Sailing News

Dartmouth Sailing Heads to National Championships

	Dartmouth Sailing Facility

Americas Cup Louis Vuitton: Exiting races for Piu 39 against United Internet and Areva

Wednesday, 17 May 2006

Silvia Sogliano: Great race against the Germans of “United Internet”, characterized by the presence at the helm of two Olympic Games champions: Percy who won the gold medal at Sydney 2000 and Bank who won two gold medals and one bronze medal. The German hull has been designed by the engineer from Romagna, Giovanni Ceccarelli, who has also designed the brand new “Ita 85” which will arrive at “+39” base next month. Iain Percy makes such a good start, being 2 seconds ahead, that he manages to defend his position along the whole windward leg. The two boats, lead by two Olympic Games champions, compete in what is a real tacking duel. At the windward buoy “Ita 59” is ahead by 18 seconds but a poor spinnaker hoist allows the German team to reach the stern and overtake the Italians. The bows are very close to each other: at the end of the downwind leg, Percy and his crew speed up as cyclists usually do, perhaps in honour of Stefano Garzelli, guest on the boat yesterday, replaced today by Stefano Vegliani, a journalist of Mediaset Sport. They round the buoy being 4 seconds ahead and “Ita 59” can now start the beat on the side from which the wind is blowing. Tack after tack Ita 59 forces the Germans on the left side, which seems to be the side where the wind seems lighter, even though the wind seems to be now actually blowing in the same way everywhere. At the buoy they are 41 seconds ahead, 150 metres. Percy and Walker sail the last downwind leg as only two great experts in Olympic regattas can do. “Ita 59” reaches the finishing line with a lead of 38 seconds. In the race against “Areva”, both yachts are dated 1999. “Areva” is in fact the old “New Zealand” that won the title in 2000. The helmsmen are still two Olympic Games gold medallists: the French Pepponet won the Olympic Games 1998 in Korea with the 4.70 two-handed sailing. Iain Percy makes a great start pushing Pepponet over the line and gaining a lead of 30, very important seconds that he will manage to hold through the whole race. He goes further and further, always checking the moves of the boat that was once all black and that won 5-0 against “Luna “Rossa” in 2000. For the boat whose sails read Regione Sicilia and Fondiaria-Sai and whose boom reads Yamamay, Gilli, Saportiti Italia and Postpay, the victory represents the third in this Act 10 of Louis Vuitton Cup. Tomorrow afternoon they will compete against “Bmw-Oracle”, the race that was abandoned a few days ago. “+39” now ranks ninth. www.piu39challenge.it

ISAF World Sailing Games 2006

Olympic Champions Prepare

ISAF. Image, Xabier FERNANDEZ (left ) and Iker MARTINEZ are all set to go in Austria:© ISAF World Sailing Games 2006, Lake Neusiedl, Austria, 16 May 2006

Amongst the sailors joining the ISAF World Sailing Games for the final series this week are Spain’s 49er Olympic Champions Iker MARTINEZ and Xabier FERNANDEZ. After a break from Olympic sailing, the Spanish duo have come back with a bang in recent weeks and will start the final series as one of the favourites for gold this week.

The Spaniards are now back concentrating on the 49er after a break following their success in Athens, which has included a trip across the Southern Ocean on the Spanish Volvo Ocean Race entrant movistar.

'It’s very different, but it’s good to be back here,' commented FERNANDEZ, whilst waiting for the wind to kick in in Austria today. 'It’s been almost three years not sailing a lot in 49ers and doing other things which have been very good indeed for us. But we are looking forward to coming back and doing a very good season, and we started well in Palma and Hyères.'

'Started well,' is an understatement. The Olympic Champions came fourth in their home regatta at the ISAF Grade 2 Princess Sofia Trophy, and then found their top gear a few weeks later in Hyères, winning the final three races, including a comeback Medal Race victory to secure gold at the ISAF Grade 1 Semaine Olympique Française. With the 49er Worlds on Lake Bourget in Aix-les-Bains, France this June, the Olympic skiff sailors will need to be at their best in the tricky, shifty conditions if they want to come away from this summer with success.

Qualifying Series Results

Men's RS:X

Women's RS:X

Laser

Laser Radial

Men's 470

Women's 470

49er

Hobie Tiger

Hobie 16

Team Racing

Spaniards Take Format Change In Their Stride

The Spanish pair took part in their first Medal Race in Palma and took victory in their second at Hyères. However, after the 49er class tested a number of different formats last season, they do not see too great a difference to the previous format, with FERNANDEZ saying, 'It’s more or less the same. Last race, less boats, more points - it’s more or less the same.'

For a lot of crews last week, Lake Neusiedl provided a very different set of conditions than they are accustomed to. The arrival of the world’s top sailors this week brings a wealth of experience, which means MARTINEZ and FERNANDEZ have no worries about adjusting to the conditions on Lake Neusiedl. Commented MARTINEZ, 'It’s quite different to change to sailing on the lakes, the wind is very shifty and there will be some different conditions, but we feel good.'

New Faces In The 49er

Last week the Australian team of Nathan OUTTERIDGE and Ben AUSTIN (AUS) impressed everyone on Lake Neusiedl, taking a string of bullets to win the qualifying series in the 49er at a canter. A three-time ISAF Youth Worlds gold medallist in the 420 and 29er, 20 year old OUTTERIDGE only recently moved to the 49er teaming up with AUSTIN in August last year. Like all the European crews in Austria, the Aussie team is an unknown to MARTINEZ and FERNANDEZ. FERNANDEZ admitted, 'We saw the results and were surprised. There were some good teams here, but I think that in the final races it is always a little bit different.' He went on to indicate the other three invited crews - Palma winners Pietro SIBELLO and Gianfranco SIBELLO (ITA), World Champions Rodin LUKA and Georgiy LEONCHUK (UKR) and home favourites Nico DELLE-KARTH and Nikolaus RESCH (AUT) - as potential rivals for the title, but added a cautious word about the Aussies, saying, 'We will see at what level they are sailing.'

With an Olympic gold medal, two World Championship titles and victories at the Europeans, Hyères and Spa also featuring on their resume, MARTINEZ and FERNANDEZ are certainly one of the most fancied crews in Austria this week. Any fears of rustiness after their spell away from the skiff were quickly dispelled in France, and now the next challenge on Lake Neusiedl awaits.

For all the news on the 2006 ISAF World Sailing Games CLICK HERE.

Lake Neusiedl glimmers: The steppe-lake waits for 800 sailors to hoist the sails. Seething names like Darren Bundock (AUS), multiple Tornado and Formula 18 World Champion or Paige Railey (USA) presently dominating in Laser as well as 2004 Olympia Champions in 49 Iker Martinez de Lizarduy/Xabier Fernandez (ESP) are named for the ISAF World Sailing Games 2006.

Board on Austria and see it for yourself and this very closely: the World Championship offers unique sailing regattas of highest quality in different Olympic disciplines! Riveting competition and an ace starting position for blessed medal-winning Austrian elite sailors is assured.

For the first time in its history the ISAF World Sailing Games are held at a Lake. The International Sailing Federation has after first venues at the Atlantic Ocean in La Rochelle 1994, than Dubai on the Arabic peninsula and the Mediterranean metropolis Marseille selected Lake Neusiedl. The World Sailing Games are held following the Olympic period.

Mere skills and not materials count

ISAF World Sailing Games 2006 hold the premise that the best sailor - and not the boat or sail - shall win. The idea is to nominate World Champions under the aegis of the World Sailing Federation and have them compete with the same technical material.

Can you imagine all Formula 1 pilots in the same Ferrari?

The World Sailing Games present the best sailors on the same types of boats. This event is full of suspense and fairness plays a big role. The boats are provided by the Organization Committee.

Sailors from all over the world

800 athletes from over 60 Nations compete for their home country and for 10 World Championship Titles. In that order the ISAF World Sailing Games 2006 are the greatest Sport event in the history of Burgenland. With its top class internationality this Event is unique in Austria.

The World Sailing Games 2006 are a great Happening that will be joined by athletes from all over the World. Sailors from Philippine, Peru or Barbados will challenge the Stars from GBR, Spain and the USA. Austrian Olympic Gold Medal Winners Roman Hagara, Hans Peter Steinacher and Andrea Geritzer together with eight further Olympic Medallists will experience the perfidies of Lake Neusiedl.

Ireland. Tralee Bay Sailing Club celebrating 50 Year with Irish Team Selection

Wednesday, 03 May 2006

Lorna Browne: Six young sailors from the Optimist Dinghy Fleet of Tralee Bay Sailing Club this week brought honour and indeed quite a bit of glory to the Club when they participated in the Optimist Trials to select teams to represent Ireland at International regattas overseas this season. The Optimist National Trials 2006, a six day sailing regatta which took place over the past two weekends at Lough Derg Yacht Club on the Shannon and Skerries Sailing Club in North County Dublin, brought the top 60 ranked Optimist dinghy sailors from a fleet of 250 throughout the country together to participate in no less than seventeen races, spending more than 40 hours racing on the water in testing conditions. Patrick Daly of Farranfore and Daniel Browne of the Spa, Tralee, both members of the Fenit based Club, have been selected on the basis of the results which they have achieved at the six day regatta to represent Ireland and their Club later this year at the European Championships and the British National Championships respectively. Patrick and Daniel, along with other young sailors who have come through the Tralee Bay Sailing School run by Tralee Bay Sailing Club at Fenit have competed with Sailors from all over Ireland on the circuit of regional events throughout the country and have also participated during the past winter in coaching and training programmes. Patrick Daly, aged 13, who only started sailing a few years ago at the Tralee Bay Sailing School and now holds a gold fleet ranking secured a very impressive sixth place over all in this prestigious and very competitive sailing event and will go forward to the European Championships in Holland later in the year. His very consistent results in the Optimist trials for Irish Team selection included a first, second and third place in three of the individual races in the 17 race series during the six day regatta. Daniel Browne, who won first place in the Bronze fleet at the Munster Championships held at Fenit last year, has now secured a gold fleet ranking and was the 3rd placed under 12 sailor at the challenging sailing event thereby securing a place on the team to represent Ireland at the British National Championships to be held in Wales in August next. He is also the second generation of his family to represent Ireland at sailing. Daniel's sister, Ciara Browne (aged 13), who also represented her Tralee Club at the event secured a silver fleet ranking amongst the top 60 optimist class sailors in the country, along with Maeve Counihan (14) of Ballyard and Kate Magowan (13) of Clogherbrien. It was also a family affair for the Counihan's as Maeve's sister Sarah Counihan also achieved a bronze fleet ranking at the event. The optimist dinghy, no bigger than the size of a bathtub, measuring less than 8 feet in length is a single handed sailing boat with one sail and is probably the most important small boat in existence. Optimists or "Oppies" as they are familiarly known represent the single biggest class of sailing dinghies worldwide with up to 250.000 of these little boats sailing in over 90 different countries around the globe. Originally conceived as a small sailing boat designed to take kids using go-carts or box-cars off the streets and to teach them basic sailing skills, this little sailing boat is to-day constructed using high tech materials and technology, while remaining simple in its design concept. The Optimist Class of sailing dinghy has emerged both internationally and in Ireland as a vital breeding ground for generations of future serious sailors. Indeed almost even Olympic sailing gold medallist or America's Cup Class helmsman will inevitably have commenced his or her career in an Optimist at the age of between 6 years and 16 years. Tralee Bay Sailing Club started a small fleet of Optimists in recent years and the popularity of this little boat which can be purchased at a very modest cost has now grown very quickly at Fenit with as many as 30 "Oppies" regularly turning out for racing, coaching and training sessions at the week-ends from early March to November and throughout the Summer sailing season. The Optimist dinghy is an ideal boat for youngsters to start out learning to sail and also for competent young sailors to develop serious potential as future would be world champion or Olympic champion sailors. The fleet of Optimist dinghies is continuing to rapidly expand with ongoing development of The Tralee Bay Sailing School run by the Club at Fenit. The Sailing School last year completed the construction of its new state of the art premises at Fenit. Indeed the Sailing School at Fenit welcomes anybody interested in learning to sail and runs a variety- of sailing instruction courses for both juniors and adults of all ages. In particular the Sailing School will run a course for youngsters in Oppie sailing dinghies this Summer and by learning the art of sailing at a tender age these kids are being equipped with a skill which will endure for a lifetime. www.sailing.ie

Antigua Sailing Week

Fine start to Antigua Sailing Week

Rolex Capri Sailing Week 2006

Mascalzone Latino And Cuordileone On Top

Event Media (As Amended By ISAF). Image, Ops 5:© Carlo BORLENGHI/ROLEX, Capri, Italy, 30 April 2006

The Rolex Capri Sailing Week is underway, with a 35 strong fleet battling for honours in Italy. So far Vincenzo ONORATO’s (ITA) Mascalzone Latino has made all the running in the Farr 40, whilst Leonardo FERRAGAMO’s (ITA) Cuordileone tops the Swan 45 leaderboard.

Day two of the Rolex Capri Sailing Week, organized by the Yacht Club Capri and the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, saw the fleet set out at around midday in torrential rain and south westerly winds of around ten knots which gradually gave way to sunshine, blue skies and a breeze which had dropped to around six to seven knots and shifted to the southeast by mid afternoon.

The Race Committee stuck to first day formula with the Mini-Maxi and Comet divisions taking the first start before setting out on a coastal course of around 33 miles. The Farr 40 division and the Swan 45’s meanwhile competed on a windward-leeward course which the Race Committee was forced to re-position several times due to the continually shifting winds.

Mascalzone Stays On Top

Yesterday’s first race was won by Mascalzone Latino for the Farr 40s, while shifting winds in the second race meant none of the fleet managed to attain a firm lead until TWT, owned by Marco RODOLFI (ITA) and with Tiziano NAVA (ITA) calling tactics, soared ahead to take victory.

'Today’s sailing was very difficult, things went better for us in the second race although the shifty conditions after the rain passed were very tricky. We made the right decisions today,' commented NAVA. Overall results for the class, after five races, see Mascalzone Latino holding onto a firm lead on 16 points, eight points ahead of Giovanni MASPERO’s (ITA) Joe Fly and Serena GIANLUIGI’s (ITA) Enfant Terrible, which are both on 23 points. The Rolex Capri Sailing Week constitutes the second leg of the Farr 40 European Circuit which will next move to Porto Cervo from 1-3 June.

Swan 45 Battle

The Swan 45’s saw Andrea MASI’s (ITA) Startrading take the first race of the day while Carlo PERRONE’s (ITA) Atlantica Racing won the second. Nautor’s Swan boss FERRAGAMO’s Cuordileone managed a third and sixth place respectively, which was enough to remain in first place overall on 15 points, while Marco SALVI’s (ITA) Vertigo, with ex-Team New Zealander Hamish PEPPER (NZL) onboard, is in second place with 17 points ahead of Mintaka, owned by Stefano POLTI (ITA), on 20.

The Mini-Maxi and Comet divisions struggled with the shifting winds on a course which should have them from Capri north to Napoli before heading back down to the port of Capri. The Race Committee’s decision to score Friday’s coastal course as two races meant that Massimo VIOLATI’s (ITA) Ops 5 started the day with two firsts and hence first place overall in the Mini-Maxi division. Among the Comets, first place in corrected time, was claimed by Lino RONCONE’s (ITA) Andromeda and Guido MORISCO’s (ITA) Nur respectively, with Andromeda in first place overall heading into race three.

The fleet’s slow progress led the race committee to shorten the course to around 20 miles with Nur once again coming in first on corrected time among the Comets, while Giorgio RUFFO’s (ITA) Aleph took victory for the first time among the Mini-Maxi’s. The overall classification for the Mini-Maxi division sees Ops 5 and Aleph in first and second on four and five points respectively, ahead of third place Sei Tu II on nine points. A similarly tight situation among the Comets has Nur and Ola on five and six respectively, with Andromeda in third place on eight points.

Onsite meteorologist Filippo PETTRUCCI predicts another cloudy start to today, with skies clearing in the afternoon and light winds moving from west or southwest. Racing in today’s third and penultimate day of the Rolex Capri Sailing Week is due to start at 1200 local time.

Website Links
	Event Website
	Regatta News microsite
	Results
	Photo Gallery - Carlo BORLENGHI/Rolex
	Farr 40 Class Association
	Italian Sailing Federation

ST.Maartin Classic Yacht Regatta 2007 to include Tall Ships class

Wednesday, 26 April 2006

ClassicRegatta: The St.Maarten-St.Martin Classic Yacht Regatta organization has announced the updated courses and program for the St.Maarten-St.Martin Classic Yacht Regatta. The regatta was re-scheduled from December to the third weekend of January 2007 and the new regatta courses and program have now been adjusted. The upcoming St.Maarten-St.Martin Classic Yacht Regatta will include a Tall Ship class during the race on Friday if more than two Tall Ships are participating. There will also be a so called "bath tub" competition with self made boats or floating devices on Sunday at Kim Sha Beach. Races will also be held with the local sail boats and classic dinghies from St.Maarten-St.Martin and Anguilla at Great Bay on Saturday afternoon. The event will see a total of four parties with a band on stage in Marigot on Friday and the main attraction on stage Saturday night at Great Bay Beach. An exclusive four star lunch buffet will again be offered free of cost on Saturday for invited guests, press, owners and captains. The official awards ceremony and buffet will be held again on Sunday at Rancho’s in Palapa Center. This will be followed by a silent auction from which the proceeds will go as last year to the St.Maarten Nature foundation and the Réserve Naturel de St.Martin. The new tentative program looks now as follows: St.Maarten-St.Martin Classic Yacht Regatta 2007 Thursday January 18, 2007 Registration day from 9.00 am until 6.00 pm at the regatta headquarters in Palapa Center & Marina Simpson Bay Airport Road 28. Skippers briefing starting at 7.00 pm followed by the Official openings party. ( location to be disclosed later ) VIP and Press Cocktail on board a mega yacht at the Palapa Marina dock and at the Maritime School of the West Indies at 9.00 pm. ( Invitation Only ) Friday January 19, 2007 First race day will start at 10.00 am in Simpson Bay to Marigot. A Tall ship class will be included if there are more than two Tall Ships participating. Race will finish around 3.00 pm / 4.00 pm in Marigot Friday evening party with live band on the Marigot Water Front Saturday January 20, 2007 Second race day with start at 10.00 am in Marigot and finish in Great Bay Philipsburg. Local boat races in Great Bay starting in the afternoon. Four star VIP buffet for Captains, Owners and invited guests from 1.00 pm (invitation only and location to be announced later) Saturday evening party with Live band on the beach at Great Bay and the boardwalk. Sunday January 21, 2007 Third race day will start at 10.00 am at Great Bay and finish at Simpson Bay. Bath Tub Races at Kim Sha Beach from 3.00 pm until 6.00 pm. Family entertainment, para dropping, sea rescue demonstrations etc. Sunday evening Award giving ceremony at 7.00 pm with DJ, giant buffet and silent auction at Rancho’s Restaurant in Palapa Center & Marina Simpson Bay. ( Reservations needed for buffet ) The St.Maarten-St.Martin Classic Yacht Regatta is organized by the St.Maarten-St.Martin Classic Yacht Regatta Foundation and the company West Indies Events. Additional information is available in the web site www.ClassicRegatta.com

Another record for B&Q

 

Sweden. America’s Cup: Victory Challenge and the Swedish Sailing Federation in partnership

Monday, 24 April 2006

Bert Willborg/Victory Challenge: Victory Challenge and the Swedish Sailing Federation (SSF) begin a strategic partnership. As a result, Swedish youth sailors will get the opportunity for a close look at the prestigious America’s Cup races. At the same time, Stefan Rahm, Federation Director and Sports Manager for SSF, can be part of the after guard in the America’s Cup challenge, as tactician. “The Sailing Federation’s Board are proud that Stefan Rahm has been asked to take part in Victory Challenge’s America’s Cup challenge. The collaboration between the federation and Victory Challenge, which is the consequence of this, is something that Sweden’s sailors can take advantage of,” says Hans-Åke Fryklund, Chairperson for SSF. “The America’s Cup is one of the sporting world’s biggest competitions and SSF see Sweden’s representation by Victory Challenge as a great success for Swedish sailing. Because Stefan Rahm is taking a leading role in the challenge the sailing federation has the chance to highlight the career path from junior sailing, through the Olympics to professional sailing at the highest level.” During the fourteen months that the project will run, Stefan will be on leave of absence and Lotta Nordström will be Deputy Federation Director. Stefan Rahm has been one of Victory Challenge’s strongest profiles since the first challengers’ races in the America’s Cup in Auckland in 2002/2003. He has sailed in match races with the skipper and helmsman, Magnus Holmberg, for eight years, won World Championships gold in the Europe Class in 1991 and took part in the 1992 Olympics. He has been Federation Director and Sports Manager for SSF since 2004. He sailed with Victory Challenge in last year’s pre-regattas in Valencia, Malmö and Trapani. The partnership includes: That Victory Challenge and SSF jointly invest in youth sailing. The America’s Cup is a dream for many sailors. Now a number of young sailors from different parts of the country will be selected for one-two weeks’ work experience on Victory Challenge’s base in Valencia. That there will be a continuation of the successful Victory Challenge Junior Cup that was arranged in association with the America’s Cup races in Malmö last year. That SSF have access to Victory Challenge’s leading edge competence, for example through weather and sail development programs that can be used in Olympic build ups for Qingdao 2008 and London 2012. That SSF have access to Victory Challenge’s hospitality programme, which means that the federation’s sponsors can cheer on Victory Challenge on site in Valencia. “This is a partnership that means a lot, both to Victory Challenge and to the Sailing Federation, and which will have long-term significance for Swedish sailing,” says Martin Grävare, Project Manager for Victory Challenge. http://www.victorychallenge.com/

Warships steam to boat's aid after pirate attack

April 17, 2006

Two US warships and a Dutch warship were sailing toward the Yemeni coast on Sunday to aid a US-flagged sailboat under attack by pirates, the Italian news agency ANSA reported.

ANSA said Italian port authorities alerted US and Yemeni authorities that the sailboat, identified as the Tir Na Nog, with three people aboard, was attacked by pirates in the Gulf of Aden, about 80km off the Yemeni coast.

Italian authorities had been alerted by an Italian ship which was in the area, ANSA said.

AP

Connect To Sailing

MACARTHUR Star Attraction In Qingdao

ISAF (source:China Yachting Business Partnership). Image, Coaches do not come more high profile:© China Yachting Business Partnership, Qingdao, China, 17 April 2006

On her recent stopover in Qingdao, China, Ellen MACARTHUR (GBR), took the time out to join a local group of Optimist sailors on the Community Sailing Project, an initiative started by China Yachting Business Partnership in partnership with local Chinese sailing centres and Connect To Sailing.

With the Olympic Sailing Competition heading to Qingdao in a little over two years time, the interest in the sport is steadily growing, and MACARTHUR’s recent stopover on the Asian Record Circuit was the perfect opportunity to further impress upon the local youngster the joys of the sport. The world famous B&Q skipper and ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year offered her expert tuition to a group of young Optimist sailors, who have been given the opportunity to get on the water thanks to the National Olympic Community Sailing Project (NOCSP).

The idea of the programme is to give young Chinese sailors from all backgrounds the chance to learn about and try out the sport. The scheme was set up by the China Yachting Business Partnership (CYBP) in partnership with local Chinese Sailing centres and with the endorsement of Connect To Sailing, the ISAF initiative to bring a million new sailors to the sport in ten years.

With the rapid construction of the venue for the Olympic Sailing Competition in Qingdao, the locals are already beginning to see the changes that the Olympic Games will bring in two years time. The Clipper fleet also recently stopped over in Qingdao, whilst in August there looks set to be a star studded turnout for the ISAF Grade 2 Qingdao International Regatta, the first Olympic test event for the venue.

Xu LIJIA was one of the stars of last year's Youth Worlds © Peter BENTLEY

Big Strides

In the last few years Chinese sailors have also began to make waves on the water, with Yin JIAN (CHN) winning the silver medal in the Mistral at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. At the 2005 Volvo Youth Sailing ISAF World Championship, China impressed again, with another silver medal, this time for Xu LIJIA in the Laser Radial, and a sixth place overall finish in the Volvo Trophy standings for the best performing nation. This put them above the likes of Australia, Germany, the Netherlands and New Zealand, all in only their second ever ISAF Youth Worlds appearance.

The young sailors in Qingdao demonstrated their skills to MACARTHUR, as they raced their Optimists, decked out in the colours of B&Q and the CYBP, around the Olympic Marina.

MACARTHUR Impressed

MACARTHUR herself was surprised at the reception she received saying, 'Everyone we meet wants to shake your hand, get a photo, an autograph - the response has been more enthusiastic than I expected.

'Everyone is smiling and very welcoming - the kids we met in Qingdao were very motivated,' she continued, and added ominously, 'And there was not much we could really teach them that they hadn’t already mastered!'

Building From the Ground Up

Preparing the Opis for the off © China Yachting Business Partnership

The arrival of sailing stars like MACARTHUR, is a phenomenon that the Chinese are likely to find themselves becoming increasingly familiar with in the run up to the Olympic Games. The big names can help provide the stimulus and the inspiration to get kids out on the water and expand sailing’s base, but it is programmes like the NOCSP which provide the opportunities to take advantage of this increased exposure.

Connect to Sailing is all about building participation from the grassroots up. With the help of sailors like MACARTHUR, and the power of the Olympic legacy, sailing aims to build from the ground up and continue to spread its appeal around the world.

More About The NOCSP

The NOCSP, is an initiative started by China Yachting Business Partnership (CYBP) in partnership with local Chinese Sailing centres and the endorsement of Connect To Sailing, to give the opportunity to Chinese youth from all backgrounds to try and learn the sport of sailing, while being exposed to the principles of the Olympic Games, the boat industry trade, and the fragile marine environment.

A lack of funds has limited China’s ability to offer the sport to a wider group of people and in turn there is a limited pool of potential athletes to choose from for the national and Olympic Sailing Teams. For many years only elite level sport athletes had access to sailing in China. However, that is set to change with initiatives such as the NOCSP and CYBP which aims to establish a national network of schools over a three year period to educate Chinese about the sport of sailing.

1,000 New Sailors

Ellen MACARTHUR with some very impressed Opi sailors © China Yachting Business Partnership

By 2008, the NOCSP will have taught sailing to more than 1,000 Chinese youth from various socio-economic backgrounds. At the end of each summer, a nationwide regatta will be organized to promote NOCSP, with kids from each respective community programme competing for a national youth regatta championship. All funds raised by NOCSP are directly placed back into the sailing schools to continue to train trainers, and maintain and acquire necessary sport and safety equipment for participants.

The NOCSP incorporates international standard education material adapted to Chinese culture and brings numerous top tier young (18-24 year old), sailing trainers from various western nations to participate in the education of the Chinese youth. Schools are run with the highest level of professionalism, providing an environment of confidence building, exploration and fun for the participants.

In 2005, Qingdao was the inaugural NOCSP programme, teaching over 35 kids to sail. In 2006 there will be a total of three operational programmes throughout China. They are located in:

• Qingdao, in partnership with Zou Inter Marine & the Qingdao Sports Bureau
• Rhizao, in partnership with the Rhizao Sports Bureau (pending approval)
• Shanghai, in partnership with the Saimeng Water Sports Club

Each city follows the same education content outline, however the dates of the sailing schools programme maybe different due to the location.

The CYBP is an international investment house targeting the recreational marine industry, holding investments in various Chinese marine industry manufacturers for International and Domestic distribution and sales. A percentage of CYBP’s revenues help fund the NOCSP as the programme expands to over six schools in 2008. CYBP is open for further outside sponsors to also participate in the programme to help cover tuition costs of the youth sailors, and to volunteers to help in managing the day to day activities.

Further details concerning the NOCSP and CYBP can be found at the CYBP website - www.goyachtchina.com.cn

Website Links
	China Yachting Business Partnership
	Team Ellen
	Connect To Sailing

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

ST JOHN'S, Antigua: With less than one month until the start of one of the Caribbean?s largest sailing regatta, the entries for the Rolex Antigua Sailing Week are streaming into race headquarters.

Due for its 39th running from Sunday, April 30, through Saturday, May 6, the international event spans five racing days, with an additional Bareboat Championship Race on a sixth day, and attracts an average of 200 yachts, over 1,500 participants, 5,000 spectators and some of the biggest, fastest and most impressive sailing yachts in the world, packed with Olympic, America?s Cup and around-the-world sailors.

Action takes place on the more sheltered waters of the Caribbean as well as in the large "rollers" of the Atlantic Ocean. For certain classes, the racing agenda includes complete circumnavigation of the island, with scenic layovers.

"Compared to this time last year, we have more competitors registered," said Neil Forrester, regatta chairman and general manager of the Antigua Hotel and Tourist Association.

"Overall, there is a nice balance among Caribbean entries and those coming from the U.S., the U.K., Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Spain and France. Each year we welcome back veteran sailors and receive warmly those who have not sailed here before."

In addition to the regatta?s new title sponsor, Rolex, another innovation for this year is the Regatta Village, which will be situated in the historic Nelson?s Dockyard in English Harbour.

All of the week?s activities such as trophy ceremonies and the famed Lord Nelson?s Ball, which annually attracts over 750 people, will take place in one location.

From big Swans to mid-sized charter boats, enjoying the camaraderie on the water and off is a goal of the week, and what draws racers to the Caribbean every year.

"It?s the regatta we really gear up for," said Clay Deutch (Newport, R.I., USA), owner of the Swan 68 Chippewa, and winner of the 2004 Swan Caribbean Challenge Cup.

"We have done it since 2001, except we missed last year. We?re full on this year with our core group of crew. We like the length of the regatta, getting in a full week of racing. In terms of variety, you can?t beat the schedule. It?s the best regatta for us because it tends to draw the best big boat competition."

Chippewa will compete in the Big Boat Racing class against veterans such as (Stamford, Conn., USA) newcomer Numbers, the Farr 60 owned by Dan Myers (Boston, Mass., USA) that has won its class at the Acura Key West Race Week and New York Yacht Club Race Week at Newport presented by Rolex, and Frank Savage?s Swan 56 Lolita, 2005?s Antigua Sailing Week overall regatta winner.

The two largest entries to date are two from the UK, Nephele the Frers 112 owned by William Ainscough and Sojana, Peter Harrison?s Farr 115, which according to its website, "was the fastest yacht at last year's Antigua mega-yacht challenge, and crossed the Atlantic in a speedy 9 days and 10 hours (not racing).

Sojana also competed in the ARC (Atlantic Rally for Cruisers) last winter, and was the fastest yacht to finish under sail out of 220 entries. In 2005 Sojana competed in the esteemed Rolex Transatlantic Challenge and was pronounced ?overall winner? of the Antigua Megayacht Challenge.

Other notable entries in the Big Boat Racer/Cruiser Class are Starr Trail, Robert Mulderig?s Farr 72 from Bermuda and Manu, the Swan 70 owned by Holger Boehres from the Cayman Islands.

To date, 115 entries have been logged at the regatta office with over 200 total entrants expected.

  

At sea. Volvo Ocean Race: ABN AMRO ONE into the north easterly trade winds at 16 knots

Sunday, 09 April 2006

Mark "Crusty" Christensen: Well it looks like we are out of the Doldrums and on our way in a building North Easterly trade wind. Pretty painless Doldrums compared with some I have been through. The lightest wind we saw was 6kts and only had to deal with one small cloud. The sea way was terrible, normally it is dead flat calm but not last night. Now as we are in the trades, the waves are more in line with the wind and boat speeds are building. 16kts for the last two hours, but with that comes the spray and the front hatch has been shut and the temperatures downstairs are soaring again. A couple of days ago it was impossible to sleep in the middle of the day downstairs, it is not quite there yet but as soon as we next need to turn the generator on it will be. Things are looking great for ABN AMRO ONE, these are the conditions the boat excels in, 12-18kts of wind, 70-120 TWA. This is perhaps the first time in the race, apart from on the first leg that we have had these conditions for any extended period of time. Part of the reason for this is the ice waypoints, part because of a different time of year and course and probably most because after 3 and a 1/2 races, I am getting old, senile and begin most sentences with "on EF (or illbruck or Winston) I remember....." All three races I have done before this race seemed to have a large percentage of conditions like this, but this race has generally been more vmg (or upwind, downwind) and less reaching. In fact one of my shoreside roles is to evaluate the boat’s performance from a leg and update our polar curves from this. During the Rio stopover Stan Honey and I went through all the legs again and updated the navigation polars. It was interesting to see then how little sailing we have done around 90 TWA. The other clue that we have done very little of this angle is that our genoa staysail looks brand new after sailing 2/3 of the way around the world, normally after a leg they are ready to be replaced. What a leg so far, very up and down emotionally. Last out of the start, passing the fleet by out jigging them with some smart sail handling in a rain squall, losing first place by covering second and ignoring the routing software for the first time in the race, then watching the fleet sail away in 4-10kts of wind running - scary how much slower we were than the other boats - only to save the whole leg by deciding to play with a squall line and sailing along it all day(in more breeze) and getting back to third before it died out. I shudder to think what would have happened if we hadn't have caught the cloud and had still been 15 miles behind our sister ship when the trades filled in. Things that have surprised me so far: We are much slower than the rest of the fleet downwind in under 10 kts(I thought we were similar or a little bit slower but it is more than I thought); How much some of the other boats are still behind in their sail programmes; Small staysails (or none), radically different sails from previous legs. Difficulty with handling them, I have seen a number of slow or bare-headed sail changes on other boats; How different clouds behave relative to your boat when the boat you are on is very fast relative to the wind speed. Last race if a squall line of rain got within a 100m of you, it would run over the top of the boat and the leave you becalmed for a period of time. On this leg we would happily sail in this zone and if the rain got too close just gybe and sail away for a few minutes before heading back for some more pre-rain squall breeze. Quite cool dicing with death so often; How little the eight fans, wind scoop on the front hatch etc. cool a black boat down downstairs; How quickly all bowel problems clear up after leaving Rio and then a new set re-occur with the freeze-dried food; That no matter how much time you spend cleaning, washing, applying cream, talcum powder or other remedies, heat and salt water related problems still occur. You should see the spots on my left leg. Where is all the wildlife? Apart from a lost finch (Justin told me it was a finch?) that was trying to nest on our wand, only the two sea birds that happily troll our wake waiting for the flying fish to take off so they can gobble them up (are these the same two birds from the first leg?), The ever present flying fish that take flight out of the path of the boat and the odd one that can count some Japanese heritage and launches itself at the boat or crew. How much water there is in the world!! When you sail over it endlessly, have it dump on you from a cloud for over an hour or have it come across the boat when you are sailing at more than 16 kts continuously, you realise just how much there is. Finally, and there are some more but this will do, how much I miss my wife, Janelle, and two daughters, Maddy and Bronte when I am offshore and they are on. I wish I was with them even more when you hear how much fun the are having at "Mickey Mouse's House" in Orlando. Any way life is all good aboard ABN AMRO ONE and should be that way for another 1700 miles of reaching at least.

Antigua. Sailing megayachts Nephele and Sojana to compete in Rolex Sailing Week

Lake levels keep falling
Shallow water mystifies area experts

By ANGELA MULLINS
Times Herald

04/05/2006

Whatever happened to … the restored 1947 catboat?

By TONY GERMANOTTA, The Virginian-Pilot
© April 3, 2006

NORFOLK - The journey is now complete for the little fiberglass boat that became a retired doctor's obsession.

Annapolis Yacht Club named top One Design club
By BILL WAGNER, Staff Writer

April 2, 2006

Annapolis Yacht Club recently received a significant honor that left commodore Bill Chambers beaming. US Sailing named AYC as its One Design Yacht Club of the Year.

Past commodore and longtime race committee chairman Ron Ward accepted the prestigious award at the US Sailing spring meeting, held in Chicago in early March.

"This is a wonderful recognition that goes to the core of what makes Annapolis Yacht Club so special. It speaks to the vitality of the club," Chambers said.

AYC took its commitment to one-design sailing to another level about 10 years ago when it transformed a piece of property on the Eastport side of the Spa Creek Bridge into what is now known as the "Sailing Center."

Converting a former marina dedicated to big boats into a one-design center involved the purchase of cranes for launching and hauling boats along with tractors for moving trailers. Today, the annex features dry storage for 75 one-design boats and has a full-time staff to assist owners.

Among the classes supported by AYC are Etchells, Club 420s, J/22s, J/24s and Melges 24s. Race committee officials have focused on developing a schedule that includes local, national and international events for those one-designs.

Among the major one-design regattas hosted by AYC in recent years are the 2000 Star World Championships, 2002 Mumm 30 Worlds, 2004 J/22 World Championships, 2005 Etchells North Americans and 2005 Rolex International Women's Keelboat Championship.

Chambers and current race committee chairman Chip Thayer credit longtime club member Jack Lynch with pushing the one-design center and racing program. Lynch served as AYC's Director of Sailing for many years before retiring last year.

"Jack Lynch had a vision and the club was able to create this facility based on that vision," Chambers said.

Chambers was also quick to praise Thayer, who has enhanced AYC's sterling race committee reputation during his 15 years of leadership. AYC also relies on a cadre of some 200 volunteers to assist with organizing and running major regattas.

"None of this could be done without top-notch race committee work and event management," Chambers said. "Chip's tireless and effective work has made our race committee one of the country's best. Meantime, our dedicated and professional team of volunteers makes sure everything runs smoothly off the water as well."

IC NATIONALS: Skipper Jim Bowers, a resident of Winthrop, Mass., posted single-digit finishes in 14 of 16 races to capture the Interclub National Championship in convincing fashion. A fleet of 36 boats competed in the regatta, hosted last weekend by the Severn Sailing Association.

Bowers, with Bridgid Murphy aboard as crew, posted a pair of bullets and placed third or better in four other races en route to scoring 95 points - 30 better than the runner-up team of Ben and Kim Cesare (Larchmont, N.Y.).

This was the fifth national title for Bowers, one shy of the record number accumulated by class legend Jack Slattery. At just 37 years of age, Bowers will have plenty of opportunities to surpass a mark that was once considered unbeatable.

Renowned sailor Ed Adams and son Luke placed third, five points behind the Cesares. Pete Levesque and girlfriend Caroline Hall comprised the top Annapolis team, placing fifth with 153 points.

Levesque, a former Tufts sailor best known for his team racing accomplishments, is enjoying his first season of sailing the frostbite dinghy. The Farr Yacht Design engineer posted a pair of seconds and was thrilled to place one spot ahead of Steve Benjamin, who owns three IC national crowns.

Competition was held in extremely shifty conditions on the Severn River with John Potter serving as principal race officer.

"John and his race committee did an awesome job of getting in a lot of races," Levesque said. "As soon as the last boat crossed the finish line, they were starting another sequence."

SOLING SERIES: Legendary Annapolis sailor Stuart Walker continued his dominance of the Soling Winter Series, totaling an average score of 1.53 through 15 races.

Dr. Walker won 10 starts in the series, which attracted seven boats on most weekends. Tom Davies finished a close second to his longtime nemesis with an average score of 2.167.

Due to gale force winds or inadequate depth of water for launching, the fleet was unable to race for six straight weeks. As a result, the 15 races were the fewest in the 36-year history of the series.

Only three skippers have ever won the Soling Winter Series with Walker joined by Sam Merrick and Peter Gleitz. Merrick passed away many years ago and Gleitz has moved overseas, leaving Walker to dominate.

However, this was the most recent series in years with Davies and Jeff Connolly both winning or placing second in numerous starts.

CHALMERS DEPARTS: The Chesapeake Bay Yacht Racing Association suffered a great loss recently when Amy Chalmers resigned as executive assistant.

Chalmers spent 16 years as CBYRA's only full-time employee, handling all the day-to-day duties that kept the organization going strong.

Veteran sailing journalist and publicist Nancy Noyes is filling in until CBYRA can find a permanent replacement.

EYC BOARD: Eastport Yacht Club has installed a new Board of Directors with Rick Brown taking the helm as commodore and Linda Gimbel Hughes serving as vice commodore.

Carey Kirk (rear commodore), Rick Jackson (log keeper), Sharon Hadsell (fleet captain) and Pat Lavender (treasurer) complete the board.

ON DISPLAY: West River Sailing Club and the American Cancer Society have teamed up to create a display that will be at Annapolis Westfield Mall April 8-9. Organizers will use one-design boats as a catch to help promote skin cancer awareness.

Meantime, the Boatyard Bar & Grill has created a display area for the C&C One-Design Season Championship Trophy. The C&C 99 fleet, with assistance from Doyle Sailmakers, will be holding its annual spring tuneup on April 21-22.

AWARDS DINNER: St. Mary's College will host an awards dinner for the Brendan Corporation next Saturday (5:30 p.m.) at the State House on Trinity Church Road.

St. Mary's College student Kathy Grimes will receive the Mahoney Award for volunteerism, Allison Schiek, 16, of Bowie has earned the Birney Award for achivement at the advanced sailing level while Brendan Kauffman, 15, of Patuxent River will be presented the Wood Award for achievement at the beginning sailing level. Call Marc Apter, 240-895-4381.

The BVI Sailing Festival - the three-day, low-pressure warm up for the BVI Spring Regatta to take place this weekend (March 30 - April 2) – officially kicked off today with registration. Throughout the day, boats filtered into the Nanny Cay Marina and began preparations for the event.
Forty boats have officially entered the event and have been divided into Racing, Cruising, Bareboat A and Bareboat B classes.

In the racing class, Bill Alcott’s Equation, an Andrews 68, will be scratch boat but the competition in that class may be between a fleet of Swans including DSK Comifin, a Swan 45, Devocean, a second Swan 45, and Crescendo, Martin Jacobson’s Swan 44. Jacobson may be sporting his new Rolex watch that he just won last weekend in the St. Thomas Rolex regatta. Last year, Crescendo placed second in the Sailing Festival and Equation was third.

The Cruising class is the largest fleet with fourteen boats ranging in size from a Swan 70, Stay Calm, to a Colgate 26, Air Bisquit. The 2005 first and second place boats, Shamrock, a J 120, and Northern Child, a Swan 51, are both competing this year.

Bareboat A and B host a number of stars, including Shirley Robertson, an Olympic gold medalist who was named the International Sailing Federation’s World Sailor of the Year in 2000, and last year’s winner, Dunbar, a skipper for The Moorings in Tortola.

Tomorrow’s race course will lead the competitors from the Nanny Cay Marina, the presenting sponsor and host marina for the 35th annual BVI Spring Regatta, and take them to a mark off The Baths - one of the British Virgin Islands' most picturesque natural wonders - and then on to the North Sound leaving a group of islands known as the Dogs, Cockroach Rock, Mosquito Island and Mosquito Rock to starboard and entering North Sound via a channel through Colquhoun Reef. The finish line will be off the Bitter End Yacht Club and the Bitter End Cup will be presented that evening.

Wednesday ( March 29) is LayDay Bitter End-style so people can do just as much - or as little – as they want. That day, the third annual Nations' Challenge Cup in which teams take part on a 'first come first served basis' to represent their country will take place. The event will be sailed in the Bitter End Yacht Club's fleet of Hunter 216s. With two flights, the "B" teams will race in the morning, and the "A" teams will race in the afternoon. Four races will be sailed in each flight with the boats swapped after each race. Team USA (Los Angeles), comprised of Pyewacket crew headed by Ben Mitchell, won the inaugural event and last year it was Team Ireland.

Thursday, the boats will be racing for the Nanny Cay Cup, returning to Nanny Cay in time for registration for the main event, the 2006 BVI Spring Regatta. Registration will be open for noon to till six and the Regatta Village will officially open with the annual Mount Gay Welcome Party from 4:30 – 6:30, and entertainment throughout the evening.

The BVI Spring Regatta racing will take place March 31 – April 2 on the south side of Tortola in the Sir Francis Drake Channel on four different courses.

Visitors can fly to the British Virgin Islands through San Juan, Puerto Rico with American Airlines, Caribbean Sun and Cape Air. Flights are also available through Antigua and Barbados on Virgin Atlantic, British Airways and BWIA.

For full details on the BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival including daily news, photos and complete results from the 2006 event, visit the official web site: http://www.bvispringregatta.org . Developed by Carib Data, a real time system ensures a seamless integration of the entry form, scratch sheets, and race results which are posted on the official website. Daily video coverage can be seen by visiting http://www.t2p.tv/ For more information on the British Virgin Islands visit: http://www.bvitourism.com . For more information on Nanny Cay Marina visit: http://www.nannycay.com .

The BVI Spring Regatta is presented by Nanny Cay Marina and is jointly owned by the Royal BVI Yacht Club and the BVI Chamber of Commerce and Hotel Association. The BVI Tourist Board is a Platinum sponsor; The Moorings, Heineken, Mount Gay Bitter End, First Caribbean International Bank, CCT Global Communications and the Sol Group are Gold sponsors; Highland Spring Natural Mineral Water and Maui Jim Sunglasses are Silver sponsors and Fujifilm is a Bronze sponsor.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Bulldogs struggle at regattas

BY NICK BAUMANN
Senior Reporter

The wind doesn't always blow your way, even for national champions.

The No. 13 coed sailing team and ICSA North American single-handed champ Molly Carapiet '06 had a tough weekend in difficult conditions, finishing eighth of 20 overall at the massive Truxtun Umsted Regatta at Navy on March 20.

Carapiet, who recently finished her term as women's captain, said she knew everyone tried hard but wished that the results better reflected the effort.

"The team could have done better," she said. "It was really tricky conditions all weekend, but everyone put a lot of effort in and tried their best. But that doesn't always turn out quite as well as you hoped."

Zach Brown '08 and crew Giovanni Zevi Della Porta '07 finished 13th in the A division, while Carapiet, who sailed with Hannah Oakland '07 and Zevi Della Porta, finished fifth in the B division. Coed captain Matt Barry '07, sailing a Laser in the C division, finished fifth, and Jane Macky '09 rounded out the Eli squad with a 13th-place finish in the Laser Radial D division.

Wintry conditions and a tough spring training regimen made it especially difficult for the Bulldogs to perform at their usual level, Barry said.

"It was really cold and really, really windy," he said. "We might have been a little bit tired from our spring training. It's the start of the season, and we're still getting back in the swing of things."

The breezy conditions were particularly tough on Carapiet and Oakland, who sail against primarily male teams. In high wind, the extra 50 or 70 pounds can mean all the difference, Carapiet said.

"I tried my hardest to make it through a difficult situation, but it's just a huge advantage when it's windy," she said.

Elsewhere in Maryland, the No. 2 women's team faced similar conditions at the St. Mary's Women's Intersectional. The Elis finished sixth of 14, a point behind No. 1 Navy. But while the high winds tapered off on the second day at Navy, the conditions at St. Mary's only got breezier and more shifty on Sunday.

Women's captain Emily Hill '07 and crew Meghan Pearl '06 finished third in the A division, while Kendra Emhiser '07 and crew Eliza Becton '06 finished eighth in the B division. Both divisions sailed FJs, boats the Elis have not practiced in so far this season.

Emhiser joined Barry in citing the team's spring training as a mixed blessing.

"Where we practiced during training was really straight breeze," Emhiser said. "We hadn't seen any of these kinds of conditions since the fall season."

All five of the schools that beat the Elis were from warmer climates and had started practice weeks or months before the Bulldogs, Emhiser said. No team from college sailing's traditional powerhouse New England division, NEISA, finished ahead of the Elis.

"The teams who beat us are all teams that had been sailing for a while," Emhiser said. "New England schools had a worse showing than usual at this regatta, and I'm definitely still confident with how the season's going to turn out."

US Sailing Awards National Sportsmanship Award To Navy Midshipman Greg Storer

From Sportsfeatures.com

World Match Racing surprises - Brazil Sailing Cup

by Sean McNeill

  Of Interest to Boaters   About Us     Privacy & Policy      Contact Us