Phil Robertson will not drive Spain’s F50 in San Francisco this weekend having officially left the team on Thursday…
Monthly archives for March, 2022
Melges and Moroz named 2021 winners
Friday
Mar 25
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Mar 25
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Harry Melges IV (Lake Geneva, WI) and Daniela Moroz (Lafayette, CA) were selected as the 2021 Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year for their outstanding sailing performance in 2021 at a live ceremony in San Francisco, CA…
‘A’ Cat Worlds heads to Texas
Thursday
Mar 24
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Mar 24
2022
Posted by XS Editor
The 2022 ‘A’ Cat Worlds will be held in Houston after a delay of 2 years, April 29-May 6. Following cancellations of the 2020 and 2021 events, an opportunity arose last November for an event to be held in 2022 allowing the USA to keep the hopes of hosting an ‘A’ Cat Worlds for the first time in 10 years. The US would have lost the chance for three more years, had this not been the case. Houston Yacht Club and US Association President, Bob Webbon, with his small team, organized a World Championships in double quick time. – Full report
Clipper race: Underway after two years…
Thursday
Mar 24
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Mar 24
2022
Posted by XS Editor
(March 24, 2022) – After a two year postponement due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Clipper 2019-20 Race officially restarted at 1200 Local Time (0400 UTC). Race 10, the Sailing City – Qingdao Cup, got underway today by way of a Le Mans start just off the north coast of Luzon, Philippines. This 6100 nm course across the North Pacific will see teams encounter an extraordinary challenge, sailing in huge waves and extreme weather systems as they race toward Seattle, USA.
Skipper David Hartshorn on CV22 Seattle was Lead Skipper for the start, and expertly corralled the fleet into position as planned and right on time. The exact position for the start was 19°00N, 120°30E, approx. 28nm off the north-western tip of Luzon, Philippines. On starting the race this morning, David said, “It was quite a challenging line, with 22-25 knots from the north east, and a moderate to rough sea with a northerly swell.
“Zhuhai, GoToBermuda and Punta del Este all had good starts with their Yankees powering up quickly. After ten minutes the only change to the fleet was all the boats moved up to sailing a close hauled course.”
Conditions made for an upwind start, with the fleet beginning on a starboard tack on a close reach, heading in a north-north-westerly direction at a good speed of 9-10 knots. After ten minutes (as no course or sail changes are permitted within the first ten minutes of a Le Mans start) the fleet altered course toward the wind on a more close-hauled course and northerly heading…
Race details – Team list – Race route – Tracker – Facebook
Rules for the Racing Rules of Sailing
Thursday
Mar 24
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Mar 24
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Internationally published journalist and writer Roger Vaughan, with 18 books to his credit, sees topics and captures them in words. His biographies of National Sailing Hall of Fame inductees Ted Turner and Harry Anderson, and Olympic medal making coach Victor Kovalenko, are legendary.
With the Racing Rules of Sailing as a popular topic to embrace and criticize, Vaughan offers this observation:
All sports have rules that govern play, but sailing is different. The rules that govern sailing are based on the rules that govern traffic on the water; rules designed to prevent collisions.
Racing sailboats is very aggressive traffic all trying to get to the same place before the other guy does. The Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS) are akin to the rules of the highway. The boat on starboard tack is a stop sign. The overtaking boat must keep clear just as an overtaking car on the highway must. And so on…
GWA Wingfoil World Tour Qualifying Series
Wednesday
Mar 23
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Mar 23
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Launching in 2022, the GWA Wingfoil World Tour Qualifying Series (QS) will offer a progressive, supporting structure for athletes, national associations and youth development program around the world…
stop the insanity!
Wednesday
Mar 23
2022
Posted by deleteme
Mar 23
2022
Posted by deleteme
Enough is enough. It’s time we acknowledged that the people who conceived the rules for the next America’s Cup might have lost all rational connection with the sport of sailing.
You want proof? The release late last week of their revised Class Rules and Technical Regulations for AC37 (under the signature of Grant Dalton for the defenders) reminds us of the depth of this madness. Their obsession with hi-tech foiling monohulls has taken them into an impenetrable maze of detail that only the elite few of that exclusive clique of Americup professionals could understand.
They have, to put it bluntly, managed to disappear up their own collective fundamental orifices.
Consider this: the Class Rules run to 82 pages while the Technical Regulations fill another 45 pages. The Rules contain 1,190 specific rules, stipulations, formulas, diagrams, specifications and inclusions, and that’s not including the qualifications and exemptions. The Regulations have 533 separate line entries, including 163 definitions. (Yep, I counted them all.)
You can scroll to any page and find rules and regulations that are so obscure that they read like the nuthouse mutterings of some demented technocrat. Here’s my personal favourite:
7.8 Parts of the Yacht that can cover the crew shall be limited with reference to an elliptical prism (a solid right elliptic cylinder) which has a major axis of 450 mm, minor axis of 200 mm and a height of 600 mm. When viewed from above and orthogonal to MWP, no more than 35% of the area of the prism projected to MWP shall be capable of being covered by any part of the yacht above the prism other than the mast, sails and rigging…
Cutting-edge Technology for Multihull Design
Wednesday
Mar 23
2022
Posted by deleteme
Mar 23
2022
Posted by deleteme
If you’ve watched America’s Cup or grand prix sailboat racing you may have noticed the mindboggling technology that goes into moving a mass of magnificently crafted composite around some buoys or around the globe. These machines are otherworldly. But in case you think those speedsters have nothing in common with boats that are available to mere mortals, think again. Your family SUV probably benefited from advances made for Formula 1 racecars, and today’s performance-cruising boats leverage trickle-down technology from the racing circuit to become sophisticated platforms that are within reach of the average sailor.
Take, for example, the Rapido 60 bluewater cruising trimaran from Vietnam-based Rapido Trimarans (rapidotrimarans.com), which looks like a rocket ship, but was just purchased by Riley and Elayna from Sailing La Vagabonde for their family of adventures, including two kids under the age of three. The innovative technology that went into the design and construction of the boat is what makes it a top choice for cruising. So, what goes into the making of a game changer? We spoke with Erik Berzins, yacht designer and partner at Morrelli & Melvin (M&M: morrellimelvin.com) to find out the three main phases of designing a boat like this…
Entries breach 100 for Airlie Beach Race Week 2022
Wednesday
Mar 23
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Mar 23
2022
Posted by XS Editor
More than 100 entries across a variety of classes have so far been received for the 34th running of Airlie Beach Race Week (ABRW), to be hosted by Whitsunday Sailing Club (WSC) in the Whitsunday Islands from 11 to 18 August, 2022…
Iceboating: An entirely new game
Wednesday
Mar 23
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Mar 23
2022
Posted by XS Editor
The shift to spring in North America has iceboaters now looking forward to next season, which includes newcomer Eric Doyle, a North Sails sailmaker of 30 years who relocated from San Diego to Minneapolis two years ago and bought into the DN class last summer.
For the Star World Champion, it is an entirely new game.
“It is, as they say, the sport of gypsies,” says Doyle. “They’re ready to go, ready to wait, or ready to change venues and drive six hours [in the other direction]. DN sailors will do anything for good ice conditions because, when it’s right, it is by far the most fun sailing I’ve ever done. It’s just so fast, so effortless and so cool to take this little 12-foot boat and fly 25 to 30 miles per hour upwind. Then to go 40 [mph] downwind is really incredible…
Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta: We’re racing soon
Tuesday
Mar 22
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Mar 22
2022
Posted by XS Editor
On March 30th classic yachts of all ages and sizes will be assembling at the Antigua Yacht Club Marina for the start of the 33rd annual Antigua Classic Yacht Regatta…
Where would we be without rules?
Tuesday
Mar 22
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Mar 22
2022
Posted by XS Editor
by Butch Ulmer, UK Sailmakers
Sailboat racing is a self-policing sport. We don’t have referees or umpires so we’ve got to do the job ourselves. In order to do that, you must have a good knowledge of the rules. If someone is “bending the rules”, it’s because someone else is letting him or her get away with it.
I have spent a fair amount of time sailing with and against “weekend warriors” and I have not found the rules to be too complicated for them. Rather I suggest that they are racing for enjoyment and are reluctant to spend time on a subject that bores them. The only time they get excited about the rules is after they have been bounced out of a race by the Protest Committee.
The rules are complicated because they have to be. The situations that arise are often complicated. If you doubt that, spend some time reading the Appeals.
The Rule Book is not a very interesting read. I have often suggested that sailors keep it on their bedside table in case they’re having trouble getting to sleep. Five minutes with it and you’re gone…
Returning to the scene of the crime
Tuesday
Mar 22
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Mar 22
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Before the fleet was deep in the Indian Ocean, attrition had already hit the 2018-19 Golden Globe, a solo non-stop race around the world that restricted the 17 entrants to the same type of yachts and equipment that were available in 1968-69 for the first race.
But on day 83, the drama rose to a new level when a vicious storm between Australia and South Africa delivered 70 knot winds and 14m seas which dismasted India’s Abhilash Tomy and Ireland’s Gregor McGuckin dismasted
While McGuckin was okay, the 39-year old Tomy, a Commander in the Indian Navy making his second solo circumnavigation, was injured. Trapped below, he turned on his EPIRB on and sent a short text message to race control: ROLLED. DISMASTED. SEVERE BACK INJURY. CANNOT GET UP.
Then all communication was lost…
the drowning pool
Tuesday
Mar 22
2022
Posted by deleteme
Mar 22
2022
Posted by deleteme
Want to quickly improve your regatta results? One of the best ways to do that is to develop the ability to recover from a position down in the fleet. The best teams can turn a bad start, OCS or any other mishap into a decent finish. Instead of being stuck in the back of the fleet they seem to always find a way to advance forward. Sounds easy, right? We all know it’s not.
How to turn that bummer of a start (everyone gets one from time to time) or boat handling screw-up into a keeper? You’ll need some skills and boat speed for sure, these can be practiced and developed over time. What you really need is the ability to focus mentally. To dig yourself out of the back and move towards a keeper finish you need to master the real mental challenge of sailing, and learn how to make lemonade out of lemons…
2022 WASZP Americas Championships
Tuesday
Mar 22
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Mar 22
2022
Posted by XS Editor
The first ever WASZP Americas Championship took place at Richmond Yacht Club, California from 17-20 March. Foilers from 7 countries took to the iconic San Francisco Bay for four days of electric high-speed racing in perfect conditions…
Video: United States SailGP Team capsize
Tuesday
Mar 22
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Mar 22
2022
Posted by XS Editor
The United States SailGP Team capsized on San Francisco Bay during a training session on Monday for this weekend’s SailGP season final, the upcoming Mubadala United Sail Grand Prix, March 26-27…
America’s Cup Venue – Malaga put 75 million euros on the table
Tuesday
Mar 22
2022
Posted by deleteme
Mar 22
2022
Posted by deleteme
Cork’s chances of making a possible Irish bid before the March 31 deadline are in the balance, according to a report in the Irish Examiner…
Experience: A Near-Drowning at Dockside
Monday
Mar 21
2022
Posted by deleteme
Mar 21
2022
Posted by deleteme
I walked up to the bathroom and the couple was just getting out of their boat. The man appeared to be in surprisingly good shape. He was well tanned, trim and muscular, not exactly what you would expect for a guy in his 70s. He appeared to be moving without any stiffness. The boat was backed into the slip, a powerboat, white with red trim, maybe 28ft or so in length. The transom and aft deck faced me as I walked by. He and I made eye contact.
“Good morning,” I said, and then, “You look fine this morning.”
“Yes,” he responded. “No problem. I had someone help me get out of the drink last night.”
Clearly he did not know I was that person.
As these things do, they run through your mind, over and over again.
For the most part, mid-October marks the end of sailing season along the south shore of Lake Erie. A progression of fast-moving cold fronts disrupts short spells of beautiful clear fall days. During the good spells, strong, steady southwest winds push warm air across the lake creating perfect, flat sailing conditions. Over the years I have waited for these conditions to make my last crossing of the season aboard my 43-year-old Cape Dory 30 ketch, Valhalla, from Lorain, Ohio, to the Lake Erie Islands, about 40 miles northwest. The State Park marina on Middle Bass Island closes on October 15. This past year on October 8, a friend and I sailed there aboard our respective boats to enjoy one last visit before winter took hold…
America’s Cup: What does the clock say?
Monday
Mar 21
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Mar 21
2022
Posted by XS Editor
The America’s Cup Defender was to reveal the Match Venue on September 17, 2021 but postponed the announcement until March 31, 2022. In hopes that the hosting rights will help them finance their campaign, doing the deal has proven difficult.
After hosting the 36th edition at their home base of Auckland failed to deliver a financial windfall due to COVID-19 restrictions in 2021, the Defender faces more adversity in finding a friendly host partner amid a military conflict in Eastern Europe.
With the venue deadline approaching, Gerald New of SailWeb files this report from Europe:
Emirates Team New Zealand boss Grant Dalton walked into a maelstrom as he arrived in Europe to inspect the short-listed venues for the defense of the 37th America’s Cup.
In the short time he has been in Europe, he must have realized that the attitude to the America’s Cup is very different to that in New Zealand, even before you add a Russian military invasion force pounding a free, democratic country into rubble, with three million people already forced to flee across Europe.
The America’s Cup has a very different status here to that which he is used to in New Zealand. Unlike the New Zealand media, the press in Europe almost totally ignores the event. And where the next America’s Cup ends up in Europe is not high on the news agenda . . . including the sports news.
Even the Brits, who started the whole shebang by losing a race round the Isle of Wight, and after 170 years are no closer to winning than when they started have little interest, especially for the horse-trading phase that is presently going on…
American Waszp Championship
Monday
Mar 21
2022
Posted by deleteme
Mar 21
2022
Posted by deleteme
JP Lattanzi of the USA is the 2022 American Waszp Champion, finishing two points clear of Nick Zeltner of Switzerland…
i14 Victorian State Championships 2022
Monday
Mar 21
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Mar 21
2022
Posted by XS Editor
The weather report was lining up and eleven 14’s entered to compete for the 2022 Victorian State 14 Championship at Royal Yacht Club of Victoria located in Williamstown…
J Class – Ranger are Saint Barth’s Bucket winners
Monday
Mar 21
2022
Posted by deleteme
Mar 21
2022
Posted by deleteme
Ranger finished one point clear of Hanuman and Velsheda at the Saint Barth’s Bucket J Class, the fifth and final race being abandoned on Sunday….
Global Solo Challenge welcomes 43rd entry
Monday
Mar 21
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Mar 21
2022
Posted by XS Editor
The thirty-two-year-old Francesco Cerina from Nuoro in Sardinia is the youngest entry so far in the Global Solo Challenge. Until now it was British entry William Croxford. Both were born in ’89…
America’s Cup: PJ Montgomery on the four Kiwi wins
Sunday
Mar 20
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Mar 20
2022
Posted by XS Editor
On the day of the first anniversary of Emirates Team New Zealand’s fourth America’s Cup win, and second successful defence, America’s Cup Hall of Famer, Peter Montgomery recounted his memories of the four wins and particularly the first in 1995…
J Class at the Saint Barth’s Bucket day 3
Sunday
Mar 20
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Mar 20
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Ranger won their second successive race at the Saint Barth’s Bucket superyacht regatta by just 15 seconds to hold a slender lead of just one point ahead of the tied duo Hanuman and Velsheda to set up an exciting winner-takes-all finale…
Clipper 2019-20 Race – Looking ahead to Race 10
Sunday
Mar 20
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Mar 20
2022
Posted by XS Editor
The Clipper 2019-20 Race restarted from the Philippines today with the eleven yachts, crewed by non-professional sailors, departing for the North Pacific crossing to Seattle…
18ft Skiff Queen of the Harbour 2022
Sunday
Mar 20
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Mar 20
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Charmaine Hill is the 2022 Queen of the Harbour after teaming with Michael Coxon, Ricky Bridge and Zac Barnabas in Smeg to win the Australian 18 Footers League’s annual 18ft skiff race on Sydney Harbour…
2022 Puerto Vallarta Race at San Diego YC overall
Saturday
Mar 19
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Mar 19
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Distance ocean races come in all different shapes and sizes. There’s a point where it goes from an event you can grit your teeth and battle through, to a length of time on the boat where you need to establish a flow for the on/off watch periods and cycle…
America’s Cup: Choosing the right materials
Saturday
Mar 19
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Mar 19
2022
Posted by XS Editor
ETNZ’s design engineers explain the differences between pre-preg and infusion construction options – and the factors in the decision about which to use – either in the land yacht speed record project, or an AC75…
J Class day 2 – Velsheda take lead at Saint Barth’s Bucket
Saturday
Mar 19
2022
Posted by deleteme
Mar 19
2022
Posted by deleteme
After two days of racing for the J Class at the Saint Barth’s Bucket, Velsheda now lead on six points…
Jack van Ommen’s ‘Fleetwood’ Lost on a Cuban Reef
Friday
Mar 18
2022
Posted by deleteme
Mar 18
2022
Posted by deleteme
In the March issue of Latitude 38 we bring you the story of Jack van Ommen and the circumstances surrounding his third shipwreck. This one, he says, could have been prevented.
I should have listened to the advice of Herman, my Dutch brother-in-law, when he brought me to the airport in Amsterdam: “Jaap, don’t you think that you are too old to start crossing oceans?”
That was in 2004, when I was 67. I took off in spring 2005 from my homeport in Gig Harbor, Washington. On my way back from Europe in 2013, I suffered my first shipwreck off Ibiza. Some will remember the details and spectacular pictures of the remains of Fleetwood, a Naja 30 I had built myself and sailed for 33 years…
America’s Cup – AC75 Class Rule updated
Friday
Mar 18
2022
Posted by deleteme
Mar 18
2022
Posted by deleteme
Updated versions of the AC75 Class Rule and the AC Technical Regulations have been released effectively starting the clock for the design race of AC37…
NZ 12ft Skiff 2022 Nationals at Lake Taupo
Friday
Mar 18
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Mar 18
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Race 1 on Friday afternoon started in about 5kts of breeze which followed the fleet round heading them to make the first lap of the triangle course 3 upwinds…
J Class at the Saint Barth’s Bucket day 1
Friday
Mar 18
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Mar 18
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Racing in perfect 16-22kts trade winds, the J Class teams on Thursday enjoyed a sharp reminder of how tough and physically close fleet racing is aboard these historic, beautiful yachts after a two year layoff…
Travel is returning – and so are boat charters
Thursday
Mar 17
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Mar 17
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Travel is returning – and so are boat rentals and charters. GetMyboat offers the largest boat rental platform in the world, with over 150,000 listings globally…
18ft Skiff: ‘Queen of the Harbour’ Race history
Thursday
Mar 17
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Mar 17
2022
Posted by XS Editor
The Australian 18 Footers League’s 2021-22 season comes to a close on Sunday when the club will conduct the time-honoured Queen of the Harbour race on Sydney Harbour, when each of the 21-boat fleet will include a female crew member as part of the team…
Royal Huisman to build world’s largest sloop
Thursday
Mar 17
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Mar 17
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Anyone familiar with the superyacht industry is accustomed to grand descriptions of the exceptional nature of new projects…
Two more venues added to SailGP Season 3 calendar
Thursday
Mar 17
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Mar 17
2022
Posted by XS Editor
SailGP’s Season 3 calendar has expanded into 2023 with the announcement of two further events including fan favourite destination San Francisco and a debut trip to Christchurch for the purpose-led, global championship…
Design race starts for 37th America’s Cup
Thursday
Mar 17
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Mar 17
2022
Posted by XS Editor
(March 17, 2022) – The Defender and Challenger of Record have today released the official publication of the AC75 Class Rule and the AC Technical Regulations.
These documents will govern the technical aspects of the 37th America’s Cup, and define the specific parameters to which every competing AC75 yacht must be built. The development of these rules has been a collaboration between the design teams of Emirates Team New Zealand and INEOS Britannia, the two teams representing the Defender and Challenger of Record for the event.
A draft of both documents was first released in November 2021, and since then the rule writers have been working through several rounds of feedback received from all challengers that have entered the Cup.
The Defender is to announce Match Venue and approximate event dates on March 31, 2022. – https://www.americascup.com/en/home
Details: AC75 Class Rule – AC Technical Regulations
wait, what?
Thursday
Mar 17
2022
Posted by deleteme
Mar 17
2022
Posted by deleteme
From the Fabulous Forums. As we are looking to race Anarchy 6 mostly in ORC, i find this sort of topic quite interesting – ed.
I was just looking at the ORC ratings for J/111s and saw something very surprising. Looking at the same boat with all the same measurements their 2021 ratings were 577.9 for crewed and 588.6 for DH. But their 2022 ratings, again with the same measurements, are 575.9 and 579.9.
So the DH adjustment went from 10.7 secs/mile to 4 secs/mile just from the updated VPP for 2022? That seems like a big adjustment. Does that seem reasonable that a DH boat should be able to sail only 4 secs/mile slower than a fully crewed boat?
For 2022 the SunFast 3300 ratings are even more interesting. The DH Club ratings are faster than the fully crewed Club ratings. Wowie! I suppose this is because they have water ballast? Comment.
Follow Us!