Monthly archives for January, 2025

Refining ratings to improve classic racing

Friday
Jan 31
2025

Posted by XS Editor

The Classic Yacht Owners Association developed the CRF (Classic Rating Formula) as a measurement rating system to serve their racing schedule in the New England region. CYOA Technical Committee Chair Jim Taylor provides an update for the 2025 season:

At the end of each Classic season, the CYOA Technical Committee does an in-depth review of the year’s racing, with a primary focus on how accurately CRF ratings reflected real world performance over the full range of boat sizes and types and in a variety of conditions. Unfortunately, for the second year in a row, the weather gods failed to provide much wind for much of the season, so the amount of good data on which to base this analysis was limited.

A quite different measure of success might be that the number of certificates issued in 2024 increased by almost 8% from 2023 and was the third highest in the ‘CRF MkII’ era. Even more encouraging is the fact that the number of discrete boats entering an event was almost the same as the number of certificates issued. All of this suggests that owners felt that their CRF 2024 rating reflected reality well enough to give them a fair chance on the race course.

At the same time, despite all these positive developments, the cold hard facts are that accurately rating boats as diverse as those in the CYOA fleet is a tall order, so even if CRF 2024 did well, there is always room for improvement. Toward that end, the Technical Committee does plan on some changes to CRF 2024 that they hope will provide even better racing under CRF 2025.

In recent years it has been observed that boats in the Classic division have had a hard time competing in fleet scoring against their close cousins racing in Vintage. The reasons for this have been puzzling, however, as these two Divisions generally share quite similar characteristics; their overall hull proportions are similar, they both have full keels with attached rudders, and they share similar performance parameters.

To learn more, a Live Zoom Chat will be held on February 20 at 6:30pm ET.

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America’s Cup: War of the Roses – a brief truce?

Friday
Jan 31
2025

Posted by XS Editor

The embattled Houses of Ratcliffe and Ainslie are expected to stage a brief truce, this weekend, for the first meeting of the teams involved in the 2027 America’s Cup…

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2025 DN Championships in Wisconsin

Friday
Jan 31
2025

Posted by XS Editor

The 2025 DN World and North American Championship have been confirmed for February 2-8 on Lake Winnebago at Fond du Lac, WI. Over 100 competitors are registered representing Canada, Estonia, Germany, Poland, Sweden, and the USA, with the field including seven former DN World Champions who have collectively won 28 DN World Championship titles. – Details

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Vendée Globe Friday 31st January Update

Friday
Jan 31
2025

Posted by XS Editor

After Boris Herrmann on Malizia-Seaexplorer finished the Vendée Globe, Sam Davies arrived in Les Sables d’Olonne, with both skippers greeted by huge crowds and a flotilla of boats to escort them down the channel.

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the dc 6

Friday
Jan 31
2025

Posted by deleteme

The new DC 6 Meter. More here. We asked DC to join us on our podcast a couple of weeks ago, but he didn’t seem too interested. Oh well. Jump in the discussion thread.

Stand by for the SA Paul Bieker podcast to be posted later today!

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King of all wins at Festival of Sails 2025

Monday
Jan 27
2025

Posted by XS Editor

The Festival of Sails 2025 wrapped today from the Royal Geelong Yacht Club. It was quite the spectacle, with 246 boats, 1100 sailors, 100,000 visitors and close to twenty divisional champions crowned post racing.

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Vendée Globe: Expect the unexpected

Monday
Jan 27
2025

Posted by XS Editor

Expect the unexpected is an epithet which is never far from front of mind for the solo skippers on the Vendée Globe…

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American Magic: Keep the ball rolling

Monday
Jan 27
2025

Posted by XS Editor

It is the intent for American Magic, the US challenger for the 36th and 37th America’s Cup, to compete in the 38th edition. But before the event rules are established, retaining talented personnel with enriching projects is critical for continuity.

The USA team has an established base in Pensacola, Florida that it hopes to leverage through a new partnership with Nautor Swan, and now they are also teaming up with notable Italian builder Persico Marine on an innovative foiling catamaran.

The Persico Cat 72-foot is designed by multihull sailboat and powerboat specialists Morrelli and Melvin, of which Pete Melvin was a member of the American Magic design team, with the America’s Cup challenger seeking to bring their expertise to the table for the upcoming trials.

“We are looking forward to the significant milestone of bringing the boat to Pensacola for sea trials,” reports American Magic Chief Operating Officer Tyson Lamond. “At American Magic, we are always pushing the boundaries of innovation and technology, and this boat certainly embodies both qualities, making it an exciting project for our team.”

The Persico Cat 72’ will soon be transported to American Magic’s base where the team will begin extensive testing, pushing the yacht’s performance to its limits. This is a pivotal moment in the yacht’s journey, with American Magic’s world-class experience ensuring the cruising yacht maximizes its cutting-edge performance technology.

“We are thrilled to see the completion of the Persico Cat 72’ which marks a significant step forward in the development of a truly revolutionary catamaran,” noted Marcello Persico, CEO of Persico Marine. “Our collaboration with the American Magic team brings invaluable expertise to this project. Their deep knowledge of high-performance foiling, especially in the America’s Cup, will be critical in fine-tuning the yacht’s capabilities to the highest standards.”

Details: https://www.americascup.com/

Defender New Zealand will work with the Challenger of Record from Great Britain to organize the 38th America’s Cup. Anticipated to be held in 2027, the two teams have agreed on some details with the venue to be confirmed by June 2025 after Barcelona declined hosting another edition.

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SailGP: USA back to drawing board

Monday
Jan 27
2025

Posted by XS Editor

It could not have gone much worse for the USA team at the New Zealand SailGP on January 18-19 in Auckland, New Zealand. They finished last.

While Italy and Brazil finished 6th and 9th, respectively, in their second-ever event, the USA languished at the bottom in their 10th competition.

USA helm Taylor Canfield’s team struggled with Auckland’s unstable sea state and recorded 7-6-10-10-9-8-9 fleet racing results. Noted SailGP broadcast commentator Emily Nagel, the U.S. team “didn’t just come last” but “got beaten by Canada.”

The Canadians were unable race on the second day of the event due to the injury of flight controller Billy Gooderham. The team finished in 11th overall, one spot ahead of the United States.

After the U.S. finished third overall in the Season 5 opener, commentator Stevie Morrison observed how that was “light winds and four crew on the boat. They’ve come to Auckland and it’s six on the boat, big crew and fast, foiling sailing and they’ve finished last.”

Canfield said the team would be “going back to the drawing board in the big breeze conditions. We’ve got to be heads out and looking for intersections around the track because it’s tight and everyone is going so fast, so things are changing quickly. It’s a bit of a shame, but we still know we’ve got more in the tank and we’ve got to keep on pushing.”

The next event is on February 8-9 in Sydney, Australia.

Auckland Final Results
1. Australia, 5-1-2-2-1-2-10-(1), 64 points
2. Spain, 2-4-4-8-5-3-3-(2), 57 points
3. Great Britain, 1-2-9-4-2-4-6-(3), 57 points
4. New Zealand, 4-8-6-1-4-6-2, 46 points
5. Denmark, 6-5-5-5-8-1-1, 44 points
6. Italy, 3-3-7-7-3-9-8, 37 points
7. Switzerland, 11-10-1-3-10-10-4, 28 points
8. Germany, 8-11-11-9-6-7-5, 20 points
9. Brazil, 10-9-8-11-7-5-7, 20 points
10. Canada, 9-7-3-6-11-11-11, 19 points
11. USA, 7-6-10-10-9-8-9, 18 points
Note: France did not take part due to a wingsail issue.

SailGP information – YouTube – Facebook

Season 5 Leaderboard (after 2 of 14 events)*
1. Great Britain, 17 points
2. New Zealand, 17 points
3. Australia, 16 points
4. Spain, 16 points
5. Denmark, 10 points
6. France, 10 points
7. United States, 8 points
8. Switzerland, 6 points
9. Germany, 6 points
10. Canada, 6 points
11. Italy, 5 points
12. Brazil, 3 point
* Ten of the 12 teams are privately owned, with the league having ownership of New Zealand and Spain.

Season 5 Schedule – 14 events
2024
November 23-24 – Dubai, UAE

2025
January 18-19 – Auckland, New Zealand
February 8-9 – Sydney, Australia
March 15-16 – Los Angeles, USA
March 22-23 – San Francisco, USA
May 3-4 – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
June 7-8 – New York City, USA
July 19-20 – Portsmouth, Great Britain
August 16-17 – Sassnitz, Germany
September 6-7 – Taranto, Italy
September 20-21 – Geneva, Switzerland
October 4-5 – Andalucía – Cádiz, Spain
November 7-8 – Middle East *
November 29-30 – Grand Final – Abu Dhabi, UAE
* Venue to be announced

Format for Season 5:
• Teams compete in identical F50 catamarans.
• Each event runs across two days.
• Five qualifying fleet races of approximately 15 minutes may be scheduled for each regatta.
• The top three teams from qualifying advance to a final race to be crowned event champion and earn the largest share of the prize purse (amount not confirmed; Season 4 had $400,000.00 USD prize purse with winning team earning $200k at each event).
• The season ends with the Grand Final, which includes the Championship Final Race for the top three teams in the season standing with the winner claiming a monetary award (amount not confirmed; Season 4 had $2 million USD prize).
• The top team on points ahead of the three-boat Championship Final will get a monetary award (amount not confirmed; Season 4 had a $350,000.00 prize).

For competition documents, click here.

Established in 2018, SailGP seeks to be an annual, global sports league featuring fan-centric inshore racing among national teams in some of the iconic harbors around the globe.

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it’s both!

Saturday
Jan 25
2025

Posted by deleteme

Birdyfish continues to innovate in the world of lightweight sailing with the announcement of its second boat, which will be presented for the first time at Boot Düsseldorf 2025. Following the success of its first foiling dinghy, of which more than 150 are now in production, the company is expanding its range with a foiler dedicated to solo sailors: the Birdyfish S.

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Vendée Globe Saturday 25th January Update

Saturday
Jan 25
2025

Posted by XS Editor

After Jérémie Beyou finished the Vendée Globe in fourth place, Paul Meilhat arrives in Les Sables d’Olonne soon after in fifth, with Nico Lunven sixth on Friday evening, and now Thomas Ruyant arriving in seventh early on Saturday morning.

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Doubt cast over next America’s Cup

Saturday
Jan 25
2025

Posted by XS Editor

On October 19th 2024, the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron, on behalf of the Defender Emirates Team New Zealand, accepted a Notice of Challenge for the 38th America’s Cup (AC38) from Royal Yacht Squadron Ltd and were duly announced as the Challenger of Record for the 38th America’s Cup. But now that the British team has imploded, how does the next America’s Cup proceed?

The acrimonious split between two knights, Sir Ben Ainslie and Sir Jim Ratcliffe, has cast uncertainty over the next edition of the America’s Cup, with crucial negotiations unable to move forward while the disputing parties engage in legal proceedings.

The Guardian understands that a commercial dispute over who owns what within the Ineos Britannia partnership, which was dissolved by Ratcliffe this week, has meant progress over the “protocol” for the 38th America’s Cup will have to be put on hold. – Full report

Details: https://www.americascup.com/

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Small boats at boot Düsseldorf!

Friday
Jan 24
2025

Posted by XS Editor

Hall 15 at boot Düsseldorf has some really interesting small boats, so Mark Jardine took a look around to see what he could find…

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the old man and the sea

Friday
Jan 24
2025

Posted by deleteme

Webb Chiles is one the greatest singlehanders in the modern era. Not necessarily for speed records or things like that, (although he has indeed set records.) Rather in choosing odd and/or difficult boats to circumnavigate the world.

He has always been a personal hero to me, and I am happy that Webb checked in with this piece from 2009/now, with now being in parenthesis. – ed.

A gibbous moon directly above the masthead illuminates THE HAWKE OF TUONELA’s white deck and white asymmetrical spinnaker as she slides across a dark sea. We are three weeks and a day out of Panama. Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas Islands is a week and a day or two ahead.

I take a cup of tea and sit on deck. I cherish these nights. I’m 67 years old. (Now 83.) This is my fifth circumnavigation. If there is ever a sixth, it will be in the Southern Ocean and via Cape Horn again. (I was wrong. Perhaps if there is a seventh.) One way or the other there won’t be that many more nights gliding before the trades.(Wrong again. There were many more tradewind nights sailing GANNET.)

(It is very worth noting that Gannet is a Moore 24. – ed.)

Once when being interviewed I was asked what in one word sailing means to me, and my instant reply was, “Freedom.”

I’ve wondered about that since then. I am after all free enough on land. I stopped working for other people and owing money in 1974. But I never feel as free on land as I do at sea…

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Jérémie Beyou finishes 4th in the Vendée Globe

Friday
Jan 24
2025

Posted by XS Editor

Emerging relieved and happy out of a dark, windy night off Les Sables d’Olonne, Jérémie Beyou crossed the finish line of his fifth Vendée Globe this morning at 00:58 (UTC) to take fourth place from the record fleet of 40 starters…

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INEOS Statement on 38th America’s Cup

Thursday
Jan 23
2025

Posted by XS Editor

INEOS will enter a challenge for the 38th America’s Cup under the team name INEOS Britannia after parting ways with Sir Ben Ainslie.

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America’s Cup: Will Ainslie start over?

Thursday
Jan 23
2025

Posted by XS Editor

If you believe everything you read, the news that Sir Ben Ainslie had been removed from the team he skippered to the 37th America’s Cup Finals came as a surprise. That’s the message coming from this update:

The British Challenger for the 38th America’s Cup, led by Sir Ben Ainslie, was astounded to read today’s statement from INEOS and Mercedes F1 regarding their planned challenge for the 38th America’s Cup. This plan raises significant legal and practical obstacles for them that will play out in the coming days and weeks.

Furthermore, Sir Ben Ainslie’s British America’s Cup team will be known as Athena Racing going forwards, aligning with the British Women’s and Youth America’s Cup team, the Athena Pathway.

How did we get here? It appears that when Ainslie partnered with INEOS Chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe after the 2017 America’s Cup, Ainslie signed over the rights to the team. Ratcliffe wanted control, which appears to have included team assets, with Ainslie now an employee.

As to why Ainslie got fired, another guess is that Ratcliffe recognized the challenge in both leading a team and sailing on the team. But Ainslie probably wanted to win as a helm, so the split occurred. Will Ainslie now start his own team? That is implied by Athena Racing, but starting over at this level isn’t how you win the America’s Cup after losing three times.

Interestingly, the INEOS Britannia website – www.ineosbritannia.com – now jumps to the Athena Racing website – www.athenaracing.com. Apparently, Ainslie held on to that asset.

Details: https://www.americascup.com/

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So much more than records and statistics

Wednesday
Jan 22
2025

Posted by XS Editor

The way the Vendée Globe record was demolished was astounding. Armel Le Cléac’h’s mark of 74 days, 3 hours, 36 minutes had stood for eight years, with the 2020-21 winner of the race, Yannick Bestaven, taking just over 6 days longer to complete the course…

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Vendée Globe – Day 74: Dang it! Missed the Equator

Wednesday
Jan 22
2025

Posted by XS Editor

Vendée Globe Race – Conrad Colman – Life onboard MS Amlin : Day 73 & 74 – No shortage of solar energy on the Equator – but where’s the Black Line gone?

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America’s Cup: Ainslie set for Ineos split

Wednesday
Jan 22
2025

Posted by XS Editor

After Ineos Britannia lost to New Zealand 7-2 in the 37th America’s Cup, skipper Ben Ainslie confirmed his team would return for the next edition, but he was less certain about his funding. Three months on, this report by The Times notes how Ainslie is close to a split with his primary sponsor

It is understood that relations between Ainslie, the four-times Olympic champion, and Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the Ineos chief executive and Manchester United co-owner, have deteriorated as plans for another campaign have been discussed.

Ratcliffe and Ineos have plowed about £240million into the America’s Cup project, but both he and Ainslie made it clear they did not want Ineos to be the sole sponsor for the next attempt, which is likely to be in 2027. – Full report

Details: https://www.americascup.com/

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Earliest videos of the New York Boat Show

Sunday
Jan 19
2025

Posted by XS Editor

With the 2025 edition of the Show about to start in a few days, lets see how far back in time our video archive can go, with footage from early shows. The best we can do is 1937…

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Tom Slingby’s Flying Roo has sailed to victory

Sunday
Jan 19
2025

Posted by XS Editor

The ITM New Zealand Sail Grand Prix came to a dramatic close with an Australian win on rival waters. After delivering a racing master class across the weekend, the Flying Roo claimed a well-deserved victory.

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Vendée Globe Sunday 19th January Update

Sunday
Jan 19
2025

Posted by XS Editor

Climbing the 29 mast on on an IMOCA yacht is a daunting task, but when repairs need to be made it’s an essential job for the skippers in the Vendée Globe. Both Sam Goodchild and Jean Le Cam had to go up the rig on Saturday.

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SailGP Diary: Race Day 1 – Racing spectacular

Saturday
Jan 18
2025

Posted by XS Editor

A High that won’t go away provided a day beyond words for the first race day of SailGP in Auckland…

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Boris Herrmann is back in Northern Hemisphere

Tuesday
Jan 14
2025

Posted by XS Editor

This Monday evening, Team Malizia’s skipper Boris Herrmann crossed the Equator and returned to the Northern Hemisphere, ticking off one of the last milestones along the Vendée Globe race course.

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Charlie Dalin wins Vendée Globe 2024-25

Tuesday
Jan 14
2025

Posted by XS Editor

(January 14, 2025; Day 66) – After one long, cold final night fighting through light winds off the Brittany coast, Charlie Dalin, the French skipper of MACIF Santé Prévoyance, crossed the Vendée Globe finish line this morning at 07:24 UTC to take victory.

Dalin has been the most regular and consistent leader of the solo non stop race around the world, heading the fleet for a total of 42 days, including an unbroken run since December 30, taking victory in the tenth running of this iconic offshore test.

By winning in an incredible time of 64 days, 19 hours, 22 minutes and 49 seconds, Dalin smashed the previous record set in 2016-17 by Armel Le Cléac’h (74 days and 3 hours) by an incredible 9 days, 8 hours, 12 minutes and 57 seconds.

The 40-year-old skipper, who grew up in Le Havre in the north of France, achieved the pinnacle result of his career after leading the 2020-21 race at the finish, but dropping to second after Yannick Bestaven received redress time for his part in the rescue of Kevin Escoffier.

“I am the happiest man in the world today, for sure,” shared Dalin. “With the team I have been working for four years on this edition, building this new boat, preparing this boat and upgrading the boat and now it is done.

“When I crossed the finish line, I felt things I never ever felt before, definitely the best finish line crossing of my career. By far… there was so much emotion, I am so really happy to be back in Les Sables d’Olonne after 66 days of ultra fast sailing, I am just really happy.”

Following his finish, Dalin will have to wait for the tide to rise early this afternoon before ascending the legendary Les Sables d’Olonne channel, to step on to land for the first time since leaving Les Sables d’Olonne on start day, November 10, and to now fully savour his incredible victory.

Knowing well that any kind of mishap or accident could still happen, it still took Dalin some considerable composure to live through the final nervous hours of his race while making a long descent from the Point of Brittany to Les Sables d’Olonne in light airs.

Even if the final miles of his course allowed him to sail through his home waters, off Concarneau and the Glenans islands, enjoying a fly-by from France’s Marine Nationale, seeing coaches from his race training group, Dalin had to remain cool and focused until his finish gun sounded this morning off Les Sables d’Olonne’s famous Nouch Sud finish line.

While Dalin covered the theoretical course of 23,905 miles at an average speed of 15.37 knots, his actual course of 27,668 miles translates to an average speed of 17.79 knots.

Race updates – Tracker – Ranking – Arrival times – Facebook

Attrition:
Nov. 15: Maxime Sorel (FRA), V and B – Monbana – Mayenne, ankle injury, mast damage
Dec. 4: Louis Burton (FRA), Bureau Vallée, rigging failure
Dec. 15: Pip Hare (GBR), Medallia, dismasted
Dec. 16: Szabolcs Weöres (HUN), New Europe, broken D2 shroud
Dec. 30: Yannick Bestaven (FRA), Maître CoQ V, steerage damage
Jan. 12: Éric Bellion (FRA), STAND AS ONE – Altavia, broken J2 forestay pin

The Vendée Globe, raced in the 60-foot IMOCA, is the elite race round the world, solo, non-stop, and without assistance. On November 10, 40 skippers started the 2024-25 edition which begins and ends in Les Sables d’Olonne, France.

Armel Le Cléac’h, winning in 2017, previously held the record for the 24,300 nm course of 74 days 03 hours 35 minutes 46 seconds. Only one sailor has won it twice: Michel Desjoyeaux in 2001 and 2009. This is tenth running of the race.

Source: VG2024, SSN

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the man

Tuesday
Jan 14
2025

Posted by deleteme

After one long, cold final night fighting through light winds off the Brittany coast, Charlie Dalin, the French skipper of MACIF Santé Prévoyance crossed the Vendée Globe finish line this Tuesday morning at 07:24 UTC to take victory. Dalin has been the most regular and consistent leader of the solo non stop race around the world, heading the fleet for a total of 42 days, including an unbroken run since 30 December, takes victory in the most prestigious solo sailing race in the world.

By winning in an incredible time of 64 days, 19 hours, 22 minutes and 49 seconds, Dalin has smashed the previous record set in 2016 by Armel Le Cléac’h (74 days and 3 hours) by an incredible 9 days, 8 hours, 12 minutes and 57 seconds! The 40-year-old skipper, who grew up in Le Havre in the north of France, has achieved the pinnacle result of his career after finishing a close second in 2020-2021. He will now be able to relax and fully enjoy his victory day.

Dalin will have to wait for the tide to rise early this afternoon before ascending the legendary Les Sables d’Olonne channel, to step on to land for the first time since leaving Les Sables d’Olonne on start day, Sunday 10th November, and to now fully savour his incredible victory. More.

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Vendée Globe 11th January Update

Saturday
Jan 11
2025

Posted by XS Editor

Benefiting from being slightly further west than Vendée Globe leader, Charlie Dalin (MACIF Santé Prévoyance), Yoann Richomme has remained slightly faster and so has continued to shave a few more miles off his deficit to the leader.

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505 Pre-Worlds at Adelaide overall

Wednesday
Jan 01
2025

Posted by XS Editor

Day 2 of the Sir James Hardy 505 pre-worlds brought picture perfect conditions for a day at the beach. It also brought pretty good sailing conditions. The courses were two-lap windward leewards…

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five daze

Wednesday
Jan 01
2025

Posted by deleteme

Five days in the Tasman, two-handed, in this. We take our hats off to them. Oh and for most of the race, the self-steering was held together by a vice grip, string, and sail ties!

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