DETROIT, Aug. 27, 2007 - Organizers of the Audi 2007 Melges 24 U.S. National
Championship have announced that Audi of America Inc. and the Detroit-Area
Audi Metro Dealers have been named Title Sponsor of this prestigious event.
"We are extremely happy to have Audi on board for this regatta and pleased
they recognize what we already know; that Melges 24 racing is the most
exciting sailing going on in the United States today," said Paul Hulsey,
event chairman. "We're looking forward to showing the folks at Audi that 50
plus Melges's roaring into the leeward mark is the maritime equivalent to
dozens of race cars zooming around a track."
This National Championship marks Audi's first title sponsorship of any U.S.
regatta. With AUDI AG recently announcing its sponsorship of the Breitling
Medcup Transpac 52 circuit, and Audi of Australia's strong support of
Hamilton Island Race Week and the Sydney Harbor Regatta, the automobile
manufacturer is sending a clear message of their support to the yacht racing
community.
Dave Suplee, Audi's general manager for the Midwest U.S., has big
expectations for the event: "Our company's heritage is all about racing and
competition, and our best innovations have come from racing," Suplee said.
"High performance, clean technologies and pushing the envelope are core
values for Audi, which is why we see this National Championship as such a
good match for us."
Audi will display a full line up of their high-performance cars on the
grounds of Detroit's Bayview Yacht Club, including the TT roadster and 354
horsepower S5 Sports Coupe. The powerful and stylish Q7, easily able to
easily tow a Melges 24 and carry the entire crew, will also be on display
throughout the event.
ENTRY LIST SWELLS AS EARLY REGISTRATION DEADLINE APPROACHES
Forty-two teams have already registered from as far away as England and
California, with at least 15 more boats expected to register over the coming
weeks. Only two weeks remain until the September 10 early registration
deadline.
Holland (Michigan) August 28, 2007 – The Macatawa Bay Yacht Club proudly announces it’s challenge of the Royal Canadian Yacht Club, Toronto, for the 2007 match race series commonly called the Canada’s Cup. The contest takes place on Lake Ontario where the defender and challenger will compete in Farr 40 one design sailboats. The match racing starts on October 12, 2007 and continues until one of the teams is victorious in five races.
This year marks the 21st running of the International Match Race series for the Canada’s Cup. The inaugural race was held in 1896 when the city of Toledo (OH) supported Lincoln Park Yacht Club’s (Chicago) challenge to the Royal Canadian Yacht Club. Macatawa Bay Yacht Club joins a distinguished list of US yacht clubs including Chicago, Rochester and Bayview (Detroit) that have challenged for, and defended the Cup. The US holds an overall 11 – 9 lead in those matches. The cup has never been sailed in Lake Michigan waters.
This will be the third time the Farr 40 one design boats will sail the Canada’s Cup and the third time for long-time Farr 40 owner and member of the Macatawa Yacht Club, Bob Hughes. Bob first sailed in the Canada’s Cup in 2001 for Bayview Yacht Club, where he forced the series to 12 races before being defeated. Bob immediately began preparation for the 2003 rematch. When Bayview Yacht Club withdrew their challenge, Bob Hughes aligned with his home yacht club, Macatawa Bay, to challenge again for the Cup. It was another close duel with Bob and his team unfortunately trailing by seconds in the final race.
This year, Bob, partnered with Ted Etheridge, an experienced sailor, boat owner and also a member of the Macatawa Bay Yacht Club. A recent addition to the team is tactician David Dellenbaugh. Dave was the tactician and starting helmsman on America3 during her successful defense of the America's Cup in 1992 and sailed in two other America's Cup campaigns. He is also a Lightning world champion, two-time Congressional Cup winner, six-time Thistle national champion, winner of the Canada's Cup, two-time Prince of Wales U.S. match racing champion and winner of the U.S. team racing championships for the Hinman Trophy. With a seasoned crew the team will head east to Toronto to sail in the chilly Lake Ontario waters. “We’re putting together a team to take on Canada’s best. We’re determined to hold the next Canada’s Cup in Lake Michigan for the first time ever” said Ted Etheridge.
Winning the cup would place the Macatawa Bay Yacht Club among an elite few and in possession of an honor never before seen on Lake Michigan. The Macatawa Bay Yacht Club has celebrated over 100 years of first class racing and spectacular regattas. Since 1899, the MBYC has been a familiar sight on the banks of Lake Macatawa and a hub of Lake Michigan boating activities. The Canada’s Cup trophy would be a wonderful addition to the rich sailing heritage of MBYC.
The Heartbreaker/Team MBYC has a focused practice and race schedule starting with the one design Windy City regatta, training sessions in Chicago and Demark, and practice sessions in Macatawa and Toronto prior to the match races. It's not all work…the Heartbreaker/Team MBYC will take time to sail in the VanderLeek Cup Hospice Regatta on September 1, 2007 with a talented crew of 11 elite youth sailors from Macatawa Bay Junior Association, a not-for -profit group that promotes youth sailing from the club. “It is always a pleasure to sail with up and coming junior sailors, especially in an event with a purpose. Through our program, we have tried to give the MBYC a common theme to rally around, increase name recognition and prestige, provide some great racing to watch, and inspiring junior sailors of the future. What a wonderful opportunity to combine this with a great cause like Hospice” said Bob Hughes.
CHICAGO (August 21, 2007). World renowned sailor Roy E. Disney has been named honorary chairman of the 100th running of the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac. Chicago Yacht Club has plans underway for a spectacular series of events marking the historic running of the 333-mile race from Chicago to Mackinac Island, Mich. The 100th Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac, better known as 'The Mac,' will set sail for Mackinac Island on Saturday, July 19, 2008.
Disney's Pyewacket still holds the elapsed time record for monohulls in the Mac at 23 hours, 30 minutes, and 34 seconds, which he set in 2002. 'My last Mac Race was great fun, great competition, and featured a grand setting at both ends. It was really half a lifeti me of sailing folded into one twenty four hour race,' Disney said. 'I look forward to coming back to Chicago and serving as the honorary chair of the 100th Mac!' The Mac, which was first run in 1898, has a proven track record of attracting some of the finest sailing talent in the sport. The unpredictable weather and fickle winds on Lake Michigan make the Race to Mackinac a true test of skill and endurance.
For its 100th running, the Chicago Yacht Club will offer a once in a lifetime event for Mac sailors, spectators, sponsors, and friends. 'Roy's input, guidance, and presence will help us make that happen, and we look forward to working with him during the coming year,' said Mackinac Committee Chairman Greg Miarecki.
Newport, RI – August 19, 2007 The Hinman Masters, more formally known as the Invitational Team Race Regatta for the Commodore George R. Hinman Masters Trophy, was sailed at the NYYC’s Harbour Court this weekend. The team-racing event is for those on the shady side of 40. After four complete round robins, or 48-total races, the team from the host New York Yacht Club won the event with 12 points. In second place was Noroton Yacht Club, which was tied with Larchmont on points until the tie-breaking protocol worked its magic. Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club was fourth; St. Francis, fifth and Southern Yacht Club, sixth.
Saturday’s racing was delayed as a robust breeze from the northwest – with gusts over 25 knots -- kicked in. The race committee waited until 2 p.m. to start the racing that ran until 7. Sunday saw the more typical southerly sea breeze arrive, although that was shy to appear.
The team captain for the NYYC was Phil Lotz; other skippers for the winning team were Bill Tripp and former-Commodore George R. Hinman Jr., whose father, the late George R. Hinman Sr. -- commodore of the NYYC in 1959-60 -- is the namesake of the regatta. The event chair was Peter Benedetto.
Stockholm, August 20, 2007 - John Kostecki, one of two skippers in the Ericsson Racing Team, has resigned and will leave his assignment with Ericsson, due to family reasons.
"I have decided to resign my position on Ericsson Racing Team. I realize what it takes to win the Volvo Ocean Race and feel that this is the best decision for the team, me and my family" says John Kostecki.
The process to appoint a new skipper is underway. The goal is to get a skipper on the same level as Kostecki - a skipper that can harness all the talent in the team to achieve Ericsson Racing Team's goal to be a top contender in the next Volvo Ocean Race. And there is time to find a new skipper. It's still more then a year until the start in Alicante, Spain in October 2008.
"I am proud to have been working with Ericsson and Ericsson Racing Team up until now, I will always stand behind the team and I will not get involved with any other team in the next Volvo Ocean Race," continues Kostecki.
"I would like to thank John for what he has done for the team up until now and wish him all the best of luck as he turns his focus more on his family." says Richard Brisius, managing director, Ericsson Racing Team.
The team is currently making preparations for starting activities at the training base in Lanzarote. The training boat (the old ABN Amro One) will be re-launched shortly after a refit, now bearing the Ericsson colors and new graphics.
A parade of lighted boats will travel around Muskegon Lake on Saturday. The new parade, organized by Pegee Huntley and Linda Taylor, both of Muskegon, will begin around 8:30 p.m.
The parade is expected to include more than 10 boats traveling from the west end of Muskegon Lake, east toward the downtown waterfront and loop around back to the west end of the lake and out the Muskegon channel.
Boats will be decorated with individual themes including Hawaiian and Christmas schemes.
For on-shore observers, Heritage Landing and the Muskegon channel wall will be ideal viewing locations.
Boat owners interested in participating should contact event organizers at 231-759-1193.
The 2007 Rolex Fastnet Race that also doubled up as the official prologue to the non-stop, two-handed Barcelona World Race, proved to be a tough proposition for the duos onboard their IMOCA 60-foot monohulls. It was the French pairing of Vincent Riou (winner of the solo 2004 Vendée Globe) and Seb Josse (skipper of ABN AMRO2) who dominated the 608-mile race to bring PRB across the line first in a time of 2 days, 2 hours, 17 minutes and 44 seconds, compounding their position as race favourites for the two-handed, non-stop Barcelona World Race that starts on 11th November. A total of 15 IMOCA 60s started the race – eight of them are entered to compete in the Barcelona World Race - but in these tough conditions not all finished, including the Spanish entries of Estrella Damm and Educacion sin Fronteras plus Roland Jourdain’s Veolia Environnement.
Strong south-westerly winds, often gale force, made it a challenging race but also made it a fast race. PRB has established a new record for the IMOCA 60 class beating the time set by Catherine Chabaud on Whirlpool in 1999 by 3 hours, 1 minute and 16 seconds (to be ratified). Also, Alex Thompson and Andrew Cape onboard Hugo Boss who crossed the finish line off Plymouth at 14:48:01 GMT swiftly followed four minutes later by Jérémie Beyou and Signey Gavignet Delta Dore at 14:52:07 have broken Chabaud’s record.
The 100-ft maxi ICAP Leopard claimed the Rolex Fastnet Race line honours and smashed the existing monohull record but the leading IMOCA 60s have also broken the previous monohull record set by RF Yachting in 1999. RF Yachting was 20-foot longer than the IMOCA 60s but changing technology coupled with the windy conditions combined to make this edition of the Fastnet a record setting race. For Swiss and French skippers, Dominique Wavre and Michèle Paret, they bought Temenos 2 across the line at 15:35:11 GMT, 3 hours and 18 minutes after PRB. Spaniards Javier Sanso and Pachi Rivero onboard Mutua Madrileña, completed the line-up crossing the line at 17:04:51 GMT in a time of 2 days, 7 hours and 4 minutes.
This 608-mile race was a short but intense period of time for these skippers who dealt with challenging and changeable conditions. With minimal sleep they finished cold, wet and tired having pushed as hard as they could to stay at the front, whilst trying not to break any race-ending equipment. If anything this prologue has been a ‘snapshot’ of the Barcelona World Race that will see nine teams racing 25,000 miles non-stop over three months across the planet’s most hostile oceans.
LOS ANGELES---The Transpacific Yacht Club is convinced that many of those 2,000-plus competitors who sailed more than 200 boats in the last three Transpacs are ready now for the next great ocean adventure: across the equator to the South Pacific.
With its 44th biennial race to Hawaii successfully completed last month, the TPYC announced that for 2008 it will revive the race to Tahiti that it ran intermittently a dozen times from 1925 to 1994---this time, it envisions, not only with boats at the leading edge of evolution in the sport but a new generation of sailors sailing smaller boats with their families and friends. For many, that's more than enough reason to race to Tahiti.
After the 1964 race Dale Budlong wrote in Sea Magazine: "There is a saying at the Tahiti Yacht Club that there is no one winner in a race to Tahiti. Any boat that anchors off the quay in Papeete has won an adventure in paradise."
All qualified ocean racers that meet ISAF Category 1 and the minimum size requirement are eligible. Those interested may contact entries chairman Mike Nash: mikenash@roadrunner.com.
Dale Nordin, race co-chairman and Transpac vice commodore, said, "This will be the first chance for many younger sailors to race to the South Pacific on their own boats. At the same time, many of the high-tech boats launched since 1994 haven't had the opportunity to do this race."
At 3,571 nautical miles, Los Angeles to Tahiti was once known as the longest regularly scheduled race in the world. The renewal is scheduled to start June 21, the date of the summer solstice that marks the longest day of the year. The start will be off Point Fermin in San Pedro where this summer's Transpac started at the southernmost tip of the City of Los Angeles. That's also where the last 10 of the 12 Tahiti races started, following those in 1925 from San Francisco and in 1953 from Honolulu.
Already declaring to compete are Doug Baker's Magnitude 80, an Andrews 80, and race co-chairman Bob Lane's Medicine Man, an Andrews 63. Mag 80's successes this year alone include a runaway record in the Marina del Rey to Puerto Vallarta Race, first to finish in Newport to Ensenada and first corrected in Division 1 of the Transpac.
But even in the Tahiti race's early days, smaller boats upstaged much larger frontrunning rivals by correcting out on handicap time, as Walter Johnson's 38-foot Mistress did against Spencer Murfey Jr.'s 55-foot Silhouette in 1953. George Kiskaddon's 33-foot Spirit, the smallest boat ever to sail the Tahiti race, was fifth overall among 14 boats in 1970.
In other years ocean racing icons such as Novia del Mar, Morning Star and Ticonderoga were outshone by boats two-thirds their size with crews performing closer to their potential---a trend that has taken hold in Transpac over the last four races when boats 40 to 52 feet corrected out overall.
One notable exception was Jake Wood, a longtime West Coast racing icon who died last spring. Racing to Tahiti, his 62-foot Sorcery was first to finish and overall in 1974 and again in '78.
The fastest elapsed time to Tahiti of 14 days 21 hours 15 minutes 26 seconds---an average speed of about 10 knots, modest by current standards---was achieved by Fred Kirschner's Santa Cruz 70, Kathmandu, in the most recent race in 1994. Kathmandu's only rival was Wood's Mull 82, a larger and heavier Sorcery that finished more than a day later.
Tahiti is the largest island of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean at 17°40′S, 149°30′W. The island has a population of 169,677 inhabitants, according to the 2002 census. The capital is Papeete on the northwest coast.
Captain James Cook visited the island in 1774, followed by other European ships with increasing frequency. The best known of those was HMS Bounty, whose crew mutinied shortly after leaving Tahiti in 1789.
Peggy Slater, a noted Southern California sailor who was skipper for several Transpacs, said after sailing to Tahiti in 1961: "Since the days when Captain Bligh's men fell for the wiles of the laughing maidens who swam to the ship and perched on the rails, every sailor has had his ultimate course plotted: Tahiti."
DETROIT, August 9, 2007 - Less than seven weeks remain until the 2007 Melges 24 U.S. National Championship hosted by Detroit's Bayview Yacht Club on September 21 - 23, and Midwestern Melges racers are honing their skills in anticipation of a great showing for this Grand Prix event.
With 25 teams registered and at least 25 more expected, this year's Nationals will be remarkably deep in talent. Competitors from Florida, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Illinois, New Jersey, Texas, Virginia, Georgia, Mississippi, California, England, Canada, and all over Michigan have confirmed their entries, and the weeks ahead will bring more surprises to the scratch sheet.
World Champion Dave Ullman will be racing under the Latis Yachting Solutions banner, while his World Champion tactician, Bill Hardesty, will be racing against his former skipper as helmsman aboard a competing boat. They'll both have to contend with Argyle Campbell and his Rock & Roll team, who won the 2004 North American Championship on these very waters, as well as multiple past National and North American Champion Brian Porter with his supremely experienced Full Throttle team.
The region's premiere distance races, Chicago Yacht Club's Race to Mackinac and BYC's Bayview Mackinac Race, showcased the light-air talent and experience of Michigan's Melges 24 fleet, the fastest growing in the country. Sailors aboard many of the winning Mackinac yachts were Melges 24 competitors, and they brought a clear advantage to their teams as they took a break from preparing for the upcoming 2007 Melges 24 U.S. National Championship.
Flyer Crew Wins Back to Back
Bora Gulari helms USA-660 Flyer to consistent top finishes in Melges 24 events, and his tactical skills helped Phil O'Neil's Nelson/Marek 46 Natalie J win her class for both of these tough distance races, along with Flyer regular Mike Firestone. "When you can't go fast, you just have to minimize the distance sailed, and when VMG is important you've got to work those angles. We did just that," said Gulari of the slow Chicago race.
Port Huron Race Dominated By Melges Sailors
The Bayview-Mackinac saw fluky winds and massive holes on Lake Huron, and nobody played the weather better than the BYC-based J/120 Carinthia. Fred Rozelle, owner of USA 510 Rustler, navigated the big J/boat through the tough conditions to a startling result, beating much larger yachts boat-for-boat and arriving at Mackinac Island in front of most of the multihull fleet.
More Notable Finishes For Midwestern Melges 24 Sailors
Bayview Mackinac Race:
Rob Bunn, Co-owner, USA-202: First place, IRC E, Wind Toy IV
Karl Trost, Crew, USA-615: First place, IRC C, Pendragon
Tim Prophit, Tactician, USA-570: Second, IRC B, Bounder
Peter Wenzler, Owner, USA-12: Second, IRC B, Bounder
Todd Jones, Tactician, USA-202: Third, IRC B, Burden IV
Tyler Black, Crew, USA-12: Third, IRC B, Burden IV
Chicago to Mackinac Race
Brian Torreson, Owner, USA-217: First, GL-70, Nitemare
Bill "Popeye" Henderson, Co-owner, USA-202: First, Beneteau 36.7: Grizzly
By Senior Chief Tom Rau (ret), Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan
Author of Boat Smart Chronicles
As of late July, I know of 22 water- related fatalities during the 2007 boating season. Not only do these grim figures weigh heavy on my heart, they drive me insane since nearly every one could have been avoided. So when is enough, enough? What will it take to stop this needless loss of life upon the waters that can scotch a family in ways that no amount of heaving will ever mend?
I liken water-related fatalities to being betrayed by a loving friend. And like a loving friend, few influences can be as persuasive as the marine environment, especially on a nice day. Coast Guard Statistics on boating fatalities and injuries show that 83-percent occur on nice days.
I've been around and around on this issue to the point of dizziness. For boaters and water enthusiasts to stop the never-ending cycle of waterborne deaths and injuries, they must end their apparent infatuation with the marine environment. Believe me, I'm as infatuated as most, but I've known her indifference all too well, and I have learned to keep her at bay through constant vigilance. She simply could give a hoot how I feel about her, good or bad.
She is enthralling alright but never to be trusted. Following is a series of recent fatalities and serious injuries that crossed my boat-smart desk. Many of these deaths and injuries can be laid at the doorstep of her victims, but in the end, it was the marine environment that prevailed, doorstep or not.
July 19, 2007, Douglas Beach, Lake Michigan. A 10-year-old boy drowned in Lake Michigan in high waves as his parents look on.
July 16, 2007. Norwood, Charlevoix County, Michigan. A 46-year-old male drowned in Lake Michigan while retrieving golf balls.
July 11, 2007, Manistee, Michigan. A 15-year-old boy drowned off Manistee's Fifth Avenue Beach, Lake Michigan. At the time of the mid-afternoon incident, Coast Guard officials reported four-to-six-foot waves with winds blowing between 15 and 25 knots.
July 11, 2007, Chicago, Lake Michigan. A fisherman drowned after the 16-foot outboard boat he was aboard capsized and sunk in rough waters about a mile from Navy Pier, Lake Michigan. He was not wearing a life jacket. According to the National Weather Service the winds were gusting about 25 knots, with lake waves about 6 feet.
July 8, 2007, Cheboygan County, Michigan. A 53 year-old male, while fishing alone on Burt Lake, fell overboard and drowned after becoming entangled in fishing line.
July 7, 2007, Spring Lake, Michigan. A 33-year-old man jumped off the stern of a boat and never surfaced. Ottawa County Sheriff's Department divers recovered his body the following morning. The bayou, in which he drowned, is locally known as “Hanky Panky Bayou” because of the partying by boaters.
July 6, 2007, Clare County, Michigan. A jet-ski slammed into a boat on George Lake and was fatality injured. According to authorities, at the time of the accident there were a lot of boats on the lake.
July 6, 2007, White Lake Township, Michigan. A 16-year-old boy was serious injured on Pontiac Lake when the inner tube he was riding slammed into a boat dock. He was being towed behind a personal water craft. The 16 year old suffered head injuries, a broken left leg, and lacerations to his right leg.
July 4, 2007, Muskegon County, Michigan. An 8-year-old boy lost his right leg after being run over on Middle Lake by a 19-foot power boat. The boy was being pulled on a tube behind a personal water craft when he fell off the tube and was struck by the 19-foot powerboat.
June 29, 2007 Gladwin County, Michigan. A collision between a jet ski and pontoon boat on Wixon Lake proved fatal. The operator of the jet ski suffered fatal injuries as a result of the crash.
June 20, 2007, St. Joseph, Michigan. A 20-year-old male jumped off the south pier into Lake Michigan and never resurfaced. This brings my count of Lake Michigan pier and beach fatalities over the last seven years to 45.
June 15, 2007, Torch Lake, Traverse County, Michigan. A 28-year-old man went overboard off a boat while boating with friends. Friends aboard the boat could not locate him. Rescuers recovered his body the next day. Between 2005 and now I know of 34 boating fatalities due to boat separation.
June 17, 2007, Manistee, Michigan. A 47-year-male fisherman fell off a 22-foot power boat off Manistee into Lake Michigan. His boat was located by rescuers 30 miles northwest of Manistee. The boat was out of gas with fishing lines out. His body remains missing.
May 6, 2007, St. Joseph, Michigan. A fisherman, 58, died after his boat overturned on Lake Michigan off St. Joseph. The small boat capsized when four-foot seas poured over the stern. He was not wearing a life jacket.
On June 3, 2007, one of Michigan's renowned sailors, Bruce Goldsmith, died when the boom of his 29-foot sailboat struck his head, knocking him overboard into seven-foot seas off Monroe, Michigan, Lake Erie. The 1967 and 1975 Pan Am Games gold medalists sailor was not wearing a life jacket.
On June 12, 2007, a 75-year-old sailor separated from 15-foot sailboat in choppy seas in Lake Michigan near Washington Island, Wisconsin. An extensive Coast Guard search failed to find the reportedly experienced sailor. He was not wearing a life jacket.
And the list goes on . . .
These fatalities and injuries occurred mostly in Michigan waters. On my Boat Smart desk also sits a list of Wisconsin fatalities, not to mention boating mishaps for the states of Indiana and Illinois that border Lake Michigan. But aren't these Michigan boating fatalities and injuries alone enough?
So when will enough be enough: when boaters not only learn to boat smart but realize why they should boat smart. In other words, give the marine environment the respect it unconditionally demands.