International Sailing News from SailingXperience.com

PWA Costa Teguise Freestyle World Cup - Day 3

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 03:21:00 +0200

Estredo fights off local hero in the opening double, whilst Offringa remains untouchable at the top.
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More images from the 18ft skiffs Mark Foy Trophy - Carnac

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 03:04:00 +0200

More Ingrid Abery action images from the 18ft skiffs in Carnac, France.
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Images from the Mark Foy Trophy - serious 18ft action

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:49:00 +0200

English photographer Ingrid Abery caputured these images from the day's action. Ingrid's website www.ingridabery.com
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2009 SEIKO 49er Speed Challenge

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:08:00 +0200

Seiko, Velocitek and the 49er Class are collaborating to determine who the fastest 49er team is!
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French trimaran invasion in New York continues unabated

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:54:29 +0200

After Banque Populaire docked in the Gateway marina in Brooklyn a week ago, it was the turn of Thomas Coville aboard his Sodeb'O maxi trimaran to arrive in New York the following day and then finally Groupama, two days ago, but without Franck Cammas who is currently in Hyères, racing in the iShares Cup.

All three giant triamarans are in New York for the same reason, an attempt to break the North Atlantic crossing record, from the Big Apple to Cap Lizard in the UK.

Thomas Coville aboard his Sodeb'O maxi triamaran. New York, 1 July 2009. Video copyright Sodeb'O Voile

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Crosby Scout and Guide Marina Club is still open for business!

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:22:00 +0200

Despite the delay in moving the Club back into the rebuilt Crosby Water Centre, and our limited temporary accommodation, the Club is still opening on Sundays at 1pm. The Club is a Scout and Guide Club but is open to all. We would be very pleased to have any young people aged over 10 years and who live in Sefton to join us.
We have been operating at Crosby Marina for 30 years but had to move out into temporary portakabins so that the old building could be demolished and a new one built. Legal wrangling between Sefton Council and the proposed new operator Greenbank has delayed our reinstallation into the new premises but we hope to be there very soon.

We have a variety of Dinghies and Kayaks. Training to certificated RYA and BCU standards is free for members. We are an official RYA Training Centre. Please view our website at www.crosbymarinaclub.org.uk for details.

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Groupama 3 in New York and Groupama Extreme 40 in Hyeres

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:09:00 +0200

Once again Groupama team is everywhere at once
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iShares Cup Hyeres-TPM delivers the goods

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:01:00 +0200

Today's practice races certainly delivered the goods ahead of the official start of the iShares Cup Hyeres-TPM event
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Book Extract: Leadership lessons from a great New Zealander

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:38:00 +0200

In this extract from 'Blake: Leader', author Mark Orams describes how he joined the crew of Steinlager II
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Practice Day Delivers at iShares Cup Hyères-TPM

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:24:04 +0200

[Source: iShares Cup] Today’s practice races certainly delivered the goods ahead of the official start of the iShares Cup Hyères-TPM event tomorrow. The sea breeze built up to a steady 10-12 knots - more than enough to get the Extreme 40s hulls flying. The iShares Cup Raid – a 10-mile sprint to the island of Porquerolles – saw a French victory as Erik Maris skipper of LUNA snatched victory from James Spithill’s BMW ORACLE Racing after just 36 minutes of racing. Maris suffered a broken wrist playing football but his arm encased in a plaster cast does not seem to be an impediment! It was a tight finish to the line for the remainder of the 8 teams and iShares Cup inside reporter, Jocelyn Blériot, rode shotgun on BMW ORACLE Racing – see his report below. And English rugby stars, Tom May and Joe El-Abd, who now both play for Toulon, also came along for a ride…

The Extreme 40's practice for tomorrow's start of the iShares Cup Hyères-TPM. Hyères, 2 July 2009. Video copyright iShares Cup

In detail:
Round 2 of the iShares Cup Hyères-TPM is all set to go – official racing starts tomorrow (Friday, 3rd July) at 14h00 local time through to Sunday, 5th July. Today saw a series of practice races for the ten Extreme 40s including the iShares Cup Raid – a 10-mile sprint to the island of Porquerolles and back. The beauty of the iShares Cup is the adaptability of the Extreme 40 fleet to race on open sea or on inland waters; racing short courses close to shore, trying speed runs or stretching their legs in a ‘raid’ format as they did today.

Following the official opening iShares Cup press conference at which Jacques Politi, Mayor of Hyères and Vice-President of TPM (Toulon Provence Mediterranée) welcomed the skippers to the region, the skippers were keen to get going. Franck Cammas, skipper Groupama: “I am impatient to race! The Extreme 40s are great to sail and Hyères should be more windy than Venice hopefully. I hope we're not going to race too close to shore if it's really windy as it might be a bit more 'extreme' than we like!”

Although the weather forecast predicted light conditions for the next few days, the temperatures in Hyères results in the land heating up through the morning to create a good and consistent sea breeze for the afternoon. Shirley Robertson, skipper Team iShares, remembers the conditions last year: “Last year we had some big wind - I ended up on a stretcher with stitches! Going downwind with the big gennaker up and both rudders out the water - there's not much you can do at the back except hang on - this is Hyères! I think this weekend we could have a few surprises...”

Well, perhaps the first surprise of Round 2 has been the victory of Erik Maris and his crew onboard LUNA, in the iShares Cup Raid and the second practice race.

As Loick Peyron, skipper Oman Sail Renaissance commented: “This iShares Cup is a very exciting game... Sailing in open water can change many things.”

iShares Cup Raid results (non-scoring race):
1 LUNA (Erik Maris)
2 BMW ORACLE Racing (James Spithill)
3 Gitana (Yann Guichard)
4 Groupama (Franck Cammas)
5 Oman Sail Renaissance (Loick Peyron)
6 BT (Nick Moloney)
7 Holmatro (Carolijn Brouwer)
8 Oman Sail Masirah (Pete Cumming)
9 iShares (Shirley Robertson)
10 Ecover (Mike Golding)

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Last two Quarter Finalists decided at Match Cup Sweden

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:15:00 +0200

Johnie Berntsson was on fire winning all three matches including a nail biter against Adam Minoprio.
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Laser designer appointed to the Order of Canada

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:39:00 +0200

Ian Bruce (Montreal)designer of the International Laser class, was awarded the Order of Canada on Canada Day, 1st July.
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Canoe nationals at Stone

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:02:07 +0200

Long tradition at the club
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18ft Skiff Mark Foy Trophy day 4

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:02:03 +0200

The wind arrives
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Match Cup Sweden day 4

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:46:35 +0200

Berntsson and Col into Quarters
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RS200s at Torquay

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:46:32 +0200

Windguru not always helpful
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More Skiff Bites: Mark Foy Trophy 2009

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:13:00 +0200

Just In From The Mark Foy Trophy:

Day 4 of the Mark Foy championship started after a 1 hour delay under overcast skies and building wind. A small amount of rain was a fair price to pay for 15 knots of westerly wind.

After two tries race 5 got away on a boat favored line. Good starts were rewarded as a backing wind brought the boats from the left side of the course to the windward mark in front. Archie Massey, steering Asko led round with a commanding lead, although later to find out he was OCS. Behind him a battle between Grant Rollerson(AUS) on Slam, Rob Greenhalgh(GBR) on Benny and Howie Hamlin(USA) on Macquarie took shape. With the wind at 15 knots, the skiffs were off downwind faster than the wind making short work of the course. Jarrod Simpson(GBR) on TMF and John Winning(AUS) on Yandoo gave chase but were unable to close the distance. The oscillating breeze created many passing lanes and place changes for the middle of the fleet, but at the front it was all about experience. Slam came home in front to secure their 4th victory in 5 tries. Macquarie led home Benny making the top of the championship leaderboard a clear battle between them.

After waiting for a storm cloud to blow through, race 6 got off to a false start in 16 to 18 knots of breeze. Hoping to get the aggressive fleet under control, the Carnac race committee brought out the dreaded black flag. While the approach to the line was more subdued, down at the pin end a crash was taking place. Overnight leaders Slam tacked onto port into Yandoo, who were forced into TMF. Slam capsized to windward while yandoo's pole went through TMF's jib, breaking in the process. Slam, once upright, with TMF and Yandoo out of action, retired from the race. Meanwhile, back on the course Mason Woodworth(GBR) on Investec had stepped out to the right side of the course and found a favorable shift with Trevor Barnabas(AUS) on Road Service and John Whitty(AUS), coming in from the left after a great start. Road Service and Panaosonic just led Investec around the top mark with a hard charging Benny and Asko just behind. While sailing in the with this pack from the left, there was more drama on Appliances Online where a broken forestay sent their rig crashing down. Quick action by Rob Greenhalgh avoided a more serious collision while the stationary pirate ship made an obstacle for the boats behind.

Down the run Greenhalgh made his move on Investec jumping up to third just before the leeward gate. The lead boats split with Road Service and Investec going out left and Panasonic, Benny and Asko headed right. At the top mark, Road service held a clear lead while Benny and Investec moved up to second and third. A spinnaker sheet failure at the hoist saw Panasonic slip further allowing Asko up to fourth. With the breeze clocking well right, the lead four opted for the right side. Up the final beat, Roadservice tacked left early and with the wind shifting further left, Benny made their final move into the lead. Across the line at 17+ knots it was Rob Greenhalgh stamping his authority on this championship with his second race win. Road service followed with Investec holding off Asko to finish a welcome day of windier conditions.

With two days left to go and with at least 3 races scheduled, consistent top 5 finishes leave Rob Greenhalgh in commanding lead with Archie Massey and Howie Hamlin as the closest competitors. But once 9 races are completed the second discard comes into play and Grant Rollerson currently forced to count an OCS will move right back into the frame. As today shows, anything can happen and the racing is always exciting! Plenty of action left so stay tuned!

Report : Mason Woodworth
Pictures : Christophe Favreau

If I can't have the Volvo Ocean Race...pretty content to carry on with my affair with the 18 foot skiff!

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Swan 45s prepare for the Copa del Rey

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:03:00 +0200

In a few short weeks time, teams from Italy, Great Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Japan will gather in Palma for one of the favorite events of Swan 45 Owners. The last regatta before the Rolex Swan 45 Worlds (29 August – 4 September) the competition will be intense in this one design fleet.

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Berntsson and Col into Match Cup Sweden quarterfinals

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:58:55 +0200

[Source: World Match Racing Tour] Fantastic racing conditions allowed the organizers of Match Cup Sweden, Stage 5 of the World Match Racing Tour, to complete the repechage round which saw Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team and Sebastien Col (FRA) French Match Racing Team/K-Challenge emerge as the final two skippers that will join Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team, Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing, Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team, Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team, Magnus Holmberg (SWE) Victory Challenge and Philippe Presti (FRA) French Match Racing Team in the Quarterfinal Round, scheduled for tomorrow.

The repechage round was full of excitement. Johnie Berntsson was on fire winning all three matches including a nail biter against Adam Minoprio. It started badly for Berntsson as he was awarded a penalty just after the start for tacking too close to Minoprio. It didn’t deter Berntsson and he was hot on the heels of Minoprio after rounding the first mark even managing to roll him down the run. As they approached the leeward mark outside the zone Berntsson managed to hook Minoprio on port tack subsequently luffing him tacking inside him then bearing away to offload the penalty. Berntsson then luffed on starboard tack to take Minoprio away from the leeward mark before turning back to lead around the buoy. The Swedish crowd went ballistic egged on by on-water commentator Martin Sohtel who sounded like he was about to explode. The action wasn’t over as Berntsson tacked right in front of Minoprio infringing him and earning a red flag immediate penalty due to the controlling position that Berntsson gained. Minoprio held the lead to the top mark and had to take Berntsson way above it in order to stay ahead. As the boats headed downwind Minoprio threw in a gybe too close to Berntsson and was awarded a penalty for his trouble but Minoprio remained ahead and as the teams approached the restricted zone on the left hand side of the course Minoprio hoisted his jib, dropped his kite and started attacking Berntsson. Berntsson followed suit and both boats played cat and mouse as Minoprio tried to offload his penalty. Berntsson stayed calm and parried every attack whilst slowly pushing Minoprio towards the finish. Berntsson’s plan won out and he crossed the line as Minoprio desperately tried to throw in his penalty turn. A pleased Johnie Berntsson said “We didn’t perform well in the first stage clearly needing some time to play catch up. We made many mistakes but now we are getting into our stride. My crew were brilliant and today I just hung out at the back and they got me round the course. It’s when I do my own thing that it all goes wrong.”

The final Flight of the repechage left Peter Wibroe needing a win and for Berntsson and Col to loose in order to get into a three way tie on 5 points and an increasingly complex count back depending on the results of the other matches in the flight. But today nothing could stop either Berntsson or Col who both blitzed their final matches against Bjorn Hansen (SWE) and World Champion Ian Williams (GBR) respectively to dive into the quarter final.

It was a disappointing day for Tour leader Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch and second placed Ian Williams (GBR) and his Bahrain Team Pindar. Both were swept out of the repechage and out the World Championship point scoring zone. Once again Williams has failed to make the quarter final round at Match Cup Sweden. Having competed at the event four times he might start to think there is a curse on him.

With all the intense action going on it was easy to forget that the event is only at the half way stage and all the quarter finalists were invited to the press conference to find out who would choose who. It was Mathieu Richard (FRA) who started the ball rolling pointing out that he hates the choosing rule as the trend at the recent events has shown that the picker has lost. Richard stepped up and chose fellow countryman Philippe Presti and assured a French Team member will make the semi’s. Next up was Peter Gilmour (AUS) who shied away from a home country match against Torvar Mirsky (AUS) saying that Mirsky was too hot to handle. He picked Berntsson which he felt could be popular because if he won then the crowd may forgive the Match Cup Sweden hall of fame inductee but if he lost then he would have been pushed aside by the young Swede taking a local one step further to the title. Due to Presti already being picked next up was Damien Iehl who wasted no time or talk on singling out Magnus Holmberg and giving no reason for the choice. Holmberg was just happy that he didn’t need to be the one to make the choice. That left the on form Torvar Mirsky up against a resurgent Sebastien Col. Col said of Mirsky “Torvar is on fire. He looks very comfortable here this week with all the beautiful girls around him.” Mirsky’s response was to assure everyone that he’d been in bed early every night and was ready for action.

With the women taking to the water this morning it was local hero Anna Kjellberg and Lucy Macgregor who emerged as the leaders from the round robin after both winning five matches to go on to secure their places in the semi final along with Katie Spithill (AUS) and Linda Rahm (SWE). Current World Champion and defending Match Cup Sweden Champion Claire Leroy struggled today surprising many by failing to make the cut. The ladies semi finals and finals are on Saturday and Lucy Macgregor will reveal who she will choose to race tomorrow night.

Tomorrows forecast promises more exciting racing with a steady breeze predicted all day. The pairs will compete in a first to the three point round to then go on and qualify for the semi finals. With it all to play for there will be some guaranteed action here in Marstrand.

Repechage Results from Day 3
Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team 6-1
Sebastien Col (FRA) French Match Racing Team/K-Challenge 6-1
Peter Wibroe (DEN) Wibroe Racing Team 5-2
Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch 3-3
Ian Williams (GBR) Bahrain Team Pindar 3-3
Mattias Rahm (SWE) Stena Bulk Sailing Team 3-3
Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Team Onico 1-6
Francesco Bruni (ITA) Team Joe Fly Match Racing 1-6

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18 footer Drama - Mark Foy Championship at Carnac

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:07:00 +0200

Day 4 of the 18 footers Mark Foy championship, on Quiberon Bay, Carnac France, the drama that unfolded was not on the fo
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