Fedor Battles 30-foot Seas in Arctic Rounding

Monday - April 21 2008 - 0915 PST - After spending the weekend fighting head winds and huge seas around the Kerguelen Islands, Russian adventurer Fedor Konyukhov finally cleared this last obstacle within the Antarctica Cup Racetrack, and is now on the final stage of this solo circumnavigation back to Albany, Western Australia.

On Saturday, Fedor reported: "I am sailing in a powerful weather pattern with winds from the SSW and absolutely chaotic seas. It's extremely cold and I can't breathe freely on deck. Frozen air is burning my lungs and I need to wear a handmade scarf to protect my face. Heavy snow makes it very hard to work in the cockpit. Although it is late April, it feels like mid winter. Either I'm getting tired or indeed winter is here.

The waves are monstrous, have built up to 8-9 meters during the past 12 hours. Having spent nearly 3 months in the Southern Ocean below 45° South, I still can't get used to the power and size of these SW swells. I compare it like this: in a NW gale you experience Alps sized waves. With SW gales you have Himalaya waves - and the difference is big!

Thanks to Lee Bruce's weather routing, I am on the right side of the low pressure system and are now sailing away from Kerguelen with 45+ knots of wind with the islands 130-140° to starboard. My task is to get to 46°30' South to avoid the worst of the shoaling. Kerguelen has a very wide and shallow plateau with some areas only 120 meters deep. That's very shallow for Southern Ocean conditions - Right now, I have 2,500 meters under my keel and 8 meter waves. Imagine when this mass of water over two kilometers deep, meets a fast-rising shoal only 200 meters deep - It produces very steep waves with near vertical walls! It's like riding a rollercoaster, so I must do my utmost to steer north of the islands and stay in deep water."

Today, Fedor reported: a successful rounding: "Last night I finally cleared Kerguelen from the north in quite comfortable conditions. I built up plenty of sea room to be sure that there were no unpleasant surprises. In fact, this archipelago acted as a huge breakwater, creating a smooth sea state to the north and the SW swells dropped down to 4-5 meters height.

American Tornado Team Prepping for the Big Dance

Monday - April 21 2008 - 0850 PST - We got this update in from our American Tornado Olympic contenders Johnny Lovell and Charlie Ogletree -in Team Advanced Equities I:

Here we are back on the campaign trail to the Olympics, this time we are on the other side of the world after a nice two-month break after finishing the Tornado World Championship in New Zealand. After the Worlds, Johnny was home preparing taxes for his clients and I spent time in Valencia coaching Russell Coutts and the BMW/Oracle in the finer points of racing catamarans for the upcoming America's Cup.

We are competing in the 40th addition of the Semaine Olypique Française (SOF) held on the waters outside the scenic French port town of Hyeres. Hyeres is located on the Mediterranean between Toulon and Nice and is inundated with the one-thousand sailors and coaches attending this regatta.

We arrived last week to prepare. We have our new boat here, but unfortunately our Worlds mast and sails did not arrive in time from NZL so we are using a borrowed mast from the Greek team. Not perfect, but it will work. Our first two days were Mistral conditions of 25-35 knots, raining and 50 degrees, not at all the conditions we expect to have in Qingdao at the Olympics, so we decided to spend our time preparing the new boat. Most of the week remained windy, cold and rough and we're able to test the gear and boat in the extreme conditions. Yesterday was finally light wind so instead of taking the traditional day of before the first race day we decided to take advantage of the "Qingdao conditions" and towed out of the harbor early in the morning and spent four hours testing.

Today was the first day of the six-day regatta. The twenty-three teams competing account for everyone who we will race at the Olympics except for the Chinese and the Ukrainians. Since only one team per country is allowed at the Olympics, this will be a good test for small fleet racing which is totally different from the other major Tornado regattas.

Race one was sailed in 18-22 knots, rain and big waves. It was rough going and a tough and close battle for position in the tightly pack fleet. Even with a short layoff, we were not on top of our game and quickly got out of phase with the wind shifts and could only managed to finish close to the group and out of the money in 17th place.

Race two we executed a good start and sailed a smart first beat rounding in 7th spot. We continued with good pace over the next two legs finding our rhythm, hitting the shifts, going fast, and keeping it all together in the extreme conditions. That is until the second windward mark where a boat capsized just in front of us with the crew being flung fifteen feet into the air. Avoiding the capsized boat and wayward crewmember lead us into a radical pitch-pole (end for end capsize) that put us upside down and unable to finish the race.

Worse yet, I am forced to type this report one handed after a visit to the doctor to repair my right hand and forearm that was damaged in the capsize. It is bruised and I seem to have some nerve damage. A day off would be nice but I will see in the morning how the arm is functioning. The French team wins the capsizing title of the day with a three-peat.

Tight Racing In Wild And Windy Conditions

Sunday - April 20 2008 - 0930 PST - A breezy sixth race capped off an action-filled Saturday on the water, resulting in extremely tight scores in many of the racing classes at 2008 Charleston Race Week. The top two positions in 9 of the 12 competing classes are separated by four points or less, setting up a suspenseful final race.

The two highest-profile classes at the event - the Melges 24 and the powerful A-rated big boats - have ties at the top of their leader boards.

Kristen Lane, helming the Melges 24 Out House, is neck-and-neck with Travis Wiesleder's Carloan.com, both with 11 points. Lane's tactician is Morgan Larson, the veteran of two major America's Cups and three Olympic campaigns. This is Larson's first time racing on Charleston Harbor since he left school more than a decade ago.

"It's great to be back here - we're having so much fun, the racing is so tight and the venue so good." With lighter breeze forecast tomorrow, Larson knows that tomorrow's winner-take-all battle isn't going to be easy. "We go really well in the light air, but regardless of where we finish, we've had a great time."

Trailing by just four points is Simon Strauss and the crew of Yoga, who led a late-day charge to win the final race by less than half a boat length over Lane. "It's not over yet," said Yoga tactician and top dinghy racer Bora Gulari. "Those guys are going to be worrying about each other, and we're going to do our best to get out front and stay there - hopefully that will be enough."

On the offshore courses, a shifty, unpredictable Southerly dominated the morning, providing a real challenge for everyone. "We had a lot of trouble calling our laylines," said John Bowden, a local sailmaker and crew of the leading J/105, Big Booty. "Fortunately, when the breeze came in, we were seriously fast.' Bowden and his crew lead by only two points over Max Power, but they've got a plan for tomorrow. "We're concentrating on the party right now - everything else will take care of itself," explained a crewmember.

At 1:30, the breeze began building, settling in at a solid 18 knots with gusts to over 25. While a few boats had gear breakages, most held up well to the strong Southerly. Yesterday's leaders Bluto, A Parent Tripp, Rumor (pictured above), Yellow Jacket, Rush, and Echo held on to their leads, some only barely, and most will have to sail fast during tomorrow's single race in order to win their classes.

To follow all the action go to CWR. Photo by Tim Wilkes

The Racing Fleet Is In

Sunday - April 20 2008 - 0855 PST - Qingdao arrived in Santa Cruz, the last of the yachts 'racing' in the Pacific leg from Hawaii to the west coast Californian port. A daytime arrival ensured the Chinese team received a huge welcome as Clipper crews, friends, family, and Santa Cruz Yacht Club members lined the pontoons.

"It's great to be here," said the skipper of Qingdao, Marcus Cholerton-Brown. "We got stuck in a wind hole for 48 hours, only managing about 12-miles in that time, and sat there surrounded by glassy seas. Then the wind filled in and we found ourselves in 30 to 35 knots, but unfortunately on the nose. We probably needed to be another 60 to 70-miles further north, but the Qingdao crew did very well, we were just unlucky and took a bit of a bad weather gamble."

After making relatively slow progress for the first week since departing Hawaii the wind direction has finally allowed the 'non racing' westernaustralia2011.com and Durban 2010 and Beyond to make better progress towards Santa Cruz today; covering nearly 200 nautical miles in 24 hours. The current forecast is favourable and should allow both teams to maintain good speeds towards Santa Cruz with an expected arrival date of Tuesday 22 April.

Joff Bailey, Race Director, says, "As neither team are racing they are permitted to use their engine during periods of light winds which will help to keep their speeds up."

The progress of both teams was hampered yesterday when discarded fishing nets got wrapped around their propellers. westernaustralia2011.com became aware of the problem when "engine revs dropped as a slight knock was heard under the boat.' A short and very cold dive was required to cut away the offending netting.

Once westernaustralia2011.com and Durban 2010 and Beyond arrive in Santa Cruz the Race Director will announce the actual restart date and time. Presently the Clipper Race Team is working towards restarting the ten-strong fleet on Thursday 24 April.

The Santa Cruz stopover coincides with the Strictly Sail Pacific boat show in Oakland, California, and Clipper Crew Recruitment Manager David Cusworth paid his second visit there today.

David said, "Most people attending the west coast's largest sail only boat show didn't know that the opportunity existed for non-professional sailors to race around the world in a yacht race. After the second of the afternoons presentations it looks as though more Americans than ever before will be taking part in a Clipper Race.'

Crew from Uniquely Singapore were in attendance to tell potential crew about winning the race from Hawaii, the weather they had sailed through and vital aspects such as food and sleeping conditions onboard the Clipper 68s.

For more photos go to Clipper Race.

Un-Stoppable!

Sunday - April 20 2008 - Vincenzo Onorato and his Mascalzone Latino are the 2008 Rolex Farr 40 World Champions, achieving a first in the sailing world - three back-to-back victories in this ultra-competitive one design class.

"As I told my crew before the start, it is quite impossible to do," said Onorato of winning again. "But we did it, thank God. It was a tough week." What makes this accomplishment even more remarkable is that Onorato had not one, but two substitutes for regular tactician Adrian Stead in Morgan Larson and John Kostecki.

"It is incredible for a good reason," said Onorato who has competed in the Farr 40s since the class's early days. "Driving was a lot of stress for me; I had to tune up with another guy each day. John is an incredible talent. To be able to tune up with a guy like him is fantastic."

Arriving on the dock the moment Mascalzone departed for the first race of the 10-race series, Morgan Larson assisted in the team's 3-12-1 results that put them into first overall. When Kostecki joined the team the next day, he admitted there was considerable pressure maintaining the standard set before him.

"In such a situation we lost Adrian Stead for a good reason," said Onorato of Stead who rushed home the day before the regatta for the birth of his first child. Kostecki continued the winning form and helped keep the team at the top of the standings each day, posting all top 10 scores except for a 14th in his first race as tactician.

Barking Mad (USA), Jim Richardson's two-time world champion, finished in eighth. "It was a very, very light and pretty shifty day," said Richardson (Boston, Mass./Newport, R.I.). "The conditions were challenging and we didn't meet the challenge of our boat.

We weren't going well. We had some good starts and we were up there at the beginning, but we didn't finish up there. Every time we seemed to be on the right, the left paid off. It was frustrating to get good starts and all of a sudden not be in a good position."

Richardson not only helms his boat, but he is at the helm of the Farr 40 Class as president. "This has been a great world championship," he said. "It's been a terrific venue and everyone is happy to meet after the races. The cordiality of the event has been very high, and the sailing has been challenging and it's been fair. There were a lot of different race winners and a lot of different people had success."

Next year, the Class will travel to Europe to Porto Cervo, Sardinia for the 2009 Rolex Farr 40 World Championship. "Next year we return to the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda," said Richardson.

"It's one of the really beautiful jewels of the sailing world. It's a fabulous yacht club in a beautiful setting. I'm sure they'll do a great job for us as they usually do. Hopefully the wind will be more stable than here, and we're thrilled to be going back there."

Rolex Farr 40 World Championship - 2008 Final Results - Top 10 of 33:

1. Mascalzone (ITA), Vincenzo Onorato, 3-12-1-14-3-5-6-3-7-9, 63 points

2. Joe Fly (ITA), Giovanni Maspero, 9-1-8-15-6-2-5-2-34DSQ-5, 87

3. Mean Machine (MON), Peter de Ridder, 24-3-9-9-14-1-14-9-2-17, 102

4. Nanoq (DEN), HRH Crown Prince Frederik, 13-15-16-20-17-9-4-13scp-3-4, 114

5. Calvi Network (ITA), Carlo Alberni, 6-9-12-33-26-14-7-7-4-2, 120

6. Alinghi (SUI), Ernesto Bertarelli, 8-14-6-6-7-20-9-4scp-32-15, 121

7. Ramrod (USA), ), Rodrick Jabin, 22-8-17-3-10-21-10-19scp-1-11, 122

8. Barking Mad (USA), Jim Richardson, 23-5-3-2-16-6-2-24-23-22, 126

9. Opus One (GER), Wolfgang Stolz, 15-16-21-1-5-23-22-15-12-1, 131

10. Nerone (ITA), Massimo Mezzaroma/ Antonio Sodo Migliori 19-19-2-29-1-25-13-21scp-5-6, 140

For full results and more photos go to Farr 40 Worlds. Photo by Cindy Saunders

Pindar to Withdraw from Artemis Transat

Saturday - April 19 2008 - 1050 PST - Team Pindar today announced its withdrawal from the Artemis Transat, which begins in Plymouth on May 11. Skippered by leading British yachtsman, Brian Thompson, the team's preparations have been severely hampered following delays in the design and build of the new mast. Based in Gosport, the team has been working around the clock to get the Juan Kouyoumdjian designed, Open 60 ready in time.

With the mast installation set back until next week, it leaves only a matter of days for Thompson to undertake the 1,000-mile qualifier and make it to Plymouth for the race start.

Chairman of the Pindar Group, Andrew Pindar commented: "As we all know, half the battle of any sailing event is to make it to the start line. We're naturally all disappointed not to be competing in the Artemis Transat and despite the best efforts of the team, we have been let down by delays beyond our control. Rushing things now would be a mistake, there just isn't sufficient time to do the race justice."

Over the next few weeks the team will take time to re-evaluate all aspects of the sailing programme before committing fully to the Vendée Globe. Andrew Pindar continued "The Artemis Transat was set to be a great opportunity for us to showcase the boat, however we've always been transparent about the need to secure additional funding to participate in the Vendée Globe. With this latest setback to the campaign, we are keeping all our options open."

As yet, the boat remains unproven in competition since it was launched in July last year. Despite a dismasting during Cowes Week and again ahead of the start of the Transat Jacques Vabre, the team remain confident about its race-winning potential.

Skipper Brian Thompson commented: "She's an unbelievable boat and we are all still very excited about seeing what she is capable of. I believe we would have stood a terrific chance of winning the Artemis Transat but for now, the focus is on getting her back in the water and securing sponsorship for the big one (Vendée Globe)."

The new Open 60, which incorporates the highest power-to-weight ratio and the largest maximum sail area of the Open 60 fleet, has undergone a major refit. This includes a modified single-handed style cabin top and the removal of the hydraulics on the mast to simplify it for one person. ISAF World Sailor of the Year and Volvo Ocean Race winner, Mike Sanderson commissioned the build in conjunction with Juan Kouyoumdjian whose latest generation Volvo 70s have proven to be some of the fastest monohulls on the planet.

For more on Pindar go to Pindar Team.

Generali Ready for Action

Saturday - April 19 2008 - 1038 PST - This week, Yann Eliès and Generali completed his qualifying passage for The Artemis Transat, which is due to begin in Plymouth on 11th May. Setting sail from his base in Lorient, the large red and white monohull sailed the 300 miles required by the IMOCA class and the race organizer, following the fitting of a new mast this winter.

Yann Eliès: "The main focus of attention during this trip was, of course, the new mast. After a bit of trial and error, we found the right adjustment and the reaction from the boat was immediate. Generali really takes off more quickly, and she already seems much keener. The long leg reaching also proved to be very useful to appreciate the boat's light weight. In 15 to 20 knot winds, we constantly hovered between 20 and 22 knots, on seas that were very easy to handle." Feeling pleased about his new steering system, Yann also expressed his satisfaction about the interior fittings: "The return from the Gironde Estuary to Groix was upwind sailing and I was able to appreciate the great protection offered by the sliding roof, as well as the clear, wide view I had. The new set of sails with an extended square top, will need to be tested in light airs."

Now that he has qualified, Yann Eliès will be continuing his preparation programme. The training session that is due to take place from Monday at the Port la Forêt training centre will see a certain number of the top Imoca boats battle it out outside of the framework of a competition. It will be interesting to see how the different boats behave after the long winter break.

Clipper Sailor Goes Mad

Saturday - April 19 2008 - 1015 PST - O.K., Open ocean sailing can lead to strange behavior as seen by Clipper racer Admiral Tore of Durban 2010 and Beyond. But everyone knows that whenever you look through binoculars you should always hook up a tube to breath in air that exists a foot above your head - right? Actually he's supposedly gurning - we have no idea what that is. Go to Clipper Race to find out more.

Special on Open 5.70s at Strictly Sail Boat Show

Saturday - April 19 2008 - 1025 PST - XS advertiser Sailing Sportboats is currently hanging out at the Strictly Sail Boat Show in Oakland and they have quite a deal going. They announced last week that the boat will soon be manufactured in the U.S. making this Finot designed sportboat one of the most affordable on the market. The boats are coming in at around $26,000 and the fleet is building fast.

"These boats are fun and fast downwind in a breeze," says U.S. distributer Jerome Sammarcelli. " We're real happy that we can now make these boats more inexpensively than anything like it in the market. It's a great boat and we're looking forward to seeing the fleet grow."

For more information go to Sailingsportboats.com. Photo Pat Reynolds.

The 55 Knot Sailboat

Saturday - April 19 2008 - 1003 PST - As the SailRocket Team attempts to break the 50 knot speed barrier here are comments from the designer, Malcolm J .Barnsley, as they continue to wait for the perfect conditions:

"Since our return to Walvis Bay in March we have completed 7 runs, mainly in the lower end of the operating windspeed range - 14-17 knots."

"While the absolute speeds achieved are sub 40 knots and may not seem too impressive , they are consistently in line or above the predicted level for the wind conditions. At least as significant as the absolute speeds is the fact that the predicted very high sensitivity to windspeed , a feature of this configuration, is also reflected in the data, giving strong grounds to expect large increases in speed going from 17 knots up to 20-21 knots."

"Retraction of the very draggy low speed rudder is the other big trick we have yet to deploy . This will reduce wetted area by 30- 40% and as 60% of our drag is frictional depending directly on this area, it is not hard to see why 4-5 knots speed increase may result from this alone."

"Paul is also reporting good consistent control at speed . If the control remains as good into the mid to upper 40s there could be very little standing in our way."

"Strength can be an issue . As we go faster the loads begin to wind up. At 50 knots there will be 55% more load in the wing and foil and connecting structure, than at 40 knots, so we will be keeping a close eye for signs of distress strength of highly loaded parts becomes."

"All in all we are in a good position, performing to expectations and supported by a very strong and professional crew."

"I am looking forward to analysing the data as we go faster and of course going down to be with the action sometime in the next 2 months."

For more on the SailRocket go to Sailrocket.

Vincenzo Leads Ernesto Speaks

Saturday - April 19 2008 - 1000 PST - After a day of struggling with light and very shifty winds, the leader of the 33-boat fleet at the Rolex Farr 40 Worlds remains Mascalzone Latino, Vincenzo Onorato's Italian entry, with Joe Fly (ITA) in second and Alinghi (SUI) moving up into the third-place slot. Two races were held yesterday and two races remain to be sailed today in the 10-race series. There are no throwouts - or discard races - in the ultra-competitive Farr 40 Class. No one knows better than Onorato, the defending champion, and his team that a one-point lead is not a cushion.

Our favorite America's Cup villain Ernesto was in the mix doing a little gabbing about the race. It begins in French, but makes its way to English a little while in. Alinghi is currently in third. We grabbed this audio interview to hear what he has to say. For full results go to www.farr40worlds.com.

Perfect Conditions for Charleston Race Week

Saturday - April 19 2008 - 0935 PST - At almost every regatta, local sailors frequently excuse too much or too little breeze with the familiar refrain, "It's never like this!" For day 1 of 2008 Charleston Race Week, that wasn't a problem at all. "Today's conditions are exactly what we love about Charleston," said Event Director Brad Van Liew. "We saw just what we hoped for, and everyone got a lot of racing in today."

A light, shifty land breeze met the sailors at 10:00, letting the light-air specialists shine as they picked their way through a minefield of windless holes and stronger puffs. By 1:00 in the afternoon, sailors on all courses were treated to Charleston's reliable 10-12 knot onshore wind, allowing close racing with exciting mark roundings and tactical duels. for full results and more information go to Charlestonraceweek.com

Maxi's On The Bay

Friday - April 18 2008 - 0815 PST - The 5th edition of HUBLOT PalmaVela got underway in style today, under outstanding conditions, with wind speeds starting at 15-16 knots and topping 25 early in the afternoon. Despite the initial fears for a difficult day, Palma de Majorca's famous conditions came right on time and the starting gun was fired at noon, sending the 9 impressive maxis to an exciting race.

The bay of Palma woke up under covered and cloudy skies with a grim weather forecast, calling for light and shifty winds and a 50% chance of rain. Instead of that, the 9 crews enjoyed a constant southwesterly and waves of around 1 meter, putting them and their yachts to test. After an initial mark 2.5 miles from the starting line, the 9 yachts sailed twice around the small island of Sec and the buoys set up thorughout the Palma bay.

The German Y3K, owned by Claus-Peter Offen and with America's Cup sailor Karol Jablonski aboard was the leader in the Maxi Wally class. They kept a constant advantage over their two competitors, Thomas Bscher's Open Season and Mike Donnithore's Tiketitoo.

Both Y3K and Open Season boasted scores of America’s Cup sailors onboard and that obviously constituted the recipe for a close and exciting race. Four-time Olympic gold-medallist and two-time America's Cup winner, Jochen Schuemann, was Open Season's thinking head. Halfway through the race, Tiketitoo had to abandon.

In the Maxi Racer/Cruiser class, Aegir and Lizard crossed the finish line ahead of the rest of the fleet but were later disqualified as they mistakenly rounded the wrong mark.

Karol Jablonski (Y3K): "It was a very exciting day with strong breeze and a very competitive race course. It was hard to go around it and the crew did a great job. At one stage we had 28-29 knots at the top of the mast. It was a tough day and we feel very tired. We damaged one of the gennakers under these strong conditions."

I also helmed the boat because for the owner, a 100 footer under such strong winds and big waves is very difficult to helm. We were even forced at one point to have two men steering the two wheels since the pressure on the rudder was very powerful, especially when we were going downwind at 22 knots. We had to hoist 3 different gennakers, from the biggest to the smallest one, as the breeze was getting stronger. Crew work was excellent."

"Compared to the current America's Cup yachts these are true monsters but they provide very good training and preparation. If you sail these yachts then the America's Cup boats feel like dinghies and as a result you can push them more. You can feel they are faster and smaller. These ones are much bigger and definitely harder. Don't forget that our biggest gennaker measures 1,000 square meters and hoisting it when you are going at 20 knots is an uphill battle."

"I prefer sailing on big boats because you get a feeling of the waves, the wind and the boat. I love sailing these big yachts and today we proved to be very competitive. I'm happy with what we achieved and tomorrow will be another tough day."

"The HUBLOT PalmaVela is a fantastic regatta. Not often do you have the opportunity to race under such exciting conditions. Not only was the breeze strong and constant, the race committee did an excellent job in setting up a superb race course. It gave us the chance to train and test ourselves and the boat".

For more on the race with photos go to Palma Vela. Photo by Nico Maratinez

One More Obstacle For Fedor

Friday - April 18 2008 - 0755 PST - Day 82: The Kerguelen Islands (49°15′S, 69°35′E) may be no more than a pin-prick on an empty ocean, but as far as Russian solo sailor Fedor Konyukhov is concerned, they have the power of a 60 tesla magnet, drawing his 85ft yacht inextricably towards their treacherous shores.

For the past two days, Konyukhov and his weather mentor, Lee Bruce, have been struggling to decide which way to go round this French scientific outpost. "This is probably the most difficult weather scenario Fedor has faced" Says Bruce.

Persistent NNW winds has driven Fedor south of east over the past 24 hours. As he approaches Kerguelen Island, the weather pattern will be in tremendous flux. If we were dealing just with the weather, it would not be so difficult. But adding the large land and shoaling of Kerguelen adds a very big problem to the mix.

We have looked at leaving Kerguelen to port as well also to starboard. At first, heading to the south was the easier option, but then the forecasts showed up a southerly gale building, which could push him towards the islands.

So that means leaving Kerguelen to starboard. But getting north won't be easy. Fedor will have to climb steeply to the NNE, and will have to tangle with another fast moving low, quickly followed by another, which brings with it the threat of easterly head winds. But as difficult as this will be, it is better than the risk of going south of Kerguelen.

Fedor reports from onboard Trading Network Alye Parusa: "We are sailing in a very powerful weather pattern that pushes us to E-S-E. The sea is getting very rough. The wind force is not a problem but if I sail too close to the northern side of Kerguelen Island I will experience very high seas on the shoaling."

"If I dive to 50S I get gale force head winds south east of Kerguelen. There are not many options. The plan for the next 24 hours is to sail as close to the wind as possible but the boat gets plenty of kicks from the sea with rolling seas crashing on deck." 


"During the night I had a problem with the staysail furling line, which has chafed and jammed in the block at the bow. I didn't notice it until nightfall when the wind had increased to 50 knots and I tried to furl the staysail in. This 70sq m sail is like a piece of stiff plywood in these winds and low temperatures. Working on the bow with zero visibility when the boat is constantly crashing into waves is dangerous so I left the sail unfurled until morning."

"It would normally be a simple job to replace the furling line, but working on the bow in these conditions was like riding a wild mustang and took 3 hours. Now the technical side is under control. The weather is not. I hope Lee Bruce can push the right buttons and get a better forecast!"

A little history: The Kerguelen Islands or Îles Kerguelen, , were discovered by French navigator Yves-Joseph de Kerguelen de Trémarec in February 1772. They form part of the French Southern and Antarctic lands which also encompass Adélie Land, the Crozet Islands, Amsterdam and Saint Paul Islands.

This archipelago, also known as Desolation Island, was once a regular port of call for British, American, and Norwegian whalers and sealers who hunted the resident mammals to the point of near extinction. Captain James Cook also stopped in the islands in 1776. Kerguelen is now home to 50-100 scientists, together with a well-established feral cat population, descended from ships' cats that strayed ashore and now survive on sea birds and non-indigenous rabbits introduced to the islands.

To follow Fedor around the islands on Google Earth go to Antarctica Cup.

XS Racing's Catalina Series A Hit!

Friday - April 18 2008 - 0055 PST - Last weekend marked XS Racing's first of five weekend series of races out and back to Santa Catalina Island.

Southwest winds of 8-10 knots blew both days which warmed the air and flattened the seas to give the XS fleet an incredible sail to Long Point, Catalina on Saturday and back to Long Beach on Sunday.

On Saturday in the 'Maxi A Class' (-01 to -100) a battle between two double-handed R33 catamarans resulted in Cat 17 sailed by Mitch Yount and Larry McDowell beating Cat 18 'Cat Attack' sailed by Randy Reynolds and Richard Evett by just half a boat length. After 2 hours of sailing, reaching speeds of 17-plus knots in the steady 8-10 knot breeze, the two cats finished overlapped at the line. But behind the two fast cats was Jeff Cohan's F31 'Mental Floss' who took advantage of the shifty winds at the start and sailed an excellent race across the 23 mile channel winning the class and fleet on corrected time.

After the crew of the XS fleet enjoyed a beautiful stay in Avalon Bay Saturday night and Sunday morning,... eating, drinking and making merry, it was back to racing as the fleet tried to escape the lee of the island after a noon start off Avalon. This time the R33 'Cat Attack', broke away from the rest of the fleet and sailed deep, having revenge on her sistership Cat 17 who finished second on elapsed. Cat 18 was able to 'save her time' winning her class and fleet on corrected time.

In the 'A class' (rating of 0 to 100) it was the F27 'Antigone' by Dan Beiley that sailed to a corrected first place finish on Saturday. On Sunday it was Jerry Wetzler's Crowther 40 'Freestyle' coming out on top with a first place corrected finish as she sailed under her massive spinnaker.

It was a great beginning to the 10 race series to Catalina...a series that makes racing not only tactical and challenging, but fun! Come join the fun. Be sure to watch for more XS racing events. The next race will be the 125 mile Ensenada Race this upcoming April 25th. There is still time to enter. If interested in participating in this ocean racing classic email us at info@xsracing.org. Photo by Larry McDowell

Seven Clippers Arrive In Santa Cruz

Friday - April 18 2008 - 0045 PST - Jamaica and Liverpool 08 both finished overnight, to take sixth and seventh place respectively, crossing the finish line in light airs in the early hours of Thursday morning. A small team of volunteers from the Santa Cruz Yacht Club, who are hosting the Clipper fleet during the Californian stopover, welcomed the crews in. They joined the race winners Uniquely Singapore, Nova Scotia, New York, Hull & Humber and Glasgow: Scotland with style Clipper in Santa Cruz Harbour where the fleet will be based for the duration of their visit.

As the sun came up the crews of the five teams that arrived on Wednesday began their deep cleans and maintenance work. Taking advantage of the clear skies and Californian sunshine, cushions and mattresses were brought on deck to be aired and sails were laid out on the lawns of the yacht club for repair.

Qingdao is expected to arrive in Santa Cruz tomorrow morning and will receive a big welcome from all the crew that are already in town. It is a tradition of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race that as the later teams arrive all of the other crews come down and welcome them in. The members of the SCYC have also provided excellent hospitality for each team arrival and Qingdao's welcome tomorrow will be no exception, with cold beers and a local grog ready and waiting for the thirsty Qingdao crew.

Durban 2010 and Beyond (pictured above) and westernaustralia2011.com have now managed to escape the heavy easterly winds and have started to make much better progress towards Santa Cruz.

Joff Bailey, Race Director, says, "A long range estimate for their arrival is Tuesday 22nd April. Providing they achieve this, the race re-start will be Thursday 24th April. If Durban 2010 and Beyond and westernaustralia2011.com manage to make better progress the race start will be adjusted accordingly."

For more photos and current positions go to Clipper Race.

Mascalzone Latino, Joe Fly and Barking Mad Battle It Out At Farr 40 Worlds

Friday - April 18 2008 - 0030 PST - In a stark contrast to the previous 18-knot winds and lumpy seas, the light-air conditions gave the international fleet competing in the Rolex Farr 40 World Championship a new challenge. With a total of six races completed so far in the 10-race series, Italian teams hold the top two spots - Mascalzone Latino in first, with a three point lead, over Joe Fly in second.

Stepping into the tactician's role on Mascalzone Latino was John Kostecki, who assisted owner and helmsmen Vincenzo Onorato in putting together finishes of 14-3-5. The 2003 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year and winner of the 2001/02 Volvo Ocean Race as skipper onboard illbruck, Kostecki is one of the world's top sailors. An Olympic silver medalist (1988) and 10-time world champion in a range of one-design classes, he has also been involved in four America's Cup campaigns as tactician.

Two-time world champion Barking Mad (USA) climbed up from seventh place into third overall. "The conditions are difficult to sail in," said Barking Mad's owner Jim Richardson (Boston, Mass./Newport, R.I.)...

"It was a decent day for us. We were over early in the first race and managed to get a few good breaks and ended up second, so that was a great start of the day." In addition to Barking Mad, Groovederci 127 (USA), Twins (FRA), and Plenty (USA) were called over early and required to re-start.

For more results and photos of yesterdays racing and to catch the start of today's battle on the water go to Farr 40 Worlds. Photo by Daniel Forster / Rolex

Kusznierewicz/Zycki Win Star World Championships

Friday - April 18 2008 - 0010 PST - Mateusz Kusznierewicz and Dominik Zycki (POL) won the 2008 Star World Championships at Coral Reef Yacht Club with a fifth place in the sixth race and a total of 14 points overall. "We sailed and fought with the best sailors in the world today" said Kusznierewicz.

"We made a great decision on the downwind leg and used every opportunity to stay close to the Italians," he said. According to his crew Zycki they have dreamed of putting a gold star on their sails. "One of our dreams came true today," he said.

Second place went to Diego Negri/Luigi Viale (ITA) who crossed the finish line 18 seconds behind the leader with a total of 23 points. Both Kusznierewicz and Negri started at the signal boat end of the line and went after the start. Unfortunately, the wind went left and they got hosed. With 100 boats racing, they rounded mid-fleet at the first weather mark.

Third place went to Robert Scheidt/Bruno Prada (BRA) who finished the Star Worlds in fourth with 33 points.

The sixth race was won by the Irish team of Patrick O'Leary and Stephen Milne who could be deemed the comeback kids of the series. They were a solid candidate for a top five finish in race four but they lost their mast on the second downwind run.

"We never gave up at any time during the race today or during the entire week," said O'Leary. "We chipped away at every opportunity after an awful start and we are absolutely delighted to have won the race," he said.

Flavio Marazzi/Enrico De Maria (SUI) not only finished in second place, but qualified Switzerland for one of the four remaining Olympic slots in the Star Class event. The three other countries qualifying were Croatia, Ireland and Austria.

Marazzi and De Maria sailed together in the Athens Olympics and placed fourth. They were also fourth in the 2007 European Championships. Said Marazzi, "We're always fourth but we hope to change that at the 2008 Olympics."

Rick Merriman/Brian Sharp (USA) took third place, their best finish in the series. "Being at the top of fleet felt great the last couple of days," said Merriman. "We had a good start mid-line and we stayed high around the weather mark and went left. We had great pressure and clear air around three quarters of the way down where we got ahead of the fleet," he said.

The final race got off in 10 knot winds with seven boats black flagged. Carl Buchan/Jamie Buchan (USA) were leading with Mark Mendelblatt/Mark Strube (USA), Hamish Pepper/Carl Williams (NZL) and Marc Pickel/Ingo Borkowski (GER) just behind them at the first weather mark.

At the first leeward gate, Flavio Marazzi/Enrico De Maria (SUI) jumped to first place followed by Robert Scheidt/Bruno Prado (BRA). O'Leary/Milne moved up to third place followed by Rick Merriman/Brian Sharp (USA). Joining the top 10 were the two teams holding first and second overall, Kusznierewicz/Zycki and Negri/Viale.

O'Leary/Milne grabbed the lead at the second weather mark and never let it go. Marazzi/De Maria stuck to the leader from the second gate to the finish.

Day Six Overall Top 10 Standing after five races and lowest score discarded:

1) Kusznierewicz, Mateusz/Zycki, Dominik (POL) 1, 1, (44), 3, 4, 5 TP 1400.

2) Negri, Diego/Viale, Luigi (ITA) 3, 3, (25), 9, 2, 6 TP 23.00.

3) Scheidt, Robert/Prada, Bruno (BRA) (37), 12, 2, 1, 14, 4 TP 33.00.

4) Marazzi, Flavio/De Maria, Enrico (SUI) 6, 14, (47), 10, 8, 2 TP 40.00.

5) Pickel, Marc/Borkowski, Ingo (GER) 5, (105/BFD), 6, 18, 5, 11 TP 45.00.

6) Pepper, Hamish/Williams, Carl (NZL) 12, (105/BFD), 3, 2, 15, 19 TP 51.00.

7) Mendelblatt, Mark/Strube,Mark (USA) 2, 6, (32), 17, 11, 20 TP 56.00.

8) Murray, Iain/Palfrey, Andrew (AUS) 11, 11, 5, 24 (31), 18 TP 69.00.

9) Rohart, Xavier/Rambeau, Pascal (FRA) (26), 21, 1, 4, 20, (27) TP 72.00.

10) Merriman, Rick/Shap, Brian (USA) (58), 20, 29, 19, 6, 3 TP 77.00.

For full results and more photos go to Star Worlds. Photo by Fried Elliott/friedbits.com

The French Rule ISAF Match Racing

Thursday - April 17 2008 - 1130 PST - Mathieu RICHARD (pictured above) and Claire LEORY make it another French double at the top of the ISAF World Match Race Rankings on 16 April.

Mathieu RICHARD (FRA) remains at the top of the tree for the fifth consecutive release of the ISAF World Match Race Rankings and was second last year in the 'World Match Racing Tour'. Ian WILLIAMS (GBR) remains at #2, picking up another win at the ISAF Grade 3 GKSS Icebreaker.

The defeated finalist in Sweden was Mattias RAHM (SWE) who subsequently takes a giant stride back up the rankings, climbing from #253 up to # 156. Geared up for the Tour opener in Brazil, RAHM, whose lifetime best ranking position is #10, can be expected to soon be back in the top ranks before too long.

The only ISAF Grade 1 event to take place in this ranking period was the V Open de Espana and it was Paolo CIAN (ITA) who picked up the victory in Calpe. CIAN remains at #3 and goes to Brazil a strong contender.

The rest of the top 20 skippers are also unchanged due to the small number of top level events that have taken place since the previous ranking on 26 March.

As the 2008 Match Racing season gets warmed up there are early signs of the return to the circuit of stars from the America's Cup, such as Bertrand PACE (FRA), from BMW Oracle Racing. Seventh place at the V Open de Espana sees the previous #1 ranked skipper take a giant leap up the rankings from 149 up to 95.

For more on ISAF match racing go to ISAF Match Racing. For more on the World Match Racing Tour go to WMRT. Photo courtesy of World Match Racing Tour

GGYC Confident Racing Will Start October 2008

Thursday - April 17 2008 - 0830 PST - Here is the latest from the GGYC regarding Alinghi's decision to appeal.

Question - Why has the defender appealed?

Lucien Masmejan, Société Nautique de Genève (SNG)'s lead counsel, says they have appealed in order to "fast track the legal process." He claims there is still no certainty as to a ruling on the dates. He also claims that the Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC) challenge is ambiguous and that, in contravention of the Deed of Gift, the GGYC is now tactically withholding vital technical information.

Our view is that this defender simply does not want to sail in any race that is not set up entirely on its own terms. These claims are just excuses to keep stalling. We expect Justice Cahn to make a ruling on the date for the next event any day. If the needs were for clarity and progress then surely it made sense to wait and see what the judge says.

We are looking forward to seeing Justice Cahn's decision as a sure way of moving the event forward. We are also very pleased that the Court rejected an SNG/Alinghi bid for an interim stay of Justice Cahn's order declaring GGYC the valid challenger.

The defender's claims about now needing more "vital information" are simply false and silly. They made the same claims when they unsuccessfully tried to reargue the case. They were dismissed by the court who upheld our view that we have supplied all the information required under the Deed.

This decision to go to the appellate court also contradicts previous and repeated assurances given by senior Alinghi team members and lawyers to the sailing community that they would not appeal.

Question - What about Alinghi's claim that they won't be ready for a match in 2008 and that it is unfair to expect them to sail then?

The rules for all contestants are clear. Both teams have had the same time to get ready. At first, Alinghi falsely claimed there had been a 'tolling' agreement for the event to be held in 2009. They were unable to support this in court and have since dropped this claim. Back in December Ernesto Bertarelli said Alinghi was committing '200%' to a race in 2008.

In every America's Cup, the decision on when to start building your boat is a crucial tactical call. How they have chosen to play this has been a decision for Alinghi. But the requirements of the Deed are clear and both teams have had exactly the same circumstances to contend with and time to prepare. Our priority is to keep moving forward.

Question - Does this appeal mean we go right back to the beginning of the whole process?

No. We are confident the court's decisions will be affirmed. Alinghi has had two chances to make their case and been rejected by the courts both times. We believe the court will require them to defend the Cup as set out in the Deed of Gift.

Question - How long will the appeal process take?

An appeal has been set for June. We would expect a decision not long after that. But the important thing is that the timing for the match will not be affected by this appeal process.

Question - Do you still expect to race in October 2008?

Yes. We remain confident our position is right and that the courts will confirm this.

For the complete time line of this whole mess go to the GGYC website at The GGYC.