Torquay, England, 17-7-5-12-15-(32), 56;
8. François Brenac, Partner & Partners, La Rochelle, France,
(22)-14-18-3-11-11, 57;
9. Shark Kahn, Pegasus 492, San Francisco, Calif., 19-3-4-(48)-30-6, 62;
10. Nicola Celon, Ale Ali, Verona, Italy, 1-22-16-15-(29)-10, 64.
Full results at:
http://www.2005corumm24worlds.com/teamphotos/Overall.htm
- Keith
Taylor
Corum, the luxury Swiss watchmaker, is an independent, family-owned
company producing high-quality hand-finished Swiss timepieces since
1955. For more than two decades Corum has supported sailing events
around the world, including the Admiral’s Cup in Britain as an event
sponsor and as a team sponsor.
In the 12 years since it was introduced, the Melges 24 has become the
world’s leading high performance, one-design sportboat and has held ISAF International Keelboat Class status since 1997. It offers exciting, demanding, exceptionally competitive sailing and attracts top professional and amateur sailors from the around the globe. Over 630 boats are now sailing and an additional 30 new boats are built and delivered each year.
The new ice breaker Mackinaw was damaged on Monday when it hit the channel break wall in Grand Haven, Michigan. The incident resulted in no injuries but caused damage to the ship's hull. Witnesses report a dent about 10 foot by 10 foot near the bow with paint scraped away.
The brand new ship was handed over to the Coast Guard less than a month ago during a ceremony a the ship builder in Marinette, Wisconsin. The Grand Haven visit was part of a mission to familiarize crew with the Great Lakes.
It is unclear why the modern ship hit the inner breakway on a day when seas where calm and weather conditions favorable. Observers at the scene report that the vessel seemed to be trying a turn around in the middle of the channel when it likely had too much speed and slammed into the channel wall. The Coast Guard has not issued an information about a cause of the accident but Ninth District Commander, Rear Admiral Robert J. Papp Jr. reported an investigation will be conducted.
The new ship is scheduled to replace the current Mackinaw next year. In addition to heavy icebreaking the new ship will service buoys, participate in search and rescue and respond to oil spill situations.
Farr 40 World Champion Richard Perini finished the Rolex Trophy One Design Series on a perfect note, recording a hat trick of victories in light and fluky conditions outside Sydney Heads. But no matter what the Australian could do, series leader Vincenzo Onorato was doing sufficient to maintain a strong grasp of the regatta, the Mascalzone Latino team recording two 2nd place finishes in the first two heats of the day.
Going into the final heat, Onorato would have to finish last or second-last with Perini winning the race for the Italians to yield victory. That seemed highly unlikely, considering the cool and consistent Italians' worst result was a 4th. But the impossible very nearly happened.
Everything looked well within the Italians' control as both they and Evolution rounded the first mark at the back of the pack. But Perini sailed a storming race to pull into the lead, while Mascalzone made little forward progress. Tactician Adrian Stead said they were never too concerned, however. "We only needed to beat one boat so we weren't that fussed. We were pretty comfortable that we could keep a couple of boats behind us." This they managed, coming in 8th and winning the regatta by two points.
"To me the main races were the first two of the day," explained Stead, "and we finished on Evolution's transom in both races. We conserved a buffer that we'd built up over the previous two days. It would have been nice to have won the last race but we're more than happy. Richard Perini is good, he's the reigning World Champion, and today he sailed really well - getting three 1st places. But we beat them in six out of nine, we all sailed really well and we've won the last two regattas we've done."
The series leader in the Sydney 38s had a wobbly moment during the first mark rounding of the day. Estate Master's skipper Martin Hill was forced to gybe out of a congested windward mark situation and found himself well back in the pack, although some smooth sailing and good tactical calls from Olympic medallist Michael Blackburn saw the series leader up to 2nd by the finish. A further 2nd place in the final heat gave Martin and Lisa Hill the series with a race to spare. As it was, the 4pm regatta time limit meant the Sydney 38s never got to have their ninth race, and so Estate Master won with just 15 points to runner-up Calibre's 40 points.
While Estate Master had victory well and truly sewn up, the battle for the other podium positions was decided by a matter of inches. Going into that final heat, Contentious Issue was in second with 38 points to the 39 jointly held by Calibre and Acuity. The final race was a nailbiter with Geoff Bonus bringing Calibre home just 11 seconds ahead of Estate Master, Acuity just two seconds behind and Contentious Issue just a further two seconds behind. So from being runner-up, Contentious Issue was relegated to 4th overall by a matter of just 4 seconds - less than a boatlength.
Martin Hill was surprised at how dominant Estate Master had been, but attributed it to some good mid-week practice sessions with the crew and a year's sailing with Michael Blackburn as his tactician. "I've been helming this boat for two years now and we've built up a good set of numbers for tuning the boat. We're looking towards the Worlds and we've been working hard recently, but we didn't expect to see the results come so soon or so strongly. I guess we've raised the bar a little higher now."
Co-owner and skipper's wife Lisa runs the pit in the middle of the boat. After three glorious day's racing outside Sydney Heads in predominantly light and almost Mediterranean conditions, Lisa commented: "Like the Mascalzone Latino guys in the Farr 40, I'm Italian, so I'm looking on today as a double victory for Italy."
Final placings after nine races, Farr 40 OD class:
1. Mascalzone Latino (Vincenzo Onorato) 1-1-1-3-4-1-2-2-8, 23 pts
2. Evolution (Richard Perini) 2-3-3-7-5-2-1-1-1, 25 pts
3. Cydon (Leon Christianakis) 7-2-8-1-1-3-4-7-4, 37 pts
Final placings after eight races, Sydney 38 class:
1. Estate Master (Martin & Lisa Hill) 1-1-2-5-1-1-2-2, 15 pts
2. Calibre (Geoff Bonus) 13-3-3-2-4-8-6-1, 40 pts
3. Acuity (Tony Walls) 2-4-1-8-15-5-4-3, 42 pts
Just his fifth day in the driving seat of Farr 40 Cydon, but Leon Christianakis posted the best set of scores on a difficult second day in the Rolex Trophy One Design Series. After a lacklustre first day, Christianakis lapped up the sloppy, big-wave conditions of Sunday to record an impressive score of 1,1,3. This has hauled Cydon up the rankings to second equal with reigning World Champion Evolution, skippered by Richard Perini.
Perini and America's Cup tactician Hamish Pepper were disappointed with their finishes of 7,5,2 as they have now lost touch with series leader Mascalzone Latino. Vincenzo Onorato notched up another good day with 3,4,1 and now goes into the final day's racing with 11 points to Cydon and Evolution's 22 points. Barring disaster the Italians should win tomorrow, although with a no-discard series things are never certain.
One of the greatest uncertainties out on the race course is the risk of hitting a sunfish. It was three times unlucky for Evolution today, and Ichi Ban also ran into one of the unfortunate fish. Venom gave their keel a severe knock on a sunfish on Saturday, but skipper Brett Neill managed to avoid the marine life today and posted a very respectable 2,3,7.
Despite extending his series lead, Mascalzone skipper Vincenzo Onorato was surprisingly self-critical. "I'm very happy with the crew, but not very happy with myself. I think in the first race I was too nervous. I was not driving as fast as I know I can do, but by the third race I was back. It was choppy today, but beautiful conditions - difficult water and difficult wind. It was great to have such a beautiful crew and to have Adrian [Stead] calling such good tactics."
Onorato also paid tribute to Cydon's excellent day on the water, singling out tactician Jamie Wilmot for praise. "I think Jamie did very well today," he said. "I sailed with Jamie when we finished 2nd in the World Championships in San Francisco, so I am not surprised to see him sailing so well."
Christianakis used to race Farr 40s in the UK a few years ago, so he is not in entirely unfamiliar territory, although he was delighted to be matching the World Champion for points in joint second place. "I'm very happy to be back in the Farr 40," said the Zimbabwean, now married and settled in Sydney. "It's only our fifth day racing the boat. New crew, new boat, and we're getting used to it. We were a little hesitant yesterday, but today we had a game plan and we stuck to it. We had a stronger conviction about what we were doing, and that worked for us."
Usually the more experienced crews dominate when the waves kick up, as it adds another level of difficulty, but Christianakis revelled in the lumpy Pacific swell. "I think it helped us. I quite like it when it's messy like that. I raced the Sydney 38 for quite a while out here, so I'm used to it." But the happy skipper said he'd be surprised if they could repeat their barnstorming performance on the final day. "The good teams sail beautifully all the time, and if we're going to be competitive we have to achieve that type of consistency. We've done well for one day, but that's it. We need to put in a lot more time before we can expect consistently good results."
If the Italians are looking dominant in the Farr 40s, Estate Master is even more so in the Sydney 38 fleet, with Lisa and Martin Hill now sitting on 11 points to the 28 points of second-placed Shining Sea, owned by Stephen Kulmar. Nathan Wilmot, the Olympic 470 World Champion, continues to display flashes of brilliance and started Sunday with a 1st and 2nd, only to post a 10th in the final heat of the day. Added to a 14th in the opening race yesterday, Wilmot and the Transfusion crew languish in mid-table. Surely it is only the curse of the sunfish that could stop Estate Master from winning the Sydney 38s when racing in the Rolex Trophy One Design Series concludes tomorrow.
Two clear leaders emerged from the Farr 40 and Sydney 38 fleets on day one of the Rolex Trophy - One Design Series, a key lead-up event to the Rolex Sydney Hobart 2005.
Vincenzo Onorato and his Italian crew on Mascalzone Latino (which translates as Italian Rascal) won the opening three heats of the Farr 40 division by a 30-second margin, while Lisa and Martin Hill posted scores of 1,1,2 aboard Sydney 38 Estate Master.
Back in March for the Rolex Farr 40 World Championships, Onorato had struggled in the lumpy seas outside Sydney Heads and could only manage fifth in that hotly-contested regatta. The Aussie crews excelled in the big, rolling waves with Richard Perini and the crew of Evolution becoming the first Australians to win the world title. But today's races were held on uncharacteristically flat water, with 17-knot westerly breezes blowing off Bondi Beach under a clear blue sky, and this seemed to suit the Italians who played the Mediterranean conditions to perfection.
Onorato led comfortably around the first mark, although a lap later Evolution had closed the gap to just 10 seconds. Perhaps the World Champion could overhaul the Italian visitors? But it wasn't to be, as Onorato slapped a firm cover on Perini up the final beat. Onorato took the winner's gun by 36 seconds from Perini, with Don Telford's Rushcutter over a minute behind in third place.
The Sydney 38 division started a lap later than the Farr 40s, resulting in both fleets rounding the windward mark simultaneously. It was a very congested and difficult mark rounding, particularly for those Sydney 38s that failed to get round the spacer mark cleanly. Amid all the chaos, however, Estate Master sailed off to a majestic lead, winning by almost a minute from Tony Walls' Acuity, with Alan & Tom Quick's Outlaw in third.
The wind had been shifting gradually around to the south throughout the first race, and was dying as it did so. The race committee postponed the start until the wind settled in an easterly onshore direction. The breeze also rapidly picked up from 10 knots and at one point gusted up to 30 knots. This did little to throw Mascalzone off her stride, however, as the Italians smoked to another comfortable victory - this time over Leon Christianakis's Cydon, with Perini coming in third.
In the Sydney 38s, Estate Master posted another straightforward victory on the scoreboard, with Lisa and Martin Hill's series lead enhanced by the inconsistency of her rivals. Last-place finisher in heat one, Transfusion helmed by 470 World Champion Nathan Wilmot, became runner-up in heat two, followed by Geoff Bonus's Calibre in third.
The wind softened again for the final heat of the day, but once again the Italians brought the Farr 40 fleet home, winning by another clear margin, on this occasion from Don Telford and Rushcutter, with Evolution third. Things were much closer in the third heat of the Sydney 38s, with just 12 seconds separating the top three at the finish. Acuity clinched the win from Estate Master who in turn took second place by less than a boatlength from Calibre.
So with a hat trick of wins, performance of the day went to Vincenzo Onorato's team. The Italian attributed his perfect score to the long practice sessions they have put in over recent weeks. Onorato commented: "We have practised in the boat very often, and that has given us the result. We love being here in Sydney, it's a beautiful city and a wonderful spot to go sailing, and that also helps us do well. We will come back, every year."
Onorato also said he was tempted back to Sydney by the prospect of competing against Richard Perini and Evolution. "Richard is the World Champion, which means he is No. 1 in the world, and racing against him is one of the reasons we are here."
Now sitting in second place, five points behind Mascalzone, Perini said it had been a difficult day. "The day was a little bit of everything. We had very unusual weather out there, wind coming from the west and finishing up in the east, pressure from about 7 knots to 29. It was the sort of day where you can have a lot of ups and downs, but Mascalzone were fantastically consistent. We've only had three out of nine races, though, so there is plenty to play for."
Further back in the Farr 40 fleet, some teams got up close and personal with the local marine life. In the first race, a flying fish flew up out of the water and whacked Matt Allen, the skipper of Farr 40 Ichi Ban, square in the face. The flustered fish knocked his sunglasses off and left Allen with a black eye. Another Farr 40, Venom, bumped into a 700-kilo sunfish out for an afternoon stroll. Skipper Brett Neill said the collision would have done neither party any favours, and this evening the crew will be giving the keel a thorough checkover for damage. "The fish came off worst," said Neill. "He'd have a bit of a headache, the poor old fella. We were doing about 8 or 9 knots, with the spinnaker up, so it was quite a thud."
Fortaleza, Brazil (December 12, 2005) - 18-year-old Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.) has won her second sailing World Championship title this year by winning the Laser Radial Women's World Championship in Fortaleza, Brazil, which ended last Friday. With this win, Railey wraps up an impressive year winning a total of six major international regattas, including the Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship, and upholds her #1 spot in the world rankings in the Laser Radial class. In addition to Railey winning the event, two other US Sailing Team-members had impressive results: Anna Tunnicliffe (Plantation, Fla.) finished third in the women's fleet, while US Sailing Team-member Brad Funk (Plantation, Fla.) finished second in the Open fleet.
In winning the first Laser Radial World title since the class became the Women's Singlehanded Dinghy equipment for the 2008 Olympic Games, Railey shows a maturity beyond her 18 years of age. Despite all her previous successes, the World title really demonstrates that the American is the early pacesetter in the class. In a wide variety of testing conditions from six to 25 knots each day there were difficulties for the experienced fleet. Railey never won a race and only scored three top three places. Quite often she fought her way back from lower positions to achieve consistent single results. The rest of the fleet know they will have to raise their game significantly if they are to beat Railey next August when the Laser Radial World Championships are held at the California Yacht Club in Los Angeles, Calif.
Up next for Paige Railey is finishing up her first semester at the University of Southern Florida and preparing for US SAILING's Rolex Miami OCR, which will be held January 22-27, 2006.
A racing season which saw America's Cup competition between 12 teams from 10 countries take place in three venues across Europe came to a close, fittingly, on the road, on Thursday at the Salon Nautique de Paris.
The organisers of the 32nd America's Cup, along with several teams, were on hand to celebrate a successful 2005 racing calendar which saw 211 race starts, with 13 fleet races and 198 match races. Each team sailed nearly 500 nautical miles of racing over the course of the season.
Alinghi, the Defender of the 32nd America's Cup won the ACC season championship, but by the end of the season the top three challengers were nipping at their heels. In fact, in Trapani, the top four teams finished the match racing in Louis Vuitton Act 8 tied on points. Further back, a number of the newer teams were beginning to emerge as legitimate threats to the established powers.
The 2005 Louis Vuitton Acts were a success off the water as well with the America's Cup Park welcoming visitor number one-million in Trapani. And over one billion viewers have enjoyed America's Cup programming on television since the opening Louis Vuitton Act in Marseille at the end of the summer in 2004.
"This year we began to realise the potential of the 32nd America's Cup as a global event, new to Europe," said Michel Bonnefous, the CEO of the organising body for the 32nd America's Cup, during a presentation at the Salon Nautique de Paris. "The Louis Vuitton Acts sailed in Valencia, Malmö-Skåne and Trapani showed the full spirit, on and off the water, that is the heart of the America's Cup.
"Looking forward to 2006, we can imagine an even greater spectacle. The purpose-built Port America's Cup in Valencia is growing in leaps and bounds with each passing week. The canal linking the Port directly to the northern race course will open shortly. Construction has started on the Chipperfield-designed building that will house the Foredeck Club, and more team bases are completed and occupied each month.
"Five new sail numbers have now been assigned among the teams (from 84 to 88), indicating a healthy number of new boats are already under construction. Finally, the weighting of ranking points on offer doubles in 2006, meaning the challengers will have every incentive to sail their hearts out when the start gun fires for Louis Vuitton Act 10 on May 11th. All these ingredients will combine to make a great event for spectators in Valencia and those following from afar as well."
New initiatives and a fresh edition of .32 magazine
The event organisers took the occasion of the Salon Nautique in Paris to announce a new marina project in the Port America's Cup and to promote a historical database, called the 'Circling Galaxy', now online (in French) that links the major players, events and boats that have competed in the past 31 America's Cup competitions.
When the new marina in the Port America's Cup opens it will provide over 600 new berths for yachts just minutes from the race course. The first phase of the marina project, some 300 slips, will be open in time for the next Louis Vuitton Acts in Valencia in May 2006. This is in addition to the 50 or so Superyacht berths already built in the middle of the Port America's Cup.
The 'Circling Galaxy' is the largest online collection of America's Cup history. Written by noted Cup historian Jacques Taglang, the 'Circling Galaxy' is a treasure chest full of information about the America's Cup, presented in a unique, fun, visual environment. Currently online in French, other language versions will be added in due course.
Additionally, there is now a new edition available of .32, the official magazine of the 32nd America's Cup. Packed with features and photographs, .32 is proof that the America's Cup is more than sailing, with stories and compelling images on everything from fashion to food gathered from the world of the Cup. The magazine is available in English and Spanish from discerning newsstands. In the new year .32 will be available to order online from www.americascup.com
Racing begins for the 2006 season on May 11th, with Louis Vuitton Acts 10 and 11 in Valencia. Act 12, a match racing round robin, semi final and final takes place in June. The dates in 2006 mimic the racing calendar for the Louis Vuitton Cup and America's Cup Match in 2007, giving the teams an opportunity to race in similar conditions to those they'll encounter in the main events.
Two high speed chases are happening today. One is onboard Sunergy and Friends (Grant Wharington) and one is onboard a Wilhelmsen Wallenius freighter on the other side of the Atlantic, in Cadiz, Spain.
The crew of Sunergy and Friends have waited and waited, and now, finally, this team, who were forced to put into Porto Santo near Madeira to fix their boom, which was damaged in the first night storm, has started to sail fast. Very fast. Today, they achieved the third fastest for a Volvo 70 so far in leg one of the Volvo Ocean Race with a run from noon to noon of 503 nm, averaging 20.9 knots.
“Our 540 nm target was based around ABN AMRO ONE’s run (estimated), and was becoming achievable as time rolled on, projecting forward our hourly runs. However sensibility took over from ego, and we are now down to a jib top and staysail, and are still cruising along at and 18 to 19 knot average, but with a great deal less stress,” wrote Campbell Field an hour ago.
The delay for repairs meant that for remainder of this leg, Sunergy and Friends (Grant Wharington) has been sailing in a completely different weather system from the rest of the fleet. They have not had nearly as much ‘easy weather’ as the first four boats in the Volvo Ocean Race fleet and they have struggled hard to stay in phase with the favourable winds.
They still have a long way to go to the finish in Cape Town, but they are finally out of the grips of the South Atlantic High and are making great progress towards the finish. Navigator Campbell Field will be working hard to keep the boat in sweet spot just ahead of the front where the strong northwesterly winds will give them a fast angle on course to Cape Town.
Wharington and his crew will be hoping to ride this front for as long as possible, but it seems that the front is moving faster than they are and will eventually roll over them. After some violent squalls with the frontal passage, winds will shift into the southwest and south and then ease back. Initially, this won’t be bad and a gybe from port to starboard will keep them pointed roughly in the right direction. However, the not such good news is that the wind is set to drop behind the front and later tonight they could very well be playing cat and mouse with some wind holes in the wake of the front.
A small area of high pressure is expected to develop behind the front and may actually capture Sunergy and Friends for a few hours if they are unlucky. Careful analysis of the heaps of weather information being sent to the boat will help them to find a path through, but it won’t be easy.
It looks like the wind gods have not quite done with them yet!
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, a ship is waiting for movistar. Volvo Ocean Race Official Shipping Line, Wallenius Wilhelmsen, has to come to movistar’s rescue and has diverted their freighter, MV Toronto, to Puerto Real Shipyard in Spain, close to Cadiz, to load movistar onto the deck tonight. Loading will begin at 1800 GMT and the team expects it to be completed tonight so that the ship can leave immediately. The trip will take approximately 16 days.
Movistar will be loaded on to the freighter’s deck on her cradle by a 40-metre crane. Her mast will also be on the deck and her workshop container will also be loaded. The shore crew has been bolstered by two of the sailing crew, Pepe Ribes and Xabi Fernandez, who are helping with the logistics of this operation.
Skipper, Bouwe Bekking said this morning, “The boat, if the plans goes in the proper way, will be at South Africa on the 16th or 17th and, after tuning the boat, we will have her ready to go to the water in one or two days. We are looking forward to starting the training programme again on the 18th December.”
Fourth placed, Ericsson, is now sailing in the light conditions that affected Brasil 1 this morning and her estimated time of arrival in Cape Town is now 0634GMT tomorrow morning.
After nearly 21 days at sea, Ericsson (Neal McDonald) finished the first leg of the Volvo Ocean Race at 0547 GMT this morning, arriving in Cape Town to the welcome of their friends and family, happy to see them back on dry land.
Skipper Neal McDonald said, “The leg did not go according to plan for us, we had a few problems and we are really quite relieved to be here. Of course we are disappointed, but it could have been worse, and we are just pleased to be here in one piece without too much damage to the boat.”
Navigator Steve Hayles said, “It is a fantastic welcome that everyone has put on for us here. People are aware that we have some damage. The boat went through a tough time on the first night, as did everyone else, but we really won’t know the extent of the damage until we haul the boat out. But when we do pull the boat out, we won’t be surprised if we see damage to the rudder as well. We are very comfortable with the boat and we are sure very quickly we will be back up to 100% racing trim and we are already looking forward to the next leg.”
By finishing fourth, Ericsson can add another four points to the scores they have already amassed by winning the in port race in Sanxenxo, giving them a total of ten and a half points and placing them joint second on the overall rankings.
After this win they started leg one with confidence but had to face the first night storm like the rest of the fleet. But unlike the rest of the fleet they came out relatively unscathed apart from a ripped spinnaker and a few sheets wrapped around their appendages. After some nifty work from Richard Mason they were freed and Ericsson was up to speed again.
In the race to the scoring gate at Fernando de Noronha, Ericsson fought Brasil 1 (Torben Grael), ABN AMRO ONE (Mike Sanderson) and ABN AMRO TWO (Sebastien Josse) valiantly. With their navigator, Steve Hayles showing off his vast Volvo Ocean Race experience and moving them into second at the gate behind ABN AMRO ONE, giving them another three points.
The drag race was then on to get below the St. Helena High, (which sits on the direct route to the finish) to find the strong breeze for a downwind run into Cape Town. The important decision was when to turn left under this high, as if the call is made too early it is easy to fall into lighter breeze and risk letting the opponents sail past further to the south.
Ericsson and ABN AMRO TWO stayed on a relatively similar course, heading directly south always within a few miles of each other. But as the breeze stiffened Ericsson gradually lost contact with the ABN AMRO TWO team, due to the loss of their heavy fractional reaching spinnaker over the first weekend of the race.
Unfortunately for the team the loss of this spinnaker almost catastrophic as it was this sail that they needed most in the last half of the leg as the breeze carried them across the South Atlantic east bound. Their biggest issue however, was sheer bad luck, when on day 18, 29th November they had a failure in the hydraulic keel movement system.
This led to the keel moving unchecked from side to side for a few minutes until Richard Mason managed to lock it off and allow them to carry on sailing albeit in a reduced capacity. Therefore Ericsson unfortunately could not perform to the level they would have liked, for the past few days running into Cape Town and to add insult to injury they hit a patch of light wind 200 nautical miles out slowing their entrance into Cape Town even further.
Ericsson Racing Team will have a lot of work to do now they have arrived in Cape Town. Every yacht in this race will undoubtedly face some bad luck at some point, it is part of living life at the extreme, but the real challenge is to rise up against it and carry on achieving. Neal McDonald and his team of highly professional and experienced crew have all learnt this lesson many times before and they will surely put this setback firmly behind them and focus on the next in port race and the Southern Ocean legs ahead.
Onboard Ericsson, skipper Neal McDonald and his crew are in reflective mood. Although there is a good breeze blowing the boat along at a steady 12 knots, there is a quiet atmosphere on board. “There is a general feeling of disappointment. We all wanted to finish higher up the ranks than this,” wrote McDonald this evening. Although they will be the fourth boat to cross the finish line, their win in the inshore race has stood them in good stead and the points they scored then will be enough to ensure that they still hold on to second position overall, tied with Brasil 1 (Torben Grael) who finished the leg this morning. McDonald also said, “We have to remember how much more fortunate we have been than the two boats that had to drop out so early.”
“It’s hard to believe it is December already and when we get off the boat tomorrow we will be in a completely different part of the world from where we go on, some 20 days before. What a strange life we lead,” he added.
Ericsson is expected to finish in Cape Town in the early hours of tomorrow morning, while Sunergy and Friends (Grant Wharington) still has to slog it out for a few more days, albeit in much more exciting sailing conditions than they have experienced so far in the leg of the Volvo Ocean Race.
The question of where to make the turn towards Cape Town after skirting South Atlantic High pressure was hanging over the fleet racing in the first leg of the Volvo Ocean Race. Brasil 1 (Torben Grael) was in the lead, and we left the story with Torben Grael noting, “It is in the hands of the Father.”
The Father decided, (or was it the wind gods?) that on day 15, 26 November, ABN AMRO ONE (Mike Sanderson) should be the first to hook into the strong westerly breeze and ride the high speed conveyor to the finish. What a relief for Mike Sanders who said “I wouldn’t swap any part of what we have on ABN AMRO ONE for anything.”
Weather forecasters were predicting high speed 24 hour runs again, and they were not mistaken. Even Sunergy and Friends (Grant Wharington) who were now 880 nm behind the leaders started to enjoy the ride. “A bit bouncy, but, hey, nice and fast, wrote navigator Campbell Field.
Day 15 and ABN AMRO ONE was being chased, and chased hard by their little brothers on ABN AMRO TWO (Sebastien Josse). “After much anticipation and patient waiting, the downwind sleigh ride to Cape Town is finally under way,” wrote Simon Fisher, the navigator on ABN AMRO TWO. The boat was staring to load up as the wind increased and the crew pushed the boat a little harder ever hour. At a steady 26 knots, they were still flying the masthead spinnaker. Mike Sanderson was looking over his shoulder and issued a gentle word of warning: “We need to be grown up about this and keep this thing (the boat) in one piece,” he said.
As the paced heated up at the head of the fleet, Sunergy and Friends, racing in their own private weather system scored their first points of the Volvo Ocean Race by rounding Fernando de Noronha and claiming 1.5 points.
Daybreak on day 16, 27 November and the two Dutch boats had shown a clean set of heels to Brasil 1 and Ericsson (Neal McDonald) as they led the fleet at a scorching pace across the south Atlantic. Brasil 1 and Ericsson had positioned themselves a little to the north, while Team ABN AMRO blasted off further south with both their boats.
By 1600 GMT later that day, records had fallen and both Team ABN AMRO boats had smashed the monohull 24-hour world speed record. Movistar (Bouwe Bekking) had set the record of 530 nm earlier in the year while sailing movistar back from the builders in Australia to Galicia. The record was broken first by ABN AMRO TWO and then ABN AMRO ONE but speeds kept rising. It wasn’t until day 17, 28 November, that the highest numbers were confirmed and the record was claimed by ABN AMRO ONE with a final tally of 546 nautical miles at an average speed of 22.75 knots throughout the 24-hour period. Not to be outdone, the young fellas, as they had been dubbed, clocked in at 539 nm, averaging 22.45 knots and also breaking movistar’s record.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” wrote Sanderson in his daily missive to Race HQ, paying tribute to Sebastien Josse’s team, saying, “They are just flying. I did try to warn a few people about the ‘White Rocket’ when we were in Spain, and I knew it was falling on deaf ears.”
Meanwhile, further back on the race track, Ericsson had set up 94 nm north of the two Dutch boats, with Brasil 1 sandwiched between them. Performance was dropping on Ericsson. They had lost their special reaching headsail on the first night at sea and this was they sail they most needed to keep in touch. Brasil 1 continued to hold second and increased her lead over Ericsson. Sunergy and Friends had slipped to 1465 miles adrift as they headed south.
After a busy weekend breaking records, on day 17, 28 November, the race office received a report from ABN AMRO ONE informing them that they had hit a shark. “We heard a thud on the keel, it didn’t really slow the boat down, but you could feel it shaking the boat,” described Mike Sanderson.
Ericsson was licking her wounds after a brutal weekend watching the Dutch boats and Brasil 1 sail away, and Bouwe Bekking, the skipper of movistar sent a note of congratulation to Mike Sanderson and Sebastien Josse for breaking his record, as his crew worked hard to repair the damage to movistar sustained in the storms of the first night. Pirates of the Caribbean became the first boat to arrive in Cape Town, but transported by an Antonov 124 aeroplane and skipper Paul Cayard said he intended to be sailing again by December 10. Sunergy and Friends continued to look for the St Helena High, so they could avoid it, leading to Campbell Field saying, “The St Helena High should be renamed as the bloody thing hasn’t been anywhere near St Helena since I’ve been tracking it!”
The big news of the day on day 18, 29 November, was that Ericsson reported a failure in their keel movement system. Neal McDonald was steering the boat when it happened. “We were reaching along at speeds of over 20 knots and quite pleased with ourselves, as we felt at last conditions had allowed us to make a comeback at the Brazilians and a pleasant evening’s sail quickly became a nightmare. A massive bang took us all by surprise. ‘What the hell was that?’ There was no visible damage, but it was obvious that the keel was flopping from side to side.” Crewmember Richard Mason managed to lock the keel in one safe position, but with it came the awful realisation that they could no longer race the boat hard and any hope of catching the Brazilians was gone. The team was mortified.
After 18 days at sea, the days were beginning to run in together. “What day are we up to? Day 14, day 15? Who cares? What’s for lunch? Who cares and what does it matter anyway, it all tastes the same,” wrote Mark Christensen from ABN AMRO ONE. To ease the situation, the crew started to place bets on their estimated arrival time in Cape Town. The winner of the jackpot would have to buy drinks for the rest of the crew with it!
Onboard ABN AMRO TWO, a shower, a beer and a shave were some of things the crews were now focussing on as Cape Town drew closer.
Day 19 and cold weather swept over the fleet bringing with it the first exciting spotting of an albatross. Each boat in the race has been provided with a laminate card by the Save the Albatross Campaign with pictures of the different species of albatross and their description. “It is a pretty awesome sight at first (seeing an albatross), soaring across the waves. It is impressive how big these birds are, not to mention how far they can fly in one hit,” wrote Simon Fisher from ABN AMRO TWO.
Adrienne Cahalan (Brasil1) said that it was her fifth time sailing through the South Atlantic and the Southern Ocean and said, “I have seen fewer albatross than at any other time since 1993.” Surveys indicate that 19 of the species of albatross are in danger of becoming extinct and Adrienne urged everyone to join the fight to save this precious bird and in doing so maintain the balance of the oceans which is so important to human life itself.
The leaders were now a little over 24 hours away from Cape Town and their friends and family were gathering for the welcome and the inevitable parties. Bouwe Bekking formally retired movistar from this leg and decided to send movistar on to Cape Town on a cargo ship, which will take two weeks,
Sunergy and Friends found the “I might move back to St Helena (but will hang around to spook you for a while first) High” and turned the corner to head towards Cape Town, and discovered that they had not run out of sugar after all. Meanwhile the two Dutch boats and Brasil 1 continued to scream in towards Cape Town at 18 knots.
Day 20 and Cape Town was poised to welcome the fleet. Crowds standing in the December sunshine were lining the docks, helicopters hovering, and support boats milling about in Table Bay.
Finally the wait was over as ABN AMRO ONE finished the 6,400 nautical mile course after 19 days, 24 minutes and 2 seconds at sea. She crossed the line to a rapturous welcome at 1324 GMT (1524 local time) and in doing so became the leader of the Volvo Ocean Race overall.
ABN AMRO TWO made it a Double Dutch victory when they finished second at 1956 GMT, giving them fourth position overall. Next in was Brasil 1, who drifted over the finish line early this morning on day 21 to claim third place podium position but equal second overall with Ericsson, who will finish in the next 24 hours.
In other parts of the world today, there were two high speed chases happening. One was onboard Sunergy and Friends (Grant Wharington) and one was onboard a Wilhelmsen Wallenius freighter on the other side of the Atlantic, in Cadiz, Spain.
The crew of Sunergy and Friends had waited and waited, and today, finally, this team, who were forced to put into Porto Santo near Madeira to fix their boom, which was damaged in the first night storm, has started to sail fast. Very fast. Today, they achieved the third fastest for a Volvo 70 so far in leg one of the Volvo Ocean Race with a run from noon to noon of 503 nm, averaging 20.9 knots.
“Our 540 nm target was based around ABN AMRO ONE’s run (estimated), and was becoming achievable as time rolled on, projecting forward our hourly runs. However sensibility took over from ego, and we are now down to a jib top and staysail, and are still cruising along at and 18 to 19 knot average, but with a great deal less stress,” wrote Campbell Field an hour ago.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, a ship is waiting for movistar. Volvo Ocean Race Official Shipping Line, Wallenius Wilhelmsen, has to come to movistar’s rescue and has diverted their freighter, MV Toronto, to Puerto Real Shipyard in Spain, close to Cadiz, to load movistar onto the deck tonight. Loading will begin at 1800 GMT and the team expects it to be completed tonight so that the ship can leave immediately. The trip will take approximately 16 days.
Movistar will be loaded on to the freighter’s deck on her cradle by a 40-metre crane. Her mast will also be on the deck and her workshop container will also be loaded. The shore crew has been bolstered by two of the sailing crew, Pepe Ribes and Xabi Fernandez, who are helping with the logistics of this operation.
Skipper, Bouwe Bekking said this morning, “The boat, if the plans goes in the proper way, will be at South Africa on the 16th or 17th and, after tuning the boat, we will have her ready to go to the water in one or two days. We are looking forward to starting the training programme again on the 18th December.”
Fourth placed, Ericsson, is now sailing in the light conditions that affected Brasil 1 this morning and her estimated time of arrival in Cape Town is now 0634GMT tomorrow morning.
The very first entry in the Volvo Ocean Race from Brazil finished leg one to Cape Town in the early hours of this morning at 0458 GMT, after spending most of the night almost becalmed.
Brasil 1 with Torben Grael in charge, and Australia’s Adrienne Cahalan navigating, now lies in joint second place with Ericsson (Neal McDonald) who will finish late tonight or early tomorrow morning. With 10.5 points on the table, both these boats are only one point adrift of ABN AMRO ONE (Mike Sanderson) who leads overall with 11.5 points.
Skipper, Torben Grael, said, “It was an extremely good race and it is very important for us to be in second place overall. The boat is in good shape and I am very pleased with the performance. “ Navigator Adrienne Cahalan added, “We are very pleased with the result. It was a really tough race and everyone fought hard for podium positions and it was not over until the end. It was a very enjoyable but hard leg. I can’t believe it has taken nearly seven hours to do the last 20 miles. We were quite relieved because even though we knew Ericsson was a long way behind, they could have appeared over the horizon at any time. “
Brasil 1’s crew is made up of some of Brasil’s best Olympic and offshore sailors. Skipper, Torben Grael, is the most successful Olympic sailor of recent years with a haul of five Olympic medals. However, the Volvo Ocean Race is an entirely different challenge and one that he has taken on with aplomb.
This team also counts the only female sailor in the race this time, Australia’s Adrienne Cahalan, and as the navigator, Cahalan is one of the most senior of the 10-strong crew.
Moving from third position into first early on day four, Brasil 1 held the lead on to it until 2200 GMT on day five before ABN AMRO ONE stole it back again. Rounding the scoring gate at Fernando de Noronha in third position, Brasil 1 spent most of rest of the leg in close combat with ABN AMRO TWO (Sebastien Josse) and Ericsson (Neal McDonald) regularly swapping positions, and much of the time within eye contact.
On day 11, 22nd November ABN AMRO ONE pushed south and Brasil 1 chose to take a more north easterly route. Excitement began to build as they started to steadily reduce the leader’s advantage, closing quickly to within 37 nautical miles. On day 14, Brasil 1 moved into the lead, but was still 74 nm to the north of ABN AMRO ONE and 59 nm to the east and much closer to the windless centre of the South Atlantic High. The pecking order was finally established when ABN AMRO ONE regained the lead on day 14, 25th November, and held it to the end, with ABN AMRO TWO surging south in their wake.
However, after 6,400 nautical miles and nearly 20 days of racing, the first three boats still finished within hours of each other, confirming that this is just the first chapter in a long and dramatic race which will unfold over the coming months.
Sebastien Josse (FRA):
“We have had an amazing leg and we didn’t expect to finish second. We thought we might be able to do something but I am really pleased with this result.”
“We have had really good boat speed throughout this leg and everyone else broke something but we managed to keep it together.”
“We sailed really well. We broke one thing but that was not the fault of the crew. We never pushed the boat and the crew never pushed me to sail her any faster or push for another 5 knots of boat speed. We just sailed fast and safe.”
“It has been really fun to sail with a crew this time and it is good to enjoy this moment with them.”
Simon Fisher (GBR)
“We have had a fantastic ride. It is an absolute relief to arrive here especially after drifting around for a good number of hours at the end of the leg and it is probably a few of the more stressful hours of my life, especially knowing that Brasil 1 was doing 20 knots behind us. It was just a question of waiting patiently and that was all we could do.”
“It has been a great race and there have been a lot of good points with some really fast sailing. We obviously have a rocket ship in certain conditions and we are very happy with that.”
“The atmosphere on board has been fantastic but we can’t say that we haven’t beaten ourselves from pillar to post, but at least we managed to do it with a smile on our faces.”
“We always thought we could do something special if we sailed really well. We had a few good moments in the first half of the race but we were disappointed to round Fernando de Noronha in fourth place, but we dug our heels in and worked hard in the South Atlantic. To get second is just an awesome job.”
Portsmouth, R.I. (December 1, 2005) - US SAILING, national governing body for the sport, announced today that it will expand its Mount Gay Rum Speaker Series to 18 events in the 2006 season. In addition to title sponsor Mount Gay Rum, Sperry Top-Sider and Sunsail have also become Official Sponsors of the program.
US SAILING's Mount Gay Rum Speaker Series was first created in 2005 as a grassroots, educational series delivering high quality seminars to sailors nationwide. The Series proved to be very successful in its first year with more than 1,500 sailors attending ten events. Details are currently being finalized to bring the Series to 18 different sailing organizations around country. The 2006 schedule will be announced next month, with events scheduled between January and April.
"The Speaker Series program is a great way for us to impact sailors directly and it's a natural fit to partner with top industry leaders like Mount Gay Rum, Sunsail and Sperry Top-Sider for these grassroots events," said US SAILING's Marketing Director Dan Cooney. "These are brands that sailors know and love."
As Official Sponsors of the Speaker Series, Mount Gay Rum (Official Rum of US SAILING), Sperry Top-Sider (Exclusive Footwear Supplier to the US Sailing Team) and Sunsail (a leading provider of yacht charter vacations worldwide) are demonstrating that they are dedicated to enhancing the sport and developing unique events that will help sailors improve their on- and off-the-water sailing knowledge.
Everyone is full of pride and wonder for the relatively inexperienced crew of ABN AMRO TWO (Sebastien Josse), who crossed the finish line to finish this leg of the Volvo Ocean Race in second place at 1956 GMT in Cape Town today, just over six hours behind their team mates on ABN AMRO ONE. They are now fourth position in the overall standings having received 9.5 points to date, including the scores from the In Port race in Sanxenxo, Spain and the points from this leg.
The youngsters made a mark early in this race, when they beat their big brothers on ABN AMRO ONE (Mike Sanderson) in the In Port race, finishing fifth. They started out confidently from Vigo, facing their first big storm and showed their stamina and resolve.
“We are really delighted with where we have finished,” said skipper Sebastien Josse as he stepped ashore. “It is wonderful to sail this time with a full crew, and the crew work exceptional. It was great to come in second.”
Navigator, Simon Fisher, said “Absolutely fantastic result. We thought we could do something special if we sailed really well. We were disappointed to be fourth round Fernando de Noronha but we really dug our heels in during the second half of the race and we’re delighted to get second. It has been fantastic arriving because the most stressful part of the race has been the last few hours, especially knowing that Brasil 1 was doing 20 knots behind us! We have obviously got a rocket ship here in certain conditions and we’re very happy with the boat. “
This team has quietly been a contender all the way through this leg, waging a fierce war with Brasil 1 (Torben Grael) and Ericsson (Neal McDonald), who both beat them to the first scoring gate at Fernando de Noronha. For a lot of the time these three boats were within a few miles and sometimes even within eye sight. They even gave their team mates on ABN AMRO ONE a scare when they broke the world speed record last Sunday before them (later ABN AMRO ONE took this from them by a only a few more miles) and carried on reeling them in. But after nearly 20 days racing they were not able to overhaul the first boat in their team but they did confidently hold off the competition to prove the sceptics wrong.
They have been a constantly happy and optimistic crew, not only working hard on the yacht but also having real fun and the time of their lives. Their reports have been candid and interesting. They have recounted amusing stories about trading sweets on board, using the yacht as a washing line, incubating a mysterious rash amongst the crew, the pain of losing an ipod to the seas and Si Fi’s (Simon Fisher) constant fretting.
“We're almost there, only fifty more miles to go and quite frankly I can't wait.” Si Fi wrote as they make their way down the final straight today. ”Everyone on board now is looking forward to stepping onto the dock, drinking a cold beer and relaxing after three hard weeks of racing. It's been a pretty awesome three weeks when I look back on it. Without a doubt our team has sailed better together in these past weeks than ever before. It really came together nicely. We have also been very pleasantly surprised by our boat speed and to find that we can battle it out with the front rank.”
ABN AMRO TWO is crewed by a team of hand picked international sailors, all under 31 years old and extremely skilled, but from a wide variety of sailing backgrounds. The original concept for this youth team was conceived by Mike Sanderson (skipper of ABN AMRO ONE), Roy Heiner (Technical Sailing Director) and the Dutch Bank ABN AMRO. An Internet competition was set up where contestants sent in their CVs and answered questions on why they should compete in the Volvo Ocean Race. It had such a world wide response that the Bank’s server was actually brought down by the sheer number of applications.
The thousands of young entries were then whittled down into four categories, representing the major markets in the world for ABN AMRO. After extensive trials where the contestants were sent to “boot camp” and tested in many areas including, general fitness, mental attitude and of course sailing ability, finally 10 young men were chosen.
The final team then went on rigorous sea mile building exercises including taking part in and winning the Route de l’Equateur race as a prequel to the Volvo Ocean Race. Although the core of the team is relatively inexperienced, the pre-nominated skipper Sebastien Josse (FRA) and navigator Simon Fisher (UK) both have a multitude of ocean miles under both their belts.
Sebastien Josse is predominantly known for his single handed sailing. He came fifth this year in the Vendee Glove, the world famous solo none stop race. He has also competed in offshore races, such as the Transat Jacque Vabre, the Transat and in the Figaro circuit.
Simon Fisher, is largely an inshore navigator having been part of the British America’s Cup campaign, GBR Challenge, and K-Challenge in the present America’s Cup series. But he does have lots of offshore experience racing on the Playstation and Maiden 2 as well as numerous Fastnet races and a Sydney Hobart race to his credit.
From the precedent they have set in this offshore leg, this team certainly looks like it has a very promising future and all the hard work to find the crew and bring them together from all walks of life and all parts of the world has paid off.
We can only imagine the party that will take place this evening for the ABN AMRO team in Cape Town and it is thoroughly deserved.
Portsmouth, R.I. (December 1, 2005) - US SAILING, national governing body for the sport, has named the members of the 2005 US Youth Sailing Team. The members of this honorary team are considered the strongest young sailors in the U.S. They each won a US SAILING National Championship this year or are members of the 2005 US Youth World Team, which represented the U.S. at the 2005 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship held last July in Korea.
The following sailors have been named to the 2005 US Youth Sailing Team:
U.S. Junior Triplehanded Championship (Sears Cup)
Ted Hale (Annapolis, Md.)
Evan Aras (Annapolis, Md.)
Joe Morris (Annapolis, Md.)
U.S. Junior Doublehanded Championship (Bemis Trophy)
Cole Hatton (Newport Harbor, Calif.)
Blair Belling (Newport Beach, Calif.)
U.S. Junior Singlehanded Championship (Smythe Trophy)
Cameron Cullman (Rye, N.Y.)
U.S. Youth Championship - Singlehanded
Thomas Barrows (St. Thomas, USVI)
U.S. Youth Championship - Singlehanded
Kyle Rogachenko (Collegeville, Pa.)
U.S. Youth Championship - Doublehanded
Emily Dellenbaugh (Easton, Conn.)
Leigh Hammel (Warren Vt.)
U.S. Youth Multihull Championship
Sam Ingham (Rochester, N.Y.)
Michael Siau (Manlius, N.Y.)
U.S. Junior Women's Singlehanded (Leiter Trophy)
Stephanie Roble (East Troy, Wis.)
U.S. Junior Women's Doublehanded Championship (Ida Lewis Trophy)
Rebecca Dellenbaugh (Easton, Conn.)
Leigh Hammel (Warren, Vt.)
US Youth World Team
Girls Singlehanded:
Paige Railey (Clearwater, Fla.)
Boys Singlehanded:
Royce Weber (Surf City, N.J.)
Girls Doublehanded:
Megan Magill (San Diego, Calif.)
Briana Provancha (San Diego, Calif.)
Boys Doublehanded:
Adam Roberts (San Diego, Calif.)
Nick Martin (San Diego, Calif.)
Multihull:
T.J. Tullo (Staten Island, N.Y.)
Jerry Tullo (Staten Island, N.Y.)
At 1324 GMT today, an ecstatic Mike Sanderson brought ABN AMRO ONE safely into Cape Town to claim leg one of Volvo Ocean Race. After 6,400 nautical miles, and 19 days, 24 minutes and 2 seconds at sea, this team, which also holds the new monohull 24-hour world record, now leads the Volvo Ocean Race by one point, clocking up a total of 11.5 points so far.
“It’s unbelievable to be here,” said Sanderson as he brought the boat into the dock. “Team ABN AMRO has worked so hard on this. Before we started we were told by our designer Juan Kouyoumdjian, that we would average 16 knots on this leg and we a laughed. We have averaged 15.95 knots and put in nearly 400 miles almost every day of this leg. I am not sure if I could call it fun. It seemed very high stress but to see Table Mountain is always a pleasure and we are really looking forward to our time here.”
Huge crowds packed the quayside in Cape Town’s Victoria and Alfred waterfront, host of the Volvo Ocean Race and its predecessor, The Whitbread, for many years, to welcome the very first Volvo Open 70 to arrive in the harbour and watch Sanderson and his team hold aloft the Waterford Crystal leg trophy.
New Zealand’s Mike Sanderson, who has twice raced around the world alongside his friend and mentor, Grant Dalton, is a first time skipper in this event, and what a start he has had. After a disappointing showing in the inaugural in-port race in Sanxenxo, Galicia, Spain, where, in the light conditions not suited to the boat, the team finished in sixth place, they had everything to prove in the first of the offshore legs of this nine-leg marathon.
After an eventful start, having worked the black boat into the lead, everything onboard seemed to be going smoothly, when, on day two, with the boat fully powered up the team was hit by a big gust of wind. “The boat took off, fully under control and then there was a loud bang and we did the most massive wipe out, “explained Sanderson at the time. The team then momentarily lost control wiping out their steering pedestal and the tiller arm on the port side and injuring two crew in the process.
This was followed on day three by a small fire onboard. A bolt had dropped into the battery box and lodged between a battery terminal and the carbon fibre structure. The resulting short circuit took out the wiring and systems in the navigation, communications and media stations onboard. Once the fire was controlled, navigator, Stan Honey (USA) managed to re-wire the damaged areas.
Recovering quickly from these incidents and pushing as hard as they could, ABN AMRO ONE reached the scoring gate at Fernando de Noronha in pole position, collecting the 3.5 points up for grabs.
The race south then began and Sanderson and his very experienced crew did not look back, apart from one worrying point on day 13 when the they ran out of wind and the chasing pack started to chip away at their lead.
Holding their nerve, the crew never swerved from the belief that their boat, from the drawing board of Argentinean designer, Juan Kouyoumdjian, and built by Killian Bushe, was the best boat. “Once again, I wouldn’t swap any part of what we have on ABN AMRO ONE for anything,“ wrote Sanderson that day.
The breeze filled in the following day, and ABN AMRO ONE picked up her skirts and flew towards Cape Town, collecting the monohull 24-hour world record on day 16, when the team passed the magic barrier and sailed 546 nautical miles in 24 hours.
The team will now spend some time recuperating with their families before preparing the boat for the second in-port race to be held on December 26.
Dateline December 2005, Muskegon:
Western Michigan has seen a terrific sailing season come to an end. The weather cooperated well and the sailors responded. Muskegon Yacht Club (MYC) has seen a one-design metamorphosis. While one-design fleets have always been part of the fabric of Muskegon Lake sailing, its intensity and variety is always changing. While the Laser and the JY15 have had decent interest on Tuesday nights, the keel boat fleet is where most of the action has taken place. In the past three years the Melges 24 has been the boat of choice. With its Reichel/Pugh design it has changed the competitive emphasis from busy sail handling techniques of the past to more concentration to fleet positioning and racecourse planning. More of a head game if you will.
MYC’s Melges fleet has grown from three boats in 2003 to five in 2004 to nine in 2005. With this growth the fleet has truly changed to strict one-design. The race committee has given the fleet it’s own start sequence and scoring. MYC hosted its annual Spring regatta with 17 Melges 24’s in attendance. This regatta tied with the Detroit NOOD Regatta and took second to the Gold Cup regatta hosted by The Lake Geneva Yacht Club for attendance.
Local sailing was tight all season with four points separating first and second place for the last third of the season. As it turns out perennial scoring leader Scott Miller and crew took third for the season. Dr. Ken Gray and partner Patrick Sagan put up a good fight but it was Brian Torresen and his crew taking first by those same four points.
The Midwest Melges scene consisted of seven regattas. Muskegon, Detroit NOOD, Chicago NOOD, Harbor Springs, Traverse City, Charlevoix, and Lake Geneva. In all, fifty-five boats competed in forty-two races and averaged 17 boats per regatta. This summer saw incredible sailing with big name pros attending many events. Names such as; Zenda’s Brian Porter, Melges 24 World Champ Harry Melges III, Melges Boat Works Andy Burdick, John Bertrand and Scott Nixon sailing for Quantum Sails, and two-time Melges 24 World Champ Vince Brun to name a few.
Regardless of their best efforts these top guns couldn’t hold off the Corinthian (amateur) sailors for the overall scoring. Chuck Holzman and Bora Gulari took the season title followed by District Melges Governor Mike Dow, 2004 winner Paul Hulsey from Detroit, Chicago’s Evan Jahn, and MYC members Dr. Gray & Pat Sagan round out the top five. The top professional boat was John Bertrand in eighth place.
Thanks to the growth of the one-design fleet at MYC, next year should prove to be very competitive. The group recently held a fleet meeting to discuss the coming season. As a result the Wednesday night season will be split into a three series format. Series scoring and awards will be decided for spring, summer, fall, and an overall for the year. As usual, emphasis will be on racing hard, fair competition, and special efforts will be taken to build fleet numbers and good sportsmanship. It’s happening in Western Michigan so come join the fun and bring your game.
The 2006 Calendar stock has arrived just in time for Christmas. This year’s Sharon Green, Ultimate Sailing Calendar is better than ever. Per standard, Sharon focuses on grand prix sailing events around the globe. For the past 25 years she has been the sole provider for the photography in her calendars. This year Sharon opened the work to a few of her esteemed colleagues, Jon Nash, Tim Wright, and Carlo Borlenghi. Once again Sharon Green and Windward Productions have managed to publish an exciting and beautiful portfolio of race sailing at it’s best.
Another top seller is our Tall Ships Calendar, by Chad Thoza. Chad is a maritime enthusiast who researches, photographs, and sails tall ships as often as possible. Each month showcases a vessel, with a beautiful photo and write-up. The preface for this calendar also includes contact information to the American Sail Training Association, the main sponsor’s for the Tall Ships Challenge. The city of Muskegon has hosted The Tall Ships Challenge twice in the past. Be sure to keep an eye out this next summer, as a couple of tall ships will be visiting our harbor.
A favorite calendar of mine is the 2006 Best of Dr. Crash, put out by Sailing World magazine. Each month we get a glimpse of the uglier side of sailing. The images for the calendar are compiled from the stockpiles of many of sailing’s best photographers. The write up on the back of the calendar states it best, “If your most embarrassing sailing moment didn’t make the pages of this years calendar, don’t despair-the doctor is taking new patients all the time.”
Sail Magazine and Cruising World have both put out beautiful pictorial calendars with the ocean cruiser in mind. It is a tough call between the two calendars, as both contain images of envious attraction. My call, get both.
With more local attractions in mind there is the 2006 Great Lakes Lighthouses calendar. South Haven, Holland, and Grand Traverse Bay are just a couple of the closer lighthouses highlighted this year.
And lastly the Chicago based, and focused, Boatingshots calendar. Boatingshots was established 2 years ago when photographer Richard Chandler teamed with sailing & racing enthusiast Sam Sansome. For the second year in a row the pair have produced a calendar showcasing “Lake Michigan’s racers, both on Lake Michigan and on the road (e.g. Key West).” This year’s calendar also provides a comprehensive “listing of major sailing events from the US and around the world (races, regattas, training courses and boat shows, etc.)” called the Schedular. A handful of Torresen Marine customers, and an employee, have graced the calendar’s cover and pages these past two years. A couple of our hull paint jobs are also on display (last year’s February and this year’s December shots). So, be sure to check one out. Who knows, you may be featured.
As the Torresen Marine Ship’s Store is open Saturdays year round, be sure to stop in and check out the calendar selection. Not only are the all aforementioned calendars on the shelf, but they can be purchased directly at www.torresen.com.
Happy Holidays to all!
The Grand Rapids Boat Show takes place February 15, 2006 through February 19, 2006 at the new DeVos Center in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan. This show is a very general boating show with displays for power boats, sailboats, fishing boats, pontoon boats, and all of the gear relating to any of these activities. In addition to the above, the show will usually have a feature presentation such as the display of Antique Chris Craft powerboats in 2005.
Torresen Marine’s display will include the latest in small boats such as Sunfish, Butterfly, Laser, Precision and JY 15. In addition to the boats on display we will feature our brokerage boats, Torresen Marine Sailing School, plus a selection of diesel engines that can be used to repower any older sailboat. Experienced technical and sales staff will be in attendance to assist you with any boating repair questions. Stop by the TMI ship’s store and pick up your 2 for 1 admission passes.
Checking out the boat show web site www.showspan.com gives you the opportunity to buy admittance tickets on line, plus you can review a list of the special features at the show. Timing is everything. Saturday, being the worst day for traffic jams, should be avoided if you want to check out all the new large boats because the lines can be extra long. Consider Wednesday through Friday for extensive research.
Torresen Marine has participated in the Grand Rapids show for nearly 25 years. Many people use this show as an opportunity to explore what on the water recreation is available in West Michigan. What better place to meet new boaters, and for new boaters to discover the benefits of sailing. One of our main goals is to promote sailing in our great West Michigan area. Drop by our display # 710 and introduce yourself. We look forward to seeing you there.
Are you having trouble trying to figure out what to get that sea faring friend or relative? Here are a few suggestions from the Torresen Marine Ships Store.
1. NATIVE EYEWEAR: Several styles of Native sunglasses come with four different sets of polarized lenses, a carry case, and a lens cloth. They come with a lifetime warranty. Visit our ships store and check out the styles and pricing.
2. SAIL 2000: A yacht racing simulator, it has breathtaking graphics, incredible accuracy, with realistic sound all in 3-D. You can race a friend with head to head competition.
3. VHF HANDHELD: It has a back lit LCD and keypad, user programmable Scan and Tri-Watch, an AC/DC adapter, and a 12-hour rechargeable NIMh battery with Alkaline Tray.
4. CLOTHING: Check out the sailing shorts (don't forget the fanny pad), tee shirts, foul weather gear and a new pair of sailing gloves. All come in a wide range of colors and sizes.
5. DON’T FORGET STOCKING STUFFERS: Belts, Wallets, Sailing Magazines, and new Croakie accessories (eyeglass and hat holders) are great items.
If you are still having a problem deciding what to choose, we have gift certificates in any dollar amount. They can be used in the ship store or on a service order. Please call us or visit us on-line at www.torresen.com for more suggestions or help in picking out that perfect gift.
Strictly Sail Chicago, held at Navy Pier on Thursday, February 2, 2006 through Sunday, February 5, 2006, is the area’s premier sailboat show. It is second only to the Annapolis In the Water Boat Show for new boats on display as well as vendor’s displays promoting deck hardware, rigging, painting, and repowering (one of Torresen Marine’s specialties). Other interests covered are chartering, yacht clubs, and racing groups. At the Torresen Marine booth, # 341, you will find displays for our sailing school, brokerage boats, diesel engines for repowering your existing boat and several of our expert service technicians to help you solve your boating needs.
Let’s go over some tips to make your experience the best one possible.
1. Parking
Navy Pier is easily reached off Lakeshore Drive. Parking is available on site, however, on Saturday, the busiest day, you may want to park at one of the satellite lots and take a courtesy shuttle to the show. It is a big help to go on-line and visit the boat show web site www.strictlysail.com to get directions to the best parking
2. Choose Your Day Wisely
While Thursday and Friday have lighter crowds and shorter waits for displays, Saturday usually has “bumper to bumper traffic” from 11.00a.m. till 3.00 p.m. That is the best time to plan your seminars and lunches. Certain boat displays can generate long waiting lines. You can beat the lines by arriving at the opening time and picking your favorite four or five boats to inspect before the rush and then wait until the middle of the afternoon to check out some of the other popular models.
3. Tickets & Seminars
Tickets can be purchased on-line and you will find children 15 years of age and under are admitted for no charge. Take the kids because there is plenty for them to do. Also check out the seminars and special events that will be taking place during the course of the show on-line.
4. Hotel Accommodations
While you are on-line you can check out the best hotel rates in town and get the same rates the exhibitors receive. There is a free shuttle from the hotel to the show at the appropriate times.
5. Plan Your Day
As with most trips, it is best to have a plan in mind as how to cover the features of the show that have the most interest. Serious boat buyers often come on Thursday or Friday when the crowds are not distracting. The same could be true if you intend to research some new deck hardware or maybe repowering. To fill out your day, you may want to go on line to www.navypier.com and check out the restaurants and other fun things going on right there on Navy Pier.
It’s official; the Great Lakes sailing season is finally over. I just saw snow being shoveled out of the cockpit of the last boat in the marina so it could be brought in and hauled out. That’s quite a shocking site with the memories of summer sailing still so fresh in my mind. Here at the marina it doesn’t take long for us to forget about last season’s sailing. Now is the time when we get busy preparing 500+ boats for next year. It sure seems far away, but it will be here before you know it. Take advantage of the time when your boat is laid up and get things ready for next season.
Maybe you have been thinking that it is time to upgrade some of your older equipment or to replace some worn out hardware. Perhaps you have been interested in some of the amazing new electronics available but just haven’t been able to decide exactly what you need. If that’s the case you should plan on heading to Chicago’s Navy Pier February 2nd – 5thto visit the famous Strictly Sail Boat Show. Not only is this show the best in the Midwest for seeing this years newest boat models, it’s also fantastic for seeing what’s new in the world of sailboat equipment. Whether you’re interested in upgrading your winches, adding a new chartplotter to your navigation system, changing to a feathering propeller or installing a mainsail furling system, you’ll be able to find all of the newest equipment on display at the show. In fact, there are hundreds of products to look at with knowledgeable reps ready to answer any questions you may have about their product.
If you are interested in having Torresen Marine help you with installation of your new gear or simply have a question about a product you have seen, feel free to come and find me at booth # 341. I will be more than happy to answer any questions you have. We can also walk the show together and talk to some of the sales reps that are available to make sure that we can find exactly what it is you are looking for. The “specials” most of the reps at the show are running are usually some of the lowest prices you’ll find. As an established dealer with more than 40 years in the business, we are also awarded “show special pricing” by our distributors and can almost always match any “special show pricing” that you will find at the show. Get a quote from any rep at the show and then stop and see me at the booth. Not only will you get the best pricing available; you will also be getting the support of Torresen Marine’s highly experienced staff. We can spec out exactly what it is you are looking for and make sure that you are getting precisely what you need. We are also always available to answer any questions you have regarding the use or installation of your new purchase.
The Chicago Strictly Sail show is truly a wonderful thing. We are very lucky to have such a beautiful gathering of sailboats and sailors so close to home at such a wintry time of year. Mark it on your calendar today and start making your plans to head to Navy Pier February 2nd – 5th. Be sure to stop by and say hello to the Torresen Marine staff at booth #341.
I’ll see you there!
The Ericsson Racing Team has less than 450 nautical miles to go until its imminent arrival in Cape Town, concluding Leg One of the Volvo Ocean Race 2005-06. Despite a trouble strewn first night, followed by recent keel failures, the team is in fourth position and fighting on. If Ericsson continues at her current speed she will arrive into Cape Town late on Friday evening, 2 December, taking joint second place on the overall leaderboard, just one point behind ABN Amro One.
It has been a fast yet eventful leg for the boys onboard Ericsson.
Many of the teams experienced problems early on in the race and
Ericsson lost a spinnaker in the water which later came back to
haunt her. Despite a triumphant second place rounding of the
scoring gate at Fernando de Noronha, the team has since been
hampered by setbacks. They picked up the strong westerly breeze in
the South Atlantic, with high hopes of catching the leaders during a
swift ride to Cape Town. But a couple of days in heavy reaching
conditions without their fractional reaching kite cost them dearly.
Monday night saw the biggest setback of all, when the team
experienced failure to their hydraulic keel system in the middle of
the night. "We were blast reaching along at 26 knots when a loud
bang was heard and we discovered that the keel was free floating
but still attached to the rams." explained Australian Tom Braidwood.
Skipper Neal McDonald (GBR) slowed the boat as it rolled onto one
side and Richard Mason (NZL) quickly discovered the problem and
locked the keel into position.
Yesterday, having sailed for nearly two days on starboard, Ericsson
had further problems with her keel system. With the keel slightly
canted to the starboard side, a wind shift meant the team needed to
gybe and the keel became loose again. As Neal McDonald explains,
it was a full team effort to recover the boat: "Richard [Mason] and his
band of merry helpers down below wrestled with spanners, pipes,
hand pumps and basically anything they could get their hands on to
refill the rams with hydraulic oil and lock them in place. Full credit to
them they managed to tame it and lock the keel in the centre."
McDonald continues: "The three leading boats have shot ahead and
our job now is to make sure we finish in one piece." There is no way
of catching the leaders as ABN One has already arrived and Ericsson
is only sailing at about 70% of her capacity. "Nevertheless the sailing
conditions are excellent," comments McDonald.
Estimated arrival time for Ericsson is currently 20.00 GMT on 2
December. However, Cape Town is notorious for its ridge of high
pressure as the yachts enter Table Bay and she may well arrive much
later into the night.
ABN AMRO ONE (Mike Sanderson) is just 24 miles from the finish of the Volvo Ocean Race leg one in Cape Town, South Africa.
Speeds have remained high throughout the last 24 hours in spite of the threatened light weather patch that had worried skipper Mike Sanderson a day ago.
Cape Town is poised, awaiting the arrival of the first boat to finish this leg, which is estimated to be around 1130 GMT this morning. ABN AMRO TWO (Sebastien Josse) is expected to finish later this afternoon, with Brasil 1 (Torben Grael) expected later tonight.