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XS Racing is a Racing Organization and a Daily Online News Source for the High Performance Sailor
Visit Several Times Each Day for Your Daily Sailing News as it Breaks!
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Friday, 7/30/10 - After wishing for more boatspeed following the match racing portion of the RC 44 Valencia Cup, Anders Myralf of Denmark guided James Spithill and the 17 crew to three first place finishes today to wrest control of the fleet racing portion of the regatta.
The 17 crew won the first, third and fourth races, and placed fourth in Race 2. Their low score, however, is 8 points due to a 1 point penalty imposed by the International Jury.
Second place is held by Chris Bake and Team Aqua, winners of the match racing portion of the week-long event, with 14 points on finishes of 2-3-5-4.
Third place is held by Torbjorn Tornqvist's Artemis at 20 points (5-7-2-6).
"It's incredible to come down here from Copenhagen and jump into a boat that is so organized and well sailed," said Myralf, an amateur sailor who races aboard the Farr 40 Nanooq with the Prince of Denmark. "I've never seen such a good crew. I've got the easiest job on the boat."
The southeasterly sea breeze that marked the match racing didn't materialize today until the fourth race, but it lacked its typical punch. Instead, the fleet sailed in mostly an easterly wind between 8 and 10 knots. Only in Race 4 did it shift to the southeast and increase to 12 knots.
The new conditions made consistency hard to achieve. Instead of trusting the right side of the racecourse, some found the left side of the course favorable. Aside from the top two, the rest of the fleet had at least one, if not two finishes out of the top five.
"We were able to stay in the top five, and in this fleet that's saying something," said Bake of Team Aqua. "The field was fairly mixed up."
Another marked difference from the match racing portion are the amateur helmsmen, as required by class rules. In most cases that is the owner driving the light-displacement yacht.
Completing the top five are a pair of Russians: Guennadi Timtchenko and Katusha, placed fourth with 20 points on finishes of 9-1-8-3, followed by Maxim Logutenko aboard BMW ORACLE Racing with Russell Coutts at 22 points (finishes of 10-6-4-2).
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Friday, 7/30/10 - The organizers of the Global Ocean Race 2011-12 (GOR) have great pleasure in announcing they have contracted with the Spanish island of Mallorca to host the start and finish of the circumnavigation. Situated in the Mediterranean, Mallorca will provide a stunning backdrop for the start and finish of this double-handed, round the world race: an event that is on target to attract 20 entries from over 11 nations. Read more here.
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Friday, 7/30/10 - Young Laura Dekker has been cleared by the courts to sail around the world and fellow youth-saior Abby Sunderland sent this message through the blogosphere.
The main reason for this blog today is Laura Dekker. Most of you have probably heard about the young 14 year old Dutch girl that wanted to sail around the world alone. She's been through a lot lately with the Dutch courts keeping her from going. I heard this morning that they are now allowing her to go.
I admire Laura's spirit - it would be hard not to for anyone who has followed her story. I'd just like to wish Laura the best of luck and a word of advice from a sixteen year old sailor(though I doubt she needs it) have fun! Live life the best you can. There's no time like now so take all the opportunities you get.
Abby
Check out the blog here.
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Friday, 7/30/10 - Many of the world's top sailors have signed up for the Skandia Sail for Gold regatta, including World, European and Olympic champions, who will all descend on Weymouth and Portland from 9 - 14 August for the final regatta of the ISAF Sailing World Cup 2009-2010. Some of these competitors are returning to Olympic class sailing after a break for events such as the Volvo Ocean Race and America's Cup. Triple Olympic gold and silver medallist Ben Ainslie (GBR) announced his entry this week. Nearly two years to the day that he secured his third Olympic gold in Beijing, Ben returns to compete in his Finn. ISAF has the story.
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Friday, 7/30/10 - The 102nd Chicago to Mackinac Race concluded Tuesday, July 27, 2010, as tradition dictates, with the party and awards ceremony in the Tea Garden of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. Line honours went to the 80-foot Beau Geste for being the first of the 300-plus racing boats to cross the finish line. Karl Kwok, owner of the big sloop from Hong Kong, had made clear his intent to secure the first-to-finish honours before the race began. But after corrected times, it was the Flying Jenny VI, from Anapolis, MD, that won the coveted Mackinac Cup this year. Photo by by Lu O'Neil. Check out Sail World for the full story.
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MOVING PICTURES
Friday, 7/30/10 - Cool little video documenting the Velux 5 Oceans with interviews and nice footage...
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MOVING PICTURES
Friday, 7/30/10 - Training fleet race of the RC 44 Valencia Cup finishes inside Puerto America's Cup - Footage taken onboard BMW ORACLE with Russell Coutts calling tactics.
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MOVING PICTURES
Friday, 7/30/10 - Here's the latest on Jessica Watson now that she's back home. Interesting interview that taps into the benefit of hindsight.
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Thursday, 7/29/10 - It's not a comfortable position, but Brad Van Liew has been here before.
Just a few short months away from the start of a world-class sailing race that sends skippers around the globe alone, Van Liew is mentally and physically prepared to win. He has a stellar racing machine, fine-tuned by the best in the business. His boat's electronics package, cameras and communication gear, and renewable energy systems are in place. His shore support team and family are primed for this - one of the most exciting adventures possible. Tens of thousands of fans are ready to follow Brad's adventure online. Yet despite all this, Van Liew is still missing one major piece of the puzzle: A corporate partner to name the boat and brand some 8,000 square feet of space onboard.
"I've done this race twice before, and I've always had faith that 'if you build it, they will come,'" Van Liew said. "It's financially risky and requires some serious intestinal fortitude, but a project like this doesn't fit into the standard mold for sports sponsorship in the USA, and it always seems we need to put the 'canvas' in front of sponsors for them to understand and appreciate the potential."
Van Liew's 'ECO 60' is one of the fastest of its kind, a high-tech, carbon fiber thoroughbred racing yacht, designed from the ground up for singlehanded, transoceanic racing. He has christened the boat "Le Pingouin" - a name that harkens back to the boat's original days, when French solo racer Catherine Chabaud named it after the birds that she would see as she passed remote rocky islets like the Kerguelens in the desolate Southern Ocean. The yacht has been registered with that name ever since, even when companies like Whirlpool, Tiscali, and Pro-Forms had their names emblazoned on the deck and hull from stem to stern. Today, a different kind of logo covers the boat's hull - a fierce, determined penguin set against NASCAR yellow - that signals Brad's intent to dominate this race as he did in 2002-3 with Tommy Hilfiger. Charleston creative design firm Cre843 developed the original artwork to showcase the vast potential for corporate visuals on the hull, deck and sails.
"Our friends at Cre843 did a gorgeous job with the graphics, and like me, the penguin thrives in cold water and does whatever it needs to survive in any weather," said Van Liew. "But despite the integrated look, we've designed the logo job to be easily removable, leaving a blank canvas for prospective title sponsors to wrap the boat with graphics and logos that best represent their company." A big racing boat like this is one of the most innovative and effective mobile billboards there are, and the value comes from the personalization of the sponsor's brand in the non-stop drama and media exposure over the 9 months of the race, through locations on 5 continents in premium markets around the world.
When asked if he is nervous with the race start looming, Van Liew nodded with a slight grin. "Balance Bar came aboard just weeks before our start in '98, while Tommy joined us just a few months before the 2002 race, so we're unfortunately used to the uncertainty," he said. Both partnerships were extremely successful, generating millions in media value and seeing Van Liew on the covers of major national magazines and newspapers, and interviewed via satellite on national TV networks. Van Liew placed 3rd in class as a rookie in the '98 event, and dominated his class in the '02-3 race, setting records for every leg. He's confident that 2010 will once again provide a turn-key opportunity for a company that's ready to think 'outside the box' of traditional marketing.
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Thursday, 7/29/10 - Yann Guichard, skipper of Groupe Edmond de Rothschild, leading the 2010 Extreme Sailing Series after the first event in Sete at the end of May, is looking forward to the only UK stopover, Cowes Week, on the five-event circuit.
"It has been almost two months between the first event in Sète at the end of May and this second round: we can't wait to compete again. The race schedule set by OC Events is all encompassing, with a long race in the morning and shorter classic races in the afternoon: adaptability and concentration will be key.
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Cowes, on the Isle of Wight is a beautiful place and we have the chance to race during Cowes Week mixing our state of the art catamarans with thousands of different boats. An amazing show on the water every day!"
With the nine teams completing their final shakedown, and fantastic conditions for Extreme 40 racing forecasted by Official Series Weather Partner WetterWelt, Mike Golding, Skipper of Ecover Sailing spoke about his expectations for the week:
"Cowes Week is going to be really interesting. We have the new long course race in the morning and then the shorter course racing in the afternoon. Added to this we're sailing for 7 days rather than the usual 4, I'm sure fitness is going to be key and making sure you don't burn out too soon. It will be a balance between pushing hard and being consistent in the water. We're now back on the water in the Solent putting in some training ahead of the big event. We were happy with our performance in Sete but we will definitely be looking for a spot the podium at our home event!"
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Thursday, 7/29/10 - After bashing about for two days in a match racing regatta held in winds up to 20 knots, today is an off day for the RC 44 Valencia Cup. That said, lots was still going on - check out what by clicking here. Photo Ignacio Baixauli.
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Thursday, 7/29/10 -Here's the Chicago Mac overall winners.
Chicago-Mackinac Trophy Division - Lady K (Muskegon, Mich.) , owned by Mike Stewart
Mackinac-Cup Division - Flying Jenny VI (Annapolis, MD,), owned by David Askew
Cruising Division - Intangible (Chicago, Ill.), owned by Tom Falck
Multihull Division - Gamera (Chicago, Ill.), owned by Matt Scharl
Doublehanded Division - Skye (Chicago, Ill.) Bill Zeiler and Rich Stearns
Read more here.
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Thursday, 7/29/10 -With an active racing season well underway, a fleet of top maxi yachts have committed to being in Porto Cervo to compete at the 2010 Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup. The event is a favorite gathering for these competitive and striking sailing craft, which will meet off Sardinia's spectacular Costa Smeralda from 5 - 11 September. Photo Carlo Borlenghi. Read more here.
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Thursday, 7/29/10 -The 45 Figaro sailors set off from Le Havre in Northern Normandy yesterday on their first leg, 515 miles to the Gijón, in Asturias on the Spanish Cantabrian coastline. Eric Peron (Skipper Macif 2009) grabbed Karine Fauconnier's (Eric Bompard Cachemir) early lead shortly after the last position poll and has continued over the past twenty four hours to maintain a narrow margin over his immediate pursuers, Erwan Tabarly (Nacarat), Adrien Hardy (Agir Recouvrement), Nicolas Lunven (Generali) Armel le Cléac'h (Brit Air).
Sailors who opted for a more inshore course were rewarded with a lead this morning, however as the fleet rounded the Cherbourg headland filing down past and between Guernsey and Sark, the bulk regrouped. Read more here.
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Thursday, 7/29/10 - The Eco 60 Class of ocean racing yachts today launches its own dedicated website. The new class - which currently makes use of Open 60 yachts launched before 2003 - was created as an ecological, sustainable and affordable ocean racing yacht still capable of blistering speeds and top performance, with a proven track record of reliability and safety. Check it out here.
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MOVING PICTURES
Thursday, 7/29/10 - A second day of 20-knot winds ushers the fleet through match racing at the RC44 Valencia Cup 2010. The conditions off Malvarrosa Beach were similar to Day 1's 20-knot winds, but the match racing at the RC 44 Valencia Cup was even more boisterous.
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MOVING PICTURES
Thursday, 7/29/10 - The Plastiki crew, sailing in their 60-foot catamaran made of plastic bottles, encountered some fierce weather systems during their final leg to Sydney, hear the crew talk about battling a Pacific Storm.
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Wednesday, 7/28/10 - Despite the strong wind off Malvarrosa Beach, the professional crews threw the light-displacement boats around with seeming ease.
In a day that saw seven flights and 28 match races completed, three crews made it through the first five flights undefeated. But only Torbjorn Tornqvist's Artemis escaped unscathed.
"We started well enough today and the boat was going well through the water," said Artemis skipper Terry Hutchinson, who finished the day at 6-0. "We had our best day boathandling, and we needed it today."
Three other teams finished the day with 4-1 records including Russell Coutts and the BMW ORACLE Racing team, Cameron Appleton's Team Aqua and James Spithill's 17. Rounding out the top five is Igor Lah's Ceeref at 3-1 with Rod Davis as skipper.
"We had a good day considering we weren't able to practice yesterday," said Davis, who suffered a slight injury when the mainsheet grazed his head. "We went in loose and are quite happy. The boys have been on the boat a long time and that was helpful today."
The day started mild with an east/southeasterly wind around 12 knots. But with the temperature inland topping out at 90 degrees, it quickly turned wild when the wind shifted to the southeast and built to 16 to 18 knots, with gusts up to 20 knots.
The race committee ordered the small jibs for the fourth flight of races, and VIP spectators were no longer allowed aboard to avoid the risk of injury during transfer from chase boat to race boat.
Corresponding with the increase in wind strength was an increase of incidents. Upwards of eight penalties were issued, three spinnakers ripped, one jib battered and one steering system damaged.
A couple of crews were forced to retire from races due to the damage, but for those who finished you would think the day was a walk in the park.
"This was one of the windiest days we’ve had match racing, but they’re spectacular boats. They come alive downwind," Hutchinson said.
"My guys did a great job getting me out of trouble today," said Appleton. "I was the one causing the trouble."
The match racing portion of the RC 44 Valencia Cup continues tomorrow with another seven flights planned. Thursday is a scheduled practice day for the fleet racing portion of the regatta, which runs Friday through Sunday. Photo Ignacio Baixauli / RC44 Class.
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HOTLINK
Wednesday, 7/28/10 - Check out the VOR site where Gordon Maguire describes a close encounter with ice in the Southern Ocean - the stuff that legends are made of. It is February 2002 and he is onboard News Corp between Auckland and Rio de Janeiro.
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Wednesday, 7/28/10 - The Extreme 40s have showed their mettle in Valencia, where Red Bull Extreme Sailing skipper Roman Hagara and teammate Hans Peter Steinacher got involved in AC testing. Read Roman's report here.
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