Leg 2 is 3D chess according to Managing Editor Lydia Mullan. Relive the constantly changing fleet order, weather highs and lows, and tactical angst of the Mindelo, Cabo Verde to Cape Town, South Africa leg in this episode of Racing Recaps…
Monthly archives for February, 2023
Lanzarote International Part 2 – Sills and Tibi lead iQFOiLs . . . Besson and Ancian lead Nacra 17
Wednesday
Feb 15
2023
Posted by deleteme
Feb 15
2023
Posted by deleteme
Day 2 at Lanzarote International Regatta for the Nacra 17 multihull and the men and women’s iQFOIL foiling boards…
The Drone Cam footage from The Ocean Race Leg 2
Wednesday
Feb 15
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Feb 15
2023
Posted by XS Editor
The Ocean Race was epic as the teams travelled from Cabo Verde to Cape Town. We collected all the best shots that our drones have picked up for our viewers to enjoy…
SailGP and Rolex announce ten season partnership
Wednesday
Feb 15
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Feb 15
2023
Posted by XS Editor
SailGP, the global racing league and Swiss watchmaker Rolex have announced a groundbreaking new ten season partnership which will see the iconic brand extend the relationship as the global presenting partner and as the exclusive official timepiece…
Cup Spy Feb 12: Swiss and Italians go sailing
Wednesday
Feb 15
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Feb 15
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Alinghi Red Bull Racing sailed out of Barcelona on February 12, having rigged and launched the AC75 on February 10. Luna Rossa has a new rudder and a new jib (J1.5) and more…
you guys following this?
Wednesday
Feb 15
2023
Posted by deleteme
Feb 15
2023
Posted by deleteme
I wonder if any of you may be interested in my 7.5 m foiling trailer sailer project. I know strictly speaking it is not a sport boat but it does have twin trapezes!! And headroom for short people! And I could use some help sourcing a 150-175 kg keel bulb and a 9.5 m carbon mast.
7.5 m long plus 350 mm boarding platform 2.5 m wide, draft 2.0 headroom 1.75m sleeps 4 nominally light displacement 850 kg sailing 1100 with 2 crew 115 kg !!! 2 Invert T hydrofoils with 35% flaps and 2 t rudders with variable AoA like a moth or maybe like an A class. Sail area main 20 m2 jib 13.2 m2 Fro and kite to be determined.
Construction is 6 and 9 mm ply over stringers with 100 gm carbon biaxial inside and 300 gm carbon biaxial outside with 100 gm glass cloth on the outside. Plywood 1.5 to 4 mm with high-density styrofoam 60 psi and carbon for the bulkheads and berth tops and sides. galley and loo similar construction .cabin top is carbon styrofoam 60 psi carbon with Foam replaced with shear webs and uni carbon caps.I only wish Julian B had started his 89er sooner and I would have reduced a lot of my laminates and used more Basalt and pet foam. However, I got the carbon really cheaply. Currently weighs 520 kg with all interior in place and most of the fairing done.
I have been working on this for 2.3 yrs so this is slow going for me after building the NZ tris Dragon and Timber Wolf much faster . Guess I am getting old, but it is taking longer than building Free Radical 10.5 m cat .
Boost for Queensland 18 footer revival
Wednesday
Feb 15
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Feb 15
2023
Posted by XS Editor
The revival of the Queensland 18 footer racing scene took a major step forward recently when the Brisbane 18 Footers Sailing Club had a brand new 18ft skiff hull built by Van Munster Boatbuilders for David Hayter’s campaign…
2023 ILCA 6 Masters Worlds Day 5
Wednesday
Feb 15
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Feb 15
2023
Posted by XS Editor
No races were completed at the 2023 ILCA 6 Masters World Championships, hosted by the Royal Varuna Yacht Club, due to lack of wind. Dark clouds took over the morning sky before a two-hour rainstorm left the area without any wind for the rest of the day…
trouble down under
Tuesday
Feb 14
2023
Posted by deleteme
Feb 14
2023
Posted by deleteme
The Environment
New Zealand declared a national state of emergency for only the third time in its history on Tuesday as Cyclone Gabrielle caused widespread flooding, landslides and huge ocean swells, forcing evacuations and stranding people on roof tops.
“It has been a big night for New Zealanders across the country, but particularly in the upper North Island … a lot of families displaced, a lot of homes without power, extensive damage done across the country,” Prime Minister Chris Hipkins told reporters after the declaration. Gabrielle is 100 km (60 mile…
NZ Navy rescues catamaran sailor in cyclone
Tuesday
Feb 14
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Feb 14
2023
Posted by XS Editor
A man on a catamaran in distress has been rescued and is safe on board Royal New Zealand Navy frigate HMNZS Te Mana. His anchor broke and he drifted out to sea, close to the centre of Cyclone Gabrielle…
Jeff Bezos’ three-masted megayacht starts sea trials
Tuesday
Feb 14
2023
Posted by deleteme
Feb 14
2023
Posted by deleteme
Jeff Bezos’s 127m/417ft sailing yacht Koru left Rotterdam for the North Sea for a first day of sea trials…
Photo finish ahead for The Ocean Race
Friday
Feb 10
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Feb 10
2023
Posted by XS Editor
(February 10, 2023; Day 17) – For nearly 4700 nautical miles, the five IMOCA teams competing in leg 2 of The Ocean Race have been dueling south from Cabo Verde towards a finish line just off the V+A Waterfront of Cape Town.
Overnight Wednesday night (Feb. 8), the race shifted into a speed contest to the northeast as one by one, the fleet gybed out of the depths of the Roaring 40s to point directly towards Cape Town.
Incredibly, today at noon UTC, the leading trio – Team Malizia, Team Holcim PRB, and 11th Hour Racing Team – are separated by less than 2.5 nautical miles on the advantage line as they drag race towards Cape Town on day 16 of the leg.
However, there is one more ‘speed bump’ to navigate. A ridge of high pressure – with very light winds – sits between the teams and the finish line. The leading boats keep poking their bows into the lighter conditions and slowing down. Meanwhile, the last place boat in the fleet is bringing fresh winds with them as they relentlessly close the gap.
In fact, GUYOT environnement – Team Europe, who trailed by over 510 miles when they made their turn to point at Cape Town, now find themselves less than 240 miles behind – a number that is coming down with each hourly position report…
Planet Sail Episode 24: The Capsize Club
Friday
Feb 10
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Feb 10
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Five of the six teams that will take part in the next America’s Cup cycle have been out testing and training. Two of them have been for a swim, one have been in the drink twice where their second capsize turned out to be pretty serious…
Australian Wooden Boat Festival Parade of Sail
Friday
Feb 10
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Feb 10
2023
Posted by XS Editor
The Australian Wooden Boat Festival has commenced with the suspected largest number of boats ever, in the Parade of Sail 2023…
Amazing Rescue Swimmer Video!
Friday
Feb 10
2023
Posted by deleteme
Feb 10
2023
Posted by deleteme
Of all the jobs in the world designed for utter nutters this is the craziest: a USCG airborne rescue swimmer.Watch this video on a BIG screen
See the Rescue Swimmer nearly get to the boat before seeing the wave. Duck diving deep under the wave.
See the black dot of a man being thrown from the boat.
Not visible is the next stages.
Final aftermath. A successful rescue…
Winners return for 50th Rolex Fastnet Race
Friday
Feb 10
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Feb 10
2023
Posted by XS Editor
With the Rolex Fastnet Race this year celebrating its 50th edition, many past overall winners and winning boats are returning…
The Ocean Race Leg 2 Day 17
Friday
Feb 10
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Feb 10
2023
Posted by XS Editor
For nearly 4700 nautical miles, the five IMOCA teams competing in leg 2 of The Ocean Race have been dueling south from Cabo Verde towards a finish line just off the V+A Waterfront of Cape Town…
SailGP returns to San Francisco for Grand Final
Thursday
Feb 09
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Feb 09
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Tickets for the SailGP Season 3 Grand Final | San Francisco are now on sale, giving fans the opportunity to once again experience the high-adrenaline conclusion to the SailGP Season 3 Championship on San Francisco Bay on May 6 – 7, 2023…
Corpus Christi YC win St. Petersburg YC Trophy
Thursday
Feb 09
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Feb 09
2023
Posted by XS Editor
This year’s winner of the St. Petersburg Yacht Club Trophy was Corpus Christi Yacht Club (Corpus Christi, TX) for hosting the 2022 J/24 World Championship…
Australia SailGP Team winning formula
Thursday
Feb 09
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Feb 09
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Tom Slingsby’s Australia Sail GP Team has dominated the league, winning the championship in the first two seasons, and currently leads Season 3. Slingsby reveals his insight into his team’s winning formula:
The origins of the Australia SailGP Team started back in 2011 when Sam Newton, Kyle Langford, Kinley Fowler and myself all joined Oracle Team USA in the America’s Cup within a month or two. At this point in time, the America’s Cup had changed into fast-paced, extreme catamaran sailing and there was a real push for the next generation of talent to come through and sail these boats. All four of us got hired at the same time and went through both the 2013 and 2017 campaigns together.
During the 2017 campaign, we also became good friends with Jason Waterhouse, who was with SoftBank Team Japan. Having the experience of sailing together throughout the America’s Cup meant that when SailGP came along, putting the team together was easy. These are guys I’ve sailed and raced with for years, and some are my best friends, so we’re not going to annoy or frustrate each other off the water.
For sure, there are some great Australian sailors out there, including Jimmy Spithill, Nathan Outteridge, Iain Jensen and Luke Parkinson, but I wanted to go with people I knew, and knew well. When we kicked off racing in SailGP with the addition of Jason Waterhouse, we knew that we had something pretty cool going on. Two and a half seasons later and we’re still at the top of the league and we’re still the ones to catch.
Our communication on board is a sign that we’ve sailed together for a long time – we don’t speak very much. We know what each other are thinking – sometimes I can say something that’s not very clear but my teammates know what I mean. Those are little split seconds where you can gain on your opposition. That’s not something that other teams can shortcut – they can look at all our data and numbers and watch our footage but they haven’t sailed together for ten years like we have. We’re going to try and keep that dynamic going and hopefully that’s something that will make us hard to catch.
We also have the most sought-after substitute athlete in the fleet – Ed Powys is the unsung hero on our team. His grinding is unbelievable and he’s super fast around the boat. At the Great Britain Sail Grand Prix in Season 2, we subbed him into the flight control position and won the event and that was his first ever event doing flight control.
This season, we’ve had Kyle Langford out twice – once for the birth of his second child and once for a back injury – and we’ve chucked Ed onto the wing. We got a fourth and a third in those events so Ed has done an unbelievable job at keeping our consistency high. He absolutely gives us an edge and all the other teams know it…
Balboa YC begins RFI for 56th Governor’s Cup
Wednesday
Feb 08
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Feb 08
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Balboa Yacht Club has posted all the information necessary for requesting an invitation (“RFI”) to the 56th Governor’s Cup International Youth Match Racing Championship, July 24-29, 2023…
Curmudgeon’s Observation
Wednesday
Feb 08
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Feb 08
2023
Posted by XS Editor
“To the mathematician who thought of the idea of zero, thanks for nothing.”
For stories from February 7th: https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2023/02/07/
Change in intensity for the 18s
Wednesday
Feb 08
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Feb 08
2023
Posted by XS Editor
In the midst of the lead up to the 73rd JJ Giltinan World 18ft Skiff Championship next month, the Australian 18 Footers League staged a three-race short-course series last Friday evening on Sydney Harbour…
First in best dressed for Airlie Beach Race Week
Wednesday
Feb 08
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Feb 08
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Entry is open and the Notice of Race online for the 35th edition of Airlie Beach Race Week, but with marina berthing limited, necessitating a cap of 100 yachts/multihulls, organisers at WSC urge all prospective competitors to enter now…
Golden Globe Race – No escaping this beast the size of Brazil
Wednesday
Feb 08
2023
Posted by deleteme
Feb 08
2023
Posted by deleteme
The Golden Globe Race leaders face the biggest low pressure encountered by the fleet so far is crossing their path en route to Cape Horn…
Cup Spy Feb 7 : Serious racing begins
Wednesday
Feb 08
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Feb 08
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Emirates Team New Zealand took the 2024 America’s Cup tension up a notch, putting on some match race practice for its two AC-40’s, and then having a drag race back to the team base, in downtown Auckland…
The Ocean Race Leg 2 Day 15
Wednesday
Feb 08
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Feb 08
2023
Posted by XS Editor
The fleet has pushed south into the Roaring 40s and close to record-breaking speed runs…
Iceboating tragedy in Michigan
Tuesday
Feb 07
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Feb 07
2023
Posted by XS Editor
The iceboating community got a jolt as the Detroit Free Press delivers difficult news from Michigan:
An 81-year-old Independence Township man died after crashing his sleek, 27-foot iceboat on frozen Pontiac Lake.
It appears that Dan Campbell was moving fast across the ice in his one-person craft and may have hit his head with enough force to kill him, despite wearing a protective helmet and face shield.
The sheriff’s office said Campbell was on the easternmost part of the lake in White Lake Township just before noon on February 5 when his iceboat crashed, about 100 yards from shore, and investigators were looking for answers to what might have led to the crash. Other iceboaters were on the lake at the time of the crash.
The sheriff’s office did not identify what kind of iceboat Campbell was in. Campbell was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. A medical examination on February 6 was expected to determine exactly how Campbell died.
Michigan, which is well-known for its ice sailing because there are so many frozen lakes with unobstructed wind, has several ice yacht clubs, including the Detroit Ice Yacht Club, West Michigan Ice Yacht Club, and Gull Lake Ice Yacht Club.
Golden Globe Race leaders face a big storm
Tuesday
Feb 07
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Feb 07
2023
Posted by XS Editor
With 20,000 miles and five months at sea, 70% of their voyage is complete. The leading yachts are starting to show little signs of fatigue, requiring constant maintenance, just as they are undertaking the most difficult part of the course…
botched
Tuesday
Feb 07
2023
Posted by deleteme
Feb 07
2023
Posted by deleteme
We’ve known Tom Hirsch for quite a few years, mostly through Flying Tigers. We wish him well.
Tom Hirsh has spent his life on the ocean, competing in sailing races and running Harbor Sailboats out of Shelter Island. But at 68 years old, Hirsh’s days on the open water are over after a February 2022 cataract surgery forced him to abandon ship and left him delegated to a dark window-tinted room, unable to cope with even a minor amount of light.
Hirsh says that during the surgery an infection known as toxic anterior segment syndrome (TASS) likely from dirty instruments or polluted eyewash entered both eyes, permanently preventing him from dilating his pupils to adjust to the light, essentially rendering him blind. More here.
Escoffier: “It could be a tight finish”
Tuesday
Feb 07
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Feb 07
2023
Posted by XS Editor
It’s been a long, exhausting but also thrilling second leg of The Ocean Race and the pattern is not going to change in the final stages, with the five IMOCA crews bracing themselves for one last push to Cape Town…
Hawkes swoops for victory at The Tiger
Tuesday
Feb 07
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Feb 07
2023
Posted by XS Editor
The trapeze boats had their moment to shine, but no one could match the consistent performance of Simon Hawkes’s K1 keelboat which dominated the Tiger Trophy to become the latest winner in the Seldén SailJuice Winter Series…
1948 London Olympic sailor Felix Sienra dies at 107
Tuesday
Feb 07
2023
Posted by deleteme
Feb 07
2023
Posted by deleteme
The world’s oldest surviving Olympian, Felix Sienra, died peacefully in his sleep 30 January 2023 at the age of 107…
The Ocean Race Leg 2 Day 14: Hurry up to slow down
Tuesday
Feb 07
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Feb 07
2023
Posted by XS Editor
The leaders are pushing hard to make miles towards Cape Town, but they are sailing towards a black hole of light winds that may yet have a final say…
Australian Flying Dutchman Championship 2023
Tuesday
Feb 07
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Feb 07
2023
Posted by XS Editor
In early February, Metung Yacht Club sailor, Mark Henger, and his New Zealand crewman, Matt Bismark, successfully defended their national title in the Australian International Flying Dutchman 2023 championship race series at Geelong…
Brazil sinks ship, pollutes the ocean
Monday
Feb 06
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Feb 06
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Significant attention prior to the Rio 2016 Olympics was brought upon the pollution in Guanabara Bay, the venue for sailing along with, swimming, canoeing, and rowing.
Guanabara Bay’s contamination was well known before Rio de Janeiro was awarded the Olympics in 2009, but the local Brazilian government “promised” to clean up 80 percent of the waste and pollution before the games. That never happened.
Once again, the country has gained troubling attention as it sank a decommissioned aircraft carrier in the Atlantic Ocean off its northeast coast despite warnings from environmentalists that the rusting 1960s French-built ship would pollute the sea and the marine food chain.
According to Reuters, the 32,000-tonne carrier had been floating offshore for three months since Turkey refused it entry to be scrapped there because it was an environmental hazard and the ship was towed back to Brazil.
The carrier was scuttled in a “planned and controlled sinking” late on February 3, the Navy said in a statement, that would “avoid logistical, operational, environmental and economic losses to the Brazilian state.”
The hull of the Sao Paulo was sunk in Brazilian jurisdictional waters 217 miles off the coast where the sea is 5,000 meters deep, a location chosen to mitigate the impact on fishing and ecosystems, the Navy said.
Federal public prosecutors and Greenpeace had asked the Brazilian government to stop the sinking, saying it was “toxic” due to dangerous materials, including 9 tons of asbestos used in paneling.
“The sinking of the aircraft carrier Sao Paulo throws tons of asbestos, mercury, lead and other highly toxic substances into the seabed,” Greenpeace said in a statement. It accused Brazil’s Navy of neglecting the protection of the oceans…
Top 10 Best Boats Review: Balance 442
Monday
Feb 06
2023
Posted by deleteme
Feb 06
2023
Posted by deleteme
Features include: • Daggerboards for upwind performance • Option for Integrel power generation • Versa-Helm serving upper and protected lower helm
When you do multiple boat tests in a short period of time the experiences can blur, so when a design sticks out, you know it’s notable. And the robust little sister to last year’s Balance 482—the newly launched 442—stands out for a multitude of reasons, not least because sailing her on a breezy autumn Chesapeake Bay day left me fantasizing about taking one to the horizon and back, lacking for nothing, and having a helluva lot of fun.
The smallest sibling in the Balance Catamarans family, this 44-footer is the work of designer Anton du Toit, built in Cape Town, South Africa. The design borrows heavily from her bigger sisters (the 482 and the 526) with features like a sleek cabintop and slightly reversed bows. The hulls, deck, and coachroof are a foam-cored, vacuum-bagged construction with polyester inner and vinylester outer skins. E-Glass and carbon fiber reinforcement are used in high-load and structural areas, and crash boxes are in the bows. The model is available with fixed keels as well as with tapered daggerboards. Most owners spec the boards for better upwind performance…
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